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Welcome

Cycling UK’s long-distance routes are ideal for exploring off-the-beatentrack Britain. The new Traws Eryri is no exception, and it’s the one that appeals to me most. After a sneak peek of the GPX file, I thought: I know much of this! The route joins the dots between places in North Wales where I’ve already ridden.

I don’t remember the details of every North Wales trip. Fortunately I don’t have to: I’ve written about two of them in Cycle. In the June/ July 2007 issue it was a piece called ‘Rails to trails’, a tour of North Wales trail centres by bike and train. It took in Dyfi Forest, the Mawddach Trail, Coed y Brenin and Gwydir Forest.

It’s curious to see what’s changed in the intervening years (I carried a flip-phone then and navigated with paper maps) and what hasn’t (I rode a rigid 29er and still do, albeit with 3in tyres). Similarly with a CTC Holidays trip to Llanrwst a few years later that appeared as ‘More from your tour’ in the Dec 2010/Jan 2011 issue. My photos show one 29er (mine), no dropper posts and no e-bikes.

As well as Gwydir Forest again, that trip included a big-skies-andbridleways ride across the hills on the coast, where Anglesey was visible from high above Penmaenmawr.

Were I to ride the Traws Eryri this year or next, what else would be different? GPS navigation. The prescription glasses I now need for riding. But the landscape would be the same – and just as spectacular.

DAN JOYCE Editor

FEATURES

30 Traws Eryri

New 130-mile off-road route through the mountains of North Wales

36 Stop, thief!

Getting a bike thief arrested and convicted

47 Cycling champions

Cycling UK’s Going the Extra Mile

Volunteer Awards

50 Astray in Harrogate

Exploring the town and countryside where Cycling UK was founded

PRODUCTS

18 Shop Window

New products previewed

20 Gear up

Components, accessories and books

60 Electric folders

Gocycle G4 and Tern Vektron Q9 on test

66 Islabikes Luath

A scaled-down all-rounder for shorter adults

69 Cycling cameras

Four ways to shoot on-ride video footage

REGULARS

04 Freewheeling

Bits and pieces from the bike world

07 This is Cycling UK

England’s funding failure for cycling; how Access Bikes is helping people to ride in Scotland; school cycling success in Northern Ireland; and more

16 You are Cycling UK

The founder of the More Than a Cyclist campaign

27 Letters

Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

43 Weekender Britain’s ultimate pub ride

54 Cyclopedia

Questions answered, topics explained

73 Travellers’ Tales

Cycling UK members’ ride reports

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. 70,500 members and affiliates.

President: Jon Snow Chief Executive: Sarah Mitchell. 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: editor@cyclinguk.org Designer: Christina Richmond Advertising: Bevan Fawcett T: 0203 198 3092 E: bevan.fawcett@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: Acorn Web Offset Ltd, Loscoe Close, Normanton Industrial Estate, Normanton, WF6 1TW T: 01924 220633

Sam Dugon

Top to bottom: Sam Dugon, Robby Spanring, Cycling Minds CCC, John Holmes CYCLING UK:

Parklands, Railton

Great Rides

TRAWS ERYRI

Cycling UK’s latest long-distance trail is a 200km epic across the mountains of North Wales. Sophie Gordon test rode it last September

Details

Where: North Wales

Start/finish: Machynlleth to Conwy

Distance: 201km

Photos: Sam Dugon Riding up Cwm Teigl from Llan Ffestiniog

Fighting for breath, I concentrated on keeping my pedals moving over the rocky terrain, trying to maintain enough momentum to keep the front wheel in a vaguely straight line. I could see the bright daylight breaking through the trees ahead of me at the top of the climb. Just a little bit further…

To my relief, the climb eased as I emerged from the forest, and I paused to take in the view. Across the valley to my left were the Rhinogydd hills. The shining expanse of Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir lay below me, with its hulking decommissioned nuclear power station looking out of place on the far side. Ahead, the gravel track of the Sarn Helen Roman road curved around the hillside, leading down towards the water. Not far to go now. One more photo, then I let my wheels start rolling downwards to enjoy the swooping descent into the valley.

