Bikes
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Make sure you pay the right price in Halfords
To start off I should say I’m not just picking on Halfords, as they’re definitely not the only retailer to do this, but this is a cautionary tale to make sure you pay the right price. Read More
Fix or Replace? Part 4 – The Decision
So I have looked at replacement parts for my bike, and a potential successor, so now I have to decide which way to go.
If I upgrade the parts on my bike I get to keep it’s great steel frame and setup.
If I go with the new bike I get all parts replaced and a more modern ride. Read More
Fix or Replace? Part 3 – a new bike
Having looked at replacement parts in Part 2, the other side of the conundrum is a new bike. Taking the equivalent budget from the parts I would need, and then using the Cycletowork scheme to gross it up, I would have a healthy budget of £1,000 for a new bike. So what’s out there? Read More
Fix or Replace? Part 2 – fixing parts
My 14 year old Kona has seen better days. Or to be more precise, certain parts have worn out and others are a bit ropey! It definitely needs the entire drivetrain replacing, including shifters, the front brake level is slightly broken and I’ve always thought the fork was too heavy for such a light bike. As I said in my part 1 post, that adds up to most of a bike, and could actually be as much as a new bike, but what would I get and which is better? So in this post I’m looking at the parts: what to get, what it would cost, and how would it change my bike. Read More
Why I love steel
In the beginning there was steel, and only steel. And the steel was good, steel was strong, cheap and easy to work with.
Then came the others: aluminium, titanium, carbon, magnesium, metal matrix composites, trying to make a lighter, better bike.
And aluminium won, the end.
Well not quite. Read More
BikePark Wales now open
BikePark Wales in Merthyr Tydfil is now officially open.
The purpose built trail centre which cost £2 million to setup has been designed by director Rowan Sorrell, the downhill champion with a mixture of trails to suit all abilities from families to professional downhillers. Read More
Fix or replace? Part 1 – The dilemma
I currently have a Kona Explosif 1999 model, which I hand built myself, and I’m very fond of. It has a steel frame – Reynolds 853 tubing – and has a ride that only steel gives. It accelerates like whippet, especially offroad and on technical sections and gives me a grin even when I just take it round the block.
However, I built it in 1999, and it needs some serious maintenance and upgrades now. The entire drivetrain is shot and needs replacing, the forks are worrying me a bit (but are probably ok) and at the weekend I bent one of the brake levers (it’s got V brakes and it pre-dates discs!). Read More
TRAIL REVIEW: The Croft Trail
A lot of Swindon has been built from scratch in new housing estates, and while cycling in general is well catered for with dedicated cycle paths everywhere, it’s nearly all tarmac with few opportunities for offroad cycling. Fortunately there is a brilliant dedicated trail in Swindon, with some really excellent riding.
The Croft Trail is 3 mile loop of waymarked woodland trail, with a beginner (blue) and
more technical (red) routes located opposite the Nationwide headquarters off Piper Way. There is a free car park on site and it is only a mile from the train station as well. Read More
D5 Creation