Quick Road Bike Build Guide – Part 1 – Handlebars & Headset

by | Oct 11, 2017

The first in our six part mini series of a road bike build, a quick video tutorial by new CyclingShorts.cc team member Richard Soh. Lets start with… Handlebars & Headset.

Richard Soh

Richard Soh

Founder of SOHBike

I have been commuting from NJ to NYC by bicycle for 7 years. The bus made me nauseous. Driving into the city involved too much traffic as well as expensive gas, tolls, and parking. Eventually I decided to ride my bicycle to work. I now look forward to my daily commute, I find it to be meditative. Over time I have tried out dozens of different bicycles and components. 3 years ago, I built my first experimental dream bike from scratch. It has carbon everything except for an aluminum frame and a Di2 Ultegra groupset. With pedals and battery, it weighs 17.75 lbs and it cost a fraction of comparably equipped bicycle.

I am now offering my custom built bicycles to the public. I use only the best components based on my personal experience. I believe if more people rode their bicycles the population would be physically and mentally healthier, and the world would be cleaner and greener. To promote bicycling I actively volunteer in bike-a-thons, teach kids and adults to ride bicycles, and work to influence public policy to help make bicycling safer.

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Book Review – Wild Cycling by Chris Sidwells

by | Sep 25, 2017

Wild Cycling

A pocket guide to 50 great rides off the beaten track in Britain

by Chris Sidwell

A. Reviewer: Nichiless Dey. European Cycling correspondent, physics teacher and cyclist of little renown!

i. For Anna ‘The Boss’ Magrath: CyclingShorts.cc (as, ahem, promised, he types sheepishly!)

A wildly inspiring adventure – from armchair to saddle

This book provides the perfect inspiration for you, the armchair-adventurer, to dream, to plan and to venture forth along the oft-hidden tracks, lanes & trails that crisscross much of Britain’s hidden and endlessly varied countryside.

What is Wild Cycling? I’ll let the author describe his vision. ‘… [wild cycling] can be a lot of things, from short ambles through country lanes, to … adventures in a far-off wilderness. For this renowned cycling author though, it specifically means ‘using bridleways, trails, and tiny lanes to explore [the British] countryside.’

Wild Cycling covers the whole of mainland Britain and is packed with looped routes suitable for all cyclists; be you a beginner with a yearning for childhood escapades or a hardened explorer, ruddy of cheek and windswept of beard.  You will be, I can guarantee, inspired to don the day pack and head out into the wild and stunningly picturesque scenery that fills the British mainland. Who knew that there was so much to explore on two wheels in this seemingly concrete, car fixated jungle.

 

Wild cycling encompasses all types of cycling adventure. As the book states, you will be guided along ‘short ambles through country lanes to off-the-grid bike adventures in a [not-so-far-off] wilderness’.

The fifty off-the-beaten-track rides are presented in full colour with the OS Landranger grid referenced start/finish point tabulated above the most accessible location name along with ride distance (km & miles), highest point (m) and approximate ride time (hours). There is a wonderfully descriptive yet pragmatic route commentary supported by the ever-popular snap-shot route map and elevation profile. The map is annotated and contains pointers to several easily spotted landmarks that will help guide you confidently on your way. It also indicates where the trail heads skywards – ever a worry for me!

These tracks are in no way prescriptive, indeed many offer additional loop suggestions, again embedded in the commentary, that may add further life to your day of exploration.

 

Wild Cycling covers the British mainland in ten chapters and fifty routes. It begins with a very useful piece on what you need. A cyclocross bike is Chris’s recommendation, however anything other than a high-end carbon racing beast will most probably do. Tyre choice will be your biggest decision and the book contains tried and tested suggestions. Having ridden three of these routes (34, 37 & 39*) I can personally vouch for the accuracy and usefulness of the advice given.  The final eight chapters neatly cover the country with between five and ten detailed routes for each region: The South & East, The South & West, Wales, The Midlands, The North (lots in Yorkshire!), The North-West, The North-East, and Scotland. The routes vary in length from less than ten to more than fifty miles, with most hovering in the twenty-to-thirty-mile zone. The trail surface and elevation… well, I wouldn’t wish to detract from your sense of discovery so I’ll let you find out yourself. It will be a magical journey.

*Huge thanks to the lady and her dog who found my Garmin on route 37 and waited patiently for me to ride back, in a state of panic.

 

In summary… From Chalk Cliffs and Curious Sound Mirrors in the south-east to Cape Wrath in the [glorious] north-west, the purity, beauty and essential wildness of these rides will ensure that over the years many of them will become classic – even legendary – cycling challenges. In the meantime, you will have a great deal of healthy and happy adventures. May you be blessed by tailwinds and blue skies as the beauty of Britain rolls out around you!

