by Bikeboyslim | Dec 9, 2014
Bontrager Glo and Ember LED lights
Bontrager Glo and Ember
As the nights have become dark we all need to make sure we can see and be seen.
Bontrager’s Glo and Ember lights might not be quite the thing if you want to see but they will certainly allow you to be seen.
For the last couple of years I have been using the cheap £2 frog eye lights that are available by the shed load on eBay. While they do a job there is certainly a question over the level of lumens they produce and to be honest there ability to withstand the elements is suspect. I thought it was time to try out something a little more up market, even though this might go against my cheapskate grain!
As soon as I picked up the Bontrager lights I could tell they where going to perform significantly better then the cheap frog eyes.
The marketing blurb on Bontrager’s website describes the lights as follows:-
Test lights supplied by Bikechain Ricci
Instantly add front or rear safety lighting with the Glo headlight and and Ember tail light. Used as a stand alone system in twilight conditions, as additional lighting or as an emergency back-up, these compact, bright and stylish lights can be run in either steady or flashing modes and provide over 40 hours of run time. Each includes two CR2032 batteries and an elastic strap for attachment to a variety of surfaces including helmets.
http://www.bontrager.com/model/11364
The blurb on the packaging is slightly more generous with the run times, 50/100+ hours (Glo front light) and 100+ hours (Ember). The Glo offers 5 lumens and the Ember 3 Lumens.
Ember provides a bright rear light even in daylight.
Fitting the lights is dead simple and the multi hole bands allow for very secure fitting to either seat-post or handle bars, as well as potential use as a helmet light.
These little bad boys are way brighter then any lights of this type I have used before, certainly making them worth the money. They really are great lights to allow you to be seen by but not so good for you to see the road ahead. I frequently use them as my road lights riding city streets to and from the dark lanes or off road ride areas, where I switch to my high power Cree LED lights.
If you are looking for something that will help make you visible on your town or city commute in these dark winter months then get yourself along to your local bike shop and pick up a pair of Bontrager Glo and Ember lights.
A definte one to ask Santa to leave in your stocking.
A CyclingShorts.cc Star buy at 90%
Retails for around £25 – £30 per set (can be bought individually).
A big thank you to @bikechainricci for supplying these lights for test.
by Chris Maher | Dec 8, 2014
UCI Track World Cup 2014/15 Round Two, London
Round One, Mexico 09 November 2014
Round Two, London 05 December 2014
Round Three,Columbia 17 January 2015
UCI Track World Championships 2015 France , 18-22 February 2014
Great Britain Cycling Team, Who Rides What UCI Track Cycling World Cup Event?
On Saturday 6th December:
Women’s Sprint – Jess Varnish, Vicky Williamson
Women’s Omnium – Laura Trott
Men’s Omnium – Jon Dibben
Men’s Keirin – Jason Kenny
Women’s Points – Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker
Men’s Madison – Ollie Wood (GB ‘B’), Chris Latham (GB ‘B’)
Saturday December 06 2014
Qualifying Session: 10.00 – 16.45
1 Women’s Sprint Qualifying – 200m TT
- Elis Ligtlee 10.833
- Tianshi Zhong 10.941
- Shuang Gou 10.942
- Anna Meares 11.021
- Wai Sze Lee 11.049
- Anastasia Voinova 11.076
- Stephanie Morton 11.086
- Kristina Vogel 11.108
- Oilivia Montauban 11.126
- Lin Junhong11.192
Great Britain’s Laura Trott wins the opening session in the Women’s Omnium, the Scratch Race.
2 Women’s Omnium I 10km Scratch
- Laura Trott
- Kristen Wild
- Amalie Dideriksen
- Annalisa Cucinotta
- Isabella King
- Jolian D’Hoore
- Malgorzata Wojtyra
- Jennifer Valente
- Leire Dorronsoro Olaberria
- Anna Knauer
Two riders eventually broke free from the main group after several other attempts. Bobby Lea (USA) and Lok King Cheung (HKG) were joined by Great Britain’s Jonathon Dibben who faded in the final two laps. Columbian Fernando Gaviria Rendon won the bunch sprint to claim fourth in the race a lap down.
4 Men’s Omnium I 15km Scratch
- Bobby Lea USA
- Lok King Cheung HKG
- Jonathon Dibben GBR
- Fernando Gaviria Rendon COL
- Thomas Boudat EUC
Netherlands Kirsten Wild rode a very strong last 1000m, but not enough to deny Great Britain’s Laura Trott her second Omnium victory in the 3000m Individual Pursuit.
