Cycle Magazine Taster October/ November 2017

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32 CW from far left: by Sam Jones, Ed Shoote, Richard Hallett

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FROM THE E DITOR THERE WOULD BE gravel roads crossing streams of glacial meltwater. Big skies. A camp kettle boiling water for coffee outside a solo tent. That was as far as I got in my expedition across Iceland almost 30 years ago: imagining it.

Earlier that summer, I’d rediscovered how brilliant cycling is with a youth hostelling tour of Ireland. Where next? Iceland…

Only the ferry tickets were out of reach for an overdrawn student, and the days of cheap flights hadn’t dawned. I went to Norway instead because you could book a reclining seat on the boat to Bergen for a fraction of the price of a cabin to Iceland. It was a great trip nevertheless, with mountains, a glacier, aquamarine rivers, gravel roads, and all that.

It wasn’t hard to choose what bike to use for that trip. I owned one: a rigid steel mountain bike with a rear pannier rack. It was my touring bike, my off-road bike, and my bike for everyday transport. It did everything because it had to.

Three decades later, much has altered. Yet when I was looking for one bike for everything (for the feature on page 44), I found myself pretty much back where I’d started: on a rigid steel mountain bike with a pannier rack. Plus ça change.

I don’t know that the one-bike experiment has taught me anything new. It has confirmed something I’ve always felt: that what really matters about any bike is that it makes you happy, and that it can take you wherever you want to go.

Contents EVERY ISSUE

THIS ISSUE

04 B I G P I C T U R E

18 P R I Z E D R A W

How you can help get Trails for Wales

07 F R O M T H E C H I E F EXECUTIVE Paul Tuohy on promoting cycling to an unsympathetic media

08 C Y C L E S H O R T S

Cycle campaigner Becky Reynolds, Rosemary Rymer’s custom Rusby, the Charlie Alliston case, the growth in Community Cycle Clubs, and more

20 S H O P W I N D O W

Interesting products coming soon

22 G E A R

Components, accessories, and books reviewed

29 L E T T E R S

Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

57 Q & A

Your technical, health and legal questions answered

Get five years’ membership for the price of four. Phone 01483 238301

Over £8,000 in prizes to win in Cycling UK’s raffle

32 R E A L G R A V E L R I D I N G

Two views of Iceland: a long-weekend’s bikepacking and a traditional bike trek

44 1 B I K E O N L Y

How practical is it to do all of your cycling on one bike?

52 A N A D V E N T U R E I N E S S E X Canvey Island in winter – for fun

62 M I D - R A N G E T O U R E R S

Richard Hallett reviews a Ridgeback Panorama and Dawes Galaxy Excel 631

68 T E R N C A R G O N O D E

A cargo bike compact enough to store anywhere

71 B R I L L I A N T F R O N T L I G H T S Powerful front lights that don’t dazzle

81 T R A V E L L E R S ’ T A L E S

Cycling UK members’ ride reports

82 C T C C Y C L I N G H O L I D AY S Let us take you there

ON THE COVER Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Iceland, by Ed Shoote

Cycling UK, Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@cyclinguk.org W: cyclinguk.org T: 0844 736 8450* or 01483 238300

Founded in 1878

DAN JOYCE Cycle editor

Membership

Cycle promotes the work of Cycling UK. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. Cycling UK is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with 67,000 members and affiliates Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow Chief Executive: Paul Tuohy. Cyclists’ Touring Club, a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce e: cyclinguk@jppublishing.co.uk Head of Design: Simon Goddard Designer: Katrina Ravn Additional proofreading: Julie Rand Advertising: Anna Vassallo tel: 0203 859 7100 e: annav@jppublishing.co.uk Publisher: James Houston. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of Cycling UK by James Pembroke Publishing, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. Tel: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright Cycling UK, James Pembroke Publishing and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Cycling UK 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 Cycling UK. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Publishing, and final approval by Cycling UK. Printed by: Precision Colour Printing, Haldane, Halesfield 1, Telford, TF7 4QQ. Tel: 01952 585585 *0844 numbers are ‘basic rate’, costing under 5p/min plus your phone company’s access charge on a BT landline.

