Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2017 i Cyclist

If you were to trust anyone to keep your grey matter safe it would be security company Abus, but the German manufacturer of bike locks and security systems might not be the obvious name that springs to mind when considering buying a bike helmet at the cutting edge of aerodynamic performance. Yet that is exactly what Abus is claiming for its new Gamechanger helmet, saying it presents 23% less frontal area than its previous top-tier helmet. A slippery shape can still be to the detriment of performance if ventilation isn’t catered for, so Abus has included ‘Forced Air Cooling Technology’ – a set of channels cut into the underside of the EPS shell that direct air from the front vents over the head to the ‘Airport’ exhaust area sculpted into…

Cyclist: This year’s Tour de France crosses five mountain ranges: the Vosges, Jura, Pyrenees, Massif Central and Alps. What can we expect? Christian Prudhomme: We’re covering all five mountain ranges for the first time in 25 years. The last time was in 1992 in what was more like a ‘European Tour’. It went to seven countries. But with this route I hope we will see the riders who go for the general classification compete from the very first day in Dusseldorf through La Planche des Belles Filles [Stage 5] to the Col d’Izoard [Stage 18]. I was at La Planche earlier this year and I have these photos [he reveals pictures of a snow-covered peak on his phone]. I think if it is like this it will be impossible…

Whether it’s robustness, stoicism, possessing courage or just out-muscling an opponent, the conditions of strength seem highly desirable in a bike. No wonder framebuilder Carl Strong chose to stick his surname on the down tube. Yet, while the typical attributes of strength are present in a Strong frame, they aren’t the man’s primary motive. ‘My ethos is to be really, really practical,’ says Strong in an avuncular now look here, son tone that manages to be authoritative without being dismissive. ‘Don’t do anything that doesn’t add to performance, and start with the customer. Draw them into the process, educate them if they need educating, be proactive, and collaborate.’ It’s an approach that could be applied to a range of businesses, but it’s one Strong has been honing since he first…

1 PRO STEALTH CARBON SADDLE £179.99, madison.co.uk In 2000 Dirk Homeier broke the record for the longest continuous bicycle ride by riding 711.3km in 31h 46mins. No stopping, no sleeping, just pedalling. ‘This is the worst thing you can do to yourself,’ he said at the time. Whether this anatomical saddle could have helped him only time machines will tell, but we do know that for those who live life on the rivet, the snub-nosed Stealth is a very comfortable choice. 2 IRC FORMULA PRO TYRES £50 each, velodistribution.co.uk If you thought rice bran was just for artisan bakers, think again – IRC is putting it in these tubeless tyres to increase grip. Rice husks are ground down, mixed with resin, cured, smashed up into microscopic smithereens then mixed with…

Stage 9 boasts three key climbs, each with an average gradient of close to 10% for the entire length Sinking a cold beer on a warm summer’s evening, looking out across a lake backdropped by mountains, is a blissful way to end any day. We’re in Aix-les-Bains in the Savoie Mont Blanc region of France, the lake is the Lac du Bourget and the mountain, tinged pink by the setting sun, is the Mont du Chat. It’s a serene scene. Ten minutes ago, though, things were not so calm. While building my Pinarello Dogma F10 for our latest bike test, I managed to drop the aluminium seatpost wedge into the seat tube. These things happen, and I wasn’t initially concerned, but when I turned the Dogma upside down, expecting the…

MODEL Lapierre Xelius SL 70th Anniversary GROUPSET Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150 GEARING 52/36t crankset; 11-28t cassette WHEELS Mavic Ksyrium Pro Carbon SL C 25 WTS TYRES Mavic Yksion Pro Griplink/Powerlink 700x25c FINISHING KIT Zipp SLC2 V2 Carbon bars, Zipp Service Course SL stem, Zipp SL Speed Carbon seatpost, Fizik Arione R5 saddle WEIGHT 6.86kg (56cm) PRICE £7,500 CONTACT hotlines-uk.com JAMES’S SUMMARY I’ve ridden various Lapierres and while never disappointed I’ve never been blown away either. The Xelius, however, changed all that. At 6.86kg I was expecting a nimble ride, but the Lapierre delivered that and then some. Climbing was a breeze, the stiffness in the bottom bracket palpable and the lightweight Mavic hoops rolling easily. By the same token acceleration was wonderfully quick. Steering was largely predictable and sharp,…

