About bikes, cycling and cycle to work - Tredz Blog

Essential Six Nations cycling accessories

The Six Nations kicks off tomorrow and we've got an admission to make.

Whilst we're proud to have customers and friends around the UK, for the duration of the Six Nations we can't help but withdraw a little into our patriotic shells.

Of course we'll still be sending our goods around the country, we'll still offer the best advice we can and keep as many of our neighbours riding as possible, but don't be too surprised if we do so with a sour face should our line out let us down. 

Whoever wins this year (France has my money by the way – and since I've been wrong for about ten years in a row the odds back me), don't forget there are some items that will come in useful whether you're hitting the singletrack, the stands or the pub in the upcoming weekends.

Our guide to stuff that is unintentionally handy for cycling and rugby:

Lapierre bikes

The most critically acclaimed, sought after bikes of the moment? Lapierre! 

The likes of the Zesty, the Froggy and the Spicy are literally selling quicker than they can be made at the moment but fear not! You too can own a little piece of Lapierre, regardless of availability or spare cash.

Lapierre wallpaper! It's almost as good as having your very own Spicy 916.

 Almost.

Build your own trailer

We sell a some high quality bike trailers, but like most of the one's on the market, they start at around £100. For that you get tough frame material, rain resistant covers, universal fitting axles and other practical features.

Still, if you're looking just to get the groceries from A to B, the weather is fine and you don’t expect to have to deal with any uneven ground, it can seem a little overkill.

Check out Carry Freedom’s site. As well as selling some quality trailers, they’ll also provide you with the free plans to build your own bicycle trailer. It won’t have the same build quality as the professionally manufactured models on the market, but as the site says – many people who would benefit most from a trailer are the same people that can’t afford one (which considering they sell them is an applaudable moral stance).

If anyone gets round to building one, let us know!

Left Side - inspirational

Check this out if you like being inspired (and no Christmas involved!):

Free your bike

Want to ride, but just not sure where you can?

Sustrans (the sustainable transport charity), has launched a scheme called Free your bike to help make people aware of where they can ride, safely, in their region.

It's particularly aimed at showing how getting out on your bike (or just out), can improve your mood during what is traditionally seen as the bleakest time of the year.

No excuses now. 75% of us live within two miles of their cycling network (12,000 miles of traffic-free, quiet lanes and on-road walking and cycling routes around the UK). Find out how you can cycle to work in safety then kick back with a relaxed ride on the weekend.

Build your own Tarmac frame

Want to build yourself the lightest road bike frame in the world?

Looks pretty self explanatory if this video from the Specialized Tarmac microsite is anything to go by!

And for good measure, don't forget to check out Specialized's advanced biomechanical security system.

Drop forging fun!

Chris, one of our resident uber bike nerds has decided that we need to know more about drop forging, one of those ever present but rarely understood terms...

There are a lot of technical processes mentioned in the descriptions of all manner of bikes by all manufacturers. Whilst a ‘drop-forged, one piece bottom bracket/seat tube/swing arm mounting point assembly’ sounds like a good thing what does it actually mean?

Hopefully these images will help to explain what goes in to the drop-forging process. 

Have a say in your trails...

...At least in England.

Anyone who is genuinely into mountain biking in the UK will have at some point ridden a trail on Forestry Commission land, in fact many people will rarely ride trails that aren't on Commission land. Being a government body the Forestry Commission is publicly owned and has a remit to promote/allow public access/use and this and many pro-active mountain biking groups has resulted in a network of trails across the country that has made the UK one of the best biking destinations in the world.

Quite a claim I know but I spoke to a bike mechanic in Montana last year who lived within spitting distance of the Rockies who, on hearing I came from South Wales immediately asked if I'd ridden the Wall at Afan Argoed!

Anyway the Forestry Commission England (nothing from FC Wales or Scotland as yet) are a good bunch and they're now asking for your input for their policies for the future. Make sure you have your say so that  hopefully we will be able to secure the future of some of the worlds finest trails (officially). Check out their website, click on 'consultation' and do your bit. You don't have to do it all at once as the form will 'auto-save'. It may only be England for now, hopefully it wont be long before the Welsh and Scottish Forestry Commissions follow suite.  

 

Posted by Chris

Twittering Tredz

Make sense of that title? Than you'll probably already be on Twitter. If you want to know what makes Tredz tick then come check us out. We'll be answering questions, wading in on bike gossip and generally getting involved with people we like. In fact, it's the closest you'll get to us short of coming to pay us a visit in the office.

Just this way we don't have to iron our shirts and get the bike grease out our hair. Think of it as the easiest, safest (and yes, cleanest) way to see what Tredz are about.

Cheapest bike in the UK!

Or not. The premise that you 'get what you pay for' is never truer than in the bike trade. Spend less than £100 on an adult bike (or God forbid: 70 quid) and your new bike will have been put together with appropriately cost effective attention to detail. Go over that again in your head: They're making money on a £70 bike. You have to ask, where?

The term bike shaped object was coined to describe these cheap n' nasties. They might look the part (from a distance), but that's where the similarities end. Those full suspension bikes for under £99? Look good? They weigh more than a Challenger and will absorb those off road bumps with all the flex and give of a pringle.

So we nodded our way through the latest blog entry from the Guardian.

Yes we're a bike shop trying to make our dollar by selling bikes. Equally we'd rather not have to deal with customers upset and frustrated that their shoddy 'BSO' has fallen apart. A safe reliable bike is important. A bike that won't get thrown in the back of the garage 'cos it weighs a ton is important.