Foldable Bikes Party: December 2015

Thursday 31 December 2015

Asheville prepares for CX Nationals

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The top cyclo-cross riders from around the country will clip in to decide 35 Stars-and-Stripes jerseys Jan. 5-10 at the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., for the2016 USA Cycling Cyclo-Cross National Championships.

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Quiz: BikeRadar's 2015 trivia challenge

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As 2015 drifts away and is replaced by a sprightly new year full of promise, what better way to see it out than with a spot of trivia? Put down the drink for a moment and find out just how much cycling-based information you're absorbed over the past 12 months.

How did you do? Share your smarts or your shame over at our Facebook page. If you want to check out all the kit that our editors loved this year, then take a look at our Gear of the Year articles too.

Here's wishing you a happy New Year from everyone at BikeRadar. We'll see you in 2016!

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Torch T2 helmet

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Adding lights to your helmet is a popular and very good idea – it places them above the line of car lights and makes you easier to identify as a cyclist.

Torch has taken that idea and built the lights into its T2 helmet so they look much sleeker and you can’t forget or lose them. The T2 features five LED lights front and rear, and recharges from a USB port in 1.5 hours.

The T2 features five LED lights front and rear

The run time is six to 36 hours depending on which of the four modes (high/low, constant/flash) that you use. It weighs a very reasonable 359g and comes in eight colours but only one size, said to fit 54-61cm using the two supplied sets of pads and the dial-adjusted retention system.

It’s a good shape, providing lots of coverage without looking huge, and the vents are effective. The fit is decent but compromised by the single shell size and the unpadded retention device.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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Santa Cruz Bronson II C S AM

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For 2016, Santa Cruz has radically overhauled its Bronson all-rounder to create an addictively aggressive, adrenaline-pumping trail weapon that we couldn’t get enough of.

Yep, it's longer, lower and slacker

It’s obvious at first glance that the revamped frame is longer, lower and slacker. The VPP linkages have been repositioned too, so the suspension doesn’t stiffen as much under power, and the rear end has the latest extra-wide Boost spacing.

The top-end CC carbon frame is available on its own or as a full build, while the cheaper C-level version tested here only comes on complete bikes. It’s heavy for carbon at 3.16kg (6.95lb) but is equally stiff and strong as the premium version.

The lower suspension link has been moved up above the BB to avoid rock strikes

Positively different

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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BikeRadar gear of the year: Tom Marvin's 2015 MTB picks

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While guiding the tech content on What Mountain Bike magazine I come across a lot of bikes and gear throughout the year, but I unfortunately have to punt a lot of it the way of other testers. Fortunately, that also means I get to cherry pick which bits and pieces I ‘need’ to test myself. I boosted my air miles this year testing a raft of new bikes. Here are some of my favourite bikes and components from the past 12 months.

Scott Watu Helmet

Don’t be fooled, there’s no reason to drop north of a hundred quid on a lid if you want a comfortable, well-vented helmet for XC and light trail riding. Just £35 / $45 will get you a Scott Watu, and once you’ve cut the big netting out of the front vents, you’ll have just that. A comfortable, not-too-sweaty helmet that fits pretty well and sure as hell doesn’t cost the earth. Unless you lie at the extremes of the head-size bell curve, the one-size-fits-all system should provide a secure and stable fit, while the adjustable straps are also pretty comfy. My bargain of the year.

£35 / $45

Oakley Jawbreaker Prizm Trail

From budget to budget-blowing, Oakley have a legendary reputation for lens quality, and the new Prizm Trail lens takes that and makes it even better. Everyone who’s donned the Prizm Trail lens has come back impressed with its stellar performance in nearly all light conditions. The Grapefruit base colour accentuates the trail surface, while the mirrored finish keeps everything from getting too bright. It’s basically a low-light enhancing lens designed to wear on bright days.

