6 Favourites - Seen at the London Bike Show

Last week I made my annual pilgrimage to the London Bike Show, which was held, as usual at the Excel Centre in London's docklands.

This event tends not to be as big as the autumn Cycle Show held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham where the 2017 models of bikes, equipment and clothing are presented. However, the handy thing about the London show is that the ordinary consumer can buy gear directly from the exhibitors - often at specially discounted prices for the show.

For me, I like to attend the event as a way to remind myself what is out there, as well as to catch up with cycle trade and cycle media bods, and of course interview the odd high profile bike rider. It was good to see the guys from Boardman Bikes, and from Scott Bikes. I was pleasantly surprised to see Nick Craig there, especially given that tragically, he lost his 15-year old son Charlie as a result of sudden cardiac death a few weeks ago.

I was also pleased to interview Dame Sarah Storey, Tracy Moseley, Emily Chappell, and chat briefly to Chris Boardman and Sean Kelly. Although I was at the event on three out of the four days it was still a struggle to talk to everyone I wanted, particularly World Champion BMX rider Shanaze Reade, and Xisco Lliteras, organiser of the famous Mallorca 312 cyclosportive. Better luck next time eh.

Anyway here are a few items on show that I particularly liked:

Primal

Got Lemons? Jersey

I must admit Primal is one of my favourite brands and I always like the lovely colours and designs that they bring out each year. The Hotness Helix jersey that is now available, which I took a shine for when launched last autumn was not actually on display at the show.

The joy of socks from Primal

However, the Got Lemons? short-sleeved jersey and some lifestyle jerseys looked pretty good too. And I can't go without highlighting their lovely array of socks which always makes me feel like I'm in sock heaven!







Hackney GT

Camou jersey (L) and Leopard Windtex (R)

Fellow cross rider, DJ and fashion designer, Russ "Straight Outta Clapton" Jones was at the show with his line of Hackney GT clothing. Last Autumn he designed the Leopard Windtex winter jacket, which has had a lot of great feedback since it keeps you warm while looking pretty cool! Also on the stand was his soon-to-be-released Camou jersey.

I like the way that Russ designs clothes using the essence of outdoor activities like mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and even horseracing!

I am keen to support his outfit as he is a local racer and a nice guy who has branched out into what he is passionate about - music, urban culture, fashion design, outdoor activities - while supporting grass roots cycling through sponsoring the local mountain bike series, Beastway.

Hackney GT Stand

Hackney GT also supports British industry by having everything produced in the UK.







Findra

At the Bike Show I met Alex Feecham, the brainchild behind the Findra range of women's outdoor wear. For some reason I had thought the brand was Scandinavian, given the look and feel of their campaigns. In fact it is a Scottish brand and Alex is from just outside Edinburgh.

Findra campaign

I guess there are parallels between Scandinavia and Scotland when it comes to weather, and braving harsh climatic conditions! In fact, Alex says that the designs are inspired from Scandinavia, so she has successfully conveyed that impression in the photography.

What's more, the different performance garments include merino wool which will definitely keep you warm, while keeping you dry when you are pretty active. I have not worn any Findra gear yet, but I look forward to putting on some of Alex's clothes. For the moment I was happy to take a photo of the Findra stand, which was nicely decked out.








Shand Cycles

Shand Stoater

One person I was keen to meet at the Bike Show was Emily Chappell, a cycling globetrotter and adventurer, and current champion of the gruelling Transcontinental Cycle Race No.4. I met her on the Shand Cycles stand, where she was doing a meet and greet with her organisation, the Adventure Syndicate. I had not heard of this brand before and I was very keen to find out more about these bikes.

Their flagship model is the Stoater, a bike designed to be ridden on all terrains - gravel, road, towpaths, trails. I guess they would call it an adventure/gravel bike, but Steve Shand says these bikes were being produced well before the term "adventure bike" ever became fashionable! The bikes, which have carbon fibre folks are designed for comfort and work well as touring bikes when fitted with a rack and mudguards.

Shand Stooshie

Emily did her cycling European cycling adventure on the Shand Stooshie bike, a lighter, leaner version of the Stoater, given that she was in a race in which she needed to cover around 2500 miles as quickly as possible! For those who are fans of #steelisreal these bikes are made from the high grade material, which is music to the ears of those who like to stay with more traditional materials.

Like Findra, Shand, which is run by Steve Shand, are based in Scotland and work out of a workshop where the bikes are custom hand built to the measurements you specify. You can also go up there for a fitting. This is great news as well for those who would like a person-specific bike. There's no point saying women-specific as, just like Steve says, women come in all shapes and sizes so what does women-specific really mean? Shorter torsos and longer legs than men is what is generally spoken of, but there are still many women who do not fit that mould. So the fact that the guys can hand build you a bike that fits you exactly is a great thing.

Scott

Scott Cycles showed off their high end gravel bike, the Addict Gravel 10 Disc bike and I was talked through it by Josh, a member of their commercial team. A seasoned mountain biker, he says that he can do exactly the same rides with his gravel bike as he would do on the trails with his mountain bike.

The bike coped beautifully and he was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable the ride was, thanks to the all-carbon frame and fork as well as disc carbon wheels.

