Cycle Magazine Taster October/November 2018

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BAGGAGE CHECK

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O C T O B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 8 | CYCLE

44

Clockwise from far left: Rob Ainsley, Richard Hallett, Natalie Wilson

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50

FROM THE E DITOR THERE’S ALWAYS a charge for excess baggage; as a cyclist, you pay it in sweat. Some go to great lengths to reduce the load so they can cycle further and/or faster, with less effort and fewer breakdowns.

In 1986, when they rode 5,301km across Asia, Richard and Nick Crane cut the labels out of clothes and sawed their spoke key in half. (The book of their trip, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, is out of print but available online.)

To carry their minimal (8kg) loads, they both used a couple of small panniers on a rear rack.

Maybe they’d have ditched the racks if they’d done the journey today? That was Igor Kovše’s approach in 2011, when – way ahead of the bikepacking boom – he trimmed his luggage for a 4,000km trip to a mere 3kg, mostly carried in a compression bag strapped under the saddle. We covered that trip in Cycle; see bit.ly/cycle-travellight.

Most of us aren’t so dedicated to minimalism. We just do the thing where we lay out our luggage and get rid of those items we don’t really need or really want. What you carry your luggage in is key, of course, since any touring or bikepacking load will tend to expand to fit the space available.

For road touring without a tent, a couple of small panniers and a bar bag works for me. My last off-road tours used a lightweight backpack.

But now I’ve injured both collarbones, backpacks are uncomfortable. Time to investigate bikepacking seatpacks that will work with a dropper post!

Contents

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

EVERY ISSUE

THIS ISSUE

04 B I G P I C T U R E

18 S H I F T I N G U P A G E A R

Jenny Graham: around the world in 110 days

07 F R O M T H E C H I E F EXECUTIVE Paul Tuohy on Cycling UK’s new strategy

08 C Y C L E S H O R T S Cycle campaigner John Mather; Ned Boulting’s Brompton; Why road crime is real crime; A code of conduct for cyclists and equestrians; Summer snapshots

24 S H O P W I N D O W New product previews

26 G E A R Components, accessories, and books reviewed

35 L E T T E R S

Cycling UK’s new five-year strategy

22 G R A N D D R A W

Win over £11,000 worth of prizes!

38 P I E C E O F C A K E

A slice of the Black Forest, by e-bike

44 B A G G A G E C H E C K

Bikepacking bags versus panniers

50 N O T T A K I N G I T LY I N G D O W N 5,000 miles around Britain with a chronic health issue

56 B R O T H E R S O N B I K E S A flourishing Asian cycling club

65 B O A R D M A N A S R 8 . 8 A road bike for UK conditions

68 C R O S S H E A D F O L D E R New 20in-wheel compact

71 D Y N A M O F R O N T L A M P S Four shining examples

Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

60 Q & A Your technical, health and legal questions answered

81 T R A V E L L E R S ’ T A L E S

ON THE COVER Cyclists in Mongolia,

by Cass Gilbert

Cycling UK members’ ride reports

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 approx. 65,000 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: cycle@jamespembrokemedia. co.uk Head of Design: Simon Goddard Designer: Katrina Ravn Advertising: Jack Watts tel: 0203 859 7099 e: jack.watts@ 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. Tel: 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: 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

Drivers are the road safety elephant in the room

Quick releases

Left: Evan Dawson / Alamy

BIG BIKE CELEBRATION

Traffic law review

ROAD TRAFFIC OFFENSIVE Cycling UK is calling for a review of all road traffic offences, not just those perpetrated by cyclists. Duncan Dollimore explains how you can help

One hundred and forty years after Cycling UK was founded in the town, our 2018 annual gettogether is at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on Saturday 6 October. Our fourth members’ conference will include guest speakers, details of successful campaigns, and tales of touring exploits, projects and clubs that are helping more people to experience cycling. It’s free to attend. Details at cyclinguk.org/ bigbikecelebration.