100% ITrack gloves

Specialized S-Works Stumpjumper FSR 29

Airshot

Specialized Command Post IRCC

Lezyne Flow Caddy

Check out all of our 2015 Gear of the Year articles

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Mark Cavendish interview

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This feature first appeared in Procycling magazine. To subscribe, click here.

Mark Cavendish was Procycling's cover star for the April edition of the magazine. At the start of the sprinter's ninth full season as a professional, Procycling's Daniel Friebe, who ghost-wrote Cavendish's two autobiographies and knows the Manxman well, went to Spain to observe and interview him. He came back with a fascinating, in-depth feature, which showed that while the days of five or six stage wins in a single Tour may be over for Cavendish, the sprinter's competitive fire burns as brightly as ever.

When he turns 30 in May, Mark Cavendish will already be, by most estimates, the finest sprinter that professional cycling has ever seen. The question on the eve of the 2015 season was whether the Manxman was also nearing the end of the road or whether a revamped Etixx-Quick Step team and rivalry with a certain German can spur him on to a whole new level of success? "I'm a much more complete rider now. I can win harder races. I can climb now, really climb," he says

Even in a career that Mark Cavendish conducts like a religious crusade, there have been moments when both the Manxman and the cycling Gods have seemed to bow before the size of their undertaking. When Cavendish turned pro with T-Mobile in January 2007, the team's coach, Sebastian Weber, took one look at the doughboy's physique, then at his power numbers and scoffed; he told Cavendish that he would never amount to anything, in his current condition. A team-mate, the Spaniard Vicente Reynès, assumed in 2008 that he must be a friend of the sponsors.

Both Weber and Reynès were wrong – happily, spectacularly so – but the sense that Cavendish could only stick one finger up to history, logic and physiology for so long, and that sooner or later security would step in and remove the interloper, has persisted even as records and rivals have fallen.

So for Cavendish, a whiff of skepticism – even pre-emptive schadenfreude – among the reporters who have gathered to meet him at Etixx-Quick Step's January training camp in Calpe, is nothing new. He may not trawl forums or even Twitter as he once did but he knows the wolves can smell blood. Never mind that he ended the 2014 season with 12 victories. He also failed to win a Grand Tour stage for the first time since 2008 and extended an unbroken, winless run of sprints against Marcel Kittel that stretches back to 2011.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Froome given OBE in New Year Honours list

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Chris Froome has been named in the Queen’s New Year honour’s list with the double Tour de France champion set to receive an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). Froome won his second Tour de France title in 2015, along with a stage victory, and overall wins at the Criterium du Dauphine and Ruta del Sol.

Froome was named alongside British Cycling President Bob Howden and two volunteers in the Honours list for their services to cycling.

“I am extremely humbled and very proud to receive this honour. It is, obviously, further recognition for the sport of cycling and it caps a fantastic year for me professionally and personally. It wouldn’t be possible without the help of my team-mates, coaches and, of course, the love and support from my family,” said Froome.

Aside from an appearance at the Saitama Criterium, Froome has not raced since a crash that put him out of the Vuelta a Espana at the beginning of September. He is set to begin his 2016 season at the Herald Sun Tour at the start of February. The five-day stage race will be his first in Australia and his earliest start since the 2010 Tour Down Under. The Team Sky rider is yet to confirm the remainder of his build-up to the Tour de France, where is will be attempting to become the first since Miguel Indurain in 1995 to defend his title.

Howden said of Froome’s honour, “Chris’s OBE is well-deserved recognition of an extraordinary individual who represents the best of British sport – not only in terms of his achievements, and the hard work and dedication, which earns them but also in the way he conducts himself.

“He came under unprecedented pressure this year, which I know he accepts as a burden all sport’s great champions must carry, but the dignified manner in which he dealt with it was an example for us all.”

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Chantal Blaak: 2015 was a successful year but it can always be better

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Switching teams from Specialized-lululemon to Boels Dolmans at the start of 2015 gave Chantal Blaak a fresh start and there’s no denying that her newfound motivation pushed her toward a successful season. But the Dutchwoman is not satisfied with her distinction of past achievements and she vows to continue to look for new opportunities to shine in the new year.

