Clean your transmission

Justin Loretz talks you through the steps to getting your transmission clean and shiny Hit the bottle Fill a 500ml bottle with 2-3in of degreaser, drop your chain in and shake for a minute. Take the chain out and brush it to remove any gunk. Rinse in clean water, then reprep with lube before wiping [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/10/14/clean-your-transmission/

Clementine D. Davidson Carl J. Buckman William B. Cox Manuel K. Bauer Lorene W. Hooper

MBUK 268 on sale today!

That’s right, the latest issue of MBUK is in the shops today! So what do you get in return for parting with your hard-earned pennies? Doddy discovers a hidden riding gem on Canada’s west coast. It’s the clash of the titans as 29ers and 26in bikes go head-to-head on a multi-day epic – which will [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/24/mbuk-268-on-sale-today/

Del D White Pamela M King Juan S Hendricks Maria R Harrington Don O Shoults

Vito-Cam film of this year?s Gore Bike Wear TransWales

Check out some of the action from the 2011 Gore Bike Wear TransWales event, powered by Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWe_sQFF38I

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/24/vito-cam-film-of-this-year%e2%80%99s-gore-bike-wear-transwales/

Paula F Tims Reginald M Dabney Herbert M Blocker Robert S Timmons Faye T Speaks

Mountain bike Worlds course suits Todd Wells

US cross-country national champion Todd Wells is optimistic about his chances at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Champery, Switzerland this weekend.

The American got to scope out the course at high speed on Wednesday as a member of the US squad in the team relay. While the team suffered from a crash on the first lap that put them out of medal contention, the riders continued to plug away, trying to catch as many other nations as possible.

"It's nice to get in a hot lap under race conditions," said Wells after finishing his lap. "The course has changed this week since we got here. The bark has come off the roots and they've become more slippery. The course has so many people on it right now that it's hard to get in a good fast lap during training without stopping."

Wells will opt for a 29er full-suspension bike for his race on Saturday ? the new 2012 Specialized Epic. "I think it'll be a good course for me," he said. "I'm a big guy so generally the less climbing, the better for me. This is about as little climbing as you can get for a mountain bike race, and I feel like the big wheels will excel on this course."

The just-over-4km course is very technical with many roots and rocks. Yet Wells predicted that the climb will be where the definitive moments occur. "You go pretty hard in the flat sections, then you send the best guys in the world up a three-minute climb several times and when they go in tapped out, it will separate them," he said. "If riders are close in ability, yes, then the technical riding might separate the race, but all the top guys are good technically."

Another factor may affect the racing for the elite men: time of day. Run at 4.30 pm on Saturday, it may be challenging to see in the deep woods. "We don't usually race this late, so it's very dark in the woods and the sun was in your eyes in some sections, while in others it was completely dark," said Wells after racing the team relay at about the same time of day. "Today we had a beautiful day. If we have other conditions, it could be really dark."

Wells was philosophical about the 21st place of the US team in the relay. "We started with a big deficit and were never able to recover," he said. "Usually, we don't have four strong riders on the US relay team. This year, we had four good riders and had a shot, but things don't always work out the way you plan."

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/trW7t2TumG0/story01.htm

Danny M Brown James A Robison Del D White Pamela M King Juan S Hendricks

Pro?s eye view: Martyn Ashton

The MTB trials legend reflects on what you can learn from a riding injury? “I?m often asked about injuries and how they?ve affected me during my career, and my answer has developed over the years. I used to think I was indestructible and would?ve been amazed if I?d hurt myself. Confidence in your ability is [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/16/pro%e2%80%99s-eye-view-martyn-ashton/

Barbara M Sparks Delia H Mascarenas David B Vaughn Kristen B Briley Kent F Alexander

All set for the Rockies?

