OVERBIKED

Planet X Pro Carbon Track - pursuit set up

2010-07-11T12:14:00.003+01:00

London Phoenix Team Pursuiters!

2010-07-05T23:50:00.001+01:00

Dolan - reborn!

2010-03-04T10:29:00.003Z

Having recovered the battered remains of my stolen Dolan CX commuter in December from a second hand bike shop in London (with help from my team-mates), it is now back on the road! Lot's of TLC required, plus a fair few new parts, but it's looking good again.

2010 TRP Euro-X alloy brakes

2009-11-25T14:00:00.003Z

I ordered a set of 2010 alloy TRP Euro-X brakes in the new red colour from Zepnat.com recently. These are destined for my new Focus Mares Team, to replace the very fancy but slightly impractical (for cross) FRM V-brakes that came with it as stock.

The TRP's have been upgraded for 2010 with a very neat barrel adjuster on the left arm allowing easy adjustment. They also have the In-Place Adjust cartirdge pad holders as standard, which were an expensive upgrade to last years alloy brakes. The brakes come very nicely presented in a well paded box and are supplied with standard AND carbon specific pads. A great deal for £95 in my view. I fitted them to the Focus last night, and although not finally fettled, they have a great action and seem to pull consistently. This is a good thing, as they don't have spring tension adjusters on each arm (like V-brakes), so you need to rely on the locking straddle bridge to adjust pull. Mine pulled nice and even at first attempt. I have swapped out the pads to Swiss-Stop yellows, as they work really well and can reliably be used on both alloy and carbon rims.

Update on race performance to follow.

Bad news: bike stolen!!

2009-10-13T14:43:00.003+01:00

Last night I had my bike stolen. Here she is in happier days -

For sale: Pinnacle Team CX

2009-09-29T11:54:00.002+01:00

Review: ZipVit Energy Plus Gel

2009-09-16T17:56:00.004+01:00

Apparently this is what Carlos Sastre has to say about ZipVit gels -
“ZipVit as a nutritional supplement is very important to us. The gels are very good and have a really good taste.”

I can only assume that you are not talking about the orange flavour caffeinated gel that I recently tried. I was attracted by the claim that it had more caffeine than 2.5 cans of Red Bull. Jeeeezus, that would be a lot of cafffeine even for my espresso-addled body!!! So I shoved it in my back pocket before the start of this year's Etape to have on the foothills of Mont Ventoux as I felt if I ever needed some caffeine, that was going to be the place. The conditions were not ideal as it was horribly hot in the forest, but I can honestly say that this gel must rank as one of the most unpleasant substances I have ever had the misfortune to eat. It has a paste-like consistency (a bit like a PowerGel), which I really dislike, preferring the more liquid gels like High5 or Torq. It is also high volume (like GoGels). So it was pretty nasty. Bad consistency, and lots of it. It actually made me gag and I had to wash very small mouthfuls down with water. It may have worked, but it was truly horrible. OK, so it was a free sample so I shouldn't be too ungrateful, but sorry, no stars!!

Ch'ti Bike Tour 29 August 2009

2009-09-16T12:54:00.006+01:00

I haven't put any posts up for a while - hoping to be more disciplined so here goes...

The 5th edition of the Ch'ti Bike Tour took place on the weekend of 29/30 August 2009, starting and finishing in Armentieres on the Franco-Belgian border, not far from Lille. This event really must be one of amateur cycling's best kept secrets. While cyclists from all over the globe frantically rush to secure a place in high profile events like the Etape du Tour (and with good reason), the Ch'ti Tour is a real gem, and Saturday's main event is much closer to a real long distance road race than the Etape. One rare treat the Ch'ti Tour shares with the Etape though is closed roads. The only traffic we had to contend over the entire 160km distance were official cars and 'motos' trying to squeeze past the peloton.