Garmin argues that the key to its success has been its focus on getting the basics right It’s safe to say bike computers have come a long way since Curtis Veeder invented the Cyclometer in 1895. A simple mechanical device, it counted wheel rotations and sent this info to an analogue odometer on the handlebars that then calculated distance using a formula based on the circumference of the front wheel. Fast forward 122 years and the bike computer has evolved into a truly sophisticated piece of hardware. Just as Veeder realised, few sports are as easily measured or quantified as cycling, and technology companies have sought to exploit this ever since. Today’s products can collect, plot and analyse just about any performance metric you can imagine while tracking you anywhere…

Cast your mind back to your teenage years and to your possibly-not-favourite subject of French, and you might – just might – have an inkling as to the translation of ‘Croix de Fer’. ‘Cross of iron’, anyone? Iron cross, in other words. You don’t need to be a language buff or wordsmith to reach said cross, which sits at the mountain’s summit: you just need to be hard as nails yourself to climb to the top of this 2,067m behemoth in the French Alps. The Col de la Croix de Fer – the Iron Cross Pass – has been making life difficult for riders on the Tour de France since 1947. Italian Fermo Camellini was the first over the summit that year, and he would go on to win the…

Fans of the 1990s hit TV show Gladiators will be delighted by the names given to dhb’s new line-up of Blok jerseys. So please welcome… Nova, Camo, Haze, Bolt and Astro. They may not come equipped with those big spongy sticks (as used in the Duel round), but they do have silicone grippers to hold the jersey neatly in place, material that wicks away sweat efficiently, and bold designs to ensure you are visible on the road. As with most of dhb’s kit, the quality is decent for a very reasonable price.…

Sunglasses have long since transcended the status of mere accessory to become an integral part of a cyclist’s outfit. They are front and centre and, as such, are one of the first things fellow riders notice, so it’s vital to make sure you observe correct glasses etiquette. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the arms must sit over your helmet straps. The reasons for this may or may not be important, but it doesn’t matter, the arms must go over. Don’t argue. Not often considered but no less significant is cleanliness. I’d like to think you don’t deem it acceptable to wear the same jersey and bibshorts on consecutive rides (if you do, I’ve more work to do than I thought) so it should be no…

Italian rider Fiorenzo Magni was a seriously hard man, who shook off accusations of being a Nazi sympathiser to win both the Giro and Tour of Flanders three times. He was also known for rubbing a well-known brand of women’s face cream into the chamois pad of his shorts, and in 1954 this would lead to an event that changed the face of professional cycling forever. Until that point, the sponsorship of professional teams had been restricted to cycling brands only (with the notable exception of a British team that in 1947 operated under the rules of the breakaway British League of Racing Cyclists rather than the UCI and was sponsored by pools company ITP). But bike sales had suffered during the period of post-war prosperity that saw more people…

Markus Storck has built just 200 of these bikes to celebrate 20 years of his company, but it’s not just an expensive gimmick. In fact, if you can afford one, it could just be all the bike you’ll ever need: light for climbing, fast on the flat, responsive in sprints and remarkably comfortable on long rides, even over cobbles. The latter quality was the biggest surprise for me, as the aggressive tube shapes suggest a bike built for stiffness and speed. One of the most beautiful features is the crankset. Attached to Praxis chainrings, Storck’s own Power Arms G3 carbon cranks are rotating works of art. The fork is also unique to Storck and is cunningly shaped to blend into the frame for a more aero front end, which made…

