Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2016 i Urban Cyclist

It matters not whether your favoured ride is a singlespeed, town bike or a roadster that’s so cutting-edge it’s still warm from the 3D printer, a potholed road harbours danger. Yes, the so-called cycling revolution in this country has certainly brought more people into our two-wheeled world and improved the nation’s cycling network. That’s great. But as campaigners like Chris Boardman remind us, countries like Holland spend nearly £25 per head on cycling compared to, as some reports suggest, barely a pound per person in the UK. So what is the truth? Should we rejoice in the UK becoming a cyclist’s paradise or lament our paucity of investment? We suspected the answer sat somewhere between the two but that wasn’t enough. We wanted the facts so set out to analyse…

SPECIALIZED STIX SPORT COMBO £35.00 www.specialized.com The ‘overgrown USB stick’ design uses a fixed charger tongue that secures it into the offset stretchy silicon-band mount, which is offset for centralising in front of the stem. Alternative mounts include saddle rails, rack reflector, arm/ leg, headset spacer, aerobar/seatpost as well as conventional cloth clip (£5-10 each). The four-stage charging and remaining charge indicators are very useful, and six different modes eke out battery life. Two double LEDs compared to three on the £25 Comp leave it low on rear power and easy to lose against background lights. It’s only rated as water resistant not waterproof, too, though it’s not died yet. 6 Ingeniously designed bargain set but underpowered rear SPECS LUMENS 70 + 14 WEIGHT 29g + 29g = 58g BATTERY…

Marin’s Nicasio singlespeed is another entry in the growing market that sees manufacturers forging bikes that are equally as comfortable taming city streets as off-road chunks of terrain. Marin has coined the phrase ‘Beyond Road’ for these versatile machines with the Nicasio following in the slipstream of Marin’s existing Gestalt series. With Marin’s off-road heritage, we expected the Nicasio to perform well on the mud but, we pondered while adjusting its saddle height, would it do the same on tarmac? First up, geometry. The Nicasio comes in an impressive seven sizes, from 47cm to 60cm, each resulting in a pretty steep set-up. Our 56cm test version featured 72.5° headtube and 73° seattube angles that, combined with a relatively short stem, results in a ride that’s reliable rather than exciting. Comfort’s…

8BALL YEATS £800 While the Yeats looks like a path racer, it has conventional geometry. That makes it easier to get on with but less authentically vintage in feel. The riding position is well resolved and the modern steering is complemented by surprisingly keen acceleration. The 30mm tyres strike a good balance between comfort and speed. The Sturmey hubs and cranks are impressive items at the price. {9} Frame 4130 cromo steel / Fork 4130 cromo steel / Wheels Ryde Racer rims, Sturmey Archer hubs / Transmission Sturmey Archer crankset, gearing optional / Brakes Brakes Acor calipers (2015: Sturmey Archer drums) www.8ballbikes.co.uk ADVENTURE FLAT WHITE £429.99 This is a full-on touring bike for under £500. And it has a lugged chromoly steel frame, which is a treat at this price.…

LOCATION THE MALL, LONDON, 30 JULY 2016 LATITUDE: 51º50’13.64” LONGITUDE: -0.14.18.90” This year’s Brompton World Championship Final was held during the Saturday evening of RideLondon. Eight laps totalling 17km were on the cards, the action playing out past St James’ Park and Horse Guards Parade, and finishing down The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. There were some big names, including former pros David Millar and Michael Hutchinson, plus reigning champ Mark Emsley. As for me, my main ambition revolved around unfolding my Brompton M3L. Thankfully, that and the sprint start went well and I’m soon barrelling down The Mall. Potholes and bumps accompany the long straight of Birdcage Walk, towards Downing Street and Horse Guards Parade, but the Brompton’s elastomer suspension block soaks up most of these rattles. Is…

LANDYACHTZ SKATE INTO A NEW MARKET The past 19 years have seen Canadian outfit Landyachtz create skateboards for some of the world’s finest ’boarders after the company’s founders, Mike Perreten and Tom Edstrand, moved into design and manufacture off the back of their love of the sport. That’s well-known. What’s remained under the radar is their love of two wheels as well as four, which they’ve recently celebrated in the form of Landyachtz Bikes. To launch, Landyachtz will be releasing two exclusive bike designs. The first is the 1146 road bike, which is named after the Vancouver Union Street address where the bike is hand-built from Columbus steel. The second offering is the Landyachtz City Bike (CB), which is also built from Columbus tubing and also employs road-bike geometry. However,…