That was one of those days on a cycling trip where by the time you reach your overnight stop, the morning feels a world away. We might have ridden fewer than 40 miles but the steep climbs, challenging terrain and contrasting landscapes made it feel like we’d travelled much further.

Five of us were test riding the Traws Eryri (Trans Snowdonia) trail, created by Cycling UK in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and launching at the end of August. Starting in Machynlleth, the trail wiggles its way through the spectacular mountains and forests of North Wales

to finish at the sea beside Conwy Castle. While most of the route uses existing bridleways, forest tracks and cycle paths, a few sections required negotiating permissive access with landowners to be able to ride through amazing areas that would otherwise be unavailable to bikes.

CADAIR IDRIS AND COED Y BRENIN

We’d started the day in Machynlleth, at the southern end of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. A fairly gentle first few miles meandering beside the river eased us in for a steep zig-zag climb up into the forest. Then we were out into the open and it felt like the adventure had properly begun, as we headed through the hills on undulating gravel tracks skirting around the western bulk of Cadair Idris. Rounding a corner, we could see the sands of the Mawddach Estuary laid out below us. We dropped down to the beauty spot of Cregennan Lakes, where we encountered the first other people we had seen that day.

After looking down from high above, we were now gliding along the Mawddach Estuary Trail, smiling at kids wobbling along the path. The tide was low, and we lingered taking photos of the swirly patterns of silver water on sand. Eventually our rumbling stomachs prompted us to press on to Penmaenpool, where Phill from MTB Cymru was waiting with our lunch by the historic toll bridge. Normally I’m a bit of a purist about cycle trips: I like to know that I’m carrying all the gear I need – a tortoise with my house on the back. For this one I’ll admit I appreciated being supported by Phill. I’ve done several off-road trips but I’m not the most confident mountain biker, and being able to

Starting in Machynlleth, the trail wiggles through the spectacular mountains and forests of North Wales

SOPHIE GORDON Cycling UK campaigns officer

Below: Gwydir Forest Right: Mawddach Trail by the estuary

TOM M C DONOUGH Journalist & Cycling UK member

When I saw the masked man checking out a second row of bikes I knew something was up. A theft was imminent, I thought, and it was my duty to do something about it. I’d noticed the same man a little earlier that evening while I’d been running laps around a local park. He’d been leaning against a bench, staring at the bicycles locked up outside a swimming pool. On each of my first three circuits, he’d been standing in the same place, his gaze unwavering.

In the gloom of the February evening, I’d just about been able to make out his eyes and some locks of long, black hair jutting out from under his Americanlorry-driver-style baseball cap. His apparent interest in the bikes and his donning of a face mask outdoors – at a time when Covid rules only required us to wear them in confined spaces – had made me suspicious of his intentions.

When I’d completed my fourth and final lap and seen he was no longer outside the pool, relief had washed over me. I’d been telling myself I’d have to take action if he was still there. His

departure meant I could remain safely within my insular Londoner’s bubble. But now I was on my way home and here he was again, hovering around a bike rack in an alleyway behind a pub, about 800 metres away from where I’d first spotted him. My chest tightened and my head began swimming. I didn’t know what do to. I could talk to him, but what would I say? And what if it led to a fight? I could dial 999 but there was no emergency and no crime being committed yet either. Dialling 101 also felt wrong; it usually just refers you to a vreporting website.

CAUGHT RED-HANDED

In the end, I shadowed the man for some time, walking in repeated loops up the alleyway and around the surrounding streets until, finally, I spotted him working at someone’s wheel with a silver spanner. Now that a crime was actually taking place, a 999 call felt more justified. Less than two minutes after I’d dialled the number a police van came screaming past me.

Concerned they might arrest the wrong person, I doubled back again and saw my man in handcuffs. Satisfied, I ambled home, only to be called straight back to the scene by the police. If I gave a statement and showed up in court, they said, we’d have a watertight case. I’d witnessed the man starting to take the wheel off, they’d caught him with the removed wheel in his hand and, to top and tail it, the owner had shown up shortly after the arrest and confirmed he hadn’t asked anyone to dismantle his bike.

