Cycle magazine June/July 2022 LITE

cycle THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK

On test

BOMBTRACK BEYOND+ NAVIGATION APPS RATIO TECHNOLOGY FIVE TEN SHOES & MORE

JUNE/JULY 2022

CANTII WAY

E XPE RI E N CE KE NT ’ S N EW 145 - M I LE RO UTE Page 34

ELECTRIC COMMUTERS RALEIGH MOTUS VOLT LONDON

GOING DUTCH?

Can active travel transform the UK?

OVER THE DRAGON’S BACK Off-road across Mid Wales

P lu s SEPTUAGENARIANS’ NORTH COAST 500 BIKE FINDER: FLAT-BAR GRAVEL BIKE BIKES ACROSS POST-BREXIT BORDERS AND MUCH MORE

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CONTENTS Features 34 The Cantii Way Cycling UK’s new 145-mile route through Kent

Welcome

40 Going Dutch?

Is the UK finally waking up to transport cycling’s potential?

48 NC500 for seniors Septuagenarians ride the North Coast 500 through Scotland

Products

34

20 Shop window New products coming soon

22 Gear up Components, accessories, and books

60 Electric commuters Raleigh New Motus Tour Plus and Volt London on test

66 Bombtrack Beyond+ A rigid trail bike with bikepacking potential

69 Route-planning apps

40

Four ways to follow routes with your phone

Regulars 04 Freewheeling Bits and pieces from the bike world

07 This is Cycling UK New national e-cycles programme; Big Bike Revival returns; political projections in Northern Ireland; leaving a legacy to Cycling UK; and more

46 48

DAN JOYCE Cycle Editor

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

Anne Waddington: cycling through a terminal diagnosis

31 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

46 Weekender

On the cover

Coronavirus

18 You are Cycling UK

On the Cantii Way, just outside Dover. By Robert Spanring

71-mile off-road crossing of mid-Wales

57 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 Designer: Katrina Ravn Advertising: Elly Kiss T: 0203 198 3092 E: elly.kiss@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), Andy Catlin, Paul Rogers, Maggie Fallon

The only intrinsic advantage that the Netherlands has over the UK when it comes to everyday cycling is that it’s flatter. The weather is the same, only with less shelter from the wind. Their roads and traffic problems were once as bad as ours. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the Dutch made a conscious decision to change this. The rest you know.

So when people mutter that the UK isn’t like the Netherlands and that it couldn’t happen here, they’re looking at it the wrong way. The Netherlands was like the UK and it did happen there. We choose how we invest in and design our transport network, and it’s something we can just as easily choose to do differently.

The first lockdown in the spring of 2020 gave an indication of the untapped demand for cycling. Cycling numbers rocketed thanks to suddenly quiet roads.

When it’s pleasant, convenient, and feels safe to ride a bike for transport, people do so. Throw e-bikes into the mix and the argument that it’s too hilly to cycle in the UK doesn’t hold water.

There are tentative steps in the right direction here but warm words aren’t enough. For real change we need not just serious investment but serious politicians ready to grasp the nettle of public opinion and do what’s right rather than what’s convenient. That means reallocating road space, not simply putting up blue signs or painting lines on tarmac.

That’s my take. Turn to page 40 and find out what cycling figureheads from the four home nations think.

this is 7% SCOTLAND

Survey results

MEMBERSHIP SURVEY 2022 Thanks to everyone – more than 4,000 of you! – who responded to our recent membership survey.

Here’s a taste of the data

3%

1% 11%

NORTHERN IRELAND

8 NORTH WEST YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER %

YOUR TOP THREE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

1

2

Third-party liability insurance

Legal support/ phone line

HOUSEHOLD CAR OWNERSHIP

87%

CYCLE ARTICLES YOU FIND ‘VERY INTERESTING’

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Cycle magazine

41% of you ride with a group, most of which have more than 50 members.

