For those of you who are struggling to come to terms with the weather we are currently experiencing around the UK, rain, floods, gale force winds and I’ve even heard there may be snow on the way for some of us, all is not at a loss if you feel that your training is off to a bad start and you’re not sure what races you’re going to be race ready for come next season. What if I tell you that you could compete in a road race where the emphasis is not initially on your fitness, more maybe relying on a certain sense of skill and courage. A certain well known energy drink sponsor maybe here to save you!

The first Red Bull Road Rage event in the French Pyrenees. Ten years after retiring as a professional road cyclist, two-time Tour de France stage winner Frédéric Moncassin has proved he’s still got it. On a perilous 4km track on the descent at St Lary Soulan, the veteran called upon his years of racing wisdom to win the inaugural French Red Bull Road Rage. He managed to keep a who host of top mountain bikers and road cyclists at bay such as Red Bull Road Rage veteran Guillaume Gualandi, Cyril Despres and mtb crack Cedric Gracia amongst others.

Ireland’s most successful Road Rage competitor – Janos Köhler who finished a very respectable 6th place had this to say about the event:

There are several characteristics that play a decisive role in making a good RBRR racer: It involves two distinctly different disciplines, the first one being an individual time trial for the qualifying and seeding run and the second racing as a group of four, similar to 4X in mountain biking. There are loads of twists and turns at speeds of up to 100km/h, so you have to be a confident technical bike handler capable of high levels of concentration who is also comfortable with the fear factor and high adrenaline levels. The important thing is to get the right lines through the corners to carry your speed through as well as have qualities of a sprinter to accelerate quickly out of bends. That said doing all the above correctly doesn’t automatically result in victory, as sometimes you also have to play it smart. Drafting competitors can give you the edge in top end speed down the finishing straight and help you cross the line in first place which is why Moncassin won in the end. His massive drafting experience after years of competing at the top level of the pro tour helped him to his first win of the Red Bull Road Rage series.

So if you think you’ve got what it takes to compete then check these out.

Keep up to date with 2010 series here:

Red Bull Site

Check out the video here:

Red Bull Road Rage France

The fix wheeled culture is upon us, no longer can the hard core elite of the bicycle courier world or the might of the Great Britain track team keep it for there selves.

Never has there been so much choice and interest for one of the most underground of cycling disciplines, websites showing off the latest in gear and styles are appearing everywhere. Videos that, if you ever have tried to ride a fix wheel bike leave you puzzled by just what is possible and if you haven’t well you will still be amazed by the level of what is being achieved.

For those that managed to catch any of the 2009 Interbike coverage it was easy to see the vast array of manufactures putting forward there own take of this cycling culture. From the mainstream of Cannondale and Kona to the old masters of Cinelli and Bianchi and on to the new school from Identiti and Charge more company’s then ever are making fixies for the 2010 season.

The choice and the range of styles is some what hard to believe considering what the design basis is for these machines, one gear, simple frames and if your feeling brave not even any brakes. From the swooping lines of the classic looking fixie with the lugged steel frames to the classic shaped drop bars and the retro components used to put the together to the all together more weird and wonderful. The new trend for the more compact modern frames with narrow flat bars and some more in your face colour schemes show the new trend coming through. Driven from what at times looks more like it has been conceived from a catwalk and not an oval race track there is defiantly some thing out there to suit everybody’s taste.

What makes a refreshing change in this ever more complicated sport is the simplicity of the bikes which makes the bikes relatively cheap and the also require very little maintenance to keep them running which is vital in the winter months.

So what does all this mean to the vast majority of us, well there is a sudden influx of well priced, low maintenance bikes that are perfect for winter commuting and make great training tools for the season ahead. Most bikes come with a flip-flop style rear hub so it possible to run the bike with a fixed cog or a single speed freewheels making them very versatile. All of the mainstreams are sold with brakes which of course is optional but a must for the beginners to this style of riding. Now with most things related to bikes it is always possible to spend a vast some of money creating your dream machine but that doesn’t mean you have to and it would be easy to miss the point if you do.

We are stocking the Evil Resident which makes a brilliant single speed comuter or you can switch it to a fixie and have ago at this new trend.

All in all it will make for a great winter comuter with cheap running costs, what more can you ask for!

This is what Evil had to say about the Resident.