While giving my statement, I asked the police some questions that had been on my mind. Did the man have a knife on him? Should I have confronted him? Was 999 the right number to call? Might he hunt me down? No, they said, he hadn’t had a knife on him and nor was he the type who’d attack me later either; he was just looking for his next fix. And I’d done

GETTING A BIKE THIEF ARRESTED AND CONVICTED IS JUSTICE THAT MOST CYCLISTS CAN ONLY DREAM ABOUT. CYCLING UK MEMBER TOM M C DONOUGH GAVE IT A GO…

Left: iStockphoto.com

Great Rides

ASTRAY IN HARROGATE

Opposite Harrogate’s Convention Centre there’s a small brass plaque erected in August 1953 to celebrate CTC’s 75th anniversary. Known as the Bicycle Touring Club when founded in 1878, it became the Cyclists’ Touring Club, or CTC, in 1883. Since 2016 the 145-year-old body has been known as Cycling UK.

This route starts with a multi-use rail trail, has a steep climb to a one-of-a-kind quarry sculpture, and ends at a plush hotel intimately connected with the birth of CTC. Along the way, the route skirts Brimham Rocks, a natural wonder that has attracted day-trippers for hundreds of years. Pioneer cyclists certainly visited, paying sixpence for entry. (Today it’s free for those arriving at this National Trust site by bike.)

Harrogate was catnip to these pioneers. Accessible by train, it was a health resort with plenty of what a period cycling pamphlet described as “frolics”. CTC was one of many clubs which used to muster in Harrogate for a long weekend of rides, races and tent-based accommodation. The North of England Meet and Camp ran for more than

20 years but wasn’t initially held under canvas. Instead, the first few meets were hotel based. The original event HQ hotel still exists, and this is where the inaugural CTC members stayed in 1878.

Today the West Park Hotel welcomes cyclists. Its walls are adorned with cycle art, and there’s a penthouse suite dedicated to the Tour de France’s visit to the town nearly 10 years ago. But in 1878, back when it was the Commercial Hotel, all cyclists were banished after some tussled with troops. The 2nd West York Yeomanry Cavalry was in town to parade; pioneer cyclists were there to ride – and party.

Harrogate was the perfect location for circular day rides, including short ones to Knaresborough and longer ones to York, Ripon and beyond to the Yorkshire Dales. The minor roads on this ride would have been familiar to the pioneer cyclists. More usually they would have ridden on direct routes such as today’s A59. High-wheelers (almost all of whom were men) would have had this and other such main roads primarily to themselves because the motor car was yet to be born.

CARLTON REID Journalist and author. Carlton was the founder of the cycling trade magazine, BikeBiz

Cycling UK was founded in Harrogate in 1878 – and banished from its hotels thereafter. Carlton Reid explores the spa town's history and surrounding area

Photos: Carlton and Josh Reid

INTO THE HILLS

Starting at Harrogate Convention Centre, it’s a wiggle through town to an Asda car park and the start of the traffic-free Nidderdale Greenway. This rail trail leads out to Ripley and its triangular sculpture, which was erected for the Tour de France’s visit in 2014.

There’s little traffic on the country lanes north from Ripley, and it’s undulating before a descent into the Brimham Rocks enclosure. “Cyclists are welcome on [the] main track to the visitor centre,” says the National Trust website.

Leaving the site’s weirdly shaped rocks, more undulations lead to Pateley Bridge. Stop for refreshments: you’ll benefit from an energy boost because the road onward is a lung buster. Signs at the base of the climb warn of slow cyclists for two miles. (I felt I’d been seen.)

The destination is the compelling Coldstones Cut artwork, a monumental walled structure with a contemporary streetscape, built on the high and remote Greenhow Hill in 2010 by artist Andrew Sabin as a viewing platform over Hanson Aggregates’ road-stone quarry.

Victorian cyclists had a close affinity with road stone. They wanted smooth, firm road surfaces for their new pastime. Along with the forerunner to today’s British Cycling, CTC created the Roads Improvement Association in 1885, which lobbied for better roads several years before motorists took over the organisation. The cyclists’ desire for good roads had been there from the start, with the proposed Bicycle Touring Club seeking to provide wouldbe members with national information on road surfaces.