TRUSTEE ELECTIONS

It’s election time again for Cycling UK’s Board of Trustees. You’ll find statements from the shortlisted candidates, plus a voting form, on one of the inserts included with this issue. Details for voting are on the form. If yours is missing, phone 01483 238300 or email membership@cyclinguk.org.

ACTIVE TRAVEL CAMPAIGN

R

OAD SAFETY AND road justice issues have always been core themes of our engagement and lobbying work, both as Cycling UK now and CTC before that. They’re part of our DNA. They’re why we’ve long campaigned for a review of traffic laws and of how the justice system deals with irresponsible, careless, and dangerous behaviour on our roads.

Four years ago, we thought we’d made some progress when the Government promised to carry out a full review of traffic offences in England, Scotland, and Wales.

But waiting for that to start has been like ‘Waiting for Godot’, Samuel Beckett’s play where there’s nothing to be done and nothing ever happens.

I suppose it all comes down to the Government’s priorities. Last September, following wall-to-wall media coverage of the Charlie Alliston case, the Government announced that it was going to review cycling offences to address ‘a gap in the law’. I couldn’t count the number of victims and bereaved relatives I’ve spoken to over recent years who’ve been let down by traffic laws and the justice system, neither of which seem to take road crime seriously. Yet their cases haven’t been a priority, and the gaps and inconsistencies in the law they’ve experienced haven’t been addressed. I’ve had no answer

1 2 C Y C L E O CTO BER/NOVEM BER 2018

when some have asked me why the death of their loved one didn’t lead to the media outrage that the tragic death of a pedestrian hit by a cyclist did last year.

The clamour to clamp down on cyclists has barely let up over the last year, and in August the Government launched a 12-week consultation on new cycling offences. This ignores the fact that, while we’ve been waiting for the broader review it promised four years ago, more than 1,800 pedestrians have died on Britain’s roads, 99.4% of them in collisions with motor vehicles. The Government is just tinkering at the edges, and we’ve launched a new campaign – cyclinguk.org/campaign/ road-justice, supported by the charities Brake and RoadPeace – calling on the Government to widen its review and look at the bigger problems with our road traffic laws instead of focussing solely on cycling offences.

Doing that ignores the elephant in the room.

If you agree that road crime should be treated as real crime and that road traffic laws should deliver just and safe outcomes, you’ve got until 5 November to support our campaign. Visit cyclinguk.org/roadjustice to email your MP and add your voice to our response to the Government’s consultation.

Around 7,500 of you did so within the first week of our new campaign. Why wouldn’t you want to join them?

Cycling UK and Living Streets have launched a new campaign to secure local authority funding for cycling and walking provision in England. Local authorities have been encouraged by the Government to prepare Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plans that prioritise active travel, but the funding pot to enable them to start building networks is empty! For details, see cyclinguk. org/activetravel.

CLAIMING VICTORY

After 18 months of campaigning and thousands of letters from Cycling UK members to the Ministry of Justice, the Government has listened to us and will not include cyclists in proposals to increase the small claims limit in road traffic injury cases from £1k to £5k. It’s a big win for cyclists and Cycling UK, as cyclists will still be able to recover their legal costs for the majority of their road traffic injury claims. More information at bit.ly/cycle-smallclaims.

PRODUCT NEWS | SHOP WINDOW

Product news

SHOP WINDOW

DAN JOYCE PREVIEWS A CROSS SECTION OF NEW PRODUCTS THAT ARE IN THE SHOPS OR COMING SOON

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4 6 2 4 C Y C L E O C TO BER/NOVEM BER 2018

DAN JOYCE Editor

1 DAHON GB-1

£TBC

Reminiscent of the Cadenza, the GB-1 is a 650B gravel bike that folds in half. Due late 2018, it looks to be an inexpensive ‘suitcase bike’. bit.ly/cycle-dahongb1

2 QUICKTWIST STEM

£TBC

Quick-release stem that rotates 90° to get the handlebar out of the way. It’s still at the Kickstarter stage. urbancyclo.com

SP579 EXTENDER 3 SUNRACE LINK £9.99

Like the Wolftooth RoadLink, this repositions the rear derailleur to run a bigger cassette.

