Category: Reviews

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Apparel Reviews

Altura Night Vision Gloves

Altura Night Vision Gloves

With UK temperatures plummeting – in parts to record lows – Cyclo thought it high time to break out a pair of cycling gloves, specifically some newly received Altura Night Visions, to put them through their winter paces. The brand is synonymous with value (with the Altura Night Vision Gloves coming in at a mid-range £34.99) and the duel-layer and waterproofing credentials look just the thing for the blistering cold.

 

With the outer constructed of a Nylon/Polyester mix and a 100% Polyester lining, the Alturas certainly coped well with the sub-zero temperatures – almost too well. The thickness (take care to order a slightly larger size to avoid cramped fingers), along with more than adequate wind-stopping properties, actually led to a slightly clammy-handed experience, probably a necessary compromise to be made when you want to keep digits toasty without paying the earth. Very much on the plus side though the gloves proved exceptionally well padded against the bars and the placement of the triple grips – along the length of the thumb, outer edge and finger bases – were perfectly judged for a firm hold.

 

Available in only two colour choices (black or day-glo yellow) but sporting plenty of well placed reflective trim – hence the ‘Night Vision’ of the name – these gloves definitely add an extra dash of safety to night riding and with a range of 5 sizes (S to XXL) there should be something on offer for most. Anatomically well designed, it’s only a pity that Altura haven’t gone the whole-hog and produced gender-specific versions. Horses for courses, and at the price these should provide warm and comfortable riding until sunnier days find us.

 

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Extras Reviews

Muc-Off Miracle Shine

Muc-Off Miracle Shine

Here at Cyclo, when it comes to cleaning and maintaining the bikes, our general rule of thumb is to be wary of anything employing the claim ‘miracle’ in its name – miracles are surely reserved for water/wine situations or getting a mobile signal in the depths of Dartmoor. But we’re happy to suspend disbelief for the time being as the product in question, Muc-Off Miracle Shine, comes from one of the most trusted manufacturers of all things design to…well, get muck off. The claim is that Miracle Shine provides ‘a deep luxurious shine that will endure the elements and keep your bodywork looking like it’s just rolled off the showroom floor!’ and after some quick and easy application we find it hard to argue with that, despite the odd dink and chip, which were regrettably well beyond the claim limits.

 

The polish and protectant uses a combination of three waxes including Carnauba, known as the ‘queen of waxes’ which is extracted from the leaves of the palm Copernicia prunifera, a plant grown only in the north-eastern Brazilian. Miracle Shine supplements this with silicone oils which aid application and add further shine, and additional ingredients designed to smooth over near-microscopic imperfections and scratches. The results were quick an undeniably impressive, with the added advantage that the application continued to repel grime long after the job was done.

 

At around the £15 mark, Miracle Shine isn’t the cheapest product on the market, but the 500ml bottle should see you through a good couple of seasons of hard riding and enthusiastic (!) maintenance and the fact that it is safe for use on everything from paintwork and chrome to plastics and (crucially) carbon fibre extends its range of use considerably.

 

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Extras Reviews

Giro Aeon

Giro Aeon

The Giro Aeon (which Cyclo understands is pronounced ‘a-on’, so now you know) is an exceptional piece of pro engineering that combines exceptional weight saving with masses of ventilation. Granted this isn’t the time of year in the UK to be terribly concerned with over-heating heads, but at £179.99 you could start saving now and sport one come the hotter months.

 

So what exactly do you get for the best part of £180? For a start the Aeon is light, and we mean really light – coming in at 189g for the small and a smidge heavier (222g) for the medium. Part of this weight saving seems to come from the new ‘Thermoformed SL Roll Cage’, which is reportedly 50% lighter than cages used on the Ionos predecessor, more of course comes from the sheer amount of venting. The vents (or the helmet depending which way you look at it) splits in a zigzag form from the brow and are fully channelled to effectively drive breeze through.

 

Comfort and fit are absolutely outstanding, with everything locked down by the flexible ‘Roc Loc 5’ system that adjusts instantly and easily, but stays rock (roc?) solid once set up. Padding is more than adequate and doesn’t take anything away from the hard work that the venting does. There is – Cyclo thinks – something slightly aggressive (or perhaps just competitive) about the styling with its angular juts, but on the plus side it is available in a good range of colours including a black/charcoal combo which adds a ‘stealth element’ (though perhaps not a safety element.)

 

Granted, this is not a cheap helmet, but it is built without compromise and performs at exceptional levels. 

 

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Nutrition Reviews

9Bar

9Bar

9Bar is a nutritious and, we have to say delicious, seed bar that packs so much in it’s a wonder the bars aren’t twice the size. As important as what the makers put in, is what they leave out – no artificial additives, wheat, dairy, gluten, lactose, yeast and egg free. Impressive credentials and Cyclo has it on good authority that these find their way into top flight pro team nutrition programs as an addition to the all-singing-all-dancing energy bars supplied by the big makers.

