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EASY RIDING
Lower gears and how to get them
TOURS DE FORCE
YELLOW JERSEYS FOR CYCLING CHAMPIONS Page 49
P lu s GUIDE TO SA CALOBRA TUBELESS TYRE ADVICE CYCLING VIDEOS AND MUCH MORE
A WINTER’S TRAIL
Snowy Highland bikepacking
WAY TO GO
Riding the Camino de Santiago
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CONTENTS 34
38 Easy riding Lower gears and how to get them
Stop me if I starting using words like ‘purity’ or ‘connectedness’, but there is something uniquely rewarding about a fixed-wheel bike. There’s the silence. There’s the seamless acceleration and deceleration you can get by pedal pressure alone – no clicking of gears or choppy changes in cadence. There’s a certain focus, since you have just one job: pedal. Go faster? Pedal faster. Climb that hill? Pedal harder. Want to coast? Uh, best not… A singlespeed mountain bike has parallels. You ghost along trails. You can’t react to gradients by going through the gears so you need to be proactive, attacking climbs hard and conserving momentum through corners and descents. It changes the way you ride. It’s also, let’s be honest, harder, whether we’re talking fixed-wheel or free. The whole point of variable gears is to make cycling easier, allowing a comfortable cadence whatever the topography. Given that’s what gears are for, it’s a shame that so many geared bikes fail to provide sufficient range. In particular, they don’t go low enough. The idea that “you should be able to get up any hill on 34/28 – and if not, get fitter” is the worst kind of non-inclusive, macho posturing. You should have whatever gears you need – or want. Spinning up hills is a welcome break even if you can stomp up them. If you can’t, it’s a no-brainer. More on p38.
49 Tours de Force Yellow jerseys for real cycling champions
52 Way to go Riding the Camino de Santiago
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Previews of new products
20 Gear up Components, accessories, documentaries, and books
62 Urban fixies Roll up the right leg of your skinny jeans…
68 Junior jackets
44
Waterproof jackets for children
Regulars 04 Freewheeling A short tour around the wonderful world of cycling
07 This is Cycling UK Funding for active travel; the World’s Biggest Bike Ride; membership survey results; and more
31 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling
44 Weekender Mallorca’s majestic Sa Calobra
On the cover
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BBR Real Yellow Jersey winner Judith Swaffield of Southampton, by Robert Spanring
58 Cyclopedia Questions answered, topics explained
73 Travellers’ Tales Cycling UK members’ ride reports
CYCLING UK: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@cyclinguk.org W: cyclinguk.org T: 01483 238300. Cycle promotes the work of Cycling UK. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. Cycling UK is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with approx. 68,000 members and affiliates Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow Chief Executive: Paul Tuohy. Cyclists’ Touring Club, 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. CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce E: cycle@ jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Head of Design: Simon Goddard Designer: Katrina Ravn Contributing editor: Charlie Lyon Advertising: Harvey Falshaw T: 020 3198 3092 E: harvey.falshaw@jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Publisher: James Houston. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of Cycling UK by James Pembroke Media, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. T: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright Cycling UK, James Pembroke Media, and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Cycling UK and James Pembroke Media 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 Cycling UK. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Media, and final approval by Cycling UK. Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XB T: 01902 730011 F: 01902 865835 Founded in 1878
Top to bottom: Markus Stitz; Dan Joyce; Robert Brands (Flickr Creative Commons); Stuart Graham
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Local riding
Cycle Editor
34 A winter’s trail Bothy-biking through the Highland snow
Welcome
DAN JOYCE
Features
this is
Club news At a meeting on 11/11/19, Aylesbury CTC informal group voted to become a Member Group. See
6 days
Investment in infrastructure is essential if we’re to get more people on two (or three!) wheels
Left & below right: Robby Spanring
Non-stop cargo bike ride to Copenhagen by pairs of Adventure Syndicate cyclists (resting in turns in the load bed)
Funding
PEDALLING PROMISES Active travel needs billions and there’s a budget looming. Duncan Dollimore wants to know: if not now, when?
