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F E B R UA RY/ M A R C H 2 015 £3 O R F R E E TO C TC M E M B E R S This issue HILLCLIMBING: BECAUSE IT ’S THERE ADVENTURE ROAD
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BAVARIAN TOURING LORRY SAFETY SOLUTIONS ADVENTURE ROAD BIKES ALL-ABILITY CYCLING
LORRY SAFE T Y FOR CYCLIST S BAVARIAN TOURING INCLUSIVE CYCLING F E B R U A R Y/ M A R C H 2 0 15
RIDING HIGH WHY CYCLISTS SEEK HILLS & MOUNTAINS
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CONTENTS
Clockwise from far left: Steve Fleming, Chris Juden, Alamy
Founded in 1878
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38
FROM THE EDITOR avoid hills; keen cyclists seek them out. It’s not masochism. Or not just masochism. The difficulty of any hill can be divided by the amount of common sense applied to your gearing. You can embrace the iconography of suffering and conquer that climb on a 42/23, burning with lactic acid and mentally shouted at by your flagdraped inner fan. Or you can spin up while sitting down on 22/36, staring not at the tarmac or the speedo but at the visible height gain all around. Whichever way you do it, maximal or minimal effort, it’s satisfying to reach the top of a climb, especially long or steep ones. It’s an achievement ticked off. There’s a sense of relief. There’s the view. And there’s all that gravitational potential energy, ready to be spent on a thrilling descent. The idea of uplift – going to the top in a van or a gondola, like downhill mountain bikers – feels alien. I want to ride to the top. I don’t want to be gifted a free descent. I want to pay for it with honest toil. Maybe it’s a generational thing. Maybe it’s the rationalisation of a cyclist skinny enough to go up hills well but too chicken to go down them quickly. Or maybe there is a bit of masochism in it. Whatever: the hill is there. We’re going up it. I’ll see you at the top.
CASUAL CYCLISTS
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07 F R O M T H E C H I E F E X E C Paul Tuohy talks about group riding
04 B I G P I C T U R E This issue: the New Forest Cycling Week
08 Q U I C K R E L E A S E S CTC’s commentary on cycling news & events 16 S H O P W I N D O W Things to see at the London Bike Show 18 G E A R U P Components, kit and accessories on test 25 L E T T E R S Your feedback on Cycle and cycling 26 C T C & M E Belles on Bikes: women’s cycling groups in Scotland 30 M Y B I K E Isabelle Clement’s power-assisted handcycle 60 Q & A Your technical, health and legal questions answered 78 C T C M E M B E R B E N E F I T S Special offers for CTC members
Get five years’ CTC membership for the price of four. Phone 01483 238301
32 L U D W I G ’ S B A V A R I A Mountains, fairytale castles, bike paths, and beer 38 B E C A U S E I T ’ S T H E R E … What compels cyclists to seek out hills? 46 D E L I V E R I N G T H E G O O D S ? How to improve lorry safety for cyclists 50 F I E T S F I R S T I N H O L L A N D Family touring in the Netherlands
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64 A D V E N T U R E R O A D B I K E S Surly Straggler and Genesis Croix de Fer 20 compared 70 C I R C E M O R P H E U S Semi-recumbent tandem and cargo bike in one
PLUS
RIDING HIGH WHY CYCLISTS SEEK HILLS & MOUNTAINS
73 C A S U A L S H O E S Normal-looking SPD shoes and trainers
On the cover The last few hairpins of the Galibier, climbing from the Lautaret side. Photo © Steve Thomas
81 T R A V E L L E R S ’ T A L E S CTC members’ ride reports 83 C T C C Y C L I N G H O L I D A Y S Let us take you there
CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@ctc.org.uk W: ctc.org.uk T: 0844 736 8450 or 01483 238300 (national office) 0844 736 8451 or 01483 238301 (membership dept) Cycle promotes the work of CTC. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. CTC is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with 67,000 members and affiliates CTC Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow CTC Council Chair: David Cox Chief Executive: Paul Tuohy. Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX.