Takeaway time in Pately Bridge

THE BICYCLE TOURING CLUB IS BORN

Better roads and the other aims of the BTC were fleshed out by three young men beneath a spreading chestnut tree in Harrogate’s Spa Gardens over the August Bank Holiday weekend of 1878. On the Monday, the club’s first rules were accepted by the 50 or so high-wheeler touring cyclists who were part of the larger gathering of the clans that spent almost half a week in Harrogate for the second annual North of England Meet.

Harrogate’s Spa Gardens – sporting two bandstands, a skating rink, terraces and rose gardens – were at the rear of the Royal Spa Concert Rooms, or Spa Rooms. This classical-style building with Doric columns was the probable location for the club’s inaugural meeting. (An early history of the club says the meeting was held in a board room but doesn’t mention the venue; a linked mention of the Spa Gardens leads me to think the board room was in the Spa Rooms.) Demolished in 1939, the building’s plot and gardens became exhibition

Fact file Astray in Harrogate

Distance: 62km (38 miles).

Route: Start and end in Harrogate, looping out to Coldstones Cut via Pateley Bridge.

Conditions: Mostly tarmac roads, suitable for yearround cycling. Gravel track to Coldstones Cut.

Maps/guides:

Route plotted on OS maps using the Outdooractive iPhone app. GPX available here: bit.ly/ harrogate-ctc-ride

I’m glad I had: A drone for the spectacular reveal of Coldstones Quarry. Video by Josh Reid: bit.ly/astrayharrogate-video

Next time I would: Pay more attention to route profiles…

Further info: thecoldstonescut. org, nationaltrust. org.uk/visit/ yorkshire/brimhamrocks, Roads Were Not Built for Cars by Carlton Reid (pub. Island Press 2015).

Clockwise from top left: Where it all began. The Commercial Inn today. The West Park Hotel is dotted with cycling art. Brimham Rocks. Tour de France sculpture near Ripley

All cyclists were banished after some tussled with troops. The 2nd West York Yeomanry Cavalry was in town to parade; pioneer cyclists were there to ride – and party

Knowhow

Making sense of commonly misunderstood subjects

Cycling overseas What should I do if I have an incident cycling abroad?

If you are unfortunate enough to be injured while cycling abroad as a result of the negligence of a third party, it is important to remember that, just like an incident in the UK, you will be able to pursue a claim for your injuries and losses.

However, it is very likely, depending on where the incident happened and the identity of the third party, that a foreign law will apply to your claim. So when you get home you will need to instruct a specialist international injury lawyer who is experienced in dealing with foreign accident claims. Call the Cycling UK Incident Line on 0330 107 1789 in the first instance.

Since Brexit, it has become significantly harder for UK citizens to bring claims arising from incidents abroad in the UK courts. Your specialist lawyer should be able to advise you as to whether, on the facts of your case, it will be possible. If not, then a good international injury lawyer will nevertheless be able to explore the possibility of working alongside lawyers in the country where your incident happened. The litigation can then be pursued there but you’ll still have the benefit of a British lawyer involved in your case, to help advise and guide you.

In terms of the incident itself, provided you aren’t too badly injured, you should try to obtain

Don’t leave home without it

all the usual details you would if the incident happened back home (see the Crash Course article, last issue – cyclinguk.org/crash-course). Most importantly, you should get the registration of the third party and their insurance details.

In certain European countries it is common for drivers to keep pro forma accident report forms in their vehicle. If you feel comfortable doing so, you can complete this form with the third-party driver. Only sign it if you are 100% certain that the facts of the incident have been recorded correctly, and take a photo of the completed form for your own records.

If possible, call the police to attend the scene of the incident as they will then prepare a report. A police report is normally a very important piece of evidence. If the police are not involved, it can make proving exactly what happened much more difficult. If there are any witnesses, you should also try to obtain their contact details, so your solicitor can make contact with them. Take plenty of photographs of any damage to your bike and the third-party vehicle. Try to stay calm during your dealings with the third party.

Tick these items off your to-do list before travelling.

