Sports beans, clever little buggers !

Sports beans now back in stock. New version the "Sports bean Extreme" gets our thumbs up, with 50mg of caffeine and 25 g of carb in each bean, these babies pack a good punch. They are easy to carry in your jersey pocket and come in a variety of flavours. Just eat one every 15-20 minutes while riding for fast sustainable energy and electrolyte replacement ( also with added vitamin b&c. The hardest thing is to stop yourself eating the whole packet at once !

27.5! It is the one!

2014 Giant Anthem 27.5" wheels.

Well that's one week of testing done on the New 2014 Giant Anthem with 27.5" bigger wheels. My personal trusted old faithful is the Giant Anthem with the 26" wheels, so I was very keen to see if the hype around bigger wheels is true or if it's just sales marketing.

I have put the bike through everything I would my own, from commuting on a daily basis for work to crashing over the handlebars at Thrunton woods. For one week I have tried everyday to find a flaw with this bike, I CAN NOT!  
The bike role's and clear's obstacle's easier (just not the massive boulders at Thrunton woods), it holds speed and momentum better, ground traction is really good and the one that surprised me the most was it is as nimble as my 26" wheel bike.
To be honest at the beginning of the week I was a non-believer, like probably every other mountain  biker out there, 15 years ago we thought disc brakes on a mountain bike was a stupid idea and look at it now, technology changes sometimes for the better, sometimes worse, personally I think 27.5" wheels are for the better and are here to stay.
If anyone out there get's the chance to test ride one, take it, but not for a spin around the block, use it as you would your own, I think you'll be surprised.
One more thing does anyone want to buy a cheap Giant Anthem with 26" wheels. 

Chris (CLS store)

27.5 TECHNOLOGY: 3 REASONS TO BELIEVE

After seeing the range of Giant 27.5" bikes, it seems that they believe that 27.5 is here to stay. And heres why:

1. 1  Lighter Weight
   • 27.5-inch wheels are only 5 percent heavier than 26-inch. By comparison, 29-inch wheels are 11 percent heavier than 26-inch.
   • Overall weights of 27.5 bikes also trend closer to 26 than heavier 29 versions of the same series.
2. 2  More EFFICIENT
   • 27.5 wheels accelerate much like 26, outperforming the more sluggish feel of 29-inch wheels.
   • 27.5 wheels roll over obstacles with much more control than 26. That translates into more efficient cornering, acceleration and braking capabilities.
3. 3  Better Control
   • The larger the diameter of a wheel, the greater the contact patch of the tyre. A larger contact patch results in better traction—which improves acceleration, deceleration and cornering. 27.5 wheels provide a contact patch that is similar to 29-inch wheels. 
4.   • The larger the wheel, the larger the frame dimensions must be—and that leads to unwanted flex. A flexing frame causes sloppy handling and slower acceleration under heavy power. A 27.5 frame flexes less than a 29 frame, resulting in better control. 
5.  
   
   
   
6.  
7. For more info visit click HERE
8.  
9. We'll be sure to jump onto this new idea, so keep an eye out in both our stores, as these bikes are coming soon!

CERVELO 2014

Exciting time for us this coming season with cervelo. The brand has changed distributors and we have secured both of our stores as cervelo stockists for the coming year.
The new distributor has changed the goal posts a little and we will now be offering complete bikes as well as frame sets, the r3 frame can now be bought as a full shimano 105 spec'd bike for only £1999.
Other bikes worth a mention are the R5 ultegra di2 for only £4199 and the S3 ultegra coming in at only £3299.
Bikes will be in soon so keep an eye on the blog for more info,

Giant riders collected two more medals at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Giant riders collected two more medals in the final day of competition at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Australian Paul van der Ploeg won a rainbow jersey in the elite men’s Eliminator race, while Swiss rider Jolanda Neff followed up her gold medal in the women’s Under-23 XC race with a silver in the elite women’s Eliminator.

The Eliminator is an XC-focused event that pits four riders against each other, similar to four-cross racing. The fastest two riders in each heat advance, while the other two are eliminated. The track has climbs, descents and technical sections. The Eliminator format was introduced to World Cup competition last year and made its World Championships debut at the 2012 MTB Worlds.

Van der Ploeg, a well-rounded racer who competes in road and XC competition, advanced through the men’s rounds and beat out three others in the finals.

“It was exciting to come away with the win,” Van der Ploeg told Cyclingnews.com. “Last year I raced all the World Cup Eliminators but this year I took a step back from the World Cup and have been racing the road in Australia and Asia.”

In women’s racing Neff advanced through the rounds racing on her Liv/giant Obsess Advanced featuring new 27.5-inch wheel technology. The finals came down to a tight battle between Neff and Alexandra Engen of Sweden, but Neff was edged out at the line.

Giant 2014 launch

Down at giant hq waiting for the 2014 bike launch, so much new stuff to see.
Stars of the show are the new propel, which is now coming in at under £2000. Absolutely shed loads of 27.5 full sussers and hardtails, Giant are setting the trend here and it looks like 27.5 wheels are here to stay. There are still a few 29ers mixed in for good measure as comfort is still important to some.
here are a few pics...

This looks like fun !!!

 The all-new 2014 TCX Advanced cyclocross bike was engineered with one goal: uncompromising performance. The product development team, including athletes like Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Adam Craig, set out to eliminate the critical shortcomings of conventional ’cross bikes—and the result is what you see here. Unflinching innovation blended with Giant’s deep heritage of world championship design.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/news/article/tcx.advanced.the.future.of.cyclocross/16911/