It extends the mech’s max sprocket size by around four teeth. ison-distribution.com

4 VELOGICAL VELOSPEEDER FROM €1,050.42

This rim-drive e-bike kit weighs from only 1.6kg, including battery, and has zero drag disengaged. velogical-engineering.com

3

5 GARMIN EDGE 130

£169.99

Technology trickledown: Garmin’s tiny new GPS computer offers navigation with turn prompts, phone notifications, better satellite tracking, and more. garmin.com

ULTEGRA RX800 6 SHIMANO DERAILLEUR £89.99

This year Shimano launched clutch mechs for 11-speed ‘road’ – well, gravel and ’cross.

Designed for cassettes up to 34t, it’ll help keep single-ring chains on. shimano.com

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7 TREK 520

£1,100

Trek’s steel tourer has been redesigned with slacker geometry, bigger tyre clearances, more frame fittings, and Sora/Tiagra STI gearing. trekbikes.com

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Save with Cycling UK Going shopping? Members get 10% off cycle-related products in Halfords stores and 15% off at Cotswold Outdoor, Runners Need, and Snow+Rock.

Photo: Cass Gilbert

FE ATURE | BAGGAGE CHECK

4 4 C Y C L E O CTO BER/NOVEM BER 2018

BAGGAGE CHECK | FE ATURE

Feature

BAGGAGE CHECK SHOULD YOU TAKE PANNIERS OR BIKEPACKING BAGS ON YOUR NEXT TRIP? RICHARD HALLETT WEIGHS UP THE PROS AND CONS CYCL I N G U K . OR G CYCL E 4 5

D E TA I L S WHERE: Around the coast of Britain START/FINISH: Wokingham DISTANCE: 5,000 miles PICTURES: Natalie Wilson

A R O U N D B R I TA I N | G R E AT R I D E S

Great rides

NOT TAKING IT LYING DOWN

Cardiff, during the Beast from the East

Cycling UK member Natalie Wilson rode 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain to raise awareness EhlersDanlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that she has

O

n the road by 6am, I was soon confronted by a thick wall of fog. The view over the River Towy in Carmarthenshire was hidden. It was bitterly cold. Although the first hour of 20%-plus gradients had warmed me, I was left shivering when the route flattened out. A petrol station was a welcome sight.

With my fingers too numb and useless, the attendant gave me a hot chocolate from the machine and offered some biscuits.

Back on my ICE trike, the route I’d planned followed a tributary deeper into the freezing fog. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for another hill. I was soon working hard. It was almost a month since I’d set off from Wokingham, but I still wasn’t used to the extra weight of the luggage.

As I continued to Wisemans Bridge, a hamlet on the Pembrokeshire coast, the sun came out at last. I stopped and stood for a while to take a photo and listen to the crashing of the waves. My morale was then boosted by a couple of ladies who had arranged to cheer me on from the roadside as I climbed another steep hill en route to Tenby. I descended cobbled streets lined with rows of multicoloured houses to arrive at the town’s harbour.

During the preceding days, I had been

lucky that others (strangers who became friends) had joined me for sections of my route. A tough morning by myself had given me time to think. They were not new thoughts but had been whirring around my head all day nonetheless. Taking an hour out for lunch gave me time to jot them down.

JOURNAL ENTRY ‘This challenge is really tough. My body hurts and my leg muscles burn more than they have ever done before. I have battled the snow, ice, wind and rain brought by The Beast from the East. I spend the majority of the time cold, unless I am cycling up a steep gradient or standing in front of a hand-dryer in public toilets.

‘I am tired from spending so much time outdoors, because the miles are progressing slower than I expected. I have been getting up at 5am every day to have enough time to plan, blog, and contact the local radio and TV, update social media, and liaise with everyone who wants to join me. On top of this, I have to make sure I am looking after myself: taking my 30 tablets a day; drying my kit; washing; and fixing any punctures or mechanical problems with my trike.

