Issue 2 April 2013

Your monthly insight into

SADDLEBACK news, reviews and much more...

EDITION 02 APRIL 2013

The all new Spring/Summer range has arrived ready and waiting for the sun to appear

SCICON SOFT CASE The Aerocomfort 2.0 TSA dissected and explained

FRED WHITTON

Its that time of year again when riders are pushed to their limits

RACEWARE

Pick a colour from the rainbow of Garmin mounts on offer

INSIDE THE OFFICE THIS MONTH ASH GETS MARRIED

Each month incycle will share the inner workings of Saddleback’s brand building activities, news, events and business developments.

Allowing you to gain an in-depth feel for the brands we represent and meet our passionate team. Issue two’s Italian flavour is best served with an espresso and our treat of the month, the cream egg.

AT WORK... IT’S STILL A COLD COMMUTE

CASTELLI SIGNS MIRINDA CARFRAE AND TIMOTHY O’DONNELL Castelli triathlon division has signed two top triathlon pros to exclusive apparel contracts for 2013. Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae and Timothy O’Donnell, both of the K-Swiss Triathlon Team, to race exclusively in Castelli apparel and use the company’s cycling products for all bike training. Additionally, both athletes will provide testing and feedback throughout the season as Castelli continues to push the technical boundaries with its triathlon offerings.

CASTELLI

SPRING/SUMMER Atur? Solorerum a vellit laccus int estion estios et, quos venis et quatur sus aut modio. quos venis et quatur sus aut modio.

Castelli’s spring/summer range delivers fresh fashions in the most innovative clothing for the cyclist seeking maximum performance.

This year introduces the revolutionary new lightweight Climbers jersey at just 91 grams, and the ultimate warm weather bibshort, the Inferno. Completing your look has never been easier with the colourful Velocissimo outfits. With the new Core Mesh base layer offering you super lightweight moisture management.

Triathlon isn’t simply a product line for Castelli from now on. A standalone triathlon department will accelerate efforts leveraging technology in pursuit of an unfair advantage for multi-sport athletes. To support the increased efforts, Castelli has signed on top multi-sport teams and athletes.

OFFICE IN NUMBERS This month we take a look at the arrival of the Castelli Spring/Summer range.

days shipping from Italy

9

number of pallets

4

193

number of boxes

product lines

3511 120 57

man hours to process

orders placed at present

NO NEED TO REMOVE HANDLEBARS

REAR MECH PROTECTION BRACKET

ANTISHOCK BIKE FRAME is specifically engineered to protect all critical parts from shocks, vibrations and impacts.

(ABF is also available as an optional for other soft bags such as Travel Basic and Travel Plus series).

NOT ALL BAGS ARE MADE EQUALLY Sci-Con’s AeroComfort TSA 2.0 dissected and explained

A great solution for cyclists wishing to protect their bike when travelling by plane but don’t want to use a hard case, which can be difficult to fit inside small cars or store after use.

The AeroComfort TSA 2.0 offers the flexibility and lightness of a soft bag at 7.7kg, combined with the stability and safety of a hard case. The bike is mounted to a built-in steel Antishock Bike Frame, which protects all critical

parts from impacts and the Inside Stabiliser System keeps the bike safely in place. Included is a rear mech guard, so the derailleur can be left safely in place. You don’t even need to turn the handlebars, just store the wheels in the individual padded wheel compartments.

The world’s best Pro Teams choose this premium bike bag for their travel and make it the number one choice.

MATERIAL - NYLON FABRIC 840 PADDED FASTENING - SELF-HEALING ZIPS WEIGHT - 8,9 KG EXT. DIM. - L 118CM X D 25CM X H 90CM

STAFF CHOICES

This month John Wager shares with us his pick of the bunch

ARUNDEL MANDIBLE CAGE Over the past 20 years I’ve raced 100’s of times with all brands of bottle cage, it might seem like a simple task to hold a bottle safely and let you retrieve it easily but apparently it must be pretty difficult.

The Mandible is the first cage I’ve used that hasn’t lost a bottle, doesn’t require an effort to retrieve it and is tolerant of ramming a bottle back in just as things start to kick off.