Other providers may charge more.

CYCLE SHORTS Treatment varied: the BBC let Duncan speak, GMTV didn’t

Road safety

WANTON & FURIOUS REPORTING The media’s reaction in the Charlie Alliston case couldn’t go unchallenged. Cycling UK’s Duncan Dollimore brought some balance

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Right: Aurora Photos / Alamy

F YOU’VE MANAGED to avoid reading or hearing about the Charlie Alliston case in recent weeks, you’ll be in a minority. For those who’ve been on media blackout, the brief but tragic story is that last year Alliston was riding a fixed-wheel bicycle without a front brake in Central London. Kim Briggs walked into the road. Alliston saw her, shouted twice, and collided with her, knocking Kim to the ground. She died from brain injuries a week later.

Alliston was charged with and acquitted of manslaughter, but convicted, after trial, of an archaic offence dating from 1861 of causing bodily harm by wanton and furious driving. The latter offence was drafted in the days when the horse and carriage was the

Riders on brakeless fixies don’t represent all cyclists

1 2 C Y C L E O CTO BER /N O VEM BER 2017

peril on the roads, but the Crown Prosecution Service weren’t able to charge Alliston with causing death by either careless or dangerous cycling, because no such offence exists. Kim’s widower Matt Briggs has now launched a campaign, with significant media support, to change that and bring in new cycling offences.

DANGEROUS CONCLUSIONS

Alas, no: it was too inviting for many in the media to condemn all or most people riding bikes, rather than Alliston’s irresponsible behaviour. Adam Boulton’s Sunday Times piece about the wheels coming off ‘our senseless worship of bicycles’, epitomised much of the coverage. Boulton’s plea to ‘forget about zombies and North Koreans: the cyclists are coming’ reflected the jointhe-dots media frenzy: cyclist kills pedestrian; why aren’t they accountable, paying road tax, insured, licensed?

A review of road traffic laws and penalties, and specifically how the judicial system deals with irresponsible behaviour on our roads, is something Cycling UK has consistently campaigned and lobbied for. Admittedly, our REVIEW ROAD TRAFFIC OFFENCES focus has been on the greatest source of Such click-bait media coverage is infuriating, risk, namely motor vehicles, which account misleading, and dangerous in equal measure, for 99.4% of pedestrian deaths. The fact that and it’s vital that we correct misinformation, people cycling present such a minuscule risk present the true facts about road danger, and of harm to others compared to those in champion the case for cycling and ordinary metal boxes will be of no comfort cyclists. We do ourselves no favours to Matt Briggs, but surely we however if we don’t say, loud and could rely on the media to clear, that riding a fixed-wheel maintain a sense of balance bicycle on busy roads without Road justice when reporting on the risk that a front brake is illegal, stupid, For more about this and cyclists pose to others? and endangers other road related news, see users, especially pedestrians. cyclinguk.org/ That’s the message we put campaign/ road-justice out in our press release and media interviews, with a call for the Government to finally get on with the full review of all road traffic offences they promised back in 2014. They need to look closely at how we legislate for and deal with mistakes, carelessness, recklessness and deliberately dangerous behaviour by all road users, not just cyclists in reaction to one high profile case.

“Motor vehicles account for 99.4% of pedestrian deaths”

PRODUCT NEWS | SHOP WINDOW

Product news

SHOP WINDOW

Web shop open

Sorry to keep you waiting: Cycling UK clothing is now available from our online shop.

Visit cyclinguk.org/shop or turn to page 78.

