Forsyth

From Galway To Guinness: 9 Reasons Cyclists Will Fall In Love With Ireland

From TravelAwaits.com

By Joan Sherman

Lots of people have Ireland on their “bucket list,” and we were among them. Biking the Emerald Isle offers beautiful countryside and scenic views along a dramatic coastline.

My husband, Dean, and I combined a trip to Ireland with our love of cycling and booked a June VBT biking vacation: Ireland: Galway & Connemara Coast. This was our third VBT trip, having traveled with them to Acadia National Park and again to Slovenia, Austria, and Italy. Spectacular trips!

If you are a cyclist, here are some reasons why I think you’ll fall in love with cycling in Ireland.

1. Epic Scenery

Part of the joy of biking is being in the scenery. You’re not cruising along on a narrow road gazing out the window as you fly by, you’re on a bike, and you’re in it. Of all the things to love about cycling in Ireland, at the top of the list has got to be the epic scenery and landscapes. Here are two of the many highlights.

The Wild Atlantic Way

It was thrilling to bike along the western coastline called The Wild Atlantic Way (WAW), the longest coastal route in the world. It’s named for rugged Atlantic storms that roll in along the western coast. The WAW covers some 1,600 miles from the northern Inishowen Peninsula to the southern town of Kinsale in County Cork.

The Burren

The Burren is a large limestone plateau along the west-central coast of Ireland that was shaped by glaciers. The name “the Burren” comes from the Gaelic Boireann meaning “place of stone,” and at about 200 square miles, they aren’t kidding. It is truly unique among all the landscapes we saw. We hopped off our bikes and took an uneven, craggy walk to enjoy this unique, rugged beauty.

Photo by Nils Nedel on Unsplash

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SAVE THE DATE: 2023 NATIONAL BIKE SUMMIT MARCH 26-29, 2023

From BikeLeague.org

About the 2023 National Bike Summit: 

The 23rd Annual National Bike Summit will take place Sunday, March 26 – Wednesday, March 29, 2023. The Summit in DC will feature in-person workshops, mobile discussion groups, opportunities to ride, and networking events as we gather advocates from around the country around building a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. All Summit sessions/panels, plenaries, and keynote speakers will be streamed online for in-person and virtual attendees. Speakers will have the option to participate from anywhere in the country and from the Summit venue in DC, the National Union Building at 918 F Street NW.

The 2023 National Bike Summit will once again be a hybrid event. All Summit attendees will participate in sessions, plenaries, and keynotes virtually, with daily online programming beginning at 1pm ET / 10am PT. Additionally, in-person Summit attendees will have the option to take part in non-virtual group rides, workshops, and other networking opportunities. On Wednesday, March 29, participants will take part in Lobby Day to meet with their representatives in Congress. Online attendees should only expect to participate in Lobby Day meetings virtually if are no in-person attendees representing their district or state.

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What Is The Lightest Bike In The WorldTour Peloton? | GCN Tech Show

We know that pro bikes are super light compared to what most of us ride, but which men’s UCI WorldTour team has the lightest 2023 bike? Alex weighed all the pro bikes at the Tour Down Under and we can now reveal the results! We also have some exciting new hot tech, including a new national champion’s jersey for our own Andrew “The Twig” Feather!

Entire 2023 Ciclavia Calendar!

CicLAvia catalyzes vibrant public spaces, active transportation and good health through car-free streets.

You asked and we delivered.

🎉The entire 2023 CicLAvia Sunday schedule is here! We have been steadily increasing the number of annual events since 2010 and we’re proud to bring you MORE events than ever before. Double the number from 2022.

Mark your calendars and prepare accordingly! Our team is working to finalize maps and all the event details. As always, our newsletter subscribers will get the first peek at everything!

*CicLAmini: Compact neighborhood routes. Click here to learn more.

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The “World’s Lightest eBike?” The New Thōmus Swissrider weighs just 25 lbs!

