Innehållsförteckning för November 2020 från Cycling Plus

SUBSCRIBE! NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO CYCLING PLUS CAN GET A SYNCROSS MATCHBOX COUPE BOTTLE CAGE WORTH £39.99 ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Get access to exclusive content, competitions and offers. Turn to p80 I’m going to provide a personal positive from our troubled recent past – I’m back on the bike with something approaching regularity! I’ve been taking part in our back-to-the-office trial, which means I need to travel 15-miles each way, three times a week. The answer is, of course, to ride it. And I’m loving it – it feels normal, I don’t have to wear a mask and I’m losing my lockdown lumpiness. Let’s hope, as normality slowly returns, plenty of others will do the same and the bike boom continues. Rob Spedding Content Director SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE…

£3350 From climber to do-it-all race bike The new 2021 Trek Emonda sees a marked shift away from a purely climber-focused bike to a more allround package with the de rigueur aero shaping to match. While at £3350 the SL 6 Pro is by no means cheap, it does represent fairly good value for money in the context of the wider market. For that cash, you get a full Ultegra R8020 groupset, a Bontrager Aeolus 35 Elite carbon wheelset, a perfectly inoffensive alloy cockpit and a very plush Bontrager saddle. The 56cm bike weighs 8.13kg on the nose with no pedals. Picking two comparable bikes, the Giant TCR Advanced Pro 2 Disc costs roughly the same (£3499) for a broadly similar build, as does the Rose X-Lite Six Disc (approx…

Suffolk’s gentle countryside provides few summitbagging opportunities, but offers plenty of picturesque day rides. The handsome town of Bury St Edmunds – at the junction of National Cycle Routes 13 (London to Fakenham) and 51 (Oxford to Colchester) – is a great focus for rides, and on its outskirts is one of East Anglia’s friendliest cycle cafes. Six years ago this was a derelict pub. Now it’s a lively and welcoming multipurpose cyclist haven with holiday pods, a bike workshop, HQ for local sportives, events and regular rides and a showroom where you can covet gravel, road and ebikes. If you impulse-purchase anything too big for your back pocket, such as a Trek Domane, they’ll post it to you. It’s also a super cafe that’s ideal for that fuel-up, open…

WE SAY… Classic hybrid position makes this the perfect bike for negotiating traffic £1899 Mixed surface special Carrera has done well with the price of the Crossfuse as it’s one of the cheapest Bosch-equipped bikes on the market. It hasn’t used the base-model Bosch system (like the Raleigh) either, opting for the next level up, which gives between 5 and 10Nm of extra torque depending on the mode. The system is controlled by the small, simple Purion display that sits on the bars. You move between the Bosch system’s levels of assistance from completely off, through Eco (40w assistance/35Nm torque), Tour (100w/40Nm), Sport (180w/45Nm) and finally Turbo (270w/50Nm). Unlike the bulkier Intuvia display on the Raleigh, the Crossfuse’s Purion keeps information to a minimum, with current mode and a graphic…

£2200 Bells and whistles for added comfort WE SAY… Top-notch equipment and the best bike on test for riding in civilian clothing Powering the alloy Raleigh Motus is a centrally mounted 250w Bosch Active Line motor. This is driven by a removable Bosch Powerpack 400 battery that’s fully guaranteed for two years and/or 500 charge cycles (replacements are available from around £500). The Active Line motor delivers 40Nm of torque, which provides a smooth level of assistance that’s best suited for urban use. The system is controlled via Bosch’s Intuvia display where you can turn the system on and off, operate the integrated lights, reset the trip computer and scroll through the information on the screen. You select power output using the Intuvia remote control that sits on the bar…

WE SAY… Great performing custom glasses with a myriad options £150 Custom riding shades SunGod’s approach is a little different to other glasses brands. Instead of offering set colourways for its designs, you choose each element of your glasses from eight colour options for the frame, the lower lens protectors or the half-frame nose bridge, the logos and the rubber tips to the arms, as well as 10 lens options. That adds up to thousands of colour combinations. What also impressed us was that they arrived within three days. For £150 the package is pretty good, including a selection of soft nose-bridges, a zipped hard case and a soft cleaning bag. The glasses themselves follow the current trend of retro/modern aesthetic. The shield lens extends to your brow line offering…