6 Women’s Omnium II 3km Individual Pursuit
- Laura Trott 3:36.896
- Kirsten Wild 3:37.107
- Jennifer Valente 3:37.417
- Marlies Mejias Garcia 3:38.619
- Isabella King 3:38.718
- Tatsiana Sharakova 3:41.588
- Amalie Dideriksen 3:42.246
- Jolien D’Hoore 3:42.476
- Sofia Arreola Navarro 3:46.172
- Laurie Berthon 3:46.566
Columbian Fernando Gaviria Rendon set off quickest in the Men’s Omnium Individual Pursuit and maintained his lead to win the second round. His time was over five seconds quicker than the rest of the field and almost on par with the Lee Valley VeloPark record.
8 Men’s Omnium II 4km Individual Pursuit
- Fernando Gaviria Rendon 4:21.998
- Bobby Lea 4:26.782
- Gideoni Monteiro 4:27.782
- Roger Kluge 4:29.638
- Aaron Gate 4:29.953
- Jonathon Dibben 4:30.617
- Scott Law 4:30.825
- Thomas Boudat 4:31.134
- Tim Veldt 4:32.649
- Jasper De Buyst 4:33.054
Finals Session: 19.00 – 22.05
Great Britain’s Elinor Barker finished third in the UCI Women’s Points Race. Taking a lap on the field, along with Australia’s Amy Cure and Canada’s Jasmin Glaesser mid way through the race. The trio looked like they would be the only girls that would get away from the bunch. As they watched each other, another four got away towards the back end, but were unable to collect additional points on the way. Barker didn’t have the legs to contest the final sprint and came in thirteenth. Canada’s Jasmin Glaesser took the final sprint, but Australian’s (Tasmanian) Amy Cure fought hard for second place to deny Glaesser the gold.
1 Women’s Points Race Final
- Amy Cure Australia
- Jasmin Glaesser Canada
- Elinor Barker Great Britain
- Yao Pang Hongkong
- Rushlee Buchanan New Zealand
- Maria LC Williams Columbia
- Lauren Stephens USA
- Giorgia Bronzini Italy
- Jarmila Machacova Czech Republic
- Stephanie Pohl Germany
Great Britain’s Katie Archibald finished Eleventh.
4 Women’s Omnium III Elimination
- Kirsten Wild
- Laura Trott
- Jolian D’Hoore
- Isabella King
- Lucie Zaleska
- Annalisa Cucinotta
- Evgeniya Romanyuta
- Amalie Dideriksen
- Malgorzata Wojtyra
- Laurie Berthon
6 Award Ceremony Women’s Points Race
- Amy Cure
- Jasmin Glaesser
- Elinor Barker
10 Men’s Madison Final
Great Britain 1 Mark Christian & Owain Doull
New Zealand Pieter Bulling & Westley Gough
Germany Henning Bommel & Theo Reinhardt
Australia
France 1
Belgium
Great Britain 2
Columbia
Italy 1
Switzerland
12 Award Ceremony Men’s Madison
- Great Britain 1 Mark Christian & Owain Doull
- New Zealand Pieter Bulling & Westley Gough
- Germany Henning Bommel & Theo Reinhardt
13 Men’s Keirin 7-12 place
Edward Dawkins
Krysztof Maksel
Nikita Shurshin
Francesco Ceci
Matthew Baranoski
Yuta Wakimoto
14 Men’s Keirin Final
Stephan Botticher Ger
Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata Col
Christos Volikakis Gre
Azizulhasni Awang YSD
Kazunari Watanabe Jpn
Jason Kenny Gbr
Dutchman Tim Veldt survived a crash in the Men’s Omnium Elimination Round to take the win. The race was neutralized as the two riders sorted their bikes. Aaron Gates crashed out and Tim Veldt went over the top. Both riders re-joined the race and the determined Dutchman went on to win. Great Britain’s Jonathon Dibbon went out early in the race. A foot pulled out of the pedal saw an early exit from the race, along with any chance of riding into a podium position.
16 Men’s Omnium III Elimination
- Tim Veldt
- Thomas Boudat
- Fernando Gaviria Rendon
- Jasper De Buyst
- Sebastian Mora Vedri
- Scott Law
- Aaron Gate
- Oliver Beer
- Gideoni Monteiro
- Hao Liu
Great Britain’s Jonathon Dibben finished twenty-first.