CyclingShorts.cc rating 10/10… one for the Christmas list too.

Out now in Paperback

 

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CyclingShorts.cc Rating

About the Author of Wild Cycling

Chris Sidwells is a renowned cycling journalist, photographer and editor who appears regularly in Cycling Weekly, and as a cycling pundit for several BBC local radio stations, including BBC Radio Sheffield during the Tour de Yorkshire. He has written seventeen books on cycling, covering every aspect of the sport and has contributed to, amongst others, Men’s Fitness, GQ, The Sunday Times, and The Guardian.

 

My thanks to Beth Wright of The Little Brown Book Group for providing my copy of the book.

Nichiless Dey

Nick Dey AKA Nichiless Dey AKA "The Prof" AKA....

Nick Dey AKA Nichiless Dey AKA "The Prof" AKA....

European Cycling Correspondent

European Cycling correspondent, physics & chemistry teacher and cyclist of little renown! (his words, in truth he is a cycling god!).

Enthusiast & Optimist-ish!

Boasson Hagen wins in Cardiff as Boom seals OVO Energy Tour of Britain

by | Sep 10, 2017

Lars Boom resisted the elements and the attempts of his rivals to seal the overall victory at the OVO Energy Tour of Britain as wind and rain battered the peloton on its way through the Welsh Marches to the finish line in Cardiff.

The Dutchman resisted the attempts of his rivals as the race exploded into life among thousands of spectators on the opening SKODA King of the Mountains climb at British Camp in the Malvern Hills and continued that way until the final metres of the Cardiff circuit, with Edvald Boasson Hagen soloing to the win.

Interview – Lars Boom – Winner of the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain by Cycling Shorts

Lars Boom talks to the media after he triumphs in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain. All content and images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

 

After a dry start in Worcester, riders almost immediately faced the rain as the peloton approached the foot of the Malvern Hills.  An initial group of seven riders had struck out, but amid the throngs of spectators the field fell apart into four groups, with 14-riders at the front for the fast descent into Ledbury including general classification contenders Michal Kwiatkowski, Vasil Kiryienka, Stefan Küng, Boasson Hagen and Boom.

 

It’s a great feeling,” said Boom, reflecting on his second overall win in the race following his 2011 success.  “I didn’t expect today to be that hard but with the intermediate Sprints and then some really tough climbs in the beginning it was really hard.

“The first hour was quite critical, we lost two guys from the team in the second peloton, but luckily some other guys came back so we were still quite strong.  If we had to do something we could do something but the first hour was almost killing me!”

Lars Boom

Winner - OVO Tour of Britain 2017

Boasson Hagen took the time bonuses at the first Eisberg Sprint in Ledbury, ahead of Kwiatkowski and Küng, moving them all one step closer to Boom’s OVO Energy Green Jersey.

With the pace slackening there was a regrouping at the front, with the lead pack swelling to 53-riders, including home favourites Geraint Thomas and Owain Doull who had missed the initial selection.  At that point Team Sky began to drive the front group clear, and with the presence of entire line-ups from Sky, Quick-Step and Katusha Alpecin, plus Boom and teammates Victor Campenaerts, Primoz Roglic and Jos Van Emden there was no way back for the second half of the race, chief losers among them being twelfth placed Alex Dowsett and the SKODA King of the Mountains leader Jacob Scott.

At the Eisberg Sprint in Usk it was Boasson Hagen again picking up three bonus seconds, but Boom was alert snaffling second placed and two seconds, while Kwiatkowski again picked up a time bonus.

With the wind and rain becoming heavier, the 17% gradient of Belmont Hill on the outskirts of Newport was the next battleground, with Quick-Step using each climb as a chance to up the pressure and increase the temp, over the top Zdenek Stybar took the points ahead of Lukasz Owsian, who sealed the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey as result.

On the slick descent Movistar’s Gorka Izagirre went clear, being joined on the roads of Newport by Mark Stewart with the pair dodging the puddles to build a 30-second lead on the run to Cardiff.  The pair held off the charging 51-rider group, led by Sky for the first tour and a half of the city centre, but with the final intermediate Eisberg Sprint approaching Boom, Boasson Hagen, Kwiatkowski and Küng went away in the sprint, with the Sky man taking the time bonuses, ahead of the attentive race leader.

With the four reeled in on the final circuit and the group watching each other, Boasson Hagen struck out inside the final three kilometres, holding off the remains of the field through the wet streets of Cardiff to just survive, as Maximiliano Richeze and Alexander Kristoff led the peloton along King Edward VIII Avenue in the sprint to ultimately fall short.

It was really nice after all the work the guys in the team have done here this week. We had a plan for the day, which was if it came back to a bunch sprint I would attack in the last three kilometres, and I stayed with the plan and nobody managed to catch me, which was really great [speaking after his win].  If you don’t try, you don’t win anything!