“Yes, even better,” Blaak told Cyclingnews about her goals for the 2016 season, which will be her second year with Boels Dolmans. “I work hard and of course I aspire to have a good season again. I think 2015 was a successful year but it can always be better. There are always things to work on.”

Blaak’s performances with Specialized-lululemon in 2014 were the stuff of dreams with two World Cup victories at Vargarda’s team time trial and road race, and another win at Molecaten Drentse 8. With Boels Dolmans, this year, she raked in two more wins at Le Samyn des Dames and a stage win at the Euskal Emakumeen Bira and she was part of the Boels Dolmans team that finished second to Velocio-SRAM in the team time trial at the World Championships.

Blaak hopes to improve in the spring classics where this year she was top 10 at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Omloop van het Hageland - Tielt-Winge, Tour of Flanders, Ronde van Overijssel Women and Boels Rental Hills Classic.

“My first focus is on the spring classics, and my goal is to have some good results there,” Blaak said. “But in the end, I want to do every race well. That doesn't mean always targeting personal results. Being part of a team win is such a good feeling.

“I'm very happy in the team and the atmosphere in the group at Boels Dolmans is great. That's the key to winning races. Besides that it's not easy to win races. Everything has to be right at the big races, but I work hard and I'm very motivated to take opportunities to win and that makes it a little bit easier. We'll see how it goes.”

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Movistar names Tour Down Under team - News Shorts

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Movistar names Tour Down Under team

Movistar has named its seven-man team for the Tour Down Under, with Rubén Fernández, 5th a year ago, and Juanjo Lobato, stage winner in Stirling, leading the line for the Spanish outfit.

Australian Rory Sutherland kicks off his second season at Movistar as part of the selection for his home WorldTour race, while the line-up also includes fast man José Joaquin Rojas, as well as Jesús Herrada, Jasha Sütterlin and new arrival Nelson Oliveira.

The Tour Down Under takes place from January 19-21, and Movistar’s seven-man selection will also line out at the People’s Choice Classic, the curtain-raising criterium, on January 17.

Movistar team for Tour Down Under: Rory Sutherland (Aus), Jasha Sütterlin (Ger), José Joaquín Rojas (Spa), Juanjo Lobato (Spa), Jesús Herrada (Spa), Rubén Fernández (Spa) and Nelson Oliveira (Por).

Rory Sutherland (Movistar)

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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New four-day race La Méditerranéenne reveals stage starts and finishes

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The new La Méditerranéenne stage race, due to replace the now defunct early season Tour Méditerranéen, known in the English-speaking world as the Tour of the Mediterranean, has revealed its four stage starts and finishes for next spring’s maiden edition.

Held in France for most of its existence, the Tour of the Mediterranean ran from 1974 to 2014, and even after the emergence of races running concurrently like the Tour of Qatar and Tour of Oman remained very popular as an early season event. Its last edition was captured by Britain’s Steve Cummings when with the BMC team and previous winners included Eddy Merckx, Tony Rominger, Laurent Jalabert and Phil Anderson.

Rather than limit itself to France, the new La Méditerraneenne race will span three countries. According to the sportimagen.com website, the first stage on February 11 will be held in the small Catalan town of Banyoles, which features regularly in the Volta a Catalunya, and will consist of a very short seven kilometre team time trial, a discipline which often formed part of the Tour du the Med’s format in years past.

La Méditerranéene then heads into France for the next two lengthy stages, heading steadily eastwards close to the Mediterranean coast. The first is a 220-kilometre stage running from Banyuls sur Mer to Beziers, the second a 200-kilometre trek from Cadolive to Pegomas. Stage four on February 14th is an all-Italian affair, starting and finishing in the coastal town of Bordighera and just 130 kilometres in length.

Up to seven WorldTour teams – AG2R La Mondiale, Sky, Lampre-Merida, FDJ, Giant-Alpecin, Lotto-Soudal, Movistar – are, subject to final confirmation, among the 21 squads taking part in the race.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Wednesday 30 December 2015

VIDEO: Who's on the New Year Honours list?