THE UK’S

TOUGHEST SPORTIVE? 2013 marks the 14th edition of the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge As title sponsor and Neutral Service provider Saddleback are incredibly proud to continue our long term partnership with the Fred Whitton Challenge.

The challenge - which donates everything to it’s charities that include Macmillan Cancer Support and The Dave Rayner Fund which aids young riders is recognised as the UK’s original Sportive, named

by Cycling Weekly as “The Daddy of them all” and is arguably the most challenging and enjoyable one day ride many will ever attempt.

Saddleback has secured twenty lucky dealers a guaranteed ride in this completely sold out 14th edition (1,750 rider) event, held on Sunday 12th May 2013. We look forward to assisting each rider around this monster 112-mile loop starting in Coniston, with the Lake District National Park providing beautiful but challenging terrain all the way. The now classic route takes in Hawkshead Pass with Honister and Whinlatter following. Then in quick succession Hardknott Pass, which has gradients above 25 percent, immediately arriving at the bottom of Wrynose.

SHOP FOCUS The guys at Cycle Mode have been busy, not only have they taken advantage of our Felt point of sale display we offer, but have teamed up with British Superbike rider Danny Buchan. Racing in the premier class with team Quattro Plant Kawasaki, Danny will be using his 2013 Felt F6, courtesy of Cycle Mode, to assist him in his relentless training regime.

As a top class athlete, Danny understands the commitment to training that should see him push to be a championship contender this year.

If you are interested in taking your shop to the next level please contact the Marketing Team here at Saddleback to find out what we cando for you.

THE CATALOGUE The new 2013 Saddleback catalogue is out now.

ABOVE Cycle Mode’s Felt point of sale display.

RIGHT Andy Jones, Cycle Mode Manager, handing over the 2013 Felt F6 for Danny to saddle up and hit his training regime hard.

contact us at: info@saddleback.co.uk if you don’t have yours yet.

Marcel Kittel sprint finish to win the 2013 G.P. Scheldeprijs on his F1 FRD

FELT BICYCLES F1 FRD* TeXtreme takes carbon to the next level with the new FRD Argos-Shimano rider Marcel Kittel’s Felt F1 FRD uses state-of-the-art carbon-fibre manufacturing to produce one of the lightest and stiffest bikes in the pro peloton. The Argos-Shimano team received their new bikes at the beginning of the 2013 season and Marcel Kittel has already opened his account with wins including a stage of Paris-Nice. The Felt F1 FRD is set apart with it’s use of TeXtreme “Spread Tow” carbon fabric, produced by Swedish company Oxeon AB. Felt first used the material on the NINE FRD mountain bike frame (available now). Expect it to be also seen on 2014 FRD road bikes. TeXtreme is produced differently to traditional carbon fibre because the individual fibres are configured like extremely small ribbons, not round strands as with the conventional material.

John Degenkolb’s Felt FR1 FRD

This all means that Felt engineers can use less carbon fibre yet produce an even stronger bike.

Jeff Soucek, Director of Research and Development for Felt said: “We were looking for reduced weight on our frames, but still needed the same high properties of stiffness and strength. By using TeXtreme® we succeeded in making a frame that was lighter, as stiff, while actually increasing the impact durability.”

“TeXtreme can potentially save 100-200 grams on a comparable carbon frameset whilst maintaining or even increasing strength and stiffness.”

*FRD: Felt Racing Design

MEET THE SADDLEBACK TEAM

CHRIS FIELD Saddleback’s king of the jokes!

Who is Chris Field?

He is the man with large hair Where does he live?

Winterbourne, Bristol Whats your job title?

Customer services What do you do?

I look after shops in the South West and Scotland How long have you been at Saddleback?

3 Years Worst job you ever had?

Making cottage cheese Best place to ride?

Mendip hills Favourite Bike product?

Disc brakes What makes you angry?

Nickleback, why do they keep making music What makes you happy?

Hanging out with family and friends Whats the first thing you do in the morning?

Snooze my alarm

RETRO STYLE

STAFF CHOICES

Fancy a dose of the finest Chris King products in a limited purple?