78% Every issue/frequently 14% Quite frequently 5% Less frequently 3% Hardly ever/never

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NON UK

GROUP RIDING

HOW OFTEN YOU READ CYCLE MAGAZINE

Cycling tips and advice Bike, gear, and equipment reviews Routes and rides News & features on the charity’s work Members’ stories

3%

3

65% 64% 62% 58% 48%

BIKES YOU OWN Percentage of members with a given type.

NORTH EAST

6%

8% 3% WALES

WEST MIDLANDS

12% SOUTH WEST

EAST MIDLANDS

19%

10%

EAST OF ENGLAND

8%

SOUTH LONDON EAST

WHERE DO OUR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS LIVE? Cycling UK members are spread across the UK, especially the South East, South West, and North West, and East of England.

59% OTHER ORGANISATIONS YOU’RE Touring INVOLVED WITH bike 34% 24% Mountain bike 34% 20% Hybrid/ 15% utility bike 31% 14% Gravel 20% ? bike UK WORK THAT’S MOST Electric 17% CYCLING bike IMPORTANT TO YOU Folding 17% 1 bike Handcycle or 1% 2 recumbent Tricycle 1% 3 Road bike

Walking/cycling organisations & groups Other sports and gyms

Environmental/nature/ wildlife-related organisations Other charities

Campaigning to make roads safer for cyclists

Lobbying governments for more funding for cycling Promoting the environmental benefits of cycling

you are

Left: Riding the Fred Whitton Challenge after her diagnosis Right: Anne on her e-MTB. “It makes me smile”

My journey

ANNE WADDINGTON Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Cycling UK member Anne describes how cycling has helped her

M

y obsession with mountain biking began 25 years ago with a cold, muddy trip to the Forest of Dean.

Despite a miserable day slithering down trails in the rain, wondering who could possibly enjoy such a ridiculous hobby, I soon found myself buying a Specialized Hardrock… and wondering where to take it.

From my first great adventure of a CTC trip to Chile, I was always planning the next trip. I’d spend Sundays exploring the Clwydian Mountains, Llandegla, Coed y Brenin. I cycled in the French Alps, the Spanish mountains, Scotland, Cumbria, Cuba, Iceland, Canada, and Poland. I slogged through the week of incessant rain that was the 2008 TransWales event.

In hard times mountain biking gave me focus. I wasn’t sporty at school – my legs are short and my lung capacity is unexceptional – but mountain biking was exercise I enjoyed.

I was never going to win any races but that wasn’t the point. I met new friends through mountain biking and persuaded old friends to join us. It became a way of life.

My summer trip in 2017 was the Tour de Mont Blanc – five days through the Alps, climbing about 2,000 metres each day.

Shortly before the trip I’d gone for a routine mammogram.

Heading for the hospital, I’d had a premonition that this was a changing point in my life. Turns out Mont Blanc was my last trip abroad before cancer became my constant companion.

But in the Alps I was on top of the world. As the views opened out, I felt that I’d been preparing for this trip my whole life. As the downhill trail steepened, I kept my bike rolling, feeling the rush of adrenaline. A trail like this gives you no choice but to live in the moment. I shouted with relief as I negotiated the obstacles in my path – a feeling of pure joy.

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Back home, I was confronted with the hard reality of a cancer diagnosis. While waiting for surgery I returned to my favourite local haunts: the Garburn Pass, Jacobs Ladder, Long Mynd, Llandegla. It felt like a farewell tour. After the surgery, I was sent for more scans. They showed cancer in my bones. I was in my 40s and diagnosed with incurable cancer.

Yet there was a plan. The words “chemical menopause” terrified me, but eventually I regained my strength and got back on my bike. With three friends, I entered the Fred Whitton Challenge, a 113-mile sportive through spectacular Lake District scenery, said to be the hardest one-day ride in the UK. We trained together and got ourselves round, raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Thanks to the treatment, I had a second chance. I went back to work parttime. I began to think long term again. Perhaps I’d get to see my four-year-old niece grow up after all.

In early 2020 there were signs that my cancer was no longer responding to the medication. Covid-19 meant that I had to stop the immune-suppressive treatment that had worked so well. My fitness began to deteriorate. Just before Christmas 2020 my oncologist told me I might only have 12 months to live.

