Power Failure 18th September

Please note due to a power failure in the street we are not open (yet) today. Engineers are working on the fault and we have been told it should be back on later today. We will keep you posted as soon as. Thanks for your patience.

Power failure 18th Sept

Please note due to a power failure in the street we are not open (yet) today. Engineers are working on the fault and we have been told it should be back on later today. We will keep you posted as soon as. Thanks for your patience.

UNE CREVAISON !!!!

I AM SUCH A LUDDITE.

 IMAGINE JUST HOW INCENSED I WAS , WHEN THIS THOROUGHLY MODERN , DIMINUTIVE PUMP , WEIGHING NEXT TO NOTHING ,PERFORMED AS DESCRIBED ON THE PACKAGING ....
I WAS POSITIVELY INTUMESCENT....

HERE , A VIDEO . ROCK HARD IN UNDER A MINUTE . AT MY AGE !!!

I'M SURE YOU CRAZY KIDS COULD MANAGE THIS 6 OR 7 TIMES IN THE DAY, WITHOUT EVER TIRING.

HERE , A PICTURE .

IT'S A PUMP . WHAT DO YOU NEED ? INSTRUCTIONS ?

GET ABOUT 30 QUID , AND SWAP IT FOR ONE OF THESE PUMPS . THE BUSINESS END FITS RACING BIKE ( PRESTA ) VALVES , OR MTB/BMX ( CAR TYPE ) VALVES.
WORKS DEAD GOOD WHEN YOU NEED IT TO . UP TO 160 Psi .  COMFY IN THE HAND . COMES WITH A CLIP TO FIX TO YOUR WATER BOTTLE BOLTS . OR BUNG IT IN YOUR BACKPACK . ABOUT THE SIZE OF A CUBAN CIGAR , BUT LEGAL IN THE USA.

THIS IS THE HIGH PRESSURE ' RACE-SPECIFIC' VERSION . WE ALSO HAVE AN EVER SO SLIGHTLY LARGER , ROAD/MTB ONE , TO PUMP LARGER VOLUME TYRES . STILL SUPER COMPACT . 3 GRAMS HEAVIER , SO MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR SOME CYCLISTS.

I'VE BEEN DOING SOME COMMUTING , THIS WEEKS SAVED PETROL BOUGHT ME ONE .

TIM

 

 

20% Off Bikes - 1 Week only!

Ends 24th June.
Layaway, Cyclescheme & Bikes already on sale not included.
Only applies to bikes physically IN STOCK (warehouse stock not included).
Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discounts.

BIKES OF THE WEEK: Schwinn Coffee & Cream

Scott Scale 740 (650b) IN STORE NOW!

In store now, less than 50 bikes for the UK!

650b or Scale 700 as Scott like to call it is a new hotly anticipated XC concept for SCOTT. 650b was ridden to Olympic Silver and World Champ XC Gold in 2012 by Swisspower SCOTT Nino Shurter.

As in 2011 when we had the Foil launch with a small quantity of bikes available to the UK, we will have an Alloy & Carbon models. SCALE 700 will be the first genuine production XC hardtail in the UK market and follows on the heels of the Genius 700 line.

SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC

UTTERLY EPIC MTB RIDE LAST WEEKEND. I WAS ' EVALUATING ' THE 650b WHEELED SCOTT GENIUS. WHICH WAS GREAT .
I'LL DO ONE OF MY MAGNUS BLOGGUS WRITE UPS WHEN I GET A MINUTE , BUT TO BE GOING ON WITH HERE'S A SHORT VID THAT STU DID ON THE DAY.
FAIRLY CAPTURES THE DAY .....

BIKE OF THE WEEK: Kona Process

EOSTRE MONDAY

Like most fully functioning , cosmically aware adults , I like to spend my Eostre festival weekend of fertility , getting up to all kinds of grown up shenanigans at my local pagan worship site .
Imagine my horror when I got there , and that Johnny come lately bearded zombie lot had beaten me too it .
 
Anyway .....
Totally bonkers ride . I set off from my house into a snowstorm . Albeit a fairly gentle dusting , but it was pretty damn parky.
Met up with Chris on the way near his , and then we rode up to meet Stu and Andy .
This week I'm on my other Gary Fisher . The Big Sur .