(Previous Winner: GER, Joachim Eilers)
17 Award Ceremony Men’s Keirin
- Stephan Botticher Ger
- Fabian Hernando Puerta Zapata Col
- Christos Volikakis Gre
(Previous Winner: RUS, Anastasia Voinova)
18 Award Ceremony Women’s Sprint
- Kristina Vogel Ger
- Anastasiia Voinova Rus
- Elis Ligtlee Ned
My photos are regularly updated on https://www.flickr.com/photos/23913935@N07/
by Chris Maher | Dec 7, 2014
Great Britain Cycling Team, Who Rides What at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Event?
On Friday 5th December:
Great Britain’s Team Pursuit squads dominate the distance endurance events taking gold in the Men’s and Women’s 4000m events on day one of the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in London.
Women’s Team Pursuit – Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott
Men’s Team Sprint – Phil Hindes, Jason Kenny, Callum Skinner
Men’s Team Pursuit – Steve Burke, Mark Christian, Ed Clancy, Owain Doull, Andy Tennant
Women’s Scratch Race – Laura Trott
Women’s Team Sprint – Jess Varnish, Vicky Williamson
Men’s Points Race – Mark Stewart (GB ‘B’), Ollie Wood (GB ‘B’)
Friday December 05 2014
Qualifying Session: 10.00 – 16.50
1 Women’s Team Pursuit Qualifying
- Great Britain 4:23.406
- Australia 4:23.498
- Canada 4:28.208
- USA 4:32.523
- China 4:32.685
- Germany 4:32.871
- New Zealand 4:33.677
- Russia 4:34.129
- Italy 4:34.684
- Poland 4:36.110
Great Britain’s Trott, Archibald, Barker & Rowsell fought off a strong Australian squad of King, Ankudinoff, Cure & Hoskins to post the quickest qualifier by fractions of a second. The Aussies had almost a second up in the first 1000m and held it to the 2000m mark. Great Britain finished the last half of the qualifier marginally up, but it went all the way down to the wire. This put them into the semi finals in the evening session.
2 Men’s Team Sprint Qualifying
- Germany 43.700
- Jayco 43.832
- New Zealand 43.839
- France 43.907
- Russia 44.360
- Netherlands 44.492
- Great Britain 44.511
- Venezuela 44.682
- Poland 44.725
- China 45.085
3 Men’s Team Pursuit Qualifying
- Australia 4:00.577
- Great Britain 4:02.373
- Denmark 4:02.428
- New Zealand 4:03.773
- Netherlands 4:04.438
- Germany 4:05.302
- China 4:05.964
- Switzerland 4:05.984
- Russia 4:07.965
- Belgium 4:07.965
Great Britain set off eighteenth out of twenty two starters with Clancy, Burke, Doull & Tennant but didn’t set a blistering pace. By 2000m they had moved into the top slot of the day so far and the velodrome filled up will some noise. By 3000m the pace had increased to a sub 59 lap and nobody matched this pace to finish second in qualifying.
Denmark whom rode after GB moved up-to the top slot at 1000m then increased their pace to almost a second in-front of Great Britain. They looked like they were going to topple GB for the top slot but faded by the last few laps.
Last off in the Team Pursuit were Australia. Young and looking to take scalps, Davison, Edmonson, Mulhern & Scotson had over a seconds advantage over Denmark by 1000m and nearly two seconds on Great Britain. Maintaining their lead, although beginning to fade, Australia had enough spare time banked to win the qualifiers by nearly two seconds with a 4:00.577.
4 Women’s Scratch Race Final 10Km
American Lauren Stephens & Columbian Jannie M Salcedo Zambrano gained a lap together towards the back end of the race. As they caught the bunch, a crash neutralized the race till all the girls were dealt with safely. The race resumed with five laps left to go, and the pace increased with the Italians stretching the peleton.
Polands Katarzyna won the sprint with Laurie Burton second, but eyes further down the bunch place the Columbian Zambrano in front of the American Stephens to take the victory. Welsh cycling Emily Kay finished in tenth for the home nation.
5 Women’s Team Sprint Qualifying
- China 32.956
- Germany 33.022
- Jayco-Ais 33.130
- Russia 33.336
- Great Britain 33.622
- France 33.720
- Netherlands 33.809
- Spain 33.821
- Rusvelo 33.903
- New Zealand 34.111
6 Award Ceremony Women’s Scratch Race
- Jannie Milena Salcedo Zambrano Columbia
- Lauren Stephens USA
- Katarzyna Pawlowska Poland
Finals Session: 19.00 – 22.20
1 Women’s Team Pursuit Semi-finals
New Zealand beat Germany.