Well Christmas comes early yet again! We have been waiting on these little gems for as long as the Revolts! The Resident series is our answer to the city streets. Here at Evil we all commute and wanted to make some bikes that suit the ridiculously wet and crappy streets of Seattle. We have 2 models, the single speed/fixed version with trend whore 80′s throwback graphics and featuring artwork by Jeremy Fish ( the black and white tires in photo are not available ). This is possibly my favorite bike in the line!

For more information on the fixed wheel scene check these out:

Click here for Fixed Wheel Blog

Click here for London Fixed Wheel

Check out this review from cycling weekly.

Time RXR Ulteam VIP

Price: £3,999.99

High-end, race ready frameset finished in black – for £3,999

Pros

Race ready

Looks great

Solid feel

Cons

Needs a more responsive ride

Score 8

This is not a modest bike. It’s one of the most expensive we’ve ever tested, at close to £10K with our equally immodest spec, including Lightweight’s Standard wheels. But it sure is a head turner.

Build specification aside, the VIP frame module costs £4K, so it’s the cream of Time’s crop. Campagnolo Chorus equipment seemed like the right choice, in not escalating the price any further with Super Record, but still delivering the high level of performance and aesthetics the VIP frame deserves.

Time’s own top-end Ulteam carbon stem and Ergo Force bar combo looks the part, with matching, glittering graphics, but you might be paying for bars you won’t use. We found the stem wasn’t super stiff, though acceptable nevertheless, but handlebars are so much a personal choice.

Time’s specific one-piece carbon fork with oversized lower bearing no doubt helps deliver a firm feel. Particularly noticeable out of the saddle on a climb, it feels solid beneath you. The rear too has a solid, bordering on harsh feel, accelerating well but kicking you in the backside on bumpy roads. The only downside lay somewhere between the two, with the frame allowing a small amount of twist under load.

It’s hard to pinpoint whether it’s a top tube or seatstay issue, but there’s visible torsional flex, which causes the handling to suffer a touch, in a ‘back not immediately following the front’ kind of way.

Verdict

The bike is clearly capable of winning races, providing the rider is, so our comments about the torsional flex is more of a nit-pick than a deal breaker.

However, at this price you’d be right to expect the moon on a stick. It looks awesome and the heritage and name are hard to better, but we’d prefer a more connected and responsive ride.

Reviewer: Stu Bowers

Click here for Time RXR VIP on PROBIKEKIT.COM

Rating: New from Fizik the new Antares. Fizik calls it the “third dimension”, combing the features of the popular Aliante and Arione.

The Antares uses a generously proportioned rear like the Aliante and a relatively firm carbon-reinforced shell like the arrowhead-shaped Arione but the distinctly flatter profile feels like neither one on the road.

As such, the Antares feels significantly bigger than it is, even though it measures only a few millimetres wider than the Arione and most of the rider weight ends up firmly on the sit bones instead of distributed evenly across your rear end as with the others.

Team Liquigas’ Ivan Basso will make his return to pro racing on October 26th at the Japan Cup on fi’zi:k’s new Antares road saddle. The new light-weight, low profile saddle introduced at the fall Eurobike and Interbike shows with a scheduled November aftermarket release, has been on his Cannondale Supersix since mid-August.

“I’m very happy to finally be riding fi’zi:k,” Basso said. “I know that both some of my rivals and comrades developed lasting relationships with fi’zi:k because they like to work closely with the athletes for development and feedback. I’ve visited their Pozzoleone headquarters several times and their European Marketing Manager, Gabriele Benedetti, has taken the time to work with both me and our mechanics. I tested a few saddles but I can say, honestly, that the Antares is the best saddle I’ve ridden in my entire career.”

Click here for the Fizik Antares saddles on ProBikeKit.com

Rating: The Alien has been of this world for some years now, and this third incarnation of the useful fettling object doesn’t disappoint.

With an arsenal of 25 tools, a typical multi-tool can be cumbersome to lug around and difficult to use when it comes to it. However, the Alien’s trademark two-piece, snap-together format simplifies things by allowing you to halve the tool.

The tool bits are made from quality chromoly steel and despite the plethora of functions, it weighs just 267g. The all-important chain tool is a durable cast chromoly affair. It’s effective in use and even has a spring clip to hold the chain while you rejoin it.