Trails were superb !!!!

"Crispy" , someone once said .

We rode up the industry standard climb through the gardens . Bit slippy under the bridge . Expected .
And then we turned the corner for the last hoof to the Pigeon Tower . Insane . 3 - 4 ft  ( 0.9 - 1.2m )* high frozen rock hard drifted snow . A bit like a bordercross track . ACE . Bit uphill though , so it was sketchy . Fairly nailed it though .

Same on the top bridleway under the Rivi ' Pike . All good fun . Flat here , so more do-able .

Climbed up to the Pike . Again , a bit of snow, easily avoided on that ' Tricky Corner ' , and then up the final ramp . Easy . Except it's , like , a force 10 headwind .  Superb .
 If only I had'nt forgot my hairshirt , it could have been so much more painful .

Off the back . Bone dry . Brill . Baked Alaska .

A brief parlez vous at the bottom resulted in me being outvoted 3: 1. Unanimously , then . I was thinking we'd tick off the ' Two Lads ' , but , to be fair , it was looking brutal up there . The wind was whipping snow-bits in sideways , for the full experience .
So we ' kept it low ' and dropped through Wilderswood .
Nice little run .

Not many options from the bottom of the woods . As we've lost elevation , we either ... A) Go back up , or B) Go home . So we go back up . Unanimously . Didnt even really take any convincing .
A middlin' stiff climb ,tough though, and a few minutes later , we're back on the main bridleway .
More of the same , but now we have a bit of a tailwind as we retrace our route back past the Pike  .

Lots of fun again on the moguls . I was thinking we'd drop back through the gardens , but the guys fancy the Ice Cream Run , and democracy seems to be the order of the day.
At this juncture , I'm going to indulge myself with some digression .
Years ago , when Alan used to come out , I gave the Ice cream Run it's name . I'd say to Alan ," Shall we go through the gardens , or do you fancy the Ice Cream Run ? "
I probably only said it once or twice , but it kinda stuck . Most importantly , in my mind.
See , there was often an ice cream van at the bottom . Hence the ' Ice cream ' bit . The ' Run ' bit came about because a portion of the downhill is in a cutting, of sorts . Fairly wide , but definitely a cutting . As it twists and turns down the hill , as a young mountainbiker , on my trusty pearl white Muddyfox , with the wind in my eyes, I'd imagine it was the famous bobsleigh course , The Cresta Run .
So there it is . And 26 some years later , it now looks a bit like it too .

And here we are . Loads of fun . There's some dry bits , but lots of snow too . Either an MX bike , or a landrover has maybe had a go in places , and theres a nice channel cut in . Just about wide enough for your pedals , and just a bit slippy too , but not too slippy . Just right .

I was kinda gutted the Frederick's Ice Cream van had decided to stay at home .

So , we went to the caff .

 And then the road was closed .
I saw a pic of the road last week , but in real life , it's pretty mental . Shaded too , so I cant see the snow shifting soon . Much the same as up on top of the hills , apart from the roadies pushing their bikes up in their dancing shoes . Hmm .

I'd noticed my front tyre was a bit soft . Pinch flat , I think . So after a quick brew I swapped that out , and we headed off .
Andy and Stu back to their cars around the corner , and myself and Chris hoofing it .
Overall a superb ride out . I dropped Chris off at his , and then spun it home , and just nicely tired as I climbed the last bit to our house .

I did'nt take a single pic , so here's a short video that Stu did with his new camera . It's a bit like a Go-Pro . Lo-Pro ? It was the first outing , so he needs to fettle its position . Should be sorted for next weekend's EPIC in the Lake District . ....

* metric system

TIM

Bike of the Week: CHARGE Grater

TIME BANDITS

Had a good few rides out in the last couple of weeks . Keeping it mostly local . Even managed to get Alan out on his new 29er the other week .
A couple of weeks ago myself and Tony were out . Kinda usual thing that we've been doing . Ince Moss over to Amberswood , etc .
After some less than usual meandering though , we ended up at The Wuchie . A local relic of the mining industry . Basically a huge spine of slagheap , covered in vegetation .
The local council in their wisdom had fenced off the bulk of it a long time ago , following the unfortunate death of an MXer , I believe .
Whilst since then  I'd ridden alongside it many times , I'd not ridden the top ridge spine for , I dunno , knocking on 20 yrs .
They'd made it so inaccessible with all manner of steelworks it wasn't worth the effort. I guess it's still not technically ' legal ' , so we set our buff's to ' balaclava ' and made the effort .
 
