In another random report from Fatty, he will be telling you about PBK desk jockeys doing their bit for charity, his subsequent attempt to get fit, the humiliation of crashing and a few very brief fatty is riding exerts. He will also touch on him passing the milestone that is….40!

As you will all soon become aware, PBK are taking part in a sponsored 24h crit for charity. The Annual Race24 event takes place on the 19/20^th of June at the Top Gear Test track in Surrey (www.action.org.uk/ride24).

On the run up to the race, we will have a few blogs for you specifically about this, but basically instead of asking for your (and our friends and families) hard earned cash to support us, we will be offering a raffle with a massive prize fund (truly massive) and all ticket sales will go to the charity – Action Medical Research. Sorry I digress. As a some time racer in the past and because I own a bike or two and have a history of stupid events, I have been cajoled out of retirement to ride for PBK and what they laughingly expect is a 150 mile in 6hours as part of the team effort….

So how is the training going? Well if that 150miles were over a week and that 25mph was closer to 17mph, I would be extremely confident. As it isn’t, then I’m not!

Anyone who follows my FB Garmin experiment will realise I am not exactly on fire at the moment. Training was going OK, but then a freak over the bars uphill sprint accident resulted in more than a bruised ego. I know I’m now the wrong side of 40, but just how long does a cracked rib take to heal?? (You want to relish in my suffering don’t you?) What can I say other than check your skewers every ride and well that’s it really. Loose skewer , wheel pulls out,  bike stops, forward momentum allows poor old fatty to continue in a graceful arc, handle bar breaks my fall oh and my rib….Oh and joy of joy I wasn’t alone! Help was at hand but luckily for me, no one remembered to take a photo.

(The graphics dept. found a very similar one though):

So what’s new on my bike? I’m always greatly motivated by new and shiny things that are designed to make me go faster and no, the titanium hip replacement isn’t on order just yet.

Well the excellent race specific Vredestein Tri Comps that have been a standard fitment to my bike since I first tried them in Italy last year have finally been replaced. They had worn flat on the rear and I have had to on more than one occasion pry pieces of glass from the rubber and even though they were used in some pretty bad conditions, I didn’t get one puncture. http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y0049

So a very fast tyre, excellent puncture resistance and a decent profile (till they wore flat), so what have I swapped to? With the added problem of a regular 1/2mile farm track and a cracked rib and the need to get some quick miles in I need something fast and comfy.

The brand new Michelin optimum has it all and these are designed specifically for the sportive rider and the first few hundred miles have proved a revelation. http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=Y0110 Being a fat round 25mm they were always going to be comfy, but the first two rides out I kept stopping thinking I had a flat.

I soon realised that going from the 145psi of the tri comps, anything would have felt softer. The best bit is they don’t feel slow and there is no drag, just a bit of added suspension (just what that rib needs). They are fast and comfy and all I need to do now is 3000+ miles to see if the Michelin claim for longer life is in fact a reality.

Also new on the bike are the new Hudz(2) in softer silicon. Ok, they’re not a performance enhancement, but a bit of nice bling and a lot easier to fit than the originals. I’m sure the marketing boys will tell you that there is a performance upgrade, but to be honest, they do a job and do it well. There’s no real negative about them, if you want coloured hoods on your bike then buy some. If you don’t want coloured hoods, you’re not missing out (interestingly there is no black option at the moment).

New to try and a massive change for me are some new bars. I’ve got a set of PRO Stealth Evos and to be honest, I don’t like the idea of integrated bars. I normally use Campag and Pro is a Shimano brand so this is a big experiment for me. On the plus side, PRO are now the finishing kit suppliers of 3 big professional teams, so they are proven parts and I’m interested about the comfort element and perhaps the ability to use the flat uppers as arm rests for this race!!! Anyhow, they will be fitted this week and I will do a full report in a few hundred miles time.

So that’s the round up for now, in 3 weeks time I’m off to Italy to Party with a post Giro Cervelo squad and get some 2011 product gossip. My colleagues are all absolutely delighted for me as well, which is very nice of them indeed!!

So, expect a report on my return. Oh yes, turning 40? It didn’t feel any different to when I was 39. I am still unfit and my expectations still far outweigh my actual ability! Falling off my bike made me feel young again, until I hit the tarmac and the reality of falling onto concrete hit home all too well!

More from our aged colleague next time, if we are speaking to him after his jolly to Italy!

The Giro has now moved round to Italy for the remaining stages and whether the Italian road furniture will feature as much is yet to be seen…we really do hope not.