Dan Joyce EDITOR
CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce e: editor@ctc.org.uk Designers: Mary Harris, Simon Goddard Advertising: Anna Vassallo tel: 020 7079 9365 e: annav@jppublishing.co.uk Creative Director: James Houston Publisher: James Pembroke. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of CTC by James Pembroke Publishing, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. Tel: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright CTC, James Pembroke Publishing and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from CTC and James Pembroke Publishing is forbidden. Views expressed in the magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of CTC. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Publishing, and final approval by CTC. PRINTED BY: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, TF7 4QQ. Tel: 01952 585585
CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 0 3
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stay in touch c yc l e c l i p s : CTC’s free weekly email newsletter – email your membership number to membership@ctc.org.uk CYCLE c a m pa i g n n e w s :
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Right: by Phil Whitehurst. Far right: by Mark Beaumont
This month: epic ride record attempts; funding for cycling; Space for Cycling; and cases being supported by the Cyclists' Defence Fund
Steve Abraham is riding at a steady pace. Mark Beaumont plans to ride faster than before
Record chasing Two CTC members are attempting record-breaking rides in 2015: 80,000 miles in 365 days and Cairo to Cape Town in 50 Audax cyclist Steve Abraham is aiming to better Tommy Godwin’s ‘unbeatable’ record of 75,065 miles cycled in one year, which was set in 1939. Meanwhile, roundthe-world cyclist and TV presenter Mark Beaumont will take on the Cairo to Cape Town record, a 6,900-mile journey, during April and May. Steve set off on 1 January, and at the
time of writing had averaged around 183 miles per day, putting him more than 200 miles ahead of Godwin's 1939 schedule. ‘I was about 15 when I heard about Tommy Godwin's record, and always wondered if I could do it,' Steve said. ‘Then, two years ago, I decided to start planning. I thought: “I could spend another year working in a warehouse all day or I could be out on my bike.” I have
“Steve set off on 1 January, and at the time of writing had average 183 miles per day, putting him more than 200 miles ahead of Godwin's schedule" 8 cyc le fe br uary /m ar ch 2 015
given up my job and saved up some money. I intend to ride at an easy pace that I know from my test rides I can keep up for days and nights at a time.’ Steve would like as many CTC members to be involved as possible, and is inviting people to join him en route or meet him at a café-stop to encourage him on his journey. He is also asking if cyclists would help with the record-breaking attempt by offering him a bed for the night. For more details, or to follow Steve’s progress, visit the website oneyeartimetrial.org.uk. Mark Beaumont has form for longdistance cycling, having broken the roundthe-world record in 2008. He then cycled from Alaska to the tip of Argentina in 20092010. ‘Cairo to Cape Town is one of the worlds most iconic routes,’ he said, ‘and after the circumnavigation and Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, it would complete the ultimate hat-trick of endurance rides for me. ‘It has shot to fame in the cycling world thanks to the passionate leadership of Henry Gold and his Tour D’Afrique. Over the last 13 years, hundreds of people have been given the chance to pedal south past the pyramids, through the Sahara, into the great grasslands of East Africa, along the shores of Lake Malawi, and then to Cape Town via Botswana and Namibia.' The current record is 70 days, set by Robert Knol of the Netherlands in 2011. ‘I’ll need to ride a lot faster than I have ever done before,’ said Mark. ‘So I’ll be using an ultra-light racing set-up, as opposed to the trekking set-up that I used on previous trips. I will be riding a Koga Solacio road bike with 28mm tyres, fitted with frame bags. The bike also has a SON front hub dynamo linked to a USB port in the headset to power the GPS, lights, phone and cameras.’ Mark will be filming his trip. For updates, visit markbeamontonline.com. Cycle will be publishing articles about both Steve’s and Mark’s journeys later in the year.