 
Superb .
Proper nostalgia trip for me too . Bit of pushing here and there up to the top , but once up there we had a great time , even ''sessioning'' the roller coaster run at the end a few times .

So this week , we did basically the same loop , but also deviated over to Borsdane Woods . The whole thing added up to a 30 miler. A whole lot wetter this week though . Very slippy in places .

Well , that's my excuse .....

 

  

 

reconstruction

Great ride . Thinking of getting back up Rivi next weekend , let The Wuchie dry out a bit .

reconstruction

TIM

 

Bike of the Week: Cannondale Synapse Sora

This week's BOTW is the brilliant Cannondale Synapse Sora:

Bike of the Week: Cannondale Quick CX 3

We are three weeks in to our Bike of the Week programme and still keeping on schedule! This week's bike is the 2013 Cannondale Quick CX 3.

1897 Revisted

Out on the Cooker Hi 29er for the first time today, only been about 3 months since I've had it. A real old school ride over the Moss of Ince; last time I did this was 1987; might as well have been 1897 as I had no idea where i was.  

First impressions starting from my house: it's fast with the big wheels as fast as my fixie I'd say. Shifting - despite an X0 rear mech upgrade - I'm sorry to report Mr S. Ram was not to Shimano standards, but to be fair it's new and does need some adjustment. Forks felt good, front end was easier to pick up than I thought it would be. Saddle (Charge Spoon, suede variety) was T.I.S*. I have to say I felt no Big Ring Deficiency as voiced by the regular scribe to these pages, just felt normal, in fact I hardly used the Granny gear at all, less than I normally would, effectively using the transmission as a 1x10 system. Brakes, compared to my 1990 Nishiki Alien with XT cantis, were unsurprisingly great, although a disturbing whine from the front disc made me think I was being hunted down by a road sweeper for about half a mile form the Boar's Head to Woodfield school until I realised what it was. Had no "getting going" issues normally associated with the species. M530 SPD's were great**, would not have been my first choice but they have enough cage to unclip one foot if you're making a rare sketchy descent (yes I bottled a few today). Could do with a remote seatpost. You could feel a sort for side-to-side-gyroscopic effect when standing up to pedal, front end seemed to push/wander/wallow more than a 26er, could be the tyres, but worth putting up with because they look so good. 

Overall, I like it and will persevere, I'll have Tom look at the gears & front brake and get a RockShox post for it. Fixed the slipping seatpost with a Hope QR (30.0mm BTW).

Alan.

*  Tim's Industry Standard.

** All cleaned and lubed then scratched the bumper on the car with the pedal when putting it away, in exactly the same place I did years ago before it was painted.

You have to admit, it's a great looking bike.

Alivio where art though?

This doesn't slip.

This has green paint on it now.

FASTING

It's funny sometimes how a day pans out .

Been working up on a windy roof . Big flat thing . Dont worry, you can't fall off  . Anyway , freezing cold up there , but being construction types , not too bad with the proper layering system on , and the industry standard brew : work ratio .

I'm away this weekend , no bikey bikey , so I'm kinda keen , and double motivated for a midweek eve sesh .

On the drive home , I convince myself it's do-able , providing the Ministry for Fun does'nt have other ideas , and start to plan a local , quick , pre-tea , route .
 Upon arriving home the daily in-law visit is still ongoing , and it could have gone into extra time , but I mostly avoid eye contact , and the kettle ,and head for the shed .

I still have 9/10ths ownership of Alan's Charge Cooker Hi 29er thingy , that, it's fair to say , I have'nt totally been at one with . 
I was at pains to point out that the rides themselves had been unfavourably muddy , and did'nt really suit the nature of the bike , and that it needed a spin up Rivi , maybe . 
So last week when we went up Rivi , I , er , took my old Fisher ...

