Cycle magazine February/March 2022 taster version

cycle THE MAGAZINE OF CYCLING UK

On test

SONDER COLIBRI IRIS WINTER JACKET CYCLING TROUSERS DUXBACK CAPE & MORE FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022

EMERALD ISLE SO FT DAYS , N O HARD BO RD E R Page 44

N PLUS ZERO

Make the most of the bike(s) you own

CITY BIKES

Practical roadsters from Trek & Gazelle

RELAX & COAST

P lu s RIDE THE 86-MILE AVON CYCLEWAY BETTER PHOTOS WITH YOUR PHONE BIKE FINDER: BEST £1,250 DISC ROAD AND MUCH MORE

British seaside breaks with bikes

MEMBERSHIP FROM JUST £3.88 A MONTH!*

CONTENTS Features 28 Relax and coast Bike-friendly British seaside breaks

Welcome

32 N Plus Zero How to make the best of the bike(s) you’ve got

40 Phone, camera, action Take better cycling pictures with your mobile phone

44 Right as rain Over the border and under the clouds in Ireland

32

Products 16 Shop Window New products coming soon(ish)

18 Gear up Components, accessories, and books

54 Hub-geared roadsters Practical city bikes from Trek and Gazelle

38

Cycle Editor

An all-purpose road bike for under a grand

62 Cycling trousers Warm legs without going all Max Wall

Regulars 04 Freewheeling Bits and pieces from the bike world

07 This is Cycling UK Highway Code campaign victory; what the EXPERIENCE Project means for Kent, Norfolk, and Cornwall; our winter raffle; and more

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14 You are Cycling UK

44

Coronavirus

DAN JOYCE

60 Sonder Colibri Al Tiagra

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

Paul Fogarty’s blog is ‘3wheels1leg’

25 Letters Your feedback on Cycle and cycling

On the cover

Wishing Bridge, Gap of Dunloe © Backroads/ David Epperson.

For tour details & bookings, see backroads.com

38 Weekender 86 miles on the Avon Cycleway

49 Cyclopedia Questions answered, topics explained

65 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: 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: Joolze Dymond, Neil Wheadon, Steve Thomas, Ian Proctor/Alamy

Buy the shiny new one. Bin the old one.

Never mind that it still works. This new one is 2.7% better, has these swoopy frame profiles, and look, it comes in orange. Everyone likes orange this year; all the reviews say so. Sure it’s expensive, but can you put a price on being 2.7% faster/gnarlier/happier?

That’s broadly the message I’ve absorbed from reading the adverts – and some of the reviews – in cycling magazines lately, in order to update a feature on the website (cyclinguk.org/ cycle/guide-cycling-magazines). I’ve embellished my first paragraph, of course.

I’ve no idea if orange is popular or not…

This isn’t a critique of the bike industry. It’s their job to sell us things.

Doing that is harder if the advert says: “Yeah, it’s basically the same as last year’s, but we changed the head angle by half a degree and we’ve got a new font for the lettering on the down tube.” There will always be gloss. It’s the market economy.

It’s how the wheels of industry turn.

Except those wheels fell off during the pandemic due to supply problems.

Next day delivery and instant in-store gratification were, and largely still are, off the table. We couldn’t necessarily get what we wanted. Consumerism took a hit.

Happily, cyclists are well placed to weather that minor inconvenience.

Bikes aren’t computers: they improve incrementally at best. Last year’s model, last decade’s model – even last century’s model – is likely good enough. So long as we can buy oil, grease, and any truly essential replacement parts, we’re good to go. We’re lucky.

this is

£150million

Right: Julie Skelton. Far right: Shoreham-By-Cycle

Scottish Government’s budget for active travel in 2022/23, up from £115.5m in 2020/21.

The new rules highlight the danger of car-dooring

Transport

A NEW CODE

Legal

CYCLE LANE COURT CASE At the time of writing, our judicial review of West Sussex County Council’s decision to remove a popular cycle lane in Shoreham had not been heard in the Crown Court.

