Cycling

Best bike brands: Bicycle companies we trust

From CyclingNews.com

Choosing the best bike brands is a tough ask. A quick brain dump here at Cyclingnews identified close to 100 different bike brands. There are some very large players, with global networks of bike shops. Others are niche, specialising in one type of bike. Some are so desirable and produce their bikes in such limited volumes that you’ll wait months or even years for a bike.

A local bike shop may not have in stock the bike that you’re interested in, while some of the best bike brands only sell direct over the internet. That makes it tough to narrow down your selection.

Fortunately, we get to ride many of the best road bikes and best gravel bikesavailable here at Cyclingnews, so we’re well positioned to help. Although we may not have ridden exactly the bike that you’ve shortlisted, and probably not in precisely the spec that you want, there are some brands the majority of whose products tend to score well in our reviews.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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Paris to showcase what a real bicycle city looks like during Summer Olympics

From MomentumMag.com

Written by:

The Paris Olympics presents a unique opportunity to inspire not only athletes but people worldwide by showcasing a sustainable city.

The Olympic Games inspires young athletes around the world. But, this year is different. This year, with the Summer Olympics arriving in Paris from July 26 to Aug. 11, it’s an opportunity to show a city that has decided with some serious authority to put people and the planet first. And an opportunity to inspire cities around the world to do to same.

Embracing a vision to become a cycling city of unparalleled excellence, Paris has embarked on a transformative journey that is already resonating far beyond its borders. As the world’s attention turns to the spectacle of the Olympic Games, Paris’s steadfast commitment to promoting sustainable mobility could spark a global movement.

In the lead-up to the Games, at least 415km of cycle routes are due to be added and available for locals and visitors in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and as a legacy for the city following the completion.

A major feature of Paris 2024’s legacy has moved closer to its realization. Leading up to the games in 2023, the Ministry of Transport unveiled the map of the 415-kilometer cycling network set to be completed for the Games.

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‘You Can 100% Focus on Cycling Now.’ Elisa Longo Borghini on the State of Women’s Cycling

From Velo.OutsideOnline.com

The Italian national road race champion joins the Bobby & Jens podcast this week.

By

ot long ago, to be professional cyclists, most women had to simultaneously take on second careers.

Luckily, things have changed considerably in just a handful of years.

“It’s a bit a sign of the times,” says Italian national road race champion Elisa Longo Borghini on the latest episode of the Bobby & Jens podcast.

“Most of the time in the past, you had to have a second career, because you didn’t have minimum salary, maternity leave, and so on. So you had to create your own second chance if you couldn’t be the best in cycling.”

Thanks to those developments and guarantees for athletes in the top level of cycling, they can now focus solely on one job.

“Right now, with the minimum salary and everything being settled, you can 100 percent focus on cycling,” Longo Borghini says.

That’s had a direct impact on the quality of racing.

With the ever increasing quality of competition and professionalization of the sport, training now takes up most of the remaining time for female cyclists, as it does for men in the sport’s top levels.

“In between races we are always a bit busy,” Longo Borghini says.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

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Whoa There, Chief! Watch Where You’re Driving! This Gift Guide Is for Bikes!

From Slate.com

People who cycle for transportation, to say nothing of dedicated hobbyists, don’t let weather get in their way. But in many places, it’s not just “raining” right now—it’s freaking freezing. It’s wet. It’s icy. Maybe there’s snow. Maybe snow is in your eyes! Given that the people in cyclists’ lives right now may be on the hunt for gifts, we turned to Slate’s sizable stable of bike enthusiasts for advice on the gifts that could make a difference in the coming months. Their recommendations are below.

Something to Keep You From Slipping on That Giant Patch of Ice: Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus Tires

Lots of cyclists gush over these tubeless folding Schwalbe tires, which get high marks for being grippy and sturdy yet fast. You do need a tubeless-compatible wheel to pop these on, but if you’re set there, you’ll find these to be exceptionally durable and resistant to wintertime air leakage. (Note that you can still use an inner tube if you are not into running tubeless tires.)