DAN JOYCE Cycle editor

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SALSA FARGO TI FRAMESET $2,499

Not at Eurobike nor easy to find in the UK, the new Ti Fargo (which also comes in steel) is probably the go-anywhere-est drop bar bike. It takes 29er, 650B+, and 29+ wheels. salsacycles.com

EDITOR DAN JOYCE PREVIEWS A SELECTION OF NEW PRODUCTS, MOST OF WHICH WON AWARDS AT THIS YEAR’S EUROBIKE SHOW

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A childseat that doubles as a pushchair. Slide it off the rack and away you go, possibly not even waking your toddler as you do so. pahoj.com

3

LINKA SMART BICYCLE LOCK €169

A frame lock that’s operated by your phone, it can be set to unlock itself as you approach. It will also alert your phone if your bike is tampered with. eu.linkalock.com

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RACER E-GLOVE2 £TBC

Cold hands? These gloves have an inbuilt, battery-powered heating circuit. The temperature is regulated to prevent your hands getting too hot. racergloves.com

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HUTCHINSON CONEC’TIRES £TBC

6

SUPERNOVA M99 MINI £TBC

This 12-gram digital gauge sits inside your tyre at the valve stem and sends live pressure readings, sealant levels, and more to your smartphone.

Expected 2018. hutchinsontires.com

What’s special about this lamp, which is intended for e-MTBs and has high (1,250 lumens) and low (600 lumen) beams, is that it complies with new German road laws. supernova-lights.com

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TERN GSD €3,999

Designed to carry two children or up to 180kg of cargo, this Boschpowered electric cargo bike is only 180cm long thanks to its 20in wheels, and it partly folds for easier storage. ternbicycles.com/uk

2 0 C Y C L E O CTO BER /N O VEM BER 2017

Photos 2, 3, 4 and 6: courtesy of EUROBIKE Friedrichshafen

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PAHOJ £TBC

D E TA I L S WHERE: Iceland START/FINISH: Reykjavik to Jรถkulsรกrlรณn Glacier Lagoon & Blรถnduรณs to Reykjavik DISTANCE: 255 & 145 miles respectively PICTURES: Ed Shoote and Sam Jones

ICEL AND | GRE AT RIDES

Great rides

REAL GRAVEL RIDING With only three days free, Ed Shoote flew to Iceland with his bikepacking kit. Sam Jones and friends hired mountain bikes there for a steadier six-day trip

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he most sparsely populated country in Europe, with many of its roads unsurfaced, Iceland is an ideal destination for getting off the beaten track.

There’s more than one way to explore its rugged, sub-polar terrain. Ed Shoote used a lightly-loaded gravel bike, Cycling UK’s Sam Jones a mountain bike with panniers.

ED SHOOTE: NORTHERN, LIGHT ‘Iceland? For the weekend? Seriously?’

That’s the standard response when I answer what I am doing with my long weekend. When I add that I want to cycle across Iceland, I get a wry, contemplative smile that says: ‘Is he actually serious?’ Yet I have a full 72 hours before I have to be back at my desk and I intend to make the most of the time.

Straight after work on Thursday, my wife and I catch a flight from Edinburgh. Two hours later, we’re touching down in Reykjavik.

After a short drive together in the hire car, I unpack my bike and set off into the dark alone. I’m literally heading into the unknown, because as I ride uphill I am engulfed by a dark, dense mist – so much for the Northern Lights!

Riding into the night allows you to make

the most of every hour, and while you miss a few sights, it brings its own unique experience. But this is getting silly. I set out my bivvy bag on some lush moss between black volcanic rocks and plan to make an early start.

A HOT BATH BEFORE BED It’s a bizarre feeling waking up in a completely alien environment. Last night, I was oblivious to my surroundings; I was camping a bit too close for comfort to a sign warning of steam vents in the area.

I ride due east on the famous outer ring road of Iceland. The mountains are encircled in morning mist, and steam vents and geysers add to the theatre. Daylight riding here definitely offers more!

I ride past Selfoss, stocking up on a few last-minute and incredibly expensive provisions. It’s time to leave the tarmac behind and ride the gravel tracks through the desolate interior of Iceland. This is also where you leave the other tourists behind and get a true feel for the place. Travelling by bike lets you do that surprisingly quickly; I pass signs banning hire cars from driving on the gravel and immediately it’s peaceful.

While cars can’t travel here, my fast and

Ed at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

Do it yourself

FAST AND LIGHT I was dropped off and picked up by my wife in a rental car.

We arrived late and the car let me start riding quickly, a little way away from the airport.

