Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2023 i Cyclist

Finally, it feels like spring has, well… not so much sprung as limped exhausted and bruised over the line. About a month later than usual I’m considering stuffing my winter gear to the back of the wardrobe. I say ‘considering’, as I just don’t trust the British climate. It might be trying to lull me into a false sense of security before yelling ‘Ha!’ and rolling backwards into winter again. Cyclists, more than most, are attuned to the changes in the seasons. I can mark my calendar based on the thickness of gloves required for a comfortable commute to work. And while a degree or two of difference in temperature would mean nothing to most people, it will leave me wracked with indecision over whether to opt for bibshorts with…

Cannondale hasn’t historically had as much of a presence in the accessories market as some other big bike brands but, if its new Dynam helmet is anything to go by, it soon might have. The Dynam comes with some premium features, including a Fidlock magnetic buckle and the Air Node version of Mips’s rotational impact protection. Air Node is Mips’s lightest system and is built into the helmet pads, which are designed with a low friction backing that releases from the helmet shell under impact, allowing the shell to slide relative to the rider’s head. The helmet’s shell underpins these natty design features. Three huge longitudinal vents are paired with a series of exhaust ports in a layout Cannondale calls ‘Intellivent’ design. The front vents are held together with polycarbonate…

Northwave says the Extreme Pro 3 is its most technologically advanced shoe to date, and with the likes of Filippo Ganna included in the development phase, there’s every chance it is. The Extreme Pro 3s use a Powershape Carbon sole, which is made from 100% unidirectional carbon and includes a ‘bow arch’ in its shape. The idea is that it mimics the function of an insole to improve the fit and support of the shoe upper. The soles are rated 15 out of 15 on Northwave’s stiffness scale – the scale is arbitrary but that sounds pretty stiff. While this is the same as the previous model, more notable changes have been made to the upper, such as the repositioning of the proprietary SLW3 X-Dials. ‘The new dial position, combined…

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All cyclists know that short, hard sessions on the turbo trainer are a great way to build fitness and top-end speed, but they may also help to keep your brain healthy and delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Recent research in The Journal Of Physiology shows that hard cycling sessions of around six minutes can increase the production of a protein called ‘brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)’ that helps the brain to form new connections and aids learning and memory. The researchers found that brief but vigorous exercise increased BDNF by around four to five times compared to extended periods of low-intensity exercise. The reason why short, hard sessions cause these changes is not yet known, but one hypothesis is that the brain switches its…

Based in the Fichtel Mountains of northeastern Bavaria in Germany, Cube has been developing innovative, globally successful bikes since 1993. Cube is a family business, and that approach extends to the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty WorldTour team and Tormans Cyclo Cross Team it supplies bikes to, which in turn have a major influence on the development of the brand’s bikes. At the heart of this symbiotic relationship is Cube’s in-house innovation centre and test lab at its headquarters in Waldershof, Germany. ‘Our company stands for innovative technical solutions and creative implementation,’ says Harald Lucas, product manager at Cube. ‘The Cube Innovation Centre (CIC) epitomises this hugely important aspect of our company culture. The CIC is the creative heart and soul of our bikes, and the source of all our ground-breaking innovations, from the…

It’s a cold, dark morning as a gaggle of cyclists gathers at the newly created bike village in the centre of Davos, the smell of coffee circling easily through the rarefied mountain air. At 1,560m above sea level this Swiss town is Europe’s highest, so little surprise it has two hors catégorie climbs on its doorstep. This June the Tour de Suisse will celebrate its 90th birthday by taking on one, the Albula Pass, but right now it’s the turn of the Haute Route Davos – the event that has brought me here – to make use of the other HC climb, the Flüela Pass, plus a whole lot more besides. Taking place over three days, Haute Route Davos will cover 265km and 6,750m of ascent. Hopefully I packed my…

The Breed Carbon is Felt’s first carbon gravel bike, and while the brand says it maintains some of the features and ideas learned from the bike’s aluminium predecessor, it would be accurate (if a little cheesy) to say that the new bike is a breed apart. Visually it is vastly different, with its chunky tubes hinting at its premise to prioritise aerodynamics and stiffness over light weight. However, while it may look specific in design, the Breed Carbon is meant to be versatile. To achieve this, Felt has lengthened the chainstays and specced a T47 bottom bracket, which is fast becoming an industry favourite, and whose extra shell width here helps create space for up to 700c x 50mm tyres, or more besides with 650b wheels. The flexibility is there…