‘Today I realised that, as painful as all of this is, IT IS NOTHING compared to the

Do it yourself

TOURING WITH A CHRONIC ILLNESS Use the bike and the kit you will be taking as much as possible, and work out any adaptations to make using them easier to save energy where you can. Contingency plans are important. Reach out to people and make contacts along your route in case you need help. Plan as much as possible before you leave but be flexible in case you need an impromptu rest day. Don’t be scared to ask others for help.

I carried a tent because I knew that if I got too tired, I could pitch it on the side of the road and rest. Set yourself a challenge and achieve it – the rewards are great.

WHEN I GOT MY TRIKE, MY HUSBAND HAD TO LIFT ME ON AND OFF IT WHEN I WENT OUT. I STARTED WITH FIVE-MILE JOURNEYS CYCL I N G U K . OR G CYCL E 5 1

BIKETEST | BOARDMAN ASR 8.8

Tech Spec 675

Dimensions in millimetres and degrees

565

810

74˚

47

46

530

682

61

135

425

615 72˚

175 275

622

1035

29

BOARDMAN ASR 8. 8 PRICE: £849.99 SIZES: S, M, L, XL (M tested) WEIGHT: 10.76kg (no pedals) FRAME & FORK: 4130 chrome-moly steel frame with fittings for rear rack, mudguard, two bottles, flat-mount disc brakes. Tapered, full-carbon fork with mudguard fittings.

WHEELS: 28-622 Vittoria Rubino Pro G+ tyres, Boardman Road Five wheels (tubeless-compatible 622-18 rims, 32×2 spokes, unbranded QR hubs) TRANSMISSION: 175mm Shimano Sora chainset, 50-34 chainrings, Shimano BB-RS500 external BB, KMC Z Super Narrow chain, Sora 11-32 9-speed cassette. Sora STI shifters & derailleurs.

18 ratios, 29-122in.

BRAKING: Shimano Sora levers, TRP Spyre C disc brakes with 160mm rotors STEERING & SEATING: 31.8×420mm Boardman alloy compact drop bar, 90mm×7° Boardman alloy stem, FSA No. 9 threadless headset. Prologo Kappa saddle, 27.2×350mm Boardman alloy seatpost, Allen-bolt seat clamp. boardmanbikes.com

TRP Spyres are effective cable discs, and they’re positioned to avoid a rack and mudguards

THIS COULD BE YOUR GO-TO ROAD BIKE FOR YEAR-ROUND CLUB RIDING AND COMMUTING I wanted a chainring sized somewhere in the middle, e.g. 42. The sub-30in bottom gear was nice for spinning up hills but I never used the 122in top gear.

These days Sora looks much like Tiagra. The gear cable ‘washing lines’ from the shifters are gone, as they’re now routed under the bar tape. Also gone are the little ‘mouse ears’ on the hoods for shifting to a smaller sprocket/ chainring. This means it’s easier to change gear on the drops. The chainset looks smarter too, although I’d prefer 170mm cranks.

The brakes are TRP Spyres. Unusually for mechanical discs, both pistons are actuated.

This makes it easy to centre the calliper so the pads don’t rub, and they work smoothly and effectively. The only drop bar mechanical discs that I prefer are Avid BB7s, specifically the MTN ones used with linear pull levers like Tektro’s RL520. You can’t have brifters then, though.

The brake callipers fit closer to the frame and fork thanks to flat mounts, and the rear brake is on the chainstay where it’s out of the way of a rear rack. However, the cable runs upwards to reach this calliper. Water can get in here and freeze. It happened to me twice last winter on a bike with a similar setup.

The Boardman Road Five wheels have tubeless-compatible rims (you’ll need tubeless tape etc). They’re fairly wide rims (24mm external), so the 28mm tyres plump up a little.

Tyres up to 32mm will fit but I didn’t have any issues with these Vittoria Rubino Pro G+ ones. Due to the lower pressures you can use, they’re noticeably more comfortable than

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25mm tyres, notwithstanding the fork and frame reinforcement required for discs. Their rolling performance and grip are good.