KIT REVIEWS
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To submit a review, write or email the editor – details on page 3 – for advice. Each one printed wins a personalised Splashmaps map worth £28.99. For more about SplashMaps’ weatherproof, washable, wearable maps, visit splash-maps.com
Components, kit, and accessories reviewed by specialist journalists, CTC staff – and you. This issue: steel frameset, smartphone, & more
RE VIEW OF THE MONTH
PROS + Rugged and
weatherproof
+ Two devices in one CONS - Limited smartphone & GPS functionality
Selle SMP
Drakon saddle
£195
dillglove.co.uk
EVEN AMONG holey saddles, Selle SMP ones are distinctive: the cutaway is wide and long, extending all the way to the droopy nose. They’re also concave. The Drakon is meant for sporty leisure cycling and comes in men’s and women’s models. A leather top covers a padded, carbon fibre-and-nylon chassis, and it has steel rails; the carbon-railed version is £110 extra! The steel-railed Drakon is already astonishingly expensive at £195. For that, I’d want what Jerome K Jerome called ‘rainbow stuffed with cloud’. The Drakon does eliminate perineal pressure but so do plenty of other saddles – for example, the Rido R-Lt – and I found that there was a bit more pressure at the top of the thighs from the cutaway’s sides. Saddles are personal, of course; for me, the Drakon was merely okay. The good news is that Dillglove offer a saddle hire scheme so you can try one for a fortnight for the cost of postage (plus a deposit). 276fi138mm, 310g. Dan Joyce
Memory-Map & Seals
MEMORY-MAP SMARTPHONE-GPS £329 INC. OS LANDRANGER memory-map.co.uk, sealstech.co.uk MEMORY-MAP have teamed up with Seals to put OS maps onto a rugged smartphone. While you can run the Memory-Map app on any GPS-enabled Android phone, it’ll need protection, whereas the Seals TS3 (TX3 with Memory-Map pre-installed) is approved to US military standard 810G and to IP68, so it’ll withstand a two metre drop onto concrete or immersion (also 2m). So once I’d clipped it into the (£25 extra) QuadLock mount on my stem, I was ready for the worst of Britain’s weather and roads. Just like a Garmin it isn’t. Memory-Map provides only the simplest means of following a planned or recorded track, by eye, and displays only trip distance, time and speed. Other apps can of course be installed, but switching in and out of Memory-Map is fiddly whilst riding. Display quality is nevertheless up to proper GPS standards. At 50×74mm it shows almost twice as much map as a typical cycling Garmin, making on-the-fly navigation that much easier. The map
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can be zoomed by the phone’s volume control, which is more convenient than a touchscreen. The included maps can be transferred to a PC for route planning etc, and routes simply emailed to the phone. As a phone, the TX3 isn’t too smart. Its Android software is four years old and its hardware lacks the speed, memory or storage to run many modern apps. I’m not bothered about Facebook but did want to run the Bike Hub route-finding app. I was able to install and use Viewranger, a fullyfeatured GPS app that’s good for all the countries Memory-Map does not reach. The Seals’ battery lasts longer than most phones’ batteries when navigating, but not as long as a proper GPS. Expect to recharge at lunch on all-day rides, or to use a dynamo. If you don’t want much more from your phone than communications, or much more from your GPS than to see where you are on a map, this could be your ideal two-in-one device. Dimensions: 207g, 125×65×17mm. Chris Juden
PROS + Eliminates perineal pressure
CONS
- Extremely expensive - For the price, relatively heavy
CTC & M E Edinburgh Belle Caroline Graves has made a film showcasing the impact the project is making on women across Scotland. See ctc.org.uk/projects/belles-on-bikes
Belles on Bikes CTC supports women’s cycling groups across Scotland. CTC Development Officer Suzanne Forup looks back on a year of cycling, increased confidence, and cake
B
elles on Bikes is a network of women’s cycling groups in Scotland, developed and supported by CTC. The project helps women to start cycling together in a friendly, relaxed and inclusive environment. It’s been funded by small grants from Cycling Scotland and Community 2014 to cover training, resources and programme materials. It’s just a year since Belles on Bikes expanded from what was a single group in Glasgow. That group, established in 2012, now has over 600 members. Belles groups have since been established with CTC support in Edinburgh, Falkirk, the Scottish Borders, Stirling, and Moray. Women’s cycling clubs in Cumbernauld and Inverness have also joined the Belles network. The feedback has been tremendous. Many participants have told me that they’ve become more confident cyclists, are riding more, have made new friends, and are keen to try a shot at leadership too, because of their involvement with the Belles. One Belles leader in Stirling told me: ‘The rides give the participants a chance to build or regain confidence cycling on the roads. Often their ride with us is the first they’ve