MIKE HAGAN Head of International Injury at Fletchers Group

Your insurance

Don’t just pick the cheapest policy on a price comparison site. When selecting a policy, read the documents carefully, especially the summary of what is included and excluded, and make sure that your cycling trip doesn’t fall under one of the exclusions. If you are taking part in an event like a sportive or a race, make sure such an event is covered by your policy. Make sure there is sufficient cover, not only for your bike and any accessories you've had fitted, but also plenty of medical cover in case you are injured.

When selecting travel insurance, try to select a policy offered by a company you have previously had a good experience with. For example, if you have made an insurance claim with a company before and they handled it well, it might be worth going with them again.

Cycling UK members get 15% of Yellow Jersey travel insurance. See cyclinguk.org/memberbenefit/yellow-jerseytravel.

Pack your travel insurance policy documents so you can quickly contact your insurer to let them know about the incident and get their assistance dealing with the aftermath.

Put your GHIC card in your wallet. It entitles you to free ‘emergency and necessary medical care’ in the EU. gov.uk/global-healthinsurance-card

Pack your passport and ensure it has sufficient time remaining on it to comply with the rules of the country you are visiting.

Make sure you have completed any forms that are a prerequisite to entering the host country e.g. proof of Covid status, visa waiver forms, etc. Pack copies for inspection at the border.

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Richard is a cycling journalist and author. His books include Electric Bicycles and Sustrans’ Traffic-Free Cycle Rides

First look A

nippy city bike with a quick fold, some clever features and punchy acceleration

Electric folders

Q9

The Gocycle G4 and Tern Vektron Q9 are premium-quality electric folders with distinct differences. Neither fits the ultra-portable category populated by 16-inch wheelers like the Brompton Electric and the Flit. Their 20-inch wheels are the basis for exhilarating, speedy riding (in the case of the Gocycle) or workhorse cargo-carrying capability (the Tern).

The fact that they fold is useful nevertheless. They can be stored in a studio flat or easily transported by train. And, of course, compared to an unpowered folder, they’ll take you further and with less effort over more demanding terrain.

Both are quite expensive if you consider the purchase price alone but, as with any e-bike, running costs are minimal. Long term, they’re much, much cheaper than a car. The Gocycle is an excellent commuter, while the Tern could be a car replacement like an e-cargo bike.

Frame and fold

The Gocycle uses three main frame materials: a weight-saving carbon fibre mid-frame; a hydroformed aluminium front frame; and a magnesium Cleandrive transmission casing. It also has a carbon fibre singlesided ‘fork’. The Tern is more conventional in using

hydroformed aluminium throughout: 7005 alloy for the distinctive frame and 6061 for the fork.

The Gocycle’s design prioritises low weight and a sporty ride, whereas the Tern emphasises strength and carrying capacity – its extended rear end accommodates a stretched out rear rack, and it has sturdylooking frame joints and hinges. As a result the Tern weighs 27% more than the Gocycle, at 23kg versus 18.1kg on my scales.

The Gocycle’s height-adjustable seatpost is made to fit riders from 5ft 1in to 6ft 6in, although there’s a compact option that drops that range to 4ft 10in to 5ft 9in. Tern says that the Q9 resizes in seconds to fit riders from 4ft 10in to 6ft 5in. This is thanks to a telescopic seatpost and the fore and aft adjustment of the bike’s Andros stem.

High-quality e-folders are expensive but they can transform urban and inter-urban journeys. Richard Peace tests a Gocycle G4 and a Tern Vektron

enough to do but I would have liked a stronger magnet or even a strap system like the Gocycle’s to keep the folded halves together.

Both bikes can be wheeled along when folded by extending the seatpost and/ or handlebar. It’s just as well; you wouldn’t want to run along a station platform carrying these bikes. With practice, you should be able to folder either bike in under 30 seconds. Folded sizes are broadly similar. The Gocycle rests nicely on its kickstand, while the folded Tern can also be stood up on the rear rack, which I actually found the most stable position.