I
t’s the question we’ve been asking about investment in cycling and walking for far too long: if not now, when? We’d expected news about active travel funding in England as part of a promised long-term spending review last year. The review never came. Neither did the budget or publication of the Government’s infrastructure strategy. And the Conservative manifesto was largely silent on capital investment for cycling. It did reference a £350million cycling infrastructure fund over five years, but if that’s all there is it’s a significant reduction in real terms, despite former Transport Minister Jesse Norman’s acceptance last year that active travel spending would need to more than double for the Government to have any chance of reaching its own targets. It’s always mañana when it comes to money for non-motorised transport. That’s hugely disappointing given your support for our campaigning to get the Government to show us the money for cycling, which helped us secure commitments from 44 of December’s newly elected MPs to back a
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major increase in investment. With others responding positively but without pledging, we’ve been able to engage with over 200 MPs since the election, with meetings already set to press them to stand up for cycling. It’s vital they do this now because, save potentially for the infrastructure fund, it’s unclear what capital if any will be available for English local authorities from April 2020 onwards. The Government could stop funding for active travel falling off a cliff by announcing new long-term funding streams in the budget set for March 11. It can’t keep kicking this into the long grass. Sometimes there is no next time, no time-outs, no second chances. Sometimes it’s now or never, and that means March’s budget needs to include billions for active travel not millions. By the time you read this, we’ll have set out our case to the Treasury explaining why billions are needed, and how this would help address our pollution, congestion, climate and inactivity-related public health crises. In the run-up to the budget, we’ll explain what you can do to help. cyclinguk.org/campaigns
cyclinguk.org/group/aylesbury-ctc
Incidents
POTHOLE WATCH Our week-long Pothole Watch kicks off on 16 March. We’re encouraging everyone to report the road defects they find via our app FillThatHole. What if you’re unfortunate enough to hit a pothole before you can report it? We’ve prepared a guide of things you should do, starting from when you hit the hole and taking you through the process of how to make a claim. cyclinguk.org/whatshould-i-do-if-i-hit-pothole
Routes
TRAIL BLAZING The Great North Trail was named Sports Staycation of the Year at the inaugural i news Staycation Awards in November. The judges were particularly impressed by the route guide, which recommends places to visit, eat, and stay along the trail to benefit local businesses. Cycling UK’s next long-distance off-road trail launches in summer: King Alfred’s Way, a 220mile circular route around historic Wessex. cyclinguk. org/kingalfredsway
you are
JEAN ASHTON It was 70 years ago that Jean joined Cycling UK, or CTC as it was then. She’s been a member ever since. She spoke to Dan Joyce about her cycling life
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hen Jean became a member of CTC, King George was on the throne, the BBC radio programme Listen With Mother had just begun, and post-war soap rationing was about to end. It was 1950 and she was 15. “You could say I was born to be a cyclist,” said Jean, now 85. Her parents had been members of Bradford Clarion. Yet her father died when she was a baby, and her mother never talked about cycling. So what inspired her? “I just envied people on bikes,” she said. “When I was a girl, I used to sit on the clothes horse and pretend it was a bike. I did later have a little bike with pedals on the front wheel but my mother gave it away.” Her cycling horizons only opened up when the family moved from West Yorkshire to Hull and she acquired an openframe Hercules. “My big brother Eric thought we could ride to the seaside at Hornsea, where our uncle had a caravan,” she said. “It was 14 miles each way. We were worn out when we got back. But next weekend we did it again.” Eric subsequently joined CTC, then asked if he could bring his little sister along. Jean rode with the social section, then the intermediates. “Cycling in those days from Hull, you just got out onto the Wolds. Weekends you’d go to the Moors. On the way home, you’d stop at Beverley for orange juice – our club in one pub, the other clubs in another. Then we’d make our way back to Hull together. When you saw the 30 sign, you’d sprint like mad. I always did that; I was very competitive.”