I entered this year's event as part of a 10 rider London Phoenix team. The pace was fairly fast and furious, with the large lead group covering the first 100km in just over 2.5 hours. Not like a sportive at all! As we sped past farms and through small villages, the locals were often in evidence and were very enthusiastic and supportive. It's true it's not as scenic as Provence (and cow manure doesn't smell as good as lavender), but it was very picturesque nonetheless. Having said that, I didn't get too much of an opportunity to admire the view as the pace was high, and the field was bunched pretty tight. There were a few nervous moments but I managed to avoid the few crashes. I certainly learned a few more French expletives during the day! The terrain ranged from well surfaced roads to narrow gravelly farm roads, and hills were of the short and reasonably sharp variety. Luckily, the weather was pretty good, although the wind was also strong in places. The final 20km (during which I was in a small break trying hard to bridge up to the lead group of 30 or so riders), the route drifted over the border into Belgium, before arriving back at the start. My average speed over the full 100+ mile ditance was a pretty quick 38km/h. One of my breakaway companions (who did no work incidentally!) was Karine Saysset (see below), who I later found out is a multiple French Champion and has been first female finisher in the Etape on at least 2 occasions. She came and thanked me later while me and the boys were havign a beer (which was nice!), but didn't seem to want to share her prize for being first girl home! She was riding in the same team with Cedric Vasseur, the ex-Tour pro. Unfortunately for him, he also had to wear the pink and white team kit!

British participation in this event is small, but as it's only a one hour drive from Calais it really is a very easy trip. Entry online is (reasonably) straightforward, and is amazing value. Electronic timing, a T-shirt, certificate and (best of all) a slap up meal with local food and Belgian beer after the race is included for around £30. Beat that if you can. The next day you can take part in various less competitive events over different distances on either a road bike or MTB and enjoy more of the region's fine food and drink. All in all a fantastic event and I was happy to be in the results as first British finisher in 46th overall and 21st in my category. What a great weekend!

New track bike: Planet X Stealth Pro Carbon

2009-05-22T15:15:00.001+01:00

Herne Hill Spring Omnium 3 - 3 May 2009

2009-05-05T12:55:00.003+01:00

Photo by Dulwich Paragaon dude

I did my first Omnium track event at Herne Hill on Sunday. This consisted of -

1. 12 lap scratch race (i.e. normal race)
2. 3 lap sprint (heats)
3. 12 lap 'Devil Take the Hindmost'
4. 3 lap sprint (final)
5. 12 lap points race

I've done quite a few training sessions and informal scratch races at Herne Hill but not a formal event like this. I was racing in the B Cats - there's also an A Cat group.

The Scratch race went OK, top 10 I think (just about), all quite fast and furious. The first two in the sprint heats went through to the final and I think I won my heat (very close on the line though), so went through. The Devil was tough - all about positioning and was annoyed to go out on the last elimination lap (2 riders out per lap). Still top 10 though. Sprint final was really close, 6 of us started and 4 of us were very close on the line for the top places. Not sure where I came on that one.

I was a little worried about the Points race, with 4 sprints (3,2,1 points in each for first 3 riders), pain was going to be a fairly prominent feature. I covered an early attack and scooped 1 point in the first sprint for 3rd, and then hung on for 2 points in each of the next 2 sprints (5 total). By the last lap I was still in the front group, but fading so I sat up. Still not sure where I came, but I think I got a podium, possibly 2nd.

So overall, I ended up with 4th position overall. Pretty happy with that for my first Omnium, and you BC points fiends will be interested to know you get points for track events too! Not sure how many yet, but they are rumoured to be quite generously distributed.

On test: Edge Composites 68mm carbon wheels

2009-03-31T15:03:00.002+01:00

Review to follow...

London Phoenix beats Top Class Teams!

2009-03-30T15:25:00.004+01:00

On checking the British Cycling Team Rankings this morning, I was delighted (though not surprised!) to see my team ranking well above Olympic and World Champion Nicole Cooke's Vision1 Racing and Tour de France team Barloworld! In case you don't believe me, here is the evidence

Race Report: Thetford Winter Series Round 4

2009-02-25T13:13:00.007Z

Excellent photos from www.tankduck.com

The last round of Thetford Winter Series was held on Sunday 22 February 2009. This is a very popular MTB race series at one of my favourite off-road riding locations – Thetford Forest. I’d managed 15th in the first race (out of 211), 11th in the second (out of 195), but crashed out of the third race (at Rendlesham in Suffolk) in a start line pile-up in the freezing cold and pouring ran that left me with a badly bruised leg and a sliced kneecap (leg subsequently went an alarming shade of yellow, nut fortunately remained attached).

