About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Time to pay a visit to Afan?

Penhydd is closing for about a year from the 12th of April. 

We're going to miss it as much as anyone. Close enough for a quick old school singletrack blast after work, it's our go to trail whenever time is at a premium.

Problem is it's everyone's go to trail when time is at a premium.

As a result it could really do with a rest from the constant hammering it gets from it's fans. So while we will miss it, we're happy that an old friend is going to get some much needed R & R. 

It's also, lest we mountain bikers forget, a working farm. Tree harvesting is why the forest exists and is maintained in the first place. 

Remember, sometimes it's important to see the wood for the trees.*

We'll keep you updated with any progress. Don't forget this isn't just a year off, but a 'redesign and rebuild'. Can't wait to see how it rides in a years time.

In the meantime, we'll just have to find somewhere else to ride in the area. Don't worry. We're not stuck for choice...

*Sorry.

Cape Epic Blog day 7 - Meet ROBOPHIL

 The Cape Epic is over. Checkout the official results page. Phil and Tony came 193rd out of 435 finishers (36th in their age group!) We're still getting these awesome staggered stage reports though. Here's day 7 of the Epic, where Phil earns a new nickname...

After the tough stage yesterday riders hoped for something a little easier on the penultimate day of this year’s ABSA Cape Epic. The course designer (Dr Evil) had other ideas.  A 99km loop and 2160m of climbing lay between us and the finish line back in Oak Valley.

Before I begin with my synopsis of today’s action let me fill you in on Phil’s new title. A little like Murphy in Robocop, Phil has been severely damaged several times this week, the medics keep rebuilding him and he keeps on cranking out the miles at a frantic pace. No injury can slow him down for he is “ROBOPHIL”.

Cape Epic blog - the longest day

 Here's the latest from Tony and Phil on their Cape Epic adventures. We're running a little late with our posting as the race has actually finished. Search for 'Marland' on the page to see exactly where Tony and Phil placed. Well done fellas! We're proud of you.

Here's their stage six report:

So here we are, Stage 6 of this year’s ABSA Cape Epic.  Today’s route is the longest single day of the event with 123km to be covered and a height of 2460m to be climbed, the majority of which happens after the 85km mark!

 Shocking!

Cape Epic Stage Five

After a horrific sounding stage four of the Cape Epic, how did Phil and Tony cope with the time trial?

Today was almost a rest day for the athletes tackling this year’s ABSA Cape Epic.  The field would set off in reverse order on a short time trial stage, 28km with 860m of climbing based in the foothills around Worcester.

Thankfully I woke up feeling like a human being for perhaps the first time this week, threw some more antibiotics down my throat followed by my first real food in 2 days.  Completing the stage would not be an issue, however, the question yet to be answered was how fast would I be able to ride today?

Phil and I shot down the ramped start line at 10:08am and headed out onto the course with the aim of grabbing back some of the 50 places that we lost in the GC yesterday.  I quickly realised that some of my strength had returned as we closed down on the riders who had set off 30 seconds before us.  As anyone who knows Phil Marland is already aware, he is a machine on the bike. So one of the ways that we have devised to minimise the impact of my reduced physical state is for him to ride alongside me on some of the climbs (where the terrain allows) and literally push me up the hill.

This worked remarkably well, until Phil attempted to give me a high speed turbo boost that resulted in a loss of control and a serious face plant into the tarmac. I can genuinely say   

that Phil’s helmet saved his life today. The high density foam was split apart the full length of the helmet yet within 2 minutes Phil was back on the bike. His main concern was not his head, but a couple of seriously bruised ribs from the impact of the crash and a lack of gear selection resulting from a bend rear drop out.  

We continued to work together round the course steering clear of any further attempts at pushing, and thankfully my legs held out. All was good for a while, until “crash test dummies episode 2”, this time it was my turn. Towards the end of the stage we were held by marshals to allow outgoing riders to cross our lane. In what was a classic concertina effect, the riders in front of Phil hit the brakes, Phil hit his a fraction harder and I, flashing at the marshal for stopping us, hit them a little too hard and once again went over the handlebars is a slow motion comedy crash that seemed to please the crowd.  

I would like to say that was the end of our tumbles for the day, but no. Enter “crash test dummies episode 3”, the action switches back to Phil. The final km of today’s route re-traced yesterdays; specifically the corner where Phil hit glass and ripped his front tyre apart.  Firstly he shot wide on the bend to avoid a repeat performance (running over the finish line should definitely be a once in an event occurrence), then while pushing hard to catch back up he slid out on the gravel of a banked right hand bend. Once again, Phil was straight back on the bike covered in blood, but powering up the final km trying to chase me down.