MODEL Pinarello Dogma F10 GROUPSET Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 GEARING 52/36t crankset; 11-28t cassette WHEELS Fulcrum Racing Zero TYRES Vittoria Corsa G+ 700x25c FINISHING KIT Most AC bars, Most carbon stem, Most carbon aero seatpost, Fizik Antares R7 saddle WEIGHT 7.10kg (56cm) PRICE £7,750 CONTACT yellow-limited.com STU’S SUMMARY Pinarello’s Dogma has never been my favourite in terms of aesthetics. I’ve always felt its curves and waviness to be a little unnecessary. However, regardless of what I think about its looks, I can’t deny I love the way it rides. On the flat it eats up the road and holds speed well and when things tilt upwards the Dogma doesn’t seem to give any of that away in a hurry either. It’s the heaviest of the three bikes but on the…

MODEL Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 Ltd GROUPSET Campagnolo Super Record GEARING 52/36t crankset; 12-27t cassette WHEELS Campagnolo Bora One 35 Clincher TYRES Continental Grand Prix 4000S II FINISHING KIT Canyon H36 Aerocockpit CF bar and stem, Canyon S13 VCLS CF seatpost, Fizik Antares R5 saddle WEIGHT 6.48kg (medium) PRICE £5,000 CONTACT canyon.com STEVE’S SUMMARY The Ultimate CF SLX is a stalwart of the Canyon range and is one of its most refined framesets. A claimed frame weight of just 780g, backed up by impressive stiffness, gives the sensation it’s doing everything it can to help you on the climbs, with a really solid feel. That goes for acceleration too, where it’s quick off the mark and great fun to sprint out of hairpins on descents. Precise steering and…

As women’s bikes go the Amira S-Works is a bit of an anomaly. There’s not a hint of pink on the frame, no mention of ‘endurance riding’ in the blurb and it comes with the stem slammed. The Amira S-Works is all about stiffness and power transfer – a bike that’s made for racing and one that’s most at home in a competitive environment. That’s not to say it’s an uncomfortable ride – there’s enough compliance in the frame to make all-day riding a joy. But it’s aimed at the kind of rider who wants to ride all day long and do so quickly (and one with a healthy bank balance, it’s only fair to add). Testament to the Amira S-Works’ performance is that British rider Lizzie Armitstead rode this…

THE SPEC Model Cinelli Superstar Disc Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace 9070 Deviations Shimano RS785 disc brakes Wheels Miche SWR Full Carbon RC DX Finishing kit Cinelli Neos bars, stem and seatpost, Selle Italia Novus Superflow saddle Weight 8.05kg Price £1,350 frameset Contact chickencyclekit.co.uk I think one of the most heartbreaking photographs in cycling was taken during the 1934 Tour de France. The 20-year-old janitor-turned-cyclist Rene Vietto sits on a drystone wall hugging his knee, face turned away from his stricken bicycle. The photo is grainy but his expression is unmistakable: abject desolation. Reporters at the time spoke of his tears. The incident occurred on the descent of Puymorens in the eastern Pyrenees. Vietto’s team leader and race favourite Antoine Magne had broken his front wheel, and the unknown Vietto…

Let’s take bets on the name,’ says Phil. ‘I suppose it beats another game of “I spy”,’ I reply from the driver’s seat. ‘What did begin with “R” by the way?’ ‘Rachel.’ ‘What?’ ‘Yeah, I saw a woman in a car going the other way and I thought she was probably called Rachel.’ I’m uncertain how best to respond to this information. My thoughts return to Phil’s suggestion, and there follows a considered silence for a few miles while various titles for the new cycling magazine swirl around our heads like wine-tasting with words. Outside our Skoda Superb, Switzerland slips serenely past. ‘I’m going for Cadence,’ says photographer Paul, finally. ‘I think they might go for something really simple, like Cycling, but someone probably already owns the rights to that,’…