Click here for the Topeak Alien III on ProBikeKit.com

After taking on Morvelo’s cool range of T-shirts we now fancy having a go at making some of our own, with a PBK twist.

We’d like your ideas on here, by using the comments section below (they won’t appear instantly) you can give us your ideas. Keep it clean please, and remember that car drivers don’t need winding up any more! Although one of the favourites at the minute is ‘How’s YOUR driving?’

The winner will be chosen by you and us (hopefully by some novel voting method) later this year/maybe early next year – there are definately going to be prizes at some point!

We look forward to your ideas…

Rating:

Hutchinson Intensive Tyre

Hutchinson’s Intensive clincher is suggested that the 230g tyre might not be a serious option for fast riding, on account of its sturdy build and rugged tread compound. The immediate impression is  a stiff-walled, ‘laggy’ ride, but with a little wear it becomes apparent that the Intensive quickens up markedly while remaining quite exceptionally robust.

What this means in practical terms is that not only does the tread last an amazingly long time, but it is almost freakishly resistant to puncture. It is also grippy in the wet and not so slow after all.

This is a tyre that is fairly easy to fit, meaning a slightly loose fit on the rim. So it will work better at slightly lower pressures, around 100psi would be ideal.

They are a good choice if value for money is a consideration, since 5,000km for a 240g (25c) clincher is good going by any standards.

Click here to view on our site

Click here for the Hutchinson Intensive Tyre on ProBikeKit.com

There are also some other reviews of this tyre (all seeming to give the thumbs up):

“The latest model from the French manufacturer to get our thumbs up is the Intensive, which is presented as a long-distance version of the Fusion 2 race tyre.”

“Good puncture protection and durability at okay weight”

Bored at work? Why not waste a few minutes/hours watching some hilarious cycling videos we’ve found and put together for your viewing pleasure.

Click Here To View The Gallery!

Rating: Topeak’s Hexus has everything you need in one tool, and the large handle provides plenty of leverage when you need it, but the tolerances on the Allen keys and the torx weren’t good, and there was a significant wobble factor.

Our more brutal tester (and there is always one who can only use tools in full-on destructor mode) wasn’t confident they’d last long in his hands before rounding off. There’s also something fussy about the way all the tools are ordered, and it’s not the easiest to work with when you’ve got cold hands.

That said, the chain tool was simple to use, and the snap-off plastic tyre levers were quick and effective.

The longer than average size and cast aluminium body does mean you can get far greater leverage than with some smaller tools. That’s handy if you need to remove a stubborn pedal using a 6mm or 8mm Allen key.

The plastic tyre levers clip into the end plates and one of them hooks over the spokes to make tyre removal easy. They’re safer than – but not as tough as – metal levers, so take care with stubborn tyres, especially given that one of them doubles up as a screwdriver for the chain tool.

For rejoining a chain, a loop of wire unclips from the tool so you don’t have to relieve tension by unhooking the chain from the chainrings – good for clean hands.

The Hexus has 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and slide-over 8mm Allen keys plus a T25 Torx driver, Phillips and flat head screwdrivers, and a 14 gauge spoke key.

RRP (UK) £19.99
Reduced By 10% Now Only £17.99!!

The new 2010 model of the MiNewt Mini USB adds some useful features, namely the charging indicator which lets you know how charged the Li-ion battery is – a light turns green when ready – no guessing needed!

It remains a small, light-weight and easy to fit system which gives out more than enough light for rides down unlit lanes/trails after work. The 110+ Lumen LED gives a good range and the reflectors illuminate a section of the verge beside you to keep you on the straight and narrow. After using for my commute it is definately one of those lights which makes drivers take you more seriously – mainly due to its power and clear beam.

MiNewt Mini-USB

Mounting to your bars is done with a rubber o-ring, meaning it can be mounted on any size bar. The battery is then suspended underneath your stem, out of the way and securely with a velcro strap. All in the package weighs just 175g – much less than a half filled water bottle.

As the name would suggest, charging can be carried out by either the wall charger (uk) or the USB lead. This makes charging at work easy and uncomplicated for commuters, a 3 hour run time should cater for most.

A couple of other reviews: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/lights/front/product/minewt-mini-usb-plus-35280

http://road.cc/content/review/9505-niterider-minewt-usb-led-front-light

http://www.2pure.co.uk/NiteRider-MiNewt-Mini-USB-Plus-Light-System