Cycle magazine October/November 2021 LITE

cycle THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK

On test

BRISTOL BICYCLES TOURER PEDALCELL GENERATOR ALTURA RACK BAG DROPPER POSTS & MORE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

WEST KERNOW WAY

RIDING CORNWALL’S NEW 147-MILE TRAIL Page 34

E-BIKES DELIVER

How e-cargo bikes can transform towns

ADVENTURE BIKES Salsa Cutthroat Mason InSearchOf

TAFF TRAIL

Family cycling without barriers

P lu s CATERAN COUNTRY ROAD RIDE BACK TO WORK BY BIKE CYCLE ADVOCACY NETWORK AND MUCH MORE

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.88 A MONTH!*

CONTENTS Features 34 West Kernow Way 147 miles around Cornwall on Cycling UK’s newest trail

Welcome

40 E-bikes deliver Cleaner, greener, and often quicker than vans, are e-cargo bikes the future?

49 Yes, we CAN How our Cycle Advocacy Network helps individuals make a difference

52 Capital idea Family cycling on the Taff Trail from Pontypridd to Cardiff

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Products 20 Shop Window Previews of new products

22 Gear up Components, accessories, and books

62 Adventure bikes Mason InSearchOf and Salsa Cutthroat on test

Cycle Editor

Four options to get your saddle out of the way

70 Bristol Bicycles Randonneur A decent tourer for a little over £1,000

Regulars 04 Freewheeling Bits and pieces from the bike world

07 This is Cycling UK

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Coronavirus

DAN JOYCE

68 Dropper seatposts

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For updated advice regarding the Covid-19 outbreak, visit: cyclinguk.org/ coronavirus

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Highway Code overhaul, a farewell to CTC Cycling Holidays, new Cycling UK kit, leaving a legacy, and more

16 You are Cycling UK Record-breaker Christina Mackenzie

THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK

On test

BRISTOL BICYCLES TOURER PEDALCELL GENERATOR ALTURA RACK BAG DROPPER POSTS & MORE OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021

18 You are Cycling UK 17-year-old bikepacker Joe McGill

WEST KERNOW WAY

RIDING CORNWALL’S NEW 147-MILE TRAIL Page 34

E-BIKES DELIVER How e-cargo bikes can transform towns

ADVENTURE BIKES Salsa Cutthroat Mason InSearchOf

TAFF TRAIL

Family cycling without barriers

Plus CATERAN COUNTRY ROAD RIDE BACK TO WORK BY BIKE CYCLE ADVOCACY NETWORK AND MUCH MORE

On the cover

Loe Bar, Cornwall, by Jordan Gibbons/ Pannier.cc

31 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

46 Weekender 86-mile road ride in Scotland’s Cateran Country

56 Cyclopedia Questions answered, topics explained

72 Travellers’ Tales Cycling UK members’ ride reports

CYCLING UK: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX E: cycling@cyclinguk.org W: cyclinguk.org T: 01483 238300. Cycle promotes the work of Cycling UK. Cycle’s circulation is approx. 51,000. Cycling UK is one of the UK’s largest cycling membership organisations, with approx. 70,500 members and affiliates Patron: Her Majesty the Queen President: Jon Snow Chief Executive: Sarah Mitchell. Cyclists’ Touring Club, a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England No 25185, registered as a charity in England and Wales Charity No 1147607 and in Scotland No SC042541. Registered office: Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, GU2 9JX. CYCLE MAGAZINE: Editor: Dan Joyce E: editor@cyclinguk.org Head of Design: Simon Goddard Advertising: Harvey Falshaw T: 020 3198 3092 E: harvey.falshaw@jamespembrokemedia.co.uk Publisher: James Houston. Cycle is published six times per year on behalf of Cycling UK by James Pembroke Media, 90 Walcot Street, Bath, BA1 5BG. T: 01225 337777. Cycle is copyright Cycling UK, James Pembroke Media, and individual contributors. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission from Cycling UK and James Pembroke Media is forbidden. Views expressed in the magazine are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of Cycling UK. Advertising bookings are subject to availability, the terms and conditions of James Pembroke Media, and final approval by Cycling UK. Printed by: William Gibbons & Sons Ltd, 26 Planetary Road, Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 3XB T: 01902 730011 F: 01902 865835 Founded in 1878

Top to bottom: Jordan Gibbons (pannier.cc), Farr Out Deliveries, Cycling UK, Dan Joyce

Getting away from it all can feel both imperative and impossible in a pandemic. There are fewer places to go and more people, it seems, wanting to get there. Tourist hotspots mean crowds – unless you’re cycling.

