Innehållsförteckning för November 2017 från Cycling Plus

£3199 SPECIFICATION WEIGHT 8.3kg (XL) FRAME Carbon FORK Carbon with TwinTip thru-axle GEARS SRAM Force 1 40, 11-42 BRAKES SRAM Force 1, 160mm rotors WHEELS Rondo superlight alloy disc FINISHING KIT Easton EA70 bar, Easton EC90 carbon post, Fabric Scoop flat titanium rail saddle, 30mm Panaracer Gravel King tyres The ride The Polish company’s CF1 carbon frame is designed with a flattened and kinked top-tube, which smooths out ruts and bumps. The ability to fit 650b wheels with 2in-plus tyres adds another dimension of comfort and off-road potential. That said, the wide 30mm tyres it comes with offer ample cushioning without ruining its on-road speed potential. It’s clever Rondo’s TwinTip fork design means that with a quick switch of the dropout insert and brake adaptor, you can change the bike’s…

MADE HIS MARK Endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont completed his Around the World in 80 Days bike ride in Paris - two days ahead of schedule. The Scot knocked a huge 45 days off the previous record. NEW FRONTIERS The 2018 Giro d’Italia will begin with Grand Tour racing’s first venture outside Europe and a three-day stay in Israel. It opens with a 10.1km time trial in Jerusalem, alongside stage finishes in Tel Aviv and Eilat. FLYING THE FLAG Great Britain’s Tom Pidcock won the junior men’s TT world title in Bergen - the first junior Brit male to win a medal of any kind since the race was first included in 1994. Fabian Cancellara is a past winner. LAPP’S LANDSLIDE Former British Cycling president Brian Cookson lost out on his…

Danilo Di Luca, winner of the 2007 Giro d’Italia, was known as ‘The Killer’ during his racing days, and following his racing career he’s developed and launched these new super-light race shoes, which will set you back £390, and are available through Brit brand Velobici. Their bling appearance is one thing, but under the skin there is a unique, mouldable hull. Submerge the shoes in boiling water, using the bag provided, to heat, then mould them to fit.…

An old college friend has just got into cycling. His road bike cost more than I earn, his jersey is more expensive than my bike and he daily Facebook brags about how he’s KOM for his age range on some Strava segment. As an everyday cyclist, I prefer wellpocketed M&S shorts to Lycra ones, being more marsupial than MAMIL. And I’m still the fastest for my age on several segments, if I restrict the range to my precise birthdate. Another Facebook friend is a different sort of cycling ingénue. She posted a picture of her new town bike and asked her social media cohort what she should call it and 200 people replied. Evidently bike names are more interesting than frame geometry. Suggestions came in two types: ‘cage fighter name’,…

The kit is based around nine-speed Shimano Sora levers and derailleurs SPECIFICATION Weight 10.79kg (56cm) Frame Aluminium Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Sora, FSA Vero 50/34, 11-34 Brakes Promax mechanical disc Wheels RD disc rims, alloy loose bearing hubs Finishing kit Cannondale stem, bar, 25.4mm seatpost and Stage Ergo saddle, 28mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tyres The Synapse is Cannondale’s endurance bike and is the only one of our test bikes with disc brakes, though given the speed at which discs and rotors are appearing on road bikes, it may only be a matter of time before rim brakes are the outlier rather than the norm. With its 28mm tyres, superskinny seatpost, comfort-boosting SAVE (‘micro suspension’ in Cannondale-speak) frame and fork, this bike is not aimed at the wannabe Mark Cavendish, but…