You’d think a bike brand with the heritage of Colnago could afford to rest on its laurels now and again, but in the past year it has launched three new bikes and the brand’s head of research and development, Davide Fumagalli, says the company is busier than ever. ‘We have seven projects ongoing at the moment, not counting the next bike launching in the summer,’ he says. That bike will be the C68 Gravel, a true off-road variant of this bike, the C68 Allroad, which is itself a derivation of the C68 Road. Once the gravel version launches, the C-Series will cater for all the common categories of dropbar bike, but when you consider that Colnago also makes the V4Rs race bike and G3-X gravel bike, the overall range begins…

As its name implies, Split Second recognises that the pointy end of cycling is decided by tiny margins, so the German brand says its range of products aims to ensure that the rider who uses them is the one ahead in the photo finish. Case in point is its CPC system, which is Split Second’s take on the oversize pulley wheel concept. Two machined aluminium pulley wheels sit in a carbon cage, so the system weighs just 72g. Despite its light weight, Split Second says the rider doesn’t have to treat it with kid gloves, as the pulleys spin on covered, fully ceramic bearings that run dry and require only occasional maintenance. Split Second claims the CPC system can save the user 4-5 watts compared to stock pulley wheel systems.…

Replacing Knog’s line of PWR lights, the Blinder had better pack a punch. Knog CEO Hugo Davidson says it does, thanks to batteries using technology similar to the latest 21700 batteries from Tesla. These are more energy-dense, meaning they are brighter and run for longer for almost the same size. That’s why the Blinder can be compact, yet blasts out 600, 900 or 1,300 lumens for a claimed 35-40% longer than rivals. On full beam, the 900-lumen Blinder Pro is said to last for two hours. Thanks to the widespread adoption of USB-C, the light doesn’t come with a cable that you’ve almost certainly already got ten of at home – a win for the environment too.…

Race: Paris-Roubaix, 9th April 2023 Photographer: Xavier Pereyron ‘Sector 11 at Paris-Roubaix is the notorious Mons-en-Pévèle. The 3km stretch of pavé is marked as one of three hardest secteurs of cobbles, rated 5/5 for its difficulty, and stands 48km from the iconic finish at the Roubaix Velodrome. ‘In this photo, I’m positioned at the exit of the secteur, standing on a mound and giving myself a higher ground to work with. This allowed me to capture both the crowd and incoming riders. ‘I particularly like this shot because it highlights the number of spectators along the course. The French are so passionate about cycling and this photo shows it well. It also captures the colossal work of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team throughout the day to support Mathieu van der Poel, who…

‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ So said American novelist William Faulkner, and it’s a sentiment cyclists can understand better than most. We may ride modern carbon fibre bikes on tarmacked roads but we remain at the mercy of a landscape formed eons ago. And with its rocky canyons, mist-draped forests and weather-carved outcrops, few places feel as primeval as Gran Canaria. It’s something that my guide, Eva, warns me about before we begin our ride. Originally from Poland, she lived in Dublin long enough to pick up a Celtic lilt, and fell in love with Gran Canaria after stints in Mallorca. When I mention that it’s my first time here but that I have ridden in Mallorca before, she tells me not to expect the same.…

Even as the legs burn, the road allows you to admire the rocky peaks and the shimmering streams The 24.1km thread of road that weaves up the southern flanks of the Col du Glandon presents an ever-shifting photo reel of Alpine peaks, forested slopes, crashing waterfalls and glittering reservoirs, culminating in a euphoric summit-top panorama that stretches all the way to the giant ice-white Mont Blanc. Situated between the Belledonne, Grandes Rousses and Arvan-Villards mountains, the 1,924m Glandon is twinned with the 2,067m Col de la Croix de Fer, which can be accessed along the same southern roads, before you simply divert east for the final 3km stretch to the neighbouring summit. The two fabled cols are together known as the Orthrus of the Alps, after the two-headed dog of…

1 Cannondale Topstone The original Topstone was an innovative and slightly quirky gravel bike. The new version is even better thanks to its redesigned Kingpin pivot. 2 Stayer Crit The custom framebuilder’s off-the-peg steel race bike lacks the pure speed of carbon fibre, but it more than makes up for that in other ways. 3 Felt Breed Carbon While Felt’s first attempt at a carbon gravel bike may look extreme, it’s well-rounded with some neat touches that will keep it relevant.…

