Ready For Your New Olympian Season?

I'm not a racer. Anyone who's seen me ride will tell you that. But, like anyone else, I enjoy riding more whan I can ride further, faster, stronger. In than sense I'm quite Olympian!

Well, here's a program I've found that will help you get super fit for cycling - and help you be stronger and leaner, with the extra speed and stamina that makes cycling much more fun. It suits beginners to semi-pro level cyclists, with programs carefully tailored for each level as you progress.

'My Cycling' puts the power to ride faster in your hands, or your legs! What you've done in the past to try to improve is probably wrong. If you want to step up a level in your cycling without necessarily devoting more time to it, 'My Cycling' can help. To find out how you can tear the legs off the bunch Click Here!

I Don't Need a Mountain Bike to Climb a Mountain

So far on this site I've reviewed three bikes, all of them exceptionally good at what they do and each of a different type.

The Specialized Rockhopper is the archetypal MTB or 'Mountain Bike' that's actually intended for general cross-country, rough trails, steep climbs and so on. Its small inner chain wheel and large rear spockets mean it has very low gearing that will let you climb anything your legs and sense of balance will allow, and it will drag you through thick, clinging mud, too. It's robust and has front suspension for the rough stuff.

But it will be relatively slow on the road. You wouldn't want to race a road bike on it - even a very cheap road bike would be too fast, just because of its higher gearing and skinnier, lower-resistance tyres.

The Specialized Tricross is also quite happy among the rough stuff, but not to the same extent as the Rockhopper. It has a longer frame, narrower wheels and tyres and no suspension. It has low gearing, but not as low as an MTB. The Tricross is amazingly capable and very sturdy and will put up with a fair bit of abuse.

It will also keep up with most road bikes, depending on the strength of the rider. It actually makes a very good tourer, and Specialized have been far-sighted enough to include fixing points for a rear pannier rack. The low gearing will get you up alpine passes while the top end makes it fast enough on the flat.

Meanwhile, Dawes have been making touring bikes for decades and are recognised as industry leaders for off-the-peg affordable tourers. Their Galaxy is legendary and actually comes in three or four models now, but their entry level bike is the Horizon. Its traditional steel frame is sturdy and light (and steel's natural flexibility means it's comfortable, too). Components are a step down from the cheapest Galaxy but still excellent and, just as importantly, they are well chosen to give exactly the right characteristics for a tourer.

Once again, that means the gearing is fast enough for the flat - probably a bit faster than the Tricross (unless the Tricross has my brother-in-law in the saddle!), while you also get the low ratios you need for climbing.

Not all tourers have sufficiently low gears for big hills, although they will be fine for ninety-five percent of the time (unless you live in the mountains), but Dawes fit the perfect range of gearing to all their tourers.

So, you or I don't need a mountain bike to climb mountains, unless we're planning to do it off-road. It's the gearing that counts, and you'll arrive a the bottom of a climb quicker and fresher if you do it on a road bike. For a major European trip like our Paris to Venice, a tourer like the Dawes Horizon or Galaxy, or a brilliantly executed compromise like the Specialized Tricross, will be perfect.

All we need then are the legs!

You might still be in time to get your Horizon, Galaxy or Tricross at last year's prices from Evans Cycles. Click any of the Evans banners on this page to go straight to their website. Delivery is free in the UK.

Roy

Dawes Horizon Touring Bike Under £750

If you're planning a long tour that doesn't involve significant amounts of the rough stuff, or even if you enjoy longer day rides, a specialist touring bike is ideal. In fact, plenty of people use tourers for commuting, too.

Dawes have long been 'the name' in touring bikes and their high-quality tourers start with the Horizon. It's always good value but at Evans Cycles you can now get the Dawes Horizon touring bike for £749.99.

The Horizon comes fully equipped for touring, with carriers, a broad range of gear ratios and a super-comfortable frame, saddle and riding position. A slightly longer wheelbase makes real touring bikes just a little bit more relaxed on a long trip. A high quality frame and forks means you don't need suspension and the perfect choice of tyre size and compound means plenty of miles with minimal effort and few punctures.

I doubt if Evans has a massive stock, especially now they're promoting it, so if the Daws Horizon sounds like your next bike, you should get over to their online store now.

Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc less than £600

You might know by now that I'm a bit of a fan of Specialized bikes.

They more or less invented the MTB with their Rockhopper and it continues to be one of their biggest sellers.

Right now, Evans Cycles have the Rockhopper Competition Disc for under £600 in their end of season sale.

It's a legendary bike, so you can assume it will sell out almost as fast as it rides...

In other words - Hurry!

Here's the Direct Link

Get Super Cycling Fit

I'm not a racer. Anyone who's seen me ride will tell you that. But, like anyone else, I enjoy riding more whan I can ride further, faster, stronger. In than sense I'm quite Olympian!

Well, here's a program I've found that will help you get super fit for cycling - and help you be stronger and leaner, with the extra speed and stamina that makes cycling much more fun. It suits beginners to semi-pro level cyclists, with programs carefully tailored for each level as you progress.

'My Cycling' puts the power to ride faster in your hands. What you've done in the past to try to improve is probably wrong. If you want to step up a level in your cycling without necessarily devoting more time to it, 'My Cycling' can help. To find out how you can tear the legs off the bunch Click Here!

Choosing the Perfect Bike

If there's such a thing as a perfect bike, it will

1. Always have precisely the right gear for the conditions


2. Be supremely easy to ride


3. Get the rider magnificently fit


4. Need no maintenance


5. Never get a puncture


6. Never wear out and be indestructible


7. Be totally comfortable after hours in the saddle


8. Carry everything you could possibly want to carry


9. Weigh absolutely nothing, even fully loaded


10. Be super fast on the road, totally at home on the trail and fantastic fun in the mud


11. Be inexpensive and exclusive

You can see where this is going, I'm sure!

There is, of course, no such thing as the perfect bike. There are, however, some bikes that seem to come amazingly close. So close you'd swear the designers have access to some secret technology unknown to normal mortals.

One such bike is the Specialized Tricross.

Two of these bikes were kitted out as tourers and used by the great LeKnees Pyrenean assault team of 2007. They climbed everything, they went fast, they went offroad, they carried a ton of kit. Hardly anything broke!

I'd buy one tomorrow. In fact, I might, because Evans Cycles are currently offering 10% worth of Specialized spares when you spend £1000 on certain Specialized bikes. The only problem is, the basic Tricross is well under a thousand pounds.

But Evans Cycles have loads more bargains right now, too: