Cycle Magazine Aug-Sep 2010

The magazine of CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation

Aug-Sep 2010

Free to CTC members

great off-road weekends • £800 mountain bikes on test • become a ctc trail leader • cargo bikes • what to wear • mercian profile

Founded in 1878

£800

mountain bikes tested

Fisher Cobia, Kona Cindercone & KHS XC 604

Delivering the goods

Why Royal Mail is wrong about bikes

Summer singletrack

august/september 2010

Great places to ride this August weekend

ISSN 2042-9460

Aug-SEP 2010 £3

PLUS: TOURING ITALY MERCIAN CYCLES PROFILE CYCLE CHAMPIONS

FROM THE EDITOR

Dan Joyce

Cycle is the magazine of CTC – the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation.

The magazine promotes the work of CTC and the CTC Charitable Trust (Registered Charity No. 1104324). Formed in 1878, CTC is the UK’s largest cycling membership organisation with 70,000 members and affiliates, To join CTC, turn to page 88 and contact the Membership Dept.

CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX Tel: 0844 736 8450 Fax: 0844 736 8454 Email: cycling@ctc.org.uk Website: www.ctc.org.uk CTC Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow CTC Council Chair: David Robinson Chief Executive: Kevin Mayne CTC (Cyclists’ Touring Club) is a company limited by guarantee registered in England No. 25185 Cycle Magazine Editor: Dan Joyce email: editor@ctc.org.uk Designer: Gemma Hancock Advertising: Louise Collings, tel: 0207 657 1820 email: ctc@tenalps.com 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 Ten Alps PLC and final approval by CTC. Printed by St Ives (Plymouth) Ltd, Eastern Wood Road, Plympton, Plymouth, PL7 5ET. Tel: 01752 349431 Cover picture: Mountain bikers on The Long Mynd in Shropshire, by Seb Rogers

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Contents Features Cover feature

24 Summer singletrack

Great places to ride off-road this weekend

33 September sun

Touring on the Italian island of Elba

37 Kingdom of Mercia Beautiful handbuilt bikes from Derby

40 Take the lead

How to become a CTC Trail Leader – and why

44 Delivering the goods

Why Royal Mail is wrong about cycle dispatch

48 Happiness on wheels

Snapshots from CTC’s Cycle Champions projects

52 Gear selection

What to wear for different forms of cycling

62 Off-road alternatives

£800 mountain bikes from Kona, Fisher and KHS

Regulars

Get f

Photos by Benji Haworth, Al Churcher & Rob Ainsley

Following arrows at a trail centre is a fine way to get a two-hour adrenaline buzz, especially in the off-season when rain can make ‘natural’ trails boggily unrideable. But in summer, when puffy white clouds sail in blue skies over fields of wheat, when woodland is darkly overgrown and green, and the trails are dry – or dry enough – it’s the ideal time to seek out new rides.

Pick a base in another part of the country; we’ve got some suggestions on page 24. Or just see what you can find in your own backyard by exploring bridleways and tracks that you’ve never got around to riding. If not now, when?

I found myself on a new trail not 10 miles from home, when my local club was hosting some family fun rides this summer. (As a qualified CTC Trail Leader – see page 40 – I was assisting.)

It was refreshing to be shown a new stretch of local singletrack. It felt like a secret trail.

I hadn’t previously marked it on my OS Explorer, which is scribbled on, dogeared, and slightly torn. (Note to self: put the map trap on the mountain bike.) I’ll highlight it now. The mountain biking world is dripping with shiny accessories but the best new things are those you can’t buy: new places to ride.

ive 04 CTC Shop CTC membyeears for the prricship 06 News of four. e 12 Events news Details on p8 0 16 Your letters 20 CTC & me 22 Cycling planet 30 Holiday guide 58 Cycling answers 72 Gear reviews 80 CTC member benefits 84 What’s on 86 Competitions 88 CTC contacts 90 Travellers’ Tales 91 CTC Cycling Holidays

cycle CTC’S round up of cycling news, views and events

Young children can be capable cyclists – and not just on fun rides

FROM THE chair of CTC Council

david robinson This really feels like a summer of cycling, which I hope will be a whole year of cycling.

Meeting residents of Copenhagen last month was a revelation. ‘Why are you always talking about cycling?’ they asked. ‘Do you also get passionate about vacuum cleaners?’ The point they were making, as 39% of them cycle to work, was that the bike was no big deal but rather the obvious way to get from A to B. Cycling is my everyday mode of transport and I do also tour. I get a buzz when I see new or returning riders, frequently families but often older people too. Perhaps the quiet revolution has started.

Certainly CTC has had one of its best years for membership with up to a thousand people joining each month.

All of our regions and devolved countries now have CTC staff in place. In my own patch, the North West, the Bike Club and Cycle Champions teams are out there getting people on their bikes. We have our first young persons’ cycle forum, are a part of the healthy living agenda, and are teaching adults to ride for the first time.

Member groups, affiliated groups and Right to Ride reps are at the heart of our volunteer network. We are passionate because we not only love to cycle but we can see how cycling is a key part of the wider agenda.

I hope the new Government can see what is happening and what great value it is.

‘More people cycling, more safely and more often’ is the Cycling England slogan – and we at CTC are very much at the heart of this ethos.

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Too young to ride?

CTC has defended the right to ride to school after a primary headmaster slammed parents of cycling pupils aged 5 & 8

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CTC has defended the ‘right to ride to school’, following media coverage that alleged a couple had been warned they could be reported to social services unless they stopped their children cycling to school on their own.

Oliver and Gillian Schonrock, from Dulwich, south east London, let their children, aged five and eight, cycle the mile from their house to school by themselves. But national press reported that the couple were told by the headmaster of Alleyn’s junior school that it was irresponsible of them to let their children cycle to school unaccompanied. The coverage caused widespread debate about the right to ride to school.

Cherry Allan, from CTC’s campaigns team, said: ‘CTC is very disappointed to hear that Oliver and Gillian Schonrock’s decision to let their children to cycle to school on their own has been described as “irresponsible”.

All children should have the right to cycle to school: it allows them to travel quickly and independently through their local areas, providing not just autonomy, but a daily sense of achievement.

‘CTC is not arguing all five year olds should be free to cycle unaccompanied. However, when parents want to allow their children to ride on their own, acting in their children’s

best interests and with good awareness of their children’s abilities (as is clearly the case with the Schonrock family), we believe they should be able to decide this. This can only be good for their children’s healthy development.’

CTC believes that children are too often discouraged from cycling to school because of fears that they will not cycle safely; that surrounding motorists will drive dangerously; or that children alone in public are at risk.

But these fears simply do not reflect real experience. Children can learn safe cycling through cycle training, which helps them protect themselves by teaching them good techniques for looking and anticipating the movements of motorists and other road users.

The health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks, and the risk involved in cycling is similar or lower than the risk involved in many other everyday activities. In addition, more children cycling to school means fewer cars on the road, making the school run safer for everyone.

Additionally, the risk of ‘stranger danger’ is greatly exaggerated by the media. Obesity is a far greater threat to children than abduction.

CTC fully supports parents who would like their children to cycle to school with a Right to Ride to School campaigning kit, downloadable from www.ctc.org.uk/righttoridetoschool.

More campaigns new Sign up tos?C Digest. E ycle cherr y.allamnail ctc.org.uk @

Bridleways saved

Photograph by Byways & Bridleways Trust

Local CTC campaigners David Core and Matt Hodges have thwarted plans by Cumbria Council to legalise the unlawful motorised use of a narrow bridleway carrying a busy section of National Cycle Network route 20 under the A590 Witherslack bypass.

Council officers were due to recommend ‘upgrading’ it to a byway, until David alerted the Council’s legal department that their report to councillors failed to mention the serious risks to pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian users that was identified in a safety audit.

This prompted a complete U-turn in the report’s recommendations. Councillors who had been desperate to approve motorised use responded by insisting the decision should be deferred, but David and Matt are now confident that good sense will prevail in the end.

Meanwhile, campaigners for the Byways and Bridleways Trust have won a 20-year fight to stop the Applegarth Bridleway in the Yorkshire Dales National Park from being downgraded to a footpath. The four-mile section between Clapgate Bank, near Marske, and Richmond, forms part of the off-road coast to coast route from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay. The bridleway has long been obstructed by stone stiles (pictured), but these will be replaced by bridle gates so that cyclists and horse-riders can get through more easily.

There had been a complaint that the bridleway was wrongly recorded, but North Yorkshire County Council’s plans to downgrade the route to a footpath as a result of this were overturned.

For more details about CTC’s Right to Ride network, see www.ctc.org.uk/righttoride. For more details about the Byways and Bridleways Trust, see www.bbtrust.org.uk.

Bike Club crosses borders b

Bike Club, the England-wide project to get young people involved in cycling, has expanded into Wales and Scotland. Launch events in Cardiff and Glasgow were held in June, bringing together key decision-makers from areas such as youth work, education, transport, health and justice.

In Cardiff, an address was given by Jane Davidson AM, the Welsh Assembly Government’s Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing. She told attendees how supportive she was of efforts to encourage cycling, and warmly welcomed Bike Club to Wales. In the Cardiff area, Bike Club (Clwb Beicio in Welsh) is coordinated by development officer Melanie Davies.

At Bike Club’s Scottish launch, a presentation was given by Dr Harry Burns. Dr Burns is not only Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer but also an enthusiastic CTC member. With a strong emphasis on the health benefits of cycling, he explained how an active lifestyle offers huge benefits for the children and young people of Scotland. Bike Club has two development officers in Scotland: Victoria Leiper deals with applications in the Glasgow area,

while Amy Hickman works with youth clubs, groups and schools in the areas of Edinburgh, Fife, Falkirk, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian.

The expansion of Bike Club into Wales and Scotland was made possible by funding from the Asda Foundation. Youth Cymru and Youth Scotland are working as local partners alongside Bike Club’s core consortium partners of CTC, UK Youth and ContinYou. More details at bikeclub.org.uk.

news in brief CTC SUBS INCREASE From 1st October 2010, the price of CTC membership for an adult will rise by £1 to £37 per year.

Other rates have been increased on a pro rata basis. For more information on CTC membership, see www. ctc.org.uk/join.

MTB CONFERENCE IMBA UK is hosting a conference for mountain biking promotion and provision on 10th September. Entitled ‘From the Roots to the Shoots’, the conference will take place at the Macdonald Cardrona Hotel near Peebles, a short distance from the trail centres at Glentress and Innerleithin. To view the programme or get a booking form, see www.imba.org.uk. ctc spring draw Well done to the winners of CTC’s Grand Spring Draw: Mr V Walsh, £2,000; Mr RG Hudson, £1,000; Mr C Rock, £500. Mr G Blackmon, Mr JE Parrott, Mr P Milsom, M & Mrs L Mackintosh and Mr A Woods each won £100. cycling towns A report on lessons learned from the Cycling Demonstration Towns project between 2005-08 is available free to local authorities and partners delivering cycling programmes.

‘Making a Cycling Town’ includes a CD with a short film and details best practice, giving recommendations for the development of a town-wide programme to promote cycling. To get a copy, email your name, job title and postal address to nigel. williams@ctc.org.uk.

Put ‘Making a Cycling Town’ as the subject.

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New CTC groups

FROM THE TOURING DEPT Mark Waters

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New CTC member groups to represent particular user-groups continue to spring up across the country. The Inclusive Cycling Forum is a CTC group that now exists to support and encourage people with disabilities who wish to cycle.

Established last September with a £200 donation from the Ripley Section of the VeteranCycle Club, the Inclusive Cycling Forum arranges meets around the country to ride together; the next is in Norwich on 4th September.

Many disabled cyclists can regain their mobility with an adapted or bespoke cycle – often a trike.

Such special cycles can be expensive, however, and the ICF is currently trying to raise £8,000 to purchase a cycle for member Martin Symons, who has Klippel-Feil Syndrome.

To find out more about Martin’s cycle or to join the group, visit www. inclusivecyclingforum.org.uk and telephone CTC Membership Services on 0844 736 8451 with your membership number requesting to be a member of the Inclusive Cycling Forum.

Meanwhile, the Biking Belles in Chichester are to hold an inaugural meeting to start a member group for women cyclists in their area. The aim is to run regular Saturday morning rides. The meeting will take place at 7pm on 7th September in The Goodwood Room at The Partridge

Inn, Singleton. If you wish to attend, email bikingbelleschichester@yahoo.co.uk.

Geographic member groups are still growing too. CTC members in the Walsall area are holding an inaugural meeting to form Walsall and District group. It will place on 8th September. For details of the venue and time, please contact Dave Woodcock on 01543 671 313 or email dc.woodcock@ talktalk.net.

CTC South Kent are hoping to start a new informal group based around Tenterden and St Michaels, offering Saturday and Sunday rides, plus midweek ones if there’s enough interest. Experienced local cyclists and potential new ride leaders in the area are encouraged to come forward to help out, so that rides can take place weekly.

If you are interested please call Ian McCormick on 01589 761661 or email him on ian-mccormick@sky.com.

Cycle friendly awards b

Does the organisation you work for encourage cycling? CTC’s Cycle Friendly Organisation award will be presented later this year to organisations that demonstrate that they help people to cycle.

Organisations will be assessed on a range of ‘cycle friendly’ criteria. These range from having provisions such 8

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as secure cycle parking, clothing lockers and washing facilities in place, all the way up to putting on group rides and cycle training sessions for staff members.

‘Many organisations are now actively encouraging staff to cycle to work, and there needs to be recognition of this,’ said CTC Commercial Director Nick Fish. ‘We have

seen from the success of our Workplace Challenges that employers and staff are happier to cycle to work if some basic provisions are in place and they feel supported by the company.’

If the organisation you work for is actively encouraging cycling, email cycling@ctc.org.uk for more information.

How much do you need to spend on a bike that you might use for taking a cycling holiday on?

Off-the-peg touring bikes cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds.

However, it’s possible to buy a suitable one for the price of a top-of-the-range waterproof jacket. Think secondhand!

Inexperienced cyclists may be justifiably apprehensive about choosing what they need.

The CTC forum has numerous topics on the subject: search for ‘secondhand bikes’ on the CTC home page. The CTC Helpdesk can also offer advice.

Once you’ve got a clearer idea of what you need, head for the ‘For Sale’ section of the CTC Forum. Unlike auction sites, a good proportion of the bikes will be suitable for touring; that is, able to take a pannier rack, tyres of at least 28mm width, and ideally a triple chainset.

CTC members are also unlikely to be selling stolen bikes!

Once you’ve got your bike, don’t forget that CTC’s Touring Department has a range of over 40 touring information sheets.

STOP PRESS: The Scottish Government has launched the Cycle Action Plan for Scotland (CAPS), along with £3.9m of funding to deliver it. They have also at last published ‘Cycling by design’, Scotland’s design guidelines for cycle-friendly infrastructure, 11 years after the draft was first issued for consultation! CTC Councillor for Scotland Peter Hayman, who sat on the CAPS Board, has welcomed its target to increase cycle use in Scotland from about 1% to 10% of trips by 2020.

cycle

Time to deliver

Chris Peck assesses the cycling credentials of the new Government and reports back on CTC’s campaign to keep posties cycling

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A new Government and new Parliament – but will things change for the better or for the worse? The new Ministerial team at the Department for Transport (DfT) is headed by Conservative Philip Hammond MP, who has overall responsibility for transport strategy, and has repeatedly stated his overall priority: cutting the Department’s spending.

CTC has also written to Hammond summarising our views on the need to maintain funding for cycling, just as he has been outlining massive cuts to the Department over the next few years.

This need not affect cycling unduly: the Campaign for Better Transport, to which CTC is affiliated, has presented the Treasury with an excellent proposal describing how funding cuts can be made in the bloated roads programme while preserving or even expanding funding for sustainable transport.

At least two of his junior ministers may be sympathetic to cycling. Minister of State for Transport Theresa Villiers MP was very sensible as the shadow Transport Secretary in opposition but her current role has little relevance directly to cycling.

The other potential ally is Norman Baker MP, the one Lib Dem in the DfT ministerial team – who, along with his party leader Nick Clegg MP, signed up to CTC’s Vote Bike Manifesto. CTC met with him shortly before the election and has since written to him seeking a dialogue on the funding of cycling and on improving local authority delivery. His ministerial responsibilities include walking, cycling and local transport, subjects upon which he is extremely knowledgeable and keen.

However, he may have to work hard to persuade his ministerial boss to provide him with a budget to fulfil his aspirations on sustainable local transport.

The last member of the DfT team is Mike Penning MP, whose responsibilities include road safety. It remains to be seen what he will do about the draft Road Safety Strategy about which CTC campaigned successfully last summer.

One of the key planks of that strategy was lower speeds, particularly in urban

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The latest All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, riding in June

areas. CTC responded to a consultation, launched prior to the election, on the guidance for setting local speed limits.

If adopted, the proposals would make it significantly easier for local authorities to introduce 20mph schemes – but so far CTC is only getting mixed messages about the coalition’s views on this matter.

Early announcements about the end of central Government funding for fixed speed cameras and ministerial rhetoric

DfT funding cuts need not affect cycling unduly about the ‘end of the war on the motorist’ are not promising.

Last post by bike?

Thank you to the hundreds of cyclists who have sent in letters to the new chief executive of Royal Mail, Moya Greene, asking her to rescind the decision of her predecessor to scrap the postal bike fleet in favour of electric trolleys and vans. You can use a form letter on CTC’s website at

www.ctc.org.uk/campaigns – we can even print it for you if you wish.

CTC will deliver your letters to her, by cycle, when she takes up her job shortly. Various other organisations and individuals have come out in support, including Rt Hon David Willetts MP, a Government Minister, who has written to Royal Mail asking them to rethink.

One of the reasons given for the move from the world’s most efficient vehicle to the polluting and dangerous van is that falling letter post and rising parcels traffic mean that bikes are unable to cope with the load. Into this gap would logically step the cargo cycle, the use of which has been growing in Europe and parts of the UK. Some years ago Royal Mail trialled electrically assisted cargo trikes. The trial never reached full implementation because the weight of the trikes meant that they could not be classified as Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) and Royal Mail were not satisfied with the resulting legal ambiguity. In a recent consultation on electric cycles, CTC demanded that this weight restriction be lifted, which could allow these vehicles to become a key part of the urban freight network, reducing the need for vans and solving Royal Mail’s quandary.

event

Photos by Paul Hepworth & Dan Joyce

recent & forthcoming events in the cycling world

York: CTC’s marquee event b

After nine months of planning and a week to set up, this year’s York Cycle Show took place under changeable skies. Grey clouds and showers on Saturday didn’t dampen enthusiasm, especially out on the rides leaving the site. Sunday saw blue skies and sunshine, with visitors standing several deep around the Zero Gravity stunt show and encircling the arena.

CTC’s Cycle Champions joined forces with Bike Club to run a range of competitive activities for younger riders. This could become a national event next year, culminating at the show. CTC South Yorkshire Champion Steve Marsden, meanwhile, invited us to host a weekend stay by a group of special needs youngsters and their adapted bikes, plus carers. This would meet their expedition criteria for a Duke of Edinburgh scheme’s Gold Award. They took part in the Minster Service and parade, as well as the arena events.

In the Trade Area, UK exhibitors were joined by colleagues from Belgium, Italy and South Africa. There were three electric bike companies represented and one electric bike magazine being launched.

In terms of amenities, the food court was well received, and the real ale barman and one caterer set

up TVs on the Friday evening for World Cup coverage.

For the first time, we hired portable showers – which cost more but meant better facilities.

The ‘Lycra Sunday’ Service at York Minster was well attended, and York Police helped volunteers marshal a revised route that utilised the riverside cyclepath.

I discovered a fortnight earlier that a 5K run was scheduled for the riverside path, raising funds for prostate cancer research, but they kindly put back their start to give our ride time to pass by.

Some strategic thinking on the show is needed, in liaison with CTC’s National Events Steering Group and through them CTC Council. The cost of hiring the Knavesmire plus all the equipment has exceeded income for the last few years, which spurred thoughts of moving to the showground at Harrogate. That has vastly superior facilities and would be instrumental in helping to attract external funding, without which the show will not survive.

The dates for next year’s event will be confirmed after the release of the 2011 horse racing calendar this October, plus details of the June Ordination Service at York Minster.

Paul Hepworth, Chair, York Cycle Show Committee

Phil Liggett CTC Challenge

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Join cycling commentator and former CTC President Phil Liggett for a challenging ride through the Peak District on Sunday 8th August. Bridging the gap between audax and sportive rides, the Phil Liggett CTC Challenge Ride joins up some of the most stunning scenery in South Yorkshire – and some of the most testing climbs. The 100km route includes Holme Moss, while the 150km option adds Winnats Pass and Monsal Head.

Features of this year’s event

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include: a signposted route; a certificate for all finishers; and a valuable goody bag for all CTC members. Nutrition products are provided by ZipVit Sport. Entry is just £20 and you can enter online until 5th August (at http://tinyurl. com/29t6mrt) or on the day.

Proceeds from the event go to the CTC Charitable Trust.

The event starts at Stannington, Sheffield at 8am.

For more details, see www.ctc. org.uk/challengerides or call CTC on 0844 736 8450.

EVENTS news in brief BIRTHDAY INVITATION CTC’s Birthday Rides week takes place from 19th-25th August. While campsite and accommodation bookings have closed, if you live locally or arrange your own place to stay you can still attend. A registration pack including entry to and route sheets for all the rides, the Birthday Tea, competitions and social events costs £90. There’s a choice of four rides every day from Friday to Tuesday, plus a selection of trips – including a visit to the Eden Project. You can find route profiles for typical rides available at falmouthwheelers.co.uk.

For more information about the Birthday Rides, or to register, visit www. birthdayrides.org or contact organiser Paul Parkinson on 01326 372934.

GEAR UP FOR RIDE + STRIDE On 11th September, 10,000 churches nationwide will open their doors to welcome cyclists and walkers. Ride + Stride is a sponsored bike ride (or walk) between 10,000 churches, with the aim of topping the £1.5 million raised last year to help repair some of Britain’s 47,000 churches, chapels and meeting houses. Even if you’re not religious, churches form part of the landscape of the countryside. CTC President and Channel 4 news presenter, Jon Snow, is the patron. For more information about Ride + Stride and to register visit www.rideandstrideuk.org.

BIG BIKE BASH On 21st and 22nd August, the Big Bike Bash mountain biking weekend takes place at Avon Tyrell in the New Forest. There is cross-country racing, a lake jump, live music, a beer festival, and children’s events. The event raises money for UKYouth. For more information, visit www.bigbikebash.co.uk

October is show time b

This autumn the UK’s largest Cycle Show returns for its ninth year, with the Earls Court venue open to the public from 8th-10th October. It’s a great opportunity to check out – and even try out – 2011 bikes. There’s a ‘street’ test track and an ‘off-road’ one, the Tirol Mountain Bike Experience, incorporating North Shore (raised wooden platforms).

In the show’s arena, experts from different disciplines will be on-hand for a range of Q&A sessions. There will also be competitions and stunt courses on display throughout the weekend. At the Cycle Store, you can buy new clothing and accessories rather than just window shopping. There is free, secure cycle parking for visitors arriving at the Cycle

Show by bike. The Show opens for trade and press on Thursday 7th October and then is open to the general public from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th from 10am to 6pm daily (Sunday 5pm). Tickets are already on sale, at a special offer price of

£10.50 for CTC members (normally £12 in advance). A £1 booking fee applies per transaction. Discount code: CTC. For more information, to book tickets, or to sign up to the newsletter, visit www. cycleshow.co.uk.

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LETTERS

Write to: Cycle Letters, CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX, or email cycleletters@ctc.org.uk AUDAX OK

In reply to Peter Kenner’s letter in the June/July issue: audax is predominantly a tourist event with max and min time limits. This equates to quite low average speeds and, once completed, does not have a result or finishing sheet. The whole concept of the ride is to complete the distance within the allocated time, much the same as the CTC 50-in-4 and 100-in-8 rides.

It is not a case of seeing how fast you can ride through the countryside. It never has been and never will be under Audax UK regulations. If Peter looks at a copy of Arrivée, the audax magazine, he will find that the majority of riders have mudguards, racks, saddlebags and even lights – real touring machines not really conducive to riding at speed.

Furthermore, the revenue from the two audax events run by Lancaster and South Cumbria CTC each year is used by the organiser to subsidise the club and its activities. This surely is a good thing for the membership?

David Core, Lancaster and South Cumbria CTC & Audax UK

CYCLE SPORT In your head-to-head last issue, Matt Wilson, writing about what gets the British public onto bikes, says: ‘The question here is: what does professional cycling do to alter these sorts of prejudice?’

Professional cycling is just the tip of a motivational iceberg. The real question is: what does the buzz of competition do to get bums on saddles? And the answer is ‘lots’. I am lucky enough to live in a town where a Go-ride club has been launched, with great success. And 16

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all those kids who now time trial, cyclocross and road race, do they cycle to school? You bet they do!

The notion that ‘proper cyclists’ – read athletic types in lycra – marginalise Josephine Public on a bike and leave her more vulnerable on the road is gainsaid by the evidence that motorists give more room to those who do not appear to be ‘proper cyclists’: blondes without helmets get the widest berth of all.

All cycling is good: let none of us be marginalised.

Brian Kennedy I think that perhaps you asked the wrong question. Cycle sport does appear to get people cycling but sadly it does not get them out of their cars. If you attend any cycle sport event, the vast majority of participants have travelled there by car, some from a great distance. Similarly, when helping on a ladies’ race a few weeks ago, there were seven motor vehicles going round the circuit with the competitors. In total the cars and motor bikes did 350 miles, creating extra traffic and the pollution that goes with it.

I and other CTC members work constantly to encourage the use of bikes as a viable alternative to motor vehicles but cycle sport most definitely does not do that.

Ian Burt

THAT WAS THEN Bicycle suspension, 75 years ago…

When our roads were very much rougher than they are today, almost every imaginable kind of shock absorber was placed on the market, but the demand was never sufficient to keep the inventions alive. Volumes could be written on the subject, for we had spring seat pillars, spring forks, spring handlebars, and innumerable varieties of spring frames. One of the most famous was the BSA spring frame, upon which Harry Green broke several records; but today nothing of this sort survives. And if springing devices were not wanted for waterbound macadam roads, who would buy them for the smooth speedways of today? The chief trouble has always been that springs involve a loss of power, and although engines may have plenty to spare this does not apply to human beings.

Editorial response re. springs on bicycles – CTC Gazette, 1935

THE FUNNY SIDE I was delighted to read Rex Coley’s name in Roy Spilsbury’s letter (Cycle, JuneJuly), in which he bemoans the lack of a giggle factor in cycling stories today. Rex was Cycling’s esteemed Cycle Touring Advisor when I first joined Cycling on Fleet Street in the 1970s, and his dry sense of humour wasn’t confined to the printed page.

Editor Ken Evans was a snappy dresser and turned up one day in a vividly coloured shirt, causing Coley to shield his eyes and cry out, ‘It’s The Shirt’.

The name stuck. Henceforth, even Ken referred to himself as ‘The Shirt’.

He dubbed assistant editor Sid Saltmarsh ‘The Twins’ – Salt and Marsh.

Coley would turn up at the office, and ask, ‘Are they in?’ – indicating Sid’s empty desk. If the answer was ‘Yes’, Coley would then ask, ‘Both of them?’

He was very funny man, and a brilliant writer. We all have funny cycling tales to tell. But few of us can translate it to the written page

Keith Bingham, Dorking

WELCOME TO SCOTLAND I’ve just completed Land’s End to John O’Groats, cycle-camping. I really enjoyed

the trip – far and away the longest I’ve achieved to date.

My reason for writing is this: I felt a warm glow cycling in Scotland as I genuinely felt welcome on the roads. A touring bike, fully loaded with camping gear, with me pedalling it, is a pretty slow, lumbering beast that inevitably causes a little traffic nuisance. Most drivers are considerate and patient people and I had very few reasons for complaint as I trundled along the A30, then up to Bristol, Wye Valley, etc.

England really is very nice overall.

However, when I got to Scotland everything changed. Cars, vans, and lorries would, without fail, slow down and overtake very carefully and considerately. Not once in Scotland did I feel at all pressured or intimidated. I got lost on a few occasions and three times in the outskirts of Edinburgh, while standing studying the map, I was approached by a local and offered help even before I’d asked.

Frank Manning, Jodrell Bank

POST SCRIPT

I write as a postman of over 20 years, all spent on bicycle delivery. Many of my colleagues and myself were saddened to hear late last year of Royal Mail’s plans to dispense with almost all cycle deliveries.

These would be replaced with twoman teams driving ‘car-derived vans’ or single posties using high-capacity trolleys for walks less than a mile from the delivery office.

Many of us do not wish to use vans because of the extra packets we will have to deliver. Bulk packets are at the moment delivered by vans, which also handle our many extra bags, which are deposited in pouch boxes or safe points on our delivery routes.

Another anxiety for posties is that many of us enjoy the freedom of cycling

to our deliveries and being our own masters – being able to deliver at our own pace and using our own methods of tackling the job. We also enjoy not having to be waited for or having to wait for colleagues while working in ‘loops’ around vans.

Max Lambert, Colchester

Obituaries LES WARNER MBE

This isn’t as crazy as it sounds, when you consider the London trial of cyclists being allowed to ride against the traffic flow on one-way streets. Problems arise when you consider not just roundabouts and traffic lights but junctions of any kind: left turning traffic would be looking where you’re not.

Died 18th June, aged 82, after a long illness. Les joined the CTC staff in 1953 and was National Secretary (Chief Executive, as was) from 1959 for 21 years. Throughout that time he handled major negotiations with Government and other authorities, represented CTC at countless meetings, conferences and events relating to the promotion of cycling for travel and transport, road safety, countryside access etc.

Les began cycling as a wartime evacuee exploring the Surrey countryside. Returning to London he joined the South Western Road Club. It was on a CTC tour that Les met Sheila Messenger, whom he married in 1960.

The Warners led tours at home and abroad and never owned a car.

Les took the reins of CTC with cycling and membership both in decline. From a 1971 low, CTC membership more than doubled to 40,000 by 1980, when Les’s growing workload precipitated an early retirement. Earlier that year Les received the MBE with characteristic modesty: as an honour for CTC rather than himself. He was also awarded the Bidlake medal and a new role as CTC President.

Les went on to work for WWF and then several voluntary positions associated with his other interests, particularly music, French and literature. For most of the last 30 years Les continued to enjoy cycling. That we can also do so is in no small way due to his work. He leaves a devoted wife Sheila, three children, and eight grandchildren. (A longer obituary for Les Warner appears on the CTC website.) Chris Juden

DIVERSITY & EQUALITY

ERIC HARRISON

For an update on CTC’s campaign on this topic, see ctc.org.uk/royalmail.

ON THE WRONG SIDE I had a thought the other day: why can’t cyclists cycle facing oncoming traffic?

A cyclist uses the same amount of road space no matter which way he is facing.

Walkers are advised to walk facing oncoming traffic, so why not cyclists?

Think of the advantages. You will be facing oncoming cars, some of which are so quiet that you can’t hear them until they have run you off the road – and when electric cars become more common they will be even worse.

You would also see the face of the oncoming motorist for future reference.

Gone would be the days when nutters can approach you from behind and shout at you or smack you on the back with a rolled up newspaper. If you rode two abreast you could see approaching motorists and fall into a single line.

The more I think about this, the more it makes sense. Roundabouts and traffic lights? Best to get off and walk.

Dennis E Hiller, Chorley

Having read the letter from Gary Wilson in your latest magazine, I decided to flick through and see if he was right.

I was shocked to see in that issue there was only one Asian woman in the magazine and she was in the picture that had been put in to respond to Mr Wilson’s letter. The only other two examples of anyone who wasn’t white were both in adverts.

CTC is meant to be a modern magazine that promotes new, interesting and different ways to cycle, travel and

Died after a stroke, aged 81, on 27th January. He joined Bramley Wheelers in 1945, club riding and racing until RAF National Service. Following discharge he worked for the Postal Service. He was a member of the National Hill Climb Championship in 1954 and ’57, and was later a BCF coach and active with the VTTA. He retired to the Lake District and joined the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team.

He completed the Wainwright 240 peaks in the winter of his 65th year.

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LEONARD J DUFFIN: 1922-2010

Died from a leg infection in February.

Len was a lifelong cyclist who never drove a car and was a past president and treasurer of Essex DA. With his wife Minnie he rode tandem when he joined CTC and the Romford Section in 1951, transferring to the Western Section in 1964. He was a founder of the Tandem Club with Don Journet in the 1960s. After Min’s death in 1987 his cycling declined and he took up canal boating. Charles Comport

PETER STUBBS: 1951-2010

Peter was fatally injured on 4th May when struck by a car on the A20. A keen long-distance rider, touring with West Kent DA and racing 12 and 24 hour time trials with Catford Cycling Club, he was one of 19 Britons to complete the 1975 Paris-Brest-Paris. A year later he helped found Audax UK. His palmarès included 400 miles in the 1977 Mersey Roads 24. Peter put a lot into cycling, running and helping out at events with Catford CC, West Kent and the Kent Cycling Association.

Catford CC and West Kent CTC

LEN HOOK: 1921-2010

Died peacefully aged 89 on 12th March. Len was a founder member of the BLRC along with Percy Stallard.

In 1945 he won a stage of the Tour of Britain. When he crashed in the event a year later, he married Betty Durrant after she had picked him up from the gutter. In 1950 he was the only rider to complete the first Warsaw-BerlinPrague Peace Race, and in 1951 he finished 5th in the London-Holyhead and 3rd in the Dover-London. He later managed British international cycling teams. In 2003 he joined CTC. Leslie Osborne

VIVIENNE TREMAINE

Tragically killed aged 66 in a road traffic accident on the 6th April while touring in Australia with her partner Jesse. They were hit from behind, concussing Jesse and killing Vivienne; a police investigation is ongoing.

Vivienne travelled extensively, and spent much of her life living on a boat which she and her late husband Roy sailed around the world. In later years, Vivienne was a regular rider with CTC Diss in Norfolk. Paul Moore

cycle august/september 2010

explore and modern, efficient ways to get around on bicycles. Yet CTC gives the impression of being old fashioned and backward in its multiculturalism.

Being a girl myself and having two sisters, I was upset to see that about 85% of the magazine’s pictures and articles were aimed directly to your male readers and all the writers are men.

Again this not does represent the British population.

Leah Jones, aged 13, Hackney

Brooks saddles on all my solo bicycles and tandems.

Don Crabtree

A FITTER WORKFORCE

Diversity and equality are issues that CTC is engaged with – see, in particular, the article on the Cycle Champions on page 48.

BIKES FOR WOMEN I am 149cm tall, or just under 4ft 11in in old money. I have never found a quality bike off-the-peg to fit so my bikes are bespoke. Expensive! I did consider Islabikes very seriously for my most recent bike but in the end opted for a Roberts – an urban bike to complement my Longstaff tourer.

Of course it’s not just the frame. There are problems obtaining good quality short-reach levers, especially for drops – we modified my drop-bar levers by fixing little spacers inside to force the levers a bit nearer the handlebars. There are problems obtaining quality short cranks – I’ll hang on to my TA 160s forever! Then there’s gloves – very little to choose from – and shoes, also very little to choose from in size 4.

Viv Mackay, Romsey

FOREVER LEATHER I attended York Cycle Show on the Saturday and visited the Brooks stall where I spoke with Steve Green. I had with me a Brooks Pro saddle that has caused me problems for a few years in that the ‘nose’ is bent and offset. I just wanted advice. Steve took the saddle and said he would have a look at it. I agreed that I would pay any costs.

Just three days later on Tuesday I received a parcel from Steve containing my old saddle and a new saddle as well.

In a note he explained that the repair of my old saddle was doubtful and that he had sent me the ‘slight second’ (I haven’t spotted any fault yet!). The biggest surprise – ‘No charge’.

I’d like compliment this incredible service from both Steve and Brooks. It was also a reminder to me why I have

The June/July Workplace Challenge article contained a slip. Fuel savings, costs, CO2 and energy figures were all consistent, but the estimate of pounds of fat burnt was over optimistic. Looks like someone got their kilojoules and kilocalories mixed up. The blubber number should be roughly 20 stones rather than half a ton.

Still worthwhile, but worth also putting into perspective in the context of cycling’s historical place in transport.

Back in 1950 – when we still had food rationing and Woodbines were a bob for 20, bike sheds at school were full, as were those in the workplace – a war-weary populace managed to ride 15 billion miles, six times the cycling mileage of today (nearer eight or nine times per head).

Those extra miles would amount now to somewhere between 2.5 and 5 megatons of CO2 saved annually, or 50,000 tons of human adipose fuel burnt.

Spread across 60 million waistlines, that adds up to nearly a stone and a half per person over 10 years.

Michael Woodman, Exeter Letters are edited for space (if above 150 words), clarity and, if necessary, legality. Please note that if you have specific complaint or query about CTC policy, you should address it to your CTC Councillor or relevant national office staff member. Letters and emails for the next issue must arrive by 27th August.

Photograph by Specialized

cycle

LETTERS

Obituaries

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Write no

Join in cl w ing discussioncy with the CTs online C http://forumforum, .c org.uk/ tc.

ctc ME Once a cyclist…

Multiple sclerosis stopped Robert Wright cycling in 1993. Yet he was still a cyclist on the inside. And there was, it turned out, a way back

T

he sales assistant approaches: ‘Hello.

Can I help you, sir?’

I’m looking at a Trek Madone 5.2 Compact Road Bike in JE James Cycles, Sheffield.

Captivated by its smooth seamless curves, I reluctantly shake my head, replying ‘No, I’m okay, thanks.’ It’s not that I’ve spent quite enough already on some framed cycling pictures for my apartment, rather that I can’t ride a bike anymore. I have multiple sclerosis. I haven’t cycled since 1993. Can you still be a cyclist if you can’t ride a bike anymore?

I think you can. Once a cyclist, always a cyclist. It’s just that these days I’m cycling on the inside.

I continue to go into the bike shops to admire the latest machinery. I watch the Tour de France on TV avidly. For the threeweek duration, I eagerly tune in each evening to watch race highlights with superb commentary and analysis. The aerial pictures showing the race pass through the rich scenic beauty of France never fail to impress. After its exciting climax on those long straight roads of the Champs Élysées amid the great buildings of Paris, it’s over for another year.

There’s a sense of loss, connected perhaps to memories of my own rides. I was always getting out on the bike, whatever the weather.

Living in the west side of Sheffield, so close to the hills and dales of the Peak District, this was serious biking terrain. I had several different racing bikes.

Buying the latest equipment and accessories for them, although expensive, was all part of the fun. Riding often with a stopwatch, the motivation here was always to improve on my previous best times.

Over those years I must have pedalled thousands of kilometres.

Today, thinking back, I suppose it did all get a bit too serious. I don’t particularly recall stopping to admire the wild scenic beauty.

Some people might call it an obsession – a kind of addiction, if you

like. They’re probably right in some way; to me it was just a way of life that was so enjoyable.

And I’m convinced that the dogged determination and ambition that I gave to the bike has continued to drive me in other ventures. I have since discovered new challenges. I now have an honours degree and three other post-graduate master’s degrees. I’m currently learning to speak French, getting personal one-to-one tuition. My tutor, aware of my passion for cycling, has incorporated the Tour de France into my programme of learning.

I think that cycling can shape your character as well as your body.

It can be fascinating even if you don’t take part in it personally. It’s a great spectator sport and some of today’s specialist machines are aesthetically beautiful, certainly more than just a mode of transportation. I think, moreover, that cycling opens doorways into the world that never close afterwards.

Editor’s postscript: This article was going to be called ‘Cycling on the inside’, and look at the idea that you can define yourself as a cyclist even if you’re no longer riding. Yet during our correspondence and Robert’s article revisions, he came into contact with CTC’s Cycle Champions. And the ending changed. Here’s an edited excerpt from an email Robert sent me.

‘Just to let you know that CTC’s Steve Marsden has been to see me for a chat and I have now bought a Mission Di Blasi R32 folding tricycle. It’s surprisingly neat and compact, with a quality build and components. I’ve even started upgrading it – new SPD pedals, a new chain etc. – a sure sign that the cycling bug has, once again, got me!

‘I’ve booked my place on a Cycle for Health course in a local park in Sheffield. I’ve also met up with Caroline Waugh in Sheffield who wrote an article for you not so long back. The benefits of cycling again in the light of my MS have been profound.’

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Photograph by Dawn Trueman

“Cycling can shape your character as well as your body. It opens doorways that never close.”

G N I L T C Y C ANE

PL

Geoff Apps: MTB pioneer Carlton Reid examines the contribution to MTB history of Geoff Apps, the ‘English Gary Fisher’

T

he mountain bike as we know it was born in the 1970s in Marin County, USA. Yet an English version of the mountain bike already existed. It was crafted by Geoff Apps, who had been tinkering with his off-road bicycle since the late 1960s.

Apps now lives in Scotland – he moved to Coldstream when New Cyclist magazine, on which he was a technical writer, upped sticks there from York – but he was formerly based in the Chiltern Hills. His first commercially-available bike was the Range-Rider Cross Country Cycle in 1979.

The upright Range Rider – later to form part of Apps’s Cleland Cycles brand – was built for riding through mud, for hacking up and down wet, slimy hillsides. It had mudguards and obscure studded tyres from Finland.

Aside from those tyres and an eclectic mish-mash of international components, some from the world of trials motorcycling, the RangeRider was English through and through. Apps sold a few but missed the mountain biking wave. Nevertheless, the Range-Rider turned heads, got people thinking.

Apps was also in touch with the Marin County pioneers from the earliest days. His 700C tyres from pre-phone Nokia were shipped to Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly. They had a frame built for the wheel size by Tom Ritchey: if it weren’t for Nokia’s supply problems all MTBs today might have been 29ers and not the 26-inch standard.

I rode with Apps in the 1980s, trying out the successor machine to the Range-Rider. Apps’s Wendover Bashes were among the earliest MTB events in the UK and helped fire up an enthusiasm for mountain biking from the early adopters like me.

By the time I was writing about the Wendover Bash, Apps’s Aventura mountain bike was already losing ground to the likes of the first Ridgeback, the Dawes Ranger, the Specialized Stumpjumper and the Muddy Fox Courier.

Geoff Apps faded from view, but has continued to develop his bike (see picture). Some of his original ideas later became standard

on MTBs, such as twist-grip gears and sloping top tubes, and he was using big rear blocks in the 1960s. Apps doesn’t fully agree with this, as not all of the features on Cleland Cycles were adopted: ‘Although many mountain bikes do have sloping top tubes and twist-grip shifters, they do not feature hub gears, roller-brakes, full-length mudguards, a chainguard, a skate-plate, a high centreof-gravity, short-reach handlebars, a hub dynamo and lights, nor swing pedals.

‘By 1986, the height of the boom, I’d been developing my ideas for 20 years. I’d had to think through design solutions on my own. Once millions of mountain bikes appeared, which differed significantly from what I thought to be the most logical design solution, the majority went with the majority.’

Apps swam against the tide for many years. He rode with Rough Stuff Fellowship members (it was his appearance in a RSF journal that alerted two RSF members in America, Fisher and Kelly, to his work) but even RSF members thought his ideas were odd.

‘The attitude was that riding off-road was, at best, a necessary evil. Even the RSF would wax lyrical about the experience of finding themselves somewhere remote, but if the ride experience was ever mentioned, it was to say how difficult or inconvenient it was.

‘The idea of seeking out and delighting in riding rough terrain was utterly alien to all the cyclists I met and talked to. Rough Stuff riders would get off and walk when I was able to keep riding.

‘Cycling as it is now was inconceivable [in the 1960s and ’70s] but I had my own fantasies about machines, the capabilities of those machines, and fantasies that it would be really popular.’

The fantasies came true but it is Fisher and Kelly who are always known as the ‘fathers of the mountain bike’. That there was an English ‘father of the mountain bike’ is a lot less well known.

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For more information about Geoff Apps’s bikes, visit www.cleland-cycles.co.uk

Photograph by Geoff Apps

“Apps sold a few bikes but missed the mountain biking wave. Yet his Range-Rider got people thinking”

great rides off-road weekends

Summer singletrack

Weekend forecast looking good? Forget the trail centre honeypots and head out into some great British countryside.

Benji Haworth is your guide

U

nfold those OS maps and get out your highlighter: August is a perfect month for going further afield on your mountain bike.

In an article like this we can only scratch the surface and provide starting off points rather than full instructions, but with the right maps and a bit of research you can easily plan a couple of days’ riding somewhere different.

The Brecon Beacons Escape the hordes and ride in one of the lesser visited National Parks. The Brecons are almost Wales’ best kept secret. Most tourists pass through on their way to the Pembrokeshire coast and mountain bikers are drawn to the Forestry Commission’s numerous trail centres. The meat of the Brecon Beacons are the Black Mountains, a collection of big, imposing hills. Don’t be put off by them: once you’re on them, the Brecons aren’t as bleak as they first appear. On a good day they offer a

kind of serenity amidst the sweat and toil.

It is possible to do some truly epic mountain bike rides in the Brecons. Polish up your navigational skills and take clothing with you for any possible type of weather. It is, and can feel, remote.

There is a well-known 24-mile route called ‘The Gap’ (see www.mtbbreconbeacons. co.uk). Although the ride takes you up very high over exposed terrain, the route is rideable in all but the worst weather. There’s nothing overly technical about the trails – apart from a couple of heavily rocky and rutted bits – but it is a demanding day out with lots of climbing and not many sections where you can relax.

The views can be stupendous and are worth stopping for.

If you want a break from the emptiness, then Mynydd Du Forest offers plenty of woodland thrills and spills. There’s a 22-mile mapped loop on the above website. The dirt is lush and loamy under the dense tree

great rides off-road weekends

Checklist Brecon Beacons ROUTES & INFORMATION: Wales has an abundance of decent websites devoted to mountain biking. The two best ones for these routes are www. mtbbreconbeacons. co.uk and www. mtb-wales.com.

MAPS: OL12 Brecon Beacons West & Central and OL13 Brecon Beacons East GREAT PLACES TO STAY: Beacons Backpackers in New Inn and The White Hart Inn in Talybont-on-Usk. FOOD & DRINK: Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre in Libanus and The Coach and Horses in Llangynidr.

All photos by Benji Haworth

great rides off-road weekends

“Dales trails range from green lanes to rocky descents, ex-mining fells and woodland singletrack” cover. For such a compact forest it packs in a lot of gradient. The trails in here are steep and twisty with lots of roots. Trails vary from tyre-width singletrack through to 4x4 tracks. The forest has been the location for lots of mountain bike races over the years and the evidence of this is all over the place – from the sinuous contouring singletrack used in XC races, through to the daunting steeps and leaps of the Dragon Downhill Series.

Despite the Brecon Beacons’ daunting heights and vast expanses, there are still options for rides that don’t require all day or take much navigational prowess. ‘The Tramway’ (again, see above website) is an easy 6-mile route suitable for families that starts from Talybont-on-Usk. It heads up the decently waymarked Taff Trail in the forest alongside Talybont reservoir. The route then turns uphill, joins the Brinore Tramway trail and gradually descends back to Talybonton-Usk. If you do want to play in trail centre honeypot then I would suggest Brechfa Forest. It’s much quieter than the other centres in South Wales and has a nice feel to it. Even if you are

an experienced rider I recommend riding the Blue Route. It’s fast and flowing and will put a grin on your face. More details on mtb-wales.com.

The Yorkshire Dales There are excellent and varied trails to be found all over the Dales. From green lanes, rocky descents, sparse exmining fells to woodland singletrack.

For the true essence and beauty of cycling in the Dales you can’t beat the south west quarter.

A great showcase route of the area starts from Clapham. This route (listed as ‘Tunnels and Bridges’ on the mtbthedales website – see box) climbs over to Austwick before heading on up to Crummack Dale and then back down Clapham Bottoms. It’s a constantly entertaining and engaging ride. There are drystone walled lanes, some bedrock trails, a fair amount of sheep-trimmed grass tracks, an occasional tricky bit of slab rock, a couple of ford crossings – or old clapper bridges if you want to stay dry. The view over the iconic limestone pavement of Thieves Moss is one of the best in the Dales. The route is around 12 miles or so but

Suspension at both ends is a definite bonus on the rockier Dales descents

packs in a lot of interest.

Another easy-ish route is the Settle Loop (also listed on the mtbthedales website). We say easy-ish because the start of it involves getting up out of Settle and on to the hills and there’s no easy way to do this! At least all the day’s hard work is got out of the way in one go. Despite the map chevrons, the road way up via Langcliffe is the best option as it’s quick and gets you up on to the fun stuff efficiently. Traversing the fell top via Gorbeck Lane is much easier going than it used to be due to recent resurfacing. The descent down to Ewe Moor is archetypal Dales stuff: wide, lightly-grassed limestone tracks with sweeping bends and awesome views.

The return leg via Stockdale Lane turns up the rocky factor but there’s only one brief section that’s genuinely rough. It’s worth detouring to visit the gladed waterfall of Scaleber Force before plummeting down to Settle.

Horton-in-Ribblesdale is an excellent start point for some more adventurous routes. The start of the 19-mile ‘Tour of Pen-y-Ghent’ route, which is along fairly rough farm track, shares the infamous Three Peaks Cyclocross course over to Hull Pot, a beguiling, big hole in the ground. It continues on over Foxup Moor on a brilliant moorland traverse made up of natural surface and sympathetic man-made reinforcement. The steep descent to Foxup Farm requires good brakes or plenty of nerve – ideally both! The climb out of Littondale over to Dawson Close is rough and loose enough to be sporting but not too unrelenting as to put you off having a go at it all. The final descent to Helwith Bridge goes past Churn Milk Hole (another big hole in the ground) and is a thrilling and fast fling down multiple-choice singletrack. Take care

Checklist Yorkshire Dales ROUTES & INFORMATION: www. mtbthedales.org.uk MAPS: OS OL2 Yorkshire Dales Southern & Western areas, and possibly OS OL30 Yorkshire Dales North & Central areas.

GREAT PLACES TO STAY: The Plough Inn at Gigglesworth; The Game Cock in Austwick.

FOOD & DRINK: The Blindbeck Tea Rooms at Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Ye Olde Naked Man Café in Settle.

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as you join the road at the bottom.

‘Over the Stake’ (also listed as ‘A Grand Day Out’) is a 36-mile long ride from Horton-in-Ribblesdale that is less about the adrenaline rush of rough stuff and more about immersing yourself for a full day out in the Dales atmosphere. The route uses a mix of easy-going stone tracks, forest fireroads and minor roads. Head north via Dodd Fell over to Semer Water then across to Stake Allotments and down into Buckden.

From there you head through Langstrothdale Chase to the finish.

The Peak District Like chocolate, the Peak District is either White or Dark. The respective names of each Peak do give you good idea of the differing terrain and environment on offer. The White Peak is lush and pretty. The Dark Peak is bleak and brooding. Both offer excellent mountain biking.

A nice taster ride for the White Peak starts from Middleton-by-Youlgreave and heads south to Long Dale along minor roads and old walled paths lined with trees and wild flowers.

Long Dale itself is a great little ‘pocket valley’ – steep grass sides and silence.

Exit Long Dale before you join the road by heading down Gratton Dale on your left. Gratton Dale isn’t quite as special as Long Dale but it’s still a very pretty and charming place to pass through. Head back to Middleton on minor roads. It’s about 6 miles total, and referred to as ‘Middleton Circuit’ in the Vertebrate Graphics White Peak book (see box).

For a longer, more strenuous route in the White Peak try the ‘Chatsworth Circle’, which is about 20 miles. Starting from Bakewell the route passes by two stately homes (Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall) and takes in a variety of trails.

The haul up, through and down Manners Wood and Calton Pastures to Chatsworth House is English mountain biking at its best. Hard

work but rewarding and super scenic.

Beyond Beeley lodge are prehistoric stone circles and field systems. The riding is great too. The copses around Rowsley in particular contain some ace singletrack sections. The return to Bakewell along picturesque riverside trails and the Monsal Trail cinder path is an ideal combination of scenery and swiftness. For directions, see what the Vertebrate Graphics White Peak book (see box) calls the ‘Rowsley Circuit’ – it’s a variant of this route.

The Dark Peak doesn’t have to involve gritted teeth and steep bleakness. A very pleasant spin can be had from Hadfield (of TV’s The League Of Gentlemen fame). Starting from Hadfield train station it’s simple to get on to the Trans Pennine Trail and head out east to take in a tour of the reservoirs. How many reservoirs you pass is up to you; it’s possible after each one to cross over the dam heads and return to Hadfield on the opposite side using minor access roads. Distance is 5-10 miles, depending on reservoirs visited.

If you want a proper Dark Peak mountain bike ride then a good rule of thumb is to try one or more of The Gates. The three classic Gates are Cut Gate (north of Derwent Water), Chapel Gate (west of Mam Tor) and Doctor’s Gate (east of Glossop). All three together add up to over 50 miles.

Cut Gate is a popular section with mountain bikers: a sunken moorland track with ruts and rocks to test your skills. Chapel Gate is an old ‘attempt’ of a road that is now a hair-raising and unpredictable double-track descent.

Doctor’s Gate is one of the trickiest bridleways in England. It’s hard work (and hard to get to) and only for the most committed of riders. Linking up a couple of these Gates via the abundance of bridleways in the area will give you the proper Dark Peak experience. We’d recommend Cut Gate plus Doctor’s Gate. It’s about 36 miles. See www.mountainbikerides. co.uk > Routes > The Peak District.

Checklist Peak District

ROUTES & INFORMATION: Vertebrate Publishing (www.v-publishing.co.uk) are based in the Peak District and no one knows it better. ‘Peak District Mountain Biking - Dark Peak Trails’ (ISBN 9781906148188) and ‘White Peak Mountain Biking – The Pure Trails’ (ISBN 954813146) both by Jon Barton.

MAPS: OS OL1 Peak District – Dark Peak Area and/or OS OL24 Peak District – White Peak Area.

GREAT PLACES TO STAY: The Wind In The Willows guesthouse in Glossop.

FOOD & DRINK: Eyam Tea Rooms. Woodbine Café in Hope.

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The Peak District packs an enormous variety into a relatively compact area

Other Great Weekends Isle Of Skye It’s a long way from anywhere but this island is bigger than you think – both in area and altitude. It’s worth the effort. Eerie and ancient, it’s mountain biking in what feels like a Lord Of The Rings film set.

The Lake District Like The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper album, the Lake District is always up there in people’s Top 10 lists. Justifiably so.

Brilliant trails in exquisite scenery.

Try the west side to avoid crowds.

Shropshire No one goes to Shropshire. It’s the keen mountain biker’s secret. The hills above Church Stretton contain an abundance of incredible, alpine-style, ravine-side singletrack.

The South Downs Many a Northerner has been cured of their ‘it’s all flat down South’ prejudices by the huge whaleback hills of the South Downs. Gorgeous chalky ribbons of singletrack that never fail to excite and reward.

The Scottish Borders Lush green hills with hidden amplitude. Secretly and discreetly massive hills that lure you in and before too long you’ve got yourself involved in an epic ride. Enter from the Selkirk side for the best stuff.

Dartmoor One of the hidden gems of UK mountain biking, Dartmoor offers a rich but manageable tapestry of trails. Ride everything from dappled woodland tracks through to whizzy moorland singletrack.

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cosTa Brava - norTh-easT spain, CtC south Bucks member offers guided cycling tours based at a luxury 3 -bedroom private villa.

7 nights B&B with local airport pick up £200. For information pack email michael@yavico.co.uk, 01628 509540.

peaK disTricT Group accoMModaTion. 38 bed Centre in Hathersage. sole use. catering can be arranged. school holidays and weekends. indoor bike storage available. Excellent on/off road routes.

Village facilities; shops, pubs, cafes. £15 pppn, min charge for 25. telephone 01433 650309 winderMere, a rural coTTaGe For 2 overlooking the lake and mountains. Nestling in spectacular 3-acre garden and an ideal base for walking, cycling, sailing. Regret no pets. From £195 per week telephone: 01539 446238 souTh easT spain Easy guided cycle rides and vegetarian full board. Five nights £200. Visit our website for more information. www.tortugascycling.com

cyclinG in The chilTerns? Add to your enjoyment by staying the night in a comfortable bedroom with en-suite facilities separate from the main house.

Wake up to a hearty breakfast in an "Area of outstanding Natural Beauty" next to the Ashridge Estate before setting off for a day cycling or walking within the area of the newly created Chiltern Cycleway. price £35 pp/night, £15 single supplement. Contact jill. reichenberg@btinternet.com or call 0776 2568306.

Munsley acre Country guesthouse, ledbury, Herefordshire. Run by cyclists in idyllic rural Herefordshire with quiet lanes in all directions. Advice with routes, fully equipped workshop for repairs, en suite accommodation, evening meals available. Bring your CtC group to Munsley in 2010 Anne & Mark Brazier. tel 01531 670 568 or e-mail: munsleyacre@clara.net

dordoGne France. two comfortable self-catering gîtes and apartment with pool. ideal cycling on quiet, undulating, country lanes.

Routes and maps provided. Quality bike hire. safe bike storage. Bergerac airport pick up + bikes. gordon & Jane Barnes. tel: 0033 553 23 33 94 www.frenchoasisholidays.com

coMe cruise with us & bring your bike, or use ours. luxury Dutch barge for charter, up to 4 guests, great rides in France, Belgium & Holland. www.swancruises.com

AUgUst/sEptEMBER 2010 cycle

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great rides Italy

September sun Al Churcher extended his summer riding by heading south to the mountainous Italian island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany

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oastal touring in the last of the summer sun, with sea temperatures high enough for long swims, and cafes on hand for espressos and ice cream. That was my last minute plan. I bought a cheap flight and arrived, as it turned out, in rain.

But with the morning came the sun, and easy valley roads led inland, then steadily southwards to a final heave up to the lovely hilltop town of Volterra. A day of heavy showers gave an excuse to drink lots of excellent coffee, enjoy speaking Italian and find out more about those enigmatic Etruscans in the town museum.

into Portoferraio in T-shirts. The hour on the ferry was time to strike up a friendship, so we took a room in the cheap and cheerful Albergo Api Elbana, festooning the courtyard with drying tents and clothing.

Surrounding a superb natural harbour beneath a rocky headland crowned by a castle, Portoferraio’s walled town has seen ships of every Mediterranean trader and conqueror since time began. Today, billionaire’s floating gin-palaces take the prime spots in front of the short row of glitzy harbour-front boutiques, while just 200 metres away battered fishing boats set out on their nightly trawls.

Two’s company

Hairpin climbs

Dawn rain and hill fog made the plan of continuing south over the strenuous switchback of hills to Massa Marittima pointless, so I zipped down the hill to Salina then on to Cecina to follow the coast road south. There’s quite a climb over the headland before you can drop down to the ferry-port of Piombino, but the sight of another pannier-laden cyclist ahead gave my legs some energy and I began to reel him in.

From Brittany, Sylvaine was young, fit and keen. Though this was his first multi-day bike tour, he was an experienced back-packer and his ‘10 kilo max’ rule for panniers, including his camping gear, made my loaded bike seem very heavy.

Elba looked more like an island off the west coast of Scotland than Mediterranean Italy, with jagged ridges wreathed in clouds. But soon after leaving port the sun appeared, the clouds dissolved and we rode

A few weeks earlier it would have been swarming with tourists.

In late September the town was merely bustling. For just a few busy kilometres, all roads lead south from Portoferraio, but once we’d forked right the traffic was soon left behind.

Well, most of it: climbing over the headland away from the sea, the road narrowed into a series of tornante (hairpins), which overtaking drivers screeched around, leaving the smell of burnt rubber.

Eventually the last of the budding Jensoni Buttonis left us to pedal quietly up through the chestnut trees to the top of the ridge – and a lot less sedately down the other side to the sea at Procchio. Another 2km climb and we were cruising the clifftops, with stupendous views over our shoulders to Capo Enfola, then we were whizzing downhill again to Marciana Marina.

Refreshed with another espresso,

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great rides ITALY

Fact file Elba, Italy Getting there: Numerous carriers fly to Pisa from UK airports. I flew from East Midlands with Ryan Air, taking my bike in a CTC plastic bike-bag – though at £40 each way you could find your bike costs as much as your seat. Moby Lines and Toremar ferries run between Elba and the mainland for about £36 return, including bike.

The route: The Elba Circuit (ride anticlockwise) was 120km in two days with the hilliest sections at the beginning and end of the ride. Pisa to Volterra was 70km, with Volterra to Piombino/Elba 86km.

WheN: May/June and mid-September/early October are usually perfect for cycling.

Where to stay: Plenty of campsites on Elba at about £10 each per night.

B&B accommodation at Albergo Api Elbana was £45 per night each.

Maps: Touring Club Italiana 1:200,000 Toscana. Free maps of Elba are available on the ferry.

Guides: Lonely Planet’s Cycling Italy has some useful information.

it was time for the climb of the day – 8km of hairpins winding up through shady trees to Marciana. Though so far the sea had rarely been out of sight for long, after crossing two more minor ridges we had our full reward for riding anti-clockwise. From the western tip of the island, for 16km there was nothing between us and a still Tyrrhenian Sea but a low wall and the cliffs below. We dawdled along above rocky headlands and isolated coves, where the crews of yachts lounged in the sun or swam to shore.

Keen swimmers ourselves, by Cavoli we could resist it no longer.

In the centre of the south coast are three large, beautiful bays edged with golden sand. Suitably provisioned in the first of these at Marina de Campo, we cut across to the second – the Golfo di Lacona – to the perfectly named Spiggia Grande (‘Big Beach’). Its two campsites must be heaving tent-cities in August, but for now it was almost deserted, and it was quiet as the stars came out above the still waters of the bay.

Summer’s sunset A pre-breakfast swim in water like silk and just one more coffee meant the sun was already climbing high before we put lycra to saddle again. The heat climbed into the upper 20s as we toiled uphill to Capoliveri. Described as ‘perhaps the loveliest town on Elba’, in reality there’s little to distinguish it from hundreds of other Mediterranean villages.

Back on the main route and heading north, we tacked up the beautiful, forested side-ridges that radiate out from Elba’s rocky, crenellated backbone – the remains of long-extinct volcanoes. We freewheeled down through the rusting remains of abandoned iron-workings to remote harbour villages.

The last of these, Cavo, lies close to the most 34

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northern tip of the island, and from there it’s 10 kilometres and 170 metres back up onto the ridge to Rio nell’Elba. One of the most ancient settlements on the island, its churches, town square and views over the sea deserved much more than a fleeting glance. But late September days are short and with the sun low in the sky a flash of reflected light caught our eyes.

Was that a car passing just below that peak up there? It was, and that was where we had to go…

But thanks to the skill of its engineers, a series of cunningly graded hairpins took us painlessly up the last 150 metres to a narrow passage sliced through the rock. Higher still, perched on the cliff-edge, was the castle of Volterraio. But even more spectacular – waiting to slide behind the mountains to the west – was a great orange sun reflecting across the bay of Portoferraio.

(Above) You’re never far from the sea on Elba.

Riding anti-clockwise around the island provides the best views.

Fishing boats still head out nightly onto the Tyrrhenian Sea.

junE/julY 2010 cycle

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Made in britain

Kingdom of

Mercia

Mercian Cycles have been handbuilding steel bicycles in Derby for over 60 years. Chris Juden, who has two, paid them a visit

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(Above) Mercian frames await their owners in the shop (Above right) Tony Phillips brazes in a top eye

hen I started cycling, everywhere had its local frame-builder. In Derby it was Mercian Cycles – named after the kingdom of Mercia, which had its capital in the village of Repton.

Being a Derbyshire lad, I dreamed of riding a Mercian and would gaze longingly at the serried ranks of frames of many colours adorning the walls of their retail premises. Eventually I got one: a custom-built ‘King of Mercia’ number 100073. Five years later my fiancée and I happened to call at the shop when Mercian’s first tandem was being assembled, for the manager Jeff Bowler and his wife Sue. There and then we persuaded them to build another for us!

So for Helen and I to visit Mercian Cycles was a trip down memory lane. We were welcomed into the factory by Grant and Jane Mosley, who bought the firm from Bill Betton in 2004. Bill had joined Mercian as an apprentice frame-builder when it was run by Ethel Crowther, ex-wife of co-founder Tom. Grant has also been with Mercian man and boy, having started in the shop as a Saturday lad. Bill worried that Mercian might be split up when he retired and was pleased to hear of Grant and Jane’s plan to buy him out, at a chance meeting with Grant on Willington canal bridge, when both were riding their bikes one Sunday near Repton!

It can’t have been easy to raise finance for a business building bike frames out of steel in Britain. Since the days when all frames were made like this, and

riders on Mercians were victorious in national and international competitions, racing cyclists have turned to lighter materials, mass-produced abroad, and when mountain bikes revitalised cycling it was the same story. Previously a bit of a sideline, touring has become the mainstay of custom-builders. Grant reckons it now accounts for at least two-thirds of Mercian’s production. However, there are many other reasons why this British brand – like my/our two Mercians – is still going strong.

Fancy lugs & handcrafted frames Although I’ve visited the factory once before, I failed to appreciate how utterly hand-built Mercians are. I don’t think it would be cheating to mitre the ends of tubes with a milling machine, but I couldn’t see so much as a lathe. Instead I observed a lot of very sharp hacksaws and files and three highly skilled craftsmen hard at work. Most Mercian frames are built with lugs, with the option of cut-outs and fancy extensions that can turn a frame into a work of art. But supplies of materials for old-fashioned ways of making things are inclined to dwindle, so Jane is often on the phone and internet seeking alternative sources of lugs etc.

The process by which yesterday’s out-moded product becomes newly desirable has now reached hand-made bikes of the ’60s and ’70s, bringing Mercians to the fore in events such as The Tweed Run. A more familiar manifestation of such nostalgia is the fixie fad, and august/september 2010 cycle

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Made in britain

(Left) A designer fixie: the many colours of Paul Smith (Below) Grant Mosley with a frame in 953, outside the shop

currently about one in four new Mercians are ‘track’ bikes that will never circle a velodrome! But it’s not all retro-chic at Mercian. Joints can also be lugless, toptubes can slope and one of the frames in the workshop was having a carbon composite rear triangle bonded into its Reynolds 853 front triangle. Mercian also build in 953 stainless.

Annual production of 300 to 400 frames doesn’t equal the thousand plus that must have been made in 1973, but there’s more work in a modern touring frame than yesterday’s racers, and more correspondence getting all those details agreed. It’s important to get it right before any metal is cut!

Famous names Nowadays Mercian Cycles handle almost as many renovations as new builds. At least one third of the frames I saw hardening off in the paint shop sported other makers’ names, many of them long gone.

Sourcing original transfers or making copies is another of Jane’s specialities. She opened a filing drawer and

“Previously a bit of a sideline, touring has now become the mainstay of custom builders” pulled out a folder pregnant with precious remains of Britain’s cycle-making heritage. A yellowing envelope picked at random contained perhaps the last original transfers for ‘F C Parkes’.

The quality of the finish is another factor in the decision to buy a Mercian frame. It is often said to be the best in the business: tough as nails and so smooth that dirt just slides off! A chart of 63 standard colours merely hints at the variety of finishes that can be produced by Mercian’s two highly experienced painters. There have indeed been times when the 38

cycle august/september 2010

demand for a Mercian re-spray was such that other makers’ frames were refused. But Grant has expanded that side of the business, employing an extra sprayer and installing a new stoving oven.

Many people can now afford to buy the bikes they could only dream of when they were young. One such is Paul Smith, whose youthful ambition to race bikes was frustrated by an accident - so he became a famous fashion designer instead. He now owns several Mercians – and rides them. A suggestion from Grant that bikes might complement the window display of his Nottingham store immediately clicked with Sir Paul, whose creativity was inspired by Mercian’s decorative lugwork and facility with colour, leading to a unique collaboration that has put the Derby firm’s craftsmanship in fashionable shop windows from Tokyo to New York! ‘The World Over’ head badge adopted in the 1960s was never truer than now, with the proportion of frames exported 20% and growing.

Building the business It was time to visit Mercian’s shop. A dazzling spectrum of frames awaiting collection still hangs from the walls of this well-stocked cycle retailer: where customers come to be measured for a new Mercian and their frame returns for assembly into a bike. With the rise of touring, Shimano is increasingly fitted, but there’s always been a close association between Mercian Cycles and Campagnolo components, for which the shop keeps a huge inventory of spare parts. Jeff Bowler is the Campag expert and although now semi-retired, he still attends to the more complex repairs.

Grant and Jane have further plans to develop Mercian Cycles, but you can be sure that British craftsmanship will always be key to the enterprise. They’ve just launched a new website at merciancycles.com on which you can even design your own frame, and an online shop is coming soon. For the netless there’s the phone: 01332 752468. Or get yourself to 7 Shardlow Road, Alvaston, Derby DE24 0JG – if only to stand and gaze and wish, as the cyclists of Mercia have done since 1946.

off-road guiding rides

‘N

Taking

the lead Ride leader skills are as useful for club cyclists as they are for employed guides, as Dan Joyce found out when he became a CTC Trail Leader

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cycle August/september 2010

ot bad but I’ve got one word to say about that: Elvis.’ CTC Leader Trainer Mark Hill’s comment draws blank looks. Participant Martyn Bolt is acting as ride leader and has been explaining how we’ll try riding ‘through and off’ to add interest to a section of road-width bridleway. ‘A little less conversation, a little more action please,’ Mark croons.

When you’re giving instructions as a ride leader, Mark explains, it’s important to boil it down. ‘The skills teaching mantra is NED: Name it, Explain it, Demonstrate it.’ It’s what he was doing yesterday with everything from bike checks to effective braking, providing the information in three succinct parts.

Today it’s about us, the participants,

off-road guiding rides

putting it all into practice. Mark watches and comments. When not leading, the rest of us are role-playing the kinds of groups you might get as a ride leader – anyone from fellow club riders to kids on an activity holiday.

There is much ham acting, especially when I draw the short straw and get to lead ‘bored teenagers’. ‘How much is your bike worth, mister?’

Mark shouts out, already in character.

I’m trying to show them how to brake safely because I know from preriding the route that we’ve got a big descent coming up. I name, explain and demonstrate safe braking, then show what will happen if, for example, the ‘teenagers’ suddenly jam on their front brake. ‘Face? Bovvered?’ mutters Steve Bailey. They each have a go braking. Mark pulls an enthusiastic skid: ‘How good was that?!’ Then Kath Pickard and Tamina Oliver wander off in different directions…

It sounds like a game – and it is a bit of a laugh – but it underscores an important point: that there’s much more to being a ride leader than just picking a route and riding at the head of your group. ‘I want you to be like swans at the end of this,’ Mark says.

‘Calm and serene on the surface, but paddling like mad underneath to keep everything moving.’

it comes to leading rides.

Of the six of us on the course, three of us (Peter Blood, Dave Simpson, and me) are here because we’re members of a CTC-affiliated club, Richardsons CC, and we’ll be leading rides both for our club and for the general public – to get families and beginners cycling.

While the course produces mountain bike trail leaders, much of the content is equally suitable for riding on lanes. In fact, CTC Off-road’s definition of trail terrain ‘does not involve specific route selection (for example between rocks, roots or other obstacles) in order to ride on it. It can be as narrow as handlebar width.

Typical trail terrain includes: forest tracks, fireroads, cycleways, and other smooth ground. Public highways and roads also fall within trail terrain.’

In Forestry Commission terms, this means blue and green graded routes. It’s the kind of terrain that, if you wanted, you could traverse on a touring bike. (CTC Off-road has other courses dealing with technical mountain bike riding – see overleaf.)

Since Trail Leader is the entrylevel course, it isn’t meant to turn out Ranulph Fiennes style explorers.

The qualification is to lead rides that last at most a day; take place in non-hazardous weather; stay below

I draw the short straw and get to lead a group of ‘bored teenagers’ 600-metres altitude; and don’t stray further than 2.5km from either a road or landline phone and shelter. Sounds restrictive? Check your local OS map: you’ll be surprised.

Pre-ride preparation

The outdoor classroom The aim of the course is to turn mountain bike riders into mountain bike ride leaders. You get a recognised qualification and more importantly a good grounding in best practice when

(Clockwise from left) Trailside repair skills – Tamina fixes a broken chain. ‘Trail terrain’ isn’t technical – this is borderline. Under the emergency shelter.

Dave assumes the default descending position on his bike.

Mark talks about the next bit of the ride at a predetermined stopping point.

Since the course is two-and-a-half days long, the first chunk of ours took place on a Friday evening.

Our venue was the village hall in Sawdon, a North Yorkshire village on the edge of Wykeham Forest. Over cups of tea, instructor Mark made the introductions; he was joined by instructor-in-training Kath Pickard, a keen downhill mountain biker.

Mark chatted amiably over his Powerpoint presentation of what the course comprised. Preparation was the key point. We learned about the pre-ride – the scouting out of the route that the leader would do ahead of the actual ride.

We learned about risks assessments and operating procedures. Both were really a codification of the kind of common sense precautions that can and do get overlooked: checking the weather forecast; telling someone where your group is going, when it would be back, and what to do if it were not; getting medical details and emergency contact numbers for participants; and much more.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, which was good news as we would spend most of it outside. First we

August/september 2010 cycle

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off-road guiding rides

(Clockwise from top) Simple route measuring with a pen and paper. Assessing the group’s skills before the ride. Two months after the course, Dave leads a family off-road ride.

examined the different things you might want to take with you on a ride, individually and as a group.

As ride leader Mark was carrying gear not just for himself but for the group, in a sizeable pack. He had spare snacks, extra clothing, bike spares, a first aid kit, some tissue paper and a lighter (‘in case anyone gets caught short’), even an emergency shelter.

Mark then took the role of ride leader and checked over his group – us. Did everyone have suitable clothing, a properly worn helmet, and mitts or gloves? Were we feeling okay?

Had we had a good breakfast? Rather than asking the group, he asked each person a specific, different question.

‘It gets everyone else thinking about their answer,’ he explained.

Then we each M-checked another participant’s bike. With all bikes deemed fit to ride, we took part in some basic skills games, such as riding around cones and balancing at slow speed. ‘It’s a warm-up and it gives you an idea of how people ride and who’s up for what,’ said Mark.

Taking it to the trails Finally we were off, on the route Mark and Kath had pre-ridden the day before. The first bit was a short road section. As leader Mark rode at the back, slightly further out into the road and wearing a hi-viz backpack cover.

As the ride went on, Mark’s position in the group changed depending 42

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on the kind of riding that we were doing. When we were going downhill off-road, he was in front to check our speed. When we were going uphill, he was at the back to catch any stragglers. We didn’t just ride off when he was at the back because we all knew where the next stopping point was, where we’d regroup.

‘The three things you’ve got to be aware of when you’re riding are: leader position, communication, and the next stopping point,’ Mark said.

Over the course of the ride, we looked at different ways to keep riders engaged and interested. We did some map reading. We did some skills sessions, going over the different techniques for riding uphill and downhill.

Back at the village hall, we covered trailside repairs and navigation. The main job, however, was to get ready for the next day’s ride. Each us would be responsible for part of the group ride preparations, such as the bike check, and for leading one of the six legs that the ride had been divided into. It would be the same ride we had done that day, only in reverse, so we’d effectively done our pre-ride already.

Learning by doing We each took a stint as ride leader before and during the ride, after which the rest of us chipped in with comments and Mark took stock.

For all the hammy acting from the ‘different groups’, it was enlightening

to be put on the spot as leader – not just in terms of remembering procedures but in terms of managing the group.

We knew what kind of group we’d each be leading: club riders, teenagers, pensioners, squaddies, families, and so forth. We didn’t know what scenarios Mark and Kath had cooked up for us. Everyone, it turned out, had a mechanical problem and a people problem to deal with.

Someone ‘fell off and hurt their ankles’. Someone ‘broke a spoke in their wheel’. Someone ‘wandered off’.

Someone ‘had an angina attack’. The acting wasn’t very convincing – apart from that by ex-undercover cop Steve Bailey, who could have been a Saga rep in a former life – but the situations demonstrated the diversity of things a ride leader might have to deal with.

At the village hall, workbooks were completed and Mark interviewed each of us about the course. All six of us passed, and there was a positive buzz about what we’d learned.

‘I thought the course was very good,’ said Dave Simpson. ‘It was well structured and left me with enough knowledge that I will be confident to lead groups on trails. I will be looking at doing the Technical Leader course next year when I’ve had a bit more experience of leading groups.’

CTC Off-road leader courses CTC’s Trail Leader Award is a nationally accepted qualification for guiding off-road rides. You need to have or obtain a first aid certificate, and you need to be able to ride a bike safely on non-technical terrain. You also need to be an adult, although a Young Leader course is offered to 14-18 year-olds.

The next step from the Trail Leader Award is the Technical Leader Award. That’s used for leading rides through more challenging terrain. There’s also an Advanced Leader Award for back-of-beyond ride leading, and a Leader Trainer Award for instructors.

There are CTC mountain bike skills coaching courses available for instructors too. And CTC Off-road also offer a Trailside and Roadside Maintenance course.

Course prices vary depending on duration, accommodation, etc. A 2 1/2 day residential trail leader course costs £340 per person.

For more information, visit www. promtb.net or call 0844 736 8463.

Cargo cycles Head-to-head

Delivering the goods As Royal Mail prepares to scrap the post bike, cargo cycles are booming in popularity in big cities like London. Rob Ainsley finds out why 44

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Cargo cycles

P

eople ask me if I’m carrying ice-cream, sandwiches, or pornography!’ laughs Joe Henry.

The wardrobe-sized box on his custard-yellow cargo bike contains something more prosaic: projectors, big sound systems and thick cables. His company, AV2Hire.com, rents out equipment for presentations, and 80% of their deliveries are made by Joe riding the 8 Freight bike up to nine miles each way across London.

‘Bikes can get to places quicker,’ says Joe. ‘A van might take an hour to get to the West End; I’ll take 20 minutes. There are no parking worries, and clients find it easier – at football grounds, for example, I can wheel straight up to the side of the pitch and be gone within ten minutes.’

Such bikes are increasingly common in the capital’s congestion-charged centre. You see them every day, transporting flowers, cakes, wine, pizzas, magazines, coffee machines, heavy-duty office supplies, builder’s and plumber’s equipment – and yes, ice-cream and sandwiches too.

Photography by Rob Ainsley

It’s easy being green

(Main photo) Domino’s Pizza delivery in London. Bike look familiar?

(Others) Green Workforce; AV2Hire; Smylee’s Ice Lollies; Nicolas wine shop; Pret a Manger

Will Mobsby runs Green Workforce, a bikebased London handyman business. He was inspired to start it during a six-month bike tour of India, amazed by the vast loads he saw transported on two wheels. ‘I wanted to cycle for a living, and I knew I’d never make the Tour de France!’ he jokes.

His off-the-peg Kona cargo bike carries all the heavy-duty equipment he needs – Will even has a special folding ladder if needed – and the bike’s speed and mobility enable him (and his two cycling staff) to pick up business uneconomic for car-based builders.

‘We can pick up the small jobs that vanbased builders don’t want to because of parking, journey time, and a meter to feed,’ he says. ‘Things like taps, toilets, valves, leaks, changing a washer. Thanks to the efficiency of the bike I can charge 30% less than my rivals, but still pay my staff more – and do three more jobs per day than a van.’

It’s an efficiency any business can capitalise on, thanks to the growing number of cargo-cycle couriers – such as Pedals, powered by London cycle messenger Simon Searle and co-couriers Duncan and Julian.

‘They’re a way forward,’ says Simon. ‘They offer the green perk for customers, and are environmentally friendly.’

Much of their work is for florists. I join Julian [Sayarer, who cycled round the world last year and featured in the June-July issue] on a brief delivery sortie across central London. He’s on a Christiana with a front box. The Danish-made trike is a favourite with London’s cycling families-with-

toddlers; one is often parked next door to the Blair household in Connaught Square, where the 24/7 police guard makes locks irrelevant.

I try out Julian’s: it’s like cycling and pushing a wheelbarrow at the same time, with some entertainingly fugitive momentum round corners. ‘You get used to it,’ he laughs. (Yes, cargo-cycle couriers laugh a lot. They clearly enjoy their job.)

In a floral boutique off Haymarket, he stops to load up the box with high-end bouquets – some are £80 each – and a couple of tropical trees. Peering through his miniature rainforest, he trundles easily past queues of traffic, by Buckingham Palace and through St James’s Park, where I take my leave.

Loads better Cargo couriers are not restricted to London.

In Cambridge, Outspoken Couriers use a fleet of five 8 Freights to deliver up to six miles outside the centre of England’s cycling capital.

‘Compared to the car, some things can be cheaper delivered by bike, if there are no time constraints or they’re small items,’ says Outspoken’s Rob King. The company’s niche is to offer 1-, 2- or 4-hour services with clear price lists, whereas van-based couriers tend only to deliver ‘asap’. Ninety per cent of their work is A4 size or less, and under 10kg. Much of it is for printers: ‘multidrop’ deliveries – ten copies of a magazine to a shop here, eight there, nine round the corner and so on – which can be done conveniently by bike.

8 Freights are the work of English design guru Mike Burrows. ‘They’re versatile and light, handle a variety of loads well, and for me are psychologically preferable to front-boxes – you’re “pulling” not “pushing” the load,’ says Rob. ‘There’s good visibility, they’re stable, and you’re on top of the steering. But they’re a bit twitchy on 20” wheels, and turning them round’s not easy – not so much three-point turns as eightpoint!’ Their riders – who are cycle-trained to Level 3 – can nevertheless cover 60 miles per day.

The cargo cycle market, mainly small or niche companies in London, is growing daily, according to Lee Pillinger of English manufacturers Pashley. ‘The cargo bike, delivery bike, industry bike, whatever you call it, is the backbone of our business. It’s why we’re still here,’ he says.

However, you’re unlikely to see many of the cargo bikes they make. A huge invisible chunk of their market is fleets for use by staff on large sites where motor vehicles might present a safety issue: MoD establishments, chemical plants, factories, or refineries such as ConocoPhillips on the Humber.

The modern delivery bike might look like august/september 2010 cycle

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Cargo cycles Head-to-head

the one used to deliver Hovis bread to the top of Shaftesbury’s Gold Hill in the famous 1970s television ads. And, indeed, quite a few small businesses buy the traditional small-front-wheel Pashleys to use mainly as nostalgia-advertising or branding. But the butcher’s boy of the pre-motorway age would be amazed at how much better delivery bikes handle these days.

‘The intention is to keep the look and feel of traditional delivery bike – we don’t make it funky or trendy for the sake of it – but we’ve made many subtle changes over the years,’ says Lee. ‘Modern geometry is better: we can use computer-aided design to play with angles, and refine where and how the load is mounted. We have better components and better steel, lighter and stronger.’ They don’t wobble or shake any more, even down cobbled Dorset lanes.

Fast and safe New types of bike and trike are being developed too, for carrying jumbo loads.

Office Depot, a global supplier of office products to businesses, have invested in a fleet of electric-assist cargo trikes. Eight of them were recently straight-swapped for diesel vans in central London, following a trial last year.

The impetus originally came from corporate responsibility – to enhance the ‘green factor’ of the company, and enable clients to do the same – but careful planning ensured that this didn’t come at a cost of reduced efficiency. The trikes, made in France by La Petite Reine, can carry up to 180kg, and the riders can make up to 45 deliveries a day: the same productivity

carrying up to 30kg of food platters. The friendly, green-and-wholesome image of the bicycle does the company – and their clients – no harm either.

And the delivery bikes you’re most likely to see on London streets come from another sandwich company, Darwin’s Deli. They have 170 bikes – Pashley Prontos with trailers – of which 120 are in use on any one weekday. They carry the whole day’s load in one go, delivering to businesses and offices on a typical round of 4-5 miles.

Darwin’s have been doing this for 17 years, so they’re good people to ask about the safety angle – the reason Royal Mail say they are discontinuing their own use of delivery bikes.

According to Steve Brown of Darwin’s Deli, in all that time – involving perhaps two million person-miles of cycling – they’ve had only ‘four major incidents, none of them very serious. Our bikes are very visible, and people give us a wide berth,’ he says.

It was a similar story elsewhere: couriers reported the odd bump, but nobody had any scare stories. (Simon Searle was once cut up by a coach. Luckily the cargo box took the hit; he was unscathed.)

Add to that fresh air; flexibility to avoid traffic; control over your schedule; constant exercise; and relatively low stress… no wonder delivery bike riders always seem to be smiling, and looking good. Would you get the same sheer job enthusiasm shown by people such as Joe, Will, Simon, Julian or Rob, from a van driver stuck in a jam? Deliver us from all that.

“Darwin’s Deli use 120 cargo bikes every day. In 17 years they’ve had four major incidents, none serious” as a van, but without the parking or access problems of the City’s twisting back lanes.

Office Depot worked closely with the Greater London Authority during their trial, ensuring, for example, the trikes really would be regarded as cycles and hence not liable for parking tickets. London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, was said to be very enthusiastic about the project. They’re now looking to expand the scheme to other British cities.

So, about those sandwiches. The quick journey times a cargo cycle offers through gridlocked city streets makes it an obvious choice to keep your lunch as tasty as when it was made. No surprise, then, that fresh-food chain Pret a Manger has a fleet of ten delivery bikes in London, doing 5-10 drops per trip, 46

cycle August/september 2010

(Top) A Copenhagen postie on her rounds with a very large – Christiania? – cargo trike in the historic district of Nyboder (Above) Julian Sayarer delivering bouquets and trees in London on Pedal Couriers’ Christiania trike

cycle champions

Happiness on wheels

Cycling is a gift, one that CTC’s Cycle Champions have brought to more than 20,000 people so far. Patrick Trainor spoke to some of them

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to someone to see if they like cycling, which can make a huge difference to their lives.

So far the programme has had over 20,000 direct beneficiaries with more than twice that benefiting indirectly and the number is growing daily. Here are just some of the things the Cycle Champions project have been doing.

Championing health Health practitioners and care trusts understand the physical and mental benefits of cycling and are keen to offer it as a rehabilitation tool. Cycle Champions are working with them to get people with a range conditions riding. Cycles to suit everyone are provided, along with qualified cycle instructors. They start with a gentle introduction and gradually increase the amount of cycling each participant does each week.

‘It’s a brilliant way of getting exercise and meeting like-minded people who understand what I have been through,’ said Liz, 67, a recovering stroke patient. She rides with a group led by Wolverhampton Champion Beccy Marston. Liz saw the group riding around a local park when she was confined to hospital and was determined to get better so that should could join in. She is enjoying regaining fitness and mobility, but stresses that it’s not solely about the riding. ‘I love the atmosphere and the support from

other cyclists. There are so many more advantages of the cycling group than just getting the exercise.’

Another of Beccy Marston’s group is John, 53, who became a paraplegic after suffering from a spinal abscess.

Confined to a wheelchair, he was told he would never be able to use his legs to stand or walk again. Cycling, however, has kept his legs mobile and helped muscle development, and he is now able to stand for short periods.

He too enjoys the social aspect of cycling with the group and the sense of freedom it gives. ‘Being able to get out of the house and have mobility out the wheelchair is a great feeling,’ he said.

Championing older people Among the many successful projects in Swindon is the Cycling Through the Years course run by the town’s Cycle Champion, Anna Cipullo. The scheme is an eight-week course for the over50s, which takes place every Saturday at the County Ground Athletic Track.

The courses are so popular that the next two are already fully booked.

Participants receive professional cycle coaching on the running track until the group is ready to progress to cycle paths and low-traffic streets.

The course is structured to provide the confidence and skills necessary for cycling in real-world situations and has on occasion plotted routes to work to help with people’s

Photos: top right by David Bocking. Others by CTC

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aking cycling enjoyable, safe and welcoming for all’ is one of CTC’s core goals. To achieve it the organisation needs to reach out to groups that seldom cycle. And that’s where CTC’s Cycle Champions come in.

In 2007, CTC Charitable Trust received a grant from the Big Lottery’s Wellbeing fund towards a programme to bring cycling activities to new and returning cyclists. The funding enabled CTC to employ 13 cycling development officers under the title ‘Cycle Champions’. They work with community groups and partner organisations in 13 locations across England to promote cycling.

The CTC’s Cycle Champions programme is particularly targeted at bringing cycling to sections of society that are known to have lower physical activity levels and are less likely to choose cycling as a lifestyle or transport choice. These include groups like older people, people with disabilities, people with health issues, women and girls, and ethnic minorities.

Each Champion identifies and develops a range of structured activities to suit the needs of their target group with the aim of getting as many people as possible cycling whatever their needs. Sometimes it’s just the simple act of lending a bike

cycle champions

(Clockwise from top left): Swindon ‘Extra Time over 60s’ cycle day.

Cycling For Health ride in Sheffield. EmmanuEl Apostolic Gospel Choir in Leicester.

Greenbank High School girls. Cycling For Health group in Wolverhampton.

Caroline from Sheffield.

Gospel Choir again.

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cycle champions

started cycling again because of bad arthritis. ‘I hadn’t cycled for many years but found it great exercise before and after my hip operation,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t walk much and it provided a chance to get back into the countryside and breathe fresh air.

I’ve come on so much that I’m doing the Coast to Coast Challenge later this year.’

Championing community groups

commutes. It also teaches basic bike maintenance. With a range of bikes available from standard two wheels to trikes, hand bikes and quads, all abilities are catered for.

Many on the course are complete beginners who never learned to ride a bike as a child. Several have learned to ride two-wheeled bikes from scratch and then gone on to buy a bike and join one of Anna’s leisurelypaced social bike rides.

Cathy is one of those: ‘I never had the opportunity as a child to ride a bike,’ she said. ‘It just never happened. I was a complete beginner at the age of 61 am so glad I have begun cycling.’

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however.

‘I had a tumble from the bike and sprained my ankle,’ she added, ‘but I am back and have bought a bike to do some of the organised rides.’

Another complete beginner was Suzanne, who now rides regularly and best of all is now able to enjoy rides with her family. ‘I really enjoyed the course and the best bit for me was when I did a 13-mile ride with my children.’

Championing women & girls Juliet Jardine, CTC Champion in Sefton in North West England, is focusing on getting more women and girls on bikes. Since many girls stop cycling when they become teenagers she set up a project at Greenbank High School to encourage them to continue.

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Girls from Greenbank High School on the start line of the support race for the recent Tour Series round in Southport.

Initially, none of the pupils cycled to school. They said they didn’t feel confident. To overcome this, Juliet arranged cycle training for them, and more than 160 pupils were instructed in one day alone. She set up an after-school club to continue the training and 23 girls achieved Bikeability’s Level 3 standard.

None had cycled much before, and one of them – Jemima – was very nervous because she had fallen off her bike the year before and broken her leg. Her parents thought she would never get back on a bike but

People from ethnic backgrounds are under-represented in cycling.

Some don’t see cycling as part of their culture. The Cycle Champions programme has had great success working alongside many groups to make it an option.

The Emmanu-El Apostolic Gospel Choir in Leicester had a few children who cycled when they started working with the Cycle Champions programme. However, with some free recycled bikes and plenty of ongoing advice and encouragement, 25 members now cycle regularly to choir practices and all over the city. The 50strong choir caused a stir when they pedalled through the 2009 Skyride in Leicester, singing all the way to the main stage.

‘Without the Cycle Champions project we would not be cycling,’ said Pastor Samuel. ‘Bikes cost quite a bit so when we got some free bikes people became interested and more and more started riding. We ride as far as we can to places we wouldn’t see otherwise.

It’s good voice training as well – riding up the hills.

Cycling and singing go well together.’

Members of the choir come from all parts of society, including disadvantaged backgrounds. Some are kids who were excluded from school, others had been from jail to jail – people who felt they had no hope. ‘The choir is bringing people into something not excluding them, and the bikes are part of that,’ said Pastor Samuel.

‘It’s about more than just the bikes. Cycling enables people to go out together and encourages communities to bond together.

Without the project, we wouldn’t be staying together as much as we would like. Cycling has become something

“It’s about more than just the bikes. Cycling encourages people to get out together and communities to bond.” she did and has never looked back.

In fact, she became a driving force behind the club arranging rides and has encouraged other girls to join in. The scheme itself has become a flagship for other cycling towns and schools wanting to introduce cycling to girls.

To encourage more women to cycle, Juliet established the Southport Cycling Belles, who now go riding once a fortnight. Many of the ladies are complete novices with a few more experienced riders providing help and advice.

One member of the group, Hildah,

the choir does. We had a big ride where we sang and raised funds for the Special Olympics.’

Championing inclusivity Cycling is accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.

Special cycles – often trikes of one kind or another – are made available to participants in a range of Cycle Champions projects.

Cycles for disabled riders are relatively rare and are seldom cheap, so for many participants it’s their first chance to try one. Once they have done so, many find a new lease of life from something they never thought they could participate in. For some, this can be a life changing moment as they realise that there is a cycle to suit them and that it can be used in their everyday lives.

Caroline, 43, is a case in point. Her story appeared in Cycle last year, after she was introduced to cycling by Sheffield Cycle Champion Steve Marsden. A year on, she is as upbeat as ever.

‘I suffered brain damage resulting in left side paralysis, impaired vision and epilepsy,’ she said. ‘My marriage broke down as a result and I now care for my 7 and 11 year old children alone. I was on a downward spiral until I was put in touch with the Champions programme and was introduced to cycling. I tried a trike and it literally changed my life. I got my freedom back and a whole new world of friends.

‘I now give regular talks to community groups about cycling and how it helped me and because of my success and confidence. I have also started working for the Self Directed Support team. One of the best knock on effects from me cycling is that I can influence not just fellow brain injury survivors but many others. To know that I help folk feel as positive about life as I do is just immense!’

And that’s not all CTC’s Cycle Champions are based in 13 locations across England: Bradford – Ginny Leonard, ginny.leonard@ctc.org.uk Colchester – Richard Monk, richard.monk@ctc.org.uk Derby – Amanda Salt, amanda.salt@ctc.org.uk East Hampshire – Sarah Walker, sarah.walker@ctc.org.uk Leicester – Elizabeth Barner, elizabeth.barner@ctc.org.uk Manchester – Mark Gumbs, mark.gumbs@ctc.org.uk North Yorkshire – Martyn Bolt, martyn.bolt@ctc.org.uk Reading – Mark Tancock, mark.tancock@ctc.org.uk Rochdale – Seamus Kelly, seamus.kelly@ctc.org.uk Sefton – Juliet Jardine, juliet.jardine@ctc.org.uk Sheffield – Steve Marsden, steve.marsden@ctc.org.uk Swindon – Anna Cipullo, anna.cipullo@ctc.org.uk Wolverhampton – Beccy Marston, beccy.marston@ctc.org.uk To find out more or to see what the Champions are doing in your area, please visit www.ctc.org.uk/cyclechampions – or contact programme manager Steven Bailey on steven.bailey@ctc.org.uk

what to wear

Gear selection

It’s not just tribalism that makes different cyclists dress differently.

We asked seven different CTC cyclists what clothes they’d choose and why

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hat not to wear is easy: denim-look lycra. What to wear depends on the cycling you’ll be doing. Different tribes of cyclists dress differently for reasons of both fashion and function. Fashion, because consciously or not it nails your colours to the mast as belonging to a certain sub-group; and function, because the reason a clothing combination becomes popular is because it works well for given kind of cycling or bike type.

Typically you’ll build up your cycling wardrobe by a process of accretion – a jersey here, some shorts there – as you find what works for you. But once you’ve gone through that process, you’ll know your priorities for future purchases.

We asked a group of CTC cyclists to equip themselves for their favoured form of cycling, and to explain what they chose and why. We’ve focused on clothing for better weather. Clothes were borrowed rather than bought, but the proviso for all participants was that they had to ‘spend’

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their budget as if it were their own money.

You won’t agree with all their choices, but we’re hoping it will prove more useful than a review of, say, ten very similar jackets.

We used the CTC mail order shop (www. ctcshop.org.uk) to source all products, because it has a huge range that all CTC members get a discount on (adjusted prices shown in brackets); because we are CTC; and because it was much easier to organise this way. The decisions behind each choice will be equally valid wherever you shop.

Sportive cycling John Storms

I went for height-of-summer stuff, more white than darker colours. There’s a couple of sportives and a CTC Challenge ride coming up and I’m hoping the sun will shine in August.

I would still include a gilet and arm warmers as it can still be single digits first thing in the morning and the UK can throw rain and wind at you even in the best months of the year.

The jersey is the real highlight of this kit. It has a tighter, race type cut with full length zip, a zippered pocket in addition to three other pockets, large open mesh under the pits and also band of rubber material around the inside of the bottom so it doesn’t ride up. The shorts have mesh across the bibs, which again speak to summer conditions and fit well all around. The gloves are slip on, no straps, light and thin – all you need for hot days. The gilet could be useful year round. It is seam sealed and not a thin, flimsy showerproof material. A bit of reflectivity is also nice.

If I were spending just £100, it would be difficult not to keep the jersey although the shoes are good value at £79.00 – many are double or triple this price. These fitted well right out of the box and have a full carbon sole which is stiff and efficient.

John’s sportive kit list: £368.11 (plus bike) • Giro Monza Helmet silver £54.99 (£48.39) • Topsport Team cotton cap £5.40 (£4.75) • DHB Triple Pro sunglasses £37.99 (£33.43) • Giro Zero gloves £24.99 (£21.99) • DHB Knowle S/S Jersey £69.99 (£61.59) • DHB Wickham Event gilet £89.99 (£79.19) • DHB Bib Shorts – black £35.99 (£31.67) • DeFeet Levitator socks £8.99 (£7.91) • DHB RC Carbon road shoes £89.99 (£79.19) • Bike: Battaglin C12 Ultegra Plus £2,100 (£1,848) 52

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what to wear

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Fixed-wheel commuting Rosanna Downes

You’ll spot fixed-wheel riders wearing all sorts of strange and wonderful outfits, especially in London. But the ‘fakenger’ look, imitating a cycle messenger’s appearance, was the original fashion: black cycling jacket; black cycling shoes; cycling cap; and the ubiquitous messenger bag.

It’s not just about the look, however. Performance is important too.

These riders have often built up their own bikes (sometimes with colour co-ordinated components); they ride everywhere; they wear their cycling gear to the pub. So they’re looking for style and quality. Both can be seen in the Sugoi Walleroo base layer: not cheap, but being 100% Merino wool, it feels lovely to wear.

Women’s mountain bike shoes are often a bit clumpy, so the DHB M1 MTB shoes were a pleasant surprise. The price tag is even more pleasant.