£2500 Limited-edition replica Back in July 1980, when Olivia Newton-John, Bob Marley and Kate Bush had hits in the UK top 10, the Ti-Raleigh-Creda team was riding steel bikes handmade in Nottingham. Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk claimed overall victory in the Tour de France, while his team-mate and compatriot Johan van de Velde won the race’s Young Rider classification. The bright-red Raleigh that Zoetemelk rode became an instant design classic and a much lusted-after bike. And if you were one of the kids in 1980 for whom this was an unobtainable dream machine, here’s some good news. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of that victory, Raleigh has built a replica of the iconic bike, which can be yours for £2500 (or if you want to build your own retro replica,…

The reduction in traffic on our roads during the lockdown period made it an ideal time to work on one of the harder-to-practise skills – sprinting. Without access to a track or a clear stretch of road, it’s not always easy to break into sprint mode with 100 per cent confidence. Grabbing the opportunity is definitely worth taking if you can. “Even if the high-octane bunch sprint isn’t for you, it’s still a crucial element of cycle racing,” says Liam Holohan. “Races are most often won in those last few hundred metres. A strong aerobic engine will get you to the finish of the race, but a strong sprint is where you’ll most often win it.” 01 CORE STRENGTHS “There’s a lot more to efficient sprinting than stomping on the…

PATRICK WALLACE, BUYER FOR EVANS CYCLES “There is no definitive right or wrong size. It all comes down to personal preference and what feels comfortable. To find the bike that fits best, you’ll need to measure your height and inside leg. For your height, stand against a wall and mark the wall with a pencil so it’s level with the top of your head. Then measure from the ground up to the mark. For your inside leg measurement, stand against a wall and hold a book between your legs into your groin, making sure it’s flat against the wall. Measure the height from the book to the floor (it might be easier to get a friend to help!. If your height is on the cusp of the size range, your…

WHEN DID YOU FIRST TAKE UP CYCLING? “One of my first memories was when I was about 3 and a half – I took off my stabilisers then rode into our garden wall and needed stitches! I was around 12 when my dad bought me my first racing bike, a Raleigh Equipe, with shifters on the down tube and steel rims. I then joined Otley Cycle Club for a few years while gradually upgrading my bike with money from my paper round and milk round.” HOW HAS GETTING BACK ON THE BIKE CHANGED YOUR LIFE? “I live in Middlesex now and was commuting into central London by train. Then my job changed and I was able to ride once more. I’d put on weight and wasn’t really exercising, so it…

DISTANCE 88 kilometres/55 miles GRADE Intermediate. You’ve only got a handful of kilometres to warm up for the biggest challenge of the day, Winnats Pass, but once over that, the rest is manageable if you pace yourself. (If you’re struggling, you can skip the final climb, reducing the distance to 70km and the total elevation from 1600 to 1400 metres.) DOWNLOAD komoot.com/tour/240888967 GETTING THERE Bamford railway station is at the start/finish of our ride and served by trains on the Manchester-Sheffield line. WHERE TO STAY We stayed at the bikefriendly Yorkshire Bridge Inn just up the road from Bamford railway station. The owners have done a great job of meeting Covid-19 health requirements – including sealed bags of sanitiser and hand wipes in your room – without compromising on service…

THE BIG PICTURE G IN THE GIRO It was a shock to see Geraint Thomas’s name missing from Ineos Grenadiers Tour de France line-up, but his admission to The Guardian that the lockdown had, like many of us, left him “running a little heavy” went some way to explaining it. The Tour’s loss is the Giro d’Italia’s gain, however, and the extra five weeks of racing in his legs, such as here at the start in the Tirreno-Adriatico, will help sculpt a grand tour-winning body that he’s often admitted isn’t easy for him.…