I stored my bike box in the rental car. Buses, which often passed me during the day, are a good option because most take bikes. The airport has a bike-building station but no bike bag/box storage. Try the bus station or a hotel for that.

Highway 1 was busy with badly-driven hire cars in the section near Reykjavik. On the gravel roads, it was empty so I could focus on enjoying the scenery. The wet weather dampened down the coarse volcanic ‘gravel’ and, while rough or sandy in places, it was almost entirely rideable.

The gravel tracks have many icy fords, which could cause concern after heavy rain.

Don’t be tempted to venture off the tracks: the environment is very fragile in Landmannaleið’s famous green moss-covered landscape.

IT’S TIME TO LEAVE THE TARMAC BEHIND AND RIDE THE GRAVEL TRACKS THROUGH THE DESOLATE INTERIOR OF ICELAND CYCL I N G U K.O RG CYCL E 3 3

F E A T U R E | 1 B I K E O N LY

SAME DIFFERENT Nutcracker XC at Gandale, N

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BIKE, YEAR event Yo r k s

1 B I K E O N LY | F E A T U R E

Feature

1 BIKE ONLY IF YOU HAD TO HAVE ONE BIKE FOR EVERYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? EDITOR DAN JOYCE SPENT A MONTH EXPERIMENTING WITH ONE SOLUTION

ikes aren’t hugely expensive, so why own just one? Money, if it’s tight. Storage space, for the same reason.

Or minimalism: the satisfaction of having no more than you need. For me, it was just an experiment.

If I had to have one bike for everything, what would it be and how would it perform?

We’ll all have different definitions of ‘everything’. With seven bikes in regular use, mine is fairly wide – and different from the cycle industry’s, whose ‘go anywhere, do anything’ bike du jour is the gravel bike.

These cyclocross-inspired bikes aren’t onetrick ponies, it’s true, but many of them have limitations when it comes to hauling panniers and all of them are compromised off-road.

Cyclocross tyres are fine on fireroads but are a pain when the going gets rougher. And unless your name is John Tomac, drops are a handicap at best and inadequate at worst on technical singletrack. In any case, ‘traditional road handlebars’ are banned by the UCI for cross-country mountain bike racing, which I do a bit of. If I were turned away from an event by a British Cycling commissaire, I’d have failed to do my definition of ‘everything’.

Left: Sylvia Slavin ARPS, Digital Swaledale

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IN SEARCH OF VERSATILITY The bikes on my shortlist were all rigid mountain bikes with rack- and mudguardready frames and clearance for plus-size (2.8-3in) tyres: Surly Krampus; Surly ECR; Jones Plus; Singular Swift (with touring fork); Shand Bahookie; Genesis Longitude – both the current 27.5+ version and the 2015 29+ model (bit.ly/cycle-longitude) that I have;

and my Carver Gnarvester (bit.ly/cyclegnarvester).

I picked my own Longitude. I already had it and, having used it as a mountain bike, a tourer, and a town bike, knew it was capable in different roles. It was easier and neater to fit an SKS P50 front mudguard to it than the Carver, which has a Travers XC Prong carbon fork, and I was happier leaving the Longitude locked up in town.

With the frameset sorted, wheels were next.

I needed two pairs: one for the road, one for off-road. Off-road was easy: I had 29+ wheels.

For road use, I wanted something lighter and hopefully faster than the 29er wheels and tyres I’ve previously fitted to the Longitude for transport and touring. Upgrade Bikes lent me some heavier-duty cyclocross wheels (Kinesis CX Disc HD), and for the tyres I used the new tubeless incarnation of Schwalbe’s Marathon Supreme – a fast-rolling touring tyre. Swapping the wheels changed the bottom bracket height significantly, which was fine: I wanted a lower bottom bracket for road use.

The gearing needed to be wide-range but a triple chainset wasn’t an option: the chain would rub the 29+ tyre in bottom gear. While some doubles could work, I used a single chainring in a triple crank’s middle position instead: a 36t MRP Wave driving a 10-speed SunRace MX3 11-42 cassette (both from Ison Distribution). This gave a range of 24-90in with the road wheels and 26-100in with the bigger off-road tyres. It worked well, and I wasn’t at all bothered by the big steps between gears.

