About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Exposure Spark

Frankly, when I first saw it, it seemed a bit of a hard sell to me. Normal batteries meant either expensive throw away batteries or making sure I can recharge some. It's light output is relatively small and it doesn't have the neat smart port that the rest of Exposures awesome cycling lights have.

Having said that the Exposure Spark is a unique light that's started finding it's way on to more and more of our set ups. 

Time for a closer look. 

American Classic wheels

We love 'em. Although mostly, we just love looking at them. American Classic wheelsets are both things of beauty and high performance. Starting at around £300 and ending up at £1800, they are seriously sought after.

Don't take our word for it though. Pez Cycling (which is incidentally our favourite Pro cycling resource) have taken a pair of American Classic 420 road wheels to task. Their reviews are a little different to those you might be used to. For a start they cover EVERYTHING about the wheel, test it intensively and take photos of angles the designers never dreamed of. No two bit print copy shoe horned into a website is this...

Put simply, it's an exhaustive review from a very well respected site. Short version: They like!

Essential winter cycling accessories

We're still in the grip of winter here, and in between the road salt, gloopy singletrack and iced over cycle paths we thought we'd pick out our best bang for buck 5 essential winter cycling items.

These items will improve your winter cycling experience without breaking the bank. 

Altura Attack 3/4 length shorts review

Should I feel qualified to write a review of my Altura Attack 3/4 length shorts after only having them for 4 weeks?

Well I guess I should report back in a year once I've fallen off/washed them at the wrong temperature (surely inevitable), but after several weeks that contained some truly torrential rain, I reckon my shorts have earned their stripes.

The Attacks are seriously techy, well thought out waterproof cycling shorts shorts. Every inch of 'em seems to have had a lot of thought put into it.

Winter Cycling boots

The truly crappy weather outside has got us digging out our waterproof cycling shoes, and remembering this post, from way back when we first saw the Shimano MW80 cycling shoes.

We really liked the look of them then, and after a lot of use (not to mention glowing reviews from the magazines), we can wholeheartedly recommend them. The best bad weather cycling shoes out there.

If you are looking for an alternative, our boss rides wearing Specialized Defroster shoes with Sealskinz socks throughout winter and swears by them. 

Almost two years on and they're still the best options out there for keeping your feet toasty on your ride.

What you gonna wear on your feet when it gets cold and wet?

Waterproof overshoes can go a long way to helping keep your feet comfy at this time of the year, but nothing really compares to a good pair of winterproof cycling shoes. That's why we're all excited about the new winter cycling shoe, the Shimano MW80.

The Gore-Tex liner will keep water out on all but the longest rides. Although at some point water will seep in through the ankle, the insulated liner will do a fantastic job of keeping your feet nice and toasty.

Very durable leather outer, reinforced toe and heel, good walking grip... These are great shoes. In our opinion only the Specialized Defroster comes close. With a pair of waterproof socks you really won't have an excuse to stop cycling this winter.

Bontrager Satellite Elite Carbon Trekking bars

Not new product, but our first set in store, and frankly we're not likely to have many more...

You're in a huge cross country mountain bike race (say TransWales), and you decide that between your favorite handlebars and bar ends you're still not happy with your choice of riding positions.

Ah well. What you gonna do about it. For the vast majority of us the options are limited to shifting our battered, knackered hands again and just getting on with it. If your name is Keith Bontrager you simply tell your world class component designers to solve the problem.

How cool would that be! I have a problem. You lot, fix it for my next race!

Anyway, the Bontrager Satellite Elite Carbon Trekking bars are their solution to Mr Bontie's positional problem, allowing him to shift into a very aero position for an MTB, provide more space on the handlebars for gizmos AND deliver it in high compression molded carbon fiber. 

Tuck down and get in touch if you fancy the only pair we have. Very swish and very niche. All at £119.99

 

Camelbak Menace

What do you look at when you're considering buying your next hydration bag.

