The New Kid On The Block...

For years Colnago have been the brand that every cyclist lusted over. The classic frame sets like the master, C40, C50 and the newest incarnation the C60 have always been had huge followings.

Over the past few years Ernest has been working closely with Team EuropeCar to produce something a bit different. Designed as the teams "Classics" bike it was designed to take on the toughest European races like Paris Roubaix and be able to handle to worst roads that Europe could throw at it.

2014 will be it's first season...this is the Colnago CX Zero.

Full carbon in construction, and complimented with a full carbon tapered fork the new frame has a BB86 bottom bracket the first frame Colnago has used a press fit system. A semi integrated headset system may strike some people as strange, however the serviceability of the units had to stay high for the team mechanics to deal with. Cables are internally routed for the gears or electronic cable as required and the rear brake is a fully lined affair to again, aid servicing and ease of installation.

Clearance has been kept generous with ample space for 25c tyres and we have been told to comfortably take a 28c, although we have not tested this theory! A more sportive geometry fit gives a more comfortable feel to the bike and the wheelbase and angles of the frame have been tweaked to be more comfort than race orientated.

Stu has managed to get one of the first in the country built up and now finally after a spare day off and a break in the weather managed to get it built up and this is the finished result...

  

The bike has come together really nicely! Based around Campagnolo Record group set, Rotor 3D 52/36 chain set and a hand built set of Powertap DT RR585 wheels and Zipp/FSA K Force finishing kit.

 

The Rotor chain set is both light and super stiff, paired with Rotor's own ceramic BB86 bottom bracket. Speedplay stainless zero pedals finish it off nicely.

 

Campagnolo Record group set, legendary, smooth, slick and it works...every time!

 

These are the Vredestein Fortezza Senso tyres 25c, new for 2014 and literally JUST come into stock! The aren't the lightest tyres, however they aren't expected to be. The all year round do it all tyre is our firm favourite at the shop. Great grip, great wear and great puncture resistance...if you need a new pair of tyres ask anyone at the shop, these are the daddies!!

After a recent Velonews seat post test, the K Force came out on top. I have now got it on 2 of my bikes, light and comfortable the new 2014 models are all Di2 E Tube compatible which is a bonus!

Zipp Service Course SL finishing kit with the carbon bar...rides beautifully. I prefer a more classic drop on my bars and I feel the new compact standard doesn't really work for me so this shape is great...

First impressions were quite amazing! An FTP power test on this bike over my race spec alloy Cyfac frame put me pushing out 246 watts to 342! The comfort irons out everything on the road...and I literally mean everything. Paired with the 25c tyres I was pinging along on country road with easy and then as soon as I hit the drops the bike just wanted to go!! Fast and agile it has shown me that I may have finally found a bike that literally does everything...time will tell but it looks like its heading in the right direction.

The Colnago CX Zero frameset retails at £2,200 and this build that Stu put together retails at around £5,500. 

It's CHHHHHRRRIIIISSSTTTTMMMMAAAASSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

Christmas is almost here...a little over two weeks to go and presents will be given and received, food will be eaten and drink will be consumed. As you have some time off over this festive period it may give you a chance to have a think about your goals for 2014 on a bike...

Many people will be looking at getting their first bike in 2014 and on behalf of every cyclist out there I welcome you to the best sport in the world! Whether it's raining or wall to wall sunshine when you ride, every day is different. You'll meet some great people along the way that are like minded and will help you develop in your new found sport! Local clubs are always a good place to start and here are some near the shop who are worth checking out!

Cycle Club Sudbury - Cycle Club Sudbury was formed back in the late seventies when a couple of cyclists decided there should be a local club. Now the club sits at a healthy 125′ish members. We hold a regular Time Trial series, an Open Time Trial, Audax events, an annual Hill Climb , a Road Race and even a Reliability Ride in January each year. The club is open to all riders, young and old; no one is ever out of place on a bike!

The West Suffolk Wheelers And Triathlon Club - The cycling club, formed in 1922, is based in Bury St Edmunds and has produced many good riders over the years. We have a good cross-section of cycling on offer to welcome new and experienced cyclists alike. In 2010, a triathlon section was formed which has been a very successful and popular addition to our activities.

Stowmarket And District Cycling Club - SDCC is one of several long established cycling clubs in Suffolk, we always welcome new members to ensure the clubs thriving future. We have an expanding and very active membership involved in several disciplines of cycling, including Road Racing, Time trialling, Cyclo-cross, Mountain Biking, Sportives and social riding. We organise six evening 10 mile time trials as part of the Ipswich Cycle Association series, open 10 and 20 mile time trials (some as part of the SPOCO East series) a Regional B road race, a Sportive in August and reliability rides in February and October

Boxford Bike Club - Welcome to the Boxford Bike Club website! Over the past year the Boxford Bike Club, based around the small rural village of Boxford, Suffolk has grown from humble beginnings to now having a very active and ever growing membership of local riders. As a club, we don't take ourselves too seriously and we hopefully come across as a friendly and approachable bunch, at the same time endorsing the benefits and enjoyment of cycling in all its forms. Membership of a group such as this encourages increased participation in the sport. People new to cycling have an instant network of support and advice available to them, but also having organised group rides encourages members to get out and ride on a more regular basis. Your never too far away from people who are willing to help you cycle more! 