This time I was looking for payback and a good solid result to count towards the best 3 results that make up the series rankings. Still standing 21st overall despite only finishing 2 of the 3 previous races, I was gridded near the front. Fellow London Phoenix rider and riding buddy Stuart blagged his way to the front with me, and went on to overtake me following the start (cheeky beggar). I was deliberately being a bit cautious as I didn’t want to get caught up in any more accidents! Stuart stayed in front for part of the first lap, and I narrowly avoided another crash in the first singletrack section.

The course was absolutely superb! Pretty much dry (apart from a few areas) and offering just the right amount of grip to rail through the many bermed corners between the trees, ‘speeder-bike’ style (think Star Wars: Return of the Jedi). Throw in some fireroad sections, add a couple of short but reasonably demanding climbs, and the course had just about everything (other than the usual ‘bomb holes’). My lap times for the 7.6 mile course were all in the 33-34 minute range, and after the slowish start, I started to move through the field a bit. Traffic on some sections was an issue, and number of times my earlier efforts to drop other riders came to nothing as I got stuck in a traffic jam in the very narrow sections. By the last of the 4 laps I was battling with 2 other riders who had overtaken me on a fireroad section and were clearly on a mission. Sitting ‘third wheel’ and coming into the last climb, the bumpy ‘Plumbuster’, I overtook one of them and then halfway up the climb went past the other, managing to slot in 3 backmarkers between us by the top (a good security measure). The last 2 short sections were much wider, so I put the hammer down up the last uphill section to come in 14th (out of 183). Pretty happy with that, but most of all I had a great time on the bike (which performed perfectly as usual). Honourable mentions go to all my team mates, including Matt Webber who, with the help of some Go gels, passed me on lap 3 to finish 10th and Stuart Lockyear, who was a very creditable 10th in the Vets.

REVIEW: Victory Circle Graphix decals

2009-02-06T14:08:00.010Z

I've used Victory Circle Graphix in the past for frame stickers, having seen them on some bloke's road bike at a local race in 2005. I quickly ordered some nice black 'Discovery Channel Team' style ones with my last name and the Union flag on one set, and the Stars and Stripes on the other (I'm a dual national). Even my kids' bikes have them! The company actually supply frame stickers to a number of the pro teams, including Astana and Bissell.

I thought it would be good to get some for my Club, London Phoenix, so put the word out to see who was interested. Initial feedback was good, so I asked the folks at VC Graphix to design us some custom stickers using our club logo instead of a national flag. With a bit of feedback and fine tuning, we soon had a great looking design (no extra charge), and ordered up about 20 sets. Feedback on the club website has been very positive, and the service from VC was brilliant. They also offered a good deal on the order as it was reasonably large.
The stickers are extremely durable (they are not thin) and providing you clean the frame beforehand (I use a little isopropyl alcohol), they will stay firmly put. They even seem to resist mild jet-washing (although not the kind of jet-washing my riding buddy Stuart does, which tends to remove the paint!). No signs of UV fade either (some of my original ones are over 3 years old now).

All in all, a great service, well priced and best of all it makes you look like a Pro (alas, no performance enhancement noticed yet). If you want some, email Holly (holly@vcgraphix.com) and she'll get you sorted.

First visit to Hog Hill and I won!!

2009-02-03T10:48:00.005Z

Hog Hill from the air.

Photo from http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/

I made my first visit to the Redbridge Cycle Centre (a.k.a. 'Hog Hill') on 31st January 2009 to try out the road circuit by racing in the Cat 4 race. I'd been following the banter on the London Phoenix forum for a while, and there had been plenty as this was the 8th race in the series. Unfortunately I hadn't managed to make it to any of the earlier races due to a number of frustrating circumstances, including kids' swimming lessons, waiting for parts for my new road bike, and generally not wanting to push my luck too much with my long-suffering wife when I had another event on the following day!