SPECIFICATION Weight 9.6kg (56cm) Frame 200 Series aluminium Fork Carbon blades Gears Shimano Sora 50/34, 11-32 Brakes Tektro T731 direct mount Wheels Bontrager TLR1 tubeless ready Finishing kit Bontrager stem, bar, 27.2mm aluminium seatpost, Bontrager Affinity Comp saddle, 28mm Bontrager R1 tyres Trek has been using IsoSpeed elastomers in its carbon bikes for years. But in the world of trickledown technology it was inevitable this accessory would turn up in its aluminium frames – and Trek’s 2018 Domanes are some of the first bikes to get it. You get less for your money than the similarly priced Specialized Allez, but it might be a worthwhile trade-off if IsoSpeed brings some of the comfort it delivers in the carbon Domanes. The Domane ALR3 looks fantastic in a rich pillar-box red, but…

SOME OF US DON’T HAVE the luxury of a garage to store our bikes, or a garden shed that offers anything like the level of security we’d like. And a lot of us don’t have partners who allow us to keep bikes in the house, which is awkward when test bikes regularly add to our own collection of twowheelers. This is where Asgard comes in, with its bike storage sheds, which are made from heavyweight galvanised steel panels complete with an integrated metal floor; a wooden base is also available or you can buy your own from your local DIY shop. The sheds are waterproof, come with a 10-year guarantee and are available in cream, green or brown and in a variety of sizes, all of which are made to…

WE SAY Tough, well put together helmet but a bit too hot in use for warm days SMITH PIONEERED AN alternative to EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam called Aerocore. It’s a patented honeycomb-like design, which uses a material called Koroyd. Smith claims, in the event of a crash, the material dissipates pressure more evenly than EPS foam, allowing the shock to spread. Add into that a MIPS [Multidirectional Impact Protection System] liner, which is designed to offer more protection from lateral and rotational impacts by engineering in a degree of slip into the construction, to allow for a more natural head movement should the worst happen. The Overtake’s shape is wind tunnel-optimised and the 21 vents are uniquely shaped, from the straight, horizontal leading edges to the huge squared-off vents on…

1 BREAK IN YOUR BIKE Ahead of a ride stretching over days or weeks get comfortable with your bike, learn its nuances through training rides. For my round-the-world trip I got a second-hand Trek Madone off eBay and made it my own. For my trans- Europe attempt I tweaked it a little, fitting electric gears - Shimano Ultegra Di2 – with a control at the end of my aero bar to make changing easy. 2 DO YOUR STRENGTH WORK I’m fortunate to have plenty of ‘endurance’ in me. I can ride for hours no problem, but I find doing hill climbs ahead of a long ride is great for building up additional strength and stamina. When you’re carrying your own gear it’s easy to forget that you need that additional…

Trans-Alp mountain bike racer Hannah Attenburrow reveals her preparation routine… 1 HEADSET IN THE ZONE Get a thorough bike service, including changing the bottom bracket and headset, and check you have spares. I went through two chains and two sets of brake pads over the Alps. Knowing how to change things like this is vital. 2 GET A GRIP The amount of climbing you’ll do in a mountainous multistage event will vary, but it will be a lot. As a mountain biker I’ve found ergonomic grips made my wrists more comfortable, but practise in advance and find what works for you on your bike. 3 SKIP THE TUBE I converted to tubeless tyres. In eight days of riding in an alpine environment I didn’t get a puncture! 4 FEED UP…

I have become one of those weirdo cyclists you try to avoid. I don’t know when or how this came about, but it is now beyond doubt, sadly. If I met me, I would try to avoid eye contact with me. I would certainly not talk to me, and I would try to cycle away from me as soon as I possibly could. I’m ‘one of them’, a person who approaches others, often invades their personal space, and, on opening a conversation, pays little heed to the willingness of the other party to engage in it. This is a character flaw in cyclists. We lack self-awareness to an awful degree. Let me add some context. My friend Mike, a long time ago, used to work in the subterranean offices of…