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Changing gears
Traffic levels are just one of the changes Jean has seen in 70 years of cycling. She also noted that: “Gears were different in those days. For a trip to the Dolomites, my first husband John made a smaller, 36-tooth chainring for his bike; he was an engineer. Now that chainring is hanging in Wendy’s hall. How about that?”
She did long rides, such as 220 miles in 24 hours: “We went from Hull into the Dales, and washed in the river near the Ribblehead Viaduct.” She raced time trials, some British League of Racing Cyclists’ events, and grasstrack at York Rally. Club cycling introduced her to her first husband, John. “We met at York Youth Hostel for a club Easter tour,” she said. “We were the first to turn up and John suggested we go for a walk, so we did. Then he said, ‘Shall we go on the walls?’ I didn’t know what ‘on the walls’ involved. So I said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’” They toured together, first on a CTC trip through the French Alps led by Les Warner. On another holiday they went over the Gemmi Pass in Switzerland. They had two daughters, Wendy and Margaret, and continued cycling, albeit closer to home. Then John died from a brain tumour when the girls were just ten and 12. “I bought a junior-back tandem advertised in the Gazette,” said Jean. “I scraped the paint off and resprayed it. So then I had a tandem to take Margaret on, while Wendy rode on her own bike. I drove them to Scotland for a cycle tour, and later we went to France camping.” When her daughters were adults, Jean began leading CTC tours. Her first was to the Black Forest. “I married one of the riders,” she said. “Sam had been widowed, and I took very good care of him. I never dreamt that we’d get married!” Jean’s tours also led to her becoming a mother-in-law – twice! – because both her daughters met their own future husbands on cycling holidays that Jean was leading. Sam doesn’t cycle now and Jean only does a few miles. It’s not the physical effort; she has an exercise bike and still plays tennis. Her daughter Wendy – a member of Cycling UK for 50 years herself – said Jean lacks confidence. Jean was matter of fact: “I thought, ‘I’m just getting too old for it,’” she said. But it turns out she isn’t. A couple of days later, she phoned me. “I went out yesterday on the bike, you’ll be pleased to hear,” she said cheerily, “only five miles to get some eggs.”
Top: Jean (right) with daughter Wendy and son-in-law Jim Bottom: Near the end of a 50-mile time trail in 1955
Details Where: Scottish Highlands Start/finish: Dunkeld, Perthshire Distance: 144km Pictures: Markus Stitz
SCOTL AN D
G R E AT R I D E S
MARKUS STITZ Bikepacking adventurer Markus is a widely-travelled freelance marketing consultant. In 2016, he cycled around the world on a singlespeed
Great Rides
A WINTER’S TRAIL Snow and sleet didn’t stop bikepacker Markus Stitz from enjoying a two-day trip in the Scottish Highlands in early March
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he fire is roaring as we sit around the open stove. I hold my cup out and thank my neighbour for the red wine. Even poured from a plastic bottle, this is a treat. Sitting in the warm bothy, the feeling returns to my toes. Gone are the hours ploughing into a stiff headwind through snow showers, forgotten the half-frozen section of bog I traversed to get here. It’s a Saturday evening in the Highlands of Scotland at the beginning of March. Six of us – five hillwalkers and me – share the bothy. The snow showers clear while we get the fire going and roll out our mattresses for the night. The landscape is dusted with a fresh lining of white, which sparkles in the beam of my torch while I take a few long exposure shots with my camera. The clouds disappear and give way to a beautiful starlit sky. It's bikepacking at its best.
