Tour of Britain 2012 - Behind The Scenes (Montage) from Mat Pennell on Vimeo.
SportPursuit - Top Brand Bargains From A Top UK Firm
SportPursuit is something a bit different though, not a brand as such, but a UK company that is well worth knowing about because of the massive discounts that they provide.
The company is the UK's leading 'Outdoor Specialist Flash Sale' site.
So what's a 'Flash sale'? Well... "A 'Deal of the Day' or 'Flash Sale' is a type of e-commerce, by which a website will provide certain products at large discount for a short period of time. Members of the site can receive these online offers and are notified of which sales are currently in session."
SportPursuit does just that then; when you visit their website for the first time you will be asked to Join Up, a simple case of entering your name and email. After which you have access to the numerous sales that are currently taking place, and will be notified by email once a week with details of the current offers.
- Lezyne (Blog reviewed as my Favourite Bike Pumps)
- Cateye (Brilliant Bike Lights for Commuting)
- Powerbar (Reviewed under Energy Bar Comparison)
- Howies (Another great British brand)
- LifeVenture (A fantastic brand, who I used a lot for camping equipment on the France and Spain trip
- Any many, many more...
The discounts available are huge! I couldn't quite believe it when I came across the site for the first time. For example, my much loved Lezyne Floor Drive Pump which retails at £40 is on sale at £24. An incredible reduction, which takes the price down to below that of many cheap plastic floor pumps. Or for the triathletes out there, you can pick up a Timex heart-rate and data recording watch (retailing at £180) for £99!
Reductions like this seem almost too good to be true, so I checked out how SportPursuit works, here's what they said: "We contact suppliers who may be clearing out their stock, but it is not necessarily 'clearance' products, as other stores won't have the same discount available. Recently for example, we have had suppliers approach us with new season product samples to be sold, which haven't even reached the stores yet! SportPursuit picks the duration based on how many units we have available; if there aren't many, then the sale will be shorter, so we don't sell out of everything. Longer sales tend to mean more for everyone, but never for too long, so we can get other brands up!"
The payment method is secure and you can use PayPal if you choose.
Overall, a great company from my experience, and one well worth knowing about if you want some very discounted, top quality kit! As with my other favourite bike brands, this British company seems to know what the consumer wants...bargains!
The payment method is secure and you can use PayPal if you choose.
Overall, a great company from my experience, and one well worth knowing about if you want some very discounted, top quality kit! As with my other favourite bike brands, this British company seems to know what the consumer wants...bargains!
Race Report: Seven Hills Killer 2012
It's the time of season when it is all too tempting to put your feet up and call it a day; most of the major races are over, there is the UCI World Champs on TV, and it's pissing it down outside with gale force winds.
Unfortunately, I seem to have an addiction to my bike and to racing. Even when the rational part of my brain looked out the window this morning and shook its head at the ridiculous headwind and pouring rain, it was the childish, excited part that quickly won over, flashing up the words "RACE", "COMPETITION", "MUD", "FUN?" in neon lights.
So it was that I started my fourth? (done a few of these, can't remember how many) Seven Hills this morning in horrendous conditions. I was pleased to see that there were plenty of other Isle of Wighters and Mainland folk braving the conditions as well.
I sacked off my warm up, opting instead to sit in the warmth of James' van eating Jelly Babies and reciting the checkpoints. Then at around 1030 I set off, straight up the side of Freshwater Down and into the block headwind and showers of spray coming both downwards from the clouds and upwards from my tyres.
The ride somewhat blurred into one, and seemed to go very quickly. To give a bit of background on the event though; it's an orienteering mountain bike event, timed using electronic tabs, which you have to 'dib' into each of the 13 checkpoints along the route. All the points are stationed on the highest downlands on the Isle of Wight; seven Downs to be correct, giving it the name 'The Seven Hills'.
Anyway, the race seemed to blur into one big, wet, windy, mud fest. James cheered me along the route and came to meet me shivering at the finish; which I was incredibly grateful for. I knew that I was going well after last weekend's result at that Mountain Bike Marathon in Wales, but it was hard to tell in the conditions how well I was going today, as due to the headwind, my splits compared to previous years weren't that amazing.
However, I was greeted by a pleasing 1st place on the big screen when I dibbed into the final checkpoint at the finish, and nobody managed to topple me. No records were broken with a time of 2hrs 11mins, and it was a lot more than the sub 2-hour times that I have ridden the course in previously. But, it was 8 minutes clear of second place, which was all that mattered.
It was nice to have a chat with local riders at the finish, including friends that had run the mountain bike club I first started riding with on the island. Also the family friend that sold me my now heavily upgraded steel road bike - which first got me into road cycling. I came away with a fantastic GPS Mio Cyclo 305HC computer, which I will be sure to review on the blog in the near future; I predict it will provide me with lots more exciting data to analyse from future training.
A big thank you to the Isle of Wight council for laying on another great event as part of the Island Cycling Festival, and a personal thank you to all the other riders that turned out despite the conditions to make it a great event as they do every year.