Soft, stretchy material and detachable liner meant the Pearl Izumi Elite Versa Capri Pant was really comfortable, although they turned out to be a bit long for me. The Chrome Citizen messenger bag looks great – the seatbelt buckle is a nice piece of hardware. Comfortable, adjustable, and you can fit plenty in it – certainly if you’re not actually a bike messenger!

What I’d keep for £100: I’ve always found Gore Bike Wear’s women’s kit to be a cut above most brands, in terms of fit and performance, and I wasn’t disappointed by the Windstopper softshell (£87.99). Perfect for cool mornings and evenings, it’s ideal ‘stylish commuter’ gear.

Touring Mark Waters

When cycle touring you can be on your bike for extended periods, so it’s more important that the clothing worn is ‘fitfor-purpose’ and comfortable to wear. As you’ll be carrying limited amount of clothing with you, what you have needs to be versatile, particularly for a place like northern Europe where the weather on a two-week tour can change radically.

The answer is layering and the use of quality, technical fabrics. A breathable, waterproof jacket has to be up there, followed by a wicking base layer to enable sweat to escape from the skin. Padded shorts are another ‘must’, although some seem to manage without them.

If I had only £100 to spend on clothes, I would get a pair of padded shorts, a couple of base layers, a budget waterproof (which would not be breathable at that price) and a baseball cap. White is impractical for touring unless you take a lot of washing powder. So I’d get the black versions of the gloves and socks I’m pictured with.

Clothing needs to be appropriate for the prevailing weather. In cooler weather the tights and jacket would be suitable. On a hot summer days they would not. The padded DHB Merston tights were comfortable. The DHB Southsea jacket was waterproof, with taped seams and a good high neck. However, being a budget jacket it was easy to overheat and sweat in. Whilst the DHB triple lens sunglasses were very good looking, they ended up not suiting the shape of my face so I’d try a different pair.

Mark’s touring kit list: £159.23 • DHB sunglasses £37.99 (£33.43) • DHB Southsea jacket £55.99 (£49.27) • DeFeet Levitator Socks £8.99 (£7.91) • Giro Zero Gloves £17.99 (£15.83) • DHB waist tights £36.99 (£32.55) • Craft base layer £23.00 (£20.24)

Rosie’s commuter kit list: £366.91 • Sugoi Walleroo baselayer £58.00 (£51.04) • DHB M1 MTB Shoes £49.99 (£43.99) • Gore Softshell Windstopper Jacket £99.99 (£87.99) • Pearl Izumi Elite Versa Capri pant £67.99 (£59.83) • Chrome Citizen messenger bag £129.99 (£114.39) • Assos hat £10.99 (£9.67)

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What to wear

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Off-road riding Holger Schiller

For riding either a ’cross bike or a mountain bike off-road I would prioritise a good pair of baggy shorts. These Gore ones are perfect. They have lots of pockets, fit as described, and the padded liner is comfortable.

I also think a helmet is important off-road. The Giro Ionos is a model I’ve used in the past and get on with. It is light, fits well and the padding is removable and washable. It is, however, an eye-watering £126.

Glasses are also important off-road, where debris and different types of light can be challenging. Of the three lenses supplied the orange lens could be very useful. I’m not such a fan of the rainbow mirrored lens, but the other mirrored lens is fine. These are about a third of the price of a pair of Oakleys, so losing or breaking them would be less painful than that level of investment.

I hesitate to spend a lot on shoes for use off-road, only because they take a beating. These Northwaves at just over £60.00 would be fine. They fit well and have a couple of studs at the front for grip off the bike if you want them. If I were spending just £100, I would prioritise the shorts, jersey and socks.

Holger’s off-road kit list: £315.86 (plus bike) Gore Plaster Ultra II baggy short £54.99 (£48.39) DHB Fichdean long sleeve £41.99 (£36.95) Giro Ionos helmet £143.99 (£126.71) Northwave Spike shoe £69.99 (£61.59) DHB triple lens sunglasses £37.99 (£33.43) DeFeet Levitator socks £9.99 (£8.79) Bike: Focus Mares Expert Cyclo Cross £1200 (£1,056)

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Mountain biking Andy Hawes

Comfortable shorts are essential. I was pleasantly surprised with these Sombrio Rev baggies. The fit is good, they’re made from a quality hardwearing fabric, and the ventilation is good too. There’s an adjustable waist band with two Velcro tabs for waist adjustment, and they’re laser-cut too! The deep pockets are useful for stowing things, and there’s even a handy ‘trail pass’ holder.

It can be difficult getting comfortable cycling shoes if you’ve got wide feet, as I have, but even though these DHB M1 MTB shoes were slightly narrow for me they were comfortable enough once I’d adjusted the straps.

And they’ve very reasonably priced.

Wool socks still keep your feet warm when damp, though are perhaps better for autumn than summer.

My main priority with shades is to keep the flies and flying debris at bay. With a nice a nice snug fit, these shades do the trick without looking like laboratory safety specs. There are three swappable lenses for different

light condition.

I’d always budget for a helmet for mountain biking. It doesn’t have to be super light or super expensive; it’s all about adjustment and getting the right fit. This one is easy to adjust. Once on, it’s comfortable and well ventilated.

I particularly liked the detachable Coolmax padding, which you can wash to keep it fresh.

Jerseys don’t need to be silly expensive either. This DHB one is breathable and easily ventilated via its ¾ length zip. Some mountain biking jerseys lack pockets, but I find them useful – and this one has three. Cut and styling are decent enough as well.

Andy’s MTB kit list: £216.88 (plus bike) Sombrio Rev baggy shorts £59.50 (£52.36) DHB M1 MTB shoes £49.99 (£43.99) DHB Earnley jersey £33.99 (£29.91) Met Kaos soft touch helmet £64.99 (£57.19) DHB triple lens sunglasses £37.99 (£33.43) Bike: Focus black Forest £1000 (£880)

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What to wear

7 Simon Fearon

Folding bike commuting

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Road bike commuting

Grace Wong

Finding cycle clothing for women, particularly for commuting, can be a challenge. It seemed I could have any colour so long as it was black. Fit was unpredictable too, which isn’t uncommon with cycling gear.

The Bspoke Richmond Women’s Casual Trouser had some nicely thought out details such as cycling specific articulated knees, zippered pockets, Velcro hems and Teflon stain/water resistant fabric. However, sizing across the waist and length was on the small side.

The Sportful Hot Pack Women’s jacket folds up into the palm of your hand, but was short in the body and too baggy elsewhere. Nice features in the soft feel waist and wrist piping and extra length in the back and arms for riding low on the bike. The fabric repels water and there are nicely designed air vents across the back and to the side of the arms. With a closer cut, this waterproof jacket would be my main item if I had only £100 to spend.

To get red gloves, I had to pick the men’s small size which were a bit loose. On a positive note, the Sugoi HOV utility shirt in technical fabric wicked away perspiration with a comfortable fit. It looked fine off the bike too.

The DHB Elsted 30 Litre backpack has a padded back and straps, plus reflective piping. The practical zipped compartments separate contents. A heavier duty fabric with a more robust zip construction would be welcome improvements to what is already a good, and good value, commuter bag.

Grace’s commuter kit list: £205.90 Sportful Hot Pack Jacket £75.00 (£66.00) Sportful Glove £17.50 (£15.40) Bspoke Richmond trouser £61.49 (£54.11) Sugoi Utility shirt £42.00 (£36.96) DHB 30L rucksack £37.99 (£33.43)

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To commute as simply as possible means not having lots of clothing to worry about, probably just a few pieces. Early morning starts mean wearing long sleeves or a jacket much of the year.

The DHB Finchdean jersey isn’t so much a jersey as it is a winterweight jacket, fleece lined and also windproof Windtex material. Just a light base layer underneath and you are out the door. For a longer commute or temps much above 16-18 degrees this probably isn’t suitable. As a piece to wear for shorter trips to the station and from the station to work it has a lot going for it. It’s well thought out in design.

The zipper is covered at the top and bottom, there’s a chest pocket for convenient access to rail tickets, keys, money etc. and a zippered pocket at the back in addition to three others. Fluorescent yellow and reflective panels on front and back isn’t for everyone, but I choose this rather than a hi-viz vest.

Running shoes are generally more comfortable than proper cycling shoes. For short distances and walking across platforms around a typical cycle/rail/cycle type journey, that’s what I wear most of the time.

These are light Nike Lunar Glides.

The shorts are baggy type as I don’t want to wear lycra on the train and the padding in the shorts is appreciated. These could easily be used for all sorts of cycling with pockets and velcro size adjustments at the bottom of the leg to keep them from turning into sails. I have a nice road bike helmet, so this less expensive helmet for commuting is all I need.

Simon’s commuter kit list: £233.58 (plus bike) Met Camaleonte helmet £39.99 (£35.19) DHB Finchdean Fluo Edition jersey £99.99 (£87.99) CTC casual shorts from Impsport £40.00 Nike Lunar Glide Plus SS10 running shoes £80.00 (£70.40) Bike: Oyama Metropolitan £349.95 (£307.96)

We have touring bikes to satisfy the traditionalist as well as those seeking something a little more cutting edge. Take the Horizon for instance using the reliably strong yet light Reynolds 520 chromoly frame, equipped with 24 speed Shimano Alivio gears and fitted with a Selle Italia FLX saddle for unrivalled comfort. This is just one in a range of bicycles designed with the highest quality equipment to safely escort you to your destination.

To add to your peace of mind we now offer FREE third party insurance worth ÂŁ25 with every sale of a bike within our touring specialist range.

Horizon

Now available from your Dawes Touring Specialist ensuring quality service and aftersales care.

For more details visit www.dawescycles.com

Dawes Cycles - sales@dawescycles.com - www.dawescycles.com

Q&A

Technical • Legal • Health

Cycling answers Your technical, legal and health questions answered by CTC’s experts the experts

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Butterfly bars are rare in the UK but provide a range of hand positions

Chris Juden

CTC Technical Officer and qualified engineer

Paul Kitson

Partner at CTC’s solicitors, Russell, Jones & Walker

n Technical

BUTTERFLIES IGNORED

Q

Dr matt brooks Cycling GP

I noticed that all three world cyclists’ bikes (Going the Distance, Cycle June-July 2010) were fitted with butterflyshaped handlebars like ours. Saddles were compared in the report, but not handlebars. Why? People in the street often remark on our unusual handlebars, yet they are common in other countries. In most German and Dutch cycle shops probably one third of the cycles on sale will be fitted with butterfly handlebars. Is there any simple explanation as to why Butterflies are ignored in this country?

Ted Prangnell

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I agree. We really should have remarked that all three long-distance racers dropped the usual drops (usual for any racer or long-distance tourist) in favour of a shape of handlebar that is almost unknown in their home country! Clearly the comfort advantages of combining a more upright posture with a variety of hand positions outweigh any 58

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aerodynamic loss, even when the whole purpose of the journey is to eat miles. How much more sense must that make when you’re riding for pleasure? This is also a change that anyone could make add to their own bike – if only it were easier to find a handlebar like that in the shops.

As for why butterflies are such a rare species in Britain: it’s because the easiest way to sell a bike in a non-cycling country is by reference to cycle sport – and you never see butterfly bars in any kind of race.

Except this race!

Chris Juden n HEALTH

KNEE REPLACEMENT

Q

Following pain and discomfort in walking, I am on a waiting list for a left knee replacement. The surgeon has informed me this will considerably reduce the knee articulation, being a purely mechanical joint.

I can understand this but will it affect my ability to cycle? I am now 81 years old.

E Taylor, Eaton Bray, Beds.

Don’t worry: cycling is usually possible after a knee replacement and is in fact an excellent low impact exercise to build up the muscle strength postoperatively.

A total knee replacement is an increasingly common operation whereby all the articular surfaces of the knee are replaced, usually because of damage to the cartilage from arthritis. Over the last few decades they have improved significantly, taking into account much more the physiology and function of the normal knee. Knee replacement is usually considered if pain and loss of function are having a significant impact on quality of life, and other nonsurgical options such as painkillers and physiotherapy are no longer effective.

After surgery, over a matter of weeks, the amount you can bend the knee should improve and while you will not achieve the full range of movement of a normal knee, it is usually perfectly adequate for walking and cycling. Follow the advice of your physiotherapist and surgeon.

Start gently on an exercise bike and after a while you should be able to think about resuming some road cycling (not usually within the first two months), taking it easy at first and gradually building up. Flat pedals would be sensible as you don’t want to have to twist your knee to unclip in a hurry.

It is not uncommon for further

improvements in knee function to continue for up to a year post-op.

Dr Matt Brooks Chris Juden adds: It may be worth trying an adjustable swing-crank from Highpath (pictured) or Unicam. These have been found to be most beneficial in achieving the full potential post-operative articulation of artificial knee joints – as well as getting people mobile on a bicycle at the earliest opportunity.

I’ve had excellent feedback from members I’ve advised accordingly.

The unique benefit of a swingcrank is that it allows the knee to extend fully, which it normally can do very soon after the operation, but does not require it to flex (i.e. bend) any more than whatever the patient can tolerate, meanwhile allowing the other leg to pedal normally.

It is found that time spent pedalling within the pain-free range nevertheless results in an increase in the flexibility of the tissues surrounding the joint that has been operated upon, increasing its painfree range of movement. So that sooner rather than later, the swingcrank can be re-adjusted to rotate in a larger circle.

Thus, bit by bit, the full range of movement (as permitted by the prosthesis) may often be achieved.

In that case the original crank may be restored to the bike. But if full movement cannot be achieved, the Highpath swing-crank may be used indefinitely.

For more details on either, see http://www.highpath.co.uk/ highpath/cycles/swingcrank.html and http://www.uni-cam.com/ products/default.htm n LEGAL

HIT & RUN DRIVER

Q

I was rammed by a hit and run driver whilst cycling in December 2008. I was uninjured but my bike was a write off. The Police treated the incident as an assault and criminal damage but were unable to discover the identity of the driver and would not reveal to me the details of the insurance policy of the car involved. How can

n Technical

GREATER YEARS, SMALLER GEARS

Q

Having reached the senior ranks of cyclists I would like to obtain larger sprockets with a definite bias towards low gears. I am not having any success with this and am wondering if you can offer any advice?

Tom Gurrie, Dublin

A

Now that one can buy ready-made 9-speed cassettes with up to 36 teeth and triple chainsets with as few as 22, there isn’t much need for anything customised.

Problems arise for those trying to adapt a venerable bicycle with components (e.g. a screw-on freewheel) that are no longer supported by the trade in a better than rudimentary manner. In that case, contact Chris Bell at www.highpath.co.uk.

However, the easiest thing – and often the cheapest thing – is to update the bike, with a new freehub, gear mechs and shifters from one of Shimano’s mountain bike groupsets.

You’ll probably also need to have the rear ends cold set to 135mm apart, and switch to flat bars if currently still using drops. An old frame is probably steel which makes the first alteration a safe and simple job, and the second brings the side benefit of a more upright position – which is generally also necessary with advancing years.

Chris Juden I go about claiming compensation for the damage to my bicycle? My bicycle wasn’t insured and have only third party insurance.

Jake Voelcker

A

Where a collision has been caused by a motorist who is either uninsured or drives off without being identified it is possible to pursue a claim with the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB).

The MIB have two agreements: the Uninsured Drivers Agreement, which compensates victims of uninsured motorists, and the

(Above) Mountain bike groupsets offer very low gears – and can readily be used on other bikes (Left) Swing-cranks are a good solution for cyclists with limited knee flexibility

Untraced Drivers Agreement, which compensates victims of untraced motorists.

If the identify of the motorist is known then they can be sued in their own name (the damages are met by the vehicle insurers), under the Uninsured drivers agreement.

The vehicle insurers will have to deal with the claim even though the driver might have breached the terms of the policy e.g. using the vehicle as a weapon. If the vehicle was stolen and the motorist causes an accident then the vehicle insurers will still have to deal with AUGust/SEPTember 2010 cycle

59

Q&A

Technical • Legal • Health

the claim.

If the driver was not identified then the relevant course is the Untraced Drivers Agreement. It is a pre-condition to making a claim under that agreement that the incident is reported to the Police quickly (within 14 days for cases involving injury or five days for property damage only claims).

If the claim is only for property damage then the Motor Insurers Bureau will also require the registration number of the offending vehicle. If this is not available then a claim cannot be pursued.

Under both MIB agreements there is an excess in relation to property damage in the sum of £300 (i.e the first £300 of property damage is not recoverable).

In the example, I would advise that Mr Voelcker submit a written request to the Police Station requesting the details of the offending vehicle e.g. the make, model and registration number of the vehicle. Once this information is available then an application can be submitted to the Motor Insurers Bureau under the Untraced Driver’s Agreement. An application form can be downloaded from their website: www.mib.org.uk.

Paul Kitson

THE BELLS!

Q

What are the regulations regarding the fitting and use of bells on bicycles? The last bit of legislation that I could find related only to the compulsory fitting of bells to new cycles (May 2004).

Jeff Harvey

A

Nothing has changed since that 2004 legislation, which applies only to retailers.

Provided you ride only in Great

Not to be sneezed at

Britain, you are free to remove (or never fit) the bell which comes with every new bike sold since then.

But Northern Ireland has its own version of the Road Traffic Acts, with odd little differences, one of which, I believe, requires bells on bikes.

I reckon it’s more useful to have two efficient brakes on a bike than one bell, but the International Convention on Road Traffic doesn’t.

This Convention specifies the minimum equipment each type of vehicle needs in order to travel pretty much anywhere. Chapter V calls for ‘an efficient brake, front lamp, rear lamp and reflector, and a bell capable of being heard at a sufficient distance, and no other audible warning device’. So although you need two brakes, foreign visitors can get away with one. Yet when you visit a country that requires a bell, you must fit one.

Since quite a few European countries require them (the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany… and Northern Ireland) it’s probably just as well to keep the bell that came on that new bike!

Chris Juden

A bell has to be fitted at point of sale, but in Britain it’s optional whether you keep it on

CONTACTING THE EXPERTS Send health and legal questions to the Editor (details on p88). We regret that Cycle magazine cannot answer unpublished health and legal queries. Technical and general enquiries, however, are a CTC membership service. Contact the CTC Information Office, tel: 0844 736 8450, cycling@ctc.org.uk (general enquiries) or Chris Juden, technical@ctc.org.uk (technical enquiries). You can also write to: CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 7JX. And don’t forget that CTC operates a free-to-members advice line for personal injury claims, tel: 0844 736 8452.

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Hay fever is an annoyance to any sufferer, and running eyes and nose can affect a cyclist’s vision and concentration.

Pollen counts peak between 9am and 12pm. Then they lower until about 5pm when they rise until about 7pm. Try to avoid being outside during these periods. Start each day with a bath or shower to remove any pollen that may have settled on your body during the night.

Eat a good breakfast including fresh fruit, rich in vitamin C. A healthy breakfast will help the body’s natural immune system to fight the effects. Similarly at lunchtime, eat healthily, plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, avoid junk foods like chips and burgers.

When returning from a venture outdoors, changing your clothes and washing will help remove any pollen you have picked up during a bike ride.

By around 8pm most of the pollen will have settled on the ground, and this is often the most comfortable time of the day for hay fever sufferers. If you still feel a bit stuffy, try a face sauna. Fill a bowl with hot water, put a towel over your head, then hold your face over the steam and breathe. If you are tired the symptoms can become worse, so get a regular amount of sleep each night.

CS Healthcare is the provider of low cost comprehensive health insurance to CTC members and their families.

Receive 2 months free* cover when you join online and use code 166. Visit www. cshealthcare.co.uk Civil Service Healthcare is a registered friendly society authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) reg. no 205346. This article is intended as general advice only. *T&C’s apply and are available on request.

TEST

BIKE

Bikes • Accessories • Kit

Off-road alternatives

Which mountain bike should you buy for about £800? Dan Joyce and Dave Wells test a classic hardtail, a full-suspension bike and a 29er

T

hese days there are specialist mountain bikes for a host of different disciplines.

Yet the do-it-all offroad bike hasn’t disappeared, particularly at the £800 price point. That’s well within ‘proper mountain bike’ territory but still at the shallow end when it comes to specialisms.

Mountain bike terminology doesn’t stand still. Current key words for versatility for someone who likes to pedal are ‘cross country’ (abbreviated to XC) and ‘trail’. Such bikes are light 62

cycle AUGust/SEPTember 2010

and efficient enough to ride all day over moorland tracks and bridleways but still rugged enough for red and black graded routes at purpose-built trail centres. Cross-country bikes are aimed more at riding fast (racing, even) or far, while trail bikes are aimed at shorter, more technically challenging rides.

We’re looking at the pros and cons for all-round usage of three different configurations of mountain bike: a classic hardtail (i.e. suspension at front only); a short-travel full-suspension bike; and a 29er (i.e. uses 700C wheels).

The Kona Cindercone is a hardtail

The Cindercone is the only bike of the three with frame eyelets, boosting its versatility

that’s been around for 20 years. These days it sits in Kona’s trail line up. Trail features include a shorter reach, so you sit a bit more upright; a sturdily built frame; a wide, oversize handlebar; and a larger front disc brake rotor.

The KHS XC 604 is a cross-country full-suspension bike, with 100mm travel at each end and a ready-to-ride weight of about 30lb. KHS sell direct to the customer, saving on dealer margins, and it’s this that keeps the price of the bike so low. Most of its rivals cost at least another £200 or come with an inferior fork.

The Cobia is a 29er from the

The Kona Cindercone is a trail-centre type bike for the shorter-distance rider tech spec Bike

Kona Cindercone

Price

£770

Weight

12.9kg/28.4lb (no pedals)

Size

18in

Sizes available 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22in

strongest advocate of big wheel mountain bikes: Gary Fisher. Twentyniners are huge in the United States but are still struggling for acceptance in the UK. The 29er choices here are limited, especially at this price point.

Frame & fork The Kona’s frame is TIG welded from butted aluminium tubes that have been hydroformed – that is, shaped by high-pressure hydraulic fluid. The down tube is reinforced and flares wider where it meets the head tube to add stiffness and front-end impact resistance. Chain stays S-bend in and out to provide both heel and tyre clearance; you could fit something a bit fatter than the 2.1in tyre present.

It’s the only bike here with eyelets for a rear carrier – which should just about clear the disc caliper – and a full-length rear mudguard. You could fit different tyres and use the Kona for town use or rough-stuff touring, although you’d have to improvise front mudguard fixings with zip ties and P-clips.

The Kona’s reach is more compact than the other bikes. As well as a shorter effective top tube length it’s equipped with an inline seat post.

Swapping the latter for a post with layback will give extra leaning-forward room if you want it. (We both did.)

The Kona’s fork is a coil-spring Tora SL unit with 100mm travel. It’s adjustable for preload (i.e. you can compress the spring so it doesn’t sag unduly under your weight) and rebound (the rate at which the fork springs back), and it can be locked out. It’s a step up from the heavier, narrower-stanchioned Dart forks you get on bikes costing little less than this. Yet like the Dart’s we’ve used it was quite stiffly sprung. It was fine for Dave (89kg) but rather unyielding for me (69kg). A new softer spring for the fork would cost around £20 from any RockShox dealer – or online from, for example, TFtunedshox.com.

The KHS XC 604 is a full-suspension aluminium frame with just over 100mm rear wheel travel. It’s a Horst Link four-bar, a design that has been around for years and for which KHS will have had to pay patent holders Specialized. It was groundbreaking in its day and is still effective today, with negligible suspension bob from pedalling and no propensity to lock up when you’re braking.

Travel is controlled by an air shock.

That’s readily adjustable for rider weight: pump more air in if you’re heavier; let some out if lighter. There’s a dial to adjust the shock’s rebound and a lever to adjust its compression

Frame and Fork

Kona ‘All Mountain’ butted aluminium, with fittings for rear carrier and two bottle cages.

RockShox Tora SL coil fork, 100mm travel.

Wheels

54-559 Kenda Komodo tyres, Alex DP17 rims, 32x3 spokes, Formula disc front hub, Shimano M475 disc rear hub.

Transmission

Wellgo flat pedals (not used), FSA Alpha Drive Powerdrive crankset 175mm, 44/32/22T chainrings, FSA Powerdrive bottom bracket, Shimano HG53 chain, Shimano HG50 11-32 9-speed cassette.

Shimano Deore front mech, Shimano SLX rear mech.

Shimano Deore shifters. 27speed, 18-105 inches.

Braking

Shimano M486 hydraulic disc, 180mm front rotor, 160mm rear.

Steering and Seating

Kona grips, Kona XC/BC riser handlebar, 31.8mm diameter, 660mm wide. Kona XC/BC stem, 6 degree rise, 90mm. TH threadless headset. WTB Speed V Sport SE saddle on Kona Thumb 27.2mm seatpost.