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Champion jump jockey AP McCoy is knighted in the New Year Honours list, while ex-footballers Denis Law and Francis Lee are made CBEs.

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Meeusen wins tactical Azencross in Loenhout

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Pre-race favourite Tom Meeusen (Telenet-Fidea) won a tactical edition of the Azencross in Loenhout on Tuesday afternoon, the sixth round of the BPost Bank Trophy.

Meeusen attacked halfway through the race and completed a long solo ride on the fast course. The Vastgoedservice-Golden Palace duo Tim Merlier and Wout Van Aert managed to claim the two other podium spots in the sprint at 18 seconds from the winner. It’s the third win of the season for the 27-year-old Belgian rider but the first victory in one of the major cyclo-cross series.

“2015 has been a difficult year for me. It’s nice to conclude it in this way. My rivals sincerely congratulated me here at the finish with being back at my level. I’m pleased to be back at my level too,” Meeusen said in the post-race flash interview with Sporza. “The win came partly due to my technical skills and due to the timing of my attack but I won a round in the series anyway, I’m happy,” Meeusen added.

The winning move from Meeusen came after a first half of racing in which world champion Mathieu van der Poel (BKCP-Corendon) unsuccessfully tried to create a selection. Van der Poel didn’t start well but Wout Van Aert got away much worse. The 21-year-old Belgian rider was caught up in a crash during the opening lap and also broke one of his wheels, twice needing to switch bikes.

Meanwhile, Lars Boom (Astana) enjoyed a much better start to his race than in Zolder, briefly featuring in the top 10 of the pack during the second of nine laps. At the intermediate sprint Laurens Sweeck (ERA Real Estate-Murprotec) took 15 bonus seconds for the classification, ahead of Merlier and Sven Nys (Crelan-AA Drink).

At the end of this lap Van der Poel blasted away from a large front group with Swiss champion Julien Taramarcaz (ERA Real Estate-Murprotec) glued on his wheel. Surprisingly enough, the duo didn’t manage to hold onto their lead of 10 seconds. It was Van Aert who was leading the chase with Radomir Simunek (ERA Real Estate-Murprotec) trying to protect the attack from teammate Taramarcaz.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Cant wins Bpost bank trofee - Azencross Loenhout

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Belgian champion Sanne Cant (Enertherm-BKCP) won the Azencross in Loenhout, Belgium, the sixth round of the BPost Bank Trophy cyclo-cross series, on Tuesday afternoon.

Cant beat Pavla Havlikova (MRM-Avalon) and Ellen Van Loy (Young Telenet-Fidea) in the sprint. Cant extended her lead in the time-based BPo-series to 1:46 over Jolien Verschueren (Young Telenet-Fidea) who finished fourth just behind the top-3 in Loenhout. “I wanted to say goodbye to the Belgian tricolore jersey in style. From Baal [New Year’s Day] on I have to ride in the European jersey,” Cant said in the post-race flash interview on Sporza.

Cant, Havlikova and Van Loy were the strongest riders on a fast course which was in stark contrast to last year’s mud-fest. After the first of six laps there were still 10 riders in the front group. However, during the second lap Van Loy set a pace that only Cant was able to follow. At the intermediate sprint Cant narrowly beat Van Loy and Havlikova for the 15 bonus seconds.

Halfway through the second lap four riders gapped the rest of the field with the group containing Cant, Van Loy and Havlikova and Helen Wyman (Kona Factory Team). That was still too crowded for Cant who accelerated away. Behind her Wyman crashed hard on slippery cobbles when turning into the home straight. She needed some time to recover but went on to finish eighth at 48 seconds. Compatriot Hannah Payton crashed on the rollers and abandoned. Also a sick Nikki Harris (Young Telenet-Fidea) abandoned the race after the second lap.