As I was using disc brakes, I figured I could just drop the wheels in and out. It wasn’t that simple. The Centrelock rotors on the Kinesis wheels sat slightly further inboard than

CYCL I N G U K.O RG CYCL E 4 5

EXPERT ADVICE | Q&A

Expert advice

MEET THE EXPERTS

YOUR TECHNICAL, LEGAL, AND HEALTH QUESTIONS ANSWERED. THIS ISSUE: DRAIN DANGERS, HAMSTRING PAIN, FLATS TO DROPS, AND MORE

D R M AT T B R O O K S Cycling GP {Health}

?

Question of the month

Left: Graham Lansdell

RICHARD HALLETT Cycle’s Technical Editor {Technical}

NB. Slots aren’t in line with road

Legal

GUTTER POLITICS

Q

Earlier this year, I crashed while riding a Brompton bike on a busy main road in Nottingham, as a result of the bike’s front wheel getting caught in a drain.

I was fortunate to receive only bruising and a smashed wristwatch, having fallen over the handlebar.

I attach a photo, taken a week later, illustrating the depth to which such a bike’s wheel can sink in this drain. The drain is just across the road from one of Nottingham’s Brompton dealers, so I am unlikely to be the only Brompton rider to use this stretch of highway.

The council denies responsibility for the crash. As a result, the drain will remain as it is. Another Brompton rider might not

be so lucky. Is there any way to exert legal pressure on the council to change the drain cover?

Graham Lansdell

A

Whilst it is unfortunate that your bicycle wheel was caught in between the gaps in the drain pictured, it seems from the letter you sent as if the council has provided a reasonable justification for denying liability in this particular case.

The council states that the drain is designed in a way to allow cyclists and other oncoming traffic to travel safely over the feature whilst following the normal direction of the road. This allows for effective drainage along the sloped road. If the council were to change this, its reply says, the road may become more liable to flooding and, as a result, this would increase the risk to road users, including cyclists.

The council is responsible for the maintenance and repair of public roads

RICHARD GAFFNEY Principal Lawyer, Slater + Gordon Lawyers {Legal}

and it relies on the public to report any faults so they can be investigated. The council also has a duty to carry out regular checks/inspections, which are usually more frequent if the road is busy, such as those around town or city centres.

On this occasion, the council will no doubt allege that the drain cover was not defective and has been properly maintained. For an actionable claim, one would have to show that this design of drain is particularly dangerous and the cause of numerous accidents/injuries.

Section 67 of the Highway Code also states that cyclists should look well ahead for obstructions such as drains and parked vehicles.

That being said: if you come across a drain that is damaged, a pothole, or other significant road defect, then you may indeed have a legitimate complaint.

Cycling UK has a website dedicated to reporting road defects, so if you see something that you would like to bring to

CYCL I N G U K.O RG CYCL E 5 7

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.59 A MONTH!*

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BIKETEST | MID -RANGE TOURERS

RICHARD HALLETT Cycle’s Technical Editor

Bike test

MID-RANGE TOURERS What does £1300 or so get you in touring bikes these days? Richard Hallett tests a Dawes Galaxy Excel 631 and a Ridgeback Panorama

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ID-RANGE OFF-THE-PEG touring bikes are not what they used to be, if the two machines on test are reliable indicators. Weighing upwards of 14kg with pedals, these are substantial, hefty bicycles, clearly designed and built to prioritise strength and robustness over speed and comfort. It may be that the growing popularity of gravel riding, bikepacking and other quasi off-road cycling activities such as ‘adventure’ touring, which place increased stress on the machine, has prompted manufacturers to beef up their offerings. (Triple chainset and accessories aside, the Panorama could pass muster at one of the US-style gravel enduro races becoming popular in the UK.) Or it may simply be that the bikes are built to take whatever might be thrown at them and, if that means they are arguably overbuilt for faster, less heavily-loaded touring duties, then so be it. Either way, it’s impossible to avoid the sheer mass of these machines and its impact on ride quality and rider effort – if that’s an issue for you when touring.