China beat Russia.
Australia beat Canada.
Great Britain beat USA.
2 Men’s Team Pursuit Semi-finals
3 Men’s Points Race Final
4 Men’s Team Sprint Finals 3/4 & 1/2
5 Women’s Team Sprint Finals 3/4 & ½
6 Award Ceremony Men’s Points Race
- Eloy Rovira Teruel Spain 43 Points
- Kenny De Ketele Belgium 34
- Eduardo Sepulveda Argentina 31
(Previous Winners: GBR, Philip Hindes, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner)
7 Award Ceremony Men’s Team Sprint
- Germany Eilers, Forstemann & Enders
- Jayco-Ais Glaetzer, Perkins & Hart
- New Zealand Dawkins, Mitchell & Webster
Great Britain’s Hindes, Kenny & Skinner finished seventh.
(Previous Winners: AUS, Kaarle McCulloch & Stephanie Morton)
8 Award Ceremony Women’s Team Sprint
- China Zhong & Gong
- Germany Vogel & Welte
- Russia Gnidenko & Vionova
Great Britain’s Jess Varnish and Victoria Williamson finished fifth.
9 Women’s Team Pursuit Finals 3/4 & 1/2
10 Men’s Team Pursuit Finals 3/4 & ½
(Previous Winners: GBR, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Amy Roberts & Laura Trott)
11 Award Ceremony Women’s Team Pursuit
- Great Britain Archibald, Trott, Barker & Horne
- Australia King, Ankudinoff, Cure & Hoskins
- Canada Beveridge, Glaesser, Lay & Roorda
(Previous Winners: AUS, Daniel Fitter, Alex Porter, Miles Scotson & Sam Welsford)
12 Award Ceremony Men’s Team Pursuit
- Great Britain Burke, Christian, Tennant & Doull
- New Zealand Bulling, Gough, Karwawski & Simpson
- Denmark Pederson, Hansen, Quaade & Von Folsach
My photos are regularly updated on https://www.flickr.com/photos/23913935@N07/
by Bikeboyslim | Nov 28, 2014
It’s always good to get out on a bright Autumn day.
I love this time of year as the Summer turns to Autumn, the leaves begin to turn some of the most amazing colours and winter gradually gets its claws into the land as the frosty mornings start cold and bright. However if I’m really honest I hate the cold dark dank days that also come in late autumn and winter. However on the bright side it is a great time to get out and play in the mud!
As many a great explorer has said “there is no such thing as bad weather just poor preparation” actually I’m not really sure who said that maybe not Scott! But seriously you can ride in any weather if you are wearing the correct clothing or have some of the top tips below to keep feet and hands warm.
So do not be afraid of the weather hug it tight and be a conquering hero of Autumn and Winter riding.
I noticed just this last week that the number of CX Sportives is on the increase and a quick trawl through the events list suggests that they are very popular in the South, come on you guys in the North make sure your events are publicised.
I rode my very first CX Sportive this year, the amazing Adventure X event based around Keswick. What an experience it was, don’t forget to read my review of the event elsewhere on this website.
So if you fancy trying a little bit of cyclocross but don’t have a CX bike, well don’t worry most events are open to wide range of bikes, pretty much anything will do, except perhaps your pride and joy the full carbon road bike!
From my experience riders will turn up on any bike from a full carbon CX bike, hardtail MTB, Full suspension MTB to a flat bar hybrid. The only thing I would recommend is that you check the ride profile and make sure you have a suitable range of gears for the event unless you are riding single speed! I got caught out on the Mini Monster Adventure X in Keswick.
CX Sportive (www.cxsportive.com) has several good rides available this season:
CX Sportives are the fantastic new mixed surface events that are combining the thrills of on and off-road riding into one awesome experience!
•Sportive style events on fast, mixed surface courses
•Courses from 40-80km
•Full sportive support and infrastructure
•Great for all kinds of bikes: CX, MTB, Hybrid, 29er, Singlespeed & even Road!*
Riding a mix of road and off road is so exhilarating.
Big challenge rides tend to come in two flavours; massive road sportives and hardcore MTB enduros. But why not mix it up, take on the best of both and spice up your riding?
CX Sportive is an exciting new ride format. It’s ideal for your cross bike, but equally suitable for your XC MTB or even road winter training bike, tweaked for a little rough stuff!* The course mixes back roads, interwoven with byways and a few short tougher off road links that will certainly bring on the heat!
