Gravel rides are all about getting into the wilderness, escaping from the hustle and bustle of modern life and embracing the wild, right? Well Si doesn’t think so, and has organised an urban gravel ride in his home city, Bristol in England, with Conor to prove it! Can you really have a gravel ride in the city?
From GearPatrol.com
Innovation continues to propel cycling into the future, and this year’s releases were no exception.
They say once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget. There’s scientific evidence to back this up, but in our minds, it’s not so much the mechanism of procedural memory that locks the experience in the body and mind forever: it’s the fact that propelling yourself on two wheels is about as much fun as anything we’ve experienced.
The thrill produced by cycling is matched only by the thrill of kitting yourself out for riding on two wheels. (It all goes back to cycling, at the end of the day.) 2022 was a year of exciting releases, timely upgrades and just enough innovation to keep us on our toes, wondering what’s around the proverbial bend. The following products were standouts in a sea of compelling releases this year.
Priority’s updated Apollo is unique, reliable and high on the smiles per dollar scale. While the Apollo isn’t the fastest or lightest gravel bike ever, it might just be the smoothest and most reliable option — with a heck of a lot of bang for 2,000 bucks. That value is enhanced by the fact you won’t be needing to take this bike in for maintenance anytime soon. You’ll ride a lot of miles before spending another penny, and if your experience is anything like mine was, the adventure just might feel, well, out of this world.
Image courtesy of Priority Bicycles.
From StreetsBlog.org
The massive new federal funding bill making its way through Washington includes $45 million in much-needed funds for active transportation projects — but it’s still a tiny fraction of what American communities actually need.
As part of the $1.7-trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act released Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee announced that it would finally fund the new Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program established under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will issue discretionary grants to help U.S. communities address dangerous gaps in their bike lane, sidewalk, and multi-use trail networks.
That great news was soured slightly, though, by the dollar figure attached to it. Though Congress has the authority to give the active transport program up to $200 million a year for the next five years, the funding bill would grant it just $45 million for fiscal year 2023 — which is less than 10 percent of the annual $500 million advocates initially requested.
To put it that in perspective, communities seeking to build new infrastructure using funds from the new program (rather than applying for planning grants, which the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program will also fund) will need to submit projects with total costs in excess of $15 million. That means that just three communities could consume the entire pot of funding, if their poverty rates were high enough to meet the criteria for a 100-percent federal share — and that’s not even taking into account the administrative costs of running the program itself.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
From BikeRadar.com
By Jack Evans
Christmas truly has come early to you lucky BikeRadar readers. First Look Fridayhas fallen on Christmas Eve-eve here in the UK.
While a long freeze and postal strikes have jeopardised festive gift deliveries, BikeRadar’s internet elves have been helping Content Claus publish presents for you.
Before casting your mince pies over what Cycling Santa’s dropped down the BikeRadar chimney, tuck into the week’s website highlights.
Pre-season training camps for professional road cyclists always prompt tech speculation among those interested in WorldTour bikes.
On Monday, the sighting of a new Specialized aero handlebar set the new Tarmac SL8 rumour mill in motion.
Meanwhile, Mathieu van der Poel was pictured riding a blacked-out aero road bike. Could it be a new Canyon Aeroad prototype?
Team Movistar riders were spotted using what could be prototype SRAM Red shifters.
On firmer, but bumpier ground, senior technical editor Tom Marvin issued the latest update to his Revel Ranger long-term review. In other MTB news, our buyer’s guide to the best downcountry mountain bikes now has even more options.
More MTB kit featured in Luke Marshall’s Gear of the Year and Oscar Huckle’s multi-disciplinary selection.
Elsewhere, digital writer Nick Clark did a bike check on Kate Courtney’s Scott Contessa Scale RC.
Back on tarmac, the BH RS1 5.0 scored 4.5 stars for its blend of aero and endurance road bike prowess.
Lastly, the new Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2 upheld the brand’s reputation for producing some of the best bike computers.
Photo courtesy of Garmin
From BikeRumor.com
Love them or hate them, internal cable routing headsets are ripping through the bike industry like wild-fire. It is one of a series of steps brands have taken toward full integration. Goals include improved aerodynamics, improved aesthetics and, the holy grail, “clean lines”. For some, however, it is a step too far.