After a year of talking about it, preparing for it and getting excited about it, the TransRockies X is finally here. Mark Almond and Gordon Dickson aka Team What Mountain Bike/Red Cloud are getting ready to go, as Mark explains It’s funny how something as major as the TransRockies, now in its 10th year, can [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/03/all-set-for-the-rockies/

James E Hunt Roy A Knights Clarence A Johnson Nancy L Strauss Jackie M Herbert

Animal Bike Tour hits Falmouth

The Animal Bike Tour are in the middle of their longest stint on the road yet. This stint kicked off in Falmouth, for Falmouth Week, one of the largest sailing regattas in the south west – it was the first time the Animal Bike Tour were part of it. The scenery over looking the harbour [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/19/animal-bike-tour-hits-falmouth/

Mary C Garcia Bradley R Delarosa Latoyia R Lee Joe M Moriarty Robert D Boyer

Mountain bike Worlds course suits Todd Wells

US cross-country national champion Todd Wells is optimistic about his chances at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Champery, Switzerland this weekend.

The American got to scope out the course at high speed on Wednesday as a member of the US squad in the team relay. While the team suffered from a crash on the first lap that put them out of medal contention, the riders continued to plug away, trying to catch as many other nations as possible.

"It's nice to get in a hot lap under race conditions," said Wells after finishing his lap. "The course has changed this week since we got here. The bark has come off the roots and they've become more slippery. The course has so many people on it right now that it's hard to get in a good fast lap during training without stopping."

Wells will opt for a 29er full-suspension bike for his race on Saturday ? the new 2012 Specialized Epic. "I think it'll be a good course for me," he said. "I'm a big guy so generally the less climbing, the better for me. This is about as little climbing as you can get for a mountain bike race, and I feel like the big wheels will excel on this course."

The just-over-4km course is very technical with many roots and rocks. Yet Wells predicted that the climb will be where the definitive moments occur. "You go pretty hard in the flat sections, then you send the best guys in the world up a three-minute climb several times and when they go in tapped out, it will separate them," he said. "If riders are close in ability, yes, then the technical riding might separate the race, but all the top guys are good technically."

Another factor may affect the racing for the elite men: time of day. Run at 4.30 pm on Saturday, it may be challenging to see in the deep woods. "We don't usually race this late, so it's very dark in the woods and the sun was in your eyes in some sections, while in others it was completely dark," said Wells after racing the team relay at about the same time of day. "Today we had a beautiful day. If we have other conditions, it could be really dark."

Wells was philosophical about the 21st place of the US team in the relay. "We started with a big deficit and were never able to recover," he said. "Usually, we don't have four strong riders on the US relay team. This year, we had four good riders and had a shot, but things don't always work out the way you plan."

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/trW7t2TumG0/story01.htm

Roy A Knights Clarence A Johnson Nancy L Strauss Jackie M Herbert Allen P Bailey

MBUK 268 on sale today!

That’s right, the latest issue of MBUK is in the shops today! So what do you get in return for parting with your hard-earned pennies? Doddy discovers a hidden riding gem on Canada’s west coast. It’s the clash of the titans as 29ers and 26in bikes go head-to-head on a multi-day epic – which will [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/24/mbuk-268-on-sale-today/

Shela J Stewart Mary C Lopez William J Jones Nicholas L Maria James B Rohde

RSP 31Eight Ergo bar and Race stem review

Although there?s a slightly odd pronounced anatomical shape to the drops, this combination is great value for money ? you even get bar tape included in the price. Don?t expect a refined ride quality; it?s not bad, though.

We?d like to see better quality bolts ? there?s already some corrosion on the bolt heads ? but we can?t really complain considering the price. Both components are on the weighty side, but for building on a budget this is good.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/TsRywZMU7wc/story01.htm

Jonathon R Weathers Patricia A Hannah Clifford A Klahn Brian G Davis Philip K Troiano

Team Boardman Cycling Plus ? Chris Bowler

Team Boardman Cycling Plus� will be updating you each week with the highs and lows of their training as part of the team. This week Chris gets in the zone? Chris Bowler Lives: Bracknell, Berks Age: 33 Height: 1.87m Weight: 102kg Rides: Kona Jake, Cervelo S1 Reasons to ride: Lose weight, change my lifestyle, break [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/11/team-boardman-cycling-plus-chris-bowler-3/

Katrice G Ruffin Barbara R Hendrix Andrew J Zamora Jacqueline A Jones Hope H Waugh

A Rhino in your car boot!