Full Results and Splits
Unfortunately, I seem to have an addiction to my bike and to racing. Even when the rational part of my brain looked out the window this morning and shook its head at the ridiculous headwind and pouring rain, it was the childish, excited part that quickly won over, flashing up the words "RACE", "COMPETITION", "MUD", "FUN?" in neon lights.
So it was that I started my fourth? (done a few of these, can't remember how many) Seven Hills this morning in horrendous conditions. I was pleased to see that there were plenty of other Isle of Wighters and Mainland folk braving the conditions as well.
I sacked off my warm up, opting instead to sit in the warmth of James' van eating Jelly Babies and reciting the checkpoints. Then at around 1030 I set off, straight up the side of Freshwater Down and into the block headwind and showers of spray coming both downwards from the clouds and upwards from my tyres.
The ride somewhat blurred into one, and seemed to go very quickly. To give a bit of background on the event though; it's an orienteering mountain bike event, timed using electronic tabs, which you have to 'dib' into each of the 13 checkpoints along the route. All the points are stationed on the highest downlands on the Isle of Wight; seven Downs to be correct, giving it the name 'The Seven Hills'.
Anyway, the race seemed to blur into one big, wet, windy, mud fest. James cheered me along the route and came to meet me shivering at the finish; which I was incredibly grateful for. I knew that I was going well after last weekend's result at that Mountain Bike Marathon in Wales, but it was hard to tell in the conditions how well I was going today, as due to the headwind, my splits compared to previous years weren't that amazing.
However, I was greeted by a pleasing 1st place on the big screen when I dibbed into the final checkpoint at the finish, and nobody managed to topple me. No records were broken with a time of 2hrs 11mins, and it was a lot more than the sub 2-hour times that I have ridden the course in previously. But, it was 8 minutes clear of second place, which was all that mattered.
It was nice to have a chat with local riders at the finish, including friends that had run the mountain bike club I first started riding with on the island. Also the family friend that sold me my now heavily upgraded steel road bike - which first got me into road cycling. I came away with a fantastic GPS Mio Cyclo 305HC computer, which I will be sure to review on the blog in the near future; I predict it will provide me with lots more exciting data to analyse from future training.
A big thank you to the Isle of Wight council for laying on another great event as part of the Island Cycling Festival, and a personal thank you to all the other riders that turned out despite the conditions to make it a great event as they do every year.
Full Results and Splits
Review: Hope Vision 2 Front Light
Straight from the box the light doesn't disappoint, it is beautifully made from robust and strong, precision CNC machined stainless. The light comes from two high power LEDs, which on full chat will push out 480 lumens of light. In my opinion, and experience of going down some bloody big Welsh mountains in the dark with this light, this candle-power is easily enough for almost all night riding.
The handlebar mount is secure and well made, with a superb quick release clamp allowing good grip on the bar, far better than the perishable rubber bands that are used on some cheaper lights to secure the lamp unit.
Charge time is around 3 hours, and run time varies between 2 hours on 'full power' to 30 on 'low power'. In fact, the 'high power' setting is easily enough for riding; and using that, rather than 'full' will increase your run time significantly to 3 hours.
Having an independent battery pack has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that you can double your burn time by purchasing a second battery at around £40, which can then just be plugged in quickly when the first starts to give you the 'warning flash' mode, signalling that it is running low. The disadvantage is that you do have cables that can be bent and connections that may be damaged. You can overcome this with careful storage and handling of the battery and head units though, and the cables do have robust rubber grommets surrounding them, so it shouldn't be an issue with these lights.
The unit isn't the lightest out there, coming in at 275 grams, but it is light enough that you could mount it with the supplied helmet or head torch mount if you wanted to, running the extension cable attached to the battery into your back pocket or Camelbak. The slightly higher weight is also a sign of the robust nature of the light, unlike plastic units, there is no chance of cracking the metal on the head unit, and the battery is fully enclosed and waterproof.
Overall a very good light. Well made, easily bright enough and compact. You can pick one up for around £140 now, which in my opinion is a bargain for the build quality.
Hope Lights at Wiggle Bike Shop (Link)
The Alternative Lads' Weekend - CRC Mountain Bike Marathon Weekend Ruthin
When you think of a lads' weekend away, most think of cheap hotels, beers and clubbing. That's not the way the Wightlink Race Team lads went about it this weekend on our visit to Ruthin in North Wales though. Sam, James and I travelled a long five and a half hours drive from the Island to take part in one awesome, action packed Chain Reaction Mountain Bike Marathon Weekend.
We set off Friday, taking our time to get up to the site and enjoying the roads in Wales such as the awesome Horseshoe Pass; definitely one that I would like to revisit on a road bike! The remainder of the afternoon was then spent in the pub, or getting dinner from the chippy and discussing what an awesome first season we've had together as a team.
Camping next to a duck pond turned out not to be our brightest idea, and Friday night wasn't the best night's sleep; but we woke up early on Saturday to bright sunshine and the prospect of bike riding, what more could we ask for? After a leisurely breakfast we set off to Coed Llandegla Trail Centre, about fifteen minutes drive from our camp-site. I've been to a few of the trail centres in Wales before, including the famous Coed-Y-Brenin, and knew we were in for a treat. The place didn't disappoint; dry trails, warm sunshine, whooping descents and rumbling board walk made for an awesome morning of riding, and a good bit of bike-handling practice for us roadies turned mountain bikers for the weekend. After an hour or so of riding we stopped in the great centre café and had coffee and lunch in the sun.
