Mallorca is great. Straight to the point. I had the best time, and not just because of the cycling.

Why did we choose Mallorca? Well there were a few reasons. We were going to Spain to celebrate my brother in laws wedding, we have our second child on the way, and we were looking to tag on a weeks holiday after the celebrations. We needed family (2.5 year old in tow) friendly, good weather (who doesn’t want a tan?), good history/culture, close to beach, and great value. Oh and I wanted to get some cycling in. Mallorca ticked all the boxes.

We stayed in Port De Pollenca on the north side of the island at the Hoposa Villaconcha apartments. This location fitted the bill superbly, the hotel was a five minute walk from the beach in one of the islands best towns and was advertised with great facilities. Port de Pollenca has pretty local architecture and no high rise buildings, a traditional style sea front with gorgeous beaches and a nice promenade. All backed up with some good shopping and great restaurants.

Getting to and from our hotel was very easy, flying into Mallorca there are plenty of budget flights. We chose Norwegian outbound, as it fitted into our wedding visit plans, and easy jet on the return. Both in and out of Gatwick the flights were priced at under £50 a head. For Bournemouth locals Ryan air flys to Palma Mallorca airport daily between March and October, although flights are more expensive. Bike carriage is available on all operators as well as an additional cost. On arrival in Mallorca we were a little unorganised and left the option of transfers to and from the hotel open, there is a possibility of saving a little money by booking in advance here but not masses, so we decided on a hire car. This turned out to be a great decision. Going for Europcar we hired a polo for £300 for the week including child seat, as opposed to private taxi transfers at £90 each way. Driving on the island is very easy and there seems to be no parking charges anywhere! We visited Pollença town, the aquarium in Palma, and Alcúdia old town. Easily making the cost worthwhile, I really recommend this option as we were able to drive door to door from airport to hotel.

So how was the hotel? Ideal in a word. The Hoposa Villaconcha was perfect for what we wanted. Located a five minute walk from the beach in quiet back streets in the southern half of Port De Pollença it had everything we needed and more. On arrival we were initially impressed with how new, clean, and bright the hotel looked. This continued throughout the building, and matched with excellent facilities for both sports and kids it was a real winner. For the sportsperson in you the hotel had a full gym, Olympic style swimming Poole, bike shop on site, spa area, and even a hypoxic chamber for simulated height training. For the family there were three fresh water swimming pools, water slides for kids, soft play, and various activities going on throughout the day for all the family. The rooms were very spacious and comfortable. They were equipped as individual apartments so self catering was a possibility and could sleep four people, two in the master bedroom and two on pull out sofa beds in the lounge area. We decided to go half board and weren’t disappointed, the buffet was excellent for both morning and evening meals with plenty of variety. This really helped get back on board those lost calories from the exercise and gave me enough options to stay low FODMAP all week without getting bored. They also included a gluten free section at each breakfast as well. Would I stay again? Certainly.

So for a cycling blog I’ve not exactly touched on the cycling much have I? Well I’m wanting to save a bit of it for another post but what I will say is that it was the most spectacular cycling I have ever done in my life. The views are incredible, the roads are smooth, the climbs are epic, and the descents are phenomenal. We hit up a couple of the most popular routes on the island, cap Formentor and Sa Calobra. They didn’t disappoint and I would have no problem agreeing that it’s a cycling Mecca.

So to wrap up, I can wholeheartedly recommend Mallorca as a family holiday for those predisposed to a bit of decent exercise. It has everything to keep you entertained, from decent culture to wicked weather. And if you are a cyclist? Just go there! I will be returning, anyway here’s some pics for you!

 

Go visit!

BC

Well the cats out the bag, we are off to Eroica for my brothers Stag! Not being able to talk about this has been murder! We have a great place to stay and a great team, and plenty of surprises in store.

This does mean a rush of preparation of bikes though….. I’m currently busting my balls to get my Rotrax ready, a friends bike, and sort out everything else that’s going into it!

The Rotrax is coming on……

Nearly there though! Now to get all the plans in place and make sure all are ready for 60 miles in the Peak District.

First time for me at the Friden Grange site but I’ve heard good things and the risk of big trotting is removed!

Let’s hope this weather keeps up! It’s looking a little shakey for the weekend but I’m sure it will be on our side.

Maybe see you there! Chapeau!

Out in Mallorca and realised I had left my chamois cream at home. Doh! The rides over here are know for being arduous and probably not to be ridden without some crotch lube.

I was kind of forced into this purchase as it was the only chamois cream in stock at the hotels on site shop Bimont. Not disappointed though.

I wasn’t expecting to be, this is Assos after all. Not exactly something you can get really excited over but nevertheless chamois cream is something if forgotten or of poor quality will ensure you have a solid supply in your sports cupboard. Previous experience has left that mental scar!

So the Assos Crème (not cream obviously!) is light and non greasy almost like moisturiser but it has that final protective layer feel you need. It goes on both pad and posterior well and gives a cool menthol tingle, quite enjoyable! Loads in the tub and I reckon there’s enough to do about twenty applications.