With a team time trial yesterday in ‘changeable’ conditions the running order has been upset once again, with Liquigas-Doimo beating Team Sky by 13 seconds while the Astana team blew up in the final km’s and lost 38 seconds to Liquigas.

We thought we’d have a look at the bikes and kit which the Pro teams are using in the Giro and just how much of it is available to you hard-working people to give you that edge in your next race/TT.

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We covered last week how Di2 has made an impact on the cycling world, especially in the Pro Tour arena where the budgets are much larger than most of ours.

Given that these guys ride 1000’s of KM each year in training and racing, they wouldn’t be riding on Di2 if it had constant issues or regular problems. Since its releases Shimano have since added some more products – a thumb shifter for the classics riders which allows shifting while on the tops and finally the wiring kit for using TT bars is widely available. A lot of bike frame makers are now introducing ‘Di2 ready frames’ which have routes for internally routed cables – giving you a very neat and very smart bike. Well worth upgrading if you can afford it.

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Something which only we seem to have any stock of is the official Team Sky kit. With its understated blue and black design, quality manufacture and with a world-class Pro Team wearing it, there isn’t much not to like about it.

In the tough conditions everything but Wiggins’ white skinsuit looked as stylish as ever, the distinctive mitts making them obviously Team Sky through the torrential down-pours which many of the teams got hit with during the Team Time Trial.

Click here for our range of Team SKY Kit @ PBK

Sometimes the most interesting shots are the ones taken in the service area. Candid and often up-close views of the equipment and riders themselves when warming up are commonplace.  One team member who earns his money is the mechanic. These guys build the bikes prior to a stage, often have to tweak and adjust bikes on the move and then once finished its all go again – cleaning, maintaining and packing away if needed.
Because of this, their kit is always packed full of stuff which they know works and they know will work again and again, in the background of this picture:

…is the Park Team Race Stand and as anyone who’s tried adjusting derailleurs or fitting cablesets will know, doing so without a stand (although not impossible) is made so much easier with one. Being able to spin the drivetrain and check the gears and brakes really makes a big difference, if they weren’t necessary, then the Pro Teams wouldn’t bother. Available here.

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For your heroic cornering efforts you need grippy and dependable rubber. This picture of Cadel trying to make up time shows just how far you can push the bike if you trust your tyres:

Although a lot of re-badging goes on in the Pro peloton, you can just make out the Conti markings on the side of the tub. Since 1871 the German company has been hand-making its tubulars and have gained the recognition they deserve. After a brief office discussion we’re going to say (please correct us if we’re wrong) that he’s riding a Competition tubular here, which are light and have some puncture resistance built in.

The warranty department has asked me to include that no tyre is puncture proof and that the lighter the tyre, the lighter/less substantial the puncture resistance.

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We don’t want to turn this into a selling exercise, just a brief look at which products you can buy which the Pro’s actually use. It’s a bit tough with time trial bikes because so many of them are development models with custom parts. With road bikes though you can buy the same Di2 system as the Sky team use, the same tyres as Cadel, the rims for your wheels come off exactly the same production line and even their bar-tape is the over the counter (often Fizik or Deda!)

We have lots of new products arriving all the time. In the next week or two, we’ve got some Cavendish stems and bars and available now are the whole new range of Pro and Profile TT bars.

One thing we can be certain about however, is that it is clear that no-one in the peloton wears any underpants!

We’ll keep a keen look at the kit the Pro teams use this year and if we see anything sneaky, freaky or downright jaw dropping you’ll be the first to know. Please let us know if you see anything worth reporting on your travels and we’ll post it up for all to see.

Now that the snow and gritters have retreated for another year and the mornings are now light enough to squeeze that fast hour in before work, we thought we’d prepare a guide on what to look for when giving your bike a clean this weekend. With road salt, muck and freezing temps, your bike has hopefully made it through the toughest part of winter and now is the right time to give it a good check over in preparation for packing those early season miles in before racing begins.

If you’ve been regularly commuting/training through winter, chances are your bike looks a mess. Great for your ego when meeting up with your riding mates, but in terms of bike reliability and dependability, it’s not the best way to go.

If you’ve treated yourself to an off season or switched to MTB’ing, now is about the time to get back commuting on a road bike – crisp mornings, the sun rising earlier and arriving at work full of energy make the early starts worth it.