1 PROGRESSION Since producing a bespoke chain catcher for pro racer Kristen Armstrong (hence the K) in 2008, Idaho, US-based K-Edge has come a long way, making beautifullycrafted mounts for multiple on-bike accessories. 2 CONSTRUCTION The new Race mount is CNC-machined from 6061-T6 aluminium in three parts, which come in a selection of anodised colours. Excess material has been removed to reduce its weight by around 33 per cent to 33g, creating an attractively sculpted mount. 3 FITTING The slim clamp is hinged at the front for simple installation and fastened by a single 3mm hex bolt, hidden at the rear. It’s designed for 31.8mm diameter bars and safe for use on carbon. 4 COMPATIBILITY Coming with a replaceable Garmin quarter-turn insert featuring K-Edge’s ‘De!nitive Click’ locking system, it’ll also…

OAKLEY LIDS US eyewear giant Oakley is launching a range of helmets. The TT/triathlon AR07 (with integrated visor) and the AR05 aeroish all-rounder feature MIPS protection, while the AR03 optimises ventilation. CHEAPER METER Watteam has introduced what we believe is the world’s least expensive power meter. You glue the 21g left-side-only sensor to your existing crank and that’s it. The DIY aspect keeps cost down to $260. ATOMIC POWER Top-end trainer company Wattbike has launched a lighter trainer that promises pro-level accuracy at home. The Atom connects with Strava and is compatible with Zwift, TrainingPeaks and Sufferfest. FOR ALL THE LATEST BIKE & GEAR NEWS VISIT…

People say I look like Bradley Wiggins. With the right wig and sideburns... I’m what you’d call a Famous Five cyclist. I read the [Enid Blyton] books when I was growing up in the ’70s. They’d head off on their bikes in white linen shirts, baggy shorts and with bottles of ginger beer - that’s the sort of cycling I do. I’ve no Lycra, nor am I a member of a club, but I do love being out on a bike. I don’t drive. It’s 80 per cent to do with the environment and 20 per cent simply because I loathed doing it. When it came to learn to drive I resisted, I’d no desire at all and was very happy on my bike. I only got my licence because…

SPECIFICATION Weight 8.83kg (56cm) Frame E5 aluminium Fork Carbon, tapered Gears Shimano 105, Praxis Alba 50/34, 11-32 Brakes Tektro Axis calliper Wheels DT R460 rims, sealed cartridge hubs Finishing kit Specialized stem, bar, Body Geometry Toupe Sport saddle, 25mm Espoir Sport tyres The Allez has been part of Specialized’s line-up since the 1980s, when they were skinny steel affairs. More recently they’ve been the entry point to Spesh’s big-tubed aluminium road range, echoing the company’s carbon Tarmacs and recognisable by their arced top-tube. The Allez Elite has had a makeover for 2018. It’s shed nearly half a kilo, the head-tube has been heightened by 10mm, the seatstays have been dropped radically, and Specialized’s Axis wheels have been replaced by DT Swiss’s wide, tubeless-ready R460 rims. New rear rack mounts up…

Having your bike delivered in a box gets a lot of bike for your money SPECIFICATION Weight 8.4kg (51cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra 50/34, 11-28 Wheels Fulcrum Racing Sport Brakes Shimano 105 Finishing kit Deda Zero stem and bar, CSN 27.2mm carbon seatpost, Selle Italia X1 Flow saddle, 25mm Continental Ultra Sport tyres Ah, Ribble. One of the oldest bike retailers in the world, with a history dating back to Victoria. And if, like our tester, you’re north of 50 you’ll remember Ribble as a mailorder company. Now the company sells online, though it also has a couple of shops where you can see bikes in the flesh. It has supplied Chris Boardman and Bradley Wiggins, and has delivered a darkmatt all-carbon machine at a fantastic price.…

PRENDAS THERMOCOOL £7.95 These Italian-made autumn/early winter Thermocool Carbon socks are created from fabrics that are made for warmth and riding freshness, and they really are suited to the cooler riding conditions of those seasons. They’re warm and snug, though compared to the wool-based DeFeets they’re a little bit whiffier after a day’s riding. CASTELLI FAUSTO £13 Who doesn’t like argyle check and a nod to the great Fausto Coppi? This classically-styled-from-Castelli offering is based around Meryl Skinlife yarn, which has silver microparticles designed to keep odours at bay – and it’s effective. Made for temperatures down to 5°C, these are just the job until winter raises its icy head. CHAPEAU! TALL MIDWEIGHT £9.99 Chapeau!’s socks are tighter around the calf than most, plush and soft to the touch, they…

