Category: Reviews

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Featured Reviews

Tour de France 2012 App

Looks like Cyclo spoke too soon this year when we said there wasn’t an official Tour de France 2012 app (for iPhone/iPad); at the eleventh hour one has appeared, but has it improved over last year’s bug-ridden crashtastrophe?

 

Given the paucity of effort that had gone into last year’s app things could surely only be an improvement; and so it’s proved to be. Looking like it has been reworked from the ground up, this has yet to crash three days in, which, give or take, is three days longer than the 2011 app.

 

The opening menu offers up four main choices: Standings, Route, Teams and Photos/Videos – all pretty self explanatory. Standings runs the user through all the general classifications (individual, sprinter, team, etc.) and lists current withdrawals, whilst the Teams tab takes you through each team and, via sub menus, individual rider information, although this is fairly limited rather than full biog. The Photos/Videos option is an extensive gallery which is added to and updated daily with a combination of pictures, interviews and mini-features but it’s vital to note that a wi-fi connection is required here (as elsewhere) to view anything. Anyone assuming they are looking at embedded content could end up with a truly shocking data roaming bill by the end of the TdF.

 

The hub of the action – and where this app really comes into its own – is in the Route tab. Maps and profiles of each stage are listed along with neat little write-ups on each start/end location, which seem scooped from local tourist offices and come complete with some wonderfully florid language; all adding something of a homely touch to what otherwise could be a technical exercise in number crunching. Start and checkpoint times (estimated across a range of predicted speeds) are given for upcoming stages and the ability to track riders live during a stage has, thus far at least, proven stable and useful if you don’t have access to TV.

 

Two downfalls of the app, one minor, one downright annoying. The minor niggle is that the ‘start town’ icon on the route maps and profiles looks exactly like a ‘play’ button, so no matter how many times we try to remember that it doesn’t actually do anything here at Cyclo we keep jabbing a sweaty finger at it anyway. Far more annoying is that once a stage has been completed all the map, profile and highlights information is no longer available; replaced instead by results and interviews. A separate results section and or sub-menu would surely be preferable, and the Profile option that appears once a stage has been run just produces a half-rendered graphic…

 

So, not perfect and certainly some issues to sort for the 2013 app, but with such a quantum-leap improvement from last year’s dismal effort that this positively shines in comparison. At 69p – compared to last year’s hefty £2.99 – good value for money too.

 

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Extras Recovery Reviews

Biofreeze Gel

Biofreeze Gel

It’s a fact that the quicker an injury can be treated the better and invariably with muscle pulls, strains and aches that treatment will begin with cooling. Of course in the real world, and particularly out on the road, access to an ice-pack is limited which is where Biofreeze Gel may well comes in.

 

Although also available in larger 32 and 16oz sizes, the more pocket-friendly 4oz size is perfect for longer rides and sportives; a useful addition to any first aid kit. Alcohol-based Biofreeze uses menthol as it’s active ingredient which works (through a process know as ’gating’) by stimulating sensory receptors in the skin, thereby blocking other (pain-related) receptors and effectively tricking the brain into believing there is nothing to worry about.

 

Although nowhere near as effective, particularly longer-term, as choosing a gel or cream that contains non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – often known as NSAIDs – Cyclo certainly found that Biofreeze brought fast and effective relief to both calf pain and post ride plantar aches. The cooling effect felt relatively short lived but seems more than adequate for quenching that initial stab of pain or low-level throb. There is also something to me said for the simple curative effect of ‘rubbing in’, a massaged muscle or well thumbed tendon will respond quickly, which is why we certainly prefer the gel version to either the spray or roll-on options, although the latter works well for applying pressure on application to larger muscle groups.

 

Ice-packs and coolant bandages such as Physicool undoubtedly deliver longer-lasting results and NSAIDs will work harder for rehabilitation and in treating more serious conditions, but as a quick, easily transported fix Biofreeze Gel has much to recommend it.