Havlikova managed to close the small gap on Cant with Van Loy on her wheel. The first chasers were Loes Sels (Young Telenet-Fidea) and further back slow starter Jolien Verschueren with Maud Kaptheijns (AA Drink). Sophie de Boer (Kalas-NNOF) was fading back to half a minute from the leaders with Wyman, Alice Maria Arzuffi (Selle Italia-Guerciotti), Lucinda Brand (Rabobank-Liv), Femke van den Drieesche (Kleuren op Maat) and fast starters Nikola Nosková (AA Drink) and Emma White (USA). Nadja Heigl (Focus-SU Bikestore.cc) showed off her technical skills, and was the only rider who was bunny-hopping the barriers.

The pace in front wasn’t too high and Sels was slowly coming closer on the lead group. Cant was riding a tactical race, forcing Van Loy and Havlikova to the front.

“Sometimes I should have more guts and stay in the wheels a bit longer. The chasers were teammates but I’m riding for my podium spot too. It was good to ride together and I took profit from that,” Van Loy told Sporza.

Cant took back the initiative during the penultimate lap, putting Van Loy in trouble in the technical passage but the Belgian veteran managed to come back. In the background White crashed on the rollers but the American rider managed to continue her race. When hitting the final lap the three leaders had a bonus of 10 seconds on Sels and Verschueren. Brand and Kaptheijns were battling for sixth place. The positions in front often changed with Cant and Van Loy making small mistakes. The three were awaiting the sprint in which Havlikova and Van Loy started first.

Cant timed her sprint to perfection though Havlikova gave her the space to pass. Cant won ahead of Havlikova and Van Loy. Verschueren came close, finishing at five seconds. Sels was fifth at 21 seconds. Brand won a tight sprint for sixth place from Kaptheijns. Wyman and Arzuffi were the next finishers. Amanda Miller came back strong to crack the top-ten at 1:11.

Cant strengthens her lead in the Bpost Bank Trophy. Verschueren trails her by 1:46. Wyman moves into third at 3:38 with Harris losing a lot of ground, now placing sixth at 6:40.

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Daan Hoeyberghs wins U23 men's Bpost bank trofee - Azencross Loenhout

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Wolsink wins Bpost bank trofee - Azencross Loenhout

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Beginner mountain bike setup and maintenance tips

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Budget mountain bikes are better than ever these days, but there are a number of setup adjustments that you can make to ensure you're getting the most out of your entry-level steed.

It’s easy to buy a bike from a shop (or online), hit the trails and assume everything is how it should be – but there’s always room for improvement. Regular maintenance, once you've got your setup sorted, is essential too.

If you’re new to mountain biking, then the following tips will help you improve your bike setup and keep it working smoothly, without spending a lot of money on doing so.

1. Adjust your gears – they should shift, not skip

Naturally, the gears on cheaper bikes won’t shift as smoothly or quickly as those on more expensive options, but they should still shift accurately. If your gears aren’t staying in the right place, then you need to have them adjusted. Your local bike shop should be able to help with this. More often than not inaccurate shifting is caused by cable tension or cable friction (because of rust, dirt, and so on), but there can be other factors at play.

It’s also very easy to bend the derailleur hanger – the piece that connects the rear derailleur to the frame – if you're not careful. To avoid doing this, always make sure you lean and transport your bike with the driveside pointing upwards with nothing resting on it. If your shifting is poor even after correctly adjusting it, have a shop check the hanger alignment too.

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7iDP Control knee pads

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This 7iDP knee guard is a semi-rigid, hardshell knee protector that's biased towards all-day riding over out-and-out descending. The pads have a classy, minimalistic look that hints at performance.

The Controls are very lightweight, at 180g, and ventilated, which makes them easy to wear for long periods. After a long day in the sun your knees don’t feel sore, which is always a bonus.

The back of the pads is elasticated and shapes to your legs' contours nicely to help keep them secure. Two adjustable straps – one on your thigh and one above your calf – keep each pad in place. The two straps do their job well, but we did find it was a case of finding a compromise between comfort and stability when in use.

