Cyclist

ed’s letter

Pop quiz: what is Britain’s favourite ever TV advert? Need some clues? OK, it was set in Yorkshire. It was directed by Gladiator ’s Ridley Scott in 1973. And it was for bread. Ah, now you’ve got it. Britain’s favourite TV ad was that one where a boy on a heavy bike labours up a steep, cobbled hill so he can deliver his last loaf of Hovis bread to Old Ma Peggotty. He then freewheels back down to the bakery while the voiceover declares, ‘Twas a grand ride back, though.’ Despite the fact the hill was actually in Dorset, not Yorkshire, that Hovis ad was a perfect slice of nostalgia, harking back to a time when adorable ragamuffins in flat caps worked hard for their supper, but – by ’eck – they…

cyclist

EDITORIAL Editor Pete Muir Deputy Editor Stu Bowers Art Director Rob Milton Production Editor Martin James Features Editor James Spender Commissioning Editor Peter Stuart Staff Writer Sam Challis Website Editor Jack Elton-Walters Web Writer Joseph Robinson App production/subbing Michael Donlevy Additional design Michael Mansfield Cover image Mike Massaro ADVERTISING Senior Advertising Manager Adrian Hogan Account Manager Alex Law Senior Sales Executive Ben Lorton Sales Executive Logan Van Der Poel-Treacy Agency Account Manager Rebecca New PUBLISHING, MARKETING AND SUBS Managing Director Dharmesh Mistry Lifestyle Marketing Manager Samantha Pashley Head of Events Emma Turner Marketing Manager Holly Fradley PRODUCTION AND NEWSTRADE Creative Repro Manager Dave Kinnard Senior Production Manager Daniel Stark Newstrade Director David Barker Newstrade Manager James Mangan SYNDICATION AND LICENSING Syndication Manager Ryan Chambers Licensing Manager Carlotta Serantoni DENNIS PUBLISHING CEO James Tye Company Founder Felix Dennis…

great scott

In recent times, the arrival of new top-end bikes has followed a remarkably consistent theme. Regardless of the brand, the flagship race platform gets disc brakes, dropped seatstays, integrated cables, wide tyre clearance and aero tube profiling. In that respect, Scott’s new Addict RC is no different. ‘It’s because there are certain features that just perform best,’ says Scott’s Janosch Wintermantel. ‘Lower seatstays are more aero and provide better compliance. Discs offer superior braking performance compared to rim brakes. It’s no surprise other companies have reached the same conclusions. The industry is just getting closer, given current materials and techniques, to the best way a road race bike can be built.’ That isn’t to say the new Addict RC is just Scott keeping up with the Joneses. ‘The room in which we have…

bontrager ballista knit shoes

£269.99, trekbikes.com Knitting is back in vogue. That’s not to be confused with US magazine Vogue Knitting, but instead refers to the growing number of bike shoes with uppers constructed of knitted fabric. The trend was kicked off by the Fizik Infinito R1 Knit shoe, and Bontrager is the latest to the party. The benefits are breathability, light weight and comfort, although there will be some people who worry that their shoes will sag like a old jumper if they get wet. Yet with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating, the Ballista Knit promises to protect against the elements – although it does come with a protective overshoe for rougher weather, just in case. Comfort is the real story here, though. Bontrager claims the upper wraps around the rider’s foot like a slipper…

ffwd f6d wheels

£1,774.95, extrauk.co.uk Examining the spec sheet, at first glance the FFWD F6D wheels are competitive but ordinary. They have a DT Swiss 240 hubset, weigh 1,530g per pair, and their tubeless-ready internal rim width is 19mm – all good features, but nothing remarkable. What sets the F6D wheels apart is their radical rim shape, which FFWD dubs ‘Double Arc Technology’, or ‘DARC’ for short. If we were to speak in drinking glass terms, where the profile of normal deep rims resembles a regular tumbler, the DARC profile would be more of a carafe, with a distinct low bulge from the spokes to atight neck that flares back out just below where the rim meets the tyre. FFWD says this improves aerodynamics by creating an area of negative air pressure in the narrow channel below…

smith wildcat sunglasses

£148, smithoptics.com Smith Optics may seem like a relatively new brand in cycling terms, but it actually dates back to 1965, when an orthodontist called Dr Bob Smith turned his hand to making ski goggles that didn’t mist up. That spirit of innovation is alive and well with the Wildcat sunglasses, which showcase Smith’s ChromaPop lenses. Smith claims these make use of the most scientifically advanced polarising lens technology to date in order to enhance colours and clarity of vision. The glasses also come with an interchangeable clear lens for drearier days. The lenses are, clearly, enormous. That not only provides a wide field of vision, but also makes the Wildcats very much on trend.…