Weekend Watch: Martyn Ashton - Road Bike Party

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Review – Selle Italia SLR Boost Gravel Superflow Saddle S3

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The Selle Italia SLR Boost Gravel Superflow Saddle is designed for gravel bike riding. Featuring gel inserts to reduce vibration, titanium saddle rails to absorb trail buzz, and a sleek low-profile design to offer style and performance—this is a saddle made for adventure. The SLR Boost Gravel is Selle Italia's latest offering for the growing Gravel segment of the market; engineered specifically to enhance riding comfort on difficult terrain and during endurance gravel events. Available in two sizes, I opted for the smaller version (S3), and have been testing it out over the last month… I have become a great advocate of the cut-away design for saddles—it offers greater flexibility in the centre of the saddle and reduces pressure on the sensitive perineum region. The SLR Boost Gravel Superflow is a superb example of this kind of saddle design; with a cutaway section, short nose, and flared sides to effectively support your seat bones. To improve comfort on rough terrain, Selle...
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Recipe – The Ultimate High Energy Flapjacks

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This traditional flapjack recipe is packed full of energy for long days on the bike. The oats supply a great low-GI fuel source, while the dried fruit offers instant energy and sweetness. Whether on or off the bike, these flapjack bars are a great high-energy snack for cycling. You can adapt the recipe by adding in other dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and spices to make these even more varied and flavoursome. I particularly like pumpkin seeds and chopped crystallised ginger added to the mix. Ingredients 200g butter 100g brown sugar 1 tbsp golden syrup ½ tbsp black treacle 300g porridge oats 100g raisins 75g soft-dried figs 50g soft-dried apricots Method Set the oven to 150°C or 140°C for fan-assisted oven. Place the shelf in the middle Stick a big pan on the scales and measure in the butter and brown sugar Heat the pan on the hob until the butter and sugar are all melted Add a tablespoon of golden syrup and half a tablespoon of treacle to the mix Add the porridge oats and y...
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Best Gravel Bike Cycling Routes on the Isle of Wight

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I ride a gravel bike on the Isle of Wight more than I ride any other; it is the perfect way to explore the vast network of quiet roads and exciting open trails. In this post, I have tailor-made a selection of the best gravel cycling routes on the Isle of Wight, with suggested pit-stops and highlights. The Isle of Wight roads, trails, and tracks are my home. I have toured all over the world, but whenever I come back to this small island off the South Coast of the UK I am amazed at how diverse and beautiful the riding is here. 'The Island' is very easy to get to with a bike—use one of the three car ferry routes from Portsmouth, Lymington or Southampton; or come as a foot passenger and bring your bike for free on the Wightlink FastCat  from Portsmouth Harbour train station. You can get to the Island from Central London in just a little over three hours. Once you are here, there is a plethora of bike-friendly accommodation: from hotels and B&B's to campsites and Eco-l...
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SwissStop Disc Brake Pads Comparison Test Review – Are All Disc Brake Pads Made Equal?

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The market for disc brake pads for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and road bikes is saturated; there are hundreds of different brands producing disc brake pads claiming to last longer and perform better than the competition. So, what is the difference between a set of low cost disc brake pads from eBay/Amazon versus the high-end pads from SwissStop? Are SwissStop disc brake pads worth the extra money? To find out, I have been doing some extensive disc brake pad testing over the last few months. October to February is obviously a period of wet winter riding, and I have been testing the following list of brake pads on road, gravel and mountain bikes—to create the ultimate test for any disc brake set-up. The disc brake pads on test:  SwissStop Disc 34 RS (Shimano Road/Gravel)  SwissStop Disc 32 RS (SRAM Road/Gravel)  SwissStop Disc 31 E (MTB SRAM Avid)  Superstar Sintered Shimano Road Disc Brake Pads (Shimano Road/Gravel)  SOMMET Resin and Semi-Metallic Disc Brak...
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