It was a pre-emptive logistics issue . We went out on the Saturday , and the 29er was cleaned , thinking I might return it , so I took  my old bike instead . 
So , I open the shed , and there's the Charge at the front of the quiver .All cleaned and ready for action ....

It really has been a quick turnaround since I arrived back home . I have my kit on in 10 mins or so , and I grab my lights etc . Only then do I notice the early stages of bonk . I was kinda rumbly tumbly on the drive home , and I've eschewed the usual post work coffee and bickies .
Decision time . I can grab some food , which will delay me getting out , OR , I can just go out .
Remembering an article on how hunter gatherers could'nt possibly have hunted and eaten large meals daily , and how hungry bodies can find energy as a survival mechanism , I head out the gate .

Straight away the Cooker is flying .  Should that be frying ?

I havent got tons of time . Teatime is " at six o'clock !" . I have an hour at the most , and that's allowing for a little bit of  " the chips are ruined !" , lateness .
I have a country mile , or so , before the tarmac gives way to a farm track , still a touch wet from last weeks rain /snow / melt , and I hit it at speed with head down . There's the odd pothole here and there , and some less firm bits , but with the extra speed , and the big wheels I guess , it just munches them up . The track rolls up and down a bit too , but I just dig in , and keep on top of the gears , even getting out of the saddle for the climb over the railway bridge .
I can see that this type of riding suits the bike perfectly . It's been a brutal warm up though , and as I keep it going down the other side , I think if I'd had a snack before I went out , I might be saying hello to it again , right about now .
The circuit around the 3 Sisters is more of the same . The paths are OK , but in places quite wet , with long boggy puddles . Again , with the momentum kept high , it's not a problem , but I'm really feeling the effort now . I thought I was maybe a tad underdressed , as it is very cold , but right now I'm as warm as toast. The sweeping corners around the perimeter of the karting track make up for the hill I have to push up . In my , and the bike's , defence , it was very muddy . Sticky muddy . I ' zipped ' the back wheel on a root , and that was that . 

A half lap of the lake , and then the path turns for a slight downhill . Not steep at all , but about a half mile long , and all but straight as a die .
It's a bit of a rest , I suppose , but I still kept it hammering along into a stiff breeze . At the end theres a sneaky chicane and then a squeeze past a fence and stile . The bars are too wide .
Who needs a 700mm handlebar ? I realise we've moved on from the 22" bars of the early 90s , but these need an appointment with a hacksaw.
While I'm at it , I'd bang some bar-ends on .

The rest of the pain in pretty much every part of my cardio vascular system , means I didnt feel the pain in my hand when it hit the fence , and besides , I'm a construction worker . I have another perfectly good hand.

From here I'm heading over to Viridor Wood . It sounds like some Pratchett world , but in reality , its just a pile of old crap that's been grassed over with a few trees . Its coming on nicely though .
Its a gentle mound of a hill , and very exposed to the seemingly stiffer headwind . I've backed off  a little , and settled into my groove , but as I'm aware that the wind is shoving me back , I dig in again and try to get back on top .   I suppose it's those bigger wheels again , but fully wound up they do keep rolling well .

As it's a circuit , the wind ' shifts ' to assist me on the back straight , at the bottom of which is a tight left hander . I'd felt the other week that the Cooker was a bit wobbly at slow speeds ,and noticibly so on techy stuff in the woods . This is a slightly less techy corner , with a sprint out , and carrying some speed in , it rails around nicely as I head back.

I'm basically doing an out / back circuit , so I need to get through the 3 sisters again . Looking at my watch the chips must be just going in the pan , so I grit my teeth and get on with it .
The path back is mostly uphill now , all the way to where I can get back on the road in the Industrial Estate for the last few miles on the road .
The key really is to keep on top of the gears . Once it's on top of you , it's harder than a regular 26" to get back up to speed , so I'm fairly blowing hard as I hoof it up , and thinking about hacksaws as I squeeze through the gate.

I'd said the other week that I did'nt like the 2x10 gear set up . I'd still have a triple , but tonight it was'nt a problem . As I kept hammering along , I only used about 4 cogs at the back , and only once engaged the bottom granny ring ( on the 'tyre zippy' climb ).
It's a matter of horses for courses. In the end I was out for 41 mins , and had time for a shower before the chips were done. I'd gone at pretty much ' race effort ' for a good portion of that . Riding like that , the cooker was shining . Really nice . I'm sure it'd be great out with the lads up Rivi at a more sedate pace, or at a trail centre carving corners, but bogged down in the woods won't bring out it's best side .