 For my part I was completely unaware of his second crash, I (wrongly) assumed that he was back on my wheel as I chewed the bars pushing hard for the line.  It was not until the final few bends did I glance behind me and found Phil was not there, 20 seconds later he came round the bend looking a little irate as we crossed the line together.  Only then did he get the chance to tell my about his crash and show me some pretty significant gravel rash to his right arm, shoulder, hip, knee and yet more bruising to the ribs.  

For the second day on the trot we hit the event hospital and thankfully Phil should be ok to ride tomorrow, provided that his ribs allow him breath ok. Gaz has a long night ahead to ensure that our bikes are also fit to hit the trails tomorrow on The Cape Epic’s longest day, 123km and 2650m of climbing.     

Cape Epic Update

 Another update from Tony and Phil on their Cape Epic. Day four (supposed to be one of the 'easier days') was incredibly tough for Tony as he got hit with a stomach bug, leaving him riding with the straps from his bib shorts round his waist. No prizes for guessing why.

Yesterday's stage (Stage 3) was "the climbing day", 117km with 2600m of climbing (basically one big mountain) with temperatures soring up to 44 degrees.  After a rough night (for me) our progress was initially slow, but as the km passed some strength returned to my legs and by the mid point of the stage we were taking back some of the places that were lost earlier in the day. 

The reward for all that climbing was a super smooth, fast, white knuckle descent through the dusty, dry, scrubland with speeds of over 70kph.  

Our lasting memories of the day were climbing, climbing, climbing and HEAT!  But to be honest that descent made up for all the hard work.

We finished the stage strong and happy, ready for a shorter day on stage 4.

 Stage 4

Things started to go wrong at about midnight with a quick sprint to the portaloo.  My 100m dashes continued throughout the night leaving me weak and unable to face food by the time the sun rose on what should have been an easier day.

Thankfully stage 4 was a mere 86km with 1650m of climbing, with the initial km passing quickly on a tarmac descent that again saw speeds racing towards the 70kph marker.

My energy lasted for about as long as that downhill!

As soon as we hit the dusty trails that climbed up into the foothills the horror of was lay ahead hit me. I was forced to ride with the straps from my bib shorts around my waist rather than my shoulders to avoid being caught out with one of my frequent calls of nature along the way. It was going to be a long, slow and painful day. My saviour was going to have to be Immodium. Once again Phil was on hand to nurse me through the stage, pointing me firmly towards the medical tent at water stop two.  

By this time my vision was blured and simply making it to the end of the stage was my only focus, with a little voice in my head gently encouraging me to keep turning the cranks.  We were also joined by Nick, another Mule, who joined forces with Phil in sheperding me towards the finish line.

Eventually that line appeared, with phil running the last km after hitting some glass on the trail and ripping his tyre apart. It was then off to the event Hospital tent for me. Some fluids replaced, antibiotics to attack the stomach infection and yet more "bung up" tablets followed by strict instructions to drink the rehydration packets and sleep will hopefully see me strong enough for tomorrows time trial stage.

Fingers crossed for a better night tonight.

Regards,

Tony I

Cape Epic Blog

An update from our Cape Epic guys and with the temperature hovering around the 40c mark, it's not getting any easier...

Hi all,

Well today was another tough one. For those of you that have cycled around Afan, today was 90km's of very similar riding, but with a temperature of 41c.

We're mostly well, although Tony is suffering a little and I'm feeling the heat. Having come from the coldest winter in the UK in ages you can just imagine how I feel.

Tomorrow is 117km's one very big loop, which I don't think will be as bad as today. With luck there will not be any single track. This being the hottest summer (typical...) they have had for some time, there will be a lot of suffering.

I can recommend getting yourselves out here and doing some cycling (although maybe not 117km in a single day) just to see the scenery. When I haven't had my head down and a face full of dust, the scenery has been absolutely amazing.

Well take care all. I've got somebody trying to wrench the computer off me as I type.

Regards,

Phil

Those looking to follow the race and our intrepid riders should check out the official Cape Epic site. Lots of links and live updates.

Giant Defy 2 Review

I've ridden a fair few road bikes in the last five years, but the bikes I've actually bought have tended toward the entry level.

Call me cheap, but I just can't convince myself that saving a pound in weight for a carbon frame is worth the extra money. 

For a start I could lose a pound in ankle fat before that became strictly necessary. Secondly I'm not after super duper performance. Just duper. I ride at least 200 miles a week, sometimes more. I've entered my first 100 mile event this year and I need a bike that'll be comfortable and fast over a hundred miles, not one that will have Mark Cavendish languishing in my dust (that's phase two).

Step forward the Giant Defy 2.