A pure and simple bloody good idea… Despite what some purists might tell you, to go mountain biking you often need to drive your bike somewhere. Often, this is just another thing to like about our sport. New places, new scenery and chance to take in some twisty, turny country roads. However, we’ve all been [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/23/a-rhino-in-your-car-boot/

Lewis T Hammons Justin E Brock Patrick S Stjohn James M Locklear Kathi E Livingston

Eurobike 2011: Giant's new lower-priced carbon models

We've already shown you highlights from Giant's road and mountain collections for 2012 but the company's display at Eurobike still revealed some pleasant surprises: several new lower-priced carbon models that'll allow more riders to enjoy the benefits of composite frames but without requiring a second mortgage.

The new Anthem Advanced 2 mates an Advanced-level (Giant's second-tier composite construction) carbon fiber front triangle to a more economical aluminum rear end, thus gaining some modest weight as compared to the top-shelf Anthem X Advanced SL 0 model but saving a heap of cash. 

Other features are wholly carried over, including the new OverDrive 2 front end with its 1-1/4 to 1-1/2in tapered steerer, the 100mm-travel Maestro dual-link rear suspension design, the oversized rectangular-profile down tube, and press-fit bottom bracket cups. A switch to a SRAM X7/X9 drivetrain, a RockShox Reba RL fork and Monarch RT rear shock, and Giant-brand hubs lends additional cost savings.

The front end on Giant's Trance X Advanced 2 shares the same outer shape as the top-end flagship but is made from a lesser grade of composite fiber to save money

The 5in-travel Trance X Advanced 2 adopts a similar formula, using the same front triangle shape as the top-end Trance X Advanced SL 0 but with a lower-grade composite blend and matching it to an all-alloy rear that otherwise retains overall suspension performance. Component substitutions include a Shimano XT/SLX drivetrain, a Fox Float 120 RL Evolution fork (with Giant's OverDrive 2 steerer dimensions), a Fox RP2 rear shock and Giant house-brand wheels.

Time trialists and triathletes haven't been forgotten, with the inclusion of two Trinity Composite models for 2012 that use a similar main frame mold as the top-end Trinity Advanced SL bikes (again, with a lower-grade fiber blend) but a more conventional fork and cockpit setup that's not only cheaper but also more accommodating to average riders' more upright positions. 

Giant have added two new lower-priced time trial/triathlon bikes to their 2012 range: the Trinity Composite 1 shown here plus the Trinity Composite 2

The linear-pull front brake is still tucked away behind the fork crown and the other cables are fed into the top tube behind the stem as usual but the spec definitely takes a hit in order to drop the cost. The Trinity Composite 2 will come with a Shimano Ultegra/105 blend, Shimano R501 wheels and Giant house-brand cockpit components (including the base bar and extensions). Moving up to the Trinity Composite 1 nets a Shimano Ultegra/Dura-Ace mix instead.

Giant also report that their new XtC Composite 29er carbon hardtails are in full production. The company's global marketing director, An Le, told BikeRadar that Giant decided to enter the carbon 29er hardtail market with their more basic Composite-level carbon construction in order to bring the bikes in at a more attainable pricepoint. Le hinted that higher-end versions are likely to follow, formed in the same mold but with lighter weights and extra stiffness. 

