Andy Tennant Reviews Exposure Lights

I recently published a written review of Exposure Lights by Rapha-Condor Sharp rider Andy Tennant.  Andy has also produced a short video to accompany the review, which you can view above.

Sir Chris Hoy and Matt Crampton

Cracking photo of Sir Chris Hoy and Matt Crampton giving it full gas in the sprint.  Track sprinting requires immense power and huge watts being laid down.  Frames on track sprinters bikes need to be able to withstand around 2000W in power travelling through them, so a huge degree of stiffness and minimal flex is order of the day.

Photo courtesy of CycleSportPhoto's.com.

Sponsorship of Simon Richardson MBE

I've previously blogged about meeting Simon Richardson MBE.  I came across Simon on Twitter and was so inspired by his story, that I've backed him with some sponorship. 

Simon will wear a bespoke designed Brother cycling kit whilst training on the roads and a liveried helmet whilst time trialling.  At Brother, we have a marketing campaign called 141% promoting our A3 printers and Simon will be one of our brand ambassadors.  Release below.   

BROTHER HELPS PARALYMPIC CYCLIST FULFILL 2012 DREAM

Technology specialist Brother is sponsoring Welsh paralympic cyclist Simon Richardson MBE to help him fulfill his London 2012 ambition.

The Manchester-based company is lending its support to the 45-year-old Beijing gold medalist after being inspired by his story of ambition, drive, energy and resilience.


As part of a sponsorship deal, Simon will support Brother’s 141% Ambition campaign which is encourages ambitious, growing businesses to achieve more and set themselves apart from the competition. Simon will provide motivational talks and support training sessions with Brother’s sales teams.


Simon was seriously injured after a cycling accident in 2001 which broke his back in two places and shattered his leg. With a support system fitted to his spine, Simon used his love for cycling to rebuild his fitness and in 2008 became part of the now legendary Great Britain cycling team at the Beijing Paralympics.


Phil Jones, sales and marketing director for Brother, and keen cyclist, said: “Simon’s story is an inspiration and demonstrates how a life-changing moment can become a life-defining road to success.


“At Brother we support people and businesses that have the drive and ambition to succeed at what they do. Simon is the perfect ambassador for us as he represents all of these qualities and has achieved beyond what anyone could ever have imagined.”


Simon said: “It’s great to have the support of a company that shares the same passion and drive for business that I have for cycling. I’m looking forward to working with the team at their training events and, with Brother’s support, continuing my training that will hopefully get me to the 2012 Paralympics.”


Simon’s sponsorship will go towards various training and cycling events, including the Welsh Dragon Ride in June and the Para-Cycling World Championships later this year.


For more information on Brother’s 141% campaign visit http://www.brother141.co.uk/


Follow Simon on Twitter @cyclingsimonmbe


ENDS


Issued on behalf of Brother by Citypress. For more information, please contact Sarah Shimwell or Charles Tattersall on 0161 235 0300 or email brother@citypress.co.uk

Sir Chris Hoy - Great Photo

As you do more Sportives, you get to meet more and more people out and about.

One person I've recently met is photographer - Rick Robson - of CycleSportPhotos.com.

Rick was taking the photo's on the recent Polocini Sportive (previous write up here).

He has very generously burned me a load of photo's to share on the blog, here' s the first. I'll publish more over the coming weeks.

Iconic track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, sits quietly at the edge of the velodrome at one of the Revolution series. He could quite easily be sitting in the queue at a spaceport in that outfit.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Chris in May 2010, he's an absolute gentleman and every inch the professional. This is a cracking shot.

Should you want photo's taken of your club or yourself out and about, then please do contact Rick at enquiries@cyclesportphotos.com. I think it's mighty generous of him to share these photo's for our enjoyment.

Milltag "Wiggins Casino" Cycling Top

Of all the cycling clobber I own, this still holds number one position of most favourite item.

It was a one off run of 30 tops by cycling clothing designer Milltag in celebration of Bradley Wiggins achievements in the 2009 Tour de France.

Inspired by all things Mod, Northern Soul (of which I'm a big fan) and cycling, it's really distinctive and if you look at the other bits of detail here, there's a lot going on with it.