Take Cornwall. Visitor numbers surged in the summers of 2020 and 2021. Understandably so: it’s a lovely part of the country and has great weather. But it hasn’t all been sun and smiles. Some residents worried about infection rates. Litter levels rose.

Drivers fumed in long traffic jams.

Yet a stone’s throw away and in a different world, Cycling UK staff and invited journalists were doing a trial run of the new West Kernow Way (p34), which launched in September.

They dipped in and out of tourist towns but spent much of the trip on quiet coastal and moorland tacks.

The West Kernow Way was funded by the EU Regional Development Fund EXPERIENCE Project, which aims to boost offseason tourism in several counties, including Cornwall. It’s something that Cornwall’s tourism chief has also called for, and something that cycling is well placed to deliver. Cyclists don’t need beaches or busy venues.

A bike’s ability to take you off the beaten track is so valuable right now.

When I was on the moors shooting the bikes this issue (p62), I saw five people: three bikers, two ramblers.

No traffic, no stress, no noise but the wind in the heather and the piping of moorland birds.

you are

Record breaker

CHRISTINA MACKENZIE This summer Christina broke the women’s Land’s End to John o’ Groats record, with a time of 51 hours 5 minutes 27 seconds. Dan Joyce spoke to her Christina’s bike

Photos: Brian Smith

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he women’s End to End record was last broken in 2002

by Lynne Taylor, who set a time of 52 hours 45 minutes 11 seconds. Christina Mackenzie, a 44-year-old former triathlete who rides with Cycling UK affiliate Stirling Bike Club, attempted it in 2019 and became the third fastest women. This year she tried again: she beat the record by an hour and forty minutes. When, I asked her, did she start to believe the record was in the bag?

“Arriving in Inverness in the dark,” she said. “It was three o’clock in the morning, whereas before I was two hours later and the sun was coming up. This time I was crossing Kessock Bridge at night. One of my friends’ sons was playing bagpipes.

It was amazing.”

What’s also amazing is that she bought her first road bike in 2012. A year later she rode her first Ironman. In 2016 she moved to Stirling, joined Stirling Bike Club, and switched focus to cycling. “I hadn’t really done any bike racing at that point,” she said. “But joining the club, I was encouraged to do the Mersey Roads 24-hour time trial (TT). The longer distances, whether it’s multi-discipline or single discipline, suit me better.”

One of her 24-hour TT competitors was Jasmijn Muller, who had a go at the End to End record. “At first I thought: that’s crazy,” said Christina. “Why would you do that? I wouldn’t drive it! Then seeing Mike (Broadwith) doing it in 2018, I thought: wow, that is amazing. Then I was thinking: 52 hours – it’s two 24 hours and a wee bit more. That could be quite achievable…”

An End to End record attempt gets harder and harder as the ride goes on and time and distance tick by. Christina said she enjoyed the first six hours the most. “I had a really great tailwind and I was just cruising along the A30. To most people that might be a bit of a nightmare because it’s such a busy road.

But between the tailwind and the draft of the cars, I was sitting comfortably at 20mph but still in zone one.

“Mentally the hardest part was when I came into Scotland.

You think: it’s great, I’m on the home straight. But I’d still got

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Top: Christina celebrates at John o’ Groats: 839 miles done!

Below: Her bike position was as much about comfort as speed

another 400 miles to go! There’s a stretch from Gretna Green to Abington, a false flat that makes you feel like you’re cycling in treacle. The road surface is horrible and there was a headwind.

I knew if I got off the bike at that point I probably wouldn’t get back on.”