Giant's new XtC Composite 29er is in full production, with dealers already delivering bikes to riders

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/j-WY_oi3TME/story01.htm

Peter L Marino Mitchell J Baillargeon Debbie S Shortridge Ellen M Castor James C Savage

Vuelta 12: Sagan pounces in Pontevedra

After winning from a small group in C�rdoba, Peter Sagan showed the range of his talent when he led the bunch into Pontevedra. Showing consummate skill as he jumped from wheel to wheel in the final two kilometres, the Liquigas-Cannondale puncheur came into the final straight on the wheel of Leopard Trek's Daniele Bennati, who was being led-out by Fabian Cancellara.

When Cancellara moved aside and Bennati launched his sprint, Sagan surged out on the Italian's left and never looked likely to be caught on the drag up to the line. HTC-Highroad's John Degenkolb pushed him hardest, the German finishing a bike length down on the Slovak, with Bennati fading back in third.

"We looked at the route in the team meeting this morning and thought it would be a good chance for me. I'm delighted to have won the stage and want to say thanks to my teammates for setting me up for it," said Sagan. "There was a great deal of confusion coming into the finish. But I was fortunate in getting on to Bennati's wheel, which put me in a good position."

The high speed, tight bends and gently rising run-in to the finish strung the bunch out to the extent that there were a number of splits. Fredrik Kessiakoff (Astana) and Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) were the two riders to gain among the overall contenders. They finished five seconds ahead of a group containing race leader Bradley Wiggins and his Sky teammate Chris Froome, as well as defending champion Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Wiggins, though, remains in the leader's red jersey, but with the four riders behind him now packed in even tighter than ever. Froome is still seven seconds down in second place, Kessiakoff leapfrogged Nibali into third at nine seconds, with the Italian now fourth at 10 seconds. Jakob Fuglsang (Leopard Trek) stays in fifth place at 19 seconds, with Mollema now only 36 seconds down in sixth having won the first intermediate sprint of the day that earned him six bonus seconds and edged another five closer to the riders above him at the finish.

Nibali said he was not concerned by the time gained by Kessiakoff and Mollema. "I lost a few seconds because I got onto Marcel Kittel's wheel, and he ended up braking. But I'm not too worried as I didn't lose much time."

The Liquigas-Cannondale leader added that he will waiting to see what his rivals do before making any attacks on the three mountain stages that kick off with tomorrow's tough run into Ponferrada. "The big differences will occur on the Angliru [on Sunday]? I've been told that it's a climb very much like the Zoncolan. This year in the Giro I had a good day there and if my form is the same I will do well there."

Four form the break of the day

The move north into the province of Galicia brought a welcome reduction in the temperature as the riders set off on what was likely to be one of the very few stages left where the sprinters could shine. The early flurries came to nothing, allowing Mollema to pick up a very handy six seconds at that first intermediate sprint with just 7km covered. Another 7km down the road, Adam Hansen (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Jos� Luis Rold�n (Andalucia-Caja Granada) and Luis Angel Mat� (Cofidis) broke clear. As they pressed on, Vacansoleil-DCM's Ruslan Pydgornyy jumped across to them.

As this quartet went to work, the speed in the peloton eased for a while, allowing the break to build up a lead of more than nine minutes as they climbed the third-category Alto de Moscoso with 50km covered. Pydgornyy led over the summit. After the peloton had crossed this climb, Leopard Trek, Sky and Skil-Shimano combined to reduce the break's advantage. Initially the peloton nibbled at the lead, but when Pydgornyy led over the third-category Alto Ponte Caldeas his group were less than five minutes clear.

That advantage continued to drop steadily. Soon after the riders had passed through impressively big crowds in Pontevedra for the first time with 100km covered, HTC-Highroad added their weight to the chase, helping to reduce the break's advantage to little more than two minutes with 35km remaining.

The sprinters gather their forces

As the gap continued to close, former HTC rider Hansen took off from his three companions, but only gained a handful of seconds on them before he was chased down and dropped, leaving Pydgornyy, Rold�n and Mat� at the front. Back in the bunch, Garmin-Cervelo, Skil-Shimano and Lampre-ISD were all contributing to the chase in the hope of setting up Heinrich Haussler, Marcel Kittel and Alessandro Petacchi, respectively.