(It’s due 25-26 Jan.) Thanks to everyone who has helped fund our case. If successful, it will make other councils think twice before ripping up cycling facilities. To find out more and donate, visit cyclinguk.org/cdf

The Highway Code is changing. The challenge now is to make sure all road users are aware of the new rules.

Duncan Dollimore reports

A

fter more than ten years of campaigning

by Cycling UK, backed by your incredible support, the Highway Code rules are changing. All road users will benefit, particularly the most vulnerable. The changes are due to come into effect on (or possibly shortly after) 29 January and will apply throughout Britain – but not Northern Ireland, where there’s a separate code.

The revisions include: • the introduction of a ‘hierarchy of road users’, recognising that those who pose the greatest risks to others (i.e. drivers of the largest vehicles) have a higher level of responsibility; • simplification of the rules about priority (who gives way to whom) at junctions without traffic signals, so that anyone turning left has to give way to anyone going straight ahead across their path, which should reduce ‘left hook’ collisions; • new rules to tackle dangerous overtaking and ‘close passes’, with a guideline minimum safe passing distance of 1.5 metres; • rules highlighting the dangers of cardooring, and the requirement to look before opening your car door, including a specific recommendation to use the Dutch Reach.

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The new rules will be of limited benefit if people aren’t aware of them. That’s why we’ve been urging the government to fund and deliver a long term and widespread public awareness campaign. Many people won’t have read the Highway Code since they passed their driving test. It’s vital that the key changes are clearly explained with simple, accurate, and memorable messages.

It’s alarming that, as I write this, the public is finding out about amendments to the Highway Code through opinion pieces in the media that focus on the merits of the changes. The time for that discussion has passed. The changes have legal implications the day they come in; the public deserves to be told what they are, irrespective of whether they agree with them.

To maximise its impact, the revised Code needs to be communicated and promoted through a government funded and led campaign.

However, as we’ve not yet seen any materials or plans, we’re putting together some content of our own to explain what’s changing. We’ll be asking members and supporters to share this widely on social media and among friends and colleagues.

Look out for this material on our Highway Code campaign page. cyclinguk.org/safer-highwaycode-cyclists

The lane served several schools

Road safety

DRIVING BAN DODGERS One in five drivers with 12 or more points on their licence avoids a supposedly automatic driving ban when the court accepts that disqualification would cause ‘exceptional hardship’. One in five! It’s just one of the fatal flaws in our road traffic laws that we’re pressing the government to fix, seven years after they promised to review road traffic offences and penalties. To add your support, visit cyclinguk.org/failing-laws

you are

Inspiring cyclist

PAUL FOGARTY

Born with no arms and one leg, Paul returned to cycling just over a year ago on a modified recumbent e-trike.

Andrew Gubbins spoke to him

T

he first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 inspired many people to start cycling again, among them 40-year-old Paul Fogarty. “I had reached that stage where I was probably eating too much, spending all day sat at a desk, and not getting enough exercise,” he said.

“I decided it was time to change this, but I had no idea if anyone could help me.”

Paul was born with no arms and one leg. He’s used a prosthetic leg since the age of three to walk and to help maintain his independence. He had cycled before: he used an upright trike to get to secondary school and, after turning 18, to the pub when socialising with friends. But he no longer had that.

His search for a replacement was spurred by an old friend, Tom Yendell, a foot and mouth artist. Tom had posted some pictures on Facebook of him riding an adapted trike. “If Tom can ride a trike, I must be able to,” Paul told himself. He started doing research online. The most promising option was right on his Telford doorstep: Quest, based just five miles away in Shifnal.

“When I came across Quest, I could not believe my luck,” Paul said. “I immediately gave them a call and arranged to meet with managing director Rob Henshaw.”

Following an initial assessment, Rob and his colleagues sat down and started by breaking Paul’s needs into five areas: pedalling, steering, braking, gearing, and safety.

For the base model, they settled on an ICE Adventure recumbent trike with Shimano STEPS electric assistance.

