Month: August 2019

Britain’s biggest bike race is coming back to Cumbria

For the 4th time in the race’s history Kendal will feature as a host venue with stage 4 finishing up the steep climb of Beast Banks.

Stage 4 of the race sets off from Gateshead in the North East, crosses the northern Pennines and winds into Cumbria before finishing on the 500m, 11% average Beast Banks in Kendal town centre. The stage takes place on Tuesday 10th September and will hopefully build on a legacy of Tour of Britain stages taking place in Cumbria. In last year’s ToB, Cumbria hosted two full stages when the peloton traversed the national park from Barrow in the south up to Whinlatter Forest in the north in addition to a team time trial which started in Cockermouth. This year’s stage 4 will undoubtedly be one of the toughest in modern history as it packs in around 3000m during its 171.5km route including an ascent of the Gawthrop climb as the race enters climb along with the final steep ascent of Beast Banks in Kendal.

We’ll be showing the stage live in our Staveley store which is only 5 miles away from the stage finish in Kendal. World Tour teams including Team Ineos, Team Jumbo – Visma and EF Education First will be racing on roads we know well before the week-long race finishes in Manchester on Saturday 14th September.

Photography from SWPIX

The all-new #YetiSB165 has landed in store boasting 180 up front and 165 in the rear this is a go anywhere, ride anything bike.

The slackest in the new 2020 Yeti line up, with the most travel. Coil-shock only. For the steepest. The angriest. And the most vengeful terrain. Bring it on.

With 165mm of suspension in the rear and 180mm FOX Factory Grip 2 damper up front, the SB165 is the slackest sled in Yeti’s line. The progressive geometry features a longer reach, steeper seat angle (77 degrees) and a slacker head angle (63.5 degrees) combined with a shorter offset fork. Tuned for a coil or high-volume air shock, the SB165 is the most progressive bike in their line.

The SB165 T2, Yeti’s most popular kit, is spec’d for steep descents and technical, big consequence riding – 200mm rotors and SRAM Code RSC brakes, custom DT Swiss EX 1700 wheels are stiff and durable, and the OneUp Bash Guide keeps it all together in rough terrain. It has water bottle brackets in the main frame, internal routing and an optional shuttle protector. Optional, because some people might just leave the truck at home from now on.

Yeti SB165 Key Features:

• Switch Infinity patented suspension system.
• High modulus carbon fibre main frame and swing arm.
• Integrated ISCG-05 mounts.
• Tapered integrated headtube (41mm/52mm).
• Custom down tube protector, chain guards, and optional shuttle guard.
• Internally moulded carbon tubes inside of frame for hassle-free cable routing.
• Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system.
• Boost hub spacing, front and rear.
• Clearance for standard sized water bottle inside mainframe.
• Lifetime Warranty.

The SB165 and all 2020 bikes are covered by Yeti’s no-BS Lifetime Warranty and available to order online.

 

Launched ahead of this year’s Tour de France, Cube’s flagship race bike has undergone a serious aero makeover.

Cube’s newest iteration of the Litening is built to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible, it’s a bike designed for racers. The standout features of the new models include an integrated bar and stem, fully internal cable routing and the fact that it’s only available with disc brakes. Like the majority of road bike manufacturers, Cube are of the belief that the rim brake is a thing of the past and have designed the new Litening frame solely around disc brakes.

By utilising their experience from the standard-setting Aerium time trial bike, Cube were able to follow a similar process involving Computer Fluid Dynamics and wind tunnel testing when designing the new Litening. The result is a frame with a 30% reduction in drag and crafted from the next-generation C:68X carbon fibre, Cube even say it’s designed to be minimally affected by crosswinds.

The fully UCI-compliant chassis design integrates frame, fork, stem, handlebar and seat post into a structure that’s as efficient through the air as possible. It’s also highly configurable to suit every race and rider – internal cable routing for Sram and Shimano electronic gears is standard, as is a removable front derailleur mount, and there are multiple bottle positions available and the frame has clearance for up to 28mm tyres.