The rigid, pre-shaped knee cup is designed to give a close fit around your knee, but the lack of flex does cause problems. Bending your knee while pedalling causes the top or bottom of the pad to lift which not only causes irritation, but allows grime in and under the pad. You can cinch the pads tighter to stop this but this does affect comfort considerably.

The pads are good enough if you’re looking for something light with a hard protective knee cup. But they’re not cheap and not really as pedal friendly as we’d ideally like.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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Cube Litening C:62

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At first glance it would appear that Cube's designers were in a dour mood when they cooked up the Litening C:62 – it's got rather a utilitarian appearance compared with some of the rest of the German brand’s often-multicoloured range.

Slammed riding stance

The ‘carbon ’n’ green’ colour scheme (Cube’s description) adorns a frame with a chunky down tube, deep chainstays and a hefty bottom bracket shell with slimline seatstays. Ultegra 11-speed does its usual first-rate job, and the wheels are similar to the Silverback Sirelli, which we were testing at the same time.

Related: Silverback Sirelli review

The similarities don’t end there, either – the two German bikes’ overall weights are also very similar. You can just about detect the 113g difference when you lift the bike down from the rack; you can’t feel it on the road.

You’re not going to be able to alter the height of the handlebar

Contact point comfort

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BikeRadar's 10 defining cycling memories of 2015

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2015 has been yet another huge year in the world of cycling – so much so that we almost lost track of the highlights. Luckily we didn't quite do that, and instead we've compiled the moments we feel defined the sport this year for you to revisit below.

Chris Froome wins the 2015 Tour de France

It’s been a big year for British pro cyclists, and for none more so than Chris Froome. Over 22 days this summer he not only proved himself King of the Mountains, but shrugged off heavy abuse, accusations and wayward cups of urine along the way to cross the line victorious in Paris. Team Sky have since released his TdF performance data in a bid for greater transparency, and while that hasn’t completely silenced skeptics, Froome has certainly won plenty of new fans for the way he conducted himself throughout the gruelling 2015 season.

Lizzie Armitstead rides to triumph at the UCI Road World Championships

Yorkshire’s Lizzie Armitstead could barely suppress her joy at crossing the line first in Richmond, Virginia a few months ago, giving her supporters back home an image to treasure. Despite seeming out of contention in the penultimate lap of the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, she deployed some track-honed tactics to reel in her rivals and launch a series of attacks which saw her finish the job in front of Dutchwoman Anna van der Breggen. Check out her 2016 S-Works Amira with rainbow-flecked custom paint job.

Road disc brakes are cleared for pro peloton

Bradley Wiggins smashes the Hour Record

Vincenzo Nibali is expelled from La Vuelta for holding onto a team car

The Year Record comes under renewed threat

EuroStar cycle carriage policy change is overturned

Aaron Gwin unchained

Rachel Atherton (very nearly) takes it all

Rampage is more savage than ever before

History repeats itself

Martyn Ashton rides again

Plus is very much among us

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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The Skinny: If you say Twixmas again I’ll punch you

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It's that time of year again when you've eaten, drunk and spent more than you should have, all in the pursuit of non-cycling nirvana, because apparently Christmas has nothing to do with bikes for most people. (I know, right?) The problem is, no amount of bird flesh or ethanol is going to distract you from the fact that, once again, you've failed in your annual resolve to ride faster, further, and in cooler places. 2016 is nigh, and it's time you made some changes.

Resolutions are for suckers, but we all need motivating one way or another. If your cycling is feeling a little stale, here are a few ideas to get the good times rolling again...

1. Build your own bike

This could be yours

While we'd all love to roll around on fully custom, made-to-measure machines welded together by bearded artisans in poorly lit workshops, financial considerations tend to preclude such frippery. That doesn't mean you can't have something unique that suits your requirements though, and there's immense satisfaction to be had in speccing and building your own bike.

2. Build your own wheels

3. Ride somewhere new, at home or abroad

4. Dabble in other disciplines

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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