Basic checks (only a couple of allen keys needed!):

1. Cables: frayed ends (as you’ll see later) and any rust is a sign that they’re ready for replacement.
2. Bolts and screws: nothing should rattle and they should all be torqued up to their required amount.
3. Brakes – check your pads for life and clean away the muck which soon finds a home on top of the pads. Also check that they are clamping the rim in the correct area and not rubbing against a tyre when applied – this will ruin a tyre in no time at all.
4. Tyres and wheels: if you haven’t the luxury of buying special winter tyres you’ll probably have plenty of cuts and nicks:

With your rims you need to make sure you have plenty of rim life left, often there are markers or ‘dots’ milled into the rim which when no longer visible mean you really should get some new wheels. Riding with a very worn rim reduces your braking power, increases the chance of blow-outs and if you use high pressure its more likely to crack/split which is never fun. Hubs should be rolling smoothly with no grinding noises – if there are, then have them serviced/spend an afternoon taking things apart and hope everything fits back in.

Jobs which need tools:

1. Drivetrain – chain and cassette: if this is full of grit and leaves marks on your trousers which will never wash out, now is the time to degrease the whole thing or buy a new chain and cassette. Either of these will help to increase shifting accuracy and keep things quiet back there. A chain tool, lockring tool and chain whip are what you’ll need to swap/disassemble the parts. This is an ideal product for doing this. If it all looks OK, make sure its lubed and there are no stiff links.
2. Front and rear derailleurs:

For smooth, quiet running these should be free from grit and dirt. A clogged up jockey wheel not only wears your chain but will be costing you energy. Note the frayed cable ends, I don’t know where the cable ends have gone but these help to keep this to a minimum and stop you stabbing yourself on the exposed cable.

• Another, often overlooked area is your seatpost. There must be hundred of posts on bike forums about stuck and seized seatposts, so take two minutes to remove your post and give it a clean.

• The seatclamp area, even with mudguards on still manages to get splashed with water and muck from the rear tyre. This problem seems particularly common on bikes with a metal on carbon interface. The front, if not fitted with mudguards also catches an awful lot of dirt. Clean this and make sure your headset bearings are running nicely with no notches or clunking.

What happens without a mudguard

Once you’re happy with everything take it for a quick spin and make sure all the gears are indexing correctly. If done regularly and with some care this will keep your bike running well on and into the racing season.

If you would like any help on what tools you need or what products are best for certain tasks, get in touch and we’ll do our best to sort you out.

Just in is the range of Pedro’s bike care products: here on the website.

If your bike looks like this:

Had a good day down near Stoke/Uttoxeter spannering for the Tour of Britain sportive which was a 145km loop around some beautiful countryside and around Alton Towers.

A 5 o’clock wake-up and drive down the m6 got me down to Stramshall for 8 ish after a brief stop for pain au chocolats (we are athletes after all) and coffee.  We got to set up the tents which covered the mountain of water and Mule bars/Soreen stall – very popular with riders and wasps alike! The mechanics tent got its workstand and tools ready for the onslaught.

With the first riders starting off at 8 they were soon into the feed station which was 54km into the route. A couple of keeno’s who obviously didn’t appreciate a sportive being a ‘sportive’ went straight by followed by the main deluge which tucked into the offerings. With bottles and food all over the place there were thankfully not many mechanicals to deal with which was why I went down (for info there were 5 problems – all front mech problems – have a look at yours and see how it works so that you can fix it if something happens next time you’re out! We’ll put together a good blog article on setup and general tips for mechs this week).

 

Time soon flew by, and after the ambulance crew (thanks for all the other help) quickly picked up the crasher of the day we were all ready to pack up. The support cars for the actual TOB have been supplied by Honda and look great:

Thanks to all the people at the feed station and Steph&crew early on, the Saddleback guys, and most importantly to those who got round the course – it wasn’t easy and after stopping for food here the hills began, I enjoyed getting my hands oily and tinkering with bikes, and hopefully everyone got fed and drank.

Keith Bontrager famously said Lighter, Stronger, Cheaper referring to the fact you can only have two out of three (i.e. If  its light and cheap it wont be strong , if its strong and light it wont be cheap and if its cheap and strong it wont be light) This still bares true for main stream manufacturers components where there is a massive margin of safety involved.

However there is a growing market for extremely lightweight  equipment that is light and very expensive,  should this be strong too??  Well it pushes the boundaries so no this is cutting edge light weight equipment. It should be used with extreme caution and for very specific events you simply cannot expect  (for example) a 12gram bottle cage to support up to a kilo of water as you bounce across cobbles.

Also there are lots of forces involved in cycling so if you insist on ultra light equipment don’t cry when your wheel collapses if you hit a pothole at 90kph. Crashes and impacts put massive strains on components, these forces can’t be anticipated but the lighter your stuff and the heavier the impact the greater chance of failure.

Likewise a racing tyre that has puncture protection is not a puncture proof tyre, car tyres puncture,  a 190g tyre with a micron of Kevlar sheet in it will not protect you from glass and the law of averages state you will run over that glass within 3km on your first ride.