Move beyond weight, and the disc-versus-rim brake argument gets an outing on bikes where it ought to make a substantial difference.

Otherwise, similarities between the two,

of which there are many, simply point up what’s currently expected of an affordable, reliable, long distance tour-ready bicycle.

FRAME AND FORK Both bikes employ high-strength steel tubing for their frame and fork. Steel is the traditional material choice for touring framesets, not least because it is widely felt to offer a usefully resilient, springy ride that enhances rider comfort during long hours in the saddle. As important on tour are the strength and longterm durability for which steel is famed, along with ease of repair using readily-available, relatively simple technology, should the frame get damaged somewhere remote.

Expect the Galaxy and Ridgeback to score well on durability. The former is constructed using, according to the sticker, Reynolds 631 butted main tubes. Gauge, or wall thickness, is not specified but, judging by the ride and weight, is heavy even in the middle. The respected 631 tubeset is used, according to the Dawes website, throughout the frame, with the fork built using Reynolds ‘R’ blades generously brazed into a cast steel crown with cromoly steerer. While the top tube is a regular (for today) 28.6mm, the down tube is an oversized 35mm and boasts a reinforcing

THESE ARE SUBSTANTIAL, HEFTY BICYCLES, BUILT TO PRIORITISE STRENGTH AND ROBUSTNESS OVER SPEED AND COMFORT 6 2 C Y C L E O C TO BER /N O VEM BER 2017

gusset on the underside at the head tube.

With bigger clearances, this would have made an impressive MTB frame back in the all-rigid days of the late 1980s…

The Galaxy’s crown adds a pleasing visual touch to what is otherwise a fairly industriallooking affair, sturdily and, in places, untidily TIG-welded and finished off with a retro metallic green and silver paint job and slightly naff embossed head badge. There are bosses for three bottle cages and, on the top of the left-hand chainstay, a spare spoke holder complete with two spokes. Fork bosses for a low-rider rack complete the specification.

If the Galaxy’s frameset is sturdy, that of the Panorama is brick-outhouse solid. Built using Reynolds 725 heat-treated cromoly, the neatly TIG-welded frame features oversized top and down tubes, at 32 and 35mm respectively, along with a reinforcing gusset under the down tube. The unicrown fork, built for a disc brake, is massively rigid, while the disc calliper mount concedes nothing

Above: The Dawes’s auxiliary levers allow braking from the tops but preclude using a bar bag

MID -RANGE TOURERS | BIKETEST

RIDGEBACK PANOR AMA Better suited to rougher, all-roads riding

DAWES GAL A XY EXCEL A lighter, more traditional tourer with cantilever brakes

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FRONT LIGHTS | GROUPTEST

Group test

BRILLIANT FRONT LIGHTS Powerful front battery lights are common, but those that don’t just dazzle other road users are rare. Richard Hallett reviews four L I G HT O U TP U T Somewhere around 800 lumens on maximum setting seems to be the de facto standard and should be enough for 25mph/40kph riding on unlit roads. Side illumination helps make the user visible to other road users, especially when waiting at or leaving a side junction.

SW ITC H Ideally, it should be possible to feel and operate the switch button while wearing thick winter gloves.

RICHARD HALLETT Technical Editor

B R I G HTN E S S S E T TI N G S The more, the merrier, right? Maybe not; the lights tested all scroll through settings successively, so getting back to max will take more time and effort the more settings are involved.

R U N TIM E & C H A RG IN G A longer run time is better, of course, and it will vary with light output. Run time at high output will be important if used on unlit roads.

All lights on test can be recharged from a computer’s USB port.

A traditional plug-type charger is a useful additional feature.

AT TAC H M E NT A big rubber band pulled around the handlebar is quick and easy to use but a screwed clamp is more secure and, if provided with a quick-release fixture, even faster and more convenient to use.

The attachment system should hold the light firmly enough to prevent movement from vibration.

B E A M S PR E A D Careful lens and reflector design casts the light in a more useful spread.