I would love to do the South Downs Way this year on a gravel bike but am worried about how much I will be rattled around, given my brief experience with the Raleigh Mustang Sport that I rode on it last year. However, it would be worth trying the trails of the South Downs again with another make of gravel bike and see how this one fares.


The Primal Pantry

Natural ingredients in The Primal Pantry bars

I can't go to a show without looking at food! And hear I found a good stash of it in the shape of the The Primal Pantry (not to be confused with Primal Europe clothing range).

This range of vegan paleo/gluten-free energy and protein bars are made by Suzie Walker, a woman who was really keen to develop energy bars made from real food. I am not a vegan, though I do subscribe to some aspects of paleo eating, so it is quite a refreshing thing to see bars that are developed with this in mind.

The Primal Pantry protein bars

Real food is always a plus for me too, as I can't bear to eat the same old energy bars throughout a race or a ride, and so something with the nuts, seeds and dried food found in these bars makes for welcome change. There is an array of flavours, split across their energy bars, and their protein bars which aid recovery. I particularly liked the cocoa brownie flavour.

Fuel your ride with real food - Energy bar generator

When I go out on a ride I don't tend take out much food these days - because lately my outings have not been long enough for me to need to refuel! (Wish I could be out for longer but life gets in the way sometimes!)

However, on those long rides such as the Ride London 100 which I did recently it's worth giving some thought to energy supplies during a 100-mile bike ride.

Realising that a Mars Bar may not quite do the trick I then take to the energy bar cupboard, and there are quite a few to choose from.

I can't say I have any real favourites as the fact is I really prefer to eat real food when out riding. Energy bars probably hit the spot but a lot of them begin to taste a bit plasticky and my stomach gets sick of them after 4 hours in the saddle.

So I am always on the look-out for solutions that involve real food while getting the energy that'll take me to the finish line without a hunger knock!

Decathlon sports shop has put together this clever interactive tool call the Energy Bar Generator. Basically you answer some questions about what sport you are doing, your favourite foods, whether you prefer gluten-free, etc and it comes up with a recipe to make your ideal energy bar using real foods.

I put in strawberries, raspberries, banana and walnuts. I'm not mad keen on chocolate and not bothered about it being gluten-free.

The Energy Bar Generator came up with a wonderful recipe based on the food I mentioned plus figs and oats thrown in.

That's yummy! Well it sounds good - I haven't tried it yet! I will certainly give it a go, though knowing me if I like the taste of it I will most likely end up eating it even before I have picked up my bike!

But hey, it'll be great fuel for that marathon TV-watching I've been doing for the Olympics!

Try the test yourself and see what you end up with.

7th Giro Ciclistico della Penisola Sorrentina e Costiera Amalfitana - Part 2

Sunday morning I was up at the crack of dawn. It was reassuring to see that daylight had already broken at 6am, and even more heartening to see the sunshine.
This made me feel energized for the task ahead.

I got ready relatively quickly and was soon riding out of the apartment courtyard. I could still feel yesterday's pasta inside me so hadn't really felt ready for a big breakfast. Still, I'd loaded myself with gels and energy bars, and the emergency jelly babies (Haribo) so I wouldn't go hungry. I always find these sugary sweets to be a great help if you suddenly get the hunger knock.

The ride up to Sant'Agata sui due Golfi was not as difficult as I'd imagined it would be. There's no doubt that a couple of the switchbacks were quite steep - 15% gradient. However, with my 50-34 compact chain set and 12-27 cassette I could just steadily spin my way up.

It was really pleasant riding up on very quiet roads before everyone was up.
After around 45 minutes I arrive at the race HQ. In contrast to yesterday, where the main road was full of traffic, this time it was awash with cyclists in all brightly coloured kit and nicely polished bicycles. That is certainly a recurring theme in Italian cycling. The Italians are very stylish on the bike. Every detail has been attended to. Not a single mark or blemish on the bike. Everything is glistening new. Legs and arms are well moisturized, hands manicured, hair laquered, and that's just the men ! The women wear make-up and nail varnish ! My mascara wouldn't last 2 minutes if I put that on while cycling.

After the obligatory trip to the loo and passing over the timing mat, we were all set to start. There was no particular fan fare as such - just a bloke on the tannoy shouting to us that we would be starting shortly. But given that he'd been saying that for the last 15 minutes no one paid much attention. Some were still sitting in the cafe ! Other people were actually registering. And this, after the organiser had said no entry on the day. People are just so laid back in round here !

Finally, without any warning we were away. The beginning of the ride was quite jittery. The road out of Sant'Agata sui due Golfi descended quite rapidly, and it was very bumpy due to it's poor condition. A couple of people fell down, and almost brought others down with them. I managed to stay out of trouble, but my chances of doing well went went downhill as rapidly as my bike. I suddenly noticed that my handlebars had loosened and the bars had moved down - brought on as a result of the impact of the bumps and pot-holes in the road.
As I stopped to adjust the handlebars everyone went past me - the peloton, the motorbike outriders, the ambulance, the broomwagon - everyone. And given the road was going to be going rapidly downhill for the next five miles I was not likely to see them until the end of the event ! I realised that I was going to be in for a long lonely ride - bloody hell!!

Related posts

7th Giro Ciclistico della Penisola Sorrentina e Costiera Amalfitana - Part 1

7th Giro Ciclistico della Penisola Sorrentina e Costiera Amalfitana - Last part

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