Tag: 2022

If you’ve ever been pedalling away on a busy city cycle path, rushing to work using all the power your legs could muster only to arrive tired and sweaty, the thought of getting an electric bike has probably crossed your mind. Electric bikes, or e-bikes, make pedalling easier using a battery-powered assist. It generally comes through pedalling — i.e. when you pedal, a small motor engages and takes over some of the work — or, in some cases, with a throttle. When e-bikes are equipped with a throttle, it engages the motor at the press of a button, but this is a separate class of e-bike which is generally not suitable for road use. Electric bikes can go pretty fast…

Bike theft is a serious problem. Whether your ride costs a lot or a little, you’re going to need to protect it. You could be cycling for fun, exercise, or just going to work, but it’s important you bring a bike lock with you.  Your bike lock needs to be strong and secure. But you also need to be able to carry it when not in use. A bicycle doesn’t have a lot of storage. It’s meant to be lightweight. Anything that you bring has to be stored efficiently. So how do you carry a bike lock? Where to Put a Bike Lock While Riding There are many different types of bike locks. They can be large and heavy. They…

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…

Whatever your beverage of choice, be it a delicious steaming hot coffee, a refreshing juice or something fizzy, a drink can be a lovely addition to your journey to work, or any other cycling trip. We seem to do a lot of activities as we cycle to work nowadays that we never used to, many of which involve using a smartphone. And as it’s become perfectly acceptable to multi-task as you cycle, why not have a drink on the go, too? That said, the last thing you want is your cappuccino spilling all over your legs, or having to navigate traffic and junctions with one hand. This is why, if you are taking a drink on your bike, you’ll need…

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…

Race Preview: Saturday sees the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kick off the ‘proper’ 2022 season with the first Belgian Classic race of the year. The Flemish race has everything we ever wanted from a Northern Classic – Short, stiff climbs, cobbles and race deciding weather conditions. Ed Hood gives us his Omloop preview.Het Nieuwsblad – A race for hard ridersPEZ soothsayer and mentor Vik reckons that all races thus far in 2022 are irrelevant. Sorry, Wout Poels, Remco Evenepoel, Nairo Quintana, Alessandro Covi, Benjamin Thomas. . .Sorry Wout, it means nothing!He has a point; sunshine and photo ops arent going to feature this Saturday. Quilted jackets, bobble hats, frites and pils surely will though. Temperatures near freezing, bone cutting winds and…

As more of us opt for the bike as our mode of transport to get to work, many of us have had to consider upgrading our previous once loved helmets for more modern and safer ones. Luckily, the market is now full of innovative helmet designs and safety features in order to keep our heads protected during an impact to the head. Are Some Bike Helmets Safer Than Others? In general, yes some helmets are safer than others due to the added technology that many of them now feature, for example many helmets have special rotational impact protection to better protect the brain from injury during a side on bump. Moreover, other safety features that are not structural can also…