In his cult novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, Douglas Adams famously wrote, ‘The answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything is 42.’ Readers have long debated the significance of this statement. Mathematicians and scientists have pored over slide rules and tables in search of some magical formula that would produce this number, while historians have scoured calendars and almanacks looking for portentous clues from the past. As the owner of a single-speed bike, I have my own answer to the mystery: ‘42’ is simultaneously the centre and extremes of my world. It calibrates my suffering and pleasure, and regulates my comfort and pain. It is the number of teeth on my chainring. That extra tooth in my rear sprocket may, to some, appear as…

1 SILCA SICURO BOTTLE CAGE £98, saddleback.co.uk The world’s worst thesaurus isn’t just awful, it’s awful. Silca’s Sicuro cages aren’t just cool, they’re cool, and this anodised titanium model adds colourful designs – this one called ‘unicorn’ – on the minimalist cage, which Silca says won’t mark bottles. It weighs a claimed 30g and Silca says the tubular titanium build has better retention than other cages on rough surfaces. 2 DYNAPLUG COVERT DROP TUBELESS TYRE PLUGS £134.99, freewheel.co.uk When spies are taken to hospital they go to the ICU. When Dynaplug’s Covert Drops go on your bike they hide in your bar ends. Each one has a doubleended insertion tube inside, meaning that with one in each bar end you’ll have four Dynaplug tubeless plugs to save you from disaster.…

Cyclist: Can we check your pulse? Miguel Indurain: Let me see if I can find it. I think it’s 45. Cyc: How does it feel to have been regarded as a specimen on display because of your low resting heart rate (28bpm), huge lung capacity and high VO2 max? MI: Specimen? I suppose it’s true I was. But actually, in my time we were all tested regularly and there were lots of other riders who were in great physical condition too. But they didn’t have the mental capacity to make the most of those attributes so their results were never reported. You have to be very strong mentally. A lot of riders are prepared physically but it’s the mental side that gives you the edge. These days riders have all…

Geoff Thomas might be a name better known in the world of professional football but, since his retirement, the ex-England international and Crystal Palace captain has been blazing a trail in endurance cycling circles with his awareness-raising and fund-raising ‘The Tour 21’ series, tracing the entire route of the Tour de France each year. A blood cancer diagnosis – and subsequent remission against very slim odds – prompted Thomas’s desire to give something back to the medical professionals who helped him and to patients fighting their own battle against leukaemia. To pay homage to his multi-million-pound fund-raising efforts, British bike brand Ribble – which has supported Geoff and his team for many years – has launched a bike fit for the Tour, with proceeds from its sale going to the…

‘It all began because I was a very poor student who was into riding bikes and needed some pedal straps,’ says Restrap founder Nathan Hughes as he and mum Helen Griffiths show Cyclist around the company headquarters in Leeds. ‘I decided to try to make some for myself out of old car seat belts, and then I sold a few to mates. It was only supposed to be a stopgap while I figured out what I wanted to do with my life but it evolved from there.’ ‘Me and Nathan – well mostly me – used to make everything,’ chimes in Griffiths, who now sits as head of human resources. ‘We had an end-terrace house with a cellar, so Nathan would be down there cutting the seatbelts and sealing them…

With its roots in one of modern gravel’s most pioneering designs, the Cannondale Slate, the Topstone is one of the most well-informed gravel bikes on the market. This is the second-generation Topstone, and since the release of its predecessor the category has exploded in popularity, splitting off into sub-genres. Cannondale has designs that cater for each, including the SuperSix Evo SE for racing and the Topstone Lefty for more extreme adventuring. This rigid Topstone sits in the middle and is perhaps the best reflection of the gravel bike category because its design is modifiable, allowing it to make a decent fist of any riding. There’s a range of spec options, of which the Carbon 2 L sits at the upper end. Shimano’s GRX groupset features in 2x mechanical guise and…

It’s a familiar story: custom framebuilder turns small-batch builder. Not that the East London-based Stayer isn’t still building custom bikes, but in recent years the company has added off-the-peg framesets to its handbuilt oeuvre. What that means for the Stayer Crit is you get a choice of paint plus gear and cable-routing options, but Stayer has made the big decisions – geometry and tubing – for you. The logic is that most people’s morphology is pretty typical and so custom geometry isn’t strictly necessary, and an experienced builder knows what works tubing-wise far better than most customers. I’m not bashing true custom – a frame tailored to the millimetre is an amazing thing – but small-batch building has tremendous benefits: frame materials can be bought in bulk while fabrication is…