Where’s the best place to ride in the UK – and which roads are riders being short-changed on when it comes to maintenance? Where are cyclists most likely to get the best prices for a new bike and which places are they most likely to have their bikes stolen? For a true picture of the state of cycling in Britain today, Urban Cyclist adopted their statistician’s cap and leafed our way through mountains of official cycling statistics pedalling their way around the UK to determine the current state of cycling in the city. The 2015 Sport England Active People Survey reveals that 2,069,200 adults in England alone now ride regularly. Throughout the whole of Great Britain, the latest National Travel Survey shows about 8% of the population cycle three or…

Cinelli’s HQ is next door to Italian steel maestros Columbus, and over the years the two have collaborated on some of the most innovative steel bikes ever made. The Nemo is Cinelli’s latest beauty, melding classic construction techniques with contemporary road geometry. That means you’re given an oversized and tapered headtube, into which is slotted a 350g full carbon fork. The frame itself tips the scales at 1,800g, which by modern carbon standards is quite portly but to dismiss the Nemo for such featherweight di erences would be true folly. Why? Well, the quality frame features the tidiest tig welds you’ll see outside of high-price, artisan builds, while subtle touches like the cowled dropouts and sleeved-lugged seat cluster, which incorporates the seat clamp, are simply class. But it’s on the…

Bikes don’t come much simpler than the Cross 0. This elemental steed is the handiwork of retailer Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative and features a single gear – a 46/18 combination as you’re asking – that provides a good ratio for the majority of urban routes. Bikes don’t come much more affordable than the Cross 0, either, hitting the tills at just £249. The Cross 0 is designed to be as simple as possible, right down to the tough matt black paint job and distinct lack of overbearing decals. But that minimalist facial masks a surprisingly impressive ride. Yes, you can feel the excess of the budget aluminum frame when you begin heading toward the stars, but that ascending blemish is more than compensated by the relaxed fork that aids stability when…

“Cycling in the city has changed in that it has become a thing. Bikes are now an accessory to substantiate one’s cultural identity: there are the goal-oriented spandex sportos with carbon-fibre frames that cost as much as a car, the hipsters with vintage Schwinns and fixies, and, for style-conscious couples, matchie-matchie Linuses and Shinolas, and then there are the folding bike people.” The poetic snapshot hidden within the preface of Velo’s third incarnation poetically and accurately captures the disparate, wide-ranging and fascinating nature of this visually cute book. Like its two predecessors, stunning photography and compelling stories unite. Take Suaveciclo – a Brazilian artistic project that involved tricycles loaded with audiovisual gear to project animations onto the Sao Paulo backdrop. Or the Bedovelo Track Hardcore featuring a 37-inch rear wheel…

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR BIKE FEATURED HERE, SEND A HI-RES IMAGE TO JAMESRWITTS@GMAIL.COM Any that don’t make it to print we will share at: www.facebook.com/UrbanCyclistMagazine…

VULPINE INDIGO JEANS {£120.00} These are Vulpine’s first foray into the world of stretchy jeans and a rather cool and pair they are too. Cycle-specific features are appreciated including what’s termed a ‘Diamond Gusset’, which ensures you don’t sit on uncomfortable seams. A similar bike-friendly sewing process around the knees ensures you pedal without restriction. The slim cut combined with this appreciated freedom offers style and comfort, while safety’s subtly covered by a reflective driveside turn-up. Craftsmanship looks good, though only time will tell how durable they are. {8} Comfortable and cycle-specific fit that looks and performs well HARRINGTON JACKET {£295.00} Vulpine was only founded in 2012 but in that time have carved a reputation for everyday cycling wear that actually works with you, rather than against. Cue this lightweight…

CHARGE GRATER 1 {£449.99} The Grater range starts with the singlespeed 0 at £349 and reaches up to the Grater 5 at £2,199, which boasts a titanium frame, hydraulic disc brakes and SRAM Rival 1x11 gearing. It says a lot for the Charge brand and the Grater platform that they can pull this off. Not only are those polar bikes credible and competitive at their prices, the spec of each bike in-between looks well judged. The Grater 1 has a 1x8 drivetrain, with a Shimano Altus rear mech. The combination of 38t chainring and 11-32 cassette is a proficient combo and we never found ourselves without a suitable gear, while the Altus under-bar shifter is snappy and intuitive to use. The Tektro V-brakes and Promax levers look a bit low-rent…