The training required to ride 839 miles non-stop is as gruelling as you’d imagine. Six weeks before the record ride, for example, Christina rode three 200-mile training days back to back. Each ride involved 10,000 feet of climbing. “But it wasn’t just big miles,” she said. “In the build up I was doing hill climbs, threshold training, VO2 max. It was a different kind of pain. I’m normally just an engine that will keep going at a steady pace.”

By chance, Christina’s record ride took place during Cycling UK’s Women’s Festival of Cycling. So I asked her if she had any advice for women starting or returning to cycling. “Anything is possible,” she said. “I bought my first road bike in 2012. I’m sitting here in 2021 knowing that I’ve broken a world record.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that. But the main thing is to have fun and do what you feel comfortable doing, to enjoy it.”

More Info Christina just missed this year’s 100 Women in Cycling list. Find out who was on it here: c yclinguk.org/womensfestival/ 100women/2021

“It’s a Liv Avow Advanced Pro 2, the 2020 model.

It’s all stock but I put custom ski poles (aero bars) on to give more of an angle.

Fast Forward wheels: a 60mm front, 80mm on the back. It’s got a hydration system built in to it although I didn’t really use that. I just used the bottle cage at the back with the hand-ups I had.

The saddle is a Cobb Fifty Five, a tried and tested one; I keep that saddle on every single bike.”

P roduct News

SHOP WINDOW

Bike shows are heaving into sight on the horizon like longawaited container ships. What might soon be on display?

Bespoked #10

The UK handmade bicycle show is back for 2021, this time at the Harrogate Convention Centre on 15-17 Oct. bespoked.cc

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Surly Corner Bar

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WholeGrain Cycles Jack the Rack £60

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Trek Madone SL

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Craft Cadence Essentials Case

£34.99 Claiming to be a world first (really?), this waterproof case accommodates a large phone, cash, cards, tube and tools. Just the thing for the saddlebag-scorning roadie? craftcadence.com

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5

Reminiscent of a Bagman saddlebag support, this rack fits the handlebar and steerer instead but does a similar job: support a bigger load. Rated for 5kg, it’s due out later this year. jackthebikerack.com

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£4,700+ What’s interesting (to me, the editor) about the 2022 range of Trek’s Madone SL IsoSpeed-equipped aero road bikes is that the BB90 pressfit is gone. In its place, a T47 threaded BB. trekbikes.com

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£119.99 Want drops on your mountain bike? Perhaps to turn an old one into a gravel bike or tourer? This weird looking bar fits MTB brake and shift levers.

Widths 46-54cm, 25.4mm clamp (with shims supplied for 31.8mm). ison-distribution.com

Five Ten TrailCross GTX

£150 Flat-pedal cycling shoes generally soak up water like sponges. These ones are waterproof thanks to a GoreTex membrane. A neoprene cuff keeps out dirt and debris. adidas.co.uk

Voodoo Bizango

£750 Decent, affordable hardtail MTBs still exist in these days of spiralling prices. The 2022 Bizango has a 120mm Suntour Raidon air-sprung fork, 1×11 Deore, and proper trail-bike geometry. halfords.com

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RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR £779

The gravel bike bandwagon keeps rolling – now with 30 or 40mm of suspension.

Designed for 700Cs up to 50mm wide, RockShox’s new air fork can also take a fulllength mudguard. sram.com

6 More online Check out our in-depth reviews of the latest bikes and gear online at: cyclinguk.org/cycling-advice

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Details Where: Cornwall Start/finish: Penzance Distance: 140 miles (full version 147 miles) Photos: Jordan Gibbons/Pannier.cc

Top: Tinners Way through the Penwith Moors Bottom: Kynance Cove

W ES T K ER N O W WAY

G R E AT R I D E S

SOPHIE GORDON Cycling UK campaigns officer For Sophie, a coastal cycle is never complete without a dip in the sea

Great Rides

WEST KERNOW WAY Cycling UK’s newest long-distance trails runs 147 miles around the coast and moors of Cornwall. Sophie Gordon rode it this summer

M

ist swirled around the ruined mine building. As we approached, we could hear an eerie sound of singing echoing through the stones. The ghosts of workers lost in the mines? A local choir’s sociallydistanced outdoor rehearsal? It turned out be an environmental campaign group enjoying a break – and a few verses – while walking to the G7 summit in Carbis Bay. We wished them well on their journey as we continued ours.