So the day panned out good . It just means I have a bike to clean. I'll have my tea first.

TIM

  Alan's Charge Cooker Hi ....

Schwinn Hollywood

Just built one of these for a customer!

Dura ace, ultegra and 105 SPD-SLs are now all in stock

GLORIOUS MUD....

Took Alan's new 29er  ( ChargeBikes Cooker HI )  for another spin today . See if I can manage to get on with it a little better .

It's not that it's no good , just that it's not quite right . Maybe it's just me , though . As I have said , I've been MTBing , like , forever , so it's fair to say I'm pretty stuck in my ways , and know what I am looking for from a bike .

I like the simple things .

The main issue last week was the gears . A newish idea . Drop the triple rings at the front for a double , and stick a wider spread of gears on the back to compensate . Mathematically , at least .
In practice, I was finding myself grinding along in the taller front ring , up to a point where it was getting tough , then , dropping down to the easy ring at the front , ( as you would traditionally ) , but the gear ' jump ' was too much .

So , this weeks spin was a similar affair to last week's. Wigan wetlands , and woodsy bog snorkelling . Slight change of plan . I figured , and by looking at the chainline , could see , that it might be better to ride more in the easier front ring , and only change up when it was fast fast .

It did seem a little better . On balance , I still think a traditional setup is better . I can't really see the benefit to just swapping the chainset for a double . All the shifty bits are still needed . BUT , if I could forget for a minute that I was riding mostly in the granny gear ,and changing the rear gears ,  it was actually OK .

Had some seatpost slippage again . Minor gripe . Easily sorted .

Brakes , ( Avid Elixir ) , not dead good . Probably a new ' out of the shop ' thing . Bit mushy .  The first service with maybe a quick bleed , would firm them up . I've read mixed reviews on the newer versions of these brakes , but earlier ones we had a few years back I really liked , and were no trouble . I dunno .

Overall , the bike is really good . I think the conditions ( V.V .V wet / boggy / muddy / gloopy ), did'nt do it any favours . On the odd bit of well surfaced path , it wants to roll along . It's good with the speed turned up a bit . At slower speeds , it's a little front heavy , and in tight turn situations , it's like turning an oil tanker , but , we did the odd bit where conditions allowed us to turn it up a notch , and it's a flier .
The front end requires a considerable heft to manual wheelie over stuff ( compared to my bike ), but the bigger wheels with their ability to smooth the trail a little , is ample compensation .

There's definitely an argument for including one in your quiver . On fast trails , ( say trail centres ) , flicking the back gears and keeping the speed up , it'd be a blast .

I'll take it up to Whinlatter or somewhere and let you know ....

 

Here , a picture of some bikes outside a cafe ....

TIM

Todays ride route , here .....

29 er . Errrrr

                                                         
                                                      " Edit that bit out ..... "

OK , Today's local spin . Mostly a ' local ' woodsy affair . I'm on Alan's new 29er . I've never ridden one before , so |I did'nt quite know what to expect .
I've read a bit about them here and there . Basically , if you dont know , it's a regular MTB , but with bigger wheels than the standard 26" . The science behind it says it will ride smoother over bumps and hollows , as the wheel hits at a less severe angle . Whatever .

First impressions are good . This is a ChargeBikes "Cooker Hi " . Decent spec bits and bobs , fastened to a nice , classic looking Tange infinity steel frame . Thin tubes .
I can see why Alan got it . People of a certain generation are suckers for skinwall tyres .  At a squint it definitely has a look of a big BMX cruiser about it .