This month John Wager shares with us his pick of the bunch

Well if that is the case then you’d better act quickly, purple is one of the original colours offered by Chris King back in the early days and is now available again but only for a very short time and in super limited quantities. Available now in R45 Road, Campag or Shimano, and all popular mountain bike fitments including single speed. Don’t miss getting your slice of Chris King history with this is a one off production run that will never be repeated!

Super light, incredibly stiff and, more importantly, anatomically correct and fully supportive of your foot. Next time you get a visit from your rep, pick one up and try to flex it, then try another brand and do the same thing. Yes sir, how would you like to order...

BONT VAYPOR FLURO

Whats the last thing you do at night?

Brush my teeth Favourite saying?

If the milk turns out to be sour I ain’t the kinda pussy to drink it.

What are you listening to now?

Nickleback How would you like to be remembered?

For my polite conversation

SPORTIQUE

Nature Invented, Man Perfected, Natural Body Care SPORTIQUE create an all-natural range of balms and creams formulated for the rigorous demands of sports, designed to keep you and your body moving for as long as possible. Free of man-made materials that are commonly found in other creams and balms, the wide-ranging SPORTIQUE collection utilises botanicals and naturally moisturising oils and nut butters that are free from animal products and have never been tested on animals. One of our favourite products is SPORTIQUE’S Century Riding Cream. A long lasting, moisture resistant, frictionreducing cream - Induced with anti-fungal & antimicrobial Ozone.

Compatible with natural and synthetic short chamois.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

THE FUTURE IS 3D

TOP FIVE

RaceWare’s all new GARMIN® and GoPro® mounts have landed.

Charles from customer service shares the top five races he’s raced in.

RaceWare is an innovative UK firm specialising in Additive Manufacturing (3D printing) of small cycling related mounts. 3D printing allows RaceWare to offer custom mounts in a selection of colours and fitting options. RaceWare manufactured mounts are both stronger and lighter than injection molded or machined items.

The 3D printing process allows for a unified design with an attractive textured surface. All RaceWare mounts are printed in the UK using a nylon powder fused into the final shape.

PRO SUCCESS

1 Bath Victoria Park Crit Series awesome fast circuit with a short sharp climb to shell the sprinters out the back!

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2

Check out what the Pro Athlete’s, using our brands, are doing

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2 Tour of Purbeck Lovely sweeping roads with great scenery and I hear the 2012 winner is a real top dog.

3 Noel Jones after just 5 miles I broke away with Scot Easter, said to each other “what the hell are we doing?!” after 50 miles and just one lap left I was caught. Scot wasn’t he’s a hero.

1 Marcel Kittel - 1st at Stage 2 Paris-Nice 2 Marcel Kittel - Wins Scheldeprijs 3 Dan Martin - Winner of the Volta a Catalunya 4 Andrew Talansky - 1st at Stage 3 Paris-Nice, Second overall and fastest young rider at Paris-Nice.

5 Kirsten Wild - Wins Dwars door Vlaanderen ALSO Kirsten Wild - Winner of the Gent-Wevelgem and 1st at Stage 1 Energiewacht Tour George Harper - Winner of the Wally Gimber Trophy Pete Jacobs - 4th at the Escape from Alcatraz

AT H L E T E

4 Southern Road Race Champs 91 miles of a hilly, exposed, windy course. Hardcore!

AT H L E T E

5 Castle Combe Crits 2012 rained every race and the breaks were decided by who could drift their bike round the corners fastest.

AT H L E T E

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AT H L E T E

PRO QUOTE OF THE MONTH

“How many years bad luck if you drive over a Black kitten ??? @stevepeat hoping its good luck” GREG MINNAAR SANTA CRUZ SYNDICATE

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ONLINE REVIEWS FELT F5 Bikeradar April 2013 VREDESTEIN FRECCIA TRICOMP TYRE Bikeradar April 2013

MEDIA REVIEWS The latest reviews from the media world

1 FELT Z5 Cycling Plus 273 April 2013 2 CASTELLI FLUIDO BIB-TIGHTS Cyclist 006 April 2013 3 ENVE SES 8.9 TUBULAR 220Triathlon 284 April 2013 4 SCICON AEROCOMFORT 2.0 TSA Triathlon Plus 52 April 2013 5 LAZER WASP Cycle Sport April 2013