 

Easy to see why when you consider how good for you the contents are. The Original 9Bar combines sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppies with a carob topping, and serves up a whopping 277kcal from the 50g bar – 14.6g of carbs (13.1 from sugars), 9.2g of protein and good doses of omega 3 and 6. There is also the likes of zinc, magnesium and potassium present, excellent for replacing body salts lost through sweat on the ride.

 

The four other flavours, Pumpkin, Flax, Nutty (Cyclo’s favourite), Organic, are also damn tasty and all offer up the same, or similar, levels of nutritional excellence. Made in Wales, 9Bars should, we believe, find their way into every cyclist’s pocket (and then mouth.) It may only be January, but we put money on this remaining one of our products of the year.

 

RRP: £0.95 – widely available on the high street and online via 9Bar.com

 

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Extras Reviews

Stuffitts VS Pingi Shoe Dry

Shoe dryers

This may have been the driest Autumn since records began and there is even talk of winter droughts, but rest assured at some point over the next few months you (and your shoes) are going to get a soaking. Of course drying out your cycling shoes can be as simple as stuffing them with newspaper or sticking them next to the radiator, assuming the ‘hot whiff’ doesn’t put you off – on the other hand you could do worse than invest in one of the new breed of speciality shoe-dryers on the market.

 

First of test for Cyclo was the Stuffitts Shoe Saver made from 100% natural cedar; these admittedly rather odd looking soft, form-fitting inserts simply slip inside damp shoes and the roughly-anatomically-correct design ensures maximum ‘point-to-point’ contact, drawing out moisture overnight and helping to both eliminate odour and, claim the manufacturers, extend the life of your shoes. Stuffitts claim to remove 60% of trapped moisture within an hour and to remove 98% within 24hours – pretty much double what you might expect from ‘air drying; alone. The results actually spoke for themselves: Cyclo’s soaked shoes, quickly became our ready-to-wear dry shoes and we particularly liked the connective carry strap that keeps shoes together and allows for easy hanging. Available in a range of both colours and sizes for £25.99 from stuffitts.co.uk

 

For the more techie-oriented cyclist (never enough gadgets are there?) the Pingi Shoe Dry might fit the bill – and your shoes. Available online at around £23.00 these also slip into the shoes, but this time all the way down to the toe with the adjustable stretcher taking up the slack – once in place the integrated, absorbent crystals get to work and once finished the crystals are dried out by plugging the Pingis into a socket. This might sound over-complicated and, in fact, it is. They work reasonably well – arguably better than ‘air drying’ – but nowhere near as well as the Stuffitts, which also have the benefit of being far more environmentally friendly. Sorry, gadget-fiends, but Cyclo has a clear winner here.

 

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Books Reviews

Racing Through the Dark

Racing Through the Dark

Although subtitled ‘The Fall and Rise of David Millar’ this excellent book in fact follows a far more rollercoaster route than that simplistic linear trajectory might suggest. Opening with the one-time cycling hero at the lowest possible point: alone in a cell and with his personal and professional life in tatters with room only for reflection. And reflection is what this memoir serves up by the spade load.

 

It could be easy to dismiss a book quite this painfully honest and, at times brutal in its examination of the world of pro cycling, as nothing more than an exercise in personal confession and by extension cathartic cleansing. That, though, could be rather reductive (despite the fact that Millar is confessing all) because the arguments that he puts forward about the dangers – and considerable advantages of – doping within professional sports are powerfully put and he is clearly not afraid of exploring the grey areas that even those of a ‘black and white’ disposition when it comes to cheating should be forced to admire.

 

In interview Millar can come across as both intense and somewhat humourless and it’s accurate to say that both those characteristics apply to Racing Through the Dark. That’s not to say that it isn’t thoroughly entertaining – it’s absolutely riveting at times – just don’t expect too many laughs along the way. Some have accused Millar of being naïve in his expectations of future TdF riders competing ‘clean’ but its more a case of him (genuinely we think) hoping that this could be the case. Andy why not? If anyone can articulate the (very) highs of pro cycling whilst also illuminating the darkest corners, it’s Millar.

 

This is not only one of the best cycling or sports books of the year, but one of the best books period.

 

Racing Through the Dark: The Fall and Rise of David Millar is published by Orion (ISBN-10: 1409114945) with an RRP of £18.99 – available from Amazon.co.uk

 

Categories
Nutrition Recovery Reviews

Nectar Sports Fuel

Nectar Sports Fuel

Goodness Shakes are rightly known for their excellent sports recovery drinks (see the Cyclo review here) but now they have taken the plunge into the exercise sports drink market with an intriguing new idea. Nectar Sports Fuel is a concentrate which comes in a 2litre bottle (at around £25.00) with a precision pump that delivers exactly the correct amount (25ml) for mixing with 500ml of water – but here’s the clever bit: pump once for a hypotonic drink, twice for an isotonic drink or three times for a hypertonic solution.