Cycle to work this summer

The perfect time to start cycling to work is now

More hours of daylight. (Usually) Better weather. Yeah, we can cycle through the night with blindingly good LED lights, and ride through freezing rain with the right kit, but even the most masochistic cyclist will admit that getting out in daylight with double figures on the thermometer is a whole lot easier to live with.

Once you've started, you'll always regret not cycling to work – whatever the weather. But it's certainly easier to swallow when the paths are covered in black ice and you're cycling gear includes a balaclava.

Spring/summer time in this country has, odd torrential downpour aside, perfect conditions for cycling. Rarely too hot or too cold (especially during normal commuting hours), just a great way to get a dose of vitamin D, your daily exercise and some of the most effective stress relief around.

It's also the ideal time to start cycling to work. You'll likely encounter fewer obstacles and be far less likely to give up. By the time winter comes around you'll be enough of an addict to struggle through the snow, crud and dark mornings the same as the rest of us brave/foolhardy souls.

To help with those thinking about starting we've asked the commuters here for some tips. Starting this week we'll grab a Tredz employee and ask them what they ride and what makes their bike to work easier.

Meet Joe - Senior Tredz staff in our Swansea bike shop. His daily commute is a hefty 40 mile round trip. He fuels this with a staggering amount of biscuits and sweet tea.
Joe's top commuting tip:	Comfort is king for Joe - and according to him you needn't spend a fortune on achieving it. The most important thing to me is to be comfortable on my ride to work. The easiest place to start is with saddle position and stem length/angle. These are such easy things to alter, yet can make a massive difference to overall comfort and performance.
Commuting bike:	A Giant SCR 1.5 2008 (that's a Giant Defy to you young un's).
Accessories:	Endura Convert Jacket, Endura Thermolite Tights, Endura Road Overshoes and an Endura Baa Baa Baselayer. An Endura boy our Joe.

Cape Epic Blog

The Cape Epic is now in full swing. No more lounging by the pool, this is one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world. 7.5 km on railway sleepers anyone?

Tony Ireland's report is gripping...

Hi All,

Well I have just finished what I can honestly say is my hardest day ever on a bike. The Cape Epic is described as the World's toughest MTB race and it sounds about right to me.

It is one of those events where you turn up and everyone seems to be just that little bit leaner than you, more focused, on a better bike and way more experienced. Standing on a start line packed with 1200 riders is something that has to be experienced to understand how it feels.

Then we were off. Slowly at first as the riders slowly passed the first few km, then we hit the vinyards, great for making wine, lovely on photos, shocking to cycle through. Surface is dusty and made up of short sharp climbs with drainage ditches every 100m. However, to be honest, in hindsight the vinyards were the least of our worries.

Imagine cycling along a sandy beach, at a 25 degree incline! That is The Cape Epic, tyres struggling to find grip and front wheels sliding in the deeper sections as the sand saps your bike of speed and your legs of strength.  

It was not all bad though, some of the single track sections were amazing and every climb has to come back down on the other side, so we we were treated to some spectacular descents. It was during one of these that I had my second blowout of the day, this time on my front wheel. Trust me, trying to descend on a thin metal rim over sand and rocks is a complete non-starter and for me ended up with a quick trip over the handlebars. No damage to body, but my front wheel is still being straightened as I type!

The other section that MUST be mentioned is the 7.5km along an unused railway line! We were forced to bump our way over literally thousands of metal sleepers that shook us to the bone. Totally evil especially when you can see the road just 500m away!

Now it is time to eat and sleep and I am being kicked off the net. I will write more tomorrow and hopefully send some pics.

Regards Tony I (knackered)

Giro Prolight helmet

The Giro Prolight helmet, the 'lightest helmet in the world' has been around for a while now. In fact our eagle eyed roadies (or out and out bike nerds, you decide) didn't fail to notice the helmet at the Tour de France last year, so we're pretty excited to finally get our hands on some.

The general opinion of said bike nerds was that it looked like a bit of a throwback, especially when compared with the ultra modern stylings on the Giro Ionos.  

None of the massive vents that you're used to seeing on a top end road lid nor the carbon subframe that you'd expect to see, this is stripped down to the bare minimum. The vents are apparently more intelligent, directing wind better internally, hence the smaller size and the ability to shed that internal skeleton.

 On top of this the usual retention system has gone to be replaced by a couple of bits of plastic and an elasticated strip (or RocLoc SL in brand speak). If this sounds simple, it also looks it. It might not convey just how comfortable the Prolight is though. It certainly feels better on the head than just about everything else out there

This is a stripped down road helmet. Due to the price of limited appeal, yes, but to the sort of person who needs comfort, excellent ventilation at no extra weight, this really is the best helmet out there.