Bikes Etc Magazine December 2019

The digital part of your subscription will officially begin with the next issue, however we have made the current issue available to you free of charge from today. You can use your order number or your Customer Number to log into the app. 1. Make a note of your Customer Number (you can find this on managemymags.co.uk) 2. Install the Cyclist app from the App Store or Google Play Store depending on your device. FOR IOS: Open the app and tap the cog or menu bar in the top corner. Select ‘Account’, then select ‘Existing Subscriptions’ and enter your Customer Number. FOR ANDROID: Open the app and sign in by tapping the person icon in the top corner, then tap on ‘Existing Subscriptions’ and enter your Customer Number in the…

This may be the last-ever issue of BikesEtc magazine but that doesn’t mean you need to stop riding. And to help keep you going, we’re giving one lucky reader the chance to win this state-of-the-art drinking system from Zefal – the classic French accessories manufacturer who can claim to have made bicycle pumps for the 1910 Tour de France winner Octave LaPize. Consisting of two bottles and two cages it combines some seriously clever tech to ensure you stay hydrated in the saddle. The Sense Pro bottles, for example, are made from Zefal’s specially developed polypropylene that’s not only flexible but will keep your drink fresh and free from any nasty plasticky aftertaste. Its double-closure cap also ensures it’s 100% watertight while its over-moulded grip ring and soft silicon valve…

Hello dear reader and, alas, goodbye as I’m sorry to have to tell you that this is the final issue of BikesEtc. Reflecting on our past five years, however, I can’t help but humbly note our achievements. We’ve interviewed all the top names in cycling from Shanaze Reade to Sir Bradley Wiggins. We’ve met legends like Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman, and hung with round-the-world record breakers like Mark Beaumont and Jenny Graham. Heck, we’ve even had a stab at a world record ourselves when our columnist Pav Bryan came within a whisker of doing the equivalent of back-to-back time-trials across America’s Route 66. Inspiring stuff indeed and, for me, that was always the point of this magazine. When I came on board the title 50 issues ago, I saw…

What is it? The Light Blue describes its Robinson model as an ‘all-round road sports bike’. Taking a Reynolds steel frame as its starting point, it comes with disc brakes and wide but slick 32c tyres. Giving it the ability to roll easily over a range of surfaces, it’s not a gnarly adventure rig, yet is far more capable than a standard road bike. Quick to get going, and with the space to fit racks and guards, you could certainly use it for touring, but the label of ‘touring bike’ doesn’t quite fit it either. Instead, it shifts expectations slightly to create something prioritising both versatility and speed over distance. Now on to its second iteration, as denoted by the V2 suffix, this latest version sees the bike’s finishing kit…

Materials science company W. L. Gore & Associates can summon the weather on command. From arid deserts to freezing storms, its new testing facility in Maryland, USA even includes a rain tower that’ll shoot different types of droplet from a height of 25ft while simulating winds from 1 to 22 mph and temperatures ranging from 5 to 21°C. Famously ‘guaranteed to keep you dry’, as any hiker will tell you, it makes the best wet-weather fabrics you can buy. Now Rapha has got it together with the US brand to produce three new foul-weather cycling jackets, which marry typical Rapha styling with Gore’s high-science approach to material design. Spanning Rapha’s Pro Team and Explore ranges, the first of these uses Gore’s latest Shakedry material. Tested by the EF Education First…

With a floating shell and unique vibration dampening foam, the Sagma saddle aims to keep you coupled to the bike, but isolated from the ground. Made by German firm BikeYoke, to achieve this its detachable rails sit atop two elastomer bumpers, allowing the saddle to absorb vibrations before they hit the base of your spine. At the same time, the design also allows it to pivot as you lean and pedal, supposedly reducing friction on your thighs while increasing the contact area between the two for more steering control. Interchangeable to suit the weight of the rider, the upper part of the saddle is just as clever and equally customisable. Coming in unisex 130 and 142mm widths to suit your pelvis, the saddle’s shell is topped with slow-rebounding foam padding.…