done in years. For some women, the only other people they have gone out cycling with are their husbands or partners, and they’ve reported it as not always being a positive experience – for example, being dropped on hills and being left behind! Our rides are relaxed and go on quieter roads. Through their experience with us, women can see that they are capable bike riders.’ As well as enabling women to ride together, Belles on Bikes is creating and supporting opportunities for families to cycle together. One Scottish Borders ride leader said: ‘One young mum told me that, after her first Belles ride, she then took her husband and two children (aged 8 and 6) on the same 16-mile trip she’d ridden with us. They had a fabulous afternoon. If more women cycle, then so will more children. That all helps to encourage a
more healthy and active lifestyle.’ Since they were established in 2014, the Edinburgh, Stirling, Borders, and Moray Belles have run 34 rides, attracted more than 250 registered members, and recruited 11 leaders, who have contributed over 250 volunteer-hours to lead, promote and arrange rides for other women. Belles on Bikes uses a community development approach, which means that I provide support for women to establish the group they want to develop, rather than prescribing a programme. We’re inclusive – men and boys are welcome at the invitation of women, particularly if this support enables a woman to attend, for example, a male tandem pilot for a partiallysighted Belle. The Belles leaders tell me that the peer support and learning, such as opportunities for networking and sharing experiences, are highly valued, as are the training and resources. ‘The Edinburgh group is growing organically,’ another leader told me. ‘There is clearly a need being filled with Belles. We have 500-plus connected on Facebook, 190 or so following on Twitter, and 137 Belles registered on Meetup. Our rides fill quickly and there is no problem attracting participants. The funding has been welcomed. I’m not sure we’d be anything like as confident or successful without the support and services we’ve received.’ In 2015, CTC hopes to support the network to expand and to co-produce a bespoke Belles Ride Leader Course, to help prepare more women to establish Belles groups across Scotland. If you would like to set up a Belles group in your community in Scotland, email suzanne.forup@ctc.org.uk or tweet Suzanne @backonmybike. See also ctc.org.uk/project/belles-on-bikes
All the Belles rides are relaxed, friendly and inclusive
“For some women, the only people they have cycled with are their partners… which hasn’t always been positive”
SHARE YOUR STORY: If you know – or are – someone with a CTC-related story to tell, email editor@ctc.org.uk 2 8 CYC LE FE BR UARY /M A R C H 2 015
where: Bavaria, southern Germany START/finish: Munich DISTANCE: 420 miles, riding about 47 miles a day PICTURES: Chris Juden
b ava r i a | G R E AT R I D ES
Gre at r ide s
Ludwig’s Bavaria
Mountains, fairytale castles, bike paths, and beer: southern Bavaria is a perfect place for a cycle tour. Last summer, Chris Juden led one for CTC Cycling Holidays
Photos: Chris Juden
S
ome years ago I had a meeting (European Standard for cycle trailers) in Munich, so I took my bike and week’s holiday to explore the Bavarian Alps. Son Matthew came too, sampling the city sights whilst I was in meetings and providing good company for the cycling to follow. The Alps rise suddenly from rolling fields and woods, a day’s ride south of Munich. A bit too far, perhaps, for a chilly November day that left us both with sore knees. So we were grateful for ice-age glaciers and all the valleys and lakes they left behind, which let us enjoy views of mountains without having to cycle over them! One night we slept at the foot of Neuschwanstein, the fairytale castle built by ‘mad’ King Ludwig II of Bavaria, inspiration of Walt Disney and film-set for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But with places to go and more things to see, we didn’t look inside. A few more days brought us to ‘the Bavarian Sea’, where we thought to island hop via Heerenchiemsee palace: another Ludwig creation. But unfortunately the Chiemsee ferries wouldn’t carry bikes, so we returned to Munich for a final Bier und Bratwurst in the Hofbrauhaus. On the train home, I began to plan a more leisurely group tour, with time to take in the sights Matt and I had merely glimpsed. The plan came together in 2011, too late for the CTC Holidays advert but the tour filled quickly nevertheless. The combination of stress-free rail transport, no traffic worries thanks to bike paths wherever they are
wanted, beautiful lake and mountain scenery without too much climbing, all of Ludwig’s amazing castles and palaces, and excellent Bavarian beer (culminating in the Oktoberfest), was obviously too good to miss! Another CTC leader repeated it in 2012 and I took a third group myself in June 2014.