From BikeRumor.com

Written by

Thōmas SA is celebrating their new location in Santa Monica, California in style.

On Friday, the Swiss bicycle company released their all-new Swissrider eBike in both an Urban/Gravel and Road version. Thōmus makes the claim that their new “lightweight and versatile” electric bike weighs in at only 25 pounds, claiming the Swissrider to be the “World’s lightest ebike”.

Unfortunately for Thōmus, the Cannondale SuperSix EVO Neo already checks in at a claimed 24.9lbs (11.3kg), so the claim of the “lightest electric bike available” might not be true, depending on the actual weights of these bikes. Not only that, but the Ribble Endurance SL e Hero claims to be even less, at 10.5kg. To be fair, the Swissrider is still impressively light at 11.5kg, and it’s also less expensive than the $10k SuperSix.

Thōmus USA is a retailer and manufacturer of “world-class” road, mountain, and gravel bikes designed by Thōmus SA of Switzerland. The bikes are fully assembled by hand at the on-site workshop. The company was founded in 2021 and operates a flagship retail boutique in Santa Monica, California.

The new development is a milestone for Thomas Binggeli, CEO, and Founder of Thōmus. “The Swissrider is an e-bike for life and is light enough to carry up the stairs and hang on the train without effort, yet with enough power to ride with ease. Only a discreetly integrated control element on the top tube suggests that this is an electric bike“, he added.

Thōmus developed the Swissrider at its headquarters in Oberried, where Binggeli started bike production on his parent’s farm thirty years ago.

Image courtesy of Thoemus.com

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Lightweight Vs Aero – What’s The Fastest All-Round Bike?

When it comes to road bikes, there are two main types: lightweight and aero. Lightweight bikes are designed to go faster up the climbs, whereas aero bikes are faster on the flat. But if you’re doing a ride that combines the two, such as a gran fondo, which bike is best for you? Ollie & Alex compare the two bikes over varied terrain to find out which is faster overall!

Cinelli’s partnership with former professional road cyclist Taylor Phinney

From Rouleur.cc

WORDS: JAMES STARTT

When it comes to iconic cycling brands, few can match the storied reputation of Cinelli. Founded by Italian professional Cino Cinelli, the company has produced some of the most coveted bicycles in the history of the sport.

The legendary Supercorsa frameset, first designed for Fausto Coppi, was only produced in small numbers and models still fetch high prices today, while their  iconoclastic Laser took aerodynamic design to new heights in the 1980s, winning international awards even outside of the sport. But while the historic Italian brand is proud of its past, it has its eye on the future, and a new collaboration with Taylor Phinney, the former professional-turned artist, is offering just one glimpse of this.

Cino Cinelli founded the eponymous company in 1948. A formidable racer, Cinelli won Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Lombardy as well as three stages in the Giro d’Italia. He also wore the maglia rosa. However, with racing opportunities limited during the war, he instead focused on developing his brand.

“Cino was one of those guys that knew everybody and was always at the centre of everything. He was an incredible communicator,” says Cinelli archivist Marcello Manca. “Even after his career was over he worked closely with cyclists. He founded the professional cyclists’ trade union, of which he was the president for 24 years, in 1946. In addition, his wife was Swiss and spoke five languages. That was very rare at the time, and it allowed him to develop connections around the world. But Cino liked to keep his hands dirty. He always had his head inside the bike.”

Image courtesy of Cinelli

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Score a BirdBike e-bike that ships free and is 60% off

From Mashable.com

By StackCommerce

Whether you returned to the office a while ago, or 2023 will be your first brush with a commute in a bit, there are certain things you can do to make the grind more tolerable. An educational app or addictive podcast is a great way to pass the time, but if you’d like to truly enjoy the daily commute(Opens in a new window)(opens in a new tab) you might want to think about changing up your means of transportation.