When I’m struggling, I try to remember how it feels riding down a narrow trail. You need to focus on where you’re going, not get distracted by precipitous drops to the side.

Look for the grip point, the place you want to be. Not always achievable, not always easy.

However bad things are, I know that getting on my bike will lift my spirits. So I’ve bought myself a Specialized electric mountain bike. I’ll keep riding it as long as it makes me smile.

The big C, cycling & me Geraldine Glowinski and Mary Payne spoke to Cycling UK about their own experiences of being diagnosed with and ultimately recovering from cancer. Both found that cycling could be cathartic.

Geraldine’s story is at: cyclinguk.org/article/ cycling-and-cancer Mary’s story is at: cyclinguk.org/ real-life-stories/ cycling-instrumentalmarys-recoveryfollowing-treatmentcervical-cancer

More info Advice on cycling after chemotherapy: c yclinguk.org/cycle/ fitness-cancer

G R E AT R I D E S

T H E C A N T I I WAY

Details Where: East Kent Start/finish: Wye, but anywhere on the route works Distance: 158 miles Photos: Jordan Gibbons and Stefan Amato from Pannier.cc

Great Rides

THE CANTII WAY Cycling UK’s latest long-distance cycling route is a 150ish-mile meander around east Kent. Sophie Gordon test rode it

T H E C A N T I I WAY

G R E AT R I D E S

This photo: Whitstable Below: Mildred Locke’s Stayer Groadinger UG Left: Sophie checks the route with Will Meyer

A CANTII BREAK

“Y

ou’re going up to Etchinghill now?” The waitress at Folkestone’s Harbour Arm looked aghast at us. “Ooh, that’s a big hill that is, that’ll be hard work.” Looking outside at the trees swaying in the darkness from our haven of light and warmth, we were tempted to ask if we could sleep inside under the tables in return for washing up. In fact we did ask, only half joking.

By the time she returned to clear our plates, our waitress seemed to take pity on us and considered that perhaps she had exaggerated slightly. The hill wasn’t that big.

She was right the first time. It was a big hill.

However, the return for our efforts was an impressive view over the lights of Folkestone before we reached our beds for that night, with the blazing beacon of the Channel Tunnel terminal doing its best to dominate the scene.

We were test-riding Cycling UK’s new longdistance route around east Kent, the Cantii Way. Beginning in the village of Wye in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the route meanders along the River Stour past Canterbury to Whitstable, circles the coast all the way down to Dungeness, then dips a toe into East Sussex (as we’d be strongly reminded later) to visit the medieval town of Rye before heading back inland.

Why the strange name with two ‘i’s? The Cantii Way is named after the Iron Age Celtic tribe that inhabited the area we now know as Kent. Julius Caesar encountered them on his abortive conquest of England in 54BC, describing the Cantii as “the most civilised” of the British tribes. It is from them that the county of Kent and city of Canterbury both derive their names.

Our merry band consisted of myself and Rob Spanring from Cycling UK, Jordan Gibbons from Pannier wielding the camera, Will Meyer from Brother Cycles, cycling journalist Mildred Locke, and all-round adventurer (and our #12nightsoutin1year ambassador) Vedangi Kulkarni.

Assembling at midday at a lovely café in Wye, we fuelled ourselves far more than was necessary considering we only had 26 miles to ride that afternoon. It’s wonderful little gems like this café that we want to support and promote with our Cycle Friendly Places accreditation, to help them attract more visitors with bikes.

We started to regret those enormous pieces of cake as we were faced with a bonus climb to start the day, having decided that we really couldn’t miss

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GOING Feature

DUTCH? LAURA LAKER

Cycling journalist

Laura writes about cycling and urban transport for The Guardian. She enjoys touring as well as utility cycling

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G O I N G D U TCH?