Despite the reported cycling boom, a recent survey revealed only 4 per cent of workers in England and Wales, 2.8 per cent in Scotland and 1 per cent in Northern Ireland commute by bike. One of the biggest hurdles is arriving at work fresh, so being able to ride in your work clothes means an electric bike makes sense. Financially, too, ebikes are an attractive prospect. In London the annual Travelcard covering Zones 1-4 is £2080, about the same cost as the bikes on test here. Here I’ve reviewed four ebikes at around £2000. With the Cycle To Work scheme no longer having a limit, these bikes can all be had for less through your company scheme. For cyclists who think an ebike is a ‘cheat’, think again: these are…

WE SAY… This bike comes with all the extras and an easy to use system making it a wise commuting choice £2099 Sharp-looking, well equipped commuter Ribble’s Hybrid AL e is a greatlooking bike with its metallic copper finish (1) (it also comes in petrol blue). Add in ebikemotion’s subtly integrated motor system and internal battery, and you have a stealthy ebike that cuts a sharp image on the road. Ebikemotion’s system is based around a 250w rear hub – rather than bottom bracket – motor combined with a slim integrated 250w battery in the down tube. This system provides just enough assistance when you need it: more of a gentle push in the back than a surge of torqueladen power. The Ribble, much like the Boardman, is more of…

“The ride position is sporty with nimble handling, combined with great contact points for comfort” All of the bikes here surpassed what I expected. In years gone by, lower-priced ebikes were unwieldy to handle, heavy and more likely to discourage cycling than promote it, however, in this test all of the bikes were great fun to ride. The bargain-priced Carrera Crossfuse delivers a big dose of power, a comfortable commanding ride position and with a few additions, such as mudguards and a rack, it would make an awesome commuter 52 weeks of the year. For those new to cycling, or those yet to experience the joy of an ebike, the Carrera offers plenty of helpful power at a keen price. The Raleigh may have a little less punch than the…

WE SAY… Good-quality, powerful pump that offers pleasing value for money £89.99 Beefed-up power pump Giant’s Control Tower Pro Boost is undoubtedly a quality floor pump for the money. Its all-metal barrel and base add heft (it weighs in at 1.9kg) and, when combined with the 27cm diameter of the triplefooted base, it’s certainly stable. The large 10cm analogue dial displaying psi and bar scales is easy to read, while the 115cm hose is just about long enough to reach your bike when mounted above ground in a workstand. At 695mm tall, plenty of air is displaced by each stroke (369cc claims Giant). The barrel is the reverse of a standard track pump, so instead of having a thinner rod attached to the handle leading down to the plunger, it…

It’s more important than ever to eat well as the stress and strain of modern life can have a negative effect on our bodies and minds. It’s vital, then, that we eat to support our mood, energy and health. As well as keeping us energised enough to enjoy cycling, a good diet is key to helping our minds and bodies cope with tough times. Here, three nutrition experts suggest 14 foods to keep you upbeat and active… 01 BROWN BREAD, PASTA AND RICE “Did you know that our brain uses as much as 20 per cent of all energy required by the body to function?” asks nutritionist Lily Soutter. “Unlike other organs, it requires a steady supply of glucose, ideally coming from starchy carbohydrates, to function. All carbohydrates break down…

“Without doubt the best Tripster yet, smartly designed, beautifully finished and a ride to match”WARREN ROSSITER I’ve been a big fan of Kinesis’s titanium-framed Tripster ATR since it launched in 2012 (the original Tripster launched in 2009 as part of Kinesis’s limitededition Decade line), to the extent that I upgraded from the Vol 1 model with its tighter tyre clearances, post-mount disc brakes and quickrelease skewers to the Vol 2, which added thruaxles and dual wheel-size capabilities. And now I’ve switched up to the latest Vol 3 incarnation, which brings in a whole new tubeset and glorious detailing, such as dropouts machined from a single billet of titanium. The design has been tweaked with input from Tripster owners (including myself), so it’s a bit sportier than before. Also, tyre clearances…