A WEATHER EYE While this was foremost a weekend adventure for me, it was also a scouting trip for a new gravel trail and bikepacking route project in Highland Perthshire. The night before, I had emptied a few drams with adventurer Alastair Humphreys in Dunkeld, talking about micro-adventures and how good the access rights in Scotland are. It was an inspiring conversation, reminding me what an amazing playground we have on our doorstep in Scotland in any season. Alastair left shortly after 10pm
Gone are the hours ploughing into a stiff headwind through snow showers, forgotten the half-frozen section of bog
and boarded the sleeper train back to London, while I got out my laptop, opened Komoot and the Heritage Paths website, poured another whisky, and started looking at route options. The more ambitious plan was to follow NCN 7 towards Dalwhinnie, and then over parts of the East Highland Way and a good estate track to Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. From there I could either take a train or cycle on the Road to the Isles towards Loch Rannoch, and then return on quiet roads to Dunkeld. The less ambitious and more realistic idea was to join the Central Belter route at Dalnaspidal, stay in the bothy a few kilometres to the west, and then cycle from there to Loch Rannoch and back to Dunkeld. Just as Alistair would have been pulling in to Euston station, I woke up. It was time to match the inspiring words of the evening before with deeds. It was a sunny but cold March day, with the leaves from last autumn still frozen and dancing in a breeze on the wet tarmac. I cycled out of the small Highland town with its boutique shops. While everything hinted that spring was on its way, the forecast for the next day was for heavy snow and possible major disruptions.
FUEL FOR A FROZEN RIDE My Surly Straggler, a rigid steel gravel bike with 39mm tyres, was packed for all possibilities – including unplanned wild
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RICHARD HALLETT Technical Editor The road-plus bike that Richard built for test in the April-May 2017 issue had a 2×10 drivetrain with bar-end shifters and a 44-30 chainset
Feature
EASY RIDING IF HILLS, HEADWINDS, OR PANNIER HAULING ARE TOO HARD, YOUR BIKE NEEDS LOWER GEARS. RICHARD HALLETT ASSESSES YOUR OPTIONS C YC L I NGUK . O RG
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Photographs: Rob Spanring
Martin, Declan, and Joy: three different cyclists whose lives have been transformed by cycling. All were inspired to get on their bikes by Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival
R E A L Y ELLOW J ERS E YS
F E ATU R E
Feature
Tours de force
We’ve awarded special jerseys to ten real cycling champions who’ve turned their lives around by riding, as Christina Bengston explains
M CHRISTINA BENGSTON Communications & Media Officer Christina has been cycling more herself lately, after kickstarting her commuting with Cycle September
artin Williams had been homeless, suffering from addiction, and battling mental health issues when he became involved in cycling through the Big Bike Revival. Joy Anibaba only started cycling in her fifties to help her lose weight and cope with diabetes; she’s now a ride leader inspiring more women to get out on their bikes. And ten-year-old Declan Nangle thought he’d never be able to ride a bike because of his dyspraxia, a condition affecting his coordination. Each of them has been gifted one of Cycling UK’s inaugural Real Yellow Jerseys, recognising ordinary people who’ve used cycling to transform their lives. Jenny Box, Head of Behaviour Change in England, said: “We wanted to celebrate all those amazing people across the country who are getting back on their bikes, changing their lives and helping others to do the same. They’re the real heroes of cycling. The Real Yellow Jersey is also a symbol of everything that’s to be celebrated about everyday cycling, and an encouragement for more people to get in the saddle.” We gave out ten jerseys in total to people across the country who’d taken part in the Big Bike Revival,
Martin Williams Martin Williams, 45, from Birmingham was homeless, addicted to drugs, and suffering from anxiety and depression before being put in touch with the Big Bike Revival group, New Roots. After he attempted to take his own life in 2017, New Roots provided him with accommodation and
mental health support, and helped him kick his addiction. Martin then rediscovered a love of bicycles after being taught cycle mechanic skills. “I feel like I have a real purpose and motivation. This work not only helps others towards a more positive lifestyle, it makes me feel good each day,” Martin said.