F E ATU R E

WE’RE DECADES BEHIND THE DUTCH BUT THE UK IS FINALLY WAKING UP TO TRANSPORT CYCLING’S POTENTIAL. LAURA LAKER ASKS IF A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR CYCLING IS REALISTIC

W

e all know the arguments for active travel, but with the pandemic bike boom and Highway Code changes if feels like there’s a subtle shift in transport cycling’s prospects – that the arguments, at least, have been won. I spoke to cycling figureheads from the UK’s four nations and asked: can we really transform transport cycling’s fortunes, and if so, how do we get to the point where it’s not just for bold, confident cyclists but accessible to everyone?

DAFYDD TRYSTAN Chair of Active Travel Board, Wales How much are things like the Active Travel Act, climate priorities and Wales’s focus on school journeys transforming cycling and walking prospects?

The Active Travel Act means we have nationwide active travel maps, but to do something practical about the aspirations on those maps, you need cash. The Deputy Minister for Transport and Climate Change, Lee Waters, secured a significant increase in Wales’s active travel spend over the last two or three years but we’re only now seeing some of those projects coming through.

Would you say that things are changing in Wales?

As well as new protected bike lanes there’s new guidance setting out ambitious minimum infrastructure standards.

People sometimes ignore government guidance, so we’ll see the proof in five years’ time when things are built.

I’D LIKE MORE FOCUS ON E-BIKES, HELPING PEOPLE CYCLE 10-15 MILES TO WORK WITHOUT HAVING TO SHOWER

C Y CL I NGUK . O RG

Photo: Birmingham, by Joolze Dymond

Do you think a so-called golden age of cycling is starting to feel more than just words?

Some cities in England have made significant progress but we haven’t got that in Wales. My fear is we’re seeing some drop back towards pre-pandemic levels. So no, the golden age of cycling hasn’t dawned in Wales yet.

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CYCLOPEDIA

r e d n i f Bike Which bike should I buy?

Ask us at cyclinguk.org/bikefinder

On/off-road all-rounder For: John Jones, aged 74, from Swansea. Bike needs: Leisure use, 50/50 on road and on bike trails, some fairly rough. I generally cycle about 100 miles a week. Must have: Flat bar, 29in wheels, disc brakes. Not too heavy and suitably geared for hilly terrain on and off-road. Capable of being fitted with mudguards front and rear. Must not have: Drop handlebar. Budget: £1,500.

John Jones

Guy Kesteven Given how many people do exactly the sort of riding you talk about, you’d think there’d be plenty of bikes that tick all your boxes. But a practical, light, rigid 29er with a flat bar is actually a very rare beast indeed.

Bikes with big 700C tyres (i.e. small 29er tyres) and drop bars are everywhere now but few come with a flat bar option. Crosscountry mountain bikes with fast-rolling 29er wheels are also easy to find. They inevitably have a suspension fork, which adds weight, cost and reliability issues, won’t have mudguard fittings and will be overkill for where you want to ride.

The Sonder Frontier Deore Rigid (£949, alpkit.com) is one of the rare rigid-forked mountain bikes available, and it’s well below your budget. It uses a lightweight 6061 aluminium alloy frame with full mudguard mounts and plenty of space for them to fit around 29er tyres. The Rigid version comes with a fixed alloy fork featuring ‘everything’ mounts on the legs and those all-important mudguard mounts at the tips.

Shimano Deore gearing gives you plenty of winch potential if you head into the Welsh Valleys the hard way, while hydraulic disc brakes will keep you safe on any descents. As Sonder builds the bikes to order you can make adjustments to the specification to suit your style.

Alpkit offers a “28-day ride guarantee” so you’ve got a month to return the bike for a refund. But having tested several Sonder MTB and gravel bikes I’m confident you’ll love it.

SONDER FRONTIER DEORE RIGID £949

Dan Joyce Gravel bikes are designed for the riding you describe and will handle “fairly rough” trails if the tyres are sufficiently wide. But most come with the drop handlebar that you don’t want.

There are flat-bar gravel bikes in your price range, such as the Genesis Croix de Fer 20 Flat Bar (£1,499.99, genesisbikes.co.uk) and the Marin DSX 2 (£1,185). I’d suggest instead a bike that isn’t specifically described as a gravel bike: the Giant ToughRoad SLR 2 (£1,099, giant-bicycles.com). It has wider tubeless tyres (50-622 or 29×2in), giving improved off-road comfort and capability.