Cycling – and cycle touring in particular – isn’t just about the riding. What makes a trip special is the people you’re with, the interesting places you discover along the way, and those memorable moments that happen off the bike. That’s what we want to celebrate with the West Kernow Way, a new route Cycling UK has developed around the western tip of Cornwall.

Part of the European Regional Development Fund EXPERIENCE project to extend the visitor season, the West Kernow Way lets you dig a bit deeper than the beaches and ice creams of childhood holidays and explore the unique landscapes, history and culture of this part of Britain. We’ve woven together paths less travelled to create a trail with a mix of coast and moorland, gravel tracks and quiet winding lanes, secluded coves and wooded bridleways.

In June, I was test riding the route alongside colleague Sam Jones and cycling journalists Katherine Moore, Rob Penn and

Our efforts were repaid with constantly changing views of west Cornwall’s rugged coastline

Vedangi Kulkarni, plus Stefan Amato and Jordan Gibbons from Pannier who took charge of the logistics and photography. The trip opened our eyes to the fantastic riding there is in the area, both on and off-road, and the wealth of hidden stories just waiting to be discovered.

THE TIN COAST Despite the world’s rich and powerful congregating in Cornwall for the G7 summit this summer, it didn’t take us long to feel like we’d escaped it all.

Rolling out of Penzance and through the pretty harbour of Mousehole, we soon ducked into quiet, narrow lanes with banks bursting with ferns and wildflowers. The steep climb up from the sea reminded us what we’d let ourselves in for.

Brutal gradients were a common feature along the route, and a good test of how quickly we could change gears whenever we turned a corner to be faced with yet another. We were lucky to have additional help in the form of some fantastic Specialized e-gravel bikes that we were testing out.

They didn’t exactly flatten the climbs but it was hugely satisfying to be able to ride all the way up a 22% gradient rather than pushing.

Our efforts were repaid with constantly changing views of west Cornwall’s rugged coastline. In the stunning Cot Valley, we were met by a wonderful lady with a picnic hamper. Stef from Pannier had arranged for us to sample an amazing homemade lunch

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F E ATU R E

E-CARGO BIKES

Feature

E - B I KE S D E LIVE R

E-CARGO BIKES ARE CLEANER, GREENER, AND OFTEN QUICKER THAN VANS. ANTONY DE HEVENINGHAM CONSIDERS THEIR USES

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ast April, as the UK’s first lockdown was starting, I had an excited phone call from my friend Beate. “I’ve hired an electric cargo bike, she’s called Bertha, and we’re going to use her to deliver stuff from the market to people who are shielding. Do you want to help?”

Fast forward 15 months, and we’re running a fully-fledged bike delivery service in a quiet, extremely hilly corner of West Yorkshire. Cargodale, as we christened our project, has grown, and now has six e-cargo bikes serving an eclectic list of local businesses, delivering

ANTONY DE HEVENINGHAM Transport consultant

Farr Out Deliveries in Edinburgh was set up during the pandemic

everything from cheese to CBD oil.

Although to start with all the riders were volunteers, we’ve registered the company as a living wage employer and started offering paid shifts to folk who’ve seen their usual work dry up during the pandemic.

And we’ve shown that e-cargo bikes (and their riders) are capable of dealing with one-in-four hills, rain, wind, and snow.

LESS POLLUTION, LESS CONGESTION Other people are doing the same thing as Cargodale in their own towns. From Edinburgh to Exeter, cargo bike delivery services have sprung into action. The

pandemic may have been the catalyst but there’s also a widespread feeling that the delivery industry needs a radical rethink of its environmental and ethical approach.

There are also giant leaps being made by companies like Pedal & Post and Pedal Me to establish cargo bike delivery as part of the UK’s logistics industry.

“We’re trying to become the de facto local delivery company in Edinburgh,” says Colin McGregor, a rider for Farr Out Deliveries, an upstart startup whose fun hipster image belies serious ambitions.