It was a hard start in the beginning, Team Sky were riding hard on the front so the opened up a gap.  I expected there to be a small group and someone to control it, but there was a big group and nobody came up from behind so it turned out well for me.

Edvald Boasson Hagen

Stage 8 Winner - OVO Tour of Britain, Team Dimension Data

The Norwegian finishes second overall, eight-seconds back from Boom, with Küng a further two in arrears and Geraint Thomas the top Brit overall in seventh, winning his weight in beer from Official Partners Adnams.

Thanks to his move on the run in to Cardiff Mark Stewart picked up the HIGH5 Combativity Award for Stage Eight, while Graham Briggs collected the same overall prize for the week.

Interview – Edvald Boasson Hagen – Stage 8 Winner – OVO Tour of Britain 2017 by Cycling Shorts

Edvald Boasson Hagen talks to the media after taking the final stage win in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

 

Briggs does however miss out on the Eisberg Sprints Jersey by a solitary point, with Mark McNally adding that jersey to his 2014 mountain’s prize.  This year’s SKODA King of the Mountains jersey goes to Lukasz Owsian of the CCC Sprandi Polkowice team.

The last word on the 2017 OVO Energy Tour of Britain goes to Boom though; whose team also claimed the overall team classification, and for once during a week marked by wind and rain, the Dutchman wasn’t complaining about the conditions he faced.

“For sure I like racing in Britain, since 2011 I always have a good feeling here.  The weather suits me, so that’s always nice.”

For full results and final overall standings from Stage Eight, please click here.

Highlights from the eighth and final stage of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be on ITV4 at 8pm on Sunday evening (10 September) with a repeat the following morning.  Highlights from all eight stages are available on demand via the ITV Hub catch-up service.
 
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step, taking place between Sunday 3 and Sunday 10 September 2017.

Chris Maher

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

Anna Magrath

Anna Magrath

Editor & Writer

Anna Magrath founded CyclingShorts.cc in 2008 and invited some of her cycling friends; coaches, photographers, writers and pro cyclists of different disciplines to join her, bringing you all things cycling related.

Over the years Anna has supported grass roots cycling events, riders and teams. Anna has a particular interest in Track, Road, womens cycling, recreational cycling and cycling related art. She has reported from the top cycle races on the world calendar including the Tour de France, Olympics, World Cups & World Championships.

Want to get involved? Why not get in touch.

CyclingShorts.cc are official sponsors of The Racing Chance Foundation, Team22 WRT, Team Jadan and cyclists Amy Gornall & Fraser Martin.

Interview – Lars Boom – Winner of the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain

by | Sep 10, 2017

Lars Boom talks to the media after he triumphs in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain.

Interview – Lars Boom – Winner of the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain by Cycling Shorts

Lars Boom talks to the media after he triumphs in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain. All content and images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

 

Image ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Chris Maher

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

Interview – Edvald Boasson Hagen – Stage 8 Winner – OVO Tour of Britain 2017

by | Sep 10, 2017

Edvald Boasson Hagen talks to the media after taking the final stage win in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain.

Interview – Edvald Boasson Hagen – Stage 8 Winner – OVO Tour of Britain 2017 by Cycling Shorts

Edvald Boasson Hagen talks to the media after taking the final stage win in the 2017 OVO Tour of Britain. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

 

Image ©CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Chris Maher

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

Lars Boom retains OVO Energy Green Jersey in Cheltenham

by | Sep 10, 2017

Lars Boom retained the overall lead of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain heading into the final day to Cardiff, surviving an explosive day of racing through the Cotswolds to Cheltenham as his teammate Dylan Groenewegen took the stage win.

Groenewegen outsprinted triple stage winner Caleb Ewan and Brenton Jones but it was only thanks to the hard work of his Lotto NL Jumbo team that the race had come back together for the sprint alongside Cheltenham’s Imperial Gardens having resisted attacks from general classification contenders Tony Martin, Alex Dowsett, Edvald Boasson Hagen among others, the latter of whom was caught within the final 1,500-metres.

The stage was very hard but I survived it. It was a little bit freestyle sprint so I used Caleb Ewan’s wheel and Gaviria’s.

He [Ewan] is in great form so it’s really good that I could beat him.  After the Tour de France I was a little bit tired, but I think the form is good so it’s good for morale.

Dylan Groenewegen

Winner Stage 7 - OVO Tour of Britain, Team Lotto.Nl - Jumbo

After a start under clear blue skies in Hemel Hempstead, the race exploded into life – as did the rain clouds – with an aggressive start to the stage and Cannondale Drapac in particular making several attempts to put riders up the road.

