Greg Lemond used Aerodynamics to beat Laurent Fignon to the 1989 Tour de France by 8 Secs Notice Skinsuit - Aero Helmet and Disc Wheel.

Perhaps you have other favorite years, but its the greatest I can actually remember, as I was thirteen at the time.

It was the 76th Tour de France, and the closest one EVER. Heres a brief recap:

Greg Lemond was tailing Laurent Fignon by a mere 50 seconds on the final run into Paris. In the time trial Lemond got is bike up to 54.545km (32.52mph for non-Europeans). Thats a fair old pace, in fact it goes down in history as one of the fastest time trials ever. He achieved this by making use of his 55 x 12 gears, superior aerodynamics due to his handlebars, and a little help from his superhuman legs.

He ultimately made up the 50 second gap on Fignon, and won the race by eight seconds. Eight seconds!!!

This is why I’m nominating the 1989 tour as the greatest ever, and since then there has not been a situation where an individual time trial has decided the race.

Check it out here: Spectacular stuff, powering down towards the Arc de Triomphe…

If you’ve got any other fave years, let us know, as this one I think is hard to beat.

Technorati Tags: greg lemond, Laurent Fignon, tour de france 1989

Sexy Santa Cyclng Socks by Defeet

With the weather getting a lot colder now, it’s the perfect time to make sure you have the right gear you need to stay warm. A perfect choice for staying warm this winter is wool clothing.

Technorati Tags: defeet, Ibex, wool

Guess what they specialise in? Yes you’ve guessed it, cricket bats. Seriously though, they do ‘custom and limited edition‘ cycle wear.

Whats custom? Well its whatever the heck you want, as they’ll print YOUR design onto a ‘base’ cycling top.

I think its a great idea for cycling clubs, charities and other organizations, as having your own custom design looks really swish, and gives the impression that you eat sleep and breathe cycling.

On this page are a few examples of shirts that they’ve produced for such teams as URS, DeLoitte, SportingOdds.com, The Vibe, Chelmer Cycles, Revolution Racing, Kona UK, Mojo, Royal Mail and many more.

They also have there own team too, which needless to day they have kitted out in their own shirts.

I noticed too that they also have their own online shop, where they sell quite a few other bits of cycling gear, but what really caught my eye was this:

A Tunnocks Tea Cake Cycling Top!

Tasty

Tunnocks Tea Cakes? What the ’sam hell’ is this guy talking about? I hear you cry, well they are a British ( Scottish to be precise ) chocolate covered marshmallow/biscuit combo cake. For some odd reason they’re called tea-cakes but I won’t ponder on this too much.

They come in a box like this:

Tea Cakes You Know It Makes Sense

But how cool is that? A shirt that not only makes you look like a canary, but its also good enough to eat.

I’m getting one next week, global financial crisis or not!!

Another shirt which also looks good enough to chomp, is the Cheez-It one on this site.

Don’t ever make me try and choose between the two though, I don’t think I could make a high pressure decision like that.

So yeah, thecyclingjersey.com, bear them in mind if you fancy a custom made magical shirt from Heaven…

Technorati Tags: Cycling Tops, tunnocks

ANYTHING BUT CHEEZY - This eye-catching top from World Jerseys is made from Polyester Euro-Mesh fabric. This material provides incredible moisture wicking and is as lightweight as they come.

• It will keep you fresh with its antimicrobial finish that resists odors and reduces germs.

• Comes with a 19″ Hidden Pro Zipper & THREE rear pockets, this jersey not only sets you out from the crowd, its also extremely practical.

• With beautiful, long lasting colors, this jersey is one of a kind.

$59.95 Free Shipping

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Technorati Tags: cheezit, cycling top, World Jerseys

This beautiful looking top from World Jerseys is made from Polyester Euro-Mesh fabric. This material provides incredible moisture wicking and is as lightweight as they come.

• It will keep you fresh with its antimicrobial finish that resists odors and reduces germs.

• Comes with a 19″ Hidden Pro Zipper & THREE rear pockets, this jersey not only makes the rider look like a bad ass, its also extremely practical.

• With beautiful, long lasting colors, this jersey is one of a kind.

$52.95 - $54.99

BUY IT FROM AMAZON TODAY WHILE STOCKS LAST

Technorati Tags: Red Army Vodka, World Jerseys

World Jersey’s Polish Postal Team Cycling Jersey

This fantastic top from World Jerseys is made from Polyester Euro-Mesh fabric. This material provides incredible moisture wicking and is as lightweight as they come.

• It will keep you fresh with its antimicrobial finish that resists odors and reduces germs.

• Comes with a 19″ Hidden Pro Zipper & THREE rear pockets, this jersey not only looks awesome, its extremely practical.

• With beautiful, long lasting colors, this jersey is difficult to beat.

$54.99

BUY IT FROM AMAZON TODAY WHILE STOCKS LAST

Aged 4: The tricycle.

What a beauty!

The one in the pic above, is pretty much how I remember mine, it had a little kickboard on the back like that one, but to be honest, it’s a tall order to remember much else…

Pros – bonus extra wheel for those with balance problems.