“Every week we deliver beer, books, garden tools, fresh bakes, chocolate, coffee,

Photography: Farr Out Deliveries, Cargodale, Islabikes

Antony is one of the directors of Cargodale, as well as a transport consultant, cycle event organiser, and magazine contributor

clothing, handbags, art supplies, plants…

The response has been really good. We have a core group of businesses that now use us as their sole local delivery provider, and that group continues to grow every week. Customers have been incredibly receptive to receiving goods by bike.

I doubt many people run out to take a picture of a parcel being delivered by van!”

Farr Out was started by friends Alex Fitzhowle, Frazer Martin and David Farr Squire, after the pandemic brought their previous employment to a sudden halt.

Initially using bikes loaned from social enterprises, they now deliver for over 30

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CYCLOPEDIA

w o h w o Kn Making sense of commonly misunderstood subjects

DAN JOYCE Dan does all of his day-to-day journeys by bike – apart from those that take less than five minutes on foot

Commuting

I’d like to cycle to work but…

Plan your route

C

ycling for transport is especially important right now. As well as promoting social distancing, it helps tackle congestion, carbon emissions, and obesity.

Yet many employees, even some recreational cyclists, are reluctant to ride to work. Why?

Route choice makes a huge difference

TOO MUCH TRAFFIC

commuting, making part of the journey – or all of the return journey – by public transport.

This is much easier with a compact folder like a Brompton. Or invest in an e-bike if you want to cruise up hills or commute longer distances.

Busy roads can be intimidating. Assertive cycling, with correct road positioning, makes them easier to negotiate. The skills can be picked up through Bikeability training (bikeability.org.uk) or by reading Cyclecraft (£16.99, cyclecraft.co.uk). And the busiest roads can often be avoided. The best route from A to B by bike is seldom the way you’d go by car; it’ll use quieter backstreets, minor roads, and perhaps cycling facilities (see ‘Plan your route’).

NO SHOWER AT WORK This doesn’t stop millions of Dutch cyclists. Slow down: it’s not a race so don’t work up a sweat.

Put your luggage on the bike instead of your back to prevent overheating. If necessary, take a spare shirt/blouse, underwear, and deodorant, then change in the loos. Nuclear option? E-bike.

BAD WEATHER Soakings are rare. Full-length mudguards (see page 5 if you have a road bike) combined with decent waterproofs or a poncho-style cape will keep you dry enough in all but the worst downpour. A cycling cap, which will fit under a helmet if worn, can prevent rain-blurred glasses.

IT’S TOO FAR/TOO HARD You don’t have to ride all the way to work and back every day. Maybe commute by bike two or three days a week? Or try mixed-mode

WHAT IF I PUNCTURE? While it’s worth knowing how to fix a puncture and carrying the wherewithal to replace a tube (see cyclinguk.org/article/video-guide-howrepair-puncture-bike), punctures are relatively rare, especially if you fit tougher tyres, such as Schwalbe Marathon Plus or Continental Contact Plus, and keep them firmly inflated. Still worried? Commute by folding bike and phone a taxi if you have a problem you can't fix.

Commuting essentials

Google Maps (google.co.uk/maps) and the smartphone app of the same name have a cycling option. The routes generated are hit and miss; they can put you on busier roads. Cyclestreets navigation, used by Cycling UK's Journey Planner (cyclinguk. org/journeyplanner) offers ‘fastest’, ‘balanced’ and ‘quietest’ routes, which are more suitable for less confident cyclists. If you prefer plotting your own routes, try the subscriptionbased OS Maps website (osmaps. ordnancesurvey. co.uk) or app; Cycling UK members get 20% off (cyclinguk.org/ member-benefits).

Trial your route(s) one weekend to see what they’re like and how long they take to ride.

Things to buy for a better bike trip to work.