Mad King or misunderstood? I like a tour to have a theme. As I juggled with routes to get best value from the Bavarian Palaces Department 14-day ticket, it turned out to be possible to trace King Ludwig’s life story: beginning, of course, with his birthplace, Nymphenburg Palace, the royal family’s rural retreat, but now within the Munich suburbs. Then it’s downtown to the Residenz and seat of Bavarian power, into which young Ludwig was propelled by his father’s untimely death in 1864. Although tall, handsome, intelligent and idolised by the common people, Ludwig was conflicted by homosexuality and Catholicism, then embarrassed by courtly attention and political failure. So he left politics to the politicians and retreated to the countryside. Here he spent his time – and the royal court entertainment budget – on fantastic architectural homages to a bygone age, when a monarch was not merely the figurehead on the ship of state, but absolutely its captain.
DO IT YOURSELF You can fly to Munich from lots of places and take your bike on the S-bahn train into the city (except at peak). And there is a bike route for airport workers, but it’s hard to find from passenger areas. Plan your escape on opencyclemap.org and the maps at munich-airport.de. The last issue of Cycle described the ferry and train route via Holland, which is slow, but works. Unfortunately, CityNight-Line trains no longer run from Paris, so Eurostar doesn’t connect anymore – except slowly with lots of changes. If you can bag your bike small enough, more convenient rail travel options become available. Some of my tour participants have driven it, so clearly that’s also an option.
Better bike paths Before we left town, I organised a short sightseeing ride with a local guide, which
CTC. O R G . U K cyc l e 3 3
F E AT U R E | B ECAUS E I T ’ S T HER E
(In the photo) Robert Glaister and Mike Knudsen storm Hardknott Pass in the 2014 Fred Whitton sportive. Photo by Steve Fleming
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BEC AUSE IT’S T HE R E CYCLING UPHILL IS CONSIDERABLY HARDER THAN RIDING ON THE FL AT. BUT WE CAN’T HELP OURSELVES. DAVE BARTER WONDERS WHAT MAKES US CLIMB
CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 3 9
f e at u r e | lo r ry sa f e t y
Delivering the goods? Lorries are disproportionately dangerous to cyclists. CTC Road Justice campaigner Rhia Weston spoke to lorry drivers about possible solutions
L
arge Goods Vehicles (LGVs) are hugely over-represented in collisions where cyclists and pedestrians are killed. They make up just 5% of the traffic in the UK but are involved in 18% of cyclist fatalities and 15% of pedestrian fatalities. This figure rises to over 50% in London. LGVs are involved in fewer collisions than other
4 6 cyc le FE BR UARY /M A R C H 2 015
vehicle types, but due to their vast size and weight, the collisions they are involved in are more likely to be fatal. One solution to the danger that LGVs present to cyclists is to separate them from each other, for instance, by constructing segregated cycle paths. This, however, would require many miles of segregated cycle paths
to be constructed in areas where the two road users most commonly share the road: densely populated inner-city roads, which often lack available space. This solution is unlikely to be implemented in the short term, and highly unlikely to be implemented everywhere it needs to be. Another possible solution that CTC has
advocated would be to create distribution centres on the urban periphery, where large vehicles would off-load onto smaller vehicles or even cargo bikes. The downside to this is that it would likely result in an increase in congestion, pollution and possibly even risk to cyclists as more but smaller vehicles take to the road. Other solutions to reduce the danger are needed.