The orange stripe contrasts nicely with my Sat-zoomer single speed bike, so it was nice to pull it on today and get out on the road.

Sadly, they're sold out now. Amusingly, when Wiggins was shown the design, his response was "F-ing love it." This statement itself has inspired Milltag to make a T-shirt with this on. So, I've got the look, now just need the legs!

Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheels Review

When I speeced my Dolan Ares up, I spent a lot of time considering what wheels to put on the bike. Those in the know will tell you that wheels are a critical part of your bike set-up and you should try and buy as best as you can get.

After minutes of pain staking research, decision was made; Mavic Ksyrium SL's. These wheels have picked up quite a reputation amongst road cyclists for being an excellent ride - strong, solid but light - and after riding them for six months, I have to agree.
















I've covered around 1,000 miles on them so far and they remain absolutely true, despite hitting a few potholes along the way. I'm 210Ibs in weight, which is worth adding as it demonstrates that they are stiff and strong, even for a heavier rider. If you look around the forums, you'll read lots of feedback supporting this.

Their rolling resistance is superb, allowing you to whip up speed quickly and descending is an absolute pleasure, fast and true, giving you real confidence on the bike.

They also look the business. As you can see, the bladed spokes give them real distinctivenss and I opted for the red hubs to give the bike some contrast and make a real feature of the wheels.

The primary criticism about them is they are a little on the expensive side, coming in at around £599 a pair. Yes, it is a lot of money and the market has opened up, giving more choice. From my side, I think they are still well worth considering, had absolutely no problems with them.

New Fixed Wheel Bike

"Satzoomer." That's the name I've christened my latest addition to my bike collection (due to its bright orange satsuma like colour).

It's an Onza Uno.  Having a natter with Graeme Obree when up was up in Scotland the other week, he extolled the virtues of owning a fixed wheel bike for training and bike control. Graeme is an absolute legend when it comes to cycling, so I took it all in and thought that I would be one step further to being a world champion if I owned one (not). So, with that fresh in my mind and always liking a bargain I spotted this and took the plunge. I'm glad I did as it turns out it was the last one.

I'm going to get some Keo pedals put on it for starters, will probably remove the back brake and tweak a couple of the bits on it. It's got a nice little barber shop pole feature in the head tube, which is quirky and the Araya rims remind me of my BMX back in the 80's. For now, I've stuck it on the turbo trainer as I'm doing low intensity training, it seems happy enough, for now.

Ten Things to Carry on your Road Bike

Chatting with a new roadie the other day, they asked me what things I carry in my saddle bag. So, for their benefit, here's the things I always carry when I'm out on the road.

1. A spare inner tube (or two if you have room).
2. Some hand wipes (avoid greasy hands on bar tape post puncture).
3. A puncture repair kit in the event that you get a double puncture.
4. Tyre levers (carry three, because some tyres are a very tight fit).
5. A multi-tool.
6. A piece of old inner tube to patch a tyre up with in the event of a tyre rip.
7. Contact details of who to get hold of in an emergency. I have one of these on my helmet. Well worth nine quid if it means life or death.
8. A mobile phone. We've all been there, double puncture, buckled wheels, broken spokes resulting in a long walk home if you cant ring someone to come and get you.
9. Some money to get you out of a tight spot. A taxi home. An emergency cuppa. A bar of chocolate if you bonk.
10. A plastic glove or two. You know the ones you get at the diesel pump at a petrol station. They scrunch up really small and are the ideal thing for putting over your hands to mount a de-railed chain or a wet tyre which is gunked up with brake dust.
    

Ten Items of Road Cycling Clothing You Should Own

Rain, snow, sleat, wind. It's all ahead of us as autumn turns to winter and we wrestle with our inner voices about staying in bed or setting out on those horrid winter mornings.

You can however minimise the effect of weather by choosing the right clothing combinations. When I first got going with cycling, I got some bits from the dealer where I bought the bike, some bib shorts, a top, some shoes, some fingerless gloves. Comparing that to what lives in my wardrobe/kit bag today is a different story.

