Great riding, climbs, weather

Deciding on stock of the amazing new Fizik R1 Uomo and R3 Uomo cycling shoes from Fizik. Full range of shoes and saddles including the new Kurve range of saddles available to try now!

We are now at a time of the year where bike maintenance and care is at a premium and all riders should be paying particular care to their equipment. We live in an age where we can obtain pretty much anything quite quickly and we all ride some very nice bits of equipment, however, what I see are rates of deterioration that I never used to see, say 20 years ago.

What has changed? Well, quite a bit in terms of bike manufacturing and level of equipment. Everything is lighter, narrow, stiffer, more performance oriented and the riders themselves tend to be individuals who to the greater extent did not grow up maintaining and learning the limitations of the equipment they ride. Riders are harder on their equipment, for example shifting under load, bikes take more punishment due to their very nature but also due to the poor road conditions, and riders also have less time to do the basics. On the other hand, we also see shops selling bikes, no matter what the price, that are inadequately serviced before they leave the shop. A bike should be completely stripped and rebuilt with all parts serviced and lubricated with grease and oil as required before it leaves the shop. A regular maintenance schedule should then be followed with regular cleaning a general lubrication as required. Headsets, hubs and bottom brackets should be serviced around every 500m, especially in the conditions we have during the UK winter, and regular checks (weekly) should be made to every nut and bolt, cable, tyre, handlebar tape and spokes.

Each Ride:

ABC Wheel Quick!

A = Air:  Ensure proper tire inflation (less in wet conditions) and check for tire wear.

B = Brakes and Bars:  Check proper brake function (proper cable tension, smoothness, so no binding, and pad alignment and wear).  Check           handlebars and stem face plates for cracks which indicate an impending failure.

C = Chain and Cables:  (Check for tight links and fraying cables)

Wheel = Check for trueness and spoke tension/damage

Quick = Quick Releases (Ensure QRs are fully seated…do not close against the fork, seatstay, or chainstay which may prevent full seating of QR)
Monthly or every 500miles (800km):  (Note-These procedures will maximize your performance and minimize future costly repairs.)

–Clean, Lubricate, and inspect drivetrain (cassette, chain [replace every 2000 to 2500 miles...10 speed sooner], chainrings, and derailleurs). If high mileage is involved, then alternating chains is good practice.

–Check wheel bearing adjustment (while wheel is on bike, try to move wheel from side to side…if you feel play, adjustment is necessary).

Do not use any wheels with cartridge bearing on a turbo with a rear axle clamping mechanism!

–Check headset and bottom bracket adjustment (Pick up front of bike and steer the handlebars from side to side…movement should be smooth and easy…adjust if tight or “indexed.”  Then with the front wheel on the ground, move bike forward and backward while you squeeze the front brake lever…if you feel play in the headset, it needs adjustment.  For bottom bracket, try to move crankarms from side to side…if you feel play or “creaking” noises when you ride, bottom bracket adjustment cup or fixed cup may be loose…also check crankarm bolts for proper tightness.)  Another source of loud creaking when you stand is sometimes the front skewer…lube and check tightness.

–Check for loose nuts and bolts (headset, seatpost, waterbottle cages, handlebar, crankarm, chainring, stem bolts, pedals, any mounting screws)

–Clean frame and working components and check for wear and breakage

–Lubricate brake, shifter, and pedal pivot points. Carefully, also lubricate spoke nipples to prevent binding – clean rim is lubricant goes onto rim.

–Inspect tires for wear and replace if necessary (don’t forget to check rim tape to insure all spoke holes are completely covered and tape is not deteriorating)

–Inspect shoe cleats for wear (tighten or replace if necessary)

Quarterly:

–Thorough check of brake function (inspect pad wear, pad alignment, cable tension, brake arm bolts)

–Clean and wax frame, inspect for damage/hairline cracks on frame, hubs, and rims

–check tool kit (insure you have the needed tools to make minor repairs on the road…insure spare tube and patch kit are in good working order and not dry rotted or that the glue has dried up)

–Thoroughly clean drivetrain

Semi-Annually:

–Take out Seatpost and Quill Stem…clean and lube (Do not lube carbon fiber seatpost or seat tube except with carbo grip or similar product)

–Inspect handlebar tape and replace if necessary

Annually (at least):

–All the above and overhaul Bottom Bracket, Wheel Bearings, Headset, and pedals.  Check derailleur hanger alignment.  Replace worn or corroded cables and cable housing.  (Overhaul means to completely disassemble, clean, lube and adjust for proper function.  If this is beyond your expertise, you should have it done professionally.  Everything on your bike that has threads should be lubed with grease at least twice annually.)

–Don’t forget to lube your frame and floor pump!  You may need them.

Safe riding

First day training around Kailua-Kona

Probably the best all round racing bike we have built

The super-cool Team Sky replica helmets have now arrived in the top end Sky Vertigo and cheaper K10 Team version and in stock as well as all colours of the Kask C50Vertigo top-of-the-line helmet (white with red/blue/silver/lime highlights) which has been receiving fantastic reviews in various magazines and online.

Also received new stock of the ever-popular Kask Time Trial helmet in carbon black and silver with clear, mirror and red visor options available and a special offer on our most popular carbon/white Race version from 2009 (a few left in stock).

Range is up here to order online currently with 10% off promotion.

Just back from a fantastic training camp in Lanzarote with “Guru Coach” Filipe along for the first week of technique and long swim sessions in the pool as well as really structured cycling and running sessions.

The most interesting and useful sessions were lactate testing sessions on the time trial bike to work out wattage for Ironman pace and similar on the running track to work out Ironman marathon run pace. Individual write ups on those in due course as they were really interesting. Fantastic to be able to transfer lab results into “real world” advice to use in racing.

Thanks to Filipe for the best structured training camp I’ve done so far in my athletic career – every session had a purpose and done properly and sensibly; no “junk miles” or sessions done just for the sake of mileage (even having done nearly 35 hours on the bike, 10 in the pool and 10 running). There was lots of relevant technical advice especially in the pool (massive difference even in a week) as well as invaluable advice for pacing on the bike and run transferring lab testing and data into the real world am privileged to have have been able to use the facility whcih of course is only of benefit with Filipe’s knowledge and expertise to interpret the results. Most of all we had a really enjoyable time!

A selection of photos from the week below! Link to Sophie Whitworth’s blog write up on the training camp here (one of our sponsored athletes).

Our first delivery of “BikeBoxAlan” boxes arrived today. Exciting to have 5 new boxes turn up which will be available to rent out from Henley and Shiplake (soon to spread across the country I imagine!).

We chose BikeBoxAlan since they have a fantastic reputation for really good build quality which will hopefully pay off in the long run. Customers want the most effective way of protecting their precious cargo and these seem to be the best around. Importantly for a lot of people bikes with integrated seat posts will fit in the boxes too (most time trial bikes and high end road bikes have these nowadays). Also nice to be supporting a leading British company developing great products.

First test is four of the boxes off to Lanzarote for their first trip then some to South Africa to start their worldwide adventures!

Visit www.bikeboxrental.co.uk for our rental services page and www.bikeboxalan.co.uk for details of the boxes.