 

Perhaps that needs a little explaining… the hypotonic version will deliver fast hydration and is best suited for use during low intensity workouts (or long, slow bike rides) or in hot conditions. Isotonic works best for higher intensity workouts, strenuous rides or races and delivers a greater energy boost, whilst the hypertonic, three pump, version serves up a real surge of energy for that sprint finish or for interval-style training.)

 

In terms of the ‘sciencey bit’ Nectar is a ‘dual carbohydrate source’ consisting of 2 parts glucose to 1 part fructose; because these two types of energy use different methods for absorption into the body they can enter the bloodstream (and therefore ultimately the muscles) up to 55% faster than either a standalone glucose or fructose-based energy drink.

 

The taste, as you might expect from For Goodness Shakes, is excellent too. The Lemon/Lime variety is pleasantly tangy and the Light Orange variety has a mellow mandarin hint – obviously having a sports drink that is actually palatable makes all the difference to drink the right amount. Value’s good too – depending on the concentrate level you opt for each diluted 500ml serving will cost from around 65p, around half what you would expect to pay for a pre-prepared sports drink with similar values.

 

As a rough guide to nutritional values, the isotonic version (double-pump, 50ml of concentrate) will serve up 240Kcal of energy with 60g of carbs (48 from the combined sugars) along with a good balance of potassium, magnesium and other body salts otherwise lost through sweat.

 

For more information, visit: www.nectarfuel.com

Categories
Extras Reviews

Five Things You Didn’t Know You Needed

It’s that time of year when you could well be casting around for that perfect gift for the cycling-fanatic love of your life and whilst Cyclo has brought you reviews of some of the best products this year (we particularly love Fibre Flares and the CamelBak Charm) we thought we’d take a look at a few of the odder items available for those that love all things two wheeled…

 

Swoosh Flags

Ride like a pro with your name proudly emblazoned on your two-wheeled steed with these rather cute personalised Swoosh Flags available from cyclebitz.co.uk at a not unreasonable £15 for a pack of 4. An almost infinite combination of background, swoosh and text colours can be picked in addition to the flag of either England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales and the simple peel and apply application will have your bike looking just that little bit more ‘bling’ in a matter of minutes.

 

Angel Helmet

Cyclo is all for safety as regular readers will know, so perhaps this rather unusual helmet comes closest to being amongst these five that perhaps you do need. With its halo of light supplied by Twin 0.5W LED fibre optics, the appropriately named Angel Helmet delivers 360degree illumination in either solid or flashing mode. The polycarbonate shell (fully safety standard compliant) and adequate venting make for a comfortable enough ride and there’s no need for batteries as the system is recharged via USB – cable supplied. Still mostly a novelty item, so a shame there’s no kids’ sizes available… Currently on offer for £39.96 + P&P from www.bicygnals.com

 

Record Your Own Bicycle Bell

Not really a bell at all if we’re being pedantic – more of a fog horn for the handle bars with an in-built and undeniably attention grabbing 80db screech; but what makes this special (and we use the term loosely) is that you can, as the name suggests, record your own choice of ‘greeting’ to be broadcast at the same 80db to alert others to your presence. Recording up to 20seconds of message (‘I say, do excuse me old chap’ should fit) the device is operated by three hefty 1.5v batteries and although the makers promise that it quick release, we suspect you could safely leave it on the bike withour real fear of theft. Available from www.firebox.com at £17.99

 

 

CyFi Wireless Speakers

No doubt you are too dedicated a cyclist and far too considerate of noise pollution to ever consider playing music publicly from the comfort of your saddle, but if the fancy should take you then the CyFi Wireless Speaker system would be just the thing. Charging for 2 hours via USB will give you over 6 hours of listening time as the speakers seamlessly sync to your iPod via a dinky transmitter that means not only will your favourite cycling music stream to the speakers but conversely the buttons on the speakers can be used to control your iPod. Up to four speakers can be synced to the same iPod and with a range of 30foot you could, conceivably, enjoy a mini-peloton of cacophony. £98.99 from www.iwantoneofthose.com

 

Chain Wheel Wall Clock

All other gift possibilities must surely have been exhausted by the time your loved one alights upon the Chain Wheel Wall Clock available for £39.99 from www.cyclinggifts.co.uk. With a 360mm circumference and 30mm depth this unusual clock is, apparently, ‘fantastic’. Cyclo is tempted to suggest that someone might like to make and sell cufflinks fashioned from chain links, suit hangers based of handlebars or a novelty umbrella employing Geraint Thomas’ old spokes. But we rather suspect someone, somewhere already may have done…