The beam may be diffuse, covering a large area fairly uniformly, or focused so that some part of the foreground is brighter lit.

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OWERFUL, RELIABLE, and longer lasting, battery bicycle lights have come a long way in the last couple of decades. So bright are most of today’s LED front lights that some form of switched reduction in light output is a desirable feature, not just to save power and extend run time, but to allow the light to be dipped when used on unlit roads.

‘Dipped’ isn’t quite the right word; with the lights on test, there’s no change in beam direction or angle as the light

switches to a dimmer mode. In any case, the light should be angled to avoid dazzling oncoming road users even on maximum power; this will have the further benefit of casting the beam on the road ahead.

Along with vastly increased run time from batteries speedily rechargeable through a USB port, the best of current bike lights are made to last, with sturdy exteriors and weather proofing. Even the lowest-powered light on test provided effective illumination on unlit back roads.

Bike light legality When cycling at night, you’re legally required to have approved white front and red rear lights, as well as a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors. See bit.ly/cyclelightingregs

CYCL I N G U K.O RG CYCL E 7 1

Travellers’ tales

All those windmills in the Netherlands are a clue

When the wind blows ON HIS WAY TO ROTTERDAM, PETE MARTIN RUNS HEAD FIRST INTO A ‘DUTCH HILL’ Smiles from school children

HOOP HOOP HOOR AY Hugh Symonds’ worn out touring tyre made a Cambodian boy jump for joy

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ive thousand kilometres into our cycle journey from Chengdu in China to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, I felt the first slow softening of one of my tyres. The rear wheel had punctured shortly after we had crossed the mighty Mekong River in the middle of Laos. Our usual policy is to find shade, prop the bike up, and pop a new innertube in, repairing the hole later in the day.

In the next 500 kilometres, the same thing happened to the same wheel three more times. On long tours, we carry a spare folding tyre, and on the fifth puncturing I decided to find substantial shade from the fierce sun. It was time to replace the old, thin tyre. We were

Tyre recycled as a toy

just half a day’s ride from the old colonial French colonial city of Kampot, famous for its fields of pepper.

Within minutes, we were the centre of attention. A boy came to watch as I removed the wheel and replaced old for new. It became obvious that he wanted to play with the old tyre. He threw it high in the air, span it with a reverse spin on rough ground so that it returned like a boomerang, and next he was using it as a hula hoop.

We had planned to carry the tyre on to Kampot to dispose of it properly, but it was clear that the tyre had a better future than we thought. The look of pleasure on the boy’s face was one of immeasurable delight.

It had been 38 degrees under the shade of the trees, and now we pushed our bikes back to the road in the sunshine and rode on to Kampot, where we found tasty food flavoured with the eponymous pepper. In the following days, we rode on, puncture free, to the Cambodian capital.

There’s more about our tour at crazyguyonabike.com/doc/FarEastTour

There are only three things to say about cycling in Holland: wind, wind, and more wind.

Mostly when I cycle, there is a rhythm and it becomes meditative and therapeutic, but every now and then it’s not like that at all. Today, every bone and muscle in my body aches.

The wind is incessant. It’s unreal.

Cycling away from the Rhine, the terrain is boring. The riverside cycle tracks offer better views but when it’s so open, there is only the wind. It’s mostly at me, occasionally at my side, but never at my back.

Cyclists on road bikes fly past in the other direction. I’m not sure what is worse: cycling into the wind or trying to stay upright when it’s from the side.

Most of my time is spent stuck in first gear. I am tempted to stop altogether in Dreumel but I don’t have the heart to go the one kilometre off the cycle route into town to find a guest house in case there isn’t one.

I make it somehow to Zaltbommel.

I am struggling to decide whether to give up on my journey or persevere.

I have 80km or so to go to Rotterdam tomorrow to complete my Rhine journey from Lake Constance, but I know I cannot have a day like this again.

Extracted from Pete’s book, Revolutions. See petemartin.org

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Traffic isn’t a problem

Hugh and Pauline Symonds cycled 4,000 miles in the Far East CYCL I N G U K.O RG CYCL E 8 1