“The electric motor uses sensor inputs from each side,” Rob explained, “so we had to counter that by asking Paul to wear a shoe with a cleat on his good side. That way he can put power through the cranks on the down and up stroke, which tricks the system into thinking there are two legs at work.

“We initially set up a harness that fitted around Paul’s shoulders, with loops around the steering uprights to

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Top: A Shimano STEPS motor augments Paul’s pedalling Below: He’s already clocked up more than 1,500 miles

enable him to steer by twisting his shoulders. It wasn’t great but it allowed us to show Paul that things were possible. We later used an articulated camera-mount system to try and ascertain the rough positioning of the steering uprights so that we could then fabricate something. Once we had some uprights by Paul’s shoulders, we could then look at controls such as braking and gear changing.

“The gearing is automatic with a manual override operated by Shimano Di2 buttons as Paul has sufficient dexterity to push these. When it came to the braking system, we agreed not to have too many functions on the same side of the body as this would ensure braking could be more spontaneous and not be confused with steering and gear functions. Paul signals his manoeuvres through a wireless control operating LED indicators.”

Paul took delivery of his finished trike at the end of 2020. “I cannot explain the feeling of freedom I now have thanks to Rob and the amazing guys at Quest,” he said. “I have already done over 1,500 miles, including the Royal British Legion Poppy Ride, where I raised over £1,000.

“The end result is more than I could have ever hoped for. If anyone thinks cycling is not possible, I would urge them to speak to Rob. If I can do it, anyone can”.

Paul posts regular updates about his cycling adventures on his Facebook page titled ‘3wheels1leg’. He’s since joined Cycling UK.

More info For more information on the full range of adaptive cycles from Quest, advice on funding or to arrange an assessment: q uest88.com

01952 463050

Recumbent mobility An ICE Adventure trike with Shimano STEPS E6100 electric assistance costs from about £6,800, without other modifications.

See icetrikes.co for details for this and other recumbent trikes.

ROB AINSLEY Rob Ainsley is a cycle route researcher and writer who blogs on e2e.bike, in the hope it makes his seaside trips taxdeductible.

Great Rides

RELAX AND COAST Seaside breaks are always better with bikes. Rob Ainsley explores some of the best parts of Britain for coastal cycling

SE ASIDE CYCLING

B

A FIRST, NOT LAST, RESORT Sometimes you can link resorts by bike. From Scarborough, often said to be Britain’s first ever seaside resort, you can ride the car-free, 20-mile Cinder Track to one-off harbour gem Whitby. The northern half has wonderful coastal views, though on the bumpy southern half you’ll be watching the surface in front of you. The Way of the Roses, a three- or four-day trans Pennine adventure from Morecambe in Lancashire to Bridlington in Yorkshire, is bookended by smooth, friendly promenades: begin and end your ride with an icecream and a paddle.

Wonderful beaches can come in unexpected places. The 185-mile Hebridean Way, down Scotland’s island chain, passes unearthly landscapes with gorgeous-coloured sands that could have come out of the Caribbean... except for the temperature. No resorts here – this is definitely ‘away from it all’ – but the Hebrides are proving very popular just now with tourers looking for an ‘exotic foreign ride’ without the need for a passport or fears of quarantine.

Promenade rides can surprise, too. The car-free seafront path at Cleethorpes boasts a Greenwich Meridian, Britain’s smallest pub (the Signal Box), and its biggest fish and chip shop (on the pier).

The cycle route at the top of the Wirral peninsula, opposite Liverpool, gives you ten miles of unbroken, relaxed traffic-free seaside cycling from Hoylake to the terminal for the ferry ’cross the Mersey in Birkenhead. Work in some rail-trails to complete the loop to the south, and you can make it an (almost) all

Opposite: Brighton This photo: Llandudno beach, looking west

Opposite: Getty Images. Other photos: Rob Ainsley

ikes and the seaside go together like – well, a bucket and spade. Both are about simplicity, about enjoying nature. About stripping away the stress of everyday life and concentrating on the basics. Cake or icecream? Sunbathe or paddle? Tea or something stronger? Ride to the nature reserve or the waterfront bar? (These aren’t necessarily either-or questions.)