Building better lorries In the absence of robust regulation to raise the on-road safety standards of the construction and haulage industries, certain companies have taken measures to improve the safety of their vehicles and drivers in the short term. Coalitions of organisations
have sprung up to create voluntary codes of conduct outlining minimum safety standards. Credit is due to the companies and organisations trying to reduce work-related road risk, especially since measures have been taken by the government that might actually increase the danger of LGVs – for example, increasing the speed limit of LGVs on rural roads from 40mph to 50mph and sanctioning trials of mega-trucks. CTC campaigned against the introduction of megatrucks to the UK because of the increased risk of injury to cyclists and other road users due to the wide tail swing when manoeuvring. All is not lost, however. Efforts are being made to introduce legal minimum safety standards. Earlier this year, the European
“An LGV that complies with current UK legislation still has huge blind spots. Many of the safety technologies proposed aim to eliminate them”
Parliament voted in favour of introducing safer lorry designs, including side guards, lowered cabs, larger windscreens and side windows. But due to lobbying from truck manufacturing companies, the introduction of the regulations has been delayed for eight years (see p12).
Blind spots Until binding regulations come into effect, it is important that the industry acts to reduce the dangers of LGVs. There are various means for achieving this, from better training of drivers, to in-cab technologies, to improved vehicle design. I interviewed several lorry drivers, some of them CTC members, to get their views on the safety devices and measures being tested by the industry, and to hear their opinions on the implications of these devices for cyclists’ safety. The drivers thought the biggest risk to cyclists of sharing the roads with large vehicles was the risk of ‘not being seen by the driver’, but they differed as to the reason
CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 47
Main photo: Alamy.com
Inexperienced cyclists who hug the kerb are more at risk
(Top) CTC Forest of Dean Accessible Cycling Day (Below) SRCC Open Day at Gallows Close in Scarborough
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IN CLUS I V E CYCL ING | F E AT U R E
WHEELS OF CHANGE
Bottom left: Pete Spence, Scarborough Review. Others: CTC & affiliated groups
Being able to cycle can transform people’s lives. CTC’s Kay Lakin introduces four people who have benefited from CTC community cycling projects
C
TC WORKS with local communities to change lives through cycling. Your support as a member enables us to promote the joys and benefits of cycling to everyone, whatever their circumstances. Over 30,000 people benefited this year alone. To get a sense of what that means on an individual level, here are the stories of four of them. You can read more, and see what else CTC is doing, at ctc.org.uk/community-outreach.
Olivia’s story: CYCLING WITHOUT LIMBS Olivia first visited the Watchtree Wheelers with her mum in September 2012. They were looking to buy a trike so that Olivia could go out cycling with her friends. On
A foam pad for her amputated arm lets Olivia steer her bike
the first day, she tried a number of different adapted cycles, including trikes and fourwheelers. Olivia was able to control a trike with just one hand and was soon zooming around the car park grinning. Pedalling with her prosthetic legs wasn’t a problem but could she manage a two-wheeled bike? At the next session, after a quick warm-up on one of the trikes, Olivia worked towards cycling a two-wheeler. At first, she tried a balance bike to see if she could scoot along but she had a hard time steering it with one hand. It became obvious that the bike would need to be adapted so that she could reach the handlebar with her amputated arm without having to bend over. Ryan Dobson of Watchtree Wheelers came up with a solution: he used a piece of foam strapped onto the handlebar so that Olivia could press her forearm into the foam to control the steering and still sit upright. With the adaptations made and the brakes switched over so that she could operate the rear brake, she was soon gliding along without touching the ground for ten metres or more! Balancing wasn’t going to be a problem but the next obstacle was pedalling. After a great deal of dedication and practice, Olivia continued to improve and, at a later session, she managed to put her second foot onto the pedal, and with a little wobble, she was off! Her mum urged her to keep pedalling, and Ryan jogged alongside her, ready to catch if needed. Olivia shouted with joy: ‘I’m doing it, I’m doing it!’ and ‘Don’t cry, mummy!’ Olivia is now riding her adapted bike with her friends. As she grows, she’ll continue to need alterations to the bike but that won’t stop her. She is now a much more confident rider. Olivia’s mum Kim said: ‘Previously, Olivia has felt left out when
Diana joins group rides with Trailnet, while her mum Audrey gets ‘me time’
her friends go off on their bikes and she hasn’t been able to keep up on foot or on her scooter. On her bike she can go further, and faster, without effort. It’s given her independence and confidence to go out and interact with other local kids.’ Cycling makes Olivia happy. She told Ryan: ‘I feel normal, the same as everybody else. I feel included with my friends more and that makes me happy.’ Ryan Dobson is a project officer at Watchtree Wheelers in Carlisle, which is part of the Inclusive Cycling Network.