 

Widely available, the 4oz (118ml) gel retails at around the £9.99 mark on the high street, but is available for £7.45 online via www.biofreeze.co.uk although shipping costs of £3.95 apply for orders up to £36 making this best as a bulk buy option.

 

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Apparel Reviews

Falke Socks

Falke Socks

Long synonymous with quality and luxury, particularly with both running and skiing socks, Falke are less known in the UK for their cycling range, but with a heritage dating back more than 100 years and the same level of excellence clearly demonstrable across their full range, it’s high time to redress the balance. Cyclo took a look at the BC3 (All Mountain), BC5 (Race) and BC6 (Pro Cycling), putting them through their paces whilst the vagaries of a British spring served up the full gamut of meteorological conditions.

 

First on the feet (thanks to a surprise sunny day) were the minimalist Pro Cycling socks; these are truly lightweight, designed for full power transfer rather than to pamper the foot with excessive padding and unnecessary detailing. However, despite the lack of ‘pamper’, the BC6s proved silky smooth and delightfully comfortable and, assuming your race shoes are appropriately fitted, the lack of extra volume shouldn’t be an issue. Like all socks in the range these are ergonomically designed for left/right foot and use the bespoke ‘smartcel clima’ technology to regulate temperature – a system that worked well on test and also proved efficient at wicking away moisture.

 

A change in the weather and a change of sock (and indeed bike) to try out the BC3 All Mountain socks. Higher cut than the BC6 and with excellent padding through the Achilles, heel and toe box, these are perfectly suited to MTB or if, your road shoes allow, for colder regular rides. Again featuring thermo regulation and excellent wicking these are tough, durable socks that felt comfortable on long rides without the slightest sign of hot spots and the division of the sock into panels (by more open mesh structures) distinctly felt as if each part worked both independently and (paradoxically) in harmony with each other. Not over engineered, just very well engineered.

 

Finally to the BC5 Race socks – something of an everyday (though far from average) cycling sock that delivers light to medium cushioning and the same attention to detail as the rest of the range. Cool enough for summer rides and seemingly good enough at regulating temperature for some shoulder-season sessions, the BC5s deliver what they promise.

 

The Falke Ergonomic Sports System range (to give them their full title) were a joy to ride in and deserve far greater recognition here for their unparalleled degree of both manufacture and performance; and at £12 a pair stack up well in the wallet department too.

 

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Nutrition Reviews

Raw Chocolate Energy Balls

Raw Chocolate Energy Balls

How often can you say that a power-boosting energy snack tastes good, let alone fantastic? Hold that thought and add to it the number of times you have said, ‘man, that snack tasted so nice I’m going to send some as a present to the wife/husband/bank manager…’ Well it seems that the Gorgeous Chocolate Heart Company have achieved the seemingly impossible with their range of extraordinary raw energy confections designed to both boost performance and tickle the taste buds in equal measure. Meet the Raw Chocolate Energy Balls…

 

Weighing in at 40g and looking like a chocolate truffle on steroids (though obviously  containing no such thing) the range consists of four options: Spiraball, Berriball, Buziball and the Lovebite Ball; all incorporate 100% natural ingredients including raw chocolate (in the form of cacao powder and butter), which unlike most conventional chocolate isn’t processed or roasted, leaving it – and the other ingredients, rich in easily assimilated nutrients, minerals and vitamins. The Spiraball adds spirulina and figs to the mix, whilst the Buziball has goji berries and maca (lepidium meyenii), the Berriball adds cranberries and chia seeds (to provide omega3) and the Lovebite contains both ginseng and guarana. With the latter suggesting ‘libido raising’ properties it might be best to pass on this one on the bike where lycra leaves little room for, ahem, growth.

 

All joking aside, the range delivers excellent power-boosting properties, certainly in line with plenty of commercially available (and less palatable) traditional gels and bars. Take the Buziball for example which delivers 153kcal from 17.4g of carbs (14.8g of which derives from sugars) and mixes in a healthy dose of 3g of protein to help, amongst other things, metabolise the energy faster. A bigger jag of protein can be found in the Spiraball (4.3g) and all four provided an excellent lift on Cyclo’s test rides.