Heading back to the camp-site, most of the afternoon was spent preparing the bikes and lounging around in the sun with a few cuppas. Then after the slightly under-provisioned, but tasty 'pasta party' we got our kit on, ready for the night marathon: 40km of off-road riding in the pitch black with 150 other riders!
We started close behind the lead-out van in the packed field and then after riding through the town it was straight out onto the trails. Unfortunately, as soon as Sambo hit the off-road section his chain snapped! Despite being able to fix it relatively quickly the entire field passed us, so rather than hoping for a top ten finish the objective for us was then just to pass as many riders as possible.
The more riders we passed, the more our mood improved, and after a few very fast descents we reached the cake and coffee feed station in great spirits. After a quick re-fuel it was another epic climb before the longest descent I have ever done on a mountain bike! Seriously awesome! Disk brakes steaming, rear-ends skidding, we hurtled down the side of the mountain in a long snake of riders; with adrenaline levels through the roof. It was then just a short ride back along the road to the finish, where we discovered we had overtaken more than a few riders, and had actually come in the top twenty! Not bad considering our fairly relaxed approach and mechanical handicap at the start.
Waking up Sunday morning was a slightly stiff affair, but we were keen to get going on the day marathon. We set off with the 800 other riders from the start at 10am and after a short lead-out through the town we were soon onto one hell of a road ascent, and my legs certainly weren't going to let me forget about my efforts the previous night. I crested the summit about 5th in the now strung out group of riders, and pretty much stayed in that position for the remainder of the 80km ride.
80km might not sound that much, but with 2900 meters of vertical ascent in the route, and 1350 meters the night before on the 50km Night Marathon route, you certainly feel it in your legs. Mine were killing me. Cramp set in about 50km into the ride, I expect due to de-hydration from the night before, and from that point on every slight ascent was pretty damn painful. However, it was incredibly enjoyable; a fantastic route, with very varied terrain and endless descents and single track; it reminded me why I love mountain biking as much as road riding.
The whole marathon took me around 4hrs 10mins, after getting stuck behind an ambulance picking up a stricken rider for about 10 minutes (don't worry nothing serious). That placed me 4th out of 800 participants, a very pleasing result for a roadie come mountain biker!
It was an incredible ride, and whilst I did it almost entirely on my own, as Jimbo and Sam decided to do the 55km route, the sense of team success on our return was great. All three of us can't wait for the 2013 season, it's going to be a good one! And I have a feeling we'll be doing a fair bit of mountain biking at times as well, to break up the tarmac training.
A few stats from the weekend:
Night Marathon:
= One Awesome Weekend!
 |
| Chip Shop Dinner - It's the end of the season! |
Camping next to a duck pond turned out not to be our brightest idea, and Friday night wasn't the best night's sleep; but we woke up early on Saturday to bright sunshine and the prospect of bike riding, what more could we ask for? After a leisurely breakfast we set off to Coed Llandegla Trail Centre, about fifteen minutes drive from our camp-site. I've been to a few of the trail centres in Wales before, including the famous Coed-Y-Brenin, and knew we were in for a treat. The place didn't disappoint; dry trails, warm sunshine, whooping descents and rumbling board walk made for an awesome morning of riding, and a good bit of bike-handling practice for us roadies turned mountain bikers for the weekend. After an hour or so of riding we stopped in the great centre café and had coffee and lunch in the sun.
Heading back to the camp-site, most of the afternoon was spent preparing the bikes and lounging around in the sun with a few cuppas. Then after the slightly under-provisioned, but tasty 'pasta party' we got our kit on, ready for the night marathon: 40km of off-road riding in the pitch black with 150 other riders!
We started close behind the lead-out van in the packed field and then after riding through the town it was straight out onto the trails. Unfortunately, as soon as Sambo hit the off-road section his chain snapped! Despite being able to fix it relatively quickly the entire field passed us, so rather than hoping for a top ten finish the objective for us was then just to pass as many riders as possible.
The more riders we passed, the more our mood improved, and after a few very fast descents we reached the cake and coffee feed station in great spirits. After a quick re-fuel it was another epic climb before the longest descent I have ever done on a mountain bike! Seriously awesome! Disk brakes steaming, rear-ends skidding, we hurtled down the side of the mountain in a long snake of riders; with adrenaline levels through the roof. It was then just a short ride back along the road to the finish, where we discovered we had overtaken more than a few riders, and had actually come in the top twenty! Not bad considering our fairly relaxed approach and mechanical handicap at the start.
 |
| Fuelling Up - Ready to Ride!! |
80km might not sound that much, but with 2900 meters of vertical ascent in the route, and 1350 meters the night before on the 50km Night Marathon route, you certainly feel it in your legs. Mine were killing me. Cramp set in about 50km into the ride, I expect due to de-hydration from the night before, and from that point on every slight ascent was pretty damn painful. However, it was incredibly enjoyable; a fantastic route, with very varied terrain and endless descents and single track; it reminded me why I love mountain biking as much as road riding.