WE SAY Try before you buy as one rider’s pain could be another rider’s bliss DMT’S RS1 SHOES EMPLOY UNIQUE Boa lace fastenings. Their skeleton system sees the parallel lace ends anchored in the forward outer edge of the carbon sole, and wrapped around the shoe one and a quarter times before reaching the single Boa L6 rotary dial, on top of the two-part wrapover tongue. On their journey, the laces pass through six nylon tubes when threading through the uppers, and are sleeved to pass through the sole. The uppers are robust, with sturdy microfibre material and generous padding behind the laces and around the ankle, a silicone-dotted inner heel and rubber-injected anti-slip insole. The wrapover tongue has a ribbed plastic leading edge, and the sole’s useful heel bumper…

WHAT ARE THEY? The quadriceps, or quads, are the muscle group at the front of the thigh which contribute (in combination with the glute muscles) around 50 per cent of the total pedal power when cycling. HOW DO THEY WORK? The quads play a key role, along with the glutes, in powering the pedal stoke, particularly as the pedal reaches the top of the stroke in initiating the push downward (power phase) – beyond the three o’clock position (after quarter of the pedal stoke) the glutes and hamstrings should be predominately powering the pedal, and if the quads are involved at this stage it can lead to an overload of the muscle or quad dominance. WHAT GOES WRONG? Injuries related to overloading of the quads are among the most common…

YOUR EXPERT Freddy Vangoidsenhoven is team mechanic with the An-Post Chain Reaction UCI Pro Continental team 1 SCREW LOOSE Start this simple maintenance task by using an Allen key to unscrew the retaining bolt that holds the worn brake pad in place. The heads can easily round off, so take care and replace if this is starting to happen. 2 WHEEL AWAY Flip the quick-release mechanism on the brake calliper (top left) and remove the wheel in the usual fashion. You’ll need it out of the way to remove and fit the brake pads to the cartridges. 3 OUT WITH THE OLD Remove the old brake blocks by sliding them backwards out of the cartridges. This can be quite a tough job with your thumb if the blocks have been…

Functional food that tastes delicious may sound like a culinary challenge but as these recipes reveal, creating great tasting post-ride recovery meals needn’t be an uphill struggle. We asked leading sports nutritionists to provide us with 10 simple-to-prepare, highly nutritious dishes for cyclists needing feel-good foods that’ll fill us up and fix our aching limbs. Where time is of the essence we ordered meals for one that you can make in a few minutes. When you’re looking to fuel your recovery and serve up a treat for friends and family we sourced muscle-maintaining dinners that you can sign off as signature dishes. They’re not just functional for performance purposes either. If you need to cook for more or less just adapt the ingredients to suit the numbers. Chicken fried rice…

SPECIFICATION Weight 10.42kg (54cm) Frame 6061 aluminium Fork Aluminium Gears Shimano Tourney, unbranded 50/34 chainset, 11-28 Brakes Tektro dual calliper Wheels Doublewall alloy rims Finishing kit Aluminium stem, bar and 27.2mm seatpost, DDK saddle, 26mm Kenda Kontender tyres Okay, so your 400 quid isn’t going to get you a super-svelte lightweight flyer. But it is going to get you a bike that looks like a bike, feels like one and rides like one. It’s also well considered for a budget machine, where it’s likely to be your only bike, as it has widish tyres, rear rack mounts, fittings for front and rear mudguards and room to fit them, which isn’t always the case. We would swap the 26mm budget Kenda Kontender tyres for some better rubber and the non-cartridge brake…