In the end two groups of three riders went away, but with neither a threat to the overall they were allowed to merge and build a four-minute plus lead, with Jacob Scott extending his SKODA King of the Mountains lead as a result.

With the race entering the Cotwolds and the gap just over the three minute mark, Tiago Machado sparked the attacking, going clear of the peloton but not quite making it to the leading six.

Behind him a strong five-rider group made an attempt to work their way across, including his Katusha Alpecin teammate Reto Hollenstein, Michal Kwiatkowski, Sylvian Diller, Ryan Mullen and Dowsett.  The five got 30-seconds clear of the peloton, but with Lotto NL Jumbo alert to the threat to Boom’s lead began to work hard bringing the whole race back together.

This immediately spurred another Katusha Alpecin into action, with World Time Trial Champion Tony Martin driving clear in heavy rain on an impressive, and sustained, solo effort, but one that was ultimately doomed under the Lotto pressure.

With everyone back together the intermediate Eisberg Sprint at Winchcombe became the new general classification battleground, with BMC’s Stefan Küng grabbing the bonus seconds to elevate him into second overall – between Boom and teammate Victor Campenaerts – while Mark McNally took two points to leap him over Graham Briggs and into the Eisberg Sprints jersey.

On the day’s final SKODA King of the Mountains climb at Cleeve Hill, topping out with less than 10-kilometres remaining five riders went clear including former winners Boasson Hagen and Dylan Van Baarle.

Van Baarle then crashed out on the descent, obstructing Laurens De Plus and leaving Dion Smith, Gorka Izagirre and Boasson Hagen out front.  With the teams of the sprinters sensing the chance of success again – that earlier in the day had seemed highly unlikely – they came to the front on the final five kilometres in Cheltenham, reeling the trio in just before the final kilometre arch.

Interview – Dylan Groenewegen – Winner Stage 7 – OVO Tour of Britain 2017 by Cycling Shorts

Team Lotto.Nl – Jumbo rider Dylan Groenewegen; winner of stage 7 of the OVO Tour of Britain 2017 talks to the media after his victory. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | wwwchrismaher.co.uk

It was quite a hectic start but we controlled it quite well. It was a good situation for us [praising the work throughout the day of this team], Gijs van Hoecke and Primoz Roglic controlled the bunch quite well.

We never had any problems except a small problem with 30, 40 kilometres to go when the group with Dowsett and Kwiato went. I did not react straightaway and Campenaerts had to pull on the front.

There was a small breakaway with Boasson Hagen, which was a bit critical, but I went full downhill to try and keep the gap as small as possible and then the sprinters teams took over.

The main goal was to not allow Boasson Hagen and Kwiato to take seconds as tomorrow if you take all of the seconds – there are 19-seconds in total available if you’re lucky.  But now we are a little bit more comfortable so it’ll be a good day tomorrow.

Lars Boom

Green Jersey Holder after Stage 7, Team Lotto.Nl - Jumbo

Interview – Lars Boom Green Jersey holder after Stage 7 – OVO Tour of Britain 2017 by Cycling Shorts

Lars Boom of Team Lotto.Nl – Jumbo talks to the media after retaining the Green Jersey (GC) after Stage 7 of the OVO Tour of Britain 2017. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Heading towards Wales and the final stage Boom leads overall by eight-seconds from Küng, with teammate Campenaerts and Vasil Kiryienka each a further second behind.  Geraint Thomas is the best placed Brit and leader of the Adnams classification heading to his home city of Cardiff in ninth, 20-seconds back.

For full results and standings from Stage Seven, please click here.

 

The final stage of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain sees the peloton racing from Worcester to Cardiff, heading through Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Newport before the finish on King Edward VII Avenue in Cardiff.  The 180-kilometre stage begins at 11:00, with live coverage on ITV4 from 10:45 and concludes with three-laps of a city centre circuit in Cardiff taking in the city’s most iconic sights.

Highlights from the sixth stage of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be on ITV4 at 8pm on Saturday evening (9 September) with a repeat the following morning.

 

Stage Eight Sunday 10 September Worcester to Cardiff 180km
Chris Maher

Chris Maher

Photographer & Writer

Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

Anna Magrath

Anna Magrath

Editor & Writer

Anna Magrath founded CyclingShorts.cc in 2008 and invited some of her cycling friends; coaches, photographers, writers and pro cyclists of different disciplines to join her, bringing you all things cycling related.

Over the years Anna has supported grass roots cycling events, riders and teams. Anna has a particular interest in Track, Road, womens cycling, recreational cycling and cycling related art. She has reported from the top cycle races on the world calendar including the Tour de France, Olympics, World Cups & World Championships.

Want to get involved? Why not get in touch.

CyclingShorts.cc are official sponsors of The Racing Chance Foundation, Team22 WRT, Team Jadan and cyclists Amy Gornall & Fraser Martin.

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