Components

The Gocycle G4 had a design update a couple of years ago which, as well as new frame materials and a carbon fork, saw the introduction of an all-new G4drive front hub motor. This is quieter and has more torque than its predecessor, despite its discreet appearance. Like almost every element of the Gocycle, the hub motor is the manufacturer’s own design. It’s paired with a 300Wh battery, which is neatly hidden in the frame. When the bike is folded, you can slide the battery out to

Tech spec GOCYCLE G4

Price: £3,399.

recharge it away from the bike. The Gocycle’s battery can be used to charge other devices as there’s a 1A USB-C outlet on the handlebar.

The Tern has an efficient, reliable and superbly smooth Bosch mid-drive motor. As an Active Line Plus unit, this isn’t the most powerful in the range but then the Vektron isn’t an e-MTB or full-blown cargo bike, and the lower torque rating compared to top-end mid-drives doesn’t seem to dent its hill-climbing ability, which is excellent.

The Vektron Q9 (there’s also an S10) gets a framemounted and removable 400Wh Bosch Power Pack battery as standard. It’s compatible with 300Wh and 500Wh Power Packs as well.

Both the Gocycle and Tern come with fast (4A) chargers with estimated charging times of three and four hours respectively. The handlebar displays are very different. The Tern has an easy-to-use Purion display. Gocycle owners can choose between the minimalist Fuel Gauge display (a line of red LEDs in the handlebar that show battery capacity and the selected assistance mode) or the Gocycle app; you’ll need to attach your phone to the handlebar via the rubber

Sizes: One size with telescopic seatpost.

Folded size: 88×39×61.5cm (with kickstand up).

Weight: 18.1kg (39.9lb)

Frame and fork: Carbon fibre mid-frame, hydroformed aluminium front frame, magnesium Cleandrive transmission casing. Carbon fibre single-sided fork.

Wheels: 406-60

Gocycle tyres, 20in magnesium one-piece wheels on stub axles.

Transmission:

Folding pedals, 32t chainring, Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub gear with magnesiumenclosed Cleandrive

cover, 12t rear sprocket. Three ratios, 39-73in.

Electronics: Gocycle G4drive front hub motor with traction control. Gocycle frame-integrated, removable 300Wh battery. Fuel Gauge display.

Braking: Hydraulic disc brakes. Steering and seating: Folding handlebar stem with integrated handlebar featuring Gocycle’s LED Fuel Gauge display and 1A USB-C charging port. Telescopic seatpost, Velosport saddle.

Equipment:

Supernova LED lights front and rear, full-length mudguards, kickstand. gocycle.com

The Gocycle is superb in busy traffic… It accelerates quickly from junctions

Top: Supernova LED lights are wired in to the main battery Bottom: As well as a telescopic seatpost, the seat angle is slacker so the reach extends more for taller riders

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Grouptest Cycling cameras

Video footage lets you share your favourite cycling moments, either for fun or use as evidence after a road incident. Guy Kesteven tests four cameras

GUY KESTEVEN

As well as being a prolific bike tester, Guy has created route guides and videos for Cycling UK. His own YouTube channel is GuyKesTV

Today’s action cameras produce better quality video than ever and are increasingly easy to use. So it’s no surprise that more and more cyclists are fitting them to their bikes. For some it’s a way to record ride highlights to post online (vlogging). For others it’s a way to capture the low points of the daily commute – those all-too-common occurrences of bad driving. (In any road incident, one of the first questions the police will ask is whether you have video footage.)

Wading through tech specs and marketing claims to work out what sort of camera will best suit your needs can be hard. As you’ll see from this test, some models fall well short of expectations when it comes to real-life use. To give you an insight into what to look for and what to avoid, this test features cameras from different categories: front and rear safety cameras, a classic action camera and a micro camera. It would take another article to explain how to edit and share camera footage but it’s worth noting here that video files require a lot of storage space. If there isn’t enough on your home computer (or, potentially, your phone), you’ll need to consider an external drive or cloud storage.

Cycle’s test promise

At Cycle, we are proudly independent. There’s no pressure to please advertisers as we’re funded by your membership. Our product reviews aren’t press releases; they’re written by experienced cyclists after thorough testing.

Details

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1 Looping footage

Safety cameras need to have looping footage that automatically captures crashes or can easily be accessed/edited to see close passes and so on.

2 Extra features?

Combining a light and a camera sounds like a good idea for safety but it’s often more expensive and lower in performance than separate items.