Cons -pedalling with any type of gusto resulted in ‘capsizing’.

Aged 7 – The budgie

This one still has the rear mudguard intact...

The choppers baby brother, this bike was made at time when having standard sized handlebars, and a full sized from wheel were so uncool. This bike was fantastic, and I rememeber, albeit vaguely, to having hours and hours of fun on it.

Pros – possibly the coolest bike a 7 year old kid in the mid eighties is going to get.

Cons – had a tendency to run way from under you if stood up on the pedals, resulting in an uncontrolled wheelie and a nasty scraping sound as the back mudguard grated along the pavement. I think I lost my mudguard in the end.

Aged 9 – The Strika

Note the rear brake fitted to this one. Mine had a pedal back brake however. Nice.

Possibly the best bike I’ve ever owned, or perhaps its just that I can remember having the most fun on this one. Pre BMX, it was built like a Tonka. I was super lucky as mine came fitted with a ‘pedal back’ brake. This meant that every single time I wanted to reduce speed, nothing less than a 10 foot skid would do. I got through many tires this way, and this bike was possibly my training machine for all things dangerous on two wheels. Golden.

Pros – pretty much everything

Cons – possibly lack of gears looking back on it.

Aged 12 – The Grifter.

The strikas big brother, The Grifter used to make fun of him and twist his ears for not having any gears.

Probably the heaviest bike in the world...

This bike kicked ass as it had ‘gears like what you get on a motorbike’. At least that was what I thought a ‘gripshift’ was at the time. Later on in life I discovered that Motorbike gears are down by your feet, not built into the handle-grip.

This bike was the last one I owned before my life was completely changed by BMX.

Pros – ‘gears like what you get on a motorbike’

Cons – This thing weighed as much as a motorbike.

Aged 13 – The BMX

The first one I owned was a Frankenstiens monster of parts that I managed to scrounge from who knows where. It was china blue hand painted and I have no idea what make it was, but it rocked. I even had a ‘Mag’ wheel on the back.

I couldn't find one as beat up as mine...

Pros – Front & back brakes, and a free membership to the ‘BMX Bandits’

Cons – I remember that the headset nut was cross threaded from day one, and it needed tightening by hand on a regular basis.

Aged 14 – The Chrome Diamond Back BMX

This one was swish, and it had a little heart shape cut out of the frame. My mate who I bought it from told me it was ‘custom made’, and that the heart cut-out was one of a kind. More likely it was mass-produced, but it saw me right at the time.

No heart shaped cut-out on this one, still looks sweeet though after nearly 20 years.

Pros – Looked the absolute business.

Cons - I was a bit scared to leave it lying around, as I thought it might get nicked. As it happens, it never did. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe I over-estimated its ‘snazzyness’.

Aged 15 – The mountain bike.

After noticing people riding around on strange contraptions, that looked like racing bikes with fat tyres and handlebars that were horizontally straight across, I learned that they were called ‘mountain bikes’. After a year or so of begging I finally got my hands on one, and equipped with a stupid amount of gears, and a saddle 6 feet off the ground, I considered myself to be ‘grown up’. Once a few of us got hold of ‘Mountain bikes’, we used to frown upon BMX riders as ‘gearless idiots’, and mock at the speed in which they had to pedal, whilst we cruised along in 21st gear.

They don't make em like this any more, thank the Lord!

Then, after the age of 15, I started to regard mountain bikes as the norm, and since then my ‘bike-ography’ has been fairly lack-lustre. I’m glad to have owned such a great selection of bikes though, and at risk of sounding like an old git I’m going to say it…

Bikes these days are just not the same…

Technorati Tags: Cycling Tops, nostalgia, retro

Image courtesy of MARTIN DE RUYTER/Nelson Mail

The police in Nelson have just undergone extensive training in how to fall off bike.

Now this may sound like a joke, but far from it, it’s going to give Police the edge when it comes to apprehending criminals in a built up environment.

Cycling coach Marianne Dralier has been teaching the Nelson Police technique, called ‘Tactical Speed Dismounting’, to catch people trying to evade arrest. Its basically a fancy way to fall off a bike deliberately, but it works.

Apparently the police must pass this training in order to use the bikes that were issued back in August. According to the article, they only use one bike at the moment, which is equipped with flashing lights, a siren, first aid kits and parking ticket books.

They’ve even gone so far as to create new uniforms for this type of policing, but they’re still waiting approval.

Cycle shorts, with a polo shirt emblazoned with the Police logo. I think if they were really serious they’d commission some proper cycling tops

Looks like its working too, as they’ve already caught a couple of bad guys using this method, and with 18 offices up for training, it looks like its game over the Nelson crooks.

Read the full article here

Technorati Tags: Cycling News, cycling shirts, Cycling Tops

A rainy journey.

You ride a bike, you get wet.

However, the bike doesn’t have to stay indoors when it rains, I’ve had a look around on the web, and found a good article by Craig Hill at Newstribune.com.

