About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

New opening hours

A consensus from staff, customers and management has led to new opening hours on a Sunday and an extra half an hour in bed. Yay!

You can now browse our fantastic Swansea and Cardiff bike stores on Sunday from:

10:30 - 4:30

Pimp My Uni-cycle

Today was a bit short on news so I thought I'd show you one of the weirder items to appear in the sometimes bizarrely varied world of cycle manufacturing.

If your uni-cycle is a little over-engineered for you then perhaps you'll like the look of the 'Nimbus Ultimate Wheel' !!!

The cynical among you may say 'it's just a wheel', but not according to the manufacturer : 

"ultra-stiff 7005 series aluminium frame" (It's a wheel)

"single bar construction" (IT'S A WHEEL)

Besides all that I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be to learn to ride one. I struggle on a uni-cycle and this looks nigh on impossible to me. Doesn't mean that I don't want a go on one though.

2009 Cyclo-cross world championships

The UCI  cyclo-cross world championships are taking place this weekend (31st. Jan-1st Feb) in Hoogerheide, Holland. Team GB will be fielding a strong team in the form of Jody Crawforth (elite men), Helen Wyman (elite women) who also placed a strong 18th. in last years world championships, David fletcher (under 23 men and Bronze medallist in the 2007 mountain bike cross country world championships)) and Tom Moses (junior men). With good strong  results in the recent European championships it will be great to see if the Team GB cyclo-cross squad can build on the success of British Cycling as a whole.

If you fancy reading more or even trying to get out there to lend some support then check out UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships 2009. If you've ever been to such an event before then you'll know what to expect, if not check it out, the spectacle of a cycling world championship event is something to experience at least once in your life. 

But don't worry, I'll put a report of the race once the mud has stopped flying (Monday/Tuesday)  

KTM, now available without engines !?

You may not have heard of the name KTM before in relation to cycles but in the world of off road motorcycles they are HUGE. They’ve been building some of the most sought after and successful off road motorcycles since 1953. It came as news to me that they also started producing bicycles in 1964 but as a brand they never made it into the UK; until now.

KTM's 2009 range is just what you’d expect from such an established and well respected manufacturer. They’re range is surprisingly extensive, featuring a full range of children’s bikes, hybrids, super sexy road bikes and a mouthwatering range of mountain bikes for all disciplines from xc marathon to full blown downhill monsters. All feature an unmistakable ‘Euro’ style with KTM’s traditional team colour orange making frequent but subtle appearances. Highlights for me include the scary light REVELATOR PRESTIGE road bike, the ultra tech LEGGERO CROSS hybrid and my personal favorite, the APHEX downhill rig.

They’ve received very   favourable comments from everyone who’s seen them but none more so than from our sponsored downhill racer Jules Poffley. His comments probably shouldn’t be repeated on seeing the PROWLER BASS but suffice to say he seemed ‘rather keen’ on it. Keep watching this space for a review.

Anyone Fancy Some Sun ?

Fed up with our less than balmy weather of late ? Fancy a little sun with your biking, then this might be for you. The St. Mary Off-Road Bicycling Association (SMORBA) has announced the  the return of the Jamaican Fat Tyre Festival.

Now in it's 11th. year it has been set for 11-15th. of February in the tropical paradise that is St. Mary. With shuttle pick ups by fishing boat and everything revolving around  beaches and lush tropical mountains it looks like being the coolest mountain bike

event of the year (again!)

Requests to the bosses to be sent out to report live have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Seal Skinz Gloves; A Love Story.

I realised today that my beloved SealSkinz gloves (mountain bike waterproof) are well over a year old. Not exactly a red letter day I admit but I've realised that they are still in perfect condition (see pic) and it's certainly not through lack of use. 

I've commuted in them every day so far this winter, used them on almost every road ride over the Brecon Beacons, countless night-rides and soggy blasts around my local trail centers and the small matter of 3000 miles through the Rockies last year. Following the continental divide I never dropped below 5000ft. and topped out at 15000ft. riding through snow and storms in the process. On every frosty morning and chilly evening and even in my bivi bag at -9 these gloves became one of my favourite possesions and continue to be so.