The whole marathon took me around 4hrs 10mins, after getting stuck behind an ambulance picking up a stricken rider for about 10 minutes (don't worry nothing serious). That placed me 4th out of 800 participants, a very pleasing result for a roadie come mountain biker!
It was an incredible ride, and whilst I did it almost entirely on my own, as Jimbo and Sam decided to do the 55km route, the sense of team success on our return was great. All three of us can't wait for the 2013 season, it's going to be a good one! And I have a feeling we'll be doing a fair bit of mountain biking at times as well, to break up the tarmac training.
A few stats from the weekend:
Night Marathon:
- 40km (25 miles) Off-road
- 1350 meters of vertical ascent
- Finished around 20th of 150 starters
Day Marathon:
- 80km (50 miles) Off-road
- 2900 meters of vertical ascent
- Finished 4th out of 800 starters
+ Trail Centre Riding
= One Awesome Weekend!
Nutrition: Energy Bar Comparison Results
At the start of this year, I was lucky enough to have accumulated a wide variety of energy bars and gels from various competitions and trials. This blog post is a personal comparison of which I think are best: looking at taste, value, palatability (ease of consumption) and the quality of ingredients.
I will add to it over time, as I sample new brands, flavours and styles.
Home-made Flap-Jack
Flavour: My favourite is banana, fig and raisin
Description: The recipe I use can be found here: Recipe: High Energy Flapjacks. They are very tasty, cheap, healthy and easy to make. You can actually freeze them quite well, so doing a big batch and the storing them is not a problem. Well worth a try.
Maximuscle Viper Active Bar
Flavour: Apple and Cinnamon
Description: Not bad, it tastes a bit like Cinnamon Grahams (if you remember those). It's fairly dry and easily broken into bite-size chunks. Not too hard to chew down and swallow. There's nothing special about the ingredients to be honest, no home-made taste here; it could do with a bit of dried fruit or honey to help moisten it up.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Cherry and Coconut
Flavour: Cherry and Coconut
Description: Cherry and Coconut might seem like an odd combination, but apart from being a bit crumbly, it works quite well; better than the banana bread flavour anyway. It could still do with a bit of moisture in there, but at least it is a big sized bar at 100g.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Banana
Flavour: Banana Bread
Description: Definitely a bit average; it doesn't taste anything like banana bread that I have made at home! The flavour has a slightly odd synthetic after-taste and the oatmeal contents are quite chewy and hard to eat on the move. On the plus side, it did seem to provide quite a bit of sustenance for a long time, and it is a decent size 100g bar.
Taste: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Power Bar Berry Blast Energy Bar
Flavour: Berry Blast (Summer Fruits)
Description: After eating Mule Bars, Honey Stinger and Home-made Flapjack, all of which are made with natural ingredients and fresh produce, this bar from PowerBar was rather disappointing. It tastes rather like a Refresher bar for those that have had them. It is chewy, slightly synthetic and has a bit of an after taste. For me, it really wasn't great, and I certainly wouldn't buy one again any time soon. Perhaps one for those that prefer sweets rather than cereal bars.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 2/5
I will add to it over time, as I sample new brands, flavours and styles.
Home-made Flap-JackFlavour: My favourite is banana, fig and raisin
Description: The recipe I use can be found here: Recipe: High Energy Flapjacks. They are very tasty, cheap, healthy and easy to make. You can actually freeze them quite well, so doing a big batch and the storing them is not a problem. Well worth a try.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 19/20 (OK I might be a bit biased!)