It’s nice to see mudguards as standard.

These ones are too short and require mudflaps front and rear. Saddles are subjective; I liked this Prologo.

THE RIDE My first outing on the ASR 8.8 was a 50-mile hilly club ride with companions on expensive carbon road bikes and a moving average of 18.5mph. The ASR was fine. It might have lost a marginal amount of speed on long climbs; given the price, disc brakes, and steel frame, it’s relatively light, but it’s not light in absolute terms. I’d nevertheless be happy to do all-day rides on it.

It descends very well; I set a number of downhill Strava PRs. I’d put that down to the security of more rubber in contact with the road, dependable brakes, and – unlike some road bikes – handling stable enough to apply those brakes hard without worrying about mishaps. I liked it. It felt safer.

OTHER OPTIONS

1

Ridgeback Ramble 1.0

£1,149.99 Nominally a gravel bike but otherwise similar: rack & ’guard ready chromemoly frame, carbon fork, 2×9 Sora gearing, TRP Spyre C brakes, 32mm tyres. ridgeback.co.uk

SUMMARY The Boardman ASR 8.8 is a well-conceived road bike for UK conditions. It doesn’t try to be a race bike and is all the better for it. This could easily be your go-to road bike for yearround club riding and, with the addition of a slimline rack like a Tortec Velocity, weekday commuting. It’s good value too, especially if you use your Halfords discount (see p14).

2

Cube Attain Pro Disc

£849 Aluminium framed, carbon forked road bike with screw-through axles and mudguard eyelets. Shimano Sora 2×9 gearing, TRP Spyre C brakes, 28mm Conti Ultra Sport tyres. cube.eu

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.75 A MONTH!*

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

FE ATURE | BROTHERS ON BIKES

Feature

BROTHERS ON BIKES AN ASIAN CYCLING CLUB THAT BEGAN ALMOST BY ACCIDENT A FEW YEARS AGO NOW HAS OVER 500 MEMBERS, AS JULIAN SAYARER DISCOVERED

hen he first began attending the meetings of his local cycling club in the Black Country, it was not the lycra, helmet or dropped handlebars that set Shaf Ali apart from the other members. ‘I looked around,’ says Ali, ‘and as a Muslim there, I had my beard, and I was the only Asian.’

If that sounds like the beginning of a familiar tale in the struggle of UK cycling to break out of white communities, think again.

From there, Ali took part in a number of charity rides with other riders who, though they might likewise have enjoyed riding and likewise been welcomed by local clubs around the country, still felt a sense of isolation when they did.

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IT STARTED WITH STRAVA ‘We met for these rides, in Blackburn, in London, and we just said “Let’s stay in touch”,’ explains Ali. With the same mixture of new technology and grassroots community that runs all through the story that follows, a WhatsApp group was started and, almost without its members realising it, one of Britain’s newest cycling clubs, Brothers on Bikes, was being formed.

Even the name, with its religious

4 6 C Y C L E O CTO BER/NOVEM BER 2018 5

undertones, is not what it first seems. ‘We’d just be out on the roads riding, and we’d keep seeing these other riders, people who looked familiar – Asian guys on bikes – and we thought we needed a sort of a code to help us identify one another.’ Ali laughs at the memory of how it came about. ‘So we agreed to just shout “Bob!” when we saw one another, and sometimes the other guy would shout back, “Bob!” And it just went like that.’

As these strangers – via the many fleeting calls of ‘Bob’ that went trailing off down the roads of Britain – began to form a community, it became apparent that this growing number of riders would need a more formal title to ride under. Brothers on Bikes came into being soon after, giving meaning to its accidental acronym, so that ‘Bob’ became ‘BoB’. Using the ride-mapping and sharing app, Strava, the group kept on growing, to the point at which it now boasts over 500 members, spread from London to Bradford, Leicester to Peterborough, as well as covering many towns and cities in between.