At 11.5kg this carbon-fork, aluminium-frame bike is lighter than the steel Genesis, while its super-compact 2×10 transmission gives a good spread of road and off-road gears. It takes mudguards and pannier racks; the latter come fitted to the dearer SLR 1 that I tested (cyclinguk.org/cycle-magazine/bike-test-doit-all-bikes-genesis-vagabond-vs-giant-toughroad-slr1).

For road use an alternative – ideally narrower – hand position would be useful. Bar-ends set inboard might suffice. Better would be a multi-position bar such as a Surly Moloko (£119.99) or On-One Geoff (£29.99). The ToughRoad’s own-brand Giant tyres are fine but if you want more road speed, Schwalbe’s G-One Speed (@£61.99) is available in 50-622.

If the ToughRoad isn’t off-road capable enough for what you have in mind, you’ll need a rigid mountain bike like the Sonder Frontier that Guy recommends.

GIANT TOUGHROAD SLR 2 £1,099

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BIKE TEST

ELECTRIC COMMUTERS

Biketest

RICHARD PEACE Richard is a cycling journalist and author. His books include Electric Bicycles and Sustrans’ Traffic-Free Cycle Rides (p28)

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Electric commuters

Urban transport is one of the most important roles for e-bikes. Richard Peace tests a Raleigh New Motus Tour Plus and a Volt London

Y

ou can ride to work on any e-bike. For this test I’m defining ‘commuter e-bikes' as machines that are practical, utilitarian, and durable – the kind of e-bikes that might persuade someone to get out of their car for the journey to work and keep doing so even in bad weather.

This is where the ‘e’ in e-bikes is so important: that electrical assistance makes cycle commuting so much easier on a rainy Monday morning.

The test models contrast nicely. Raleigh’s New Motus Tour Plus is part of an extended New Motus range for 2022. This one has an 8-speed hub gear and sits towards the top end in terms of spec. It’s clearly aimed at cyclists who just want to get from A to B comfortably and easily.

The Volt London, also new for 2022, is a singlespeed. Despite its minimalist looks, it still has everything you need for commuting. And while non-electric singlespeeds are traditionally seen as a sporty niche, the addition of a motor makes a onegeared bike an option for anyone. Volt is London

based and has many years of experience in producing only e-bikes.

Frame & fork The Raleigh New Motus has a stepthrough frame with a huge down tube, which provides frame stiffness without triangulation. The big tube also houses the battery. By contrast, being a classic diamond frame design, the Volt London has a much slenderer appearance.

Although both test bikes have a similar middling frame size, the Raleigh is a much bigger e-bike. That impression is reinforced by its high front end compared to the racier design of the Volt frame. The Raleigh comes in five sizes (I tested the middle one), while the Volt comes in a single size. Tall or short riders are therefore more likely to find a Raleigh that accommodates them comfortably.

ELECTRIC COMMUTERS

BIKE TEST

First look

A heavyweight hub-geared roadster whose Bosch mid-motor makes commuting a breeze

The Raleigh's upright position is confidence inspiring, making it ideal for new cycle commuters

Tech Spec

RALEIGH NEW MOTUS TOUR PLUS – HUB GEAR

The Raleigh is the slightly neater on the heavier e-bike by almost Raleigh where it enters via 6kg. This will matter more the oversize head tube and to some cyclists than exits via the chainstays. On others. Compared to nonthe Volt, cables enter the electrics, weight is less of underside of the down tube an issue with e-bikes as near the head tube and exit you have a motor to help near the bottom bracket, you up the hills. However, if leaving cable runs a little weight is important to you more exposed at the rear – for example, if you need of the bike. The Volt comes to regularly carry the bike equipped with a porteurup steps – neither model is style front rack and has particularly light. (A lighter fittings for a rear rack. The e-bike from the likes of Raleigh has a rear rack but Top: Bosch’s Purion display is compact and easy to use Ampler or Ribble may suit won’t take most front ones.