Britain didn’t invent the beach holiday but made it available to the masses in the late-1800s heyday of the seaside resort, thanks to railways and paid holidays. Cheap air travel from the 1970s made sunny foreign beaches more tempting, but for obvious reasons the pendulum has swung back towards home lately. British resorts are in vogue again.

Wikipedia lists 211 to choose from, so which ones suit us best?

Many offer memorable two- or three-wheel experiences. In Wales, almost direct from Barmouth’s beach, a remarkable mile-long, bikes-only wooden bridge runs across the estuary mouth, then turns into a delightful rail-trail to Dolgellau – ideal for a family ride. As is the Camel Trail, another old riverside rail line, heading out from Cornish fishrestaurant hub Padstow to Wadebridge.

G R E AT R I D E S

Do it yourself

All aboard!

The railways helped create the seaside resort and remain an option for getting there with your bike. Good planning helps. Jem and Louise Clines have great tips for solving the ‘train+bikes+kids = holiday’ equation on their blog ecofamilytravel. co.uk/10-tips-takingbicycles-train-kids/.

Strings of resorts along a rail line, as on the North Wales and East Kent coasts, offer super train/bike flexibility. But Beeching’s axe was bad news for resorts like Hornsea or Ilfracombe, which lost their lines and now require a car – or long ride – to reach.

car-free circuit – or go and explore Liverpool instead.

But what we’re looking for here is the Complete Cyclist’s Seaside Break. That means good relaxing beaches with all the traditional trappings for when it’s a bit too cold to be swimming: donkey rides, amusements, piers and proms, cheap and cheerful food and drink, amiably gaudy lights. It means lots of accommodation options with a limited budget no problem. A good cyclable car-free prom, suitable for kids and occasional riders, with plenty of toilets.

Some more ambitious route options inland for the keen day-riders. Easy, bike-friendly rail access – and bike hire options. Fun for all the cycling family.

So here’s our pick of Britain’s best cycling resorts, which give all that and more, in spades. Buckets and spades, in fact...

Best for seafront rides PRESTATYN TO COLWYN BAY The North Wales Coast west from Prestatyn to elegant, likeable Llandudno is one long chain of resorts – and you can cycle all 20 miles of it on a glorious car-free seaside promenade, Britain’s longest car-free seaside ride. (Almost all, anyway: there’s a mile of quiet road just outside Llandudno; and, until autumn 2022, halfway along are two mile-long roadworks diversions along paths or quiet roads.) A café, ice-cream or toilet is never more than a few hundred yards away, the views change constantly, and there’s a handy cycle-workshop-hire-café at the Hub in Rhyl, right on the harbour. There are rail stations along the

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N PLUS ZERO Feature

DAN JOYCE

N+0=4 for Dan. It would take a very special bike to get that down to one

NOT IN STOCK? NOT AFFORDABLE? NOT NECESSARY? MAYBE IT’S TIME TO FORGET THAT NEW BIKE AND MAKE THE BEST OF WHAT WE’VE GOT. DAN JOYCE ELABORATES

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N+0

F E ATU R E

S

cratching that new bike itch is more difficult these days. There are a few reasons why it might be time to abandon N+1, cycling forums’ favourite formula for “the correct number of bikes to own”, in which N equals the number of bikes you currently own.

Chief among them is supply. In brief: there was a pandemic bike boom; factories making essential components shut their doors; and there was, and is, a global shipping crisis… which was compounded by a logjam in the Suez Canal. So bike shops are emptier and due dates for new models and parts keep getting pushed back.

“That’s the story of the day for everyone at the moment,” the marketing manager at one big bike company told me last July, after confessing that he wouldn’t be able to supply a test bike I’d been chasing for a year. “I had a nightmare getting

parts for the UK Olympians riding our bikes. [It’s now] November for chains alone!”

The second reason is rising prices.