Accessories

None

Contact

konaworld.com

680 590

71.2° 77

770 457 667 39

423

650

135

559

69.1° 175

317 54

86

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“It’s the shoe that tourists and commuters alike have been waiting for - I’ve not worn any of my road cycling shoes since” - Chris Juden - CTC Review

www.exustar.com Shoes featured are the New SPD leather Stelvio-705 with PM82 SPD pedals Available from all good Cycle shops and online.

Distributed in the UK by Riva Sport Industries. Tel: 020 8965 2510

TEST

BIKE

Bikes • Accessories • Kit

The 29er is the lightest bike here and steers as sharply as any of them tech spec

damping from ‘not at all’ to ‘locked out’ and anything in between.

The only downside of the KHS’s suspension set up is that clearance isn’t huge to the chain stay brace. In typical UK conditions, you won’t want to use a tyre much wider than the 2.1in one that’s there.

A lot of budget full-suspension bikes come with a sub-standard fork to keep the price down. This KHS is an exception. Its Manitou Drake air fork offers 100mm of light, well-controlled travel. It’s very low pressure, so initial set up for your weight and preference takes some patience – small pressure adjustments having a bigger effect. But once done it feels great, and like the shock, it’s adjustable for rebound and compression.

The Cobia is Fisher’s second most affordable 29er after the Mamba (£625) in the 2010 line-up. In June this year, however, the Fisher brand was brought within that of its parent company Trek, with the Gary Fisher Collection now sitting in Trek’s range. In that line-up, there’s a couple of new entry-level 29ers – the Marlin and the Marlin Singlespeed – and the bikes above them have tweaked specifications. So be aware that there’s also a new Cobia with a better fork – a Recon solo air – and hydraulic disc brakes for £100 more than our test bike.

The Fisher’s frame is hydroformed aluminium, with a reinforcing curve to the down tube where it meets the head tube. That’s common on 26in wheel frames too, particularly Specialized’s.

But there are some frame changes needed to accommodate bigger wheels. The bottom bracket is dropped further relative to the axles, to prevent you sitting higher in the air; and the head tube is shorter – and the fork is shorter travel – to keep the bars from being too high.

At the back, the chain and seat stays are bridgeless so that the rear

Bike

Fisher Cobia

Price

£800 (2010)

Weight

12.8kg/28.2lb (no pedals)

Size

M (17.5in)

Sizes available S (15.5), M (17.5), L (19), XL (21in)

wheel can sit a little closer to the seat tube and prevent the wheelbase from becoming too long. This also means there’s masses of mud room: you could fit 2.5in tyres in here, if you can find them in 29in diameter. There aren’t any mudguard or carrier rack eyelets, which is a shame as this bike would make a decent rough-stuff tourer.

It’s at the front end where Gary Fisher’s geometry changes are most evident. Bigger wheels mean more trail and slower steering, other things being equal. One way to fix this is to steepen the head angle but that exacerbates the potential toe overlap issues of a big wheel, particularly in smaller frame sizes. Fisher increase the fork offset instead, which kills two birds with one stone: it reduces trail and moves the front wheel further from the feet.

That’s good news if you’re shorter than average and still want a 29er. Fisher offer a 15.5in frame that should suit riders about 5'6" tall.

Its custom offset fork (51mm) means the Fisher actually has the lowest trail figure of all three bikes. It’s only an 80mm travel fork. Bigger wheels roll better over bumps than smaller ones, so you don’t need as much travel as a 26in wheel bike – which is just as well, as there’s less room to accommodate suspension travel. The fork is easily settable to rider weight, since it’s an air fork, and it has rebound adjustment

Frame and Fork

‘Platinum Series’ 6066 butted & hydroformed aluminium, with fittings for two bottles. RockShox Tora SL 29 solo air fork, 80mm travel.

Wheels

50-622 Bontrager 29-3 tyres, Bontrager Ranger Disc rims, 32x3 spokes, Shimano M475 disc hubs.

Transmission

Wellgo flat pedals (not used), Shimano M442 Octalink crankset, 175mm, 44/32/22T chainrings, Shimano ES25 Octalink bottom bracket, Sram PC951 chain, Sram PG950 11-34T 9-speed cassette.

Shimano Deore front mech, Sram X5 rear mech. Sram X5 shifters.

27-speed, 18-114 inches.

Braking

Avid BB5 mechanical discs with 160mm rotors.

Steering and Seating

Bontrager Race Lite grips, Bontrager Big Sweep handlebar with 15-degree backsweep, 600mm wide. Bontrager SSR stem 85mm. Cane Creek threadless semi-integrated headset.

Bontrager Race saddle on 27.2mm Bontrager SSR seatpost

Accessories

None

Contact

fisherbikes.com and trekbikes.com 715 600

72° 100

755 445 722 51

440

670

135

622

69.5° 175

315 50

81

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TEST

BIKE

Bikes • Accessories • Kit

tech spec Bike

KHS XC 604

Price

£849.99

Weight

13.4kg/29.5lb (no pedals)

Size

L

Sizes available S, M, L Frame and Fork

6061 butted aluminium frame, with four-bar Horst Link rear suspension using an X-Fusion 02RC air shock. Fittings for one bottle. Manitou Drake air fork, 100mm travel.

Wheels

54-559 Kenda Nevegal tyres, Mavic XM-317 disc rims, 32x3 spokes, KK alloy disc hubs.

Transmission

Wellgo flat pedals (not used), Truvativ Firex 3.0 crankset, 175mm, 44/32/22T chainrings, Truvativ GXP outboard bearing bottom bracket, KMC Z900 chain, Shimano HG50 11-34T 9-speed cassette. Shimano Deore front mech, Shimano XT Shadow rear mech. Shimano Deore shifters.

27-speed, 17-105 inches.

Braking

Hayes Stroker Ryde hydraulic disc with 160mm rotors.

Steering and Seating

WTB WeirWolf grips, FSA XC-300 handlebar, 31.8mm diameter, 680mm wide. 70mm BBB stem mm. Cane Creek A-headset Zero Stack. WTB Silverado Comp saddle on 31.6mm FSA Q2 alu micro-adjust seatpost.

Accessories

None

Contact

khsbikes.co.uk

690 605 72.9° 750

66 485

667 39

425

680

559

69.7° 170 82

135

335 54

1105

and lockout. There’s no compression damping, unlike the KHS’s Manitou.

Equipment The Kona comes with the wider (660mm) oversize-diameter handlebar you want on a trail bike. Compared to a narrow bar it offers more leverage, enabling you to ride with a firm rein on bumpy singletrack, tight turns, descents and drops. Kenda’s Komodo tyres are slightly lighter treaded than the Nevegals on the KHS, but they’re still decent all-rounders that rolled fine on a variety of summer surfaces.

The groupset is Shimano’s workhorse Deore, with a low-profile Shadow SLX rear derailleur. This tucks in closer to the cassette to reduce rock strikes, and comes with a straight cable run into the mech, which should keep shifting performance sweeter for longer due to the reduced cable friction. Stopping is via Shimano’s M486 hydraulic discs. They’re well modulated for budget brakes.

If the specification of the Kona is about what you’d expect at the price, that of the KHS is a welcome surprise.

The Shadow XT rear mech is a rare sight even on hardtails at this price and the cassette goes to 34T rather than 32T, which makes long climbs less of a chore. Areas often scrimped on like tyres, bottom bracket, bar and stem are all good. The Hayes Stroker Ryde brakes took a while to bed in – likely new pads had been fitted to this test bike – but they eventually worked fine.

The Fisher shows some economies in its specification, notably its Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes. But while they look a bit cheap, so long as

you set them up carefully so the pads are very close to the rotors they work reasonably well. And you get plenty of braking feel through the lever.

Neither of us liked the bars. Dave didn’t get on with the back sweep and both of us wanted something wider.

The saddle turned out to be awkward too. The forked rear end easily hooks your shorts if you hang off the back of it. You could upgrade the contact points, but spending even £50 on a £800 is a significant extra.

The wheels feature decent eyeleted Bontrager rims on Shimano M475 hubs. They’re shod with Bontrager tyres too, oddly named 29-3 given their 2.0in width. I’d have liked something wider, which would easily fit. I washed out the front tyre a couple of times where a wider tyre run softer might have held. I’d swap these Bontragers for Kenda Small Block Eights or Schwalbe Racing Ralphs.

The ride The Kona’s shorter reach is evident as soon as you climb aboard. It reminded me of Giant’s Talon 1 (tested in Cycle Dec 09/Jan 10). It was most fun when I wasn’t actually pedalling – freewheeling through short, humpbacked swoopy sections of singletrack or twisting down steep switchback descents, where its wide bar and decent brakes paid dividends and where its short reach made it feel manoeuvrable.

That’s what it’s for really: it’s a trail-centre type bike for the shorterdistance rider. It was less fun pedalling quickly along flatter trails, where it felt both cramped and slow compared to AUGust/SEPTember 2010 cycle

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TEST

BIKE

Bikes • Accessories • Kit

the easy-rolling Fisher. And on long climbs the front wheel had a tendency to wander. It wasn’t a surprise to find it had the longest trail figure here.

For all that the KHS is a crosscounty full-suspension bike, it’s still more enjoyable when you’re heading downwards. The suspended rear end doesn’t get kicked about like a hardtail’s, so you can descend smoothly, confidently and – if you wish – quickly. The Horst Link suspension worked just as well on the chatter of rough trail surfaces as it did over bigger step downs and drops.

Dave usually rides a longer-travel trail full-suspension bike, albeit with a similar wide bar and short stem, and said it felt ‘like coming home’. I liked the extra reach of this nominally large KHS compared to the Kona, and would be happy to ride it all day. The overall weight is low for a budget fullsuspension bike, and the suspension at both ends feels refined and finetunable. It doesn’t just plod along like some sprung bikes. You can ride it at pace on the flat, and it even climbs tolerably well thanks to its bigger rear sprocket and suspension that can be limited or locked out. So long as you’re a more or less wheels-on-the-ground rider, it’s hard to think of any UK terrain where this KHS wouldn’t cope.

Some cyclists – often those who have never ridden one – complain that 68

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29ers are heavy and sluggish steering.

Neither of these things is true of the Fisher Cobia. It’s the lightest bike here and it steers as sharply as any of them.

Its bigger wheels roll better, so you can go further or faster for the same effort.

This is most noticeable on draggy surfaces like grass or sand.

The Fisher was the first big wheeler that Dave had ridden and it was the only bike of the three that he rode to the top of a steep, energy-sapping 500m-long climb. In fact, he overtook me on the way up. The Fisher’s longer reach is better for getting power down, which helps, and its bigger wheels climb more easily over bumps and roots that smaller wheels can stall on without an extra kick of energy. (A given bump hits the circumference of a bigger wheel at a shallower angle and so deflects the wheel upwards less. On a bumpy trail, bigger wheels roll, as it were, along a shallower sine wave.)

The Fisher was less good on descents. With its narrower, lighter treaded tyres, narrower handlebar, less powerful brakes, and shortertravel fork, it didn’t engender the same confidence as the other two bikes. You could fix these things with upgrades – at a price. As it is, the bike better suits longer rides with fewer hazards.

Summary The Kona Cindercone would suit a couple of different types of rider.

Type one is the thrills and spills trailoriented rider like Dave, who said he would happily own this bike if it were fitted with a different seat post. Type two is the relative beginner who wants

a more upright, more sedate do-it-all hardtail and who might appreciate the versatility provided by the Kona’s frame fitments. Lighter riders might want a different fork spring and the Cindercone isn’t especially keenly priced either, but on the whole it’s a good example of a trail hardtail.

The KHS XC 604 is exceptional value for money. Most full suspension bikes at this price feel compromised in one area or another, often the fork, to the extent that a hardtail at the same price will be simply better. That’s not the case with this KHS. It’s not just one of best full suspension bikes for £850, it’s one of the best mountain bikes of any kind at this price. For more technical riding, it is the most capable and most enjoyable bike here, yet it’s not too heavy for all-day rides either.

The Fisher Cobia is a cross-country hardtail that happens to have bigger wheels. These genuinely roll better in the rough, boosting both comfort and efficiency. The drawback is that 29ers are slightly more expensive than an equivalent 26in-wheel bike, so to keep the price competitive there are a few economies in terms of the handlebar, stem, tyres and brakes. It’s these rather than the big wheels that take the edge off the Cobia’s technical abilities. This is nevertheless a mountain bike and not a hybrid, and the frame and fork are good enough to upgrade (or how about the new Trek/Fisher Collection Cobia?). Even without upgrades, if you want a mountain bike for long days out or exploring rather than hammering around trail centres, this is the best option of the three.

The Rivals

26in hardtail: Giant Talon 0 £870 A similar shorter-reach ‘trail hardtail’ to the Kona, the extra £100 gets you a Tora air fork rather than a coil and some component upgrades – such as SLX shifters and an XT rear mech. giant-bicycles.com

29er: Kona Kahuna £870 Better brakes, tyres and handlebar than the Fisher but an inferior fork: a RockShox Dart 3 that you’ll want to upgrade sooner rather than later. Otherwise directly comparable. konaworld.com

Full sus: Boardman FS Comp £850 Like the KHS, this has an excellent spec for the money.

It’s a lightweight 120mmtravel bike with RockShox Recon air fork, Sram X5/ X7 gearing and Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disc brakes. boardmanbikes.com

REVIEWS Bikes • Accessories • Kit

Gear up!

A cross-section of cycling products selected and reviewed by CTC staff, specialist journalists and CTC members

Submit a review

If you want to submit a review, write or email the editor – details on page 88 – for advice on how to go about it. Each one printed wins a boxed set of three Cassini historical maps of the area of your choice. To see the whole range, visit www.cassinimaps.com. To order by phone, call 0845 458 9910.

RockShox Reba Race fork £449 Reviewed by touring & audax cyclist Sheila Simpson

Suspension forks are designed primarily for mountain biking, and as the name says this one is meant for racers – or at least, for fitting to a lightweight cross-country bike. I got it for touring. Suspension forks are an unusual option for the tourist but they are comfortable on rough mountain roads, so after being well shaken about in the Himalayas, I invested in a lightweight mountain bike frame and this well-regarded RockShox fork.

This fork is in two sliding parts, oriented the usual way around – uppers into lowers. The uppers are aluminium and the lowers magnesium, with a dual air suspension chamber between the two. Before you ride, you must ensure that the air chambers are at the pressure that suits your weight, otherwise the suspension will not work ideally for you – full details in the handbook though the shock pump is not included in the price. The fork has a handy poploc, a lever that switches almost all suspension off, for climbing on relatively smooth roads. There is also a control that dampens suspension rebound. I left this on ‘rabbit’, least

MKS Custom Pro Pedals £109.99 Reviewed by Editor Dan Joyce

Silky smooth cartridge bearings and a robust build go a long way to justifying the high price of these quill pedals. The aluminium cage and body are asymmetrical – there's only one side to pedal properly on. As such, they're better used with their optional steel toe clips and leather straps. They 72

cycle august/september 2010

felt too nice (and pricy!) on my town hack – my only bike with flat pedals.

They look lovely, though, and if you've got a retro road bike or just don't use clipless pedals on your top-end tourer, these are well worth considering.

Details: 292g/pair. From zyro.co.uk.

Clips an extra £9.99, straps £17.99.

damping, which seemed to work best on the irregularities of rough roads.

I trialled the fork from my doorstep into the Derbyshire Peak District and could feel it ironing out badly maintained surfaces even before leaving town. On climbs, the firming effect of the poploc, switching off the suspension, was noticeable; I used this control continually, glad to have opted for the remote option on the handlebars. On steep, potholed descents I was impressed with the suspension’s feeling of stability, compared with the jolting through traditional steel or carbon forks. As hoped, I was far less thrown about and the ride was less tiring.

By mountain bike standards, the fork is lightweight but at 1625g (3.58lb) it is heavier than a normal touring fork.

It is also a lot more expensive, though you can often find the fork discounted.

If you keep a stable of cycles or your touring normally includes rough mountain country, then this fork is excellent. If you maintain only one all-purpose touring bike then you may balk at the weight penalty and price.

Details: rockshox.com.

Distributed in the UK by Fisher Outdoor, fisheroutdoor.co.uk

Stronglight mudguards £12.50 or £18 Reviewed by Technical Editor Chris Juden

Stronglight's new mudguards are laminated from black or clear plastic with an aluminium foil core: like SKS, but costing less. The stays are sturdy stainless steel with effective and rattle-free safety-release fittings up front.

The cheapest is the E-type, where the stays are attached by plastic fittings clipped onto the edges of the guard and tightened by a stainless screw. The stays must be trimmed to length first and care taken not to over-tighten the screw. But the finished job looks neat and is more stable than SKS’s no-metal-bridges design, probably because the Stronglight guard is thicker. Plus it comes with mudflaps.

Their S-type (pictured) has the usual stainless steel bridges, but with nylon drawbolts and nuts.

The drawbolt moulding cleverly incorporates a ferrule to cover the sharp end of the stay, but I have little faith in small plastic screwthreads.

And one did jump its threads when I carefully adjusted it after 500 miles and two flights.

In conclusion, I’d recommend Stronglight E-type as a more sturdy and much cheaper (only £12.50) alternative to SKS Bluemels SPB-type.

Meanwhile Stronglight S-type would be an economical (£18) replacement for SKS Chromoplastics – but hang onto your old metal drawbolts and nuts! Both designs are available black or silver in 35, 42 and 48mm widths for 27in (700C) and 54mm for 26in, plus S-54mm also for 27in.

Details: Prices are from spacycles.co.uk (01423 887003). Available from other dealers via greyville.com.

Telegraph Road jerseys £49 Reviewed by Technical Editor Chris Juden

Telegraph Road jerseys echo the heritage of road racing – without advertising a Belgian furniture store etc! I’m no racer, but I liked the look of the Mountain Badges design, which includes souvenirs of some of the passes I’ve ridden my (touring) bike over. Worn on local club runs, it received favourable comment from other riders and performed very well in hot conditions. There’s an array of different-sized rear pockets, one with a zip, the hem has a silicone gripper and the front zip-pull has a novelty compass – not recommended for navigation!

Details: for sizing and other designs, see telegraph-road.com. august/september 2010 cycle

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REVIEWS Bikes • Accessories • Kit

Kryptonite Modulus lock £30/£35 Reviewed by Technical Editor Chris Juden

This is a modular cable lock from Kryptonite, meant to deter the opportunistic thief. It comprises one lock head and a choice of cable styles.

The lock head has two sockets: to secure both ends of a single cable or one end each of two noose cables. And that’s what it comes with: 1.8m of 10mm thick, plastic coated self-coiling cable or two similar 1.1m nooses. The single cable is cheaper (£30 RRP) easier to deploy and store, but two nooses (£35) can tether more things further apart. You choose!

I found such stiff coils hard to stretch out and if you don’t need the cable to compact itself for storage on the bike, you might prefer one of the optional straight cables: 1.8m continuous or 1.5m noose. Of course the same lock head can be used with different cables for other locking jobs, and additional heads can daisy-chain continuous cables.

Each lock comes with a mounting bracket that straps to a cycle frame tube or roof-rack bar etc., or can be attached via bottle-cage bosses. I preferred the single cable option, since only a painstaking tethering of the two nooses could keep them away from my legs.

Details: see kryptonitelock.com. Available in the UK via Madison madison.co.uk

Rigida Tungsten Carbide wheels Rim £59.99 (+ £47.50 spokes & labour) Reviewed by expedition cyclist Cass Gilbert

These rims use a tungsten carbide coating similar to the Rigida Grizzly rims I've previously tested. However, the Andra 30s are a tougher, heavier-weight version (735g) for expedition touring. As provided by SJS Cycles, they've been drilled for the larger flange of a Rohloff hub – otherwise, spokes have a habit of breaking. The coating itself is incredibly hard wearing. The rim photographed has already seen ten thousand kilometres of off-road touring, in everything from snow storms to dusty, rocky trails. Impressively, it's stayed completely true and is showing very minimal signs of wear – which in my mind, justifies the steep price tag. Just be sure to use Swiss Stops' equally hard wearing CSS Blue brake pads, as normal pads wear away like butter. Also available in an eyeleted, 36-hole version for derailleur driven bikes.

Details: rim & wheelbuild from sjscycles.com.

Price doesn’t include hub

Tarptent Rainbow £152 approx plus £20 p&p Reviewed by expedition cyclist Cass Gilbert

As the name suggests, the Tarptent Rainbow is a fusion of a tarp and a tent – an innovative ultralight, singleskin shelter complete with sewn-in mosquito net. For the lightweight tourer, there's a lot to like about it. For its minimal 910g weight, its incredibly roomy; even at 6'1", my feet aren't close to touching the ends, with plenty of space for sitting up – always welcome after a long day in the saddle. It will sleep two at a squeeze, or one with ample room for baggage.

Pack size is tiny – without the single pole, it rolls down to the volume of a small loaf of bread.

However, like all singleskin tents, the Rainbow is prone to condensation.

While it will keep you dry in the heaviest of downpours, you'll need to seam seal it first, and take care not to touch the tent walls.

Using a separate ground sheet is recommended too. The tent needs to be pegged down, which can be limiting, though at a push, sticks

can be used. Overall, the Rainbow will survive but ultimately doesn't suit long-term extreme conditions – anything in between, and it's ideal. Best of all, you'll barely notice you're carrying it. Highly recommeded.

Details: $225 from tarptent.com

august/september 2010 cycle

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REVIEWS Bikes • Accessories • Kit

Cycle shorts Bicycle,

by Helen Pidd £14.99 Reviewed by Victoria Hazael

A great book for friends who want to cycle but don’t know where to start, this practical guide covers bike buying, maintenance, training, policy, the helmet debate, theft, and a history of cycling. ‘Bicycle’ is well written and upbeat, and also packed with illustrations and nice photos too.

256pp, ISBN 9781905490530

Two Wheels on my Wagon

Rab Microlight jacket £130 Reviewed by CTC member Harry Lyons

This is a seriously lightweight jacket. We each opted for these down jackets instead of fleeces when we kitted up for our Transamerica ride.

Weighing in at 330 grams for the men's large, it packs into its own pocket for neat storage. It was warm on cold mornings in the mountains, windproof at the blustery coast and easily stowed in the handlebar bag when the sun came out. I've even worn it in wintry weather – it was great with a couple of layers of Merino wool underneath.

Like all down jackets it doesn't like getting wet and although the shell claims to be water resistant it probably wouldn't shrug off more than a heavy mist. We used it in combination with a Montane waterproof jacket. Finally, it looks good, generating plenty of complimentary comments. Expensive but well worth it (we used our CTC discount with Cotswold).

Details: men’s sizes S-XXL, in black, mirage or fig; women’s sizes 8-16 in black, grape, rose, truffle or aqua. See rab.uk.com and cotswoldoutdoor.com

Kenda Karma tyres £30.99

£10.99 Reviewed by Rosie Downes

Reviewed by Editor Dan Joyce

It's tempting to leave fairly heavily treaded tyres on your mountain bike so you've got enough grip when you need it. But grip isn't just about tread depth and patterns. It also comes from pressure (lower puts more rubber on the trail), rubber compound (suppler and softer is grippier but wears quicker), and size – diameter as well as width. Twenty-niners (700C) provide slightly better traction and seem to be able to get away with less tread than a 26in tyre.

In 26in, Kenda's Karma is a decently quickrolling summer tyre. In 29in, I've found it grippy enough for wetter rides too. And it rolls better than the chunky Panaracer Rampages I had on.

Like Schwalbe's Albert, a good compromise.

Details: Sizes: 29x1.90 (50-622), 29x2.2 (55-622), 26x2, from www.kendauk.com

Paul Howard describes the Tour Divide, a 2,800-mile MTB race down the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Mexico. He rode up to 165 miles each day yet kept notes detailed enough for vivid descriptions, from the pies on sale in Pie Town to poetic reveries on the landscape. An engrossing read.

272pp, ISBN 9781845965617

Brompton Bicycle £11.95 Reviewed by Dan Joyce

David Henshaw’s book is a fascinating and in depth look at the development of the iconic folding bike. There’s good section on looking after your Brompton too. The tone is a little indulgent (other folders are better at certain roles), but this is nevertheless recommended reading for folding bike fans.

280pp, ISBN: 9781905974016

OPTX 20/20 HydroTac lenses. £15 Reviewed by CTC member Gerry Goldsmith

I used these removable soft lenses to convert my cycling glasses into bifocals – very useful for reading a map or GPS on the handlebars.

They come in standard magnifications from +1.25 up to +3. Trim them if needed and stick on with a drop of water. This pair have survived a few years’ regular use – with careful washing.

I stuck a second pair to my sunglasses, but they were not so easy to fit because the lenses

of those are more curved.