Have a little more fun en route to your 9 to 5. The BirdBike A-frame e-bike is available here at the lowest price online for a limited time: $899 with free shipping to boot, a savings of 60%.

Made by the team that brought the world shared electric scooters, Bird’s new electric bike, the BirdBike, is ready to change the way you ride. It takes the greatest parts of the bikes you know and love (commuter bikes, mountain bikes, and electric-powered bikes) and turns them into a speedy, cool ride.

Ideal for the daily commute and weekend errands, you’ll probably want any excuse to take a ride on this e-bike(Opens in a new window)(opens in a new tab) once you get a taste. It comes with the throttle conveniently on the handlebar so you can quickly get a boost of speed, and with a 500W powerful motor and a max speed of 20MPH, you can cover some ground faster than you may expect. There’s also an integrated backlit dash display on the handlebar that lets you keep track of your speed, distance, pedal assist mode, battery life, and more.

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More New Cycling Tech From The Tour Down Under! | GCN Tech Show

The start of the road racing season means lots of new tech on show. Alex got his hands on all the new team bikes and components when he was down in Australia ahead of the Tour Down Under, and we’ve got some bonus hot tech for you! We also take a look at the new Giro Aries Spherical helmet, look through your top comments, and rate your Bike Vault submissions.

Six things I’ve learned while travelling with a bike

From CyclingNews.com

By

Some thoughts on my luck making it to multiple destinations, and back, with a functioning bike

Right now, in the middle of winter, many of us are either looking to get somewhere warmer right away, or dreaming of summer holidays. As you consider these plans, you are probably thinking about what it takes to bring your bike with you. As with anything, travelling with a bike gets easier the more you’ve done it and, at this point, I’ve done it a lot.

Although I’ve done it a lot now, for most of my life I never travelled with a bike. I either took a break when I travelled or I borrowed a bike from a friend. If I’m being completely honest one of the reasons is that I was kind of scared to do it. These days though, it’s not really an option to leave a bike at home. I make my way across the country, or world, to report on new experiences and I need a bike with me. It’s given me the opportunity to test some of the best bike travel casesbut it’s also given me an opportunity to pick up some tips. It turns out that it’s really not so complicated. I missed out on a lot of adventures because I was too nervous. Now I’m hoping to share some ideas and encourage you to bring your bike next time you travel. Keep reading to see some of what I’ve learned as I’ve travelled with my bike.

1. Use a tracking device

For the last few years, you’ve likely been reading about people who know without a doubt exactly where their luggage is. The airlines might not know where it is but the customers do and it’s all because of an Apple Airtag. How many times do you need to read that story before you decide to add one of those devices to your must have travel accessories? For me the tipping point was watching US airline Southwest completely melt down during the Christmas 2022 holiday. With stacks of luggage all over the country and general pandemonium, I knew it was time to stop procrastinating and grab a tracker.

Without diving too deep into the mechanics of it, Airtags are the most well-known option. They connect to any iPhone and they leverage that network connection to report their location. If you don’t have an iPhone then you can’t use one. Apple didn’t invent the system though. Tile came before, and they still exist. Given that I use an Android phone I grabbed a Tile and had it set up within five minutes.

When it was time to fly, I dropped the Tile tracker into the bag with my bike before heading to the airport. The moment I was away from the bag, I started checking. I found it wouldn’t always give an exact location but it was more than good enough to show that my bike was on my plane and had made it to the next stop. As I was waiting at the oversize bag collection in the next airport I could always see that the bike was somewhere in the airport. I was able to relax even if it took a bit longer for my bike to come out.

If you want more exact tracking, especially in remote locations, another option is the Invoxia GPS Tracker. Unlike a Bluetooth tracker, there is a yearly service cost, but that’s because it has its own cellular connectivity. It doesn’t matter if someone with a phone is around to connect with your tracker and the location is exact. It’s on our list of the Best bike GPS trackers and it’s something I’ll be playing with next time I fly.

 

Image courtesy of EVOC

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