I got the all clear to go this time provided I took my five year old and here pal to a gymnastics party in East Ham(!) later in the day. Sounded pretty fair to me. Luckily the weather gods were smiling, with blue skies but a fairly brisk cold wind. I was seriously impressed with the facilities at Hog Hill. It felt very strange to be at a cycling event where the toilets were actually clean, and the rooms warm. Race numbers on (very fiddly), I did a couple of practice laps in the 'direction du jour', anticlockwise. Immediately apparent was the strong headwind going up the first rise and down the main descent. Serious effort would be required to break away down the hill. Next, through a series of tight, swoopy corners, and back into the wind for the run up to the fabled 'Hoggenberg'. From some accounts, it almost seemed as if someone had made a serious miscalculation with the plans by putting in a "really nasty" climb on a relatively small circuit. As it turns out, I found it a little anti-climactic. OK, the top bit kicks up a little, but it was not too bad. In fact, I kind of liked it!

Off we go then! The first few laps were fairly uneventful, and I stayed out of trouble while I got used to the course. Soon though it became clear the wind was going to cause a few problems, particularly on the climb out of the top part of the circuit to the long descent (not to mention the 'Berg). Sure enough, pretty soon the field had splintered, and a group of 20 or so out of the original 32 formed at the front. There were a few half-attempts to attack on the 'Berg', but I got the feeling these were just testing the legs (and the field). Anyway, I made sure I was near the front on each ascent, and felt pretty comfortable considering my bruised (and curiously yellow) knee from last weekend's crash on the MTB, and the 2 bottles of Bordeaux my Dad and I had shared the night before! I think a few more people dropped off over the next 20 minutes, leaving a group of about 12-15 riders. We started to lap a few of the slower riders once the '5 laps to go board' came out, and I started to feel reasonably confident of a good placing. I was finding the 'Berg to be no problem and was riding it in the saddle most laps while the guys beside me were huffing and puffing a bit.

At the start of the last lap, somebody tried (there's always one!) to break away on the rise to the long descent and powered down the hill into the wind and got a bit of a gap. I was near the front and had to decide whether to be the sucker to chase him down (and drag the rest of the field up to him) or hold my nerve. I held back though as I needed to have the legs for the last sprint up the 'Berg, and someone else took the plunge. I immediately latched on and we made the catch, although, he didn't get too far to be honest. We all regrouped after the curves, almost forming an echelon against the wind, and again I resisted the instinct to hit the front. Going into the last climb we were three abreast, and I positioned myself at the front on the right to allow myself the tightest line around the right-hander to the finish line. We all watched each other closely. My heart rate monitor had given up the ghost by this point, but I could feel my heart anyway. Suddenly I sensed someone moving up on my right so I hit the gas, all out, with just 50-60m to go. Out of the saddle, my back wheel skipped a few times as I gave it everything I had. I looked back and could only see one other rider within striking distance (see below), and luckily the line appeared quickly (unlike the old Eastway, when it seemed to take an age to arrive up the last drag). Phew! I then saw we were just about to catch another London Phoenix rider (Paul Wixon), so in my excitement I blasted up the next climb to tell him the good news, before peeling off to head back to the clubhouse!

The sprint for the line!

Photo taken by Taka Wu. For more visit http://www.cycleweb.co.uk/newsite/gallery.htm

I think I won a couple of novice road races at Eastway in 2005, one of them with a similar tactic, and one on a solo break, but I had forgotten how good it feels. It felt even better because it was on my first visit to such a great new facility, and there were actually a few people watching! And.. (apparently) I have now been upgraded to a Cat 3 Licence. Woo hoo! I think.....?

Gorrick Spring Series Round 1 - mudfest!

2009-01-19T11:40:00.005Z

My trusty Dekerf Elysium Ti after 3 laps of the Yately Heath course. Another hour later, and normal service was resumed!
Stuart during the race -

New bike stickers for my club!

