Foldable Bikes Party

Wednesday, 30 November 2016

8 women's cycling transfers for 2017

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This winter has been a busy one in the transfer market with some of the biggest names in women's cycling switching squads for the 2017 season. Among those that have sought new pastures are Olympic champion Anna van der Breggen, and former world champions Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Ellen van Dijk.

Cyclingnews has put together a list of nine riders to watch out for as they look for success at their new teams.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot

From: Rabo-Liv
To: Canyon-SRAM

The arrival of Ferrand-Prevot will certainly boost the ranks of the Canyon-SRAM team for 2017. In the team's previous guise as Velocio-SRAM, they were the dominant force in the sport but this season saw them challenged and bettered by Boels-Dolmans, and they needed to strengthen their squad for next year.

With her world titles on the road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross, Ferrand Prevot seemed destined for domination. However, she has really struggled since then, suffering a tibial plateau stress fracture over the winter and attempting to comeback too soon. She has learned her lesson, but she says that she won't confine herself to just one discipline. 2017 will be an important year for the French rider, who will be hoping to put this one behind her.

Pauline Ferrand Prevot (France) was the only rider to record a DNF

Ellen van Dijk

Anna van der Breggen

Dani King

Kirsten Wild

Chloe Hosking

Coryn Rivera

Lisa Morzenti

You can read more at Cyclingnews.com

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Specialized Allez: all you need to know

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Specialized Allez is one of the most popular and well-reviewed road bikes on the market — but with so many models now available and a history than can be measured in decades, which one should you buy? Read on…

There are a lot of tempting options when it comes to choosing a Specialized road bike. If you want optimised aerodynamic performance there’s the Venge. If you want a fast but forgiving ride that offers all-day comfort you have the Roubaix. And if you want a WorldTour-level carbon race machine then the Tarmac will be top of your list. But if you simply want a decent, do-anything bike that won’t break the bank, you should turn your attention to Specialized’s Allez range.

Today, the Allez is among the biggest-selling performance bikes in what is perhaps the most competitive price bracket of under £1,500 / $2,000 / AU$3,000. It has a reputation for not only delivering a great ride but also being great value. A reputation it has earned over a surprisingly long period. What's more, the Specialized Allez E5 Sport won our 2016 accolade for best entry-level road bike.

“The Allez was one of Specialized’s first-ever production bikes along with the original Sequoia sports tourer,” says William Watt of Specialized UK. “Both were introduced to the US market in 1981 and both were steel, of course. They were designed by legendary custom framebuilder Tim Neenan and built by Yoshi Kono, Japan’s most noted Keirin framebuilder, best known for his San Rensho frames.

The five models in the 2017 Allez range have all benefitted from geometry that’s trickled down from the Tarmac, Specialized’s WorldTour rig

“At a time when most US brands used frames based on existing factory designs and simply applied the house label, Specialized hired experienced people like Neenan, and later Jim Merz and Mark Di Nucci, to design every bike from the ground up.”

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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Parlee Chebacco first ride [frame] review

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No, this isn’t a misspelt Wookiee, the Parlee Chebacco’s handle comes from the Native American name for a lake north of Boston, and is the New England carbon pioneer’s take on an adventure road bike.

Parlee Chebacco spec overview

Weight: 8.6kg (57.5cm)
Frame: Carbon
Fork: Carbon
Gears: Shimano Ultegra Di2 50/34, 11-32
Brakes: Shimano BR RS785 hydraulic discs
Wheels: Mavic Kysrium Pro disc all road
Finishing kit: Parlee carbon stem, bar and seatpost, Fizik Arione saddle, 40mm Clement XPlor M50 tyres

Parlee Chebacco frame and equipment

The sculpted triangulated top-tube/head-tube junction takes it design cues from Parlee’s lightweight Altum road bike and sits well with the profiled tube shapes. The tapered straight-bladed fork ends with a 12mm thru-axle. Slender flattened seatstays emerge from the wishbone design, while the chainstays are flared and widened to accept larger tyres than your average road-going bike.

The Clement tyres add weight to the robust Mavic wheels, but we appreciated the soft supple feel and the grip from the tread on dusty gravel descents

The hidden mudguard mounts are a welcome inclusion, as is the modular dropout design allowing you to switch between thru-axles or standard quick releases. The frame’s cable routing is neatly executed; it’s all internal with the rear brake hose running down the shortest path from down-tube to chainstay. This also allows for the disc brakes to be mounted on the inside of the triangle.

Geometry-wise it sits closer to an out-and-out road bike over a cyclocrosser, with 73-degree seat and 71.75-degree head angles. The bottom bracket drop of 70mm is more road than traditional ’cross and the 103.9cm wheelbase is only stretched a little to allow for bigger rubber. The cockpit set up on our 57.5cm test bike allowed for a good racy position.

Parlee Chebacco ride impression

Parlee Chebacco pricing

Parlee Chebacco early verdict

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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Tuesday, 29 November 2016

Fox Transfer Factory dropper seatpost review

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Fox is arguably the biggest player in mountain bike suspension and has had a reliable dropper post, the DOSS, in its line up since 2012. While few found fault with the DOSS's actual function, the external cable routing, lack of infinite travel adjustments and large, unsightly remote were shortcomings that some riders found hard to deal with.