We challenge 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs author Simon Warren to devise 10 compact yet savage British routes. He didn’t disappoint… 01 NORTH YORK MOORS There are many areas of rich topography in Yorkshire, but if you’re looking for a compact yet vicious ride, there’s nowhere better to head to than the North York Moors. This loop starts in Kirkbymoorside and heads due north towards the first beast of the day, Blakey Bank. Maxing out at just shy of 25 per cent, this climb is a total killer and a strong taste of what’s to come. Riding east through Street, Glaisdale, Egton and Grosmont, you find yourself at the base of the next big challenge, Sleights Moor, and the first of the day’s 30 per cent signs. The bottom of the climb is…

We give some love to Ordnance Survey Explorer 440 (Glen Cassley & Glen Oykel) – the worst-selling map in the entire OS range It’s a moonless October night and I’m racing along a remote singletrack road in the middle of the Scottish Highlands, holding a torch for illumination in one hand and gripping my front brake hood with the other. As the last light of the day ebbs away, the whistling starts. Having been given an impromptu lesson about the wildlife by a group of stalkers at my hotel bar the previous night, I recognise these as the calls of female deer. Then I hear another sound, a cross between a grunt and a roar, and I see a large dark shadow on my right converging quickly with the road.…

Attention to detail is top-notch and the SLR01 is an absolute masterpiece of industrial design £9800 Probably the best-looking bike launched this year The classic BMC silhouette of dropped seatstays has been a mainstay in the range since the 2010 SLR and now it’s been adopted across pretty much every design of BMC’s rivals. Ditto for integration and internal cable routing, from handlebar to rear mech. Even the comfort and aero combining D-shaped seatpost is a contested first between Giant (TCX ’cross bike) and BMC. It’s clear that BMC’s influence on road bikes far exceeds the brand’s profile, which is impressive stuff when you consider that BMC is less than 25 years old. This Teammachine looks simply beautiful. Its svelte design and clean lines have not been scarred by anything…

CARRERA CROSSFUSE £1899 Halford’s in-house brand Carrera offers one of the cheapest Bosch motor-equipped bikes available with the Crossfuse. It shares the same big-capacity Bosch 400 powerpack battery as the Raleigh but with an uprated Active Line Plus motor delivering 50Nm of torque, which is 10 more than the Raleigh. That extra power, however, does rob a little of the range with the Crossfuse having a claimed 80 miles. RIBBLE HYBRID AL E FULLY LOADED £2099 Ribble launched a full range of ebikes in 2019 all based around Mahle’s ebikemotion system. Ebikemotion uses a slimline internal battery and a rear hub-based motor to provide a welcome boost, and it links up to a clever app to give you total control over the available power. This Fully Loaded edition includes full…

WE SAY… An ebike for regular riders who want something that feels natural to ride £2199 Slick alloy frame and a carbon fork for this electric commuter Boardman’s HYB is a sporty commuter: the angles are road-bike steep and the ride position is aggressive too. It makes sense, then, that it’s powered by the lightweight Germanengineered Fazua Evation drive system, more commonly found on carbon e-road bikes than easy-going commuters. With a claimed weight for the Evation of 4.6kg, it’s easy to see how Boardman has managed to keep the full bike weight down to a manageable 16.2kg. The Evation motor delivers 250w, which is accessed through a bar-mounted controller that has an on/off switch, +/- switches and 10 LED lights notifying charge level (along with your current mode). I…

£13 – £50 Keep your phone secure and accessible 01 BTWIN RIVERSIDE 500 £13 WEIGHT 120g INCLUDED Top tube mounted case with two bags OPTIONAL EXTRAS None Not very sleek or hi-tech, but we found ourselves warming to the Riverside 500 way more than anticipated simply because the tube-mounted twin bags are very convenient. The phone goes in the top, wallet and keys one side, spare tube and tools the other. And all for £13. The kicker is that the straps could be longer, which means some ingenuity is required to fix it securely in place. The phone goes into its holder easily, but because it isn’t held firmly against the cover, reflection from the plastic can sometimes make it hard to see the screen. Also, the touchscreen connection isn’t…