2009-01-09T18:28:00.001Z

Dekerf Elysium

2008-12-09T14:58:00.002Z

Hill climbs!!

2008-10-13T14:51:00.002+01:00

Sale items

2008-10-07T21:36:00.008+01:00

Rollapaluza!!

2008-08-11T12:19:00.005+01:00

Image from Rollazpaluza.com

My first experience of 'roller racing' was on Friday night at Rollapaluza XI. An excellent night of frantic leg spinning in a (night)club environment with my team mate Stuart. We made it to the second round of the Madison team event, and I scraped through to the quarter finals in the individual rounds (last race finishing just after midnight!). A good laugh, but my thighs are still hurting 3 days later!

The sun was bright down there (photo by Caspar of Rollapaluza)

Stuart awaits the start of his qualifying round

Check out this movie link to get an idea of the atmosphere.

Masters of Beastway!

2008-08-10T21:13:00.004+01:00

For the past 5 years or so, Wednesday nights during the summer in London have meant one thing for me: mountain bike racing. Billed as “grass roots racing”, Beastway gets its name from its long term venue at Eastway Cycle Circuit, now sadly demolished as part of the 2012 Olympic preparations.

The Masters category at Beastway is probably the largest and arguably the most fiercely contested. 2 years ago (the last year at Eastway) I managed 5th overall in the series. Last year, the first at Hainault Country Park, I moved up to 3rd overall. This year my objective was to get on the podium again.

The Masters line up for Round 1 (photo by Rikk Cahill)

One change for this year was that the series was reduced from 10 to 5 rounds, with a race only every other week. May 21st was the first race, and the sun was shining. 132 riders were on the start line and I felt pretty good from the start, coming in 3rd behind Richard Craven (Ford CC) and Paul Delahunty (London Dynamo) in a very convincing 1st.

Round 2 approached, and the forecast was not good. Rain was expected and a slight overreaction on my part saw me lining up with 1.7” mud tires. The draggy grass sections were waterlogged, but under the trees, my narrow tires struggled to find grip on the wet roots. Combined with the appearance of very fast displaced Frenchman, Sylvain Garde (Addiscombe CC), I only managed a rather disappointing 8th place.

Round 3 was dry again, and a similar result to Round 1, coming in third overall, behind Gavin Williams in 2nd and Paul Delahunty in first (again). Richard Craven had a crash during the race and had bent his rear disc rotor. As I result, I passed him during the last part of the last lap and put the hammer down to make sure he couldn't come back at me.

Round 4. Instead of my usual 13 mile ride from work to Hainault, I saved some energy by driving out to the race, having taken the day off to attend my daughters' school open day. I don't know whether its better to save the energy or get a good warm up, but it was certainly nice not to have to ride home 16 miles afterwards. Although the weather had looked a little iffy, the race was dry and I was battling for 3rd with William Jones (CPH), swapping places a number of times. Towards the end of the penultimate lap I made my move on a short technical climb, and had pulled out 20m when I lost the front wheel in the soft soil on a tight left-hander. Other than a few scrapes, the bike and I were in one piece, but now I was 30m back and I just couldn't close the gap. 4th, but this time 1st and 2nd places were taken by riders who hadn't appeared in the series yet. Delahunty and Craven were on their hols, and Williams DNF'd.

Round 5. With 4 reasonably consistent finishes so far, I was sitting in 1st in the rankings by some margin, but my closest competition of Delahunty, Craven and Williams had only finished 3 races (best 4 out of 5 are counted in the series). A bit of rough arithmetic showed it was going to be pretty close. With a CO2 inflater strapped to my seatpost (just in case), I took to the staring line and looked around me. All of the usual suspects were there, including the 1st and 2nd places from Round 2, making their second appearance. Delahunty, Craven and Williams were all there, as was Jones. The objective was to improve as much as possible over my 8th place in Round 2. The race was very fast from the start, and I sat in about 6th on lap 1, having overtaken a couple of fast starters. However, my 3 nearest competitors were ahead of me. Delahunty finished first (again) and Williams came in one place ahead of me in 4th. Most significantly, Craven seemed to have faded half way around to 8th place.