He spoke to local cycling experts Carla Gramich touring captain for the Tacoma Wheelmen Bicycle Club, Chuck Ayers, executive director of Cascade Bicycle Club, Carol Davis, president of the Tacoma Wheelmen and cycling advocate Bob Myrick.

They recommend a list of essential bits of kit, for helping you survive the rainy weather, so you can get the most out of cycling, no matter what the weather is like. Here’s the list that they run through:

Headgear

You can either wear a helmet to keep the rain out, and also protect your precious bonce, or you can go one step futher and wear a skullcap underneath the hemlet, for extra rainproofing.

Lights

Almost as much of a no-brainer as the helmet. In short, if you want to live, get some lights on your bike in the rain, and make sure they’re fully charged before your journey.

Eye protection

Visors stop the roadspray, and debris. Davis puts Rain-X on hers so the drops don’t’ stick.

Jacket

Very important. They protect you from the elements. Cycling Jackets differ to standard jackets as they are longer at the back, to keep your rear-end dry.

Pants

Cycling pants ( or trousers if you’re a Brit ) are a very helpful investment. They are oodles better than standard pants, and infinitely more comfortable.

Layers

Just like your mother used to day, wear lots of layers. They are much better than a single item of clothing for wet weather, and aid proper ventilation.

Fenders

Apparently putting fenders on the bike is a way of keeping you dryer, and thiose behind you won’t get spayed so much. This point is one I don’t massively agree with though, as I generally don’t fuss too much about those behind me!

Footwear

Amongst those things recommended, are wool socks, and decent footwear that’s going to keep your toes dry. You can get neoprene booties for around $30, which wil prevent rain seepage. Theres nothing worse than cold wet feet. ( Well perhaps in the grand scheme of things there are one or two things, but you get the point.)

Gloves

Ski gloves are good, as most gloves aren’t completely waterproof due to the seams. Also suggested are latex gloves worn beneath your normal ones. (I imagine things could get sweaty there though…)

Storage

Get a backpack or panniers. This gives you a place to throw all your wet stuff if you’re out and the sun comes out, and also you can keep some dry stuff in a plastic bag, in case the inevitable happens and the heavens open up again…

Add Time

Quite obvious when you think about it, but I don’t think I would have thought about it! All these layers, bags, extra gear means your bike is going to weigh more, thus the journey may take a little longer. Just bear it in mind.

Plan route

It may be an idea to stick to more main routes, as there are more people about should you ‘step in a puddle right up to your middle.’

Be (extra) alert

Obvious one, really. Drivers stopping distances are worsened, and so is their visibility. This goes for the humble cyclist too, so all in all, everyone should stay awake, and read the road ahead.

Clean up

When you get to where you’re going, blast off the crud with a hose, and apply some degreaser to your chain. Even your bike needs a bit of TLC sometimes.

Thanks to Carla Gramich, Chuck Ayers, Carol Davis and Bob Myrick for these great tips. The full article is available here

Technorati Tags: cycling in the rain, Cycling News, cycling safety

Fall, absolute bliss for cycling...

Its that time of year again where the weather turns sour and the temperatures drop. Excellent!

Personally I love this time of year , its definitely the best from an off-road cyclist point of view.

According to an article that I read recently by Roger Phillips at IdahoStatesmen.com, I’m not the only one who is in agreement with this. Ok, I’m in the UK, and he’s in Idaho, but the people he mentioned, share the same thoughts as I do.

“It’s a good time to ride because it’s cooler,”

I tend to agree with this to a certain degree, but here in the UK it never really gets ‘too hot to handle’ except during our usual three day long summer when the weather freaks out.
Alec Carson said: “It’s awesome. This is the best time of year because you have the most traction. The ground’s not super dry and dusty.”

My main reason for loving this time of year, is because of how quiet it gets when I’m out there on my bike. I can usually go a good few hours without seeing a soul, when Im off the beaten track. This is a far cry from Summer when you can’t go more than 100 yards without skimming a dog walker, or a happy jogger.

Over in Idaho they agree:

“Local trails tend to be less crowded than in the spring and summer, and as long as trails are dry, most remain rideable into the winter unless there’s seasonal closures to protect big game wintering grounds.”

“It’s a good way to stay in shape and keep the holiday calories from hanging around your waistline.”

Definitely. This is a fantastic reason. This means that you can happily turn in for the Christmas holiday, and eat as much and drink as much as humanly possible, absolutely free from guilt. Another great reason is that during that time between Christmas day and New year, its even quieter out on the cycle paths. Forget New Years day itself however, as its probably one of the busiest days of the year for walkers.

“Better yet, it’s just a great way to get outdoors and have some fun without having to take a long drive someplace and spend a bunch of money. Plus, it is something the whole family can do together.”

Another good one, with kids, once the summers over, they can spend way too much time indoors on the games console, so getting out doing a bit of cycling is great, and a complete bargain!

Read the full article that I’ve quoted here:

Technorati Tags: cycling in fall, Cycling News, cyling tops