Mule Bar Apple Strudel Energy Bar
Flavour: Apple Strudel
Description: So good!! My sister lived in Austria for a year and I know a proper Austrian Apfelstrudel is difficult to replicate in an energy bar! But this goes a long way to being successful. Very moist due to the chunks of Apple, and spicy because of the cinnamon. These are well worth a try!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mule Bar Liquorice All-Sports Energy Bar
Flavour: Liquorice (Fennel Seeds)
Description: Mule Bar have seriously hit the nail on the head for me with these. For those that have read my blog on Alternative Energy Foods, you will know that I am a sucker for Liquorice (probably something to do with being part-Dutch). This bar was moist, tasty and easy to eat. The only slight problem was that the Fennel seeds were a bit chewy, but they leave a nice taste in your mouth. Definitely on the recommendation list!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Flavour: Apple Strudel
Description: So good!! My sister lived in Austria for a year and I know a proper Austrian Apfelstrudel is difficult to replicate in an energy bar! But this goes a long way to being successful. Very moist due to the chunks of Apple, and spicy because of the cinnamon. These are well worth a try!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 5/5
Overall: 19/20
Mule Bar Liquorice All-Sports Energy Bar
Flavour: Liquorice (Fennel Seeds)
Description: Mule Bar have seriously hit the nail on the head for me with these. For those that have read my blog on Alternative Energy Foods, you will know that I am a sucker for Liquorice (probably something to do with being part-Dutch). This bar was moist, tasty and easy to eat. The only slight problem was that the Fennel seeds were a bit chewy, but they leave a nice taste in your mouth. Definitely on the recommendation list!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 5/5
Overall: 19/20
Honey Stinger Rocket Chocolate
Flavour: Rocket Chocolate
Description: Very tasty, definitely one for the chocolate lovers. This bar is moist, sweet and has a good texture. You can tell that the Honey Stinger products are made from natural ingredients, as the bar does not taste synthetic, or feel overly sticky and hard to eat. Highly Recommended.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Honey Stinger Rocket ChocolateFlavour: Rocket Chocolate
Description: Very tasty, definitely one for the chocolate lovers. This bar is moist, sweet and has a good texture. You can tell that the Honey Stinger products are made from natural ingredients, as the bar does not taste synthetic, or feel overly sticky and hard to eat. Highly Recommended.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 17/20
Mule Bar Summer Pudding Energy Bar
Flavour: Summer Fruits
Description: Perhaps it's just that the image of summer pudding conjures up thoughts of moist fruit and sogginess, but I found this bar a bit dry. It was tasty enough, and certainly you could tell it was natural and organic, but it was a bit too much like a standard Granola or Frusili bar for me to put it down as anything special.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mule Bar Summer Pudding Energy BarFlavour: Summer Fruits
Description: Perhaps it's just that the image of summer pudding conjures up thoughts of moist fruit and sogginess, but I found this bar a bit dry. It was tasty enough, and certainly you could tell it was natural and organic, but it was a bit too much like a standard Granola or Frusili bar for me to put it down as anything special.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 4/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
Nature Valley Crunchy Rolled Oat Bar
Flavour: Canadian Maple Syrup, Ginger, Oats and Honey
Description: A tasty and easy to eat bar, that can be bought in most supermarkets. Each packet has two "bars" in it, which is useful, as you don't have to try and wolf down a whole bar in one "sitting". Size-wise it is a little small at only 42grams, but it is a fair bit cheaper than many out-and-out energy bars, yet still provides the benefits of oat-driven energy.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nature Valley Crunchy Rolled Oat Bar
Flavour: Canadian Maple Syrup, Ginger, Oats and Honey
Description: A tasty and easy to eat bar, that can be bought in most supermarkets. Each packet has two "bars" in it, which is useful, as you don't have to try and wolf down a whole bar in one "sitting". Size-wise it is a little small at only 42grams, but it is a fair bit cheaper than many out-and-out energy bars, yet still provides the benefits of oat-driven energy.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 4/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
Maximuscle Viper Active BarFlavour: Apple and Cinnamon
Description: Not bad, it tastes a bit like Cinnamon Grahams (if you remember those). It's fairly dry and easily broken into bite-size chunks. Not too hard to chew down and swallow. There's nothing special about the ingredients to be honest, no home-made taste here; it could do with a bit of dried fruit or honey to help moisten it up.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 14/20
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Cherry and Coconut
Flavour: Cherry and Coconut
Description: Cherry and Coconut might seem like an odd combination, but apart from being a bit crumbly, it works quite well; better than the banana bread flavour anyway. It could still do with a bit of moisture in there, but at least it is a big sized bar at 100g.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 13/20
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - BananaFlavour: Banana Bread
Description: Definitely a bit average; it doesn't taste anything like banana bread that I have made at home! The flavour has a slightly odd synthetic after-taste and the oatmeal contents are quite chewy and hard to eat on the move. On the plus side, it did seem to provide quite a bit of sustenance for a long time, and it is a decent size 100g bar.
Taste: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 3/5
Overall: 11/20
Power Bar Berry Blast Energy Bar
Flavour: Berry Blast (Summer Fruits)
Description: After eating Mule Bars, Honey Stinger and Home-made Flapjack, all of which are made with natural ingredients and fresh produce, this bar from PowerBar was rather disappointing. It tastes rather like a Refresher bar for those that have had them. It is chewy, slightly synthetic and has a bit of an after taste. For me, it really wasn't great, and I certainly wouldn't buy one again any time soon. Perhaps one for those that prefer sweets rather than cereal bars.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 3/5
Overall: 11/20
Review: Michelin Lithion 2 Road Tyre
Retailing on-line in most stores for around £15 for a folding tyre, these are a great deal. They are a lightweight, durable and safe all weather training tyre, which look good on the bike and provide a comfortable ride.
Here are a few highlights:
- Tread: Lithions are branded as a good all-weather tyre, which is certainly true. The have a slick centre tread, with grooved outer panels. This provides good speed, yet safe and confident cornering even in wet conditions.
- Puncture Protection: A high density rubber and inbuilt puncture protection mean that these tyre have a strong resistance to punctures, with the majority of punctures I have encountered coming from pothole pinch-punctures.
- Durability: As mentioned above, I've been running one of these tyres for close to three years on the front wheel of one bike and it is still looking in good condition. When wear does occur it becomes evident through a squaring off of the centre slick strip, and a loss of the herring bone outer grip; indicating that replacement is required from a safety and grip view-point.