So your already a cyclist, what now? Time trials, road racing, audax or sportives? Maybe you want to take in the atmosphere of cycling (after all the Tour De France is starting in the UK in 2014!) in which case a sportive would be a great place to start! Many local clubs run their own sportives so check out their individual websites to see what they have on offer. One of the best local sportives is the Essex spring lambs and autumn leaves sportives. Both have got fantastic support and back up, ample food and drink supplies and event photographers that can take a good snap or two of you busting a groove on your bike! This kind of event also gives you something to aim for in terms of training but also a solid target. 

What about something a bit tougher...why not try an Audax? 

Audax is a cycling sport in which participants attempt to cycle long distances within a pre-defined time limit. Audax is a non-competitive sport: success in an event is measured by its completion.

Challenging yet surprisingly fun especially as many rides are carried out with a group giving a real sense of camaraderie and achievement when completed. Distances range hugely from 100k to legendary rides such as London-Edinburgh-London which is one of the longest at 1400k (that's 868 miles!!). Local clubs are the best place to start your Audax challenge as many have members that either regularly partake in these or have a wealth of experience to pass onto willing volunteers. 

Of course all of these activities will require a machine fit for purpose and up to the task of getting you through all your tough times on the bike as well as sharing you euphoric highs!

No matter how big or small your budget and no matter what your preferences are we will be able to help you one way or another. Your local bike shop is not just an adult sweet shop of bike porn and rubber smells. Its that extra tweak when you need is just before a big race, that last minute tyre swap just before your first sportive or your last minute purchase of gels the night before a 12 hour race. What ever you do decide to do in 2014 remember that LifecycleUK will be there to support you the best we can and to make your goals become reality.

From everyone at the shop, have a cracking (alright Stu, terrible joke) Christmas and all the best for 2014.

Rob, Mat, Stu and Rich

73 Degrees Book Now In Stock!

This would make a great Christmas present...

Cyfac Zona Build

We recently had another nice addition to our French family come through the door at LifecycleUK. The Cyfac Zona is the entry level steel frame that the Loire valley company produce. It is accompanied with a full carbon fork and that is where the standard options end and the customisation begins.


Every steel frame is a custom made to measure finish that can be painted any colour the customer requires. This model is 100% brazed steel and can have any number of options from additional bottle bosses to press in or integrated headsets.

Paint is also something that the French brand pride themselves on. The Zona has 5 colour patterns available with infinite colour combinations and two additional designs available for £150 up-lift. Cyfac also offer the CDS system (Cyfac Design Studio). Information fed to Cyfac will result in a one off colour design specially for you. This is the route that we went down when creating the XCR frame set for the shop (pictured below.)

The concept of the Zona build was comfort. The steel frame has such beautiful properties that we didn't want to hide through huge amounts of carbon or stiff harsh wheels. We decided that it would be rude to put anything else but a Campagnolo Athena group set on the Zona and so we opted for the 52/36 carbon chain set and a wide range cassette making it as fast on the flats of Norfolk as the hills of a major sportive.


Hand built wheels were added for additional comfort thus cue to Campagnolo Record 32H hubs. Super smooth bearing hubs built onto Ambrosio Evolution rims. Keeping the classic finish to the bike we added a classic drop bar by 3T and married it up to the matching stem and seat post to complete the build. 18.5 lbs later this sportive killer was complete. The result is a classic, timeless bike finished to an amazingly high standard.

Below are a few pics of the finished article...enjoy....

 

Vanguard Retro Kit

Rob sporting the new retro Vanguard kit...

 

 

Bike Ahead ac29 Biturbo Carbon Wheels

Wheels are considered to be one of the most noticeable upgrades that you can do on a bike. Road or mountain its well known that new hoops puts a spring in your step and makes climbs a whole lot easier. How much gain can you make though? Christian Gemperlein from Bike ahead composites believes that he really has revolutionised the high end mountain bike wheel with his new ac biturbo wheel range.

 

The 6 spoke wheels are something that you might expect to see more on an 80s BMX however these wheels are quite exceptional. The wheels are made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) specifically for the off road market and are made in Germany.

The wheels come in the three mountain bike standard sizes 26, 650b and 29er in carbon clincher and tubular (apart from the new 650b which are carbon clincher only). 

Hubs are supplied by Acros of Germany offering freehub and axle fittings to suit most standards including the new XX1 freehub. Finish is also adaptable with either matt, satin or gloss finish avaliable to the wheels and either black or red anodized finish to the hubs...a nice touch. 

The wheels are light, I mean really light. The tubular 29er wheels come in at 1189g's and the clincher 1289g's. Due to this fact they do come with a weight limit of 95kgs.

The current RRP of these in clincher is £2499 and £2399 in tubular (prices based on the 29er model). If you are interested in seeing these wheels or giving them a go, we currently have a demo set that are avaliable to test in store.

Rob's CYFAC Absolu SRAM Red 22

Rob has recently decided to rebuild his Cyfac with the new Sram Red 22 groupset. Some new changes have come about as well with the new Deda 35mm finishing kit to add a splash of colour to the front end of the bike.

Sram have finally followed the trend of the other big two Shimano and Campagnolo and gone to 11 speed. Early performance reviews indicate that this is the BEST Red groupset ever with the new YAW angle front mech making shifting easier and preventing chain rub. With the addition of the chain catcher fitted as standard to prevent many problems with customer dumping the chain on a down shift.

Here is the finished result...