Impressive though this national span is, it’s still only a beginning, and both the BoB rides and their riders have started to cross borders. A small group of UK members rode thousands of miles to Saudi Arabia for their

Hajj to Mecca. A more modest ride to Paris is also planned, and the outfit has begun to organise a handful of night rides Through its ever-expanding Strava group, BoB’s unexpectedly international reach once again demonstrates the subtle and yet powerful role of technology in bringing people together. Cyclists around the world, who had perhaps experienced that same sense of the unfamiliar that Ali had once encountered, got in touch. ‘We’ve got members now in Australia, in Qatar, and in Egypt,’ says Ali. ‘We’ve got people from around the world ordering our club jersey. At the end of the day, all cyclists are friends.’

SISTERS ON BIKES Despite their successes, BoB aren’t taking anything for granted – least of all the idea that they shouldn’t keep pushing for still more and greater diversity amongst their ranks. It is telling that the group is largely male, and women or girls who have joined for rides are perhaps likely to experience a different version of the isolation Ali once felt as the only Asian man in a very white cycling club.

‘Sisters on Bikes is ongoing as a project,’ explains Ali, ‘but it’s a matter of numbers. Some sisters come along and show an interest but then they drop out.

All photos: Brothers on Bikes

BROTHERS ON BIKES | FE ATURE

“We’ve got members now in Australia, in Qatar, and in Egypt” In Birmingham, you don’t see many Asian women cycling, so this summer we’re going into parks, working with kids and other youngsters who are just totally new to cycling.’

The push for greater diversity also extends across age groups. ‘We have some really big issues with inactivity amongst older people in our community,’ says Abu Thamim Choudhury, based in London but one of the chief nationwide coordinators for BoB. ‘That means people are not exercising, and there are a lot of health benefits that starting cycling can bring.’

As the UK grapples as a whole with mental health worries in general, and an epidemic of loneliness in particular, Ali also offers evidence from his experience

of working with local groups on bikes: ‘Some people just automatically fall in love with riding, others might start to come and then drift away.’

That distinction cuts across age groups, with different riders looking for different things. ‘We have some very talented youngsters who only want to race, and then the old boys who prefer just to sit with a coffee. But you notice that when people are doing it as part of a group, it works.’

Asked if he’s surprised at how far BoB has come, Ali’s tone of voice is one of

CYCL CYCLI N I NGGUUKK. OR . ORGG CYCL CYCLEE 4 57

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.75 A MONTH!*

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

DYNAMO L AMPS | G ROU P TEST

Group test

DYNAMO FRONT LAMPS

RICHARD HALLETT Technical Editor

Today’s dynamo lamps are brighter and more practical than ever. Richard Hallett tests four shining examples L I G HT O U TP U T Can be found stated in lumens or lux. The former measures intensity of light output, the latter how brightly it illuminates in terms of lumens per square metre, which diminishes with distance.

T U R N I N G O N/O F F Not all lamps have an on/ off switch; those that don’t shine whenever you’re riding. Many have a ‘standlight’ that continues to shine for minutes after stopping, improving visibility at junctions etc.

BEAM FOCUS A carefully-shaped reflective surface and lens create a brightly-lit central zone, with dimmer light on the margins.

Manufacturers’ websites often show beam patterns.

AT TAC H M E NT Most dynamo front lights fit to the fork crown and are supplied with a suitable bracket. To fit such lights elsewhere, you’ll typically need a 6mm bolt and ingenuity.

D

YNAMO LIGHTING makes a lot of sense for utility, sporting, and touring cyclists alike. The advantages over battery power are clear: it’s always available, avoids battery-charge-level anxiety, and is as secure from theft as the cycle itself.

Downsides? It needs a power source, is usually slightly heavier, and can’t easily be removed for a fast day-ride.

Thanks to the latest LED technology, even mid-range dynamo front lamps now put out plenty of light. Their 50 lux or so is fine for urban riding – and comfortably exceeded by the 70 to 100 lux available from the lamps tested here, which throw enough light for fast commuting on unlit

CO N N E CTI O N S Most front lamps have a connection for a rear lamp too, which results in a small drop in front light output if used. Some lamps have a USB port, enabling dynamo output to power or recharge a mobile phone or GPS computer.

rural lanes. So bright are these lights that they must be adjusted correctly if they are not to dazzle oncoming road users.