Bottom: Maximum torque is you more in that case.) The The forks underscore the ‘only’ 50Nm but the Bosch Raleigh has a ‘sit up and different riding styles the Active Line Plus mid-motor benefits from the bike’s widebeg’ frame and is clearly bikes are designed for. The ratio 8-speed hub gear so the aimed at riders prioritising Raleigh has a Suntour NEX Raleigh climbs well enough comfort, whereas the Volt suspension fork with 52mm has the slightly leaning of steel-sprung travel. The forward riding position typical of a Volt has a rigid aluminium fork that's sports hybrid. finished in matt black, perhaps to give As with the vast majority of e-bike the impression of a carbon fork. frames today, both are sturdily built Components with neatly welded joints. Both frames The most obvious contrast here is in are very nicely finished too, the Raleigh the motor systems. The Raleigh features in a lustrous, semi-metallic dark paint a mid-drive (also known as a crank described as ‘deep sea blue'. The Volt is drive) from market leader Bosch. It’s brushed aluminium, giving the frame the undoubtedly high quality and also carries look of stainless steel.

Bosch’s impressive battery guarantee of a Brake, gear and electrical cabling is minimum of 60% of full charge capacity internally routed in both cases, though

Price: £2,495 Sizes: 41, 46, 51 (tested), 56, 61cm Weight: 27.4kg/60.4lb Frame & fork: Aluminium 6061 stepthrough frame with mid-drive housing and removable frame-integrated battery in down tube. Suntour NEX steel spring suspension fork with 52mm travel.

Wheels: 50-622 Schwalbe Road Cruiser tyres, 36-hole double wall rims, QR aluminium hubs, 14G spokes.

Transmission: Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub gear with 38t chainwheel and 19t rear sprocket.

Shimano Nexus twistgrip shifter. Eight ratios: 31-94in.

Electronics: Dimensions in millimetres and degrees

650-680 610 72˚

n/a

85

130

480

687 70˚

60

510

726 44

Bosch Active Line Plus mid-drive motor with 400Wh frame-integrated Bosch PowerTube battery. Bosch Purion handlebar display.

Braking: Alhonga hydraulic disc brake, 180mm front rotor, 160mm rear rotor.

Alloy levers.

Steering & seating: XLC ergonomic grips, 640mm aluminium City Rise bar, 85mm adjustable stem.

Selle Royal Saddle, 31.6×300mm seatpost.

Equipment: Herrmans MR.GO front light, AXA Juno rear light (both hardwired), Eurofender full mudguards, Motus MIK compatible rear rack, adjustable kickstand. raleigh.co.uk

170 318

622

1068

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GROUPTEST

N AV I G AT I O N A P P S

Details

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1 Grouptest

Navigation apps GPS computers aren’t the only digital option for planning and following a route. A phone can do it, given the right app. Dave Barter tests four

M DAVE BARTER Cycling author and IT expert Dave is a cycling author and IT professional who has written his own open-source route planner.

any cyclists have seen their riding enhanced by a bar-mounted navigational computer. Combined with digital mapping, these GPS devices facilitate the planning of rides without paper maps and simplify the task of navigating along the route.

A modern smartphone comes with a GPS receiver built-in, a larger screen, and more computing power than a bike-specific GPS. A myriad of apps can be downloaded to aid with route planning and navigation, and a phone often has more storage for mapping and other information. Assuming you already have a smartphone, it’s a much cheaper option than a dedicated GPS cycling computer.

When used on a bike, consider the phone’s mounting and weatherproofing. Phones are more fragile than GPS computers: you’ll need a robust case (that’s rainproof if your phone isn’t) along with a phone-specific mount. When used for anything other than navigation a phone will consume power quickly; you may need to turn off mobile data and other background tasks to conserve power.

Mapping

should be able to use the app on both your phone and in a web browser on your home computer.

A clear, up-to-date and detailed base map is critical for navigation.

