A good pair of gloves will make all the difference to your ride – cold, numb hands can be not only painful, but can really limit your responsiveness on the handlebars, shifters and brakes. The key things to look for in a winter glove are: Weather ...
Things I wish I’d known when I got my first bike
I got my first road bike aged 21 – I forget if it came with an instruction manual – but if it did I certainly didn't read it. In fact, I raced it in a triathlon a few weeks after and took it to the Pyrenees not many months into our life together. ...
3 more crazy laws we should introduce for cyclists
There are still people in the world who maintain that it is legal to shoot a Welshman with a crossbow and arrow in Chester after sunset – technically this piece of legislation is in the book of statute and you could do it. However, common sense ...
Cycling events to see in London in 2014
If you plan to make any New Years Resolutions, you've probably done it by now. However, as well as the exciting things you could do by bike in 2014, but there are some amazing events taking place in the UK that you could be a part of. Here are ...
What I’ve learned from hitting the tarmac
I love to ride my bike. I have done so for years – it’s a great way of getting around and I like to ride for sport, too. Despite the fact I love the feeling of whooshing along tarmac, with recent crashes grabbing the headlines, it’s hard not to let ...
Good things about the recent cataclysmic weather
It’s been raining a lot recently. Something the news loves to report on. If you haven’t had a few days off the bike thanks to floods and high winds, I personally think you’re a lucky rider. Could there possibly be anything good about all this ...
Best overshoes for cyclists
Cold feet and hands can turn a pleasant ride into a miserable one, and we can all recognise the feeling of cold water seeping through your socks and sitting against your skin. My feet feel cold just typing this! Overshoes are one way of limiting ...
Christmas day bike rides
Christmas is traditionally a day for making time for family and friends, settling around the Christmas tree, munching through copious amounts of food, and for giving thanks depending on your religious views. Boring! How about going on a Christmas ...
Waterproof Jackets: 3 of the best
Rain and wind are very rarely high on a cyclists list of “favourite conditions to ride in”, but there will always come a day when the heavens open and you find yourself pedalling through it. The best thing you can do is kit up and ride through the ...
Top tips for those thinking of hitting the turbo trainer
Training on a bicycle indoors is not everybody’s idea of a good use of time – and I know that some readers out there use their wheels to commute, and so pounding away on a static trainer isn’t going to do the job for them. However, if you’re using ...
What is your bike made of? Bike frame materials and their properties
At the very core of every bicycle, there is a frame. The material that frame is made out of has a dramatic effect on the way it rides, its durability, and cost. Every frame tells a story, so we’ve delved into some of the rationale, motivations, and ...
Stocking Fillers for Cyclists
I’ll say it quietly, so as not to upset those who don’t mutter the word until December 24th – but Christmas is getting a day closer every day. For those of us in cycling partnerships, Christmas gifting is quite simple – I’ll swap you a Garmin for ...
The Endura Gridlock II Waterproof Trousers
Waterproof trousers don’t immediately strike me as the perfect riding attire, but they are a fantastic and practical solution for short journeys by bike when you want to arrive looking presentable. Bad waterproof trousers will make you feel like a ...
I would cycle but it’s….
We’ve all been there: it’s 6am, the alarm goes off – and it’s blowing a gale out there, the rain is hammering down – you just don’t feel like riding your bike. You come up with a few excuses, and convince yourself to find other means of transport. ...
Endura Gridlock II Women’s Waterproof Jacket review
I’ll admit I was a tiny bit dubious when the Endura Gridlock II first arrived at my desk. Firstly, I’m not really a winter jacket wearer – I get warm pretty easily and my winter attire consists of a good baselayer, long sleeved hincapie jersey and a ...
The five best things about winter riding
When you arrive home, with feet numb like swollen ice bricks, fingers white and brittle, or soaked to the skin, winter can seem a less than fabulous time to ride a bike. But we still keep on doing it, and there have to be some very good reasons for ...
Base layers to keep you warm this winter
Dressing to stay warm on a winter ride starts from the layer closest to your skin. A base layer is worn under a jersey and is used to keep sweat away from your skin (wicking) and to trap a cosy insulating layer of air to keep you warm. You want a ...
Could cyclocross be your next adventure?
There are tons of things you can do on two wheels. You can ride long, winding roads, ticking off the hills across the country; you could load up a touring steed like a snail shell and travel from place to place with all your belongings. You could ...
5 Cyclists I love to hate
The cycling community is almost like its own little nation. We all share one hobby, or ‘nationality’ – we’re all from Cyclocity (or Veloham?) – if you like. However, within Cyclocity there are a number of diverse groups. We tend to either ride ...
Tips for wet weather riding
It can be tempting to poke your nose outside as rain falls from the sky in buckets, shake your head, and take the train instead - but it doesn’t have to be that way. Wet weather riding can be strangely liberating if done right – and if you can’t ...