Think the prices seem high for the bikes reviewed in Cycle? They are! The Bicycle Association recently published a report, ‘Growth Beyond the Boom: Key Drivers of the UK Cycling Market in 2021’. One of its findings was that the average price of (non-electric) bikes sold in the UK had risen by 36% since 2019. Partly that’s customers buying the more readily available expensive models. Partly it’s business costs such as shipping: the price of a container from the Far East to Europe was $1,250 in September 2020, before the shortage hit, and then $22,000 in November 2021 (source: Cycling Industry News). That’s an increase of over $20,000! Given that a container holds about 250 bikes, it’s $80 or so on top of the price of every bike.

In the UK, Brexit hasn’t helped

pricing or, in some cases, availability.

Sterling fell significantly against the Euro and, crucially, the US dollar after the Leave vote in 2016, making imports such as bikes more expensive. On top of that, there are now import duties on items from Europe. The Guardian has a good summary (bit.ly/cycle-brexitguardian), and there’s a long-running thread of Cycling UK members’ experiences on the forum (cyclinguk. org/post-brexit-buying).

The third reason to ditch the N+1 formula is simply to avoid buying something we don’t need, a consumerism issue the climate crisis has thrown into sharp relief. Bikes are a drop in the rising ocean compared to cars or fast fashion but there’s still a real cost in resources. The most environmentally friendly bike is the one you already own.

Which brings us back to N+0. Or, to put it another way: mending and making do.

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cycle

Photo: Joolze Dymond

Mend and make do: Real Yellow Jersey winner Caitlin Barlett teaches cycle maintenance

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CYCLOPEDIA

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

Ask us at cyclinguk.org/bikefinder

Disc-braked road bike For: Alan Sheldon, aged 75, from Bedford Bike needs: I’ve been using a basic hybrid for exercise during lockdowns. I’d now like a road bike to allow me to increase my mileage and fun. Must have: A good range of gears to allow my old legs to cope with hills, disc brakes, and enough space for my 6ft 2in frame. Must not have: It does not have to be super-lightweight or have aggressive geometry. Budget: up to £1,250 Alan Sheldon

Liz Colebrook Congratulations on getting back in the saddle!

My recommendation is the Boardman ADV 8.9 in XL (£1,100, boardmanbikes.com). It tips the scales at around 10.3kg with a triple-butted aluminium frame, carbon fork, and ‘adventure’ wheelset. With the £150 remaining, I’d add lightweight mudguards and potentially upgrade the pedals and saddle.

The frame geometry will suit your departure from a flat bar without too much extra forward lean. Tubeless-ready Schwalbe 700×38 G-One tyres are ideal for our weather-weary roads, and should make for a compliant ride even off road. We can lose some flexibility in our spines over time, so I suggest the shop ‘flips’ your handlebar stem to raise the front end a little. I’d also suggest a gel pad set under the handlebar tape to absorb road shock (e.g. Fizik Bar Gel, £17.99).

The 46cm handlebar is the ‘short and shallow’ style where the distance to the drops and reach forward are both reduced.

There’s a flare to the bar as well, so your hands are a little wider on the drops; the added stability is reassuring on descents.

When riding on the brake hoods, Shimano’s hydraulic set-up makes braking less effort, and the integrated ‘paddle’ style gear shifters are also very light action. So they suit older hands.

This leads nicely to your request for lower gearing: the range is super wide (24-118"), thanks to a 2×10 transmission with an appropriate-length (175mm) 48-32 crankset and an 11-36 cassette.

Altogether, this mix should deliver plenty of enjoyment per mile.

BOARDMAN ADV 8.9 £1,100

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Dan Joyce Most disc-brake road bikes have the ‘aggressive’ geometry you don’t want, with a steep seat angle that tips you forward onto a handlebar that’s low down due to the combination of a short head tube and a carbon fork. They also have relatively high gears. You need a bike whose largest rear sprocket is smaller than the smallest chainring (i.e. under 27").

Gravel bikes can make better general purpose road bikes than road bikes. The Boardman ADV 8.9 that Liz describes is one we both picked, having written our initial responses independently.

