Advice

There are always ways to make your bike riding more comfortable, more enjoyable, and allow you to ride further and faster than ever before.

On this page, you will find useful hints, tips and advice on various areas of the sport:




Bikepacking and Endurance Cycle Touring






Cycle Training and Personal Care


Tim Wiggins Mountain Bike Endurance Racing




Sports Nutrition and Recipes





Cycle Clothing Advice






Equipment and Home Workshop Bicycle Maintenance





Isle of Wight Routes and Local Cycling Knowledge


Tim Wiggins Isle of Wight




Gift Ideas for Cyclists





Popular posts from this blog

Review – Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 TSA Road Bike Bag

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The best-selling Scicon Aerocomfort Bike Bag has received some significant design updates. With thru-axle compatibility, added protection, and an overall lighter weight—the Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0  is even more of a market-leader than before. Back in 2013, I reviewed the Scicon Aerocomfort 2.0 ( read the review here ). That bag has had some significant use: for transporting bikes on planes, trains, and even yachts. With many of my bikes  now having thru-axle designs though, the Aerocomfort 2.0 had required some questionable 'bodging' on my part to make it usable. I was therefore relieved when the new 3.0 was released—this new design is much improved. Thru-Axle Compatibility One of the biggest differences with the Scicon Aerocomfort 3.0 Bike Bag is that it will accommodate 12 mm thru axles on the front and rear of the patented suspension frame system. To fit thru-axles, you simply remove the QR inserts in the suspension frame, then use your bike's existing axles t...
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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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Review – Victorinox Bike Multi Tool Kit

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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 ...
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Review – TRP Spyre SLC Cable Disc Brakes

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Cable actuated disc brakes get a lot of bad press. There is some justification for that — most of the systems lack the modulation and performance of their hydraulic counterparts. There is however one set of cable disc brakes that shines above the rest: the TRP Spyre SLC Disc Brake. This lightweight and sleek cable disc caliper excels in both design and functionality. My Kona Private Jake arrived in 2016 with a set of TRP's Spyre-C disc brakes fitted as standard. Those brakes worked very well for over 25,000 kilometres of use and abuse; I rode the bike for daily commutes (including a salty daily ferry journey), and I rode the bike fully loaded over the highest cols in the Pyrenees on the #CoastsandCols tour. The Spyre-C took all this abuse in hand and always produced the stopping power I demanded. This year, with the Kona Private Jake hitting a 25,000 kilometre anniversary, I decided it was time to upgrade and replace a number of the parts. To be honest, most of the component...
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Review – SunRace CS MX80 (MX8) 11-46T Cassette for SRAM

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If you are running a SRAM Force or Rival 1X drivetrain set-up, then you may well find yourself wishing for a lower gear, especially on bikepacking adventures. The SunRace MX80 / MX8 11-46 tooth cassettes supply two additional low ratio gears than you get on the standard 11-42T SRAM cassette. That is an upgrade worth considering... On my Kona Sutra LTD build , I was concerned about a lack of low end gear spread for the Tour Divide . Whilst pure grunt will usually get you up most things on an 11-42T cassette, I thought with the cumulative fatigue and long climbs on this 21 day bikepacking route, I might need something lower... SRAM rate their SRAM Rival and Force 1X rear derailleurs as suitable for a maximum of a 42-tooth cassette—I was keen to see if the SunRace MX80 and MX8 cassette would work with the derailleurs and provide that sought-after lower gear possibility. You may well not have heard of the SunRace brand, but you likely have heard of Sturmey Archer—the iconic hub gea...
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