Through all this my hands have never been cold or uncomfortable. I can't say that my hands have never got damp because 5 hours of riding in a downpour will get anything wet. But only through water running down my arms into the gloves, never through the gloves themselves. Besides, being warm and comfy is far more important than being bone dry. That said my hands remain dry on every ride to work. These gloves have already outlasted all my previous winter gloves and have yet to loose a stitch, they've a hell of a lot of life left in them yet. 

I think what I'm trying to say is that these are THE BEST winter gloves I've ever owned and can't recommend them (or anything from SealSkinz) enough. Treat your hands to some love.   

Specialized 2009 Preview

So what's new at the 2009 Specialized Equipment Launch….

The launch of the 2009 Specialized Equipment in January may seem a bit odd when (most of) the competition released in late October. The big “S” says it’s due to longer development period then their competitors. That and the fact they have been rather busy sorting out their new line up of sponsored riders.

Tour Down Under, 2 Stages down

The first stage of the Tour Down Under was won by last years winner Adre Greipel (Team Columbia) stating his intent on back to back wins. After narrowly missing out on the win in Sundays Cancer Council Classic he won the sprint finish in tough conditions with temperatures in the 40s. Sundays winner Robbie Mcewen was up there with Andre in the sprint until he hit a spectators camera 150 meters from the line. The resulting crash left him with a lacerated and severely bruised forearm leaving him a lot of pain and looking doubtful for stage 2.

Lance Armstrong again failed to wow finishing outside the top 100 "the day they said was going to be the easy day.....the course, combined with the temperatures into the 40s made it tough.....on all the steep little hills we had I felt pretty strong.I finished at the back. When I get to those bunch sprints I get out of the way and let those big guys do their thing"

Stage 2 (145km. from Hahndorf to Stirling) was dominated by repeated break-away groups making their bids for glory. One such group did contain Mr Armstrong himself, but again it wasn't meant to be with the win being taken by Allan Davis (Quick Step) in the town which gave him his first Tour Down Under stage victory in 2006. Despite receiving considerable injuries in yesterdays sprint finish Robbie Mcewen  soldiered on to finish just outside the top finishers.

Lance Armstrong finished in a respectable 45th. place. Perhaps it was wrong of me (us?) to expect him to dominate in his first return to professional racing, he's had a few years out and he is just human after all (just!) 

S.M.I.D.S.Y.

'Sorry mate I didn't see you', the sometimes fair (often not) comment from truck drivers as to why they've just forced you off the road.

Well as of March 31st. 2009 they will have less of an excuse. On that date new legislation comes into force that will require all heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with 'blind spot mirrors' that are said to greatly increase the chance that cyclists will be visible to drivers.

The department of transport hopes that these could reduce the average of 18 lives lost per year from these types of collisions.

This can only be good news but remember that you can help yourself by riding as courteously as you'd hope other road users to drive, lead by example!

Also don't give drivers a reason to moan about bl**dy cyclists being 'invisible'. There really isn't an excuse for not using lights and most riding jackets feature some kind of reflectivity with some looking like the Blackpool illuminations under headlamps (whilst looking normal in daylight) plus all will make riding a drier warmer experience. 

Rachel Atherton In Collision With Truck

News has emerged  that world champion downhiller Rachel Atherton has been involved in a head-on collision with a truck whilst out on a training ride.

The accident which took place on Monday in Santa Cruz California looks to have been a bad one with Rachel dislocating her shoulder and as the photo shows receiving numerous cuts and bruises.

The following press release is from her team manager: "Current World Champion Rachel Atherton sustained a dislocated shoulder yesterday when she was involved in a training accident with a car. The Atherton trio have been training hard in Santa Cruz California since the start of January and yesterday was no exception.

Details are sketchy but it seems Rachel hit the car head on with her brand new Cervelo road bike taking the brunt of the damage. Rach has an appointment with the specialist today and hopes to be up and ready for the first round of the World Cup in April."

From the looks of things she was lucky to walk away from this one. Everyone here at Tredz wishes her all the best and a speedy recovery.