I’d swap the tyres – perhaps for 700×35C Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass (£80 each!) – and, like Liz, fit mudguards.

Alternatively, some ‘endurance’ road bikes could be suitable.

They tend to have taller head tubes and slightly shallower frame angles. The Sonder Colibri on p60 (£999, alpkit.com) is a good example; you’d want the XL size in this. To lower the gearing, fit a SunRace MX3 11-40 cassette (£79.99), a Wolf Tooth Roadlink (£23), and some extra chain links.

The Spa Cycles Aubisque (currently £1,150, spacycles.co.uk) ticks all your boxes with no modifications required. Being steel it is heavier, but you say that doesn’t bother you. See cyclinguk. org/cycle-magazine/bike-test-four-season-road-bikes for our review. The Aubisque comes with a triple or double chainset.

Either can be bought with smaller chainrings, such as a 46-3424 triple or a 42-26 double, which I think you’d appreciate. You’d likely want the 60cm model (out of stock) but might fit the 57cm.

SPA CYCLES AUBISQUE £1,150

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BIKE TEST

ROADSTERS

Biketest

RICHARD PEACE Richard is a cycling journalist and author. His books include Electric Bicycles and The Ultimate C2C Guide

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Hub-geared roadsters For short-distance daily transport, it’s hard to beat a roadster for get-on-and-go convenience. Richard Peace reviews models from Gazelle and Trek

T

he term roadster is often used interchangeably with city bike, Dutch bike, or even opafiets and omafiets (grandfather bike and grandmother bike in Dutch). Whichever term you choose, certain design traits are universal: practicality, low maintenance, comfort, and durability.

This tends to make them a few kilograms heavier and a bit slower than bikes that cycling enthusiasts favour. That’s not important. What matters is that you can hop on them in whatever clothes you’re wearing and know they will be reliable and easy to use for everyday tasks such as shopping and commuting.

The Gazelle Esprit T3 is a genuine Dutch roadster, made in the Netherlands by a company that specialises in such bikes. The vast majority of its non-electric models feature hub dynamos and/ or hub gears, two classic roadster features.

Trek is an American company better known for its road and mountain bikes. Despite this, the Loft

7i EQ Step-Over has broadly similar equipment to the Gazelle Esprit T3, with dynamo-powered lights, hub gearing, a chainguard, mudguards, and a rear rack. The main spec difference is Trek’s choice of rim brakes over the Gazelle’s roller brakes.

Frame and fork Both bikes have an aluminium frame and a steel fork, although they look quite different. The Gazelle’s funky modern look with varied tube profiles contrasts to the traditional round tubing on the Trek, which is in keeping with its retro feel.

As you would expect from highquality manufacturers, welds are neat and strong and the matt black paintwork on both bikes is silkily smooth. Much of the Gazelle’s cabling is

ROADSTERS

BIKE TEST

First look

Underneath the modern styling it’s a traditional Dutch roadster: heavy, comfortable, and practical

The Gazelle is super stable – a great attribute in traffic when you have one hand off the handlebar to signal

Tech Spec

GAZELLE ESPRIT T3

internally routed, as is the step-over height of the dynamo wiring within the frame is also higher. If front fork and main frame. you’re much shorter than The head tube is specially male average, you might shaped to accommodate a struggle to get either of frame-integrated front LED. these diamond frame bikes It looks stylish and gives to fit you. The Trek only the lamp some protection comes in medium (50.4cm) too. The front LED can and large (55.4cm) sizes. be relocated to sit on the The Gazelle comes in small front of an optional, metal (49cm), medium (54cm) basket-style front rack and large (59cm) sizes. (load rating 5kg, £54.95), There are stepwhich uses the light through versions of both housing on the frame for bikes, which do have Top: The front lamp housing on the head tube can also be mounting. A front basket smaller frame options. used to mount a basket-style is a practical choice for a Additionally, all Loft front rack city bike, as you can just models feature what Bottom: Despite the chaincase, hub gear, and roller drop your shoulder bag in Trek calls ‘Flat Foot brake, rear wheel removal is it and pedal off.