I used this for two rides in Mallorca, Formentor and Sa Calobra. I came back with zero rubbing or rashes so I rate this cream highly. Does the job well and can be for £10 on the internet, if you need some chamois cream it’s definitely worth buying.

BC

You will never get it straight, you won’t get the correct tension, you will get the wrong offset, you will make it oval, it will ride bad, it will come loose, YOU WILL DIE!

All of these are tools of fear employed by the cycle industry when it comes to basic bicycle wheel building. My response? Don’t succumb to the fear!

Now don’t get me wrong there are some really tricky elements to building wheels, especially high performance wheels with low spoke counts or wheels with high demand placed on them but a wheel for a clunker or basic bike is actually fairly easy to put together.

This is by no means a walk through, just my experience of putting a wheel together for my latest Rotrax build.

So what do you need?

1. hub
2. Spokes
3. Nipples
4. Spoke wrench
5. Flat bladed screwdriver
6. Bike or wheel building stand to true it in.

That’s a pretty simple list I admit but hardware wise it really is that short. The most expensive part (depending on you rims and hubs of choice… Chris kings may overstep this!) is the wheel building stand but for cheap and reliable general use wheels it’s not necessary, chucking it in the bike it’s intended for is fine. Don’t forget that shops don’t often have the bike the wheel is going into, hence the invention of the wheel building stand.

There is a little more science in wheel building than just getting some parts though. You need to find out the specifics of the individual components, how they relate to each other, and how you want to build the wheel. Ie what size and distance the hub flanges are away from each other, what the rim dimensions are, and finally what spoke lacing pattern you want to use. Ie how many time the spokes cross over each other. This is the most difficult part.

There are a few good guides on the net for both stages of wheel homebrew, the pre build science, and then the assembly.

For the pre build info I suggest looking into the following:

For calculating your spokes you can head to THIS SITE (Leonard) or THIS SITE (ProWheelBuilder).

Then for actual assembly instructions I recommend THIS SITE (Sheldon Brown) or THIS SITE (Patric Taylor).

Personal preference for sites used were the Leonard for spec and info and the Patric Taylor for wheel build instructions. They are both very easy to use and were perfect for what I was putting together.

All you need to do is practice. Why not try getting an old wheel, dismantling it and then rebuilding it? What’s the worst that could happen? It’s not a loss if it goes wrong and you may end up learning a pretty cool skill. Something that may come in handy or you’ll find pretty fun. I enjoy it, it’s very satisfying knowing that you can assemble pretty much anything on a bike from complete component parts. Therapeutic in some circumstances!

Anyway here’s a few pics of how I got on:

First I had to dismantle the old wheel for its donor hub.

Hub removed pretty easy, left the spoke nipples soaking in some oil the night before.

Parts together and time to build.

Then it’s a simple job of going round and tightening the spokes until you have even tension and a straight wheel. This steps easiest in the bike and using a pair of zip ties around the seat stays cut to the same length as a guide. Use the instructions in the guides above and you’ll be rolling in no time!

Realistically what’s the worst that can happen? Use that calculator to figure out the spoke lengths, lace it all up. If you struggle with the last step take it to a cycle shop and they will finish it off. Go on, have a go!

BC

Seriously who thinks it’s a good idea to strap your spares to your frame with a bit of Velcro? What’s going on with this massive fad……?????

This is the item under scrutiny:

What are people thinking? Let’s look at and list what people are trying to achieve first.

• Want to carry some spares or tools on my bike.

Well that was a long list.

Let’s examine the first picture above. This dickhead has strapped his inner tube right behind the front wheel. It’s wider than the frame so will act as a mudguard and catch all the shite. First thing I look for when changing inner tubes is one with a good coating of possible puncture causing material on it. If you want the same then this solution is for you. The other benefit of this mounting position is the proximity to the crank arm. You have every possibility of catching it with your foot, loosening it and jettisoning has canisters and tubes of the trail.

Second picture. This one is what looks like a shitty old watch strap just enough to hold one tube. Great. You have one tube and no way of pumping it up. Oh you do have a pump? It’s in your backpack. Wanker.

Number three. This is prize cock territory. You have strapped an inner tube and gas canisters in one of the most dirt vulnerable spaces on the bike. “Yeah but the strap let’s me get to the tube really quickly” yes but then you have to spend five minutes washing the tube off with isotonic drink (squirted with all the power of a 80 year old man with a prostate problem) from the mouthpiece of your camelbak. Where you could have put your tubes. Not only that, saddles and rails are designed to flex, those canisters will wriggle loose in no time. This bundle also takes up just as much room as a saddle Bag. WHY WOULD YOU NOT JUST BUY A SADDLEBAG!!!! Prat.

I really can’t see anywhere that one of these straps is a good idea, or at best better than any type of bike bag. What’s next cellotaping energy gels to your spokes? Spare hydraulic fluid in your handlebars? Spare grips around your seatpost?

Do us all a favour and retire this rubbish to a bin, it’s worse than parcel taping a banana to your forehead. At least that’s close to where it should go……

BC

Italian bicycle component kings FSA have launched their first group-set. Not any ordinary one though, it’s wireless and electronic. Hence it’s name WE.