 

Yes, you’re unlikely to switch your entire nutritional strategy on the bike to one made up entirely of raw chocolate truffles, but on long events mixing up the intake is desirable and the Gorgeous Chocolate Heart Company provides a way of lifting both spirit and performance all at once. Go on, treat yourself…

 

Wheat, dairy, sugar and gluten free the range is available in a growing range of high street health food shops or via the website chocheart.co.uk £8.00 for four of the same or one of each, including UK P&P.

 

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Reviews Tech

iTire Pressure App

iTire Pressure App

Smartphones have become so ubiquitous and so, well, smart that it’s sometimes easy to take a new app’s description at literal face-value; Take the iTire Pressure app from renown Italian manufacturer Vittoria, which promises to calculate desired tire pressures whatever the conditions; how could that possibly work? Use your smartphone’s camera to take a picture of the wheel and let the app compare it to an exhaustive database? Record the sound of air rushing out of the valve until the pitch is just right? Of course the answer is both more mundane and more practical than that.

 

Download the free app, fire it up, enter some data and hit ‘Calculate Tire Pressure’; the results display for front and back in both BAR and PSI. This works for road and mountain bikes – the choice having been made on opening screen – asking for input in four fields (dependent on Bike/MTB) such as ‘Casting’, ‘Version’, ‘Combined Weight (Bike + Rider)’ and, finally, ‘Road Conditions’.

 

The iTire works absolutely perfectly but is depended on two crucial (and fairly obvious) things. Firstly this is not aimed at the absolute novice or casual rider who is unlikely to know what ETRTO size is or if their casing is ‘Nylon 60tpi’ or ‘Corespun 290’. Secondly that you have the ability to actually measure your pressure, something only usually found in your garage/base pump on the likes of the LifeLine High Pressure Floor Pump (a Cyclo favourite.) These are mere quibbles; if you’re likely to find this app of value you are also likely to have both the knowledge and the kit to put it to use.

 

The app is available for iPhone and Android from www.vittoria.com

 

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Extras Nutrition Recovery Reviews

H2ProHydrate

H2ProHydrate

Good hydration is – as Cyclo is so often at pains to highlight – vital to good performance, fail to hydrate and you will ride sub-standard. But hydration isn’t just about replacing volume lost to sweating; it’s about replacing elements, such as sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium, too and the more accurately to can target these levels the better. This could well be were a new range of products called H2ProHydrate comes in.

 

Unlike most ‘salt’ replacement tablets H2Pro comes in a range of four ‘strengths’: 250, 500, 1000 and 1500 each designed for either different levels of excursion or sweat rate. An individual’s sweat rate (how much of these elements we lose per hour) can either be roughly self-calculated or more highly measured by undergoing a quick and painless test at one of the centres currently offering the service in the UK – see www.myh2pro.com for details. Once measured it is simply a case of picking which of the four tablet strengths best matches the results.

 

Even without undergoing the test the H2Pro tablets can be employed as highly affective hydration solutions. The 250s are used as a general ‘day to day’ tablet and the 500s more closely match the levels of most electrolyte sports drinks – both can be useful therefore in keeping levels stable in the lead up to a sportive or hard training session; whilst the 1000 and 1500s are more appropriate for high sweat sodium loss individuals (as identified by testing) or for longer/hotter rides and multi-day events.

 

With a crisp, very slightly citrus taste that isn’t overpoweringly ‘salty’ H2Pro has tested well with Cyclo having used both the 500s as background hydration and the 1000 strength as an on-the-bike electrolyte and post-ride re-hydrator. Both the 250s and 500s cost £6.99 for 15 tabs, whilst the 1000s and 1500s come in at the same price for 10. Further information and online ordering via www.myh2pro.com

 

For more information on hydration read the Cyclo feature Cyclists: Don’t Sweat It here.