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Biketest
Urban fixies Whatever you do, don’t stop pedalling! Dan Joyce tests £600 fixed-wheel runarounds from Ribble and Mango
tan-wall tyres. These tyres are huge for a fixie – on which, more later. The Ribble Urban 725s costs from £599. Mango is primarily a singlespeed marque. The brand was launched on the back of its Original Single Speed (£345). Level2 models have nicer components and start at £500. The shiny chrome Level2 Arcol tested costs from £530.
Frame and fork
B DAN JOYCE Cycle Editor Dan uses a fixedwheel Surly Steamroller for time trialling (92in gear). Until he gave it to his son, his town bike was a fixed-wheel Ridgeback Solo World (63in).
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efore gravel bikes, and before fat bikes before them, fixed-wheel bikes had their own moment in the industry spotlight. Most brands made one. Now they’re back in their niche as simple, durable, metropolitan transport. Fixies (it’s as good a name as any) also get used for winter training, audax riding, time trialling, and, of course, all track cycling. But the focus of this test is urban runarounds. These are, or should be, a different breed from track bikes. Two brakes are a legal and practical necessity on road. The fixed sprocket, with which you can slow down by back pressure on the pedals, only counts as one. Some fixie riders will want a ‘proper’ rear brake as well (making three brakes), while singlespeeds with a freewheel must have a rear brake as well as a front one. Ribble’s Urban 725s looks ready-made for London hipsters, with a minimalist frame, a riser bar, and
The Ribble’s frame uses Reynolds 725 tubing: chrome-moly that’s heat-treated for greater strength, which is no bad thing for an urban hack. Frame and (cold-worked) chrome-moly fork are designed around 73mm-drop brakes, so the clearances are huge. You could fit mudguards even over this bike’s nominally 40mm wide tyres. At least, you could if there were any mounts… The Urban 725s is clearly a bike for those who value ‘clean frame lines’ above clean trousers. There are no frame fittings for anything, aside from brakes. A bottle cage isn’t vital around town, and I can live without a rear rack; you want a fixie to be fairly light and easy to accelerate. But mudguards are a must for year-round riding. P-clips would work. A neater solution would have been hidden mudguard mounts on
URBAN FIXIES
BIKE TEST
First look
A comfortable urban fixie with great tyre clearance but no frame fittings and an impractically high gear
The Urban 725s looks ready-made for London hipsters, with a minimalist frame, a riser bar, and tanwall tyres
Tech Spec
RIBBLE URBAN 725S the inside of the fork legs with reach. You grip and seatstays. bullhorns or drops several Minimalism means no centimetres in front of chain tugs either. These the stem clamp, whereas are helpful for getting the you grip a flat or riser bar chain tension and wheel level with the stem clamp. alignment right on a fixie, Thus drop bar bikes have and they prevent you shorter top tubes – except pulling the wheel over by here. One size doesn’t fit all. accident when stomping The reach of the Medium, hard on the pedals. You which would have been could easily add chain fine for me with a riser bar, tugs, but if there were was too long for drops. threaded holes in the That’s why I tilted the bar dropouts for Allen bolt back: to put the brake Top: A short stem and riser adjusters, you wouldn’t hoods in easier reach. bar work well with a long top tube, giving a comfortable need to. The rear brake A happy side effect reach without sacrificing toeruns internally; I’d prefer of that long frame is a lack clearance Bottom: The flip-flop hub can band-on cable stops of toe overlap, even with a be fitted with a freewheel on instead, for ease of access 74º head angle and 170mm the other side – or on both and, if desired, removal. cranks. I’d expect my toes Aside from these to just miss a mudguard. quibbles, it’s a nice frame. The top tube Mid-drop brakes provide clearance for and