Sensing that the bunch would soon be upon them, Mat�, who admitted later that he knew the terrain of the stage well and thought that a break might succeed, made a final attempt to get clear with 13km remaining. That saw off Rold�n, but Pydgornyy got back up to the Cofidis rider and the pair continued to work together until they were finally overhauled with 6km remaining.

As they were swept up, Mat�'s teammate Julien Fouchard countered and briefly got a gap. Vacansoleil-DCM's Santo Anza soon zipped past the Frenchman and managed to hold off the Leopard Trek-led bunch for a kilometre, but the sprinters weren't to be denied.

HTC-Highroad took over from Leopard Trek for a couple of kilometres, then Bennati's men took over on the front once more approaching the final-kilometre kite. Bennati, though, looked to be struggling to hold Cancellara's wheel as the course weaved through Pontevedra. The world time trial champion seemed to misjudge the final left-hand bend slightly, losing a bit of momentum, but then went full throttle up the rise to the line, before peeling over with 250 metres remaining. Bennati drove on, but had no answer to Sagan's impressive acceleration.

This article was originally published on Cyclingnews.com.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/tQJ6Qp7G-c4/story01.htm

Danny M Brown James A Robison Del D White Pamela M King Juan S Hendricks

Team Boardman Cycling Plus ? Lindy Edwards

Team Boardman Cycling Plus� will be updating you each week with the highs and lows of their training as part of the team. This week Lindy starts the biggest challenge of her cycling career?. Lindy Edwards Lives: Newcastle upon Tyne Age: 46 Height: 1.6m Weight: 55kg Reasons to ride: Get fitter and faster, and push [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/31/team-boardman-cycling-plus-lindy-edwards-7/

Erica J Rao Doris B Smith John G Hill Jesse J Hastings Pamela M Moore

Lezyne Road Drive CFH mini pump review

Lezyne's ever-expanding accessories line now includes this combination pump that?s excellent for training or racing use, as long as your fingers don?t freeze.

The pump is a derivative of the slimline Road Drive, which is long enough to shunt a decent amount of air into your tyres without being such hard work that you can?t hit high pressures. It?s also slim enough to clip neatly into the supplied under-water-bottle bracket without adding too much drag to your down tube.

For really fast filling you can use the CO2 cartridge clipped onto the other side. This simply threads into the stainless steel extension hose of the pump, piercing itself in the process, and then inflating the tyre.

As the pump isn?t involved you can just use the cartridge and the hose for racing. You do need to beware frozen fingers with the bare CO2 cartridge though and the hose only works with screw-on valves, not push-fit extenders.

This article was originally published in Triathlon Plus magazine.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/fbwRFyidwuA/story01.htm

William J Jones Nicholas L Maria James B Rohde Theo C Alcantara Angela J Mcgill

Specialized Venge versus Scott Foil, Felt AR and Cervelo S3

Procycling?s ops ed, Jamie, rides the new aero bike from Specialized, compares it to its aero rivals and wonders whether the bike can live up to the hype

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/06/13/specialized-venge-versus-scott-foil-felt-ar-and-cervelo-s3/

Tonia T Bowman Christy S Fleming Jacquelyn A Capp Timothy K Chambers Kitty L Broderick

Crunch time ? biking on a budget

Just because the economy?s depressed, you don?t have to be. Follow our budget tips and we?ll show you how to get the best out of your bike for less.You don?t have to spend masses of cash to keep having fun out on the trails and there?s plenty you can do to keep your riding fresh [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/07/14/crunch-time-%e2%80%93-biking-on-a-budget/

Scott J Gonzalez Eric B Penaflor Michelle A Middleton Joseph T Byrne Ruth W Sanchez