I have some lovely lightweight stuff - I have an ultra light bike for impressing my mates and it’s a joy to own and use  but my race bike is a sensible 17lb. There is a case of too light, buy the good stuff, relish in its weight and the beauty. Take a picture of it on the scales, enter a hill climb but unless your a 8 stone rake, climbing in the alps proceed with some caution. Check components regularly, use a carbon prep and a torque wrench and just accept that ultra light weight is just that, and all that glitters is not gold….

Afternoon all,

Before we all disappear for the weekend, into glorious British sunshine, last night brought an important issue to the surface in roadside breakdowns and fixing.

I’m sure most of us when riding anywhere further than the shops take a small ‘pack’ with us to cover most eventualities, mine consists of a tube, levers, pump and patches. This covers the puncture issue. Anything major and I’ll be fairly stuck!

This must be nice:

Last night I snapped my first spoke on a climb and I don’t think I’ve seen many riders with a few spare spokes in their pockets, besides which replacing a spoke on some wheels involves dis assembly…not good at the top of a mountain – go hand builts!  It meant I had to finish the climb gingerly and pray it didn’t all go bang on the fast swooping descent which I was going up for in the first place!

So: before you go out tonight have a think about the problems you could encounter. The most obvious and easiest to fix is the flat issue.  On a quick training ride which doesn’t stray too far from home having this covered is a good idea.

A bit further afield, drive train problems: what if your chain snaps? Or a cable for one of your derailleurs snaps? A quick link and chain tool will allow you to get home. A snapped cable is not really fixable, use the limit screws to get the ‘best’ gear you can!

For serious long distance a couple of spokes would be good, providing you can fit them to the wheel without taking the tyre off and/or undoing the hub body. Add to this a multi-tool and tyre boot there isn’t much to stop you being home in time for tea…

Another breakdown that can easily occur is your legs, if you know you’re going far take a couple of gels just in case, and plenty of water, dehydration affects performance massively. Most riders will have bonked a few times in their careers and it is horrible, the only time I’ve ever though about stopping to curl up and cry was facing 10 (just 10!) uphill miles home on a hot day with no water or food (and no shops). So don’t do it!

After all biking is the perfect excuse to eat three times as much food and not get fat,

We get lots and lots of very confused customers (and its easy to see why) regarding the stated sizes of tubular tyres (singles, tubs, glue ons) and to a lesser extent tyre sizing.

Basically and without going into reasons all you need to know is 27″,  28″ and 700c when refered to in TUBULAR sizing are all the same size (I.E. they all fit onto a standard modern tubular wheel).

The problam that exists if you are actually concerned as to why, is that standard tyre sizing refers to either a bead diameter (I.E. 622 this is also refered to as the ETRTO number) or

then there is the french measurment (the most common I.E. 700c) this refers to the inflated tyre diameter neither measurment are a physical wheel size.

I’m not going to go any further, space is limited and I dont want to confuse you, but here is a brief summary;

Tubular tyres: 27″, 28″ and 700c are the same. 650c and 26″ are the smaller triathlon size and will not fit standard wheels

Clincher Tyres 700c and 28″ are the same size.  650c are the smaller triathlon size and will not fit standard wheels.  26″ and 27″ are not compatible and refer to MTB and cruiser style wheels or very old road wheels.

One last thing 23mm is the optimum width for a road tyre, tubulars being rounder in aspect have a optimum around 22 mm.

Here we go folks, I’ve finally gone and done a loving review of some of the kit I’ve been using so far this year. First up is the new Shimano RS80 wheel set.

So if you’re on the look out or thinking about treating yourself to a new set of hoops then see what I’ve got to say about em!

Shimano Dura Ace 7900 Installation Guide from ProBikeKit on Vimeo.

Full instructional video to help you through the process of installing the new Shimano Dura Ace 7900 groupset to your bike.

Shimano Dura Ace 7900 Groupset

Shimano has raised the bar to a new level of performance with the development of a hollow outer chainring, giving vast improvements in rigidity and increased weight savings.Weight saving by trimming unnecessary material. Ultimate aluminum crankset, even lighter than carbon crankset. Weight saving while maintaining strength. 20% more durability for better power transfer. All gears are usable with no cross-chaining problems by the combination use with CN-7900 chain. Wider gear choice to match riders style or demands of situation. Weight saving High rigidity for more aggressive pedaling and better power transfer. Smoother rotation and longer durability.

This video is an instructional video to help you through the process of installing the new Shimano Dura Ace 7900 groupset to your bike.