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SCICON AEROCOMFORT 2.0 TSA 220Triathlon 284 April 2013 SCICON AERONAUT Cycling Plus 273 April 2013

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FELT Z5

£1749 The UHC carbon frame is new for 2013 and set on sportive success

W

hile the bottom half of the Z5’s frame is all about stiffness and power transfer, the top sections are designed to offer comfort. On the road its smoothness is immediately apparent, with supple buzz-reducing comfort to the fore – despite 23mm tyres. The riding position is quite upright, but the Z5 still has impressive handling traits: the front end reacts quickly without getting nervy, and despite being beefed-up with a tapered steerer it still provides flex under out-of-the-saddle efforts. www.saddleback.co.uk

SPEC WEIGHT 8.38kg (58cm) FRAME Carbon FORK Carbon GEARS Shimano 105 BRAKES Shimano 105 WHEELS Mavic Aksium FINISHING KIT Prologo Kappa saddle, Felt UHC Carbon seatpost, Felt SL short reach bar, Felt VA stem

VERDICTVERDICT Blends stiffness and ★★★★★ comfort for a smooth and efficient ride

RATING ★★★★★

RIBBLE R872 Di2

HIGHS Price, spec, and superbly smooth ride LOWS Its sportive focus won’t appeal to all

Castelli Fluido bib-tights

£160, www.saddleback.co.uk Made from Castelli’s own stretchy Thermoflex fleece, the Fluidos have the racy cut and articulation we’ve come to expect from the scorpion kings, but where other tights struggle to be warm and water resistant, Castelli’s got a trick up its sleeve. ‘We coat the material in millions of tiny nano-filaments that create a water-repellant barrier. Water simply beads up and rolls off,’ says Castelli’s Søren Jensen. With the UK weather typically terrible, these could well be the best tights you haven’t bought. Yet.

Foss inner tube

£19.99, www.velobrands.co.uk

BRANDNEWKIT

THELATESTTRIATHLONPRODUCTSTESTEDTOTHELIMIT THE LATEST TRIATHLON PRODUCTS TESTED TO THE LIMIT

Scicon

3

www.sb2b.co.uk

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AEROCOMFORT 2.0TSA 2.0 TSA £375 www.saddleback.co.uk

PEAK PERFORMER

THE PADDED bike bag can be the most convenient option for travelling with your steed and the Aerocomfort is one of the easiest to use. Open up the three-sided zip and you find an aluminium box section taking up the full stiff reinforced bag floor.

Simply stow your wheels in the padded, zipped pockets on either side then attach your frameset via its dropouts using the tough skewers provided. The bag’s wider at the handlebar end than at the rear, meaning you don’t even have to undo your stem or remove the bars, though you do need to remove TT extensions. We had no problems fitting a 58cm road frame inside, and only had to drop the saddle a couple of inches. Our first go only took around 10 minutes to pack and subsequent practising has just about halved that. Scicon have been very generous in also including skewers; frame pads; a nylon frame cover; rear mech hanger protector; and a TSA approved padlock (a combination lock padlock that can still be opened by airport security with a master key only held by them). Moving the bag is easy thanks to four replaceable castors on the bottom, a removable drag handle and a padded shoulder strap, but it can be a little unstable when free-standing. Its weight, at 8.5kg including all the accessories, is good for the protection it offers and once you’ve removed your stuff it’ll pack down to a svelte 34cm x 39cm x 98cm, small enough to stow under a hotel room bed. pricelist front_outline.indd 3 FINAL_OUT.indd 5

ED’S CHOICE

ENVE SES 8.9 TUBULAR

VO2 V:RACE 88

Combine the knowledge of ex-Formula One aero expert Simon Smart and the carbonfibre trickery of Utah-based Enve wheels and you know you’ll be getting something special.

With a 95mm section rear wheel and an 85mm front, the 1,545g weight is impressive.

Enve has made it their mission to combine speed with exquisite handling and, by prioritising transient aerodynamics (taking into account changes in bike position and wind angle), they produce wheels that are stable in all weather conditions. Pick-up is fast and once you’re rolling, you could be forgiven for thinking that they’re pushing you along. The fashionably aero 26mm wide front wheel carves through the air with the narrower 24mm rear following behind.