Drop, cable and remote options

Like almost all dropper posts, the amount of saddle drop is dependent on the seatpost length. For the Transfer, the 100mm drop is housed in a 356mm long post, the 125mm drop in a 406mm long post, and the 150mm drop in a 456mm long post. All lengths are offered for either 30.9mm or 31.6mm diameter seat tubes.

Both internal and external cable routing options are available. The external cable routing terminates at the top of the seatpost outer (instead of at the seat clamp) so the cable is fixed thereby preventing any excess cable movement as the post cycles up and down.

Two remotes are available. An over the bar option for bikes with a front shifter and an under the bar remote for bikes running a single ring drivetrain. I tested the under the bar remote since I'm front derailleur free, plus I like the ergonomics of having the remote readily available without having to unwrap my thumb from the grip quite as much. It should be noted that whichever you choose, the remote is sold separately from the post in the US for $65.

Durable and smooth

Excellent execution

Fox Transfer dropper post pricing

Two levels of Transfer post are available: the Factory model with slippery Kashima coating on the upper shaft retails for £339 / $314. The black anodised Performance Transfer post retails for £299 / $264. In the US, you have to choose the remote of your choice, which costs $65, but the UK distributor includes the 1x under bar remote in the asking price or you’ll have to say if you’d prefer the multi-ring option.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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The Remo remote adds range to GoPro's voice activation

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One of the most useful features included in GoPro’s Hero 5 Black and Hero Session cameras is voice control. Users can start and stop video, tag moments, shoot single and photo bursts, and turn the camera off in 10 different languages.

Now, users can control these GoPro models from a distance with the Remo — a small remote that extends the voice-control range of the Hero 5 Black and Hero 5 Session to 10m/33ft.

With the Remo you can control a GoPro when it’s attached to your clothes, gear, children or pets, or start your “sick edits” from farther down the trail. In addition to voice-control, the Remo functions as a one-button remote.The Remo is rated as waterproof up to 5m/16ft.

Included with this remote are two housings, one designed to clip onto a jacket or jersey and one designed to be worn around the wrist.

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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Great gift ideas for the cyclist who has everything

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If you're searching for holiday gifts for a cyclist and feel like they already have everything, don't despair. Here is a list of gifts that range from the luxurious to the very, very useful.

Some of these you can buy online through the links below, and some may require a quick click or call to a local vendor. But all are sure to delight your favorite cyclist.

A Buffalo Bike - for someone else!

If you think your favorite cyclist already has too many bikes (we don’t think that’s actually possible, but nevermind), then consider giving a bike in their name to one of our favorite charities, World Bicycle Relief.

WBR delivers its near-indestructible Buffalo Bikes to people in need, including students and health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa for whom walking is the only other transportation option.

Donate as much as you like, but just $147 (£119) is enough to deliver a complete Buffalo bike to someone who could really use it.

Learn more and donate here

Wahoo Kickr

If your cyclist likes the silent, strong type — of smart trainers that is — then we recommend the Wahoo Kickr.

US: Buy now for $1,199
UK: Buy now for £999

SiS Gels

US: Buy a 6-pack now for $12
UK: Buy now for £9.89

Endurance Conspiracy T-Shirt

Buy now for $35 / £22

Luxury guided trip

Pandana

Zipp 454 NSW wheels

US: Buy now for $4,000

Oru Aiport Ninja Bike Travel Bag

US: Buy now for $399

Park Tool Pizza Cutter

US: Buy now for $15
UK: Buy now for £14

Massage gift certificate

Campagnolo BIG corkscrew

US: Buy now for $310
UK: Buy now for £112

Silca HX-One Essential Kit

US: Buy now for $125
UK: Buy now for £110

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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How to fix punctures on a hub gear bike

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The popularity of bikes with hub gears has skyrocketed over the past few years, but what happens when you get a puncture?

Tools required

Adjustable spanner
Screwdriver
15mm spanner
Tyre levers, pump, patch kit
Allen keys or multi-tool

How to repair a puncture on a Brompton

One of the most popular hub gear-equipped bikes on the market currently is the Brompton, and although the steps below relate specifically to a Brompton, they can be equally applied to non-folding bikes equipped with a hub gear.

1. Tip it up

To start, make sure that you always carry a spare inner tube, adjustable spanner, patch kit, multi-tool and pump. There's nothing worse than being caught out unprepared and having to walk into a bike shop with your tail between your legs.

Working by the side of the road in the rain while the wheel is removed or installed can be a doubly daunting task. Fortunately, the folding design of the Brompton allows for a bit of clever positioning while fixing a puncture.

Having swung the rear wheel under the bike, drop the saddle down about halfway and then tip the other half of the bike backwards, bringing the back of the saddle to rest as pictured. Laying the bike down on its left side will do if there’s nowhere level enough to place the bike.

2. Remove indicator

Both SRAM and Sturmey Archer hub gears use a small shifter rod indicator chain for shifting duties. These are quite fragile, so treat with great care.

3. Remove tension arm

4. Remove wheel, fix flat

5. Reverse order, adjust

Repairing a puncture on a Nexus or Alfine hub gear bike

1. Remove the wheel

2. Removing the cable carrier

3. Tips for tough tyres

4. Re-install wheel and adjust tyre

5. Chain tension adjuster

You can read more at BikeRadar.com

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