Your choice of steed will define your ride. Will the versatility of a MTB offer the best performance over mixed terrain? Will the pure speed of your road bike make up for time lost on the short, occasional off road dismounts? Or will the CX bike give you the best return where it counts?
To prove a point (or just let you fly the flag for your tribe), they even include your bike choice in your results listing; so if you insist on tackling the route on your mum’s folding shopper, they’ll credit your lunacy!**
You’ll have a range of time targets to aim for, with age and gender adjustments; including full route marking, RFID timing, top notch catering and first class, friendly organisation and support.
*Not recommended for your beloved, super-light carbon road thoroughbred!
**Disclaimer: Don’t tackle the route on your mum’s folding shopper!
Ride X the Evan CX rides
The bike supermarket that is Evans have also added CX Sportives to their list of Ride It events this year. They might well be worth checking out if you live in the South (Evans Ride it CX Sportives).
For the Autumn/Winter season they’ve added 4 exciting mixed terrain routes to their existing Sportive offering. As with all of their road sportives, all routes will be fully way-marked with GPX files published pre-event. High5 sponsored feed stations will help you tackle a variety of riding surfaces (tarmac, mud, grass & more!) whilst clocking up some worthy mileage in this new format. The routes are best suited to cyclocross and adventure-road bikes that are up to some off-road exploring.
All rides include: Fully way-marked routes • Well stocked High5 feed stations • Mechanical support • GPS files published pre-event • Free High5 pack worth £10 when you sign up 8 weeks in advance • Free Garmin hire • Times published post-event
Cycling Weekly Adventure X Series
Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for next years Adventure X series promoted and run by Cycling Weekly with the support of changing sponsors. The event I rode in October was amazing, one of the best challenges I have have ever taken part in (more details can be found in my report on Adventure X Lakeland Monster Miles)
With so much going on on the cyclocross sportive scene surely it must be time for you to ditch the winter rode bike and get yourself a CX bike and rise to the challenge. I did and I haven’t looked back :)
by Chris Maher | Nov 24, 2014
All images ©Chris Maher / CyclingShorts.cc
Images from the Revolution Series Round 2, Manchester – 22/11/2014
You can catch up with all the action, TV highlights of Round 2 will be shown on Channel 4 next Saturday morning (29 November) at 06:40 or 07:40 on C4+1 and then will be available to view online on 4OD.
The Revolution Series returns to Manchester on 3rd January 2015. Tickets are available to buy here or by calling See Tickets on 0844 412 4650.
by Hayley Davies | Nov 22, 2014
As the popularity of cycling has risen, so to have the number of cycling books to hit our selves. From the art and beauty of the bike, essential maintenance, the must-ride climbs and biographies from the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Get On Your Bike is a handy, almost pocket sized guide to cycling as an exercise. Written by three well known people in the industry, Rebecca Charlton (as seen on our TV screens), Robert Hicks (Cycling Weekly, Cycling Fitness and Cycling Active writer) and Hannah Reynolds (Editor at Cycling Weekly), GOYB sets out to help define why cycling is great exercise and how to find the happy medium with your bike, regardless of what type it may be.
Who’s the book for?
Unlike most ‘cycling as fitness’ books, Get On Your Bike clearly states from the outset it isn’t a traditional fitness manual – there are no standard dietary plans or fitness regimes. Instead, it sets out to identify ways of losing weight and keeping fit through our love of riding the bike in every day situations, perfect for those just starting out, or as the intersecting case studies demonstrate, those that have found their way back to the bike after illness, injury or life getting in the way.
What will you learn?
The first third of the book sets out to identify how to buy the right bike and gear for you, from how to set up your position on the bike, the type of shoes and cleats to suit you, as well as exploring the best ways to find local cycle routes.
The middle section covers the safety essentials of cycling, key maintenance and tips on riding to work.
Whilst the latter part of the book moves onto fitness focus, starting with weight loss and nutrition, mental stability, health and finally how to manage injury.
Conclusion?
I think it’s easy to forget that we were all new to cycling at one point. I remember clearly how lost I was when I first got my road bike, searching YouTube videos on how to set up the cleats on my shoes, or even how to simply work the gears on my new toy! I was a little clueless, as I’m sure many who are picking up a new hobby are.
Built on short sections, it’s an easy to read guide. And new to cycling or not, it’s a great reminder that we’re not alone and why we all love to cycle. Would make a great Christmas Stocking filler for any budding cyclist in the family.
Rating: 75% out of 100
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
A definte one to ask Santa to leave in your stocking.
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