Diana’s story: BOOSTING SOCIAL SKILLS Diana came to Trailnet inclusive cycling centre with her mum, Audrey, and an occupational therapist who had referred her. Diana has some brain damage and
CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 5 5
Photos by Seb Rogers
REVIEWS | BIKE TEST
Surly Straggler bike test
Adventure road bikes There’s a new breed of bikes designed for the (dirt) road less travelled. Seb Rogers tests a Surly Straggler and Genesis Croix de Fer 20 Whatever you prefer to call them – adventure road bikes, anyroad bikes, gravel road bikes – this style of bike should appeal to a broad cross-section of riders. Combining the supposed go-anywhere potential of a cyclocross bike with the loadlugging ability of a tourer and the stopping power of disc brakes, the range of uses runs from continent-crossing to commuting. For this test, I sourced two bikes that evolved from cyclocross roots. US-based Surly’s Straggler takes the go-anywhere, do-anything ethos of the company’s well-established Cross-Check and adds disc brakes, some geometry tweaks and horizontal dropouts. The emphasis is firmly on adaptability. UK manufacturer Genesis’s Croix de Fer has a similar history, but comes in at £300 below the Surly’s price.
Frame and fork Although they share TIG-welded main frame construction, the bikes have different tubing and features. Genesis have specified Reynolds’ well-regarded 725 chromoly tube set. Surly use own-branded 4130 chromoly
6 4 cyc le fe bruary /m ar ch 2 015
tubing called Natch, short for ‘naturally’ (as in, ‘why use anything else?’, according to the Surly website). Reynolds 725 is heat-treated so is a bit stronger than 4130, enabling less of it to be used. Aside from that, I’d be surprised if there were significant differences. Surly offer a three-year frame warranty, Genesis a limited lifetime frame warranty. Forks are also chromoly, although the frame-only version of the Genesis has a carbon fork instead. Surly have opted for down-tube-shiftercompatible cable stops, whereas the Croix de Fer’s headtube-mounted stops are more discreet (and prevent cable rub) but commit you to running bar-mounted shifters. Two sets of bottle mounts and a full complement of rack and guard mounts on both frames, front and rear, mean that owners can fit just about any combination of luggage carrier and mudguard. The Surly trumps the Genesis with a few extra rack mounting points, but the Genesis also has grommeted entry and exit points for Shimano’s Di2 electronic shift cable routing. I doubt it’s something that many Croix de Fer owners
(Above) 41mm tyres provide effective cushioning offroad but they add weight you can feel on road climbs (Below) The Straggler's forward-facing dropouts allow singlespeed or hub gear use
BIKE TEST | REVIEWS
P61
GENESIS CROIX DE FER 20
will be taking advantage of, however. There’s a small caveat to the Surly’s rear rack mounting arrangement. In an admirable effort to make the Straggler as versatile as possible, Surly have equipped the bike with forward-facing horizontal dropouts, which will work equally well with derailleurs, hub gears
(Above) The Croix de Fer has ample room for mudguards or for bigger tyres than these 35mm ones (Below) Like many adventure road bikes, the Croix de Fer's 50-34 chainset means it's overgeared for carrying loads
or a singlespeed set-up. Rear-facing stop screws – and a threaded hole for another, forward-facing screw on the drive side – prevent wheel slippage. The forward-facing dropouts make wheel removal easy, even with a full-length mudguard fitted. They also mean that the only place to put the disc caliper mount is behind the seat stay. The Genesis’s vertical dropouts are less versatile, but allow for a neat inboard caliper position that tucks the brake mechanism out of the way of a rear rack. The Surly has to put the lower rear rack mounts partway up the seat stays to stop the rack fouling the brake caliper. This has two impacts. First, you’ll need an adjustable height rear rack (rather like Surly’s own) for it to fit properly. And second, the full weight of the rear rack and its load is supported by two small bits of braze on the stays, whereas the Croix de Fer’s conventional rack eyelets are part of the dropout. In fairness, Surly admit that the Straggler is a ‘light-duty’ touring bike and that the dropout/rack mount/caliper position conundrum is a compromise. Whether the versatility of the dropouts is worth the lower payload is, ultimately, a personal one.