Top: Joolze Dymond

this is

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Waterproof luggage Ortlieb Sport-Roller City panniers £85/pair, ortlieb.com

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Full-length mudguards SKS Bluemels Longboard set £42.99, sks-germany. com

O C TO B E R / NOV EMBER 2021

Good lights Exposure Trace + Tracer Mk2 Daybright £85/set, exposurelights.com

Tough lock Abus Granit XPlus 540 £89.99, extrauk. co.uk

Cycling UK Membership 3rd party insurance & legal support From £24/year, cyclinguk.org/join

Cycle Friendly Employers Cycle commuting is easier and more pleasant when your workplace supports cyclists. Visit: cyclinguk.org/cyclefriendly-employer

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST MEMBERSHIP £3.88 FROMAJUST MONTH!* £3.88 A MONTH!*

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION *See www.cyclinguk.org/join for more information and for terms and conditions.

Biketest

Adventure bikes

Drop-bar bikes that go where other gravel bikes fear to tread. Dan Joyce tests a Mason InSearchOf and a Salsa Cutthroat

G DAN JOYCE Cycle editor Dan’s day-to-day drop-bar bike is a Genesis Vagabond with slicks

ravel bikes were once cyclocross bikes with geometry tweaks and marketing makeovers. Arguably some still are. But not the two on test. These have 55mm 29er tyres and loftier off-road aspirations, like the Tour Divide and the GBDuro.

Mason’s InSearchOf (ISO) was explicitly born out of the limitations of existing gravel bikes. They say it’s “still firmly in the #FastFar, #ContinentCrushing vein but… steeper, rougher and deeper terrain are well within its capabilities”. Salsa, whose big-tyre, dropbar Fargo predates the gravel bike boom, call their Cutthroat “an ultra endurance bikepacking/gravel bike”.

Sounds too niche? Let me offer an alternative description: bikes for the stuff we used to ride on MTBs in about 1990. But further, and perhaps with bags. Not MTBs, then, but ATBs: all-terrain bikes.

Frame & fork In a blind test – picking it up, not riding – you might think the Mason ISO was aluminium because

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it’s lightweight for a big-wheeled bike.

The frame is steel, albeit very nice steel: Dedacciai Zero and Reynolds 853, handbuilt in Italy.

The frame design is well thoughtout. Despite squeezing 29er wheels into a medium-sized drop bar frame, there’s no toe overlap. This hasn’t been accomplished by simply stretching out the rider. With its tall front end, short stem, and short reach drops, the riding position is fairly upright and relaxed.

There’s an unusual kink in the top of the down tube. It’s there because, while the ISO ordinarily has a tall (483mm axle-tocrown) rigid carbon fork, it can be fitted with a 100mm suspension fork for even rougher rides. Kinking the down tube prevents a suspension fork crown from hitting the frame during tight turns.

Frame and fork clearances around the 29×2.25in tyres are huge. The ISO is designed to accommodate 29er tyres up to 2.5in and 27.5in tyres up to 2.8in. More space within the chainstays means that, with a conventional 73mm bottom bracket shell, there’s less space on the outside of the chainstay for the chainring: a 34-tooth single ring is as big as will fit. There’s no option to run a double or triple.

There are frame and fork fittings for just about everything: bottle and bikepacking cages, front and rear racks, mudguards, and even an internally-routed dropper seatpost. There’s also routing for a hub

ADVENTURE BIKES

BIKE TEST

First look

Drop-bar 29er designed to go the distance on tracks where other gravel bikes might crash or pinch-flat

Tech Spec

MASON INSEARCHOF FORCE 1X dynamo cable through the hub dynamo cable. fork.

Like the Mason, the Salsa Mason call this fullhas a tall front end as it’s carbon fork their Hotshoe designed for a 483mm fork. There are mounts on rigid fork or a 100mm travel the crown to fit Mason’s suspension fork. And like load-carrying Shutter the Mason, tyre clearances mudguard (included and are generous. The fork will pictured). That’s rated for comfortably fit a 29×3in 2kg and is thus best for wheel. (I couldn’t test ride it loads that are bulky and like this as the bulky Spyre light, such as a sleeping calliper hit my 29+ wheel’s bag. Alternatively, you can spokes.) The frame has fit Mason’s Condenser rack less space: 29×2.4in is the (£100), rated for 8kg. recommended and practical Top: The butted steel frame is relatively light and has Salsa’s Cutthroat has a maximum, and there’s no some nice details, not least a carbon frame as well as a option to fit 27.5×2.8in tyres. threaded bottom bracket carbon fork. It’s not much While there’s a bit less Bottom: A 10-42 cassette gives a wide gear range but you are lighter than the Mason room within the chainstays, limited to a 1× drivetrain and overall. That’s partly due there’s significantly more for can’t fit a bigger chainring to the fork, which has an the chainring. The Cutthroat aluminium steerer rather comes with a 36-tooth ring than a carbon one, and partly the fact that and will take a 40. There’s space and it has some less expensive and heavier cable routing – including for Di2 – for a components, such as mechanical disc front derailleur and a double chainset too. brakes.