The Masters line up for Round 5 (photo by Christian Pratt)

When it was all over, I improved on my 3rd overall last year to 2nd this year. I was very happy with that, and I enjoyed the close competition a lot this year. Bring on Beastway at the new Hog Hill Circuit next year!

Paris Roubaix Sportive 2008

2008-06-23T23:05:00.011+01:00

For some strange reason I got the urge to sign up for this event early in 200 after reading an article about it on LondonCycleSport.com here. Unfortunately, I'd missed the article when it was published and the trip was fully booked. The organiser, Scott Bugden, kindly offered me a place on the waiting list, and in the meantime I thought about how I might do it unsupported. Fortunately I was spared the reality of a planned 2am coach trip from the finish line to the start (so I could leave my car at the finish) when a place on Scott's trip became available in April.

I think most keen cyclists/ cycling fans have witnessed the pros tackle Paris Roubaix. It is the stuff of legends. I was keen to sample it myself, so decided to do some research on equipment. I knew the pros often use different bikes for Paris Roubaix. Some good examples of this can be seen in this Cycling Weekly article about the 2008 event. This article shows some riders chose to use cyclocross frames instead of their usual road frame. Partly out of a desire not to destroy my Giant TCR Composite (see below), and partly because I bought a CX bike in at the beginning of the year, I decided to use this. I will add some posts about what I did to prep it for the big day, but it was nothing too dramatic. The homework paid off, and the bike performed brilliantly. This may sound strange, but I now feel I have a bond with it after it got though such harsh conditions without a complaint (OK the headset feels a little notchy, but that's about it). This is what the bike looked like after the race (safely back at home) -

My research also included obtaining a copy of the excellent film of the 1976 Paris Roubaix. You can see a clip of it here. Very 1970s, and I took it with me on the trip so we could watch it on the coach. The commentary includes the following rather alarming words "Year after year this hell is the setting for a veritable Dante's Inferno, with incredible tortures and even martyrdom." This seemed to upset some of the coach party!

So how did it go? It was a truly fantastic day all in all - probably the best day on a bike I have ever had. After a very early start I completed the 260km distance in 10hrs 23mins, which included a couple of quite lengthy stops at the first 2 feed stations (there were loads, and all excellent) while we waited for various members of our group. I got more and more anxious to get on with proceedings as the day went on, and once I gained confidence over the cobbles, I set out on my own to tackle the last 100km. I felt great, and swinging into the Velodrome at Roubaix was such a great feeling.

I have to admit though, the cobbles were absolutely terrifying at first. The first section (Troisville) was still wet and muddy from the previous day's rain. And this was supposed to be one of the easier sections (according to my nerdy colour-coded chart - see below). This really was "Shock and Awe" - my shock at the severity of the cobbles, and awe at the pros tackling them at race speed. It was clear that if you were riding at race speed on this surface and you lost it, a serious injury was highly likely (as a few people discovered). Downhill on wet and muddy cobbles was clearly a serious challenge.

One of the great things about this event is that you can cover 100km on nice French roads and then the rest of the distance is so broken up with the 28 sections of pave, that you never really get bored. The technique I adopted (which seems to be the most commonly used) was as follows -

use the margins and edges where possible, otherwise stay on the smoothest part available (usually the middle) - don't be a hero;

push a big gear, hold the top of the bars and power across at a reasoble pace (I aimed for 24-28km/h); and

respect your equipment - don't abuse the bike if you don't have to, but equally don't pussy-foot around - be confident.

And the reward at the end? Well, a shower in the famous showers was a truly amazing experience, changing in the cubicle named in honour of the 2003 winner -

And being so close to the Belgian border, the frites were good and came with plenty of mayo!
More stories here.