thus the front centres are long mudguards, for which there are frame because it’s designed for a riser bar and mounts too – except behind the bottom a short stem. I had toe clearance even bracket. There’s no chainstay bridge so with my feet in a more mid-foot position you’ll have to do some cable-tie DIY. on the supplied flat pedals. The Mango’s left-hand rear dropout The Mango is also long in the top was splayed outward slightly, so it tube. Unlike the Ribble, it’s offered wasn't perpendicular to the axle or flush with a choice of riser bar, bullhorns, with the locknut. Horizontal dropouts or drops. This creates a problem mask the problem; you can still set the
Price: £624 as tested (from £599) Sizes: S, M, L (M tested) Weight: 10.31kg/22.68lb (M, inc pedals). Frame & fork: Triple butted Reynolds 725 steel frame with track ends. Chromemoly steel fork. Wheels: 40-622 Schwalbe G-One Allround Raceguard folding tyres, Miche X-Press Track Wheelset (622×15 rims, 28mm deep; 32×3 spokes, Miche solid-axle hubs, flipflop rear). Transmission: M:Part alloy platform pedals (+£25), 165mm Stronglight JIS track chainset with 48t chainring,
Dimensions in millimetres and degrees
670 585 780
73.5˚
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618 73˚
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Stronglight JP400 JIS bottom bracket, SRAM PC1 1/8in chain, Level 16t fixed sprocket. One ratio, 83in. Braking: unbranded alloy levers, Tektro R559 long-drop (73mm) callipers. Steering & Seating: Level rubberised grips, 640×31.8mm Level Urban alloy riser handlebar, 50mm×3º Level Urban alloy stem, 1 1/8in threadless headset. Ribble classic saddle, 27.2×350mm Level alloy seatpost. Equipment: none. ribblecycles.co.uk
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CYCLOPEDIA
w o h w o Kn Making sense of commonly misunderstood cycling subjects
DAN JOYCE Cycle Editor
Tyres
What are the pros and cons of tubeless tyres?
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ubeless tyres look like normal tyres: U-shape in section, with wire or synthetic ‘beads’ embedded at the edges. When the tyre is inflated, air pressure forces the beads up to the lipped edges of the wheel rim, holding the tyre in place. As the name says, tubeless tyres dispense with the innertube. The tyre itself forms an airtight seal with the rim. A tubeless rim ‘locks’ the tyre beads in place; the fit between tyre and rim is tight by design. (As it’s harder to remove the tyre, it's thus a bad idea to run a tyre with a tube on a tubeless rim.) A tubeless valve has a rubber plug at its base to seal the valve hole, and is held in place by its knurled nut. Some tubeless rims have no spoke holes, so air can’t escape there. Most do. You cover these with one or two wraps of tubeless rim tape, then put tubeless sealant in the tyre.
Seating tubeless tyres usually requires a blast of air from a pressure vessel
Lower pressures mean improved comfort and rolling performance on rough surfaces (see cyclinguk.org/cycle/tyre-pressure). Rolling resistance should be lower even on smooth surfaces. Since there’s no innertube, there’s no friction between tyre and tube. Many punctures will self seal. Most punctures that don’t seal are easy to fix with a tyre plug (cyclinguk.org/cyclemagazine/review-tubeless-repair-kits).
Tubeless cons
Tubeless pros The tyres can be ridden at lower pressures, improving traction off-road, without the risk of pinch-punctures.
Tubeless shopping list Along with tubeless tyres and wheels, plus regular tools like tyre levers and a track pump, you’ll need:
More expensive. Tubeless tyres cost more, you may need new rims, and you will need more paraphernalia. Fitting is messier and more time consuming. Removal often requires good grip strength. If a tear or hole is too big for a tyre plug, you’ll still need a spare tube to get home. Air and sealant can escape (‘burping’) if the tyre bead comes away from the rim due to a sudden impact or extreme cornering force. Sealants that coagulate need topping up every six months. Valve cores clog up too.
Is tubeless for me?