You want an app that uses current data and enhances it with cycling-specific features such as cafés, dedicated cycle routes, and the all-important contours to tell you where the hills are.

Ordnance Survey mapping is a bonus for those used to handling a paper map.

You may not have internet connectivity to download maps or data in remote areas.

It is vital that your navigation app can handle this. Significant battery power can be conserved by using your phone offline.

2

4

Route Planning

Cycling route planning algorithms are sophisticated but not flawless. It’s important to be able to override a suggested route or add in your diversions/ suggestions. You

3

Offline Use

Sharing & Discovery

You should be able to share the routes you’ve ridden whilst using the recommendations of others. A good app makes this easy and allows you to add annotations and advice.

3

4

1

2

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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TRAVELLERS’ TALES

With medals at the finish

West Country

The Great Weston Ride Bryn with bikes (Below) Roof of Odessa station

Eastern Europe

Ukraine by train Bryony Nicholson recalls the Ukrainian couple who helped get them on a train home in 2019

A

fter months cycling across Europe, we were ready for the final leg of our journey: travelling home by train with two bikes. Odesa station slumbered under a heavy July sky. We had been told by everyone – the ticket office, Ukrainian railways, online – that we could take our bikes on this train.

The guard took one look at us, held up a hand and declared: “Impossible!”

This was the only train that would take us across Ukraine to Poland; the only route that would get us home in time for our friends’ wedding. With some gesticulating, my partner Bryn negotiated access to the train, while I optimistically set about removing luggage from both bikes.

Minutes later, Bryn leapt from the train followed by a lively young Ukrainian man, who introduced himself as Ivan and declared himself a keen cyclist.

He returned to the guard, seamlessly switching from English to Ukrainian.

“He says we can try!” Ivan said. And so we began. Ivan scooped up panniers and ferried them to the compartment, while Bryn and I dismantled the bikes.

Mila, Ivan’s wife, set about rearranging their modest belongings, and we squeezed all our luggage into the compartments beneath the lower bunks.

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Bike wheels, each encased in a bin bag, were flung to the upper bunks.

Finally, we carried the dismantled bikes themselves past the begrudging guard.

After 20 minutes, of sweating, cursing, grumbling, adjusting, pushing and pulling, we managed to shove the two bikes into a gap above the carriage aisle.

Triumphant, we sat down to share the food and drinks we had brought, and spent the night teaching each other card games. A new friendship formed as our train trundled across Europe.

Postscript: Mila has left Ukraine and is in Poland with their son. Ivan is still there.

They are seeking donations to support Ukrainians who remain: zrzutka.pl/en/ pomocukrainie#

facebook.com/CyclingUK

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Last year Sue Hoddell relished being able to take part in a mass ride again THERE IS A CERTAIN law that says the day of any significant bike ride will be the wettest or the hottest of the year. Given the choice, I would go for the hottest – and this is what we got for the Great Weston Ride, a charity ride from Bristol to Weston-Super-Mare.

We decided to take the bus transfer from Weston-Super-Mare to Bristol so that at the finish we could collapse with a beer and a burger. After collecting our event numbers at Ashton Gate, we were bunched together and set off in small groups. Mainly quiet roads took us out toward the airport and then sent us circumnavigating the Chew lakes.

The first stop was a pub at the base of the only significant climb, allowing us to fill up on coffee and cold drinks. Fully refreshed, we set off up a steady climb, in and out of the shade and finally onto Burrington Combe, where we admired the views.

After the climb came the whooping delight of the downhill. The Somerset Levels beckoned. As the actual distance from Bristol to Weston-Super-Mare is only about 24 miles and we were doing 57, there was plenty of meandering around small lanes and quiet villages. Déjà vu was a common experience. Finally the signs for WestonSuper-Mare appeared and we followed the backroads towards town.

The final approach paralleled the seafront, then turned us into the welcome area where we were greeted by cowbells and applause.

Medals collected, it was time to rehydrate properly with a beer and kick back in what remained of the glorious afternoon. It was wonderful to be back riding with groups of friends and fellow cyclists again.

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