Stability is staggeringly good for such deep-section wheels and, even in severe and unpredictable gusts, you can stay low and concentrate on putting the power down.

BEST.HERE’SWHY… The only wheelset to come in at under Our testers £1,000, these are the ‘budget’ option of the of competing triathlons test. Weighing inYears at 1,900g, youincould be have given our team of tester’s unrivalled product forgiven for thinking that these 88mm knowledge. expertise means we review new kit carbon clinchersTheir would ride heavy but, on not just in isolation, but in comparison with the road, that’s far from the Hand-built everything else case. that’s out there. by a small BritishHow company, we test there’s a genuine If something canwillingly be taken apart we sense of life to them as they transfer and then rebuild it, checking your efforts ontodisassemble the tarmac.

Acceleration for possible performance problems and, if necessary, out any relevant for a deep-section wheelcarrying is genuinely tests. impressive and,pre-use once rolling, although Next, we subject each product to real-world testing. lacking some ofmeticulous the aerodynamic bells and whistles of other wheels on test, punch through the air and hold speed well. There are no stiffness issues and the 3K carbon refuses to yield even under hard out-of-thesaddle efforts. You do get the occasional skip and flutter in strong sidewinds, but nothing unexpected. Titanium skewers and the option to customise the decals to match your frame seal a very attractive deal.

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£999.99 www.vo2cycling.co.uk OURTESTSARETHE

5 Words Warren Rossiter, Robin Wilmott, Guy Kesteven, Tom Ballard

£2,300.00 www.saddleback.co.uk

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Bike tests

How our awards work

We take every bike we test to our workshop, strip it down and examine it in detail according to the well-proven system developed over many years by our sister titles Cycling Plus, Pro Cycling, What Mountain Bike, Mountain Biking UK, CyclingNews.com and BikeRadar.com.

We have three separate awards that are given to the most impressive products in our tests.

We mark separately on performance and value, so you get the full story on every product tested.

Exceptional Very good Good Below average Don’t go there

DATES FOR THE DIARY

PEAK PERFORMER

How our scores work TOP VALUE

Peak Performer A product that does a truly stunning job, regardless of its price Top Value An outstanding deal –

getting an excellent Check out you’re what’s going on in the world product for the money of Saddleback Gold Award

winning product in our group 12 MAYThe tests, based on both performance GOLD AWARD

and value

Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge

7/8 JUNE Castelli 24 Hour APRIL 2013

4 AUGUST Saddleback Westonbirt Sportive

18 AUGUST Saddleback Sodbury Sportive

10-12 SEPTEMBER Saddleback House Show

%

IL 2013

STAFF RACE RESULTS

8th - CHARLES COLEMAN Ludgershall Winter series 10

43rd - ROSS GRIMMETT 2013 UK Gravity Enduro round 1 Afan

5th - CHARLES COLEMAN Ludgershall Winter series 11

7th and 4th - DAVID BARNAVILLE 11

17th - CHARLES COLEMAN Castle Combe Easter Classic

11th - DAVID BARNAVILLE 87 % Ludgershall Winter series 10

14th - CHARLES COLEMAN Mountbatten Easter Circuit

VERDICT

VERDICT

Fast, light, stable and dripping with aero know-how, but with a hefty price tag

Ride lighter than they weigh and come at Ludgershall Winter series a price that won’t leave you destitute

91 %

11:06 24/01/2013 10:27

Easytopack,andkeepsyourbikesafebut Easy to pack, and keeps your bike safe but quitepriceyforasofterbag quite pricey for a softer bag PERFORMANCE VALUE OVERALL

BEST BUY

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EXCLUSIVE UK DISTRIBUTOR Saddleback Ltd Unit 10 Easter Court Woodward Avenue Yate, Bristol BS37 5YS 01454 285 285 info@saddleback.co.uk sb2b.co.uk If you’d rather receive this newsletter as a PDF then please email: incycle@saddleback.co.uk C O N TA C T S AREA MANAGERS Oli Hunter 07917 462 225 South West Justin Hoy 07917 462 224 South East Michael Fish 07917 462 223 North MARKETING Andrew Griffiths - Marketing Manager andrew@saddleback.co.uk Nick Cox - Senior Graphic Designer nick.cox@saddleback.co.uk