Maximum chainring sizes are: outer, 50t; The frame itself has all the bikepacking inner, 36t. Big-gear fans will appreciate fittings you’d expect. It will take pannier the stiffness of the frame’s beefy bottom racks front and rear but you’ll need a bracket junction. It is a press-fit bottom seatpost clamp with integral eyelets as bracket, however, which won’t please there are no seatstay mounts. There’s no everyone. easy way to fit full-length mudguards; Components you’d need to lash something up with Both bikes have 1×11 SRAM drivetrains: cable ties and helicopter tape. There is Apex for the Cutthroat and higher-spec routing for an internal dropper post and a

Boost wheelset.

Transmission: no pedals, 175mm Truvativ Descendant DUB carbon chainset, 34t SRAM Eagle X-Sync 2 chainring, SRAM DUB external BB, SRAM PC1170 chain, SRAM XG-1175 11-speed 10-42 cassette. SRAM Force 22 HRD shifter, SRAM Force 1 derailleur.

11 ratios, 24-100in.

Brakes: SRAM Force 1 hydraulic levers, flat-mount callipers, 180/160mm rotors.

Steering & seating: 440/540×31.8mm Ritchey VentureMax WCS bar, 70mm Ritchey WCS stem, Deda integrated headset. Fizik Argo saddle, 31.6×350mm Mason Penta carbon seatpost. masoncycles.cc

Price: from £3,490 (frameset £1,595) Sizes: XS-XL (M tested) Weight: 11.1kg/24.4lb (inc guard, no pedals) Frame & fork: Butted Dedacciai Zero and Reynolds 853 steel frame with 73mm threaded BB, 148×12mm dropouts, fittings for rear rack/mudguard, 2 triple cage mounts, 1 double. Hotshoe carbon fork with tapered carbon steerer, 110×15mm dropouts, fittings for rack, mudguard, Shutter mudguard/ Condenser rack, 2 triple cage mounts, dynamo cable.

Wheels: 55-622 Vittoria Mezcal tyres, Mason X Hunt The Search Dynamo 29

Dimensions in millimetres and degrees

640 565 74.5˚

810 50

89

148

445

648 69˚

68

500

744

175

305

622 60

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Details

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1 Grouptest

Dropper seatposts Mountain biking is easier with a dropper seatpost – and so is mounting and dismounting. Hannah Collingridge reviews four of them

D HANNAH COLLINGRIDGE Guidebook author Hannah is the author of the Pennine Bridleway guidebook. She’s also a former bike mechanic

ropper posts are primarily for getting the saddle out of the way on off-road descents so you can ride technical terrain more easily. However, being able to drop your saddle also makes a huge difference to the ease of mounting and dismounting the bike.

All droppers are heavier than a standard post.

Most riders who use one think that is a small price to pay. While dropper levers are usually designed for flat bar MTB use, you can get drop bar levers.

In terms of maintenance, try to keep the post clean. Protect it with a mudguard if you can. Many dropper problems are caused by the cable so change it regularly.

Droppers have been around for a good few years now, and are considerably more reliable than they were even five years ago. Most will nevertheless fail at some point. Many can be serviced, some by the home mechanic. For others, the cost of a service can be almost as much as a new post.

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

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Seatpost diameter

This has to match your bike’s seat tube (unless you use a properlyengineered shim). The most common sizes are 30.9 and 31.6mm, but 27.2 and 34.9mm are available. Keep a rigid post as a backup.

