The Bicycle Club

Rider Interview: Ed Hood is always keeping an eye open for the new young riders that are on the way up in the sport, but now teams contact Ed with their ‘Young Guns’. The latest is Dillon Corkery from Ireland who is presently riding for the famous CC tupes team in eastern France. Ed had a word.I used to do a lot of them but its been a while since I actually did one; Im referring to interviews with young men who head across the English Channel and in this case, also the Irish Sea, in order to find fame and fortune on the continent. But when CC Etupes Christophe Andre gets in touch from la Belle France to tell…

E-bikes are rapidly gaining in popularity, with a growing range of electric bike brands for cyclists and commuters to choose from. Mintel research shows there were over 170,000 e-bikes sold in the UK in 2020, and the figures continue to rise year on year.  They’re priced higher than their non-electric counterparts, but e-bikes are a great investment. They’re a breeze to ride, great fun, and hold their value in the long-run. If you’re switching from a car or public transport to an e-bike for your commute, you’re also doing your bit to offset your carbon footprint.  If you’re tempted to make the switch, or looking to buy an electric bike to ease your commute, it can be hard to know…

Dauphin and Suisse BREAKDOWN: Jumbo-Visma showed what they could do at the Dauphin and the real action in the Tour de Suisse is about to kick off. What can we take from these Tour ‘practice’ races? Spencer Martin gives us his ‘BREAKDOWN’ heading towards the 2022 Tour de France.– This article is an excerpt from the Beyond the Peloton newsletter. Sign up here for full access. –Jumbo Dauphin dominationJumbo-Visma dominated at the recent Critrium du Dauphin, getting three stage wins, holding the yellow jersey for seven out of the eight stages, and completely decimating the GC competition with Primo Rogli and Jonas Vingegaard finishing first and second in the overall with a massive gap over third-place Ben OConnor.Ben OConnor could…

Having your bike stolen is a truly devastating experience, and not just because of the financial difficulties involved in buying a new bike, or claiming insurance. Although cases of bicycle theft were falling in the years 2017 – 2020, this number rose dramatically during the first Covid 19 lockdown in April. An increase in cycling meant an increase in thefts. It’s estimated that close to 115,000 were stolen in the first year of Covid in the UK. For many of us, bikes are very personal and beloved things. Naturally, we want to keep them safe. There are various things you can do to protect your bike from theft, but the first and most obvious one is to get a decent…

In 2017 Briton Mark Beaumont smashed the record for cycling around the globe, completing the circumnavigation in less than 80 days. This epic journey is the subject of an excellent two-part documentary on GCN+, Around the World in 80 Days, but GCN+ has recently released a prequel to that. In preparation for his attempt, the cyclist undertook a test of himself and his team to see if the record would be possible and if all the systems they had worked out would function. He felt if they could work together for two weeks and he could maintain record pace for that time, there was a chance at the sub-80 mark later in the year. The documentary Around Britain is about…

Wondering where to start to buy a bicycle? It’s not complicated if you have a clear idea of what you want, have a budget, know what size frame suits your measurement, and know that it’s available for you to collect or to receive delivery of. If you’re disciplined enough to save money, and have a specific model in mind before the day that your piggy bank is brimming, I doff my cap to you. Most of us are in a perpetual whirlwind of advertising, dreams and reality-avoidance, biting at upgrade offers and being drawn in by new models, or the promise of new components. But when is the best time to buy a bicycle? We’ll try to put some context…

There are now so many disciplines and subdisciplines of off-road cycling that it’s almost impossible to design one shoe to suit all purposes. However, the Bontrager GR2 comes close to that happy medium.Highlights:Balance of durability and comfort for all-day gravel and bikepacking adventuresWell thought-out details (lace holders, heel loop, heavy-duty scuff guards on toes and heel).Toe studs compatible for CX. Considerations:Very roomy and high toe box.Thick material & minimalist holes may make things heated in summer. Overall:A highly versatile and well thought-out shoe that can be used for most off-road uses.Ones idea for an ideal off-road shoe varies greatly depending on your intended use for the shoe. Are you gunning for CX or MTB XC racing needing stiffness and the capability for…

Finding the best bike saddles for commuting is important. Apart from being uncomfortable, an ill-fitting saddle can also cause lower back problems, and can even give you a poor posture. Saddles that are too narrow don’t support the pelvis or bone structure, whereas an overly wide saddle causes the dreaded chafing. That’s not to mention saddle sores, and a range of other rarer problems including nerve damage to the perineum. The problem is even worse on the commute, which necessarily means you’ll be on your bike every day. A poorly fitted or poorly designed saddle will wreak havoc with your body, leaving you feeling tired before you’ve even reached the office. Finding the best bike saddle for commuting can seem…