Entries Tagged 'Uncategorized' ↓

“Watch out for Bikes”

“Cyclists, watch out for this sign”

I think they should put a sign in the middle of the road saying “Watch out for Cars”

• Crazy Bike Lanes

The Colnago Primavera is Colnago’s lowest spec bike. Aware of their reputation, Colnago, don’t want to compromise their reputation by offering cheap, low spec bikes. Built around a 6000 Aluminium Series tubing; it also comes with a carbon fork and aluminimum steerer.

• Groupset - Shimano 105
• Wheelset - Mavic Aksium
• Sloping downtube

At over £1,100 the Colnago Primavera offers good value on the basic spec. The feel of the ride is good and comes with Colnago’s customary good finish and road handling abilities.

Other Road Bikes for similar spec may squeeze under £1,000, but they don’t have the allure of owning a Colnago, one of the most famous names in cycling.

Colnago Primavera 2008 at evanscycles.com

Colnago Road Bikes at evanscycles.com

• Colnago Road Bikes
• Road Bikes under £1,000

Cycling gloves are an invaluable aid for rides longer than 1-2 hours. They are not really to keep hands warm, but, protect hands from the constant impact upon the bars.

Gloves vary in thickness of padding. If you are a tourer, look for those with extra padding (probably be more expensive)

Also make sure you get a size big enough. My current size are large, but, still to small; they become uncomfortable after long ride.

Cycling Gloves at Probikekit

One of the best quality gloves are the Castelli Pro Mitts

If you are looking to reduce weight on your bike or make it more aerodynamic, you might want to cut carbon fibre equipment. For example, some time trial bar tubes may be too long. Cutting ends of off, may save the odd second.

How To Cut Carbon Fibre?

• It is not easy to cut carbon fibre. But, your best bet is a fine hacksaw blade, which should cut through the equipment.
• The trick is not to exert a lot of pressue, like you might cutting wood. If you exert a lot of pressure, the carbon fibre can crack. Let the blade do the work, not your force.
• Note: Cutting carbon fibre will emit carbon dust, which is bad for your health. Use a safety breathing mask. Might also be worth having vacuum cleaner on near the cutting equipment.
• To file carbon fibre, use glass paper.

Adult MTB (26″ Wheels) Sizing Chart

26″ wheel sized mountain bikes are suitable for all other 11 years. For children less than 11, look for smaller sized mountain bikes.

Generally, Mountain Bike frame sizes are 2- 2and half inches smaller than road bike frame sizes

Size Guide for Mountain Bike Frame Size

Mountain Bikes at Evans Cycles

For a long time Cycling Weekly resisted getting a website. Finally, they were dragged into the modern world and started a website to complement their magazine. (possibly in response to declining sales and a realisation of the growth of the internet)

The site gives enough news to make it worth visiting; as you would expect it only covers a small % of what is in the magazine, but, the news section is worth bookmarking. I’m surprised that they haven’t been able to use RSS feeds for their news section. Perhaps they don’t know what RSS is? Anyway if they gave an RSS feed I would subscribe to it. -

The online Shop is very sparse.  A few editions of cycling weekly , Cycling Sport and the odd DVD and VHS from 2005 constitute a pretty miserable collection.  One thing worth getting though is 5 water bottles for £6.99 - pretty good value, even if they do have Cycling weekly written all over them.

• Web Design - Pretty basic, not offensive though.
• Photo gallery OK. But, if you want to see extensive photos from procycling, you’re better off at cyclingnews.com
• Cycling Weekly Forum - Just what the cycling community needs another cycling forum.

Continue reading →

www.cyclingnews.com is the leading site about pro cycling. The page layout is awful. On first glance, the only thing you want to do is leave. The text is small and there are so many links it is hard to know where to start.

However, if you can negotiate the off putting home page, you will find a lot of worthwhile content and the latest up to date news on the procycling scene.

The photos section is amazing. There are some exceptional shots. They are likely to be copyrighted so you won’t be able to use them on your site, but, they make great viewing - Photo section

Continue reading →

Cinelli Cycling company was founded in 1948 by Cino Cinelli a former Italia professional cyclist. The company specialise in components especially handlebars and stems. About 20% of their business is road bikes.

They have close links with the company making Columbus tubing for bike Frames.

Cinelli Estrada

• Frame: COLUMBUS Carbon XLR8R
• Fork: COLUMBUS Tusk Straight 1-1/8 The straight fork improves strength and rigidity.
• Groupset: Campagnolo Centaur with carbon chainset.

Cinelli Willin

• Frame: COLUMBUS Monocoque SL Carbon frame
• Fork: COLUMBUS Tusk Light 1-1/8

Price about £1,500

Cinelli Xperience

Cinelli’s sub £1,000 bike. This compares reasonably favourably with other sub £1,000 bikes. It comes with:

• Columbus Zonal triple butted tubing - Aluminium oversized.
• Campagnolo Mirage
• Tusk Mega Carbon Fibre fork

See also: Best bikes under £1,000

Aero brake levers are designed to minimise aero drag on an exposed part of the bike.

Normal brake levers are bigger in surface area. Aero brake levers are designed to fit time trial bars and minimise surface area contact. They are often made of Carbon Fibre.

Some of the Aero Brake levers on the Market include:

Vision Aero Brake Lever

• Ergonimically designed.
• Fits standard Vision tech 22.2 mm bars.
• Minimalist design.
• Pure brake lever doesn’t include gear mechanism

Tektro RX Brake lever

• Made from stiff, lightweight carbon fibre
• Weight 68g pair
• Tektro RX5.0 £44.99 from wiggle

Brake Levers from Wiggle

• Checking Brakes on a Bike
• Aero safety helmets
• Easy ways to improve aerodynamics

1. It is important to regularly check your brakes, both front and back. You never know when  you may need to make an emergency stop. On some hills, brakes need to be in tip top condition to keep your speed under control.
2. Pull on brake levers. The brake pads should hit the rim without too much effort. If it takes too long adjust the cable to improve braking performance. Also check how much you need to pull the brakes to actually exert a stopping power on the bike.
3. Check the Brake pads for wear. Often they have a mark for where they should be replaced. Note, brake pads should not be used down to the last bit of braking material.
4. Also check there are not any bits of gravel or grit in the braking pad as they will scratch the rim.
5. On standard cantilevers and vee brakes squirt some WD 40 or lube at the back of each pivot to protect from rust and keep them working well.
6. You can also spray the top of side pul brakes to prevent the mechanism from seizing up. Be careful to avoid getting grease on the rim and brake blocks as this will prevent you from braking effectively. It can sometimes be difficult to wipe away oil from brake pads.

Brakes and Spare Pads at Pro Bike Kit

Brake Pads at Wiggle