The Bicycle Club

Two years ago I had my first ever bike stolen. But, as I explained at the time, it was my fault. In short, during a hasty locking of my bike, I simply attached my lock around the lamppost, but not my bike frame – which, as it turns out, is pretty important if you don’t want someone to walk off with your bike. The lamppost I safely locked to itself while someone easily walked off with my bike. The next day, I decided I needed to find the best cheap bike I could find. So, I went to Decathlon: the home of cheap bikes. I’d love to buy a fancy shiny bike with all the bells and whistles, but the…

Worlds Race Preview: There are probably four ‘Top Favourites’ for Sunday’s men’s road race, but this is the World championships and the strangest things can happen, a ‘nobody’ never wins the rainbow jersey… there can be surprises. Ed Hood looks at the course and who might be the protagonists for the rainbow race in Wollongong.The rainbow jersey, perhaps to civilians the yellow jersey is more famous; and of course most Italians would sooner win a Primavera than a Worlds [I can relate to that, its the most beautiful race in the world] whilst the Worlds is a poor second to de Ronde if youre Flemish. But for many riders its the pinnacle.Still a big thing… Even in FlandersFor a whole…

If you think your workplace is too far away to cycle to, there’s a good chance you find the first or last part of your commute the most challenging – especially if you work in a city. In busy towns and cities, it can be difficult (and/or expensive) to park your car anywhere near your office. Or, if you commute by bus or train for the majority of your journey, then you’ve got to hope that both your home and workplace are nice and close to a station. Therefore, it can be useful to have an easily storable mode of transport to hand. And that is exactly why folding bikes have exploded in popularity in the past couple of decades….

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, the days have begun to shorten and the temperatures cool. As autumn begins, bringing with it cool, crisp mornings, and more golden hours to ride, now is the time to begin strength training for next year’s cycling season.For many cyclists, the fall and winter seasons mean strength training. Here are 3 considerations to take, which will allow you to get the most out of your strength training this winter, and for the coming year.Take the time to “unwind” your body from the seasonPerhaps the most overlooked step in strength training, especially for cyclists, is what Tudor Bompa calls Anatomical Adaptation. This first phase, which an athlete should pass through in every training…

Wireless earbuds, or earphones, are becoming increasingly popular for athletes and casual listeners on-the-go, and cyclists are turning toward them to enhance their rides.  The best earbuds for cycling are resistant to sweat and wet weather, stay comfortably in your ear as you move, and allow you to hear what is going on around you.  When searching for the best earbuds for you, consider what kind of riding you’ll be doing. If you commute through busy city streets, buds that bring in ambient noise or conduct sound through your bone and leave your ears open would be great options. If you cycle indoors on a stationary bike, good sound quality and noise cancelling might be the way to go. And…

Commuting by bicycle has many variants. City dwellers hop on a ride, avoiding underground systems or busy walkways. In the suburbs, new cycling infrastructure might open safer routes which include dropping kids off or stopping for a coffee. There is also a place for longer-distance commutes. Long-Distance Bike Commuting As many developed countries’ authorities begin to incorporate longer, safer and more connected routes that encourage cycling via segregated lanes or away from vehicles via shared ways, we can see an increased number of options to bring more riders out onto the roads from longer distances than ever before. Choosing a route for a longer distance commute needs to take in considerations such as the distance of a commute (covered here),…

Tadej Pogaar won a tough edition of the GP de Montral on Sunday. After 221 kilometres of racing in the Canadian city, he was the first to finish on Avenue du Parc. The Slovenian from UAE Team Emirates beat Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in a hard sprint from a leading group of five. Andrea Bagioli (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) finished third.GP Montral’22:The leading group of the day consisted of six riders: Florian Vermeersch (Lotto Soudal), Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ), Tho Delacroix (Intermarch-Wanty-Gobert), Eddy Fin (Cofidis), Andreas Leknessund (DSM) and Antonio Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan). They managed a lead of more than 6 minutes. A total of eighteen laps of 12.3 kilometres were on the program, with the Cte Camillien-Houde (1.8km at 8%), the…

If you’ve decided to commute to work by bicycle, you might well be considering using a folding bike. As the name suggests, these are collapsible bikes that are compact and easy to transport, perfect for tucking away when you get to the office or if you don’t have much space to store a bike in your home. However, as folding bikes tend to have smaller frames and wheels than regular bikes, they are often stiffer and less shock-absorbent. They’re often considered less comfortable on bumpy surfaces and potentially more difficult to ride. This is why you should consider a folding bike with suspension, for better ease of cycling and improved comfort. At Discerning Cyclist, we’re here to help with our…