Bikes Etc Magazine November 2019

Wide open on the open road Ride after ride, mile after mile, PB after PB, here at Fabric we create the products that noticeably improve your ride experience by upgrading your bike at key points – take our Road Collection, which includes our genre-defining Scoop saddle: elegantly simple, durable, and available in numerous profiles making it more comfortable than anything else out there. Because when it comes down to it, that’s what we do best here at Fabric – we do the hard work to create the products that keep you focussed, fulfilled, and help push your riding onwards to the next stage. Ride better. Day in, day fabric.cc/collections…

Wet weather may be ahoy but that’s no reason to stop riding. In fact, with the right gear, you can make sure rain is little more than a minor nuisance. Which is why, this month, we’ve teamed up with the fine folk at Rapha to give one lucky reader the chance to win a Core Rain Jacket II worth £100. Rapha takes its name from the legendary cycling team St Raphael which Jacques Anquetil led to four consecutive Tour de France victories between 1961 and 1964, and the Rapha range has similarly winning appeal. Take the Core Rain Jacket II. It’s a fine example of the brand’s ability to blend good looks with great functionality. Weighing just 124g, it packs down small enough to be stowed in your jersey pocket…

As I sit and write this I realise, a little wistfully, that another summer is coming to a close. That the fine weather will soon give way to the wet and the wind and that riding a bike will go back to being more of a challenge. Having said all that, there’s still plenty of year left to squeeze in at least one more epic adventure to remember 2019 by. Indeed, a quick glance at the events section of British Cycling’s website tells me that there are stacks of sportives and off-road events to try between now and the end of the year, from the Wirral Ark Mow Cop Classic in Cheshire, to the Red Rat Rampage (I swear I’m not making these up) in the Derbyshire Dales. Alternatively, why…

WEIGHT: 6.74kg FRAME: Customcarbon GROUPSET: ShimanoUltegra 11-speed BRAKES: ShimanoUltegra CHAINSET: ShimanoUltegra 50/34t CASSETTE: ShimanoUltegra 11-speed BARS: DedaZero100 STEM: DedaZero100 SADDLE: FabricScoop Titanium SEATPOST: DedaZero100 WHEELS: MavicR-SYSSLR TYRES: PirelliP-Zero COST: Frameset:£3,925 Buildsfrom:£4,745 CONTACT: wyndymilla.com What is it? A very light and very racy bike from UK based design-studio WyndyMilla. Available in multiple different guises, it’s part of a range including a steel racer, a gravel grinder, and an aero speedster. However, the Massive Attack SL (for superlight) stands out from its siblings. Disdaining many of the latest accoutrements in search of attaining the lowest possible mass, it’s a stripped-back calliper-equipped mountain climber. And it comes custom? Absolutely. Starting with a bike fit, each is made to the exact measurements of its prospective owner. Despite svelte modern looks, the frame is built…

BROMPTON EXPLORE EDITION Price: from £1,525 Contact: brompton.com Touring cyclists and bikepackers are obsessed with shrinking their gear. But what about shrinking your bike? Well, Londonbased Brompton has created a new version of its famous folder optimised for adventure riding – complete with a new 28-l roll-top front pannier and rear saddle pack tailored for tough conditions. Despite diminutive 16-inch wheels, Bromptons have proved adept at getting themselves into remote spots: Ultra cyclist Heinz Stucke once rode one around the world, numerous Antarctic scientists have ridden them at the South Pole, and they’ve been used multiple times to tackle Land’s End to John O’Groats. This latest model builds on this tradition. Fitted with low-ratio 6-speed gearing for lugging kit up extended climbs, and a Brooks Cambium C17 all-weather saddle, the…

WAHOO KICKR BIKE Price: TBC Contact: wahoofitness.com Having wasted innumerable 50p pieces playing Sega’s Manx TT superbike game, we’re excited to see Wahoo release what must be the arcade unit’s natural heir. The brand’s new Kickr Bike is an automated trainer that tilts and bobs to replicate climbing and descending. Able to simulate slopes of up to 20%, it’s a bit like a very sedate bucking bronco but made to simulate the thrills of cycling rather than the rodeo. Comprised of a full-size and ultraadjustable bike mounted on a linear actuator, that quickly raises or lowers the whole assemblage, it sits upon a sturdy platform which never wobbles no matter how much you thrash about on it. Backed by a smart resistance unit capable of producing over 2,200w for you…