- Look: An important factor for many, the Lithion 2 comes in four different colours (red not shown above), and looks very similar to the Pro3 Race tyre at a glance. Therefore having the appearance of a much more expensive tyre.
- Fitting: The folding nature makes it easier to fit to the rim (as well as making the tyre lighter). It also means that the tyre is a useful spare tyre. I took one folded up and strapped to my rear rack on my France and Spain touring trip last year.
Overall, a great training tyre. Not as fast as the GP4000s that I use to race on, and not as durable as the 25C Vittoria Rubino Tyres on my touring/winter bike. But they are a fast, grippy and durable summer training tyre; which is strong enough and safe enough to use in the wet as well.
Favourite Bike Brands - Morvélo, Hope, Romster, Vélobici, Ortlieb and Brooks
When it comes to cycling apparel and components the choice is endless. It's a constantly growing field; with new competitors joining the market, ranges expanding and variety increasing. It's easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of products on offer.
I started out cycling when I was 14, and predictably tended to buy the cheaper kit. There's a limit to how much your pocket money can buy! I had a starter Gary Fisher mountain bike and a £5 vintage steel road bike; my kit followed a similar theme, with relatively budget shorts and jerseys.
However over the years, as finances have allowed and experience has prevailed, I've become very specific in the kind of kit I tend to buy. It's all about build quality, life-span and ultimately value for money. I'm still a big fan of some of the budget brands such as Wiggle's Dhb, and have always been impressed by their quality of clothing. But for the most part my favourite brands follow a theme; higher quality means lower quantity (i.e. you won't have to keep buying replacements).
Below I've picked out my current favourite brands, and hope to add to this post as I discover new, exciting and special products. They aren't necessarily the most expensive, most fancy, lightest bits of kit I own; but they all work beautifully for the role they are designed for. A large percentage of them are small British firms; firms that understand the market, understand quality and appreciate that avid cyclists want kit that will keep functioning well for thousands upon thousands of miles - the real sign of value for money.
Hope Technology
A brand for off and on the bike; Vélobici are another fantastic UK based company, producing high quality kit that continues to look good with avid usage. I own a few bits of Vélobici apparel; some incredibly comfortable seamless Merino arm warmers, which quite honestly are ten times better than any arm warmers I have ever tried before. I also have a fantastic Vélobici T-shirt and Firenze Pullover; both made of very high quality fabrics, including the signature Merino wool for the pullover, they are superbly comfortable. Again importantly though, all the kit has weathered well; worn and washed dozens of times, they are still looking cool and stylish each wear. A great company.
Morvélo
This fantastic Brighton based brand are another producer of apparel for both on and off the bike. I have a very comfortable and well made Morvélo sweatshirt and a cool Morvélo flexfit cap. Both are two of my favourite pieces of clothing.
I've got a real lust for some of their on the bike kit as well; their jerseys and shorts look amazing quality and their arm and knee warmers are seriously classy.
Romster Bike Wear
Romster Bike Wear is one of my favourite companies for one major reason; their tees just make me smile and laugh whenever I see them. Their witty designs and fantastic slogans are unique and very special "A Good Ride A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!". They are also beautiful quality pure cotton t-shirts, which look fantastic and are comfortable both on and off the bike. A company well worth checking out just to remind people that you are a cyclist even when you're at the pub.
Brooks
I wrote a blogpost about my Brooks Swift saddle a few weeks back (link here). It's an incredibly comfortable saddle, I didn't have the slightest saddle pain on a 130 mile ride this summer!
The most impressive thing about Brooks is the build quality though. They are built to last, by hand, in their Birmingham factory. I am sure that mine will be with me for many many more years to come, and I look forward to every mile I ride on it.
Ortlieb
I bought a set of Ortlieb Classic Roller panniers for the France and Spain Touring Trip I did this time last year. This company is the exception to the rule being German rather than British; however the theme of superb build quality and reliability continues. These fully waterproof panniers are incredible, I've used them almost every day since last September to commute to university and aside from a few cosmetic marks they are looking, and functioning, as new!
I would love one of their waterproof bar bags and saddle pack to match; built to last for everyone from round the world cyclists, to daily commuters.
So there they are, my favourite bike brands. They are all unique, all special and all fantastic companies, producing superb products. I hope you found the post interesting and that perhaps you'll check out one or more of the brands. It would be great to hear what your favourite brands are, please let me know in the comments section below.
I started out cycling when I was 14, and predictably tended to buy the cheaper kit. There's a limit to how much your pocket money can buy! I had a starter Gary Fisher mountain bike and a £5 vintage steel road bike; my kit followed a similar theme, with relatively budget shorts and jerseys.
However over the years, as finances have allowed and experience has prevailed, I've become very specific in the kind of kit I tend to buy. It's all about build quality, life-span and ultimately value for money. I'm still a big fan of some of the budget brands such as Wiggle's Dhb, and have always been impressed by their quality of clothing. But for the most part my favourite brands follow a theme; higher quality means lower quantity (i.e. you won't have to keep buying replacements).