Also available
1) GIANT REVOLT 1 £999 Giant’s range-topping, go-anywhere Revolt eschews rack eyelets but comes with a carbon fork, an 11-34 cassette, a built-in down tube mudguard, and room for 50mm tyres.
giant-bicycles.com
2) TREK 920 £1375 More a 29er touring bike like the Salsa Fargo, Trek’s 920 uses 10-speed Sram X5/X7 MTB gears with an 11-36 cassette, 42-28 chainset, bar-end shifters and fully hydraulic discs.
trekbikes.com
COMPONENTS A lot of the attention on these bikes, component-wise, will be on the disc brakes. There’s no option on either frame to run rim brakes, so the disc option needs to work, and work well.
CTC. O R G . U K CYC L E 6 5
T R AV E L L E R S ’ TA L E S
5 WHEELS BY THE DANUBE David Collinson was inspired on tour by CTC members Mike & Rhona Copp
There are various Camino routes. A mountain bike is a good option on many
Mike and Rhona invented their articulated ‘tandem’
Won’t take the easy Way Mary Ann Hooper hired a mountain bike and rode part of the Camino de Santiago in Spain
W
omen are traditionally coy about their age. Not me. I was nevertheless surprised, on a high and remote part of the Camino de Santiago north of Madrid, to be asked my age by a young Spanish cyclist. When I said 70, he exclaimed and asked if he could take my photograph. So now I am immortalised in his traveller’s tale as that old English woman, off-road on a bike at 1,800 metres. I reckoned I deserved his accolade. I’d set off in the morning on my hired mountain bike from the village of Cercedilla (1,200 meters) for the 30km ride to Segovia. Gaining the final 450 metres to reach the pass of La Puerta de la Fuenfria meant walking my bike up a steep, rough trail, which was Roman and then 18th century Bourbon. More recently, it was declared one of the Camino de Santiago pilgrim routes. I was overtaken by one cyclist, and he had his bike over his shoulder. The young man who asked my age had come from the other direction on easier slopes, but the track was still covered with a lethal mixture of loose and fixed rocks. I was determined not to fall, still suffering the effects of coming off my bike before, so I walked
a lot of this stretch. I went through lofty pine woods, which thinned until the spire of Segovia’s cathedral emerged in the distance. I passed a herd of cows with bells clanging. Then I dropped gently onto purple-and-green, cyclamenstudded meadows. I eventually joined the course of a buried Roman aqueduct, which emerged and soared to a height of 28 metres as it crossed the city. My day ended with the sight of ancient Segovia’s Alcazar fortress, bathed in the lustrously golden evening light.
The route is easy to follow but less easy to ride
HAVING ENJOYED cycling the Danube in 2013, from Ulm to Regensburg, I thought it would be good fun to continue along it from Passau to Vienna. Our party of 15 assembled in the lovely city of Passau on the Sunday evening for the first time, ready to go out for a meal together. I was surprised to see one of our party in a wheelchair and thought to myself, ‘That will slow our progress along the route.’ I think that Rhona, wife of Mike in the chair, must have read my mind. She said: ‘Don’t worry. It will be articulated when we start.’ I wondered just how that would work. After lunch on Monday, we were fitted with the bikes we would use for the ride. I was interested to see the articulated wheelchair. Mike had a handcrank attachment for his wheelchair, and his chair was attached to Rhona’s bike by a long rod with reused car steering-joints at each end. Rhona would ride and push Mike as he cranked the hand grips. The result was they travelled at the same speed as the rest of the group, even up to 15mph at times. This was entirely their own invention and it had taken them on travels they would never have been able to make otherwise. They were a lovely, determined couple who were not prepared to let the result of Mike’s accident spoil their enjoyment of life.
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