How much do most people know about Tom Simpson, beyond that he died one baking afternoon high on the barren slopes of Mont Ventoux in southern France? Well, at a time when British cycling was a downtrodden backwater, Simpson was a World Champion, a winner of Paris-Nice and multiple Monuments and a BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was a rival to Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi and Jacques Anquetil, and was more of a star in Belgium, his adopted country, than he was at home. He dreamed of victory in the Tour. After years of near misses, he was determined to succeed in 1967 and so, despite being ill, he drove himself to race onwards… until his fatal collapse on the Giant of Provence. Simpson’s death shocked and appalled…

To download this route, go to cyclist.co.uk/ 63savoie. Starting in Aix-Les-Bains, follow the D991 north along the edge of Lac du Bourget, tracking the tip of the lake around to Chanaz, a pretty little town known as France’s Venice. From here cross the Rhône and head to Culoz, which marks the start of the Grand Colombier climb. Expect to work hard up to its 1,501m summit. Enjoy a thrilling descent to Virieu-le-Petit and continue through Chavornay on the D105 to Ceyzérieu. After Vognes, keep heading south on the D37 to Yenne, then take the D41 to Saint Paul, from which the climb to the 1,504m Mont du Chat begins soon after on the D42. From the summit, descend to the shores of Lac du Bourget once more, on the outskirts…

The wind is called the Bora, and in February 2012 it was so strong it ripped trees out of the earth Is a 14-year-old I auditioned for a part in our school play, The Ancient Mariner. I failed to land the lead role, and in the end was cast as a lowly piece of seaweed. My remit was to imitate a piece of sea kelp by waving strands of blue and brown polyester in front of my green, painted face. It was the closest I’ve been to feeling like I was part of the ocean’s flora and fauna, until now. We’re late in arriving at our table at Batelina restaurant in Bagnole, a village on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula, and we don’t want to upset the chef,…

Heritage is a word you’ll hear often in the bike industry. Many brands claim to have it – claims that aren’t always justified. The trio of bikes here, however, come from companies that can truly be said to have genuinely rich histories. KTM is proudly Austrian and has been making bikes in-house since 1964, while London-based Condor has been handcrafting its metal frames in its Italian factory since 1948, which is the same year another Italian, Cino Cinelli, founded his eponymous company. That’s a lot of bike-building experience coming up in the next few pages……

THE SPEC Model Condor Italia RC Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 Deviations None Wheels Shimano Dura-Ace 9100 C24 Finishing kit Pro Vibe Monocoque UD carbon handlebar, Pro Vibe Ltd carbon UD stem, Pro Vibe Ltd Monocoque UD carbon seatpost, Pro Stealth saddle Weight 7.65kg (55cm) Price £800 frameset, approx £4,500 as tested Contact condorcycles.com The 1998 Tour de France will be remembered for a number of reasons, not all of them good. Cycling’s ongoing doping scandals came to a head when the whole Festina team were thrown out after drugs were discovered in a team car. This was followed by strikes and protests from other teams. It took a considerable amount of shine off Marco Pantani’s epic victory, when he cracked his rival Jan Ullrich in the Alps, taking…

THE SPEC Model KTM Revelator Prestige Dura-Ace Di2 Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 9150 Deviations None Wheels DT Swiss RC38 Spline C Finishing kit Ritchey WCS Carbon Curve bars; Ritchey WCS-CF C220 stem; Ritchey WCS Carbon 27.2mm seatpost; Selle Italia SLR Flow saddle Weight 6.98kg (55cm) Price £6,000 as tested Contact www.flidistribution.co.uk KTM isn’t a name you’ll see too often on the roads of the UK, but it’s by no means an obscure or minor brand. It’s particularly popular in its home country of Austria, where it has been producing bicycles since 1964, although it’s perhaps better known for its high-powered motorcycles. The bicycle and motorcycle arms of the company are now separate entities after a split during the 90s, but they seem to maintain a consistent brand aesthetic.…