Bikes Etc Magazine October 2019

Although autumn is fast approaching, there’s still plenty of warm weather riding to be had and so to celebrate we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to win themselves a brand new pair of bib tights courtesy of our friends at Lusso. Founded by former GB cyclist John Harrison and his wife Dorothy back in 1982, Lusso has since become one of the UK’s best-loved cycling apparel brands. Having this kind of pedigree is what gives Lusso garments the edge over many of their rivals and these Active Aero Bibshorts are no exception. Made in Manchester from Italian performance fabrics, these shorts are designed to go fast. Developed with the help of a former elite-level racer, the cut and the materials used all add up to bibs that’ll make your…

If you haven’t caught the documentary film Icarus on Netflix, I urge you to give it a watch. It delves into the murky world of doping in sport, and cycling in particular, and it got me wondering why some riders feel the need to cheat. I figure it must have something to do with the competitive urge to win at all costs, but ultimately winning by cheating isn’t really winning, is it? OK, so you might get the prize money or the gold medal, you might even bask in the empty glory for a while, but once the cheering dies down and it’s just you on your own with the truth, well, things must get awfully lonely. After all, winning by cheating is no more of an accomplishment than plagiarising…

WEIGHT: 10.9kg FRAME: Reynolds853 steel, with full carbonfork GROUPSET: SRAMForce1 11-speed BRAKES: SRAMForce CHAINSET: SRAM ForceCarbon 40t CASSETTE: SRAMXG1150 10-42t11-speed BARS: KonaRoad STEM: KonaRoad SADDLE: WTBVoltComp SEATPOST: KonaThumb WHEELS: Formula/WTB Asymi23 TCS TYRES: WTBHorizon RoadPlusTCS 650x47c COST: £3,399 CONTACT: konaworld.com What is it? A slender steel bike, with a carbon fork, posh parts, and 650b wheels. The Rove LTD is designed for executive-level mucking about. Lighter than you might expect due to its posh tubing, it’s both comfortable and, thanks to its 12mm bolt-through axles, also very capable in rough-and-tumble situations. With a deep metallic paint job and tan-wall tyres it’s a fine-looking thing to clutter up your home with. What am I going to use this bike for? Whatever you like. With small wheels and wide bars, the Rove…

Most riders outside the capital would be shocked at how many Londoners commute in full racing gear. Aero-helmeted, each morning a great swarm rolls into town dressed like they’re ready to take on a Grand Tour. Each to their own and all that, but the journey to work isn’t a race, and we reckon it’s better not have to have to do a full costume change once you arrive at the office. And Britain’s best-known folding-bike maker Brompton seems to agree. Its new clothing range targets commuters and seemingly springs from the same design philosophy as its bikes, with comfort, versatility, and practicality all high in the mix. BROMPTON CITY APPAREL COLLECTION Prices: From £12-£159 Contact: Brompton.com Featuring six pieces, including a waterproof jacket, a packable windproof layer, reversible gilet,…

Want to spend more time at your destination riding and less time reassembling your bike? A man named Alan might have a solution. The maker of the eponymous bike boxes has come up with a new design that’s ideally suited to time-trial bikes as well as those with larger-than-average frames and anything using an integrated front end. As more and more bikes come with hidden cabling, whipping the bars off to pop them into a travel case has gone from a two-minute job to something that can steal hours from your trip. Among the worst offenders are TT and triathlon bikes, although regular road machines are becoming increasingly problematic, too. Normally allowing everything except wheels and pedals to remain in place, the Triathlon Aero Easyfit is the latest addition to…

HEDKAYSE ONE HELMET Price: £150 Contact: hedkayse.com Expanded polystyrene helmets are an industry standard, but they’re also a one-shot product. Absorbing shocks by crushing to spread impact, they can manage this just once before becoming bin fodder, and are also poor at sucking up minor knocks. To get around these issues, instead of using expanded polystyrene, the Hedkayse ONE helmet uses a unique new material developed by its makers. Called Enkayse, it allows this helmet to exceed the current European helmet standards while withstanding repeated severe impacts, including, but not limited to, being run over by a JCB. ‘Hedkayse ONE has been shown in standardised test conditions to sustain multiple impacts without incurring the least bit of structural damage,’ so say its designers George Fox and Andrew Redman. Immune to…