Running cables and brake hoses through the headset does, undoubtedly, tidy things up in the cockpit. However, headset-dependent, it does come with additional time spent in the work stand, and the increased labor costs associated with that. Some riders with deep pockets will, I’m sure, be happy to pay the premium, but others are in for a shock.
For most riders, it’s their bike mechanic that has to deal with the added complexity of internally routed cables. These folks have put up with years of ever-changing “standards” within the bike industry, so how much will this really bother them? We contacted mechanics from Europe and the US to get their viewpoint on internal headset cable routing, and while some of them did reply with a sense of diplomacy, others were rather more firm in their opinion.
We sent them the following:
“It’s you, the mechanic, who has to deal with the advent of internal headset cable routing that is sweeping across the industry. So, what are your thoughts on it? Is it a good thing, or a bad thing? Are you having to charge your customers more for headset bearing replacements, brake bleeds, cable replacements, and so on? Is it really that much more hassle, or is it easy enough once you’ve done one or two? Would you have it on your personal bike if, in some parallel universe, you weren’t responsible for the maintenance of your own bike?”
Photo by Munbaik Cycling Clothing on Unsplash
This week Alex and Ollie talk about how wide they think bike manufacturers will make tyre clearance. Also answered; how do you pack a bike with an integrated headset? Can I reuse my latex innertubes? These questions and more on the GCN Tech Clinic!
From Velonews.com
By LENNARD ZINN
Pinch flats are ruining my ride aurora. What is causing them? (Besides the pothole I just rode thru.) Seems I’m getting more occurrences since I went to a wider rim (24mm) over the standard 17mm. I would greatly appreciate it if you would weigh in on this “Snake” Bitten ordeal. Could the inner tube fit/size have an effect on the situation? IE: Is a tube sized 17mm-25mm more or less prone to pinching opposed to say a tube sized 23mm-30mm fitted in a 25mm tire?? As it would seem that the smaller size would be more stretched out thus rendering the lining thinner and possibly more prone. Then again, I wonder about the larger size perhaps being more bunched up by not fully forming inside the tire casing rendering it to be more prone to getting that “snake bite”!! Second thought, do pinch flats only/ mostly occur over the spoke hole recess vs the rim bed?? I await your most revered wisdom response on this HORRIBLE ordeal. Thanks, signed waiting for my wife to bring me a 3rd tube…
– Doug
Dear Doug,
First, yes, the wider rim with the same tire will be more prone to pinch flats, because the tire is more flattened out. The top of the tire has less far to go to hit the rim edge on the wider rim than on the narrower rim. Furthermore, the rim wall is sitting under less of the sidewall on the wider rim, so less of the tire and tube comes down to the rim, requiring less force yet to cause the pinch.
Photo by Daniel Llorente on Unsplash
Italy will host the start of the Tour de France for the first time in 2024.
Race organisers confirmed on Wednesday that the “grand dpart” will take place on June 29 from Florence to Rimini to mark 100 years since Ottavio Bottecchia became the first Italian rider to win the Tour.
Italy will host the first three stages of the 2024 race, which will end on July 21 in Nice instead of Paris because of the Olympic Games. It will be the first time since 1905 that the finish is not the French capital.
The start was brought forward by one week, a customary change during an Olympic year.
From the Tyrrhenian Sea in the west to the Adriatic in the east, Italy is a country full of history, culture and beautiful scenery, and is the perfect setting for an epic bike ride. Ollie and Alan from @gcnitalia took the new Wilier Granturismo SLR on a 270km journey across Tuscany and over the Apennine mountains to Alan’s mama’s house on the Adriatic coast for a traditional Italian dinner!
From CyclingWeekly.com
BY
What you eat and drink before, during and after a big ride is the key to success
Nutrition is a difficult thing to get right for shorter rides, let alone the longer outings. The last thing we want to experience is the dreaded ‘bonk’, especially when far away from home, and ideally we want to limit the pain in our legs that we feel the next day. So how do we fuel properly for rides that are longer than 3.5 hours?
To find out, we spoke with Dr Emily Jevons, a Lecturer in Nutrition at the University of Chester and a Physiology and Nutrition Consultant. She is an expert in sports nutrition, eating disorders, and endurance sport.
Although not something we often need to do in advance of Zone 2 paced endurance training rides, if you are sprinkling efforts / intervals into the ride, it is worth considering carb loading before a session.
Photo by David Dvořáček on Unsplash