Capacity? Style?

How about comfortably being able to carry a shovel to the top of the mountain?

Or having an insulated pipe and reservoir so your liquid won't freeze? Or a fleece lined goggle pocket?

Yup, the Camelbak Menace isn't a run of the mill hydration bag. As comfortable on piste (that shovel space will also hold a pair of skis/snowboard vertically AND horizontally) as on the side of your favourite freezing cold trail centre in January.

Put simply it ticks boxes other hydration packs couldn't care less about. We like!

Light and Motion Vega 200 Review

Like it or not if you commute to work by bike then the fact that it’s late September already means one thing, you’re going to needs lights pretty soon. 

Time to dig out those old lights and either fork out for new batteries or try in vain to remember where you last saw your charger. There is of course another option. Buy yourself a swanky new light. It’s not a luxury, it’s an essential piece of safety equipment, something that might save your life and in the case of this particular light, it’s a dammed swanky piece of kit.

The light in question is a new offering from Light and Motion, people who know a thing or two about high-end bicycle lighting systems (to use the correct jargon!). The Light and Motion Vega 200 is a commuter specific front light that costs £88.99 on Tredz. 

If you’re spluttering into your tea/coffee, that that’s an exorbitant price to pay for a light well, you’re about half wrong. 

Goodridge braided Hoses

Chris Hughes recently fitted some Goodridge Hoses to his bike (after what feels like, ooh, fifteen years of talking about it). Whilst we’re glad ‘Wow’ has got improved braking performance, we’re even happier that he might finally stop talking about them.

We asked him what he thought.

Fox clothing, revisted

Joe (who owns more steel singlespeed road bikes than can really be considered sane) enjoyed seeing himself on-line so much after modelling the Fox Baseline jersey for the blog last week, that he took to wearing Fox stuff all week in the hope that we'd take some more photos.

Unfortunately the record number of complaints we received about the last photo ("hideous" screamed Dan from Glasgow, "You've ruined my tea" said Jessica from St Albans), means that we won't be taking any more photos of him till the uproar has died down. Sorry Joe.

The plus side was he spent a week getting to know our new Fox clothing better than anyone. So we asked him to tell us what he really liked:

When the rail of new Fox Clothing was wheeled out to us to view, there was a collective motion of ‘no better than any other brand’ style noises! But on closer inspection it does appear to be very high quality, purpose made downhill and XC clothing. The attention to detail and tailoring to the needs of the hardcore rider have all been met, whilst on the whole, keeping the price sensible. Prices of the tops range from £24.99 for the loose cut, lightweight Baseline short sleeve jersey to £34.99 for the Attack and Manic short sleeve jerseys. These are again lightweight and provide even greater breathability with mesh panels on the rear and sides respectively.

The shorts start at a higher price point than other brands available in the store, but they are again incredibly well made and in some cases (the Blitz Ride shorts spring to mind here) virtually indestructible! The shorts are designed with very heavy use in mind, and have been made to meet these expectations. The Blitz Ride shorts (£74.99) have the heaviest grade of fabric I’ve ever seen in shorts, yet are still flexible and provide good riding manoeuvrability thanks to the curved profile of the leg, and rear stretch yoke for greater pedalling mobility. At the other end of the scale are the High Voltage baggy cycling shorts (£64.99). These are made from a lightweight Polyester shell, with a detachable liner for added versatility depending on the ride. They boast a plethora of features and well thought out extras such as thigh vent zips for airflow and breathability, stash pocket with goggle/sunglass wipe attached to an elastic shock cord and an adjustable waist for perfect fit with no need for a belt.

As having a well performing and well built bike is essential to a thrilling and enjoyable ride, so the same can be said for the clothes you wear. Some of items the Fox range for 2009 may be more expensive than other manufacturers, but they will contribute to making the riding far more enjoyable, and will ultimately inspire greater confidence to ride better.