Best Winter Tyres

For winter riding, I will choose 700*25. Even 25s are a little thin for winter conditions. At the moment it can be quite treacherous with wet leaves on the road. I take extra care not wanting to risk a broken leg. For winter riding, the main thing is puncture resistance and good grip on the roads. I have tried quite a few different tyres for winter riding. Winter Tyres I recommend includ Specialised All condition I have Armadillos on my winter training bike. Armadillo’s offer one of the best puncture protection. I have them on my commuting bike for nearly  four  years. They rear tyre needed replacing after 18months, the front tyre after about 24 months. They are very hard wearing) and have only had two punctures; one puncture (6 inch nail) which probably would have punctured a car tyre. The disadvantage of Armadillos is that they are a little more sluggish, little heavier and they are also quite stiff – hard to get on and off. But, I guess this is the inevitable trade-off for puncture resistance. However, time spent not mending a puncture by side of road on a wet November day is worth the slight reduction in [...]

Source: http://cyclinginfo.co.uk/blog/cycling/best-winter-tyres/

tour de france

Rumble Strip Update


Could things be looking up for bicyclists on rumble strips?

Last month, I wrote that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) had issued an important new technical advisory (TA) on rumble strips for the first time in 10 years. From a bicyclist's perspective, it was a disaster -- and I write this as someone who fully understands that rumble strips can be effective safety devices, when properly used. However, the new TA encouraged the irresponsible and even dangerous use of rumbles on a number of secondary and country roads that are important for traveling and recreational cyclists.

With our partners, the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking and Walking, we have worked very hard over the last few months to change the TA and develop a much better federal guidance on rumbles. We started with detailed analyses of the deficiencies in the new TA (encapsulated in this pdf document) and have held lengthy meetings with FHWA's director of safety and technology, Michael Griffith, plus many of his staff and also officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation.

At our most recent meeting, we were pleasantly surprised by what we heard. Rather than stonewall us, Mr. Griffith and his staff walked through our litany of concerns, in detail, and acknowledged that they could do better. They shared with us many specific and extensive changes to the TA that they are now considering and hope to move on in the next couple of months. In particular, they are working to improve the language as it relates to the needs of bicyclists and other non-automotive road users, and also the guidance on effective public participation before rumbles are applied. Also, as a good faith measure, FHWA has suspended webinars that it was going to conduct on the new TA until the language is redone.

The League, the Alliance, and Adventure Cycling are continuing to press for positive change, and we will continue to keep you posted on FHWA's response. In the meantime, what can we all do? Stay vigilant. Keep an eye on any expected road re-pavings in your area and make sure they do not destroy a good riding road with a poorly applied or unnecessary rumble strip. If your state or local agency invokes the new federal advisory, let them know that FHWA is reconsidering the language and may change it in the near future. If you need help, contact Ginny Sullivan (Adventure Cycling's special projects director) with your concern. Also, Ginny is continuing to collect images of bad and good rumble strips, so please send your photos our way; you can reach Ginny at 800-755-2453 (BIKE) x229 or gsullivanATadventurecyclingDOTorg. By the way, if you'd like further background on rumble strips (good, bad and ugly), you can access this excellent report (pdf) from the League or this matrix of current state practices (pdf) from Adventure Cycling.

Thanks for your interest and we'll be in touch.

Photo Caption: Cyclist Will Selser rides in the travel lane on US Highway 89 in Montana in order to avoid rumble strips on the shoulder. Photo by Bill Schneider.

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JIM SAYER is executive director of Adventure Cycling Association.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/09/rumble-strip-update.html

cycling accessories

"No idle" cyclist Jay Petervary finishes 3rd challenge in record time

A cyclist from Idaho hasn't been idle this year as he finished three endurance challenges to call attention to pollution caused by idling car engines.

On Monday, Jay Petervary completed the Tour Divide ITT (individual time trial) in the record time of 17 days, 9 hours and 1 minute.

That's Petervary at left with his 32-pound Tour Divide rig at his Facebook page.

The 2,745-mile bike ride from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico, was his third endurance challenge this year. ...

Source: http://www.bikingbis.com/blog/_archives/2011/9/13/4898857.html

le tour de france

Vuelta al Pais Vasco, Stage 1, Zumarraga to Zumarraga

The last few kilometres were all that I managed to see of today?s stage 1 of the Pais Vasco and coverage was intermittent even then as the cameras cut back to the finish line rather than following all the action. But when the focus was on the riders what a stage this was. Let?s be clear. Chris [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/vuelta-al-pais-vasco-stage-1-zumarraga-to-zumarraga/

world cycling

Ben King Profile

Ben King Profile Benjamin King (born March 22, 1989 in North Garden, Virginia) is an American professional road-racing cyclist who moves up to Team RadioShack for the 2011 season.  Ben started racing at the age of 14 showing great promise and winning junior national titles before signing with Kelly Benefit Strategies.  He attended college at Virginia [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/ben-king-profile/

winter cycling jacket

TdF Stage 15 ? Sprinters Rule

Covering 193 kilometers, or 120 miles of pedaling in today?s 15th stage, the Tour revisited 2 cities in the southwest of France that it?s come through many times in the past, Limoux at the start and Montpellier at the finish. Montpellier near the Mediterranean shore holds fond memories for the 2 Robbies on Team RadioShack [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/tdf-stage-15-sprinters-rule/

cycling events

Tour de Suisse ? Levi Leipheimer Laughs Last

The 9-Day, 1,245.9-kilometer (774+ mile) 75th edition of the Tour de Suisse is now in the record books. Traveling through some truly beautiful country, great old cities, serious alpine climbs, 3 countries, and numerous tricky switchbacks and tight turns, Team RadioShack?s members had not been setting many headlines. Sure there were some excellent performances, Andreas Klöden and Levi [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/tour-de-suisse-levi-leipheimer-laughs-last/

2011 tour de france

Zubeldia Top 10 at San Sebastián

Team RadioShack?s highest placed finisher in the Tour de France, Haimar Zubeldia (ESP), finished 7th today in the 237-kilometer (147-mile) Clásica Ciclista San Sebastián contested in Basque country in the north of Spain. Omega Pharma Lotto?s Belgium star Philippe Gilbert continued his amazing streak this year walking away from some 20 top riders bunched [...]

Source: http://www.teamradioshack.us/zubeldia-top-10-at-san-sebastian/

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