Of course, much of it is "nice to haves," how many cycling tops do you need? Answer = never enough. However, when I really scrutinise the differing types of clothing I now own, it's clear that you can "dress for success" on the bike in the winter. Here's my Top 10 list of the differing types of winter cycling clothing, primarily to mix and match to get the optimum clothing combinations regardless of what the elements are throwing at you (in no particular order).

1. Base layer. Essential as the first layer in your get up to wick away sweat from the body.
2. Thermal vest. They don't have to be expensive, I picked mine up for two or three quid.
3. Windtex long sleeved jacket. For cold, more than wet days. Keeps the chill off and the warmth in.
   
4. Windcheater. Some days the wind can just cut through you. I keep a windcheater stuffed into a spare cycling bottle to whip out when needed and protect from quick showers.
5. Gloves. I own three pairs of long fingered gloves. A heavy, thick waterproof set, with thick insulation. A mid-duty set which aren't waterproof but keep the cold out and a lighter pair.
6. A neck warmer. You can often see these being given away on the magazine fronts. Whip it over your head and it will keep your neck warm or pull it up over your mouth on those really cold days.
7. Waterproof jacket. I went for an Altura waterproof winter jacket.
   
8. Overshoes. Just buy some. They keep your feet warm and the bulk of the wet out. Make sure you get some which are appropriate for winter as some are quite then and not designed for the bad days, get them waterproof if you can.
   
9. Arm warmers. Merino arm warmers are only about fifteen quid and give you the option to put on/peel off as the weather dictates, really handy.
10. Beanie hat. Keep the warmth in, a thin woollen hat is a good buy. Pull it down over your ears and feel warmer instantly.
    

Cycling can be expensive....

Road cycling as a hobby can be both addictive and expensive. I'm quickly learning that. Totting up what I've spent on bits and bobs to since I got my bike last August, I've realised that I've spent as much on accessories as I did on the bike! These include such items as: -

1. A turbo trainer
2. A new set of wheels + tyres for the Spring/Summer (2nd hand off e-Bay).
3. A track pump to get increased pressure in the tyres.
4. A turbo trainer dedicated rear wheel, with cassette.
5. A cold compound tyre for the wheel for the turbo trainer.
6. More clothes than you can shake a stick at (e-Bay has been good for picking up bargains).
7. A cycle computer that can measure heart rate and cadence.
8. A Garmin 205 (2nd hand off a fellow cyclist on Twitter). Loving the profiles that this gives you post ride.
9. Pedals, Cleats and shoes to go with them.
10. Water bottles, cages etc.

So, if you're getting into the sport, watch out it can cost some bucks, but who cares it's a great sport and it gives you a focus for your money. That's before you start gazing at all the amazing bikes for sale which are around five times more expensive than the bike you've just got, thinking "I'd quite like that for my next one." The picture is of Trek 5.2 that I spotted in a bike shop this Saturday, £3.5K buys you this baby. They built it up from components so it's effectively a "one off". I want it!

New Bike Computer

Here's the latest addition to the bike. A Polar CS200 CAD trip computer. I bought this one as it is one of the few that can measure the usual stuff, speed and distance, aswell as heart rate and cadence. When I was doing my reading up, it's become obvious to me that heart rate and cadence go hand in hand. So, now I've got this I can measure spin speed vs. heart rate vs. distance to try and get the optimal gear for my cadence. I'm going to start logging what I do, let's see if it works. The theory is clear in my head, just got to put my rear in the saddle now and get some miles done.

My Hybrid Bike

I've got two bikes. The first bike I bought in October 2008 is a Scott P4 Hybrid (see pic). I loved this bike the moment I saw it in the dealers. It's black from head to foot and just looked the business. It's riding position is supreme and a top feature is the ability to adjust the tension in the front forks whilst riding. You can stiffen the front suspension or ease it up when the roads get bumpy. I'm 6'3 so I opted for the large frame version. I've done two mid distance rides on it, Manchester to Liverpool (42 miles) and Manchester to Liverpool (63 miles) and felt good at the end of both. It's got Shimano gearsets, Alex rims and a very good riding position. Would recommend this make to anyone wanting to get started in cycling, the 2008 model is discontinued now but does come in a 2009 model which looks like this.