Moss Bikes started as an adjunct to founder Andrew Jones’s career as a teacher, though he made his first frame aged just 14. The bike shown was constructed using Columbus tubing – his prize for winning the Best Track Bike title at handmade bicycle show, Bespoked, in 2015 – and was ridden by Anna Glowinski at the 2016 Red Hook London criterium. Chicken Cycles supplied parts including the Miche Pistard wheels, with Lancashire-based Hope manufacturing the matching headset, spacers and stem. The 100 per cent made-in-the-USA Wound Up carbon fork rounds things off.…

SPECIFICATION Weight 9.97kg (53cm/L) Frame Doublebutted 6061 aluminium Fork Carbon blades, alloy steerer Gears Shimano 105, Pro-Wheel Ounce 50/34, 11-28 Brakes Tektro R315 Wheels Alloy double wall Finishing kit Pinnacle stem, bar, and saddle, 25mm Schwalbe Lugano tyres There’s barely a town in Britain that doesn’t have an Evans Cycles store, which is one reason you see so many Pinnacle bikes. Pinnacle is the Evans in-house brand, and while the range encompasses bikes costing well over a grand, the Laterites, Dolomites and cyclo-cross-inspired Arkose allrounders are Pinnacle’s bread and butter, most of them costing well under £1000 and featuring some very good kit for your cash. Our Laterite 3 demonstrates that perfectly, coming with an 11-speed setup based around Shimano 105 shifters and derailleurs, making it one of the most…

SPECIFICATION Weight 8.66kg (53cm ) Frame C7 carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Tiagra, 50/34 FSA Gossamer, 12-28 Brakes Tektro R540 Wheels Mavic CXP Elite Finishing kit Boardman stem, bar, 31.6mm seatpost, Boardman saddle, 25mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro tyres During four-and-a-bit minutes of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Chris Boardman changed the face of British cycling. The former furniture maker has been responsible for our nation’s success on the velodrome’s boards and, later, through his own brand of bikes and as a cycling activist, has popularised road cycling. He started his eponymous brand more than a decade ago (flogging it to Halfords a while back), and the star has long been the Team Carbon, a genuine game-changer that brought carbon to a whole new generation of wannabe roadies. As we go to…

£79.99 Size matters Minimalists will love the Elemnt Mini – at 40x60mm it’s truly diminutive. A good start then, but before you rush to the shops it’s worth noting that the Mini isn’t actually a GPS computer. Out of the box, and if you don’t have a compatible smartphone, it is essentially just an old-fashioned bike computer – a cadence sensor for your wheel is included. Feature proof If you do have a compatible smartphone, though, pair the Mini with Elemnt’s app using Bluetooth Smart and it becomes a whole lot more usable. Pairing with the app makes the Mini a ‘slave’ to your phone so that the Elemnt can use your mobile’s GPS to display accurate data as you ride. Once set up, it’s quick and easy to pair.…

Among other things, Sussex is known for its nudist beach and for electing Britain’s only green MP. It may be slightly less well known as a centre of bike production and viticulture. But these days the county is home to more than 50 vineyards, and wine has probably been produced in Sussex since the time of the Romans. Something else they did for us… But the area is something of a hotbed of cycling too. Brighton is the destination for one of the country’s biggest bike rides, while several bike producers and distributors are based in Sussex, including Orro and Kinesis. Among them are a few smaller-scale companies that manufacture bikes in the county. So, combining two of our loves – cycling and wine – we took an actually-madein- Sussex…

1 Rack Back Position the barbell high on the back of the shoulders, grasp it at the sides, dismount the bar from the rack and stand with a shoulder width stance. 2 Squat Control Bend your hips back, allowing the knees to bend forward. Keep your back straight and knees pointed in the same direction as your feet. Descend until thighs are just past parallel to the floor. 3 Rise Again Extend knees and hips until legs are straight to return to upright. Keep your head facing forward, your back straight and feet flat on the floor. Do three sets of five reps.…