WE SAY… These shoes are an homage to the Spring Classics, but beware of possible fitting issues MUD GLORIOUS MUD 01 Fizik’s muddy motif is an inspired choice, and beneath lies a hardwearing yet ventilated mesh/PU upper BOA CONSTRICTOR 02 A single Boa IP1 dial tightens each shoe, and the asymmetric lacing pattern follows the Overcurve construction SOLE STORY 03 The carboninfused nylon R4 outsole is comfortably stiff and has three channelled vents to aerate your foot £189.99 Italian shoes that are ready to race Inspired by the Spring Classics, these shoes are special editions of Fizik’s new Overcurve R4 and come complete with a mud-splatter print design that hides a multitude of sins for those of us who don’t stay on top of keeping our shoes clean. The print…

After what feels like the longest summer, we find ourselves hurtling towards winter with its combination of murky morning starts and dark evenings. Yes, now is the time to review your bike lights setup and invest in a new set if your lights are weak or you are in need of an update. In order to get the best fit for your needs it helps to be familiar with a few key elements that will help whittle a shortlist from what can seem like a dizzying array of lights available, and this test looks at the best lights for around £100. Lumens are the measure of the amount of visible light. Intuitively, going high feels better, but for dedicated road use we found that around 700 is more than enough.…

When we first saw the press release for Canyon’s latest range topper, we assumed that it included some mistakes. The numbers the German company were quoting for its new Ultimate disc road bike seemed barely believable. Sure, we were used to Canyon’s showstoppers boasting impressive stats, but a frame and fork weighing just 950g and a complete bike weight of just 6kg? Surely that’s a typo – there are bikes in the pro-peloton being raced right now that have frames that weigh more than that! But, perhaps as you’d stereotypically expect, that press release was indeed accurate and precise – the 2021 Ultimate CFR (formerly the Ultimate Evo) really is a featherweight masterpiece of bicycle engineering. To be honest, we’re not surprised as Canyon has been producing jaw-dropping ‘halo’ bikes…

According to the British Heart Foundation, heart and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK. That’s an average of 460 people each day – or one death every three minutes. The good news is that cycling is fantastic for your cardiovascular health. A long-term study conducted by the University of Glasgow found that cycling just 32km (20 miles) a week reduces your risk of heart disease by a massive 50 per cent. But even if you ride regularly, stale training habits or a sloppy diet can still leave you vulnerable to heart problems. So how can you make double-sure your ticker is kept in good working order? “You want a training plan that has a mix of exercise intensities to promote heart health and…

Four centuries ago, the bubonic plague arrived in Eyam via a package of cloth from London When I arrive in Eyam, tired and hungry from a route that took me over two famous British hill climbs and across several windswept plateaus of the Peak District, time is already running out for mankind. “The prognosis is very poor,” says the scientist I’ve arranged to meet here. “Frankly, it’s bloody scary. People have every right to be worried.” Dr Michael Sweet is a biologist and epidemiologist at the University of Derby who is joining me for a ride around the ‘plague village’ of England. Four centuries before social distancing, selfisolation and local lockdowns became the global norm, the bubonic plague arrived in Eyam via a package of cloth delivered from London. Today,…

JOHN WHITNEY Can British climbs ever be considered, for want of a better word, sexy? SIMON WARREN Of course they can. There are hairpin bends in Britain that sweep every bit as gloriously as anything in the Alps. British climbs often stand alone, with a single defining feature, whether a perfect corner or patch of vicious gradient – such as the 33 per cent stretch on Rosedale Chimney in North Yorkshire or the first hairpin on Park Rash in the Yorkshire Dales – that adds a vital focal point. TREVOR WARD I think they can, but they’re generally a different beast than what you find in the Alps. They call for a different kind of mental fortitude. Instead of concealing themselves behind beautifully engineered switchbacks, British climbs taunt you by…