Something to Keep Your Tires Pumped Up: Lezyne Micro Floor Drive Digital HVG

Getting a flat is never fun, but it’s even worse when it’s freezing outside and you don’t have a way to reinflate a low tire or fill a spare tube. That’s why, if you’re going to be romping around in the winter, you’re going to need a good pump. This one is small, lightweight, and comes with a digital pressure gauge so you know exactly how much air to put in. An essential if you want to keep your winter tires fully locked and loaded.

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The True Cost Of Cycling & Buying All The Gear

Are you just getting started with cycling or thinking about getting into the sport? Alex and Ollie are here with our ultimate beginner guide. They cover all the things you need to become a road cyclist, including what to look out for when buying a bike, helmet, kit and all the other essentials you’ll need to enjoy riding your bike to the fullest!

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Focus on these 5 key areas of training to become a better road cyclist

From BikeRadar.com

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With all its terminology and techniques, road cycling training can seem complicated.

But there are only a handful of areas of road bike training you need to focus on, whether you want to complete a sportive or increase your average speed.

In this guide, we identify the key areas of road cycling training

  • Endurance
  • Climbing
  • Sustained efforts
  • Sprinting
  • Recovery

We explain why they matter and suggest workouts to improve your ability in each area.

We’ve spoken to coaches Matt Clinton and Pav Bryan, and Wahoo sport scientist Mac Cassin, to simplify road cycling training for you.

5 keys areas of road cycling training

1. Endurance

Cycling is an endurance sport. Even track cyclists will do base training when they’re not competing to improve their endurance and receive the additional benefits of long, slow rides.

Zone 2 riding increases the amount of oxygen you can deliver to your muscles, which helps you ride at higher intensities for longer, and enhances your ability to use fat for fuel, reducing your risk of bonking.

Therefore Bryan, of Coach Pav Cycle Coaching, says almost every rider, not just those targeting ultra-endurance cycling events, will gain from working on their stamina.

Suggested workout

Bryan recommends spending as much time in zone 2 as possible for multiple hours: four to five hours is a good target for amateurs to build towards.

It’s easiest to stay in zone 2 by training with power and tracking watts on your bike computer.

But if you don’t have a power meter, Bryan suggests using a heart rate monitor or rating of perceived exertion while applying steady force to the pedals.

Photo by Coen van de Broek on Unsplash

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The GREATEST Display Of Cycling Skill We’ve Ever Seen? | GCN Racing News Show

Thibau Nys has hit the big time with a win at the first UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup of the season, and he did it in some style, riding the steps and a 100% gradient climb on the technical Waterloo course. There were also more wins for Jasper Philipsen at the Tour of Türkiye and plenty of other news as the road racing season draws to a close.

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HUB Cycling: Switching to bike commuting could save you $9,200 a year

From BurnabyNow.com

By Lisa Storey

As people around the region continue to grapple with rising housing costs and the growing challenge of affordability, it’s essential to find innovative ways to address these issues.

One such solution lies right under our noses — cycling. At the end of August, gas prices in Vancouver soared to the highest they have been at $2.13 per litre at many stations.

British Columbia’s consumer price index (CPI), representing changes in prices as experienced by consumers, was 3.8 per cent higher (unadjusted) in August 2023 than in August 2022, with the most significant inflationary increases being:

  • Food: an increase of 6.3 per cent
  • Health and personal: an increase of 5.9 per cent
  • Shelter: an increase of 5.1 per cent

As many people look for unique ways to cut costs, non-profit organization HUB Cycling suggests a sometimes overlooked solution to easing the blow of Metro Vancouver’s affordability crisis: bike commuting.HUB Cycling’s recent Pedaling Towards Equity report finds that people can save up to $9,200/year by switching their main mode of transportation to commuting by bike.

Photo by Eduardo Alemán on Unsplash

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6 Cycling Traditions That Should Make A Comeback

Do you miss how cycling used to be in the good old days? Conor and Dan pick out six trends and traditions that they think should be brought back to make cycling great again! Socks, sunglasses and TT bikes are all in the firing line. We also have news of the weirdest bike ever, white shorts done well and a young Australian cyclist’s amazing ride!

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How To Master Riding Out Of The Saddle

How do you ride out of the saddle? It’s an essential skill for cycling but tricky to get right. In this video, we’ll cover the basics along with some handy tips and tricks to help you ride out of the saddle comfortably and with ease!

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