 

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Apparel Reviews

SealSkinz Waterproof Thin Socklet

SealSkinz Waterproof Thin Socklet

Keeping feet dry in unforgiving British weather is no easy thing, but after an unprecedented dry winter, Cyclo has finally been able to take to the saddle in some proper foul conditions to put the SealSkinz Waterproof Thin Socklet through its paces. The things we do for you…

 

Made with a fine Merino wool lining with excellent wicking properties the socklet certainly eliminates sweaty or clammy feet, despite its middle waterproof membrane keeping more metrological moisture on the outside – the only slightly disconcerting aspect being that it crackles like a crisp bag when you slip it on. But once in place (crackle no longer audible) it’s one of the most comfortable socks we have tested; initial concerns about the seam – which runs down the middle of the sole from toe to heel proved unfounded even against the inner pressure of rigid ride shoes and the elasticated instep provided a good degree of support.

 

On the ride these undeniably kept the feet bone dry from both spray and torrential conditions and those that prefer a longer sock can also look to either the ankle- or mid-length option, the latter also available in a thicker version for all-season cycling. Easy to see why SealSkinz appeal to even top-flight cyclists with Bruno Reverberi, Manager of Colnago-CSF Inox, stating: ‘We use SealSkinz products because they offer the best protection from harsh weather conditions. The Italian winter weather is very unpredictable and we need the best kit available to make sure that our riders are comfortable and focused on the task in hand…’

 

Priced at £22 for the socklet and rising to £30 for the mid and available in sizes from UK 3 to 14 (EU 36-49). These do their job so well it almost makes you pray for rain.

 

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Extras Reviews

Scicon Aeronaut Aero Saddle Bag

Scicon Aeronaut Aero Saddle Bag

Italian manufacturer Scicon have been developing and innovating bags and panniers for more than thirty years and with the Aeronaut Aero Saddle Bag they really seem to have come up with something radically different. With smooth lines, pod-like construction and minimalist colour options (black or yellow, thank you very much) the Aeronaut looks like a bike accessory designed specifically for the iPad generation. But besides the aesthetics – and this could be the first time you were ever on the receiving end of a jealous look at your saddle bag – does it all really stack up?

 

If you are looking for absolute minimalist packing then yes, this could be for you; but the claim to fit even just an inner tube, tyre levers and a multi-tool seems over-egged by at least a multi-tools-worth. Space is at a premium here (0.6liter capacity) and at just 13x8x5cm there is very little wiggle-room to squeeze everything in; certainly if you are the pernickety type that prefers to keep your spare inner boxed to avoid creases and snags, you can pretty much forget it.

 

Space-moan aside (and after all you know what you are getting into with a bag this size) the Aeronaut still has plenty to recommend it. Like its predecessors – the similarly sized Scicon Hipo 550 for example – the Aeronaut uses the Roller 2.1 Fitting System, which attaches to any size seat rail in a matter of minutes with the minimum of clicks and twists and without the need for tools. Once in place the bag itself fits snugly to the system with a simple place-n-twist. Long gone the need for fiddly Velcro straps and doo-dahs more likely to scuff your carbon.

 

Aerodynamics is the big selling point with this bag with Scicon going with this loveably bombastic description: ‘Smooth surfaces and rational round geometry minimize significantly drag coefficient improving performance and flow speed.’ Undeniably true, the combination of fiberglass hard shell and stretchy silicon skin make for some very smooth lines indeed and whilst Cyclo probably needs a wind-tunnel and impressively accurate stop-watch to test by how much our ‘drag coefficient’ has improved, we guess that every little helps. In actual fact, the biggest advantages (and ones possibly closer to most weekend warriors’ hearts) is that everything stays safely put and the bag wipes clean far easier than anything we’ve tried before.

 

So, whilst we won’t – indeed can’t – stash away endless bars and gels in this bag, Cyclo can’t help admire the lovely looks and neat design elements that make up the competitively priced (£20) Aeronaut.