Below I've picked out my current favourite brands, and hope to add to this post as I discover new, exciting and special products. They aren't necessarily the most expensive, most fancy, lightest bits of kit I own; but they all work beautifully for the role they are designed for. A large percentage of them are small British firms; firms that understand the market, understand quality and appreciate that avid cyclists want kit that will keep functioning well for thousands upon thousands of miles - the real sign of value for money.
The first Hope product I bought was a Pro 2 front wheel for my mountain bike, as I was fed up with the constant re-adjustment and servicing of the cup and cone hub that I was running.
The wheel ran smooth and silent straight from the box, and the hand-built nature meant it was stiff and strong. Two years later, after much abuse from floods and mud, the wheel is still running strong, true and smooth. I was so impressed by the wheel in fact that I bought a matching rear wheel this summer, which along with the world's loudest free-hub is another piece of superb precision engineering.
I've also bought a Hope Vision light, which is an incredible piece of kit, and much better than training on a turbo on the dark winter evenings! The beauty of Hope is in its quality; this stuff is built by hand, to last one hell of a long time! When I've got the money a set of their new carbon deep sections laced onto Pro 3 hubs is definitely going to be my road race wheel of choice.
Vélobici
The wheel ran smooth and silent straight from the box, and the hand-built nature meant it was stiff and strong. Two years later, after much abuse from floods and mud, the wheel is still running strong, true and smooth. I was so impressed by the wheel in fact that I bought a matching rear wheel this summer, which along with the world's loudest free-hub is another piece of superb precision engineering.
I've also bought a Hope Vision light, which is an incredible piece of kit, and much better than training on a turbo on the dark winter evenings! The beauty of Hope is in its quality; this stuff is built by hand, to last one hell of a long time! When I've got the money a set of their new carbon deep sections laced onto Pro 3 hubs is definitely going to be my road race wheel of choice.
Vélobici
A brand for off and on the bike; Vélobici are another fantastic UK based company, producing high quality kit that continues to look good with avid usage. I own a few bits of Vélobici apparel; some incredibly comfortable seamless Merino arm warmers, which quite honestly are ten times better than any arm warmers I have ever tried before. I also have a fantastic Vélobici T-shirt and Firenze Pullover; both made of very high quality fabrics, including the signature Merino wool for the pullover, they are superbly comfortable. Again importantly though, all the kit has weathered well; worn and washed dozens of times, they are still looking cool and stylish each wear. A great company.
This fantastic Brighton based brand are another producer of apparel for both on and off the bike. I have a very comfortable and well made Morvélo sweatshirt and a cool Morvélo flexfit cap. Both are two of my favourite pieces of clothing.
I've got a real lust for some of their on the bike kit as well; their jerseys and shorts look amazing quality and their arm and knee warmers are seriously classy.
Romster Bike Wear is one of my favourite companies for one major reason; their tees just make me smile and laugh whenever I see them. Their witty designs and fantastic slogans are unique and very special "A Good Ride A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!". They are also beautiful quality pure cotton t-shirts, which look fantastic and are comfortable both on and off the bike. A company well worth checking out just to remind people that you are a cyclist even when you're at the pub.
I wrote a blogpost about my Brooks Swift saddle a few weeks back (link here). It's an incredibly comfortable saddle, I didn't have the slightest saddle pain on a 130 mile ride this summer!
The most impressive thing about Brooks is the build quality though. They are built to last, by hand, in their Birmingham factory. I am sure that mine will be with me for many many more years to come, and I look forward to every mile I ride on it.
I bought a set of Ortlieb Classic Roller panniers for the France and Spain Touring Trip I did this time last year. This company is the exception to the rule being German rather than British; however the theme of superb build quality and reliability continues. These fully waterproof panniers are incredible, I've used them almost every day since last September to commute to university and aside from a few cosmetic marks they are looking, and functioning, as new!
I would love one of their waterproof bar bags and saddle pack to match; built to last for everyone from round the world cyclists, to daily commuters.
So there they are, my favourite bike brands. They are all unique, all special and all fantastic companies, producing superb products. I hope you found the post interesting and that perhaps you'll check out one or more of the brands. It would be great to hear what your favourite brands are, please let me know in the comments section below.
Race Report: Cricklade Kermesse - Rapid!
We travelled up to Wiltshire yesterday to take part in the Cricklade Kermesse, and it proved to be one beast of a race. 15 laps of a fast circuit, then a finish on the narrow, downhill High Street with crowds of spectators. My target for the race was the 'King Of The Mountains' classification; on 5 laps there was an uphill sprint up Common Hill, with the first three taking points.
From the start it was pretty evident that the race was going to be FAST, and tight corners were going to make it quite technical at times. By the second lap people were jostling for position for the KOM classification, trying to be near the front for the climb. I did that, but in fact ended up on the front...not so good. I ended up just taking 3rd on that one and gaining one point.