The Bikes

Cube Litening C:68X SLT

Cube Litening C:68X SL

Cube Litening C:68X Race

Cube Litening C:68X Pro

Go-Anywhere, Do-Anything Workhorse

Ridden by Kona’s Enduro World Series Team riders, the Process is proven on the trickiest tracks in the world. For 2020 Kona have expanded the Process lineup to 14 bikes, adding a shorter travel option to complement the established longer travel models.

The Process 134 represents years of engineering, testing, and industrial design to create the perfect balance of trail, all-mountain, and pure shred machine.

The Lineup

Process 134 CR/DL 29

Topping the range is the CR/DL 29 model with a full carbon frame, 140mm RockShox Pike Ultimate 2 fork and a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock. Taking a lower/slacker geometry from the Process 111 but retaining the fun-ride feel of a classic Kona, the Process 134 CR/DL 29 represents four years of design iterations, mechanical engineering and real-world testing.

Process 134 CR 29

Featuring a Fox Performance 34 fork and Performance Elite DPX2 rear shock, the 134 CR 29er comes with 140mm of travel up front and 134mm in the rear. This is a do-everything shorter travel bike with a high quality carbon frame and a RockShox Reverb dropper post that makes it ready to rip out of the box.

Process 134 DL 29

Pairing the legendary Process geometry with a SRAM GX/NX Eagle drivetrain makes climbing on this bike a breeze while the combination of a RockShox Pike Select fork and highly tuneable RockShox Deluxe Ultimate trunnion mounted shock keeps the ride plush and playful.

Process 134 29

A super versatile bike at a great price – Fox Performance suspension up front and in the rear smooths out the gnarliest bumps and a SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain delivers efficiency on the climbs and the all-new WTB ST i30 TCS rims are strong and light.

Process 134 DL 27.5

The smaller-wheeled sibling to the Process 134 DL 29, this model features all of the same high-end components built around a Kona 6061 aluminium frame.

Process 134 27.5

An affordable build puts the money where it matters – suspension, brakes and drivetrain. This model is the go-to for those preferring a 27.5″ wheel.

 

Light. Fast. Timeless.

For the past four decades, Cannondale have pioneered the way for high performance aluminium frames and the all-new CAAD13 is the most advanced one yet. It’s billed as ‘the speediest, smoothest, best handling, finest performing aluminium race bike on the planet.’

 

• CAAD13 is the ultimate alloy race machine. With exceptional efficiency and superb handling, it out-performs most carbon — at an aluminum price.
• With every new CAAD we design, speed increases. The same can’t be said for weight. Drag-reducing tube shapes and sleek integration keeps the CAAD13 light but make it much, much faster.
• Dropped rear stay configuration and ample room for bigger tires delivers the best possible blend of stiff efficiency and unbeatable comfort in an alloy road racer.

CAAD13 Disc Force eTap AXS

CAAD13 Disc Ultegra

CAAD13 Disc Women’s 105

CAAD13 Ultegra

CAAD13 Disc 105

CAAD13 Women’s 105

CAAD13 105

 

There were some impressive performances from our Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli riders at the inaugural Cycle 360 Manx International Stage Race on the Isle of Man at the weekend.

The four-stage, three-day stage race kicked off on Friday evening with a 35 mile kermesse race before riders faced an uphill time trial on Saturday morning. The racing continued on Saturday afternoon with a 64.5 mile road race before concluding on Sunday with a brutal 133 mile race to determine the overall winner.

The first stage was fast from the gun and finished in a bunch sprint which was won by Ed Clancy OBE of Vitus Pro Cycling. A couple of our lads came home in the second group on the road, only a few seconds down on the winner. The stage two time trial was a 3.8 mile timed hill climb which began to shape the GC before Saturday afternoon’s stage three set things into place for the final road race on Sunday. It was stage three where our riders shone brightest with Scottish hardman Davie Lines making it into a five-man breakaway that was eventually brought back to set up a bunch finish in which our under-23 rider Harry Hardcastle sprinted to third place, an incredible result against the UK’s elite riders.

Next up for the team is the Ryedale Grand Prix in North Yorkshire on Sunday 18th August, the final round in the HSBC UK | National Road Series.

Photography from swpix.com