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...

WHERE ARE YOUR MUDGUARDS!!??!!......

.....Was the first thing I was quizzed about on the first ever club run I took part in. "I don't have any...and I don't think they will fit on my frame" I pleaded, trying not to make myself look a fool among seasoned cyclists, with full mudguards, excellent winter gear and supplies to match. "Well you'll have to ride at the back so you don't spray other riders" was the response I got from the old dude who was clearly in charge of the route and final destination of that ride. So I was made to ride at the back by myself...the newbie who only wanted to ride with like minded cyclist and make some friends.

Mudguards are a commonly discussed item at this time of year. Club runs pretty much insist that they are present as its not only to keep you clean and looking good in your best club kit that you are proudly marching around in on a Sunday morning, its also for the poor guy or gal behind you tasting what the ground is like at that particular time.

There are two approaches to winter riding.

1. Buy a dedicated winter bike with mudguard clearance. Preferably steel framed, running campag and having full SKS mudguards with the additional rubber strip riveted to the back mudguard that then nearly touches the floor.

2. Get your regular summer/all year round bike, fit some Crud road racer guards and hope for the best.

Both options are a compromise on performance...or your wallet. Until now...

The SKS Raceblade Long mudguards are a revelation. Consumer are now able to fit full length, rigid mudguards to your race clearance bike. The 4 bar mount quick release system fits easily to any road bike and gives a finished product that is as stable as a traditional full mudguard!

Coming in at £44.99 these guards are a damn sight cheaper than a second bike and being quick release the mounts could be left on all year round if you decide to. Stu has recently put some onto his Cyfac and here is the finished article:

Fitting took around 20 minutes and was really straight forward with well pictured instructions. The guide tyre width is for 18-23c however Stu is running a Hutchinson Intensive Tubeless 25c rear tyre and there is still ample room around the guard.

The fixing point for the rear guard is nice and tight to the calliper giving good protection and also resulting in a subtle finish when the guard is removed.

The fitting to the quick release is also straight forward and the release system to remove the guards is both convenient and easy to use.

Don't get caught out this winter thinking that the weather will stop you riding. This SKS mudguard is there to help you maintain your fitness and your cycling in even the worse British weather. Available in black or silver these guards are a must for any cyclist looking to keep ticking the pedals over.

Please feel free to contact the shop if you require any more information on the guards.

This is us...

Scapin Oraklo 29errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

2013 was certainly the year of the 29er. Every mountain bike brand has successfully tinkered with the big wheels and come out the end of the year smiling. As a result we were dead impatient to see what some of the brands were going to offer for the 2014 season. We started with a bit of a stunner....

The 2014 Scapin Oraklo 29er S1 is a beaut! The monocoque frame set is built with T700 grade hi modular carbon finished in a stunning UD matt finish and utilises some of the tried and tested MTB standards such as press fit 92 bottom bracket giving both great stiffness and fantastic reliability and a direct mount front mech for solid shifting and stable performance. With a tapered head tube the Scapin is married up to the Fox Float R32 100mm fork with 15mm QR.

The S1 model is the top spec that Scapin have to offer on the Oraklo. The frame is dripping with 2014 Shimano XTR...yep that's right the new 2014 XTR. With carbon brake levers and a double specific chain set, this build says race me all over it. The weight also says this...20.5lbs!!

This build also has the finishing kit to add to this wonderful build. Ritchey WCS bar, stem, seat post and grips really do give the Scapin a classy finish and a nice contrasting finish in gloss. We think this bike is a winner before even hitting the dirt of the trail. Scapin have yet again managed to produce a beautiful bike that will give as good as it gets....a natural born winner.

He's the coldest man I know....

Is Mat's favourite thing to tell customers about me. It's no secret that I struggle when our beautiful island turns Mother Nature against us and the weather most definitely turns sour. This year I decided that I was going to do my upmost to not let the weather get the better of me and stop me from riding. 

The Northwave Arctic GTX MTB boot was my choice that was going to help me through the bad weather. At £169.99 they aren't by any means a cheap option so I was hoping that this was going to be a worth while investment. 

First impressions of the boots were good. Construction of the boots are to the usual solid standard that Northwave command with well finished seams and good quality stitching. The sole of the is the jaws carbon reinforced sole. They are made with thermoplastic material enriched with carbon powder and a natural rubber tread. It results in a stiff but not harsh feel which gives good power transfer and excellent support. 

One of the main appeals to these winter boots is the Gore tex membrane which keeps out moisture and wind that always kills my feet over the winter. The fleece liner gives an additional warm layer but it doesn't encroach on sizing. My 42 winter boots are exactly the same fit as my 42 road Northwave shoes which means that my summer socks and winter socks both fit in the winter boots comfortably. The system to secure the boots in place is both clever and convenient. The speed lace system means that getting the shoes on is both easy and gives a very even tight fit over the whole length of the shoe. Following this getting the shoes off at the end of a wet ride with cold hands is a breeze by simply pinching the release system and the shoes let off the tension easily. 

So the basics all looked promising, so what are they like to ride? Fantastic! Although a little heavier than a standard MTB shoe the comfortable, warm easy to use winter boot will forever be a permanent addition to my cycling wardrobe. Over shoes are a thing of the past when I now cycle to work now and knowing that I won't suffer with cold feet anymore, is a godsend. The colour is a talking point which will be a marmite subject for most people however you'll be pleased to hear that a more eye friendly black version is also available. 

If you suffer from cold toes and intend to carry on cycling throughout the winter, these are a must! I certainly won't regret separating with my money for them. 

Stu

Custom and finally complete...

It's a project that has been going on for nearly a year. In between the measuring, choosing of colours, deciding on spec and finalising the build we finally have our his and hers matching custom Cyfac Absolu V2 road bikes. 

Both frames are custom geometry custom painted T800 Kevlar reinforced carbon built to the customers specification. Dressed with a full Campagnolo Record group set the bike is finished with custom painted Enve carbon cockpit and seat post and both bikes are rolling on hand built Chris King R45 hubs and H Plus Son archetype 28 hole rims. 

Built for both function and speed this bikes are heading to the hillier terrain of South America. Here are a few pictures to wet your appetite...

Enjoy...

LifecycleUK

Change is gonna come...

In every sense of the word unfortunately. The British weather has finally chosen to take a turn to autumn and take away our long days, warms evenings and sunny days. Along with the weather changing the shop is going through changes too. 

Stock! Is being brought in from all over to get ready for a November promised to be colder than any other before. We now have a large selection of Castelli and Endura clothing to keep the warmth in and the cold out! 

Our bike brands are also developing as our portfolio of brands is ever expanding at the same rate as the shop. We are pleased to announce and welcome Colnago bikes to LifecycleUK. Colnago is a brand that we have had on our radar for many years and have been waiting for the right time to launch the brand into the showroom. We will be carrying a good selection of bikes and frame sets including the C59, M10, the new CX Zero sportive bike, CLX 3.0, AC-R and the legendary Master frame set. We already have a few models in already and will have move in the end of November so watch this space!

We had a rather nice delivery from our friends at Cyfac in France last week with an assortment of new frames including two custom his and hers Absolu frames that are going to be build up this week. We will get them built up over the next week or so and will give an update with the finished article soon. Until this time here is a little teaser with what we are using as a base!

So in this time of year of change, change can sometimes be for the good. Stay warm, stay safe and happy cycling. 

LifecycleUK