Properly aimed, they provide excellent illumination thanks to the design of the reflector. The LED shines backwards onto the reflector, which then projects it forwards in a more diffuse beam. Some light is leaked to the sides to promote all-round visibility. All the lamps on test can be connected to a rear lamp and, of course, must be paired with a suitable power source. Hub dynamos from SON, Shimano, and SP, producing 6V and 3W, are favoured by most, although the Velogical dynamo tested in the June-July 2018 issue is an interesting alternative.

Don’t have a dynamo?

This time last year we reviewed powerful, batterypowered front lamps. You can read the test online: cyclinguk.org/cycle/ group-test-brilliant-frontlights

CYCL I N G U K . OR G CYCL E 7 1

Travellers’ tales

Touring in 1923 EXCERPTS FROM THE DIARY OF HARRY SAUNDERS, FOUND BY GRANDSON MIKE FREEMAN etws-y-Coed & back (to Birmingham), 4-5th August 1923: This was my first attempt at riding for 24 hours, and we (I was accompanied by C Wigley) decided afterwards that we had chosen too stiff a course. We were both overgeared (75 fixed each) but managed to reach Betws-y-Coed (103 1/2 miles) in about ten hours. It was here at 5.30am that I saw the most glorious sunrise.

We had an excellent breakfast at a hotel (2/9 each) and started the homeward trip after seeing the Stepping Stones, Swallow Falls, and a distant view of Snowdon. The ride across the ‘desert of Wales’ to the Saracen’s Head, coupled with a fierce sun and a strong headwind, made the going something to be remembered.

When we ultimately reached Boningale (Wolverhampton) we had sufficient energy to ride up the long hill there, which is known to most tourists.

We eventually finished the 207 hilly miles in 23 hours 40 minutes.

Llangollen, 16th September 1923: Three of us started this ride but one had to retire at Shifnal. My brother and I pushed on, but I had two punctures at Shrewsbury, both in the rear tyre.

These I repaired, but at Wellington on the return journey I broke the left pedal out of the crank. Being a fixed gear, I endeavoured to ride one-legged, which I successfully managed for an a mile or two until the chain broke. This compelled us to walk the better part of 20 miles, which occupied 7 1/2 hours, and we arrived home at 3am.

B

Château d’Arsac

FRENCH CONNECTION Anne Greenhalgh and ten clubmates visited Bristol CTC’s twin club in Bordeaux

B

ordeaux: the name conjures up visions of grand châteaux and rolling vineyards. The city of Bristol is twinned with Bordeaux, and 11 of us embarked on a tour to Bordeaux, arranged by Bristol CTC’s twin cycle club, Club Independent Bordelais, and our own Jane Chapman.

We stayed in a campsite 15km from the centre of Bordeaux. Our hosts organised rides that took us in every direction, crossing all the main rivers – the Garonne, Gironde and Dordogne.

Bordeaux has a stunning waterfront, with the shape of the river likened to a series of crescent moons. It’s used as a symbol for many Bordelaise, including the cycle club.

Hailstones had fallen the day before

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8 2 C Y C L E O C TO BER/NOVEM BER 2018

The hosts led daily rides

we started the tour and had damaged many vines, limiting the 2018 vintage.

This was particularly noticeable in the Medoc, an area famed for vineyards and lovely châteaux. Some châteaux have English names – Brown & Smith, for example – as they were bought by the English in the 19th century. Another English connection is the Richard the Lionheart lion, which appears in the Aquitaine coat of arms. A surprising landmark was Cubzac les Ponts, where Jacques Cousteau is buried. Quite far from the sea, I thought.

As Bristol is twinned with Bordeaux, we were given a reception at the town hall. It felt strange to go into the Hotel Du Ville in our cycle kit and to be escorted to a magnificent state room.

We look forward to welcoming the Bordeaux club in Bristol.

Harry Saunders and his fixed-wheel bike