Since seeing a preview of it at the BikeShow in Birmingham late last year FSA have been dragging their heels a little and the press launch was only two weeks ago. So I don’t know how that now positions it in the market place against it’s now well established competition, Di2 and Etap, or when a muggle like you and me will be able to get their hands on it.

So I was quite surprised to see it on a bike at Bespoked. Here it is on a custom painted Argon18.

The Argon is a pretty bike and very well finished, not my choice of colour but can’t fault the work.

The WE groupset is semi wireless, the shifters use ant+ technology (powered by plip batteries) to signal to the front mechanism as that has the brain for both front and rear derailleurs in it. It’s also connected to the battery hidden in the seat tube that powers them both. So there are still some wires, but a frame prepared for electronic groupsets will hide these easily.

Operating WE is user friendly by all accounts, difference to other electronic groups is that apparently you have to power it on and off each ride. No standby like others, this is probably to preserve battery life. Not really a hardship is it? Shifters felt pretty ergonomic and shifting switches are of a rocker type, light but with a satisfying click.

What I found interesting about the WE though was the way the mechs work. As far as I am aware neither of them have a return spring in them, meaning positioning is purely motor controlled. This opens up a whole world of adaptability, with a phone based app that can program them. Does this mean it can be modified for any speed of cassette? Could you use this on a vintage five speed with a change of jockey wheels? Can You use it on campag spaced cassettes?

It all looks pretty cool too, nice carbon and titanium elements and classy decals. I’d run one. Apparently rim brakes and disc are both going to be available, plus shifters will be available in two hand sizes. Neat.

All in all it looks like it will be a great piece of kit with some nice touches. But the big problem I can see here is it’s launch date, I think it’s a year too late. People who are already into the electronic groupset vibe will already have one, who’s going to rush out and change for something that’s not overly different? Also the price, the WE is circa £2k, you can buy an Etap setup for £1.2k online. There’s a set of carbon wheels in the difference.

I hope it goes well for FSA! What do you think?

BC

The U.K handmade bicycle show rolled out again last weekend in Bristol and it lived up to it’s usual impressive standard. The levels of workmanship, passion, and community were through the roof and together they produce bicycles to die for. Fantastic.

2018s flavour was clear, Gravel/adventure was in the house. Most builders had a solution with 1x drivetrains being the order of day. The mix of steel and larger tyres must lead to some pretty comfy cycling, I know from my winter bike how good this combo can be. Here’s a few shots of gravel grinders for you, from both established stables and fledgling welders.

Mecredi building some lovely tough steel, built to be ridden hard.

Metier with super cool 3d printed titanium lugs and carbon tubework.

Winter bicycles all year round bikes to live with.

New builder Himalaya with that battle ship vibe. Tan walls are so pro.

Dorset based Sven Cycles make bikepacking look easy. Ebike was sweet as well.

This belt drive commuter was sublime with so many built in details. Very custom.

I got to have a chat to some builders as well, Filament bikes, Karussell, Sven, Stanforth, and Merrivale cycles. All were super passionate about what they do and in the pursuit of their own version of cycling perfection. Some of their bikes are pictured below.

Merrivale is Bournemouth based like myself. Charlie is a true gent of the cycling world. He believes in just riding a great bike all the time so his builds are high quality with carefully chosen components. Usable, simple, smooth and easy to ride all day any day.

Karussell’s track bike was one of a kind. that down tube had some interesting construction. The down tube remained but the outer plate was formed and wrapped around it, it was then welded into place. rendering the bike stiff enough to remove the seat tube!

Speaking of track bikes and singlespeeds, what would bespoked be without them!

Demon Frameworks fixie was a head turner for sure…. if Snoop Dogg had a bike!

Then we had the road bikes, still my favourite. Fast.

Staal picked up a rosette for their short wheelbase disc equipped model.

Lovely frames from French carbon pros Cyfac. Would love one.

Look at those seat stays on this beauty.

Rapha Prestige frame had nice paint inlays and frame detail.

Field Cycles had lovely detail. Excuse my finger in the shot but the paint line identical to the seat tube cap. nice.

FiftyOnes brace of super fast looking carbon bikes from Ireland. Great colourways.

Isen Workshop are pumping out real classy machines. Those carbon seat tubes in steel lugs are awesome.

Hartley cycles to finish off, these things look like you cold ride them for a week solid and you would still be comfy. Great workmanship.

To finish off there were a few oddities as usual. Here’s a couple.

On Spray bikes stand was this monster tyred gravel bike! With front rack and eggs to show how smooth it was. For me it just looks a little odd!

And this fully integrated evoke from Taurus. Direct drive bottom bracket motor and cleverly disguised controls and battery indicator in the stem. Batteries were hidden in the top and downtube giving the appearance of a normal bike. My only issue is that it looks like it was built by someone who’s not seen a bike before! Geometry looks well out. Ebike functionality was impressive though.

All in all another great year, the workmanship was fantastic as always and I don’t think anyone will be running out of ideas or enthusiasm soon. I’m yearning for sporty road bikes to become the flavour again but I was far from disappointed with what was in attendance. Get yourself to the show next year, you will love it.