3 Resolution

High resolution (e.g. 4k or 5k) is great

for TV/big monitor replays but 1080p is good enough for most safety incidents, where number plate visibility is the key aspect.

4 Settings

Lots of recording options sounds impressive until you get lost in endless scrolling menus or accidentally select the wrong settings. Simpler can be better.

5 Mounting options

Make sure the mount options and size/ weight of the camera enable you to put it where you want.

The Balkans

An Aegean-toAdriatic C2C

Glorious greenways Spain

David Mytton discovered a different side to the mountainous Iberian country

IF YOU’VE BEEN to Spain, you’ll know it’s mountainous. Even on a city break in Barcelona or a costa beach holiday, the peaks are visible inland. Hills can be great when you’re cycling, especially downhill, but I’d say a change is as good as a rest.

Last

September Stephen Psallidas cycled from Thessaloniki in Greece to Dubrovnik in Croatia

My solo tour took 18 days, 13 of them riding. It was a wonderful trip, including coastal cities, pretty farmland, remote mountain passes, spectacular valleys, jagged fjords and medieval mosques and monasteries.

It encompassed a huge variety of cultures, histories and languages. I travelled from ancient monuments and resolutely anarchist backstreets in Thessaloniki to an up-and-coming North Macedonia; from crumbling Communistera statues and factories in Albania to Kosovo’s melting-pot of East and West; from Montenegro’s tiny Alpine-style villages and glitzy coastal resorts to the stone towns of Kotor and Dubrovnik.

The multiple languages and four different alphabets used increased the challenge. Few people spoke English outside of the tourist towns. My basic Russian helped… plus sign language when needed!

I travelled light, with just a single pannier. I was grateful of this when sweating over some of the highest passes, which were not far off 2,000m, and when I once inadvertently ended up riding for hours on steep, forested dirt tracks on my 28mm touring tyres.

The people I met were all kind and generous. An Albanian mountain guesthouse owner invited me to eat with

his family. A friendly restaurant owner gave me a discount after I spoke to him in broken Serbian about Newcastle United. And a farm-stay owner offered me homedistilled raki moonshine for my birthday.

I bumped into some interesting fellow travellers, ranging from a bedraggled and lost Israeli hiker to a lovely American nutritionist. I met a handful of cycle tourists, including a couple who’d towed their young kids from Holland. Unlike me, all were heading south towards the sun. Having said that, the weather was mostly good, and although chilly in the mountains (snowing over one pass!), it was warm on the coast. I got a decent cycling tan.

When, finally, after 1,150km of riding and over 16,000m of climbing, I rolled across the medieval bridge of Dubrovnik at the end of my own C2C, I was a tired but happy man.

www.tinyurl.com/balkanride-part1

www.tinyurl.com/balkanride-part2

Vías verdes (‘greenways’) enable you to escape hills and traffic. There are almost 3,000km of them around Spain. They’re on former railway lines but, unlike Sustrans routes here, they don’t seem to be linked into a network. Some are only a couple of kilometres long but I spent more than day following one.

I’d climbed for a few days from Almería, then had a further climb and a search around the city of Jaén to find the start. I was then rewarded with two days of peaceful cycling. Named the Vía Verde del Aceite, then the Vía Verde de la Subbética for the last few kilometres, it goes for an impressive 128km from Jaén to Puente Genil.

The name roughly translates as ‘the oil line’. It’s less industrial than this implies, as much of its cargo was olive oil en route to the port of Málaga. There are more embankments than cuttings and so there are many good views, often over hillsides of olive shrubs. The railway line was built in the 1880s. As well as new bridges across busy roads there are several original viaducts and old stations; the one at Doña Mencía offered cycle hire.

My hotel turned out to be only a couple of minutes from the line, but you pass close to several towns with places to stay and without too many other visitors. After Puente Genil I was back in traffic and hills, and I reached Algeciras a few days later. The vía verde was one of the highlights of the tour. These routes are well worth exploring. www.viasverdes.com/en/

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Church of St John the Theologian, Kaneo, North Macedonia E-65, North Macedonia

Vía Verde del Aceite, Zuheros