EVENT: Good Friday Track Meet 2008

2008-03-21T23:16:00.004Z

For the past few years I have made a point of attending this great event, and as I now have a track bike, it is of even more interest (see below). Although the event seemed to be lacking in big names this year (no Brad Wiggins, Sean Yates, Malcolm Elliot etc..), it is still a spectacle to behold and a good number of people braved the cold on a very windy day. I 'm not sure I'd have been too happy with a disc wheel on my bike in those winds!

The hilarious selection of trade stands were present as usual (15 year old knackered rear mech or dayglo jersey advertising some local metalworks anyone?!). I did, however, manage to pick up a neat French bike stand called a "Loby's Foot" for a tenner. Anyway, lot's of entertaining action and a great atmosphere. Once again, the event battled and won the battle with the weather. My plan is to be there on the track next year!

NEW BIKE: Felt TK2

2008-03-21T22:55:00.005Z

Having had done a few track sessions a couple of years ago, and living near the fabulous Herne Hill Velodrome, I felt it was time to explore this a little further. I had looked at a few track bikes on eBay, but was never sure what to go for. I had seen the Felt TK2 and thought it looked like a great machine, but at £1,000 it was a lot of dough for a bike with no gears or brakes (or pedals for that matter). Anyway, I spotted a great deal on a 58cm 2007 model and decided "what the hell".

I'm not going to review the bike in this post (not enough time on it yet), but I thought I'd post a couple of pics of it at its first outing at Herne Hill a couple of weeks ago. It seems like a great machine, although the saddle (Felt branded) is the most uncomfortable piece of junk I have ever had the misfortune to place my backside on. It will be heading to an auction near you REAL soon.

REVIEW: Rotor S-1 Stem

2008-03-21T22:15:00.006Z

About a month ago, I felt it was time to make a few upgrades to my trusty road race bike (see below). When I built it up a couple of years ago, I did so with a limited budget, and sourced some of the finishing kit (bars, stem, post and carbon cages) from Planet-X. Their kit is light, fairly stylish and very good value and, to be honest, has never given me any trouble. However, when I decided to build up a new commuter/ CX bike I thought I'd transfer a few of those parts and use it as an excuse for some upgrades to my race bike.

This brings me on to the Rotor S-1 Stem. I'd seen a few reviews of this product, and read its claims of being the lightest in the world. I liked the look of it, so I ordered one, a bargain at £86(!!). I didn't weigh it, but it felt staggeringly light and is very beautiful, with its wide open faceplate and scalloped machining. I had read that it was a bit tricky to fit, with its headless, twin-threaded bolts. The UK importer assured me if I read the instructions (i.e. unlike typical male) I would be fine.

I had chosen to upgrade the alloy Planet-X bars too, to Deda Spectrum carbon jobs, and mated these to the Rotor S-1 Stem. Now I have a low-range torque wrench, so followed the helpful etched torque figures when tightening the bolts. With a suggested torque of 2.5Nm, this was not much force. Immediately I sensed the bars were not secure. I re-read the instructions and remounted the faceplate after resetting the bolts. I did this a number of times. Still the bars did not feel secure, so I nervously upped the torque a bit. A little happier, I then set off on what was to be a 50km training ride. Half a mile down the rode I went over a bump in the road while riding on the hoods and the bars immediately tilted downwards by 20 degrees or so. Rather rattled by this, I peeled off home and went back to the workshop. Having secured a few hours off from the family to ride, I quickly swapped the stem out for a Thomson X-2, and I was off again. Safe and sound.

