Are you new to cycling and don’t know where to start? Overwhelmed by cycling advice and top tips? Do you really need training plans, specific nutrition, tight clothing and clipless pedals? Hank and Conor talk you through easy bike tips that will develop your confidence and ability, and some advice on what you shouldn’t do as a beginner cyclist!
From CyclingNews.com
By
For a few years, there was a kind of status quo in smart trainers. Every major brand had an entry level product with slightly lower specs. Generally that meant a 16% max gradient, accuracy at +/- 2%, and somewhere around 1800 watts max resistance. It was decent for most people and you could save a bit of money. If you decided to go for a more premium experience then you’d look at the next level and price point. These premium offerings felt about the same but looked nicer. They were also more accurate and could simulate a 25% max gradient. This year the whole system changed.
Although our list of the best smart trainers still has a variety of options, nothing looks quite the same. The low end was already hard to pick winners in and the Zwift Hub decimated whatever choice there was. Now with the Zwift Hub One and Wahoo Kickr Core offering essentially the same product with virtual or mechanical shifting respecitvely, it makes very little sense to bother with anything else for a lower spec trainer and that shift seems to have opened up the top end. Now the major players are competing for your dollars by trying to top each other.
The Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is the latest high-end trainer to try and compete in this new landscape. In some ways Wahoo entered the market first with the Kickr Move, but Garmin Tacx isn’t standing still. The Tacx Neo 3M is a smart trainer that’s more than the sum of its specs. If you are looking for the best indoor training experience available, keep reading to see if the Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is worth the money.
From Off.Road.cc
We list the best cycling podcasts to help get you through winter, the holiday drive or an indoor cycling session
Quite possibly the best-known and most popular off-road adventure riding podcast is The Adventure Stache, which is presented by US professional offroad endurance racer Payson McElveen.
Episodes are generally around an hour in duration and are presented every 5-7 days or so, plus there are at times also short trail grams interspersed from his travels off-road, too.
Subject matter varies but is mostly based around gravel and mountain bike adventures and events, with coverage from the major US gravel races often included. Guests have included endurance aces such as Lael Wilcox and Lachlan Morton and Vuelta a Espana winner Sepp Kuss among others.
If you’re interested in the gravity side of mountain biking then the Downtime should be among your first ports of call, in podcast listening terms that is.
Humbly launched to provide practical training technique information, the show soon blossomed into one of the most popular platforms for gravity-related audio interviews, insights and event coverage, and is presented by British mountain biker Chris Hall.
Photo by Tobias Bjerknes on Unsplash
Inner tubes, multi-tools, tyre leavers… snacks! The list of must-have cycling accessories is endless. Worry not, Ollie is here to dispel all saddlebag myths and share some of his well-earned knowledge on how to pack the best Saddle bag.
I get a bit misty-eyed about the 3T Exploro. I remember when it came out; the buzz around it was wild. ‘Gravel’ was in its infancy (no, don’t start about ’90s MTB, we haven’t the time) and I was razzing around the canal towpaths of Leeds on a cyclocross bike wondering why anyone in their right mind would make an aero gravel bike, as well as very much wanting one. This was further compounded when a friend of mine actually bought one, but fortunately for my beleaguered post-university bank balance, we were different enough in height that I never rode it.
The Exploro hasn’t stagnated since its inception and now exists in three guises – the ‘Pro’, which is the OG model, the ‘Ultra’ for bikepacking, designed primarily around 650b wheel usage, and the ‘Racemax’, optimised for 700c wheels with narrower tyres. Now it seems the Italian brand is creating two divergent streams of off-road evolution.
Earlier in the year the brand launched its Racemax Italia, a bike very much aimed at the gravel racing we see at the pointy end of events like Unbound. Now it has launched the Extrema Italia, a bike clearly heading in a different direction. There’s still an aero package, but the stated aim of this new lineage is to tackle far more challenging terrain. Think of events like the Atlas Mountain race, where half the field turns up on mountain bikes.
Image courtesy of https://us.3t.bike/en/243-extrema-italia
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.
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.)
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.
Women’s cycling has shifted up a few gears, but finding the right bike as a woman can be tricky. Are women’s specific bikes needed in the bike industry or do we need a wider range of bike frame sizes? Manon interviews various cycling industry experts to get their take on women’s bikes.
From LA.Streetsblog.org
By Joe Linton
The city of Pasadena recently installed new bike lanes on Cordova Street. Pasadena’s 1.5-mile long Cordova Street Complete Streets Project includes about 0.9 mile of new bike lanes from Lake Avenue to Arroyo Parkway where Cordova ends – about a block from Metro’s Del Mar A (former Gold) Line Station. Space for the new bike lanes was freed up by reducing the number of car lanes, called a road diet.
The $2.7 million Cordova project also features road resurfacing, curb extensions at eight intersections, five new traffic signals, zebra crosswalks, sidewalk and ramp repair/replacement, and more.
The unprotected Cordova bike lanes are not quite as high quality a facility as Pasadena’s recently completed two-way protected Union Street bikeway; the Cordova lanes are unprotected, with a buffer throughout and green pavement at conflict zones, including through intersections. With green paint, buffers, smooth pavement, and fewer car lanes to contend with, the Cordova lanes are about as nice as unprotected bike lanes get.
Pasadena City’s map of its Cordova Street Complete Streets Project
From Road.cc
You spend months travelling weary epic miles across greased treacherous bike shop floors, trudge through the sticky magazine mire looking for clues and wander around the endless dank wastelands of the internet, fighting the odd troll along the way, trying to find this exquisite bauble who’s myth only grows with time and tavern tales that it’s been blessed with a unicorn’s kiss, and which would finally render your exhausting quest complete.
Upon return you can only hope that the gift finds favour with the crowned head, otherwise you’re destined for banishment in the deepest darkest dungeon until you’re allowed out to make the tea. Our bravest knight VecchioJo has already scoured the farthest corners of the dominion so you don’t have to, and can proffer a selection of cycling presents that should please even the most fussy monarch, or princess.
This gift guide for the discerning cyclist (not to be confused with the cyclist who just wants expensive things, for that see our money-no-object gifts for cyclists guide) might help any awkward unwrapping incidents. We’d also recommend having a gander at our sub-£50 gift guide for stocking fillers if the cyclist in your life is less picky, and our annual what not to buy for cyclists guide for… well, you get the idea.
Stelvio, Mont Ventoux, Grossglockner in one ride! You heard us correctly, one ride! Ollie takes on this epic challenge from the comfort of his turbo trainer, thanks to the Rouvy platform. Join us for every peak, downhill and twist of this huge bike ride.