 So , local woodsy . We've had some rain and snow , and allsorts , since forever . Last week was the week of the great flood . The ground is pretty soggy and the going is tough . Its hard to say if the big wheels are any advantage at these slower speeds , but , the first climb or two it felt OK . The WTB tyres , in keeping with the theme , are a version on a classic MX style blocky tread . Seemed to work well enough .
At the top of these short sharp climbs , there's the inevitable drop in . Hanging off the back , hiding behind the big front wheel felt good.
We headed over to some local woodland trails . Its a mini trail centre of sorts . A winding singletrack , punctuated with some logs across the trail every so often, and some troll bridges . The front end feels very " XC " , - planted , compared to my regular bikes , taking a bit more of a heft to get over the obstacles . No big deal once you get used to it . Bunnyhopping the odd one seemed really easy though .
The bars are pretty wide . 700mm ish . A bit wider than I'd usually ride, especially through the trees . I guess they'd be superb on a faster downhill , but on the more techy stuff , seemed a bit too wide . A little wallowy . Nice grips . Classic BMX Oakley stylee.
The Charge saddle is quite comfy , as I didnt notice it .

If I was nitpicking , the seatclamp arrangment is not so good . Out of the box it comes with an Allen key clamp . You know , it might look neat and clean , and all that , but a quick release is 100% absolutely required kit . So , on Saturday before I left the shop I fitted one . Whether it's a bit of a shit one , or whether it was a brand new seatpost/frame issue , I dunno , but I was suffering from some slippage . Bit of a wind-up, as its such a small, cheap , yet inversely important part.  
  
Moving on .The rest of the ride was kinda more of the same really . We had a little play on some rocky drops . Semi steep , in places . Hard to say if it was any better at this than my 5" forked hardtail , this is a 4"er , but certainly no worse.
Forks are a Rockshox Recon with a lockout . Due to bike switching , I inadvertantly did about half the ride locked out . The handle is opposite handed to my fork . I suppose its a compliment to the big wheels then , that I really didnt notice .

The above video was in some more local woods . The fact that I got my feet wet was no reflection on the bike . The stony riverbed was superdooper slippery , and honestly could have provided some much more entertaining footage if we'd stuck around.
After a cuppa in the local Haigh Hall cafe , we headed down through the trees , but first there's a killer little uphill on cold legs . It didnt end well .
 Now , less of a nitpick . For 25 ( + ) years I've ridden a triple chainset . A few bikes nowadays are coming with this 2 x 10 setup . Just a double up front . Throughout the ride I'd not really got on with it . Shifting up the cogs at the back , in the big ring , when you get near the top few cogs the chain isnt in a happy place . You either know what I mean , or you dont . It's a chainline thing . So , to keep it happy , and my legs, I needed to shift lower at the front .At the risk of getting all ' Sheldon Brown ', the tooth difference between the two is quite a bit , causing a jump that the legs dont like either . Too low , too soon .
At the risk of getting all 'Jens Voigt ' , " shut up legs ".

I just cant see any benefit at all to the 2 ring setup , apart from the miniscule weight of one chainring . It still needs a mech and a shifter . The outer ring is taller than my regular middle ring , but , not as tall as my regular outer . I suppose , mathematically , you could theoretically get all the same gears, but in practice it means quite a bit of shifting jiggery pokery . With the 10 spd at the back , and a regular triple up front , it'd be great . I think .  It was also a little undergeared on the road , where a taller triple would again help.

Back to the killer uphill . As we crossed the boggy field , I shift up the cassette . I'm bogging down quickly , and as I get to the top cogs its not happy again ,and I'm running out of leg, so , my only course of action is to shift the front down . It's instantly too low spinny , and I zip the back wheel and spin out to a stop .
If I'd changed the back down first ( harder ), I might have muscled it through , then changed down , but I doubt it . If it was a one-off I'd dismiss it , but a few times I found myself suddenly in between gears .
OK , in its defence , the conditions were super boggy , mostly flat , with sudden steep ups . Ordinary people would stay indoors. I'm sure carving around a trail centre it would be fine . The big wheels are probably happier at a higher rev , just flicking between the middle few gears in top cog, but this is the real world in Orwells northern winter. Also , these are SRAM gears , and I'm used to Shimano , which work a little differently at the shifter , which might have been subtly significant.

So , all in , really good , looks superb , rolls along great , downhills well ...... just not sure about the gears .

TIM

Follow the cycle lane to our new Road Showroom

Follow the cycle lane to our new Road Showroom! Got the new 2013 cannondales and Scott road bikes inside.

15% off all MET helmets in store!

15% off all MET helmets we have instock! Range of sizes and models available.