Technology’: the seat relatively straightforward By contrast, the Trek’s tube is behind the bottom cables run externally, bracket, so its effective though on this black frame they are angle is significantly shallower than barely visible. While frame integrated the geometry figures suggest. In effect, cables are neater, some might prefer it brings the saddle a bit closer to the external cables for easier maintenance. ground whilst maintaining the same You could fit a low-rider rack to the distance to the pedals.

Trek as the fork has extra eyelets at Components the dropouts, although there aren’t any Disc brakes are relatively common halfway up the fork legs so you’ll need at this price point, so it’s perhaps to clamp the rack there. surprising that neither bike has them.

I tested medium-sized versions of The Gazelle has roller brakes, in both bikes. The Gazelle sits you in a keeping with its low-maintenancemore upright position, although the

sprocket. Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub with twistgrip shifter.

3 ratios, 43-80in.

Braking: Shimano roller brakes front and rear (BR-C3000F and BR-IM31) Steering & seating: Widek Aerowing grips, Comfort curved aluminium bars, Gazelle Nero quill stem, threaded headset. Selle Royal saddle, 27.2mm aluminium seatpost.

Equipment: Alloy rear rack (front rack optional extra), enclosed plastic chainguard, plastic mudguards, AXA Solid Plus wheel lock with optional cable extra, front and rear LED lights powered

by Shimano 2.4W front hub dynamo. gazellebikes.com

Price: £599 Sizes: Small (49cm), medium (54cm, tested), large (59cm) Weight: 18.9kg/41.7lb Frame & fork: Aluminium frame with rear facing dropouts and fittings for roller brake, rear rack, mudguard, and front lamp/rack. Steel fork with fittings for roller brake and mudguard.

Wheels: 42-622 Continental Ride City tyres, Ryde Dutch rims with 36H 2-cross spoking (13g rear, 14g front), Shimano Nexus 3 rear hub, Shimano dyno hub.

Transmission: Plastic platform pedals, 38T chainset, square tape bottom bracket, KMC Z410 RB chain, 18T

Dimensions in millimetres and degrees

588 560 71˚

867 55

77

130

445

643 70˚

54

515

719

170 303

622

1080

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GROUPTEST

CYCLING TROUSERS

Details

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

1

Polyamide fabric such as nylon mixed with a small amount (6-12%) of elastane (aka Lycra or spandex), so they’re lightweight, slightly stretchy, and quick drying. Some have a DWR coating for shower resistance. All are crease resistant and are machine washable at 30ºC.

Grouptest

Cycling trousers

2

I DAN JOYCE Editor Dan does own padded Lycra shorts (and skinsuits) but only uses them for turbo training or racing.

For everything else, it’s ‘normal’ shorts and trousers

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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Seat

Don’t expect padding. Do expect a design that doesn’t put thick seams between your sensitive parts and the saddle. All these trousers have flat seams. Some have a gusset, an extra diamond-shaped panel.

Max Wall tights aren’t the only option for keeping your legs warm in chillier weather. Dan Joyce reviews four pairs of cycling trousers f you don’t want to go full roadie and pull on a pair of tights when it’s too cold for shorts, the good news is that the choice in cycling trousers is growing. It’s probably being driven by mountain bikers, for whom trail trousers are now a default winter option, and by urban cyclists, who in the English-speaking world often commute on bikes that aren’t best suited to everyday clothes.

Trousers aren’t as aerodynamic as tights, of course, and few come with a seat pad. Does that matter? If it does to you, you’ll need padded underwear or Lycra shorts underneath them. Yet trousers are airier than tights, have pockets, and look normal off the bike. How normal varies. In Vuelta Skelter, Tim Moore describes his stretch-fabric trousers as “shiny and shapeless, not so much Rory McIlroy striding down the eighteenth as Angela Merkel approaching a lectern.”

The trousers reviewed here are cycling specific.