Details: I bought mine from visiondirect. co.uk for about £15. For other suppliers, see optx2020.com. august/september 2010 cycle

77

REVIEWS Bikes • Accessories • Kit

Supernova Triple £245 plus dynamo wheel Reviewed by Technical Editor Chris Juden

The Supernova E3 Triple is a dynamo headlamp from Germany intended for mountain biking. The factors that made dynamo lighting a non-starter off-road have been answered one-by-one by new technology.

Dynamos have too much drag and slip on muddy tyres? Not when they’re in a hub. 3W isn’t enough power? It can be with more efficient light sources.

The light dims just when you need it to negotiate an obstacle? True for a bulb, where the spectrum shifts to invisible infra-red, but LEDs don’t do that and although output falls, a dynamo-LED system at half design speed produces more than half as much light, so you’ll still see at least 70% as far. But you’ll be completely in the dark if you stop? Not with today’s electronic technology, to extract, store and release extra power.

The Supernova E3 Triple packs all of those answers into a lamp that’s shown several champion 24-hour MTB racers their route to victory. But real riding is different from racing and I was keen to see how it would compare with the brilliant mains-rechargeables employed by my fellow nightriders.

Up to walking speed just one LED came on, giving ample light to get started. It wasn’t so good for picking the smoothest path up a steep hill, but sufficed. Above 3mph the other two kicked in and things got steadily 78

cycle august/september 2010

brighter. Meanwhile a little power was diverted to a super-capacitor that boosted the initial LED for a while if I slowed right down again and provided enough light to see where I was if I stopped. This ‘standlight’ dims with time, but lasted for 7 minutes (12 without a rear lamp). Unfortunately the standlight remained on when I switched off the power, wasting light and drawing unwelcome attention to the parked bike.

Back on the trail and now going faster than 8mph, the lamp came into its own. Apparently some electrickery hoodwinks the alternator into delivering considerably more than its regulation three watts, boosting total light output to a claimed maximum of 680 lumens. That’s a lot brighter than my old halogen bulbs, but not as brilliant as some of the rechargeable LED or HID systems I’ve seen. Up to speed, the Triple is well bright enough for familiar trails or those not too narrow and twisty. But unlike the predictable circuit of a 24h race, real trails are often neither familiar nor open, so I tried to get lost in the local woods. And I succeeded!

When the speed drops, output falls to something like my old halogens. And whilst the beam is wider than a typical dynamo lamp designed for road use, it doesn’t shed as much light to the sides

as a flood. For exploratory riding I’d combine the E3 triple with a headtorch – which is useful anyway in case of mechanical problems.

I’ll certainly not be reverting to batteries. I appreciate the autonomy of generating power myself: the freedom from recharging batteries and to ride as long as I like off-road too. The only snag with the Triple is dazzling oncoming drivers. You’ll need to shade it with a hand. (Supernova make other E3 lamps for mainly road use.) The optional rear lamp is incredibly neat and bright and comes in two versions: to fit EU standard rear carriers or seatposts. I bodged it to fit a seat stay.

You might be wondering about the ‘heavy’ dynamo hub. I used a Shimano Alfine. It weighs 220g more than a regular XT front hub, plus 180g for the lamp with cables & bracket. My old rechargeable battery alone is 690g.

Admittedly you can now get 4-hour Li-ion systems half that weight, but a SON-delux hub would also save 100g, run as long as your legs keep moving and be guaranteed for five years. So no worries about the E3 Triple being light enough, in both senses of the word!

Details: £245, plus the cost of a dynamo wheel. Optional rear lamp is £40. See supernova-lights.com. UK Distribution by Amba Marketing, amba-marketing.com

member benefits Benefit Highlights

WIN!

a day in th Vacansoleil e Cycling tea Pro following th m car e To of Britian ur

Vacansoleil Camping Holidays Vacansoleil offers the widest choice of campsites throughout Europe. With 335 destinations to choose from in 16 countries, there’s bound to be something to suit every family. Whether you’re looking for an action-packed holiday or pure relaxation, you’ll find it with Vacansoleil. The luxury mobile homes and bungalow tents are fully equipped with everything you might need to make your holiday perfect. Most campsites have one or more swimming pools and many have water slides as well.

Extra special offers apply on most campsites for holidays started after 21st August. Book a two-week holiday and only pay for 10 nights or book a oneweek holiday and only pay for 6 nights.

To win a day out in the team car following the Vacansoleil Pro Cycling at the Tour of Britain, complete the form. For your copy of the Vacansoleil brochure, call 0333 700 50 50 or visit www. vacansoleil.co.uk for more details of our camping holidays. For more information about the team visit www.vacansoleilpct.co.uk.

HOW TO ENTER Complete the coupon below, or a photocopy, and send it to: Vacansoleil Prize Draw, CTC, Parklands, Railton Rd, Guildford, GU2 9JX. Name: Membership no.: Address:

Your CTC membership CTC membership includes a wide range of exclusive benefits for all cyclists, including:

1

£10m third party insurance if you have an accident anywhere (except the USA and Canada) and a claim is made against you. Call the CTC Accident Line on 0844 736 8452.

2 3 4 5

Campaigning for cycling on local and national issues.

An award-winning bimonthly cycling magazine, Cycle.

Great discounts on cycling products and services.

CycleClips – an informative weekly e-newsletter. Call the Membership Department on 0844 736 8451 or email membership@ctc.org.uk to register.

6

Access to over 200 CTC groups and hundreds of local and national events.

See www.ctc.org.uk or Cycle magazine for details.

7

Email:

Touring information and advice on any non-technical aspect of cycling.

Call the Information Team on 0844 736 8450 or email cycling@ctc.org.uk

Question: How many countries does Vacansoleil Camping Holidays have sites in?

8

Daytime telephone:

Answer: I do not wish to receive product information or offers from Vacansoleil Camping Holidays  I do not wish my details to be passed on to any third party. 

Terms and conditions: 1. This is a prize draw open to adult CTC members only. One entry per person. 2. Entries must be received by 27th August 2010. 3. The draw will be made on 31st August 2010. 4. The winner will be notified by email or telephone and may be required to take part in publicity. 5. The first correct entry drawn will win a day out in the team car following the Vacansoleil Pro Cycling at the Tour of Britain (date to be agreed with Vacansoleil Pro Team management). The prize is subject to availability, is not transferable and there is no cash alternative.

6. The prize does not include travel to the race or overnight accommodation. 7. Vacansoleil cannot be held responsible if for any reasons beyond their control this competition has to be partially or totally modified, postponed or cancelled. 8. Employees of CTC, James Pembroke Publishing, or Vacansoleil Camping Holidays, and their agents cannot enter. 9. Entry coupons will become property of the Vacansoleil Camping Holidays after the draw, unless indicated otherwise on the coupon. 10. The judge’s decision is final. Entry to the competition implies full and unconditional acceptance of these rules.

Technical advice from CTC’s worldrenowned expert. Call 0844 736 8450 or email technical@ctc.org.uk with your queries.

9 10

Access to a wide range of cycling holidays all over the world. Call 0845 045 1121 or see www.cyclingholidays.org

Cycling related claims advice from CTC’s experienced legal team.

Call 0844 736 8452.

Special offers for CTC Members

Membership Rates Adult (18 & over)

£36

12% discount on bikes and accessories at the CTC Shop: www.ctcshop.org.uk

25% off new YHA memberships: www.yha.org.uk, 01629 592700

Family (family members living at the same address)

£58.50

£10 off return tickets on the European Bike Express: www.bike-express.co.uk, 01430 422111

Junior (17 & under or full-time student under 26)

£12

Cycle insurance for theft or damage: www.cyclecover.co.uk, 0844 736 8457

Senior (65 & over) or Unwaged

£22.50

Cycle rescue if your bike is stolen or broken: www.ctc. org.uk/rescue, 0800 212 810

Senior 5-Year

£90 (1 year free)

Adult 5-Year

£144 (1 year free)

15% off Cotswold Outdoor clothes/camp kit www. cotswoldoutdoor.com, 0844 557 7755. Quote C2061 ZipVit and ZipVitSport – 12% off all orders from www. zipvit.co.uk and www.zipvitsport.co.uk. Code CTCZV1 CTC Travel insurance for cyclists: www.cyclecover. co.uk, 0844 736 8458 10% off Magnus Maximus coffee purchased online from www.bigmaggys.com 10% discount with SeaFrance Ferries: www.seafrance.

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cycle August/September 2010

com, 0871 663 2559. Quote CTCLUB.

3 months’ free car breakdown cover for new members of ETA: www.eta.co.uk/ctc, 0800 212 810

Join now on 0844 736 8451 or visit www.ctc.org.uk

ctc directory

To adverTise call our sales team on 0207 657 1820 or email ctc@tenalps.com

Villiers-Velo

Hand Built Bespoke Bicycles and Frames

www.villiers-velo.co.uk

The Ultimate Touring Bicycle

Custom steel frames and bespoke hand built touring bikes.

Specialists in frame repairs, wheel building and classic bicycle renovations and upgrades.

Telephone Paul: 07795 804039

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cycle august/september 2010

Rochester, Kent,U.K.

To advertise call our sales team on 0207 657 1820 or email ctc@tenalps.com

ctc directory

"Elite Vaison Bike Box for sale 2nd hand. For secure carriage/ forwarding bike by air or road haulage/ courier services. Very strong rigid soft black plastic 1230x792x330mm 21kg.

2 wheels and recessed handle. Used once, complete with all internals, straps, lock keys and instructions. Price paid £342.54: accept £200 or offer. Contact Paul Bunting on 01903 694314"

WEST DORSET Fabulous cycling, wonderful scenery, comfortable bike friendly B&B. Unspoilt village, sea 10 miles. CTC discount. www.bunhouse.co.uk or 01300 321200.

WANTED: Steel track frames, old track bits. Cash paid. Will collect. Lewin 07977 451 507

To advertise call our sales team on 0207 657 1820 or email ctc@tenalps.com

August/SEPTEMBER 2010 cycle

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cycle

What’s On

AUG/SEP 2010

CTC’s calendar of National, Regional and Local events for all cyclists in the UK

To submit your CTC event for What’s On listings in Cycle and for the CTC website, send details to: Bob Kynaston (Events Co-ordinator), 14 Orchard Close, The Rutts, Bushey Heath, Herts WD23 1LW, tel/fax: 020 8950 2082, e: westerley@westerley.plus.com.

The deadline for October/November is 18th August.

Forms and advice are available on the website www.ctc.org.uk (follow the links: CTC Resources > Event Organisers > Getting your event listed by CTC) or from the CTC National Office: 0844 736 8450.

Events require completion of a CTC standard entry form (audax form for events under AUK rules).

Under 18s must have their entry form signed by a parent or guardian. Contact the event organiser for an entry form.

AUGUST Sunday 1st

(a) Tamar 100km, CTC Devon. Start: Saltash services car park, 09.30, £2.00.

Contact: Bryan Richardson, 89 Earlsmill Rd, Plympton, PL7 2BX, t: 01752 330007 Wednesday 4th

(a) Mid-Peak Grimpeur 108KM BP AUK, Manchester and District CTC. Start: Marlpe Memorial Park SK6, 10.00, £5.00.

Contact: Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph, OL3 5UX, t: 01457 870421, e: mike@PeakAudax.co.uk Sunday 8th

Phil Liggett CTC Challenge. See p12. (e) Sports Day, CTC South Kent. Start: Wye Church, 10.30, £5.00. Contact: Roger Burchett, Haytor, Stone Street, Lympne, CT21 4JY, t: 01303 267969 (a) 40/40 Colchester, Essex CTC c’ttee. Start: Alma Pub, Copford Green 10.00, £3.00. Contact: Brian Penny, 70 Highmead, Rayleigh, t: 01268 777941 (f) Stevenage Semi-Circular 50km Off Road/(f) Stevenage Semi-Circular Plus 60km Off Road/(f) Greenwich Meridan Challenge 85km Off Road/ (f) Greenwich Meridan Challenge 108km Off Road, Hertfordshire CTC. Start: Costello’s Café, Fairlands Valley Park. Contact: R Corbett, 7 Cromwell Rd, Stevenage SG2 9HT, t: 01438 237437, e: robert.corbett@ntworld.com Wednesday 11th

(a) White-Peak Grimpeur 103KM BP AUK, Manchester & District CTC. Start: Marlpe Memorial Park SK6, 10.00, £5.00. Contact: Mike Wigley, Higher Grange Farm, Millcroft Lane, Delph, OL3 5UX, t: 01457 870421, e: mike@ PeakAudax.co.uk Saturday 14th

(f) Rough Stuff 50km/(f) Rough 84

cycle AUgust/september 2010

What’s On key Red text

CTC National events

BEGN

Beginners

Blue text

CTC Tourist Competition events

MEET

Meeting

m

Miles

k

Kilometres

Start Lists place (sometimes with OS grid reference), time, and (if applicable) entry fee. Contact the organiser

AUK Event validated by Audax UK. See www.audax.uk.net

CTC Tourist competition Event Codes

BP Brevet Populaire (audax event, usually under 200km)

(a) 25-79 miles (40-127km)

BR Brevet de Randonneur (audax of 200km and above)

(c) 120-185 miles (193-299km)

COMP

Competitive event

SOCL

Social event

(e) Map readings, tourist competitions, sports days, treasure hunts, hill climbs, freewheeling competition.

OFF-ROAD Mountain bike/rough-stuff

Stuff 30km, CTC North Hampshire.

Start: Chawton Wood, 10.00, £2.00.

Contact: Mark Beauchamp, 38 Mortimer Gardens, Tadley, RG26 3UP, t: 0118 981 7790, e: mjebeauchamp@yahoo.co.uk Hilly 20 miles in 2/2.5 hours, Huddersfield and District CTC. Start: Kirkburton Try Cycling, 10.00. Contact: Peter Ralph, 51 Edge Avenue, Thornhill, WF12 0EL, t: 01924 520801, e: peteralph2001@fsmail.net Sunday 15th

(a) Okehampton CC Mid Devon 60 miles in 5/6 hours/(b) Okehampton CC Mid Devon 100 miles in 8/10 hours, CTC Devon. Start: Mole Avon car park Okehampton, 09.00, £2.00.

Contact: Tim Bridgman, 6 Western Road, Zeal Monachorum, EX17 6DQ, t: 07731 385531, e: tim_sharon2002@ btinternet.com (a) Leicestershire Loop Hilly 100km, CTC Northamptonshire & Milton Keynes.

Start: East Carlton Country Park nr Corby, 09.30, £3.00. Contact: Max Scott, 7 Lancaster Road, Rothwell, Kettering, NN14 6DW, t: 01536 712507, e: maxscott@trivelo.freeserve.co.uk (a) Lethnot & lunan 100kkm BP AUK/ (c) Pitlochry 200km BR AUK, CTC Tayside. Start: Scout hut, Lochside Road, Fofar Angus, 09.00/08.00. Contact: David Husband, 78 Old Halkerton Road, Fofar, DD8 1JP, t: 01307 466123, e: d.c.husband@btinternet.com (a) Tour of the Greensand Hills 52km BP AUK/(a) Tour of the Hills 115km BP AUK, CTC West Surrey. Start: Shere Village Hall, 10.30/10.00, £3.50/£6.00.

Contact: Don Gray, Greenleas, Beech La, Normandy, GU3 2JH, t: 01483 810028, e: tourofthehills@ctcwestsurrey.org.uk (a) Invicta 100km BP AUK, West Kent CTC. Start: Tonbridge, 08.30, £4.00.

Contact: Bob Seall, 1 Bell Cotts., Golden Green, Tonbridge, TN11 0BB, t: 01732

(b) 80-119 miles (128-192km) (d) 186 miles-plus (300km and over)

(f) Off-road/rough stuff

850664, e: rseall@googlemail.com Wednesday 18th

(a) White Peak Grimpeur 103km BP AUK, Manchester and District CTC. Start: Marple Memorial Park SK6, 10.00, £5.00.

Contact: David Catlow, 9 Friars Close, Rainow, Macclesfield, SK10 5UQ, e: catlow@PeakAudax (a) Boulters Bash 110km BP AUK, Willesden CC. Start: Jenner’s Café, Boulters Lock, Maidenhead, 10.00, £3.00. Contact: Mick Hill, 5 Castle Farm, Windsor, SL4 4PT, t: 07763 765802, e: mick.hill56@hotmail.co.uk Saturday 21st

(d) Spurn Head 400 400km BR AUK/ (d) The Old 240 400km BR AUK, CTC West Yorkshire. Start: Mytholmroyd C/ Centre, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, 05.30, £5.00. Contact: Chris Crossland, 14 Stanley Street West, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 1EF, t: 01422 832853, e: chris. crossland@halifaxctc.org.uk BEGN Bicycle Belles entry-level ride for women CTC Two Mills, Chester & North Wales CTC. Start: Port Sunlight Merseyrail Station, Greendale Rd CH62 4XB, 10.00, free. Contact: Janet Gregory, 92c Dowmhan Rd South, Heswall, CH60 5SQ, t: 079534 333930, e: twomills@ ctcchesterandnwales.org.uk (c) Wiltshire White Horses 200km BR AUK, Corinium CC. Start: Ashton Keynes nr Cirencester, 08.00, £6.00.

Contact: Andrew Tolman, 36 Michael Pyms Road, Malmesbury, SN16 9TY, t: 01666 829639, e: fern@funkia. wanadoo.co.uk Sunday 22nd

(b) Luton & Herts 150km BP AUK, CTC West London. Start: Scout Hall, Little Bushey Lane, Bushey, 08.30. Contact: Simon Trott, 20 Hereford Gardens, Pinner, HA5 5JR, t: 020 8866 0404

(a) A Taste of Kernow 50km BP AUK/ (a) A Taste of Kernow 100km BP AUK/(c) A Taste of Kernow 200km BR AUK, Birthday Rides, Falmouth Whs. Start: Penryn, 10.00/09.00/08.00, £3.50/£3.50/£3.50. Contact: Adrian Hitchman, 4 Poplar Terrace, Falmouth, TR11 5TL, e: adriangom@hotmail.co.uk (e) Birthday Rides Freewheeling Comp. CTC. Start: Pendennis Point, Falmouth, 16.30. Contact: Robert Jenkin Wednesday 25th

(a) Staffs Peak Super Grimpeur 110km BP AUK, Manchester and District CTC. Start: Marple Memorial Park SK6, 10.00, £5.00. Contact: Gerry Goldsmith, The Orchard, Swallow House Lane, Hayfield, High Peak, SK22 2HB, e: gerry@PeakAudax.co.uk (b) West London 3 of 4 150km BP AUK, Willesden CC. Start: Cafe Manor Farm, Ruislip HA4 7QD, 10.00, £3.50. Contact: Rocco Richardson, 39 Bridgwater Road, Ruislip, HA4 0ED, t: 020 8841 7495, e: rocco29@lineone.net Saturday 28th

(a) Grantown Gallop 100km BP AUK/ (c) Forres Foray 200km BR AUK, CTC Highland. Start: Newtonmore, 10.00, £3.00. Contact: Steve Carroll, Creag Charrach, Rockfield, IV20 1RF, t: 01862 871136 (a) Mildenhall Rally 100km BP AUK/ (c) Mildenhall Rally 200km BR AUK/ (d) Mildenhall Rally 300km BR AUK, CTC Suffolk. Start: Mildenhall Cycling Rally, 09.00/08.30/04.00, @ £5.00 + 2xA5 SAEs 14 days in adv. Contact: Paul Fenton, 1 Toll Gate Road, Capel St. Mary, IP9 2HB, t: 01473 311222 Sunday 29th

(e) Garten Treasure Hunt 80km/ (f) The Gaick Off Road 80km, CTC Highland. Start: Newtonmore,

09.30/09.00, £2.50/£2.50. Contact: Steve Carroll, Creag Charrach, Rockfield, IV20 1RF, t: 01862 871136 Monday 30th

Cycling Reliability Trial 100 miles/ Cycling Reliability Trial 100km, Medway Velo Club. Start: The Iron Rooms, Boughton Aluph Village Hall, TN25 4HH, 09.30, @ £10.00 or £15.00 on day, all profits to Kent Air Ambulance Trust. Contact: Geoff Graham, t: 01634 681902, e: geoffg@blueyonder.co.uk

SEPTEMBER Saturday 4th

(a) Alan Furley’s Down the Ups 100km BP AUK/(c) Alan Furley’s Up the Downs 200km BR AUK, Reading CTC. Start: Beech Hill, 09.00/08.00, £6.50/£6.50. Contact: Allan Adams, 205 Hyde End Road, Spencers Wood, Reading, RG7 1BU, t: 0118 988 3044, e: adams@reading.ac.uk Sunday 5th

(a) South Hams 100km BP AUK/ (b) Grunters 150km BP AUK, CTC Devon. Start: South Brent, 09.30/08.30, £6.00/£6.00. Contact: Michael Allen, 8 Kingsway Close, Kingsbridge, TQ7 1UG, t: 07840 655252 (a) Northern Dales 110km BP AUK/(c) Northern Dales 202km BR AUK, CTC Lancaster & South Lakes. Start: Arnside Youth Hostel, 09.00/08.00, £3.00/£3.00.

Contact: Mike Hutchinson, Heatherdene, Whinfell Dr, Lancaster, LA1 4NY, t: 01524 36061, e: mikehutchinson@fastmail.fm (a) Malton 80 miles/(a) Malton 50 miles, CTC North Yorkshire. Start: Malton Station, 10.00. Contact: Jim Buddo, 43b Main Street, Seamer, Scarborough, YO12 4PS, t: 01723 863103 (e) Treasure Hunt 25-30 miles, CTC South Kent. Start: Shadoxhurst Village Hall, Hornash Lane, 10.30, £5.00.

Contact: Donald Holden, 134 Church Road, Willesborough, Ashford, TN24 0JQ, t: 01233 631615 (a) New Forest 100km BP AUK/ (a) New Forest 50km BP AUK/ (b) New Forest 150km BP AUK/ (c) New Forest On & Off Shore 200km BR AUK, CTC Wessex. Start: Lymington, 10.00/10.00/08.00/07.45, £6.00/£6.00/£6.00/£16.00. Contact: John Ward, 34 Avenue Road, Lymington, SO41 9GJ, e: johnontrike@yahoo.co.uk SOCL CH & NW Annual Lunch & Presidents Ride, Chester & North Wales CTC. Contact: Mike Cross, 58 Rock Farm Dr, Little Neston, CH64 4DZ, t: 0151 336 5238 London Sightseer 100km BP AUK,

Hounslow & Dist Whs CC. Start: 225 High Street, Hampton Hill, TW12 1NP, 09.30, £4.50 in advance or £5.50 at start. Contact: Bill Carnaby, 225 High St, Hampton Hill, TW12 1NP, t: 020 8287 3244, e: billcarnaby@blueyonder.co.uk (b) 100 miles in 9/10 hours, Huddersfield and District CTC. Start: Somerset Bridge, Huddersfield, 08.00.

Contact: John Radford, 11 Westfield Avenue, Meltham, Holmfrith, HD9 5PY, t: 01484 851480, e: johnradford@talktalk.net (e) Beard Cup Hill Climb 1 mile, Manchester and District CTC. Start: Stand Edge Old Road, Diggle, 14.00, £1.00. Contact: Ian Ross, 26 Brook Road, Lymm, WA13 9AH, t: 01925 755080, e: ianrossinlymm@aol.com OFF-ROAD Sid Standard Memorial Off Road Ride 60-80km, Nottinghamshire CTC. Start: Timmermans Garden Centre, Lowdham Lane, Woodborough, 09.00, collection for the Lincs. & Notts Air Ambulance. Contact: Graham Hubbard, 3 Broom Walk, Thorneywood, Nottingham, NG3 6NW, t: 0115 841 8811, e: ghrhubbard@googlemail.com Saturday 11th

(e) Pace-Judging & Freewheeling (two circuits of approx 3 miles), CTC North Hampshire. Start: Between Upton Grey & S. Wanborough, 14.00, £1.00.

Contact: Dan Montgomerie, 23 Tower St, Alton, GU34 1NX, t: 01420 80783, e: jlm49email-ciclismo@yahoo.co.uk Sunday 12th

(a) Rockingham/Rutland 100km BP AUK, CTC Northamptonshire & Milton Keynes. Start: Joan Strong Centre, off East Road, Oundle, 09.30, £4.00.

Contact: Richard Daniells, 6 Matson Close, Rothwell, Kettering, NN14 6AY, e: maxscott@trivelo.freeserve.co.uk (f) Dorset Dirt 50km Off Road, CTC Wessex. Start: Dorchester, 10.00, £5.00.