The pace kept on climbing, with the average speed for the race in the region of 28mph. Breaks were trying to go off the front, but there wasn't really any chance of them keeping clear for that long, as people pulled them back for the second time up the KOM. This one I really messed up, getting spat out the back of the leading group in 4th, with a heart-rate reaching a personal maximum, higher than I have ever seen on the bike, it wasn't a surprise that I threw up in my mouth a few minutes later then...haven't done that in a while. I was just about ready to sit up, call it a day and resign myself to the finishing sprint.
By the third of five KOM laps though I was beginning to get myself sorted; sitting second wheel as we hit the bottom of the climb I sprinted up the road reaching the line a good few bike lengths clear of all the others and taking maximum points.
The fourth time wasn't that great, and I ended up coming in about 6th I think, but at least the main contenders for the prize weren't in that front group. Then on the fifth and final time I managed to nail it. A break had gone up the road and were about 40 seconds clear of the main field. Noting that all my rivals were in the main bunch I chased after it alone, latching onto the back just a few metres before the start of the climb. Whilst there was still one guy up the road in front of the break, I was able to gain another two points by crossing the line second at the front of the break.
I was pretty knackered by then. The break that I had gone across to inevitably got caught about half a lap later and I 'coasted' along in the bunch for a while trying to regain some composure. I did a bit of work on the front trying to chase down a few breaks and then before I knew it we were on the last lap, with a two man break up the road that somehow we hadn't manage to catch.
When we had looked at the finish before the start it was evident that it was going to be pretty dangerous. There were traffic calming bollards with flower pots on stuck out into the middle of the road and the downhill ramp meant that it was going to be very fast. I was a fair way back in the pack, but moving up nicely into the top 15 or so going into the finishing straight when the carnage began. Almost simultaneously a guy tried to squeeze down a non-existent gap on the outside of me, and two other tried to do the same on the other side of the road. I got away lightly, the guy just put his pedal into my front wheel and bent two spokes. The riders on the other side of the road did not; hitting a parked car at 35mph and catapulting into the air, it was lucky that it was only shocked and dazed riders and broken carbon that resulted, rather than broken bones.
After that little event I just coasted down to the line, probably finishing around 20th I expect. I had done my work for the day though, and although consistency hadn't been great in my KOM attempts, I came away with second place, a bottle of wine and some new sunglasses.
It was a great race overall and a fantastic way to finish the season and a great week for me. Really looking forward to more road racing in 2013.
From the start it was pretty evident that the race was going to be FAST, and tight corners were going to make it quite technical at times. By the second lap people were jostling for position for the KOM classification, trying to be near the front for the climb. I did that, but in fact ended up on the front...not so good. I ended up just taking 3rd on that one and gaining one point.
The pace kept on climbing, with the average speed for the race in the region of 28mph. Breaks were trying to go off the front, but there wasn't really any chance of them keeping clear for that long, as people pulled them back for the second time up the KOM. This one I really messed up, getting spat out the back of the leading group in 4th, with a heart-rate reaching a personal maximum, higher than I have ever seen on the bike, it wasn't a surprise that I threw up in my mouth a few minutes later then...haven't done that in a while. I was just about ready to sit up, call it a day and resign myself to the finishing sprint.
By the third of five KOM laps though I was beginning to get myself sorted; sitting second wheel as we hit the bottom of the climb I sprinted up the road reaching the line a good few bike lengths clear of all the others and taking maximum points.
The fourth time wasn't that great, and I ended up coming in about 6th I think, but at least the main contenders for the prize weren't in that front group. Then on the fifth and final time I managed to nail it. A break had gone up the road and were about 40 seconds clear of the main field. Noting that all my rivals were in the main bunch I chased after it alone, latching onto the back just a few metres before the start of the climb. Whilst there was still one guy up the road in front of the break, I was able to gain another two points by crossing the line second at the front of the break.
I was pretty knackered by then. The break that I had gone across to inevitably got caught about half a lap later and I 'coasted' along in the bunch for a while trying to regain some composure. I did a bit of work on the front trying to chase down a few breaks and then before I knew it we were on the last lap, with a two man break up the road that somehow we hadn't manage to catch.
When we had looked at the finish before the start it was evident that it was going to be pretty dangerous. There were traffic calming bollards with flower pots on stuck out into the middle of the road and the downhill ramp meant that it was going to be very fast. I was a fair way back in the pack, but moving up nicely into the top 15 or so going into the finishing straight when the carnage began. Almost simultaneously a guy tried to squeeze down a non-existent gap on the outside of me, and two other tried to do the same on the other side of the road. I got away lightly, the guy just put his pedal into my front wheel and bent two spokes. The riders on the other side of the road did not; hitting a parked car at 35mph and catapulting into the air, it was lucky that it was only shocked and dazed riders and broken carbon that resulted, rather than broken bones.
After that little event I just coasted down to the line, probably finishing around 20th I expect. I had done my work for the day though, and although consistency hadn't been great in my KOM attempts, I came away with second place, a bottle of wine and some new sunglasses.
It was a great race overall and a fantastic way to finish the season and a great week for me. Really looking forward to more road racing in 2013.
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| The lads at the finish. From the left James Ebdon, Matt Tibbutt, Myself and Sam Baker (I forgot to zip up my jersey... amateur). Photo Courtesy of Graham Robins |
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