You can save money by buying lightweight walking trousers instead. I’ve done countless miles in a pair of Craghoppers Kiwi Pro II trousers that cost less than £30. (The Kiwi Pro shorts are equally good value.)

Material

3

Lower legs

Darts and/or extra fabric at the knee can provide better articulation. Trouser cuffs can be kept away from the chain by:

skinny-fit or tapered legs; elasticated cuffs; a velcro strap; or a pressstud or button. Cycle clips shouldn’t really be required.

4

Features

Look for a button at the waist not just a press-stud, which can pop open under pressure. Expect belt loops, some pockets (with zips for high value contents), and a cut that’s higher at the back to prevent bare skin. Some have hi-viz inside the right trouser cuff; you’re meant to roll up the leg.

Mountain bike trousers may have room for knee pads. These don’t.

5

Style

Commuters will want normal-looking trousers, tourers something that passes muster. Roadies and mountain bikers changing post-ride might not be bothered.

4 2 1

5

3

TRAVELLERS’ TALES

Magdalen Tower in the background

England

Exploring Oxford At the summit of the Col de l’Iseran in July 1949

French Alps

Post-war CTC touring Now in her 90s, Val Higgs looks back to the CTC tours that she and other HQ staff led in 1949

W

hen I read that CTC Holidays and Tours had been wound up, it started me reminiscing. But my memories were of decades earlier – to the first organised tours arranged by CTC after World War II. In 1949 I was working as a shorthand-typist secretary at CTC’s then headquarters at Craven Hill in West London, when it was decided that the time was appropriate to start organising group tours to the Continent. All bookings with hotels had to be made by post – in the hope that somebody would understand English! Each hotel received a typed letter together with a return-addressed envelope and an international reply coupon to cover postage.

I was working for Bill Stiles, then CTC Assistant Secretary, who was in charge of the Travel Department, so this was part of my job. In hindsight, I wonder how at the time (when we still had food rationing at home) they were able to cater for large parties of hungry cyclists – but they most certainly

Stay connected 66

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did. And we were always made very welcome.

Those first post-war tours (there were four) were to the French Alps, and all were led by members of the CTC headquarters staff. As the years went by the choice of destination widened and other leaders were appointed. I led ten tours to various areas between 1949 and 1958. Now, in my nineties, I look back on a different world – a world where many country roads and mountain passes were only rough surfaced but, more particularly, a world where the roads were almost traffic free. A world without mobile phones to help you if you were in trouble.

Looking at my old photographs of the 1949 tour, I am struck by the clothing and shoes worn by the cyclists – in complete contrast to the wonderful sportswear available these days. Clothing rationing ended only in May of that year.

Thank you for stirring my memories of those long-ago days and the many friendships made.

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Gareth Evans spent an autumn day in the city and its surroundings MAGDALEN TOWER, PINNACLED and crocketed above High Street, seems less dramatic than I remember. Below the parapet of the bridge over the Cherwell, a young man at last controls a punt in which his companion sits. Tourists and students pass, and I hear snatches of German.

From Bicester, I have ridden through chilly murk, first across flat land, ploughed earth stretching to distant hedges, then over the low hills south of pretty, stone-cottagey Islip.

Oxford bills itself as a cycling city, but the last part of the journey to this point has been fraught with traffic. The air was thick with fumes. The cycle routes were inconsistent: dying out; crossing crazily at junctions; and occupied by trees and signposts.

I watch other cyclists. They are all sorts, but incline towards the sit-up-and-beg or the mountain bike. Mostly they know where they are going, which I do not.

I take the inevitable grinning selfie and then storm Headington Hill with the aid of my discreet hub motor.

At a subway under the A40, a young man tries to squeeze his bike round a barrier just in front of an oncoming woman with a pushchair, loses balance, and looks a fool. I wait, exchanging eye-rolls with the woman.

Soon I am between fields and woods in the weak sunshine this September day. The scent of freshly-spread muck and the sight of wheeling red kites cheers my way back to the car.

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