Contact: Ken Reed, 66 Old Castle Road, Weymouth, DT4 8QE, e: anneandken@ neale.net (f) Rough Stuff Event 25 miles, Essex CTC c’ttee. Start: Cricketers Pub, Mill Green, Fryerning Ingatestone, 10.00, £3.00. Contact: Brian Taylor, 45 Fairfield Rise, Billericay, CM12 9NP, t: 01277 657867 (e) Cecil Cooke Memorial Event, Hertfordshire CTC. Contact: Andy Walker, 50 Park View, Stevenage, Herts, SG2 8PS, t: 01438 235881 (a) The 1 Loop 100km BP AUK/(b) The 2 Loops 150km BP AUK/(c) The 3 Loops 200km BR AUK, Macclesfield Whs. Start: Broken Cross, Macclesfield, 08.00, £7.00. Contact: John Perrin, 20

DATES FOR the DIARY More details at www.ctc.org.uk/events or by phoning CTC National Office.

SERIES/YEAR-LONG EVENTS

March-October: CTC Tourists’ Trophy Location: 400+ events nationally.

Orgainser: Bob Kynaston, 0208 950 2082, www.ctc-competitions.org.uk. Qualify for the Season Long competition by mixing 10 events from events covering all aspects of riding from 50km to overnight rides of 600km. A variety of fun events are also included, as are off-road routes.

March-October: CTC Mille Miglia Location: Nationwide.

Orgainser: Bob Kynaston, 0208 950 2082,www.ctc-competitions.org.uk. Engraved Gold, Silver and Bronze medallions for completing 3000, 2000, 1000km in CTC Tourists’ Trophy events.

All year: British Cycle Quest Location: 402 locations nationwide.

Orgainser: Mark Waters (01483 238305), www.ctc-competitions.org.uk. Devise your own routes between predefined locations to answer 402 questions across the UK. Awards are available for visiting, 50, 100, 200, 300 and all 402 sites.

Princes Way, SK11 8UB, t: 01625 614830, e: perrin527@btinternet.com Wednesday 15th

(a) West London 4 of 4 100km BP AUK, Willesden CC. Start: Denham Country Park Café, off A40/M40 Rab UB9 5PG, 10.00, £3.50. Contact: Rocco Richardson, 39 Bridgwater Rd, Ruislip, HA4 0ED, t: 020 8841 7495, e: rocco29@lineone.net Saturday 18th

BEGN Bicycle Belles entry level ride for women CTC Two Mills, Chester & North Wales CTC. Start: Port Sunlight Merseyrail Station, Greendale Rd CH62 4XB, 10.00, free. Contact: Janet Gregory, 92c Dowmhan Rd South, Heswall, Wirral, CH60 5SQ, t: 079534 333930, e: twomills@ctcchesterandnwales.org.uk SOCL 18th-25th September Gower Cycling Festival, Wheelrights. Start: Gower, South Wales. Contact: David Naylor, t: 01792 233755 Sunday 19th

(b) 100 miles in 8/10 hours, CTC Devon. Start: Kingskerswell Arch, 09.00, £3.00. Contact: Geoff Sharpe, 35 Clarendon Rd, Ipplepen, TQ12 5QS, t: 01803 812743, e: geoffsharpe70@ hotmail.com SOCL President’s Ride 25 miles, CTC Leicestershire & Rutland. Start: Quorn Car Park, 10.00. Contact: Ray Clay, 109 Holywell Drive, Loughborough, LE11 3JX, t: 01509 261068, e: ray.j.clay@ googlemail.com COMP Freewheeling Competition/ COMP Pace Judging Competition, CTC West Surrey. Start: Seale Craft Centre, 10.45, free. Contact: Dane Maslen, e: secretary@ctcwestsurrey.org.uk (c) Dark & White Peak Grimpeur 200km BR AUK, Manchester and

District CTC. Start: Bamford, 09.00, £5.00.

Contact: Danial Webb, 17 Woodhouse Mill, Woodhouse Rd, Todmorden, OL14 5LF, e: danial@PeakAudax.co.uk (a) Pilgrims Way 112km BP AUK/(b) Lunesdale Populaire 158km BP AUK/ (c) Fleet Moss 212km BR AUK, Ribble Valley CRC. Start: Claughton Memorial Hall, nr Preston, 09.00/08.30/07.30, @ £5.50. Contact: David Kershaw, 75 Gleneagles Drive, Fulwood, Preston, PR2 7EU, t: 07908 247426, e: rvcrc_ fleetmoss2010@hotmail.com Saturday 25th

(a) Beast of Bolsover 105km BP AUK, Manchester and District CTC. Start: Bolsover, 09.00, £4.00. Contact: Matt Connley, 7 Eskdale Cl, Bolsover, S44 6RL, t: 01246 825351, e: matt@ PeakAudax.co.uk (a) Henley Hilly 100km BP AUK, Reading CTC. Start: Bix, 09.00, £4.00.

Contact: Morris Dowding, 8 Buckthorne Close, Wokingham, RG41 5YD, t: 0118 989 0322, e: MorrisDowding@aol.com Sunday 26th

(a) Late Season 50 miles, CTC South Hampshire., 09.30, £3.00. Contact: Sue Coles, 7 Ruffield Close, Winchester, SO22 5JL, t: 01962 864479, e: events@ southhampshirectc.org.uk (f) Roughstuff Ride 25 miles, Huddersfield and District CTC. Start: Grange Moor opp. New Inn, 10.00.

Contact: Denise Evans, 27 Doubting Road, Thornhill, WF12 0EU, t: 01924 517737, e: devans1947@yahoo.co.uk (a) Wesley May Memorial Super Grimpeur 100km BP AUK, Swansea & West Wales CTC. Start: Bynea Llanelli, 08.00, £4.50. Contact: David Harris, 11 Yspitty Road, Bynea, Llanelli, SA14 9TD, t: 01554 751085, e: davidharris831@ btinternet.com AUGust/SEPTember 2010 cycle

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competition june/july

WIN! 2009

HOW TO ENTER To enter just write a 200-300 word account of a cycling trip that you have enjoyed. It could be your favourite local ride, an exotic cycling destination you’ve visited, a scenic journey or a rewarding challenge – anything you think that might interest other cyclists.

Email your article to yvonne@artisanpr.co.uk or post it to: Borders Cycling Ambassador Competition c/o 10 Thirlestane Drive Lauder Scottish Borders TD2 6TS Include your name, address, membership number & phone number.

CTC competition rules 1. This competition is open only to adult CTC members (18+) based in the UK. One entry per person.

2. Entries must be received by 27th August 2010.

3. The winner will be chosen on 6th September 2010. The judge’s decision is final.

4. The winner will be notified by email or telephone and will be required to take part in publicity.

5. There is one prize, as described, donated by the Borders Recreational Cycling Project. There are no cash alternatives.

6. Employees of CTC, James Pembroke Publishing, the Borders Recreational Cycling Project, and their agents cannot enter.

7. Entries will be non-exlusive copyright of the Borders Recreational Cycling Project.

8. The winner will be required to submit a Travellers’ Tales article on the trip for publication in Cycle magazine, and will be provided with editorial guidelines for this.

9. The winner’s Travellers’ Tales article and accompanying photos may also be used for publicity by the Borders Recreational Cycling Project.

10. The winner can take his or her trip to the region anytime before the end of 2010, subject to accommodation availability, and can have a say in route and accommodation choices.

11. For full terms and conditions, email Yvonne@artisanpr.co.uk or call 01578 722690.

you win!

Congatulations to Lesley Webb of Hitchin, Mr K Harriman of Wigston Magna, Andrew Neves of Matlock, and Roger Troughton of Dorking. All win a pair of Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers.

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Snap it up Send us your best cycling picture for a chance to win one of two Ogio camera backpacks worth £69.99 each

> After cycling, photography is one of the most popular interests amongst CTC members. Which is no surprise, really: cycling gives you more freedom to explore than you have on foot, giving you the opportunity to capture on camera limitless landscapes, nature shots or urban street scenes.

And when you love seeing the world from the saddle, the next best thing is to share what you’ve seen with other people.

That’s why CTC is running a photo competition, open to all CTC members. Photos can be about any aspect of cycling – touring, commuting, mountain biking, you name it. From your entries, we’ll put together a library of inspiring and entertaining cycling images.

There are two age groups: under 18 and 18 and over, and the owner of the best image in each category will win an Ogio Atiba Mini Camera Backpack worth £69.99. Designed for constant use, the bags feature adjustable padded partitions to protect your camera gear, large external pockets to keep things tidy, padded back support, a weatherproof cover, and a whole host of other features.

We’ll print a selection of the best photos in Cycle, and as well as the chance to win a backpack and have your photo printed in this magazine, all submissions will be added to a library of cycling images that will be hosted online. Plus, we may use your photo on our website or in CTC literature. (See ‘Rules & Regulations’ for details.)

For inspiration, have a look at the CTC Flickr pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/ctc_cyclists/

How to take part The competition is for digital photos only, including pictures that you have scanned. Save your photo as a .JPG file under 2Mb in size, then email it to publicity@ctc.org.uk with ‘CTC photo competition’ in the subject line. In the body of the email, please give a short description of the photo – a single sentence is fine.

Don’t forget to include your name, CTC membership number, and age if you’re under 18. The closing date for entries is 31st August 2010.

Rules & regulations • Open to CTC members only. One entry per person.

• Entrants must have personally taken the image supplied.

• Entrants undertake that the image supplied will not, to the best of their knowledge and belief, infringe copyright or other actionable right nor contain defamatory material.

• Entrants recognise that CTC may crop the image, adjust the colour balance, and make other minor adjustments, but will not materially change the content of the picture.

• Entrants grant to CTC for the full period of copyright throughout the world a nonexclusive licence to publish the image in any CTC-produced periodical, promotional literature, website, or other media. CTC will not sell, syndicate or license the publication of the image elsewhere. Entrants will be free to sell and re-use the image.

• Entrants may receive information or offers by email from Madison. If you don’t want this, please include the phrase ‘No correspondence please’ in the body of your email.

Photos above by Specialized & Chris Juden

A Scottish cycling holiday worth over £1,000 – become an ambassador for the Borders The Scottish Borders is perfect for cycle touring, with stunning scenery and hundreds of miles of quiet roads to explore. The region boasts several way-marked road routes. The 4 Abbeys cycle route is a 55-mile circuit that’s ideal for a weekend break, visiting Melrose, Kelso, Dryburgh and Jedburgh. For those with more time, the 250-mile Border Loop explores Border towns and scenery. The Coast and Castles Sustrans route passes through the region, while the Tweed Cycle Way runs for 95 miles through the heart of the Borders from Biggar to Berwick upon Tweed.

Thanks to the Borders Recreational Cycling Project, we’ve got an all-expenses-paid cycle holiday worth up to £1200 to give away to one winner and a partner. You can even help create your holiday, with route and accommodation suggestions. And that’s not all. The winner will have his or her account of the trip published in Cycle magazine as a Travellers’ Tales article. (So don’t forget to pack a camera and a notebook!)

You will become, in effect, a road cycling ambassador for the region. You don’t need to have visited before. You just need to be an enthusiastic cyclist and keen to share your experiences with others. To find out more about cycling in the Scottish Borders, visit www.cyclescottishborders.com.

For local gr websites anoup d email contac visit www.c ts, org.uk/grouptc. andclubs s

ctc contacts

HOW TO CONTACT CTC CTC MEMBERSHIP Contact Tim Boden (9am to 5pm) PO Box 416, Twickenham, TW1 9GD t: 0844 736 8451 f: 0844 736 8455 e: membership@ctc.org.uk CTC NATIONAL OFFICE CTC, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX t: 0844 736 8450 f: 0844 736 8454 e: cycling@ctc.org.uk CYCLE MAGAZINE EDITOR Cycle, PO Box 313, Scarborough, YO12 6WZ e: editor@ctc.org.uk YORK CYCLE SHOW SECRETARY t: 0844 736 8456 e: yorkcycleshow@ctc. org.uk w: www.yorkcycleshow.co.uk CTC MAIL ORDER SHOP w: www.ctcshop.org.uk CTC PRESS OFFICE t: 0844 736 8453 f: 0844 736 8454 e: publicity@ctc.org.uk RIGHT TO RIDE CAMPAIGNERS To find your local RtR campaigner, see www.ctc.org.uk/righttoride t: 01483 238323 e: righttoride@ctc.org.uk

ACCIDENT CLAIMS ADVICE CTC Accident Line, 6th Floor Brazennose House, Manchester, M2 5AS t: 0844 736 8452 CTC CYCLECOVER INSURANCE Cycle, t: 0844 736 8457 Travel, t: 0844 736 8458 Cycle rescue, t: 0800 212 810 w: www.cyclecover.co.uk CTC CYMRU Dave Twiddy t: 01544 370666 e: dmtw.llan@btinternet.com CTC SCOTLAND Mike Harrison t: 0131 448 0930 e: Secretary@CTCScotland.org.uk w: www.CTCScotland.org.uk CTC CYCLING HOLIDAYS t: 0191 273 8042 e: info@cyclingholidays. org w: www.cyclingholidays.org CTC NATIONAL COUNCIL Jon Snow, President Josie Dew, Vice President: 0844 736 8450, josie.dew@ctc.org.uk David Robinson, North West, Chair of Council: 01244 319550, david.robinson@ ctc.org.uk

David Cox, West Midlands, Vice Chair: 0121 458 7527, david.cox@ctc.org.uk Peter Mathison, West Mids: 01743 363293, peter.mathison@ctc.org.uk John Meudell, South East: 01306 640264, john.meudell@ctc.org.uk Barry Jordan, South East: 01795 429061, barry.jordan@ctc.org.uk Richard Bates, South East: 01444 452092, richard.bates@ctc.org.uk Jim Brown, East of England: 01438 354505, jim.brown@ctc.org.uk Martin Cockersole, East of England: 01245 256145, martin.cockersole@ctc.org.uk Norman Hayes, South West: 01386 701044, norman.hayes@ctc.org.uk Julian James, South West: 01202 682599, julian.james@ctc.org.uk Arthur Spurr, Yorkshire & the Humber: 01482 640450, arthur.spurr@ctc.org.uk Kevan Shuttleworth, Yorkshire and the Humber: 01484 543531, kevan.shuttleworth@ctc.org.uk John Cutler, East Midlands: 01604 845709, john.cutler@ctc.org.uk Tim Jackson, North East: 01748 821343, tim.jackson@ctc.org.uk

David Butler, North West: 0161 432 4611, david.butler@ctc.org.uk Gregory Price, London: 07986 217852, greg.price@ctc.org.uk Helen Vecht, London: 020 8204 3999, helen.vecht@ctc.org.uk Peter Hayman, Scotland: 0141 552 4336, peter.hayman@ctc.org.uk Barry Flood, Ireland: 028 2564 4082, barry.flood@ctc.org.uk Peter Brake, Wales: 01646 661396, peter. brake@ctc.org.uk Council also comprises: – Honorary Consulting Solicitor Shivaji Shiva: shivaji.shiva@ctc.org.uk – Financial Advisor to Council Simon Connell, London: simon.connell@ctc.org.uk – and two co-optees Sarah Matthews, London: sarah. matthews@ctc.org.uk Charlotte Barnes, London: 07960 875660, charlotte.barnes@ctc.org.uk COMPLAINTS To get a copy of CTC’s complaints procedure, write to The Director, CTC, Parklands, Railton Rd, Guildford, GU2 9JX.

CTC member group contacts Member group website links and email addresses are online at www.ctc.org.uk/groupsandclubs Alfreton CTC Tom Fox 01773 833 593 Arun & Adur CTC Peter Wilson 01903 755765 CTC Ayrshire Howard Bartlem 01292 475019 CTC Bath Alan Grainger 01225 460155 CTC Bedfordshire Veronica Brown 01234 344922 Blackburn & District CTC Tony Stott 01254 232537 CTC Bognor Regis & Chichester Edwin Jones 01243 267746 CTC Bournemouth Terry Scott 01202 247888 Brighton & Hove CTC Anne Doyle 01273 413303 Burnley & Pendle CTC John Ramsden 01282 692117 CTC Burton Ian Hill 01283 223581 Bury CTC Steve Willetts 01706 829084 CTC Cambridge Nigel Deakin 01223 311073 Cardiff & South Wales Ivor Rodway 029 2022 537 Central London CTC David Kurtz 07771 760660 CTC Cheam & Morden Graham Hill 0208 549 0366 CTC Cheltenham Dave Mytton 01242 544410 Chester & North Wales CTC Glennys Hammond 01829 751364 CTC Colchester Richard Whittam 01206 564385 CTC Cornwall Martyn Aldis 01326 378305 CTC Coventry & Warwickshire Bob Tinley 02476 542676 Cycle Bristol CTC Jane Chapman 0117 9629766 CTC Derby Ian Alexander 01332 752384 CTC Devon Warren Douglas 01626 336578 CTC Diss Paul Moore 01379 643189 CTC Dudley Graham Fones 01902 898388 CTC Dumfries & Galloway Mike Gray 01387 258134 CTC Durham Dales Les Buist 01388 720887 East Surrey CTC Roger Chambers 01737 643212 88

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East Sussex CTC David Rix 01273 512357 CTC Eden Valley, Cumbria Mike Barron 01228 710110 CTC Edgware Margaret Sutherland 020 8874 0956 Essex CTC Brian Taylor 01277 657867 CTC Exeter Kirby James 01395 279 659 Falkirk CTC Denis Callaghan 01324 636935 CTC Fife & Kinross Kaye Lynch 01337 827164 CTC Frome Paul Truscott 01373 300 141 CTC Fylde Bicycle Belles Amanda Gray 01772 682747 Fylde Coast CTC Alan Hawkins 01253 402929 CTC Glasgow John Foster 01555 759102 CTC Grampian Sheila Rusbridge 01224 639012 CTC Halifax Chris Crossland 01422 832853 Havering CTC David Rowlands 0208 4913209 CTC Heart of England John Bennett 0121 459 9319 Hertfordshire CTC Brian Jackson 01920 438561 CTC Highland Steve Carroll 01862 871136 CTC Horsham & Crawley Barbara Nicol 01403 257072 Huddersfield & District CTC Ken Roberts 01484 604157 Hull & East Riding CTC Neil Dean 01482 447966 CTC Kettering Maxwell Scott 01536 712507 Kidderminster CTC John Weston 01299 401005 CTC Lancaster and South Lakes Mike Hutchinson 01524 36061 CTC Ledbury David Fisher 01684 540981 Leicestershire & Rutland CTC Ray Clay 01509 261068 Lincolnshire CTC Andrew Townhill 01522 878690 CTC Lothians & Borders Bill Coppock 01316 676872 Manchester and District CTC Mike Wigley 01457 870421 Merseyside CTC Steven Gilmartin 077

9430 3310 CTC Milton Keynes Mike Harris 01296 714188 CTC Norfolk Sandra Franks 01603 402830 CTC North Birmingham John Bedford 0121 353 5136 CTC North Hampshire Andrew Heaton 01256 387326 North Lancashire CTC Tony Stott 01254 232537 CTC North West Lancashire Alan Hawkins 01253 402929 CTC North Yorkshire Gerry Boswell 01904 795695 CTC Northampton Brian Tunbridge 01908 515524 CTC Northamptonshire & Milton Keynes Max Scott 01536 712 507 Northern Ireland CTC William Montgomery 028 9145 7822 Nottinghamshire CTC Terry Scott 01159 863214 Oldham & Tameside CTC Kathleen Collins 01457 764021 CTC Oxford City James Dawton 01865 327969 CTC Oxfordshire Steve Swanton 01235 764257 Pembrokeshire Freewheelers Bob Grimshaw 01348 875522 CTC Peterborough Jonathan Thompson 01733 246208 Portsmouth CTC Carole Russell 02392 259238 Preston CTC J A Mahon 01772 454994 Reading CTC John Hammond 07818 400440 CTC Salisbury Alan Clarke 01722 322188 CTC Shropshire Linda Hamilton 01952 251403 CTC South Bucks Barry Eastwood 01844 347149 CTC South Hampshire Jim Probert 0 23 8034 9985 CTC South Kent Roger Burchett 01303 267969

South Manchester CTC Harry Burton 0161 442 5060 CTC South Staffordshire Malcolm Costley 01902 733821 CTC South West London Pete Barnard 0208 549 8950 Sheffield District CTC Theresa Miall 01709 368 500 CTC Southampton Mike Etheridge 020 873 9359 Southeast Essex Group CTC John Steer 01702 309958 CTC Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Jim Brown 01438 354505 Stroud Valleys CTC Daphne Edwards 01453 832283 CTC Suffolk Keith Halton 01473 716771 CTC Swale Barry Jordan 01795 429061 Swansea & West Wales CTC Martin Brain 01792 207800 Swindon CTC Mike Blundell 01793 703496 CTC Tayside Pat Harrow 01575 574 082 CTC Teesside David Bell 01642 485637 CTC Two Mills, Chester & North Wales, Janet Gregory 0795 433 3930 Tyneside & Northumberland CTC Heather Evans 01912 738042 Wantage CTC Glenn Savegar 01235 768428 CTC Wessex Peter Loakes 01305 263272 CTC West Nick Copley 01453 751455 West Kent CTC Martin Gill 01732 453 823 West London CTC Jenny Strickland 020 8440 8462 West Middlesex CTC Stephen Ayres 020 8562 4576 CTC West Norfolk Felicity Peyman 01945 880284 CTC West Surrey Dane Maslen 01483 721856 CTC West Sussex Edwin Jones 01243 267746 CTC West Yorkshire Jennifer Crossland 01422 832853 CTC Winchester Sue Coles 01962 864 479 Worcester & Malvern CTC Nigel Greaves 01562 69913

North Sea roving For five weeks one summer, Ian Toulson followed much of the North Sea Cycle Route

I

n the summer of 2008 I decided to take up the challenge of riding the North Sea Cycle Route. Using the excellent website I was able to construct a route that took in most of the NSCR, making appropriate diversions in order to stay with a number of friends en route.

How wonderful to be able to set off from one’s own front gate knowing that, other than ferries, the only means of transport were one’s own wheels. The joy of solo travel is the frequency with which one comes into social contact with others. Guided by helpful cyclists, I was entertained by fellow travellers in motels, hostels and bars – even receiving a rare ‘pick up’ attempt. One chance meeting in Denmark resulted in being accommodated in a luxurious garden house in Gothenburg.

The signage varied from one country to another, as did the quality of the cycle tracks. Sometimes it was far easier to

pedal along roads.

Holland, Germany and Denmark provided wonderfully flat terrain, but it always subject to the vagaries of the wind – I’d be bowling along at a good 20mph at times and later struggling to achieve even double figures. I passed small coastal villages and beautiful, swishing wind turbines, constant reminders of our efforts to harness the power of the wind.

Southern Norway’s excellent coastline could be observed, at ease, from the numerous ferries that speed across the many inlets. Later, further north, excellent views were provided as one looked out from the huge bridges, one or two representing substantial climbs.

Even losing my way and finding myself in a sequence of road tunnels on the E39 did nothing to spoil the enjoyment of an excellent five week ride. And then to cycle back through the garden gate, after 3,000 miles, made my joy complete.

Ian wrote a book about his ride (£5.50 plus p&p). Email iandmj@tiscali.co.uk.

Better by bike

NEXT ISSUE

Sue and Geoff Lonsdale turned a visit to their daughter into a cycling holiday

Dropping through your letterbox in two months:

Woking, Surrey: not the most exotic of cycle touring destinations. But our daughter lives there while we live at the other side of the country in Bristol. What better way to visit than to cycle there? We had the time and it was a great way to celebrate being retired. Geoff and I called it our journey of a lifetime.

On the Bristol-Bath cycleway, a well-surfaced old railway line, we made good progress. The wind had a hint of rain in it when we stopped for lunch beside the

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Kennet & Avon Canal. At 23 miles, we were still a long way from that night’s B&B. It was ‘capes on’ from Devizes: we wore them for the next four hours. Only as we neared Newbury were we once again on dry roads. My cycle computer showed an astonishing 78 miles: the furthest I’ve ridden since the ’70s! Our room that night resembled a secondhand market stall, with our kit hanging up to dry.

Next morning, our road map let us down and we found ourselves on the main road, with scary levels of traffic. Back in the lanes, we reached Silchester, where we sat on the old Roman wall to eat our lunch.

Our progress along the Basingstoke canal towpath at Pirbright disrupted the Forces’ angling afternoon.

Beside the lake at Mychett, we watched a tern diving for fish. We reached our daughter Claire’s house just before she arrived home from work at six o’clock.

After a pleasant weekend off the bikes, we varied our return route. Our stopover was an old coaching inn at Marlborough, on a perfect June evening. The last day’s ride was a mere 45 miles, along familiar roads.

Back home, sitting in the garden, I felt as if I’d just ridden round the block, but the feeling of achievement was as great as if we’d done a world tour.

cycling the school run Getting there without the car commuter bikes Street-ready Eurostyle hybrids Off-road in vermont Autumn biking on fallen leaves Cycle show preview It’s showtime again. Here’s what to look out for

Cycle wants your Travellers’ Tales. Write or email the editor – details on page 88 – to find out what’s required.