Team Boardman Cycling Plus ? Lindy Edwards

Team Boardman Cycling Plus� will be updating you each week with the highs and lows of their training as part of the team. This week Lindy learns the importance of careful sign reading?. Lindy Edwards Lives: Newcastle upon Tyne Age: 46 Height: 1.6m Weight: 55kg Reasons to ride: Get fitter and faster, and push for [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/17/team-boardman-cycling-plus-lindy-edwards-5/

Donald C Bachman James S Dew Jonathon R Weathers Patricia A Hannah Clifford A Klahn

Ric?s Morewood Izimu

Under the microscope with our lanky Ulsterman’s DH bike. Preparation for the Megavalanche pretty much knocked the Morewood on the head for a month of two there. I was keen to just ride my Pivot Mach 5.7 and get used to hitting stuff flat-out on it. Now though, the big South African is back! I’m [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/22/rics-morewood-izimu/

Angela S Thompson Susan F Ange Albert J Horn Shawn D Rumsey Dominic J Riddle

Animal Bike Tour goes Olympic

Martyn, Blake and the crew head to the Hadleigh Farm Olympic Cross Country course? The Animal Bike Tour put on shows at many varied locations throughout the year and recently they were invited to the Hadleigh Farm Olympic Cross Country venue as part of the London Prepares event. �Among a field of national and World [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/15/animal-bike-tour-goes-olympic/

Isabel T Booker Elois G Dill Christopher F Bush Doris J Gentry Carolyn R Rowley

WMB issue 126 on sale now!

Packed full of the usual reviews and top tips get your copy of the September issue of What Mountain Bike First rides spectacular:� one frame, two price points as high and lower spec Diamondbacks go head to head. Plus the new Giant Anthem X, Yeti SB-66, Ibis Mojo SL-R, Ragley Piglet and Cube Access WLS [...]

Source: http://magazine.bikeradar.com/2011/08/24/wmb-issue-126-on-sale-now/

Isabel T Booker Elois G Dill Christopher F Bush Doris J Gentry Carolyn R Rowley

SRAM-Quarq mountain bike power meter ? First look

One weekend after winning the Trestle All-Mountain Enduro at Winter Park, Colorado, Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Kelli Emmett showed up to the resort again, this time winning the King of the Rockies cross-country race. Emmett tops podiums all the time; what was unusual here was the prototype SRAM-Quarq power meter on her Giant Anthem Advanced. ?I just got it Friday and raced it today (Saturday),? she told BikeRadar.

The Quarq meter was mounted to an X0 crankset, which SRAM?s John Dawson installed on Emmett?s bike. It looks like Quarq?s CinQo road bike power meter and similarly uses a series of strain gauges on the crank spider along with a magnet attached to the frame ? in this case, the bottom bracket shell not the chainstay, because it's better protected from mud ? to measure torque and angular velocity. Data is sent wirelessly via ANT+ to a Garmin Edge 500 computer mounted on Emmett?s stem.

Emmett, who's been training with SRM power meters since 2000 on the road, said there hasn?t been a good, reliable system for mountain bikes available yet so she's keen to get to grips with the new setup. ?I didn?t really want to look at it much in the race as that could definitely get in my head," she said. "But I?m excited to take it home and play with it.? She added that SRAM gave her a disc to download to her computer before plugging the Garmin unit in.

For a quick measure of accuracy, Emmett compared the wattage data available on her new Garmin?s display after the race to the calorie data available on fellow competitor Erin Kummer?s Timex computer. According to Emmett?s calculations (using the conversion formula of 0.01433kcals/min equaling 1 watt), the data recorded from both computers over the 2+ hour race, that included muddy sections and multiple stream crossings, was very similar.

After the race, Quark spokesman Troy Hoskin confirmed to us that Emmett's device was a pre-production version of a new mountain bike power meter that's due to be launched at this week's Eurobike trade show. 

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BikeRadar/feeds/~3/GwfH7Es_cfU/story01.htm

Ruth W Sanchez Peter L Marino Mitchell J Baillargeon Debbie S Shortridge Ellen M Castor