So what was the cause of all this? It is true that the instructions recommend the use of "assembly compound" when fitting the bars to the stem, and I didn't use this. They don't provide any with the stem, but my Deda bars had a strange sticky high friction surface on the clamping area anyway. So, did I fit them incorrectly? Were by bars undersized? These were all theories put forward by the UK importer, who graciously agreed to refund me. They also let slip that they thought that the bolt threads in the stem might be a little short, therefore 'blocking' the tightening of the faceplate a little, and also revealed that a 4 bolt version was on the way (for the MTB crowd, not for any other reason, honest). They also told me that I could safely double the recommended torque figures (which I think I probably did anyway). Whatever the reasons, when it comes down to it, a stem that you cannot trust will prevent you from enjoying your bike, and let's face it, could seriously damage your health. I couldn't stop thinking of what would have happened if my bars had slipped while descending a Pyrenean col at 50mph. All in all, this was a valuable lesson for me. A few grams saved in a critical area is just not worth the risk. It also reminded me how dependable Thomson components are. The Rotor S-1 is a beautiful stem, but is let down (in my view) very seriously by its fiddly bolts. Couldn't they have used regular Ti bolts? It would still be light and almost as pretty. Maybe there was an installation or compatibility issue, but I do all my own maintenance, have a fully equipped workshop, and reguarly build up bikes for myself and friends from scratch. I may not be a mechanical genius, but if I get this result, so can others. This is a safety-critical component, and for me, it's not worth the risk.

Verdict: 5/5 for form, 0/5 for function.

BIKE FEATURE: my 2005 Giant TCR Composite

2008-02-19T22:30:00.004Z

This is my road race bike. It's a size large Giant TCR Composite in unusual T-Mobile 'Flames' colour scheme, as used by the US T-Mobile, ahem, Women's team.

Spec is Shimano Dura-Ace throughout, except for Bontrager Race X-Lite compact carbon crankset and KMC X-10SL gold chain. Other kit is Thomson X-2 Stem and Masterpiece seatpost, Deda Spectrum carbon bars, Fizik Arione Carbon CX saddle and Look Keo Carbon pedals. Wheels are Ksyrium ES and tyres are currently folding Continental Gator Skins (on account of the winter weather). Weight is 16.3lbs (with pedals).

REVIEW: Torq gel - Black Cherry Yoghurt Flavour

2008-02-19T21:58:00.003Z

I've been using energy gels for 3 or 4 years now, and I swear by them for keeping my energy levels up during a race or a ride. Having a flask of energy gels in my back pocket during a long race gives me the confidence that I will be able to keep going to the end and still have something left for the last lap.

I've tried lots of brands: PowerGels I find quite disgusting and SIS gels too gloopy and seem to coagulate into lumps in the heat (not nice!). I had settled on High5 gels as being the best, as they come in a variety of fruity flavours and are not too big in terms of volume. They also come in unleaded (regular) and leaded varieties (caffeinated) for that extra kick.

Anyway, during Round 3 of the Thetford Winter MTB Series I was fighting for position with Matt Hart from Torq Fitness and had a chat with him afterwards about their new gels. Having tried a few flavours, I bought a mixed box. I tried my first gel a few weeks ago on a 32 mile training ride on the road around the North Downs: a Black Cherry Yoghurt flavour. Now I like black cherry yoghurt, but wouldn't choose to eat one during a ride. While some of the Torq gels are caffeinated, this one isn't. The ingredients claim a "Research-proven 2:1 Maltodextrin:Fructise formulation for 40% greater carbohydrate delivery". A 45g (29g of which are carbs) sachet contains 114 calories and has a good mix of electrolytes.

So what does it taste like? I suspect this flavour will divide opinion. I quite like it. It's quite sharp and bold for a gel product, and gives your mouth a welcome revival. I'm not sure how great it would be on a very hot day though, when bold flavours are not always as welcome. Anyway, the effect, while obviously subjective, seems to be quite quick to hit the system, and I felt quite quickly reenergised. I'll also be trying the other flavours and also a bunch of their other products.

Verdict: 4/5

More details: http://www.torqfitness.co.uk/

What does Overbiked mean?

2008-02-04T01:22:00.000Z

I came across the term 'overbiked' in a cycling magazine's review of a high-end carbon road bike. I think it was the reviewer's way of saying that the bike was better than he was. As most high-end bikes are close to those used by pro-racers, perhaps this isn't all that surprising. Still, taking 'overbiking' to new heights has become something of a pastime for me. To me 'overbiked' can mean more than that though. It can also simply mean that you are way too obsessed with cycling. That's me too. Anyway, I'm going to use this blog to record my overbiked life, my races and any interesting equipment that I buy or get a chance to try.