Valves £10-£20 per pair
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Rim tape £7-£20 for 10 metres
Sealant £15-25 for 500ml
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Pressure vessel £50 approx
Repair kit £7-25, inc plugs
It depends. You’re trading money and workshop time for an improvement in traction and rolling performance, and (usually) automatic puncture repair. This will most benefit cyclists who ride off-road or those who prefer to use lighter weight, more fragile tyres on road. For touring or transport use, tougher conventional tyres with tubes are currently more practical.
Ghetto tubeless This is a DIY option for non-tubeless rims and tyres. It can work well enough for low-pressure mountain bike tyres, particularly fat bike tyres. It’s not recommended for high-pressure road tyres, where burping even a small volume of air could have catastrophic consequences. You’ll need tubeless sealant and one 24in (ISO 507) tube per wheel, ideally with a removable valve core. Stretch the tube onto the rim, then slice it down the centre and peel over the sides of the rim. Put the tyre on the rim, making sure the tube fringes extend beyond the beads. Add sealant and inflate as per a standard tubeless setup. The tube acts as a rim strip and forces a tighter seal between tyre bead and rim. When the tyre is inflated, trim the fringes.
Fitting tubeless tyres Watch our video demonstrating how to do it. Visit: cyclinguk. org/tublesstyres
TRAVELLERS’ TALES
Climbing cols again with a little help
France Gregory and Izaak at the Cirque de Ladoye in the Jura
Europe
Pedalling for pangolins Gregory Yeoman and his son Izaak cycled to Switzerland to raise money for WWF
S
aving the biggest challenge for our final day, we turned off the undulating main road in Le Brassus and began the climb towards the Col du Marchairuz. Marked with three chevrons on the map, this climb had been playing on our minds over the previous fortnight as we headed across France towards Switzerland. A hilly and hot day through Kent at the start had been a test, but the rolling landscape in the Pas-de-Calais and the level track along the Canal de la Marne had not troubled us. Now, however, the ridges of the Jura Mountains rose in front of us… This was my 12-year-old son Izaak’s
Taking a break at the top of the Col du Marchairuz
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idea. He wanted to raise money on a ride for the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) to help their work on pangolin conservation. His idea grew into a 710-mile journey from the WWF UK office in Woking to their international office in Gland in Switzerland. His last and only tour had been a weekend along the Kennet and Avon canal two years before. Starting up the big climb, I spotted a sign showing the height gain, so I stopped to grab a photo and indicated for Izaak to keep going. As I watched him attack the hill, climbing confidently and pulling away from me around every hairpin, a lump came to my throat. I need not have had any concerns about his ability to complete the trip. We had averaged 54 miles a day, riding through 42-degree heat as Europe was gripped by a heatwave. Now he was a real grimpeur too! When I caught up with him at the top, Izaak had a big smile on his face – as we both did on the long descent to Lake Geneva and journey’s end.
Free and e-zee E-bikes have opened up Stuart and Pauline Graham’s touring horizons again OUR E-BIKES HAVE given us back our cycle touring freedom. When we were in our 40s we had some great trips, our favourite being the Route des Grandes Alpes from Thonon on Lake Geneva to Menton on the Med. We’re in our 70s now and had begun to look for flatter routes; we could no longer ride where we liked. Then a year ago we bought Cube e-bikes. We rode them in the Lakes and Dales, revisiting fell tops that we hadn’t managed for years. Then, in September, we returned to the Route des Grandes Alpes. We cycled 840 miles over 25 cols. The downhills were fantastic on such stable bikes with disc brakes. We didn’t use more than half of each bike’s battery during the days, then charged them overnight. We had only one day of bad weather. There were a few flakes of snow on the Col d’Izoard, and we were so cold we put everything on. The rest of the time it was perfect: warm, dry, with light winds. Many of the people we met were amazed at what you could do on an e-bike. They thought they were just for riding around town and shopping. We took three weeks in all, cycling back via the Gorges du Verdon, then north through the Chartreuse and back to our campervan, which we had left near Annecy.
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