03/05/2019, 17:09
Wooden bike anyone?
This one has even got dropouts made from old Audi wheels...
Audi driver jokes in the comments, please!
03/05/2019, 17:04
Fresh from Bespoked Bristol
Here are some eye-candy bikes to see you through the rest of Friday afternoon.
03/05/2019, 16:42
Ex-Premier League star laid low after four Ironman triathlons in four days
Francis Benali still hoping to restart his charity challenge tomorrow.
03/05/2019, 16:35
Met Police leaps into action after viewing footage of horrific hit and run on cyclist…
Yesterday we reported how hit and run victim Thonmoy Josh Dey was asked by police to go and get the CCTV footage of the collision himself.
Understandably, he said he made it his first priority once he got out of hospital.
Thankfully, the Met have really leapt into action since viewing that footage…
The police have leapt into action here by urgently sending a letter to the address the car is registered at, and then waiting to see if they get a reply https://t.co/RjzgMA76mk
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) May 2, 2019
03/05/2019, 16:29
DT Swiss reveals Ratchet EXP hub system
DT Swiss has released details of its new Ratchet EXP system (top pic, above) which is said to be lighter, stiffer and more precise than its existing Ratchet system (lower pic, above).
DT Swiss's freewheel system has long made use of two ratchets featuring various numbers of teeth (18, 36 and 54-tooth versions). Two springs push the ratchets against one another so that all the teeth engage when you pedal, while the teeth move apart when you're coasting.
The new Ratchet EXP system is based on a similar concept but one of the ratchets is now threaded into the hub shell. A single spring pushes the second ratchet into the first one so that the teeth engage when you pedal.
DT Swiss says that reducing the number of components not only increases durability, it reduces the overall weight, improves reliability and stiffens up the system.
"A single cylindrical spring ensures a faster full engagement and therefore an increase in reliability," says DT Swiss.
"The hub stiffness is significantly defined by the distance between the bearings. For optimal performance it is important to maximise this distance, which is limited by the size of the freehub system.
"In the previous system the driveside bearing had to be placed next to the threaded ring and therefore the distance couldn't be increased. The integration of the driveside bearing into the threaded ring increases the bearing distance, resulting in a 15% improvement in hub stiffness."
All DT Swiss Ratchet system hubs can be converted to Ratchet EXP.
Ratchet EXP will at first come only in DT Swiss's 180 hubs although you can expect it to make an appearance elsewhere in the range sooner or later.
They ain't cheap, though. We don't have UK prices yet but whether you go for a disc or a non-disc version, a road front hub with SINC Ceramic bearings is €261.90 while the rear is €486.90. You can have a Shimano 11-speed, SRAM XRD or Campag freehub body.
03/05/2019, 15:09
Most parents think learning to ride a bike is ‘a vital life skill’ yet just two per cent of journeys are made by bike
Bit of a disconnect.
03/05/2019, 15:05
... and another begins
They’re off! Stage two gets underway from Barnsley, see you in Bedale... #TDY pic.twitter.com/ZePEQCWvqw
— Tour de Yorkshire (@letouryorkshire) May 3, 2019
03/05/2019, 15:05
Tour de Yorkshire stage ends...
It was a stage for the sprinters and, unlike their male counterparts in yesterday’s TDY stage, the peloton refused to let the break steal the limelight and a bunch sprint saw Lorena Wiebes (Parkhotel Valkenburg CT) cross the line first.https://t.co/R7mLnrxcyj
#WTDYpic.twitter.com/HAA0jDzhor
— Tour de Yorkshire (@letouryorkshire) May 3, 2019
03/05/2019, 11:14
7 hill climbs in one day....no thanks!
Take a look at this great video showing the insanity of this part race, part sportive event known at the Magnificent 7.
03/05/2019, 10:55
ICYMI... what a shot this is
Proper @letouryorkshire#photography alert @TeamDiData rider Nicholas Dlamini #TeamSWpix@_AlexBroadway_ follow the race all on https://t.co/pZvqP4zLefpic.twitter.com/7TvU8JfmnC
— simon wilkinson (@swpixtweets) May 2, 2019
All credit to Simon Wilkinson of SWpix... photo of the year so far without a doubt.
03/05/2019, 10:42
Well at least someone's looking on the bright side
So much support already for the new team!!! People have put so much effort into making banners and masks. I heard one man say “it’s fracking marvellous”. Not sure the swearing was necessary but I share the sentiment!!
— UK Cycling Expert (@ukcyclingexpert) May 2, 2019
Another fine observation from UK Cycling Expert. Chateau!
03/05/2019, 10:21
“Cyclists kill more people than motorists in Holland” says Daily Mail in elite-level victim-blaming headline
Another day, another wilfully skewed Daily Mail cycling headline. “Cyclists kill more people than motorists in Holland for the first time in the bicycle-loving country's history,” reads today's.
The article begins: “Cyclists have claimed more lives than motorists in Holland for the first time in the nation's history, shocking new figures show. Between 2017 and 2018, 206 people were killed in bicycle accidents compared to 201 by cars, according to Statistics Netherlands.”
Ah, now the picture grows clearer. The lives being claimed by these cyclists are, almost exclusively, their own – and in fact, there’s nothing to say that they were even responsible.
What these figures actually show is that more Dutch cyclists are being killed than motorists. In the Mail's world by 'being killed' cyclists are 'killing people'.
The “new” figures actually came out over a year ago. Here’s our report.
03/05/2019, 08:52
Brailsford talks down scale of Ineos protests at Tour de Yorkshire
We reported on some of the protests against fracking and Team Ineos in yesterday’s live blog, but speaking at the stage finish in Selby, Sir Dave Brailsford was keen to play down the number of activists.
"I had to hunt them down first because I couldn't find them," he told Cyclingnews.
"There was hardly anybody there, let's be honest – let's be real for once. The 15,000-mob that was to attack me this morning didn't really materialise. That's the reality. There were people there with the right to an opinion and I respect that but they've got a right to their opinion and that's it."
Many have questioned the wisdom of launching Team Ineos in Yorkshire, where the sponsor holds licences to carry out fracking, but Brailsford was comfortable with the decision.
"If we'd had any concerns about launching in Yorkshire we wouldn't have done it. We were right not to have any concerns because there are people here and they're enjoying it. Let's report that.”
Referring to the hordes of cycling fans at the finish, he said: "You might have people with flags but what about these people here? Does their opinion matter any less? No it doesn't.”
Somewhat labouring the point, he continued: "If you have a balance, I can see here now way more people than had flags. That's just true. That's facts and evidence. If you count the number of people here and the people with flags this morning… How many were there? Twenty? And how many here? There are more, aren't there?"