2

Internal or external routing?

Most good quality, modern mountain bike frames will have internal cable routing for a dropper post, but do check. If not, you’ll need a dropper with an externally routed cable. Also, see point 4.

3

Max extension

How far the post comes out of the frame when the post is extended. This needs to be high enough for you to have your

1

5

4

saddle at the correct height when seated and pedalling – but not too high! You can then work out what height of drop (100mm, 125mm, etc) that you can run.

4

Minimum insertion

It needs to be able to go deep enough for the actuation lever on the bottom of the post to work freely (internal droppers only). If your frame has a kinked seat tube you might not be able to get the post in far enough.

5

Lever

Check that you get a lever with the post – this isn’t a given.

Most set-ups cater for a 1 × system so if you are still running a front mech, check you can get a 2× lever.

Aftermarket levers are available from many manufacturers.

2 3

TRAVELLERS’ TALES

Second wheel: 11-year-old John Sharp

Devon The riders travelled light – their husbands did luggage transfers

Southern England

Queens of Wessex Swapping road bikes for mountain bikes, Jane John and three friends rode King Alfred’s Way

I

t was Karen’s fault: she suggested it to Yvonne and me in the first place.

“How about cycling King Alfred’s Way?” Yikes. We are all road cyclists but have varying levels of experience cycling off-road. Our fourth member of the team, Nicole, is the most technically able of the group (and has the best bike!).

I borrowed a mountain bike and we started our training rides. We split the route into six legs, starting and finishing above Wantage, and booked accommodation. Our lovely husbands would do a luggage transfer each, and

“It was the most fantastic, joyful journey”

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cycle

by adding two taxis we were covered and could travel light.

We set off from Wantage early on a Sunday morning, at the start of what turned out to be the hottest week of 2021. Despite this it was the most fantastic, joyful journey. Cycling UK has plotted a wonderful route through beautiful countryside with some really tough climbs – such as Butser Hill.

Combined with the deeply rutted tracks and incredible heat, it certainly felt like a proper challenge. Keeping our Camelbaks and bottles topped up was a constant preoccupation. Along the way we compared notes with a few other KAW cyclists and chatted to people who seemed intrigued by our group of four women, maybe due to our combined age of 229? My overriding memory of the week is the laughter. At the top of a lung- and leg-punishing hill, collapsing in hysterics seemed to be the only option.

After six days with no mechanicals, no punctures, and all still speaking to each other, we felt justifiably proud of ourselves as we rode to the finish above Wantage, to be greeted by our transport team holding glasses of champagne.

What next? The West Kernow Way? Learn more about King Alfred’s Way: cyclinguk.org/kingalfredsway

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O C TO B E R / NOV EMBER 2021

Twitter @wearecyclinguk

A south west century Graham Brodie reports on South Devon CTC’s 100-mile ride in August CYCLING IS AN ACTIVITY that can be undertaken by all ages, as the annual ‘Harman Hundred’ ride around Devon in August demonstrated. Among the ten riders who tackled the event, there was a 73 year age difference between the youngest, 11-year-old John Sharp from Ashburton, and the oldest, 84-year-old Tony Avery from Aller.

John had already completed several longer rides and events, including the Devon Delight and Devon Dirt events locally.

Tony has a vast experience in leading and undertaking cycle tours, including several trips in the USA from Oregon and across various states, and before the pandemic he led a cycle tour in the Czech Republic.

The 100-mile route was designed by Paul Harman and intended to be as flat as possible in Devon, but the course involved the ascent of Haldon via Longdown on the way out, and up Zig Zag hill from Ashcombe on the way back. The middle section of the ride was mainly through lanes around Stoke Canon, Thorverton, Silverton, Payhembury and Ottery St Mary, so was relatively flat.

There was also quite a span in the age of the bikes being ridden. Most used fairly modern, lightweight touring or racing bikes, but John Cooper form Torquay completed the event on a 1965 Royal Enfield Revelation small-wheeler.

It was the first century ride to be organised

by South Devon CTC. There was also a ‘100 miles in eight hours’ ride in September. The group’s longer rides give riders a challenge to aim for.

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