Ride Stats: September 2013

  • September has been a fairly good month; nothing spectacular, nothing too bad
  • Mileage up above 1000 again
  • High hour count in part due to lots of commuting
  • Speed down a bit compared to normal due primarily to a lack of racing
Lots of BIG rides coming up in October, more news soon...
Labels:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Best Gravel Bike Cycling Routes on the Isle of Wight

Image
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...
Keep reading

Recipe – The Ultimate High Energy Flapjacks

Image
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...
Keep reading

Review – Selle Italia SLR Boost Gravel Superflow Saddle S3

Image
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...
Keep reading

Review – Victorinox Bike Multi Tool Kit

Image
I have a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that has featured in my 'every day carry' for almost a decade; it still performs like new and is an invaluable asset. I recently discovered that the Swiss brand makes a bike tool, and I was keen to see if it lives up to the same exacting Swiss standard. The Victorinox Bike Tool is effectively a mini socket set: the magnetic 5mm hex key detaches from the tool holder and then you fit any bit piece to it: the range includes 2-6mm hex keys, a T25 Torx key, and flat and cross-head screwdriver bits. All the bit pieces are made from high tensile stainless steel and have a very good fit in bolt heads—promising not to round off fittings, if used correctly. The body of the tool also features two clip-in tyre levers that are made from strong plastic composite, and do a good job of levering stubborn tubeless tyres from wheel rims, as well as having a nice rounded profile to protect the tube. The whole bike tool weighs just 92 grams and is 100mm ...
Keep reading

Review – Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valves

Image
Tubeless tyres are now widely accepted to be the best choice for gravel bikes, mountain bikes and even road bikes; but whilst tubeless technology has come a long way in the last decade, tubeless valves remain one area that has been ripe for improvement. Tubeless bicycle tyre set-ups usually use a Presta style valve, with a removable valve core to allow you to inject tubeless sealant into the tyre without removing the tyre from the rim. Yet, Presta valves have two disadvantages: First, their relatively small valve opening reduces the airflow that can be pumped into the tyre in one go, this is problematic when you want a large whoosh of air to 'pop' the tyre bead onto the rim when seating tubeless tyres. The second disadvantage is that tubeless sealant tends to clog up the delicate valve core, leading to problems inflating and deflating the tyre. Muc-Off have a solution to the downfalls of Presta valves, with their new Muc-Off Big Bore Tubeless Valves. Designed to maximise a...
Keep reading