Cycling

At PressCamp this week, the folks at Sugoi were especially excited about a pair of new rain shells...

The road race for the men's Italian national championship will be held this Saturday, June 22nd, under the banner of the 22° TROFEO MELINDA . It will be a very tough 229 km race with a nary a flat section from Malè (Val di Sole) to Fondo (Val di Non); the final circuit of 30.5 km will be ridden four times. The finish is Fondo in expected at about 1645.Franco Pellizotti is the defending champion and one of the favorites. Moreno Moser is another favorite but both Pellizotti and Moser will have to overcome the Lampre-Merida block of Michele Scarponi, Diego Ulissi, Filippo Pozzato and Damiano Cunego. Outside favorites are Ivan Basso and Domenico Pozzovivo. Three time champion Giovanni Visconti will not race due to injuries from a crash in the Tour of Switzerland.Follow on Twitter: ITALIANCYCJOURN or receive an email when new content is added using the "Follow by Email" button on the right side column. With more than 2,900 stories in this blog the custom search feature (right column) works best for finding subjects in the blog. There is also a translate button underneath the search button. Stories for the Italian Cycling Journal about rides, granfondos, touring, having a good time cycling in Italy, Italian cycling history, racing, etc. are always welcome. Contact me at veronaman@gmail.com.

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Ridley’s multi-time World Cup winning X-Night cyclocross bike is completely new and now comes with SRAM Red 22...

Carousel short title: SealLine Urban Backpack Small Price: £89.99 Gallery Image Reference: Seal Line Urban Backpack Small Gallery Reference: Seal Line Urban Backpack Cascade Design's SealLine Urban Backpack shows that Ortlieb don't have the waterproof cycle luggage entirely sewn up – or rather, seam-sealed. For that is what this is: a welded-seam, waterproof, roll-top backpack aimed at commuters. And very nice it is too. Road.cc verdict: Well made, waterproof roll-top backpack at a premium price Road.cc rating: 8 Weight: 880g Contact: www.seallinegear.com read more

The Peak District National Park – one of the UK’s busiest national parks – has recruited a network of bike-riding rangers to help walkers and growing numbers of mountain bikers share rights of way without conflict. The Peak District National Park has seen an increase in the number of riders using its trails, said Martyn Sharp, a Pennine Way ranger and driving force behind the new network. The arrival of bike rangers – who ride out on weekends and bank holidays – is designed to nip in the bud any potential conflict between park user groups.A total of 20 full-time staff are overseeing a network of 150 hi-vis volunteers, who are able to advise mountain bikers on trail conditions, assist with mechanical problems and navigation, and offer first aid if needed.Though Sharp stressed that friction between walkers, cyclists and others (such as fell runners and horse riders) is minimal, he said the issue needs to be addressed – especially as the park opens up more facilities and pathways for cyclists. “Because of the amount of people from different user groups in this National Park, it is very busy, so to say there’s no conflict I would be sticking my head in the sand,” he said.“We’re opening up trails and tunnels – and I know it’s more family orientated – but all the time things are happening and hopefully there are going to be new links to bridleways. It’s another way for the Peak District National Park to be able to talk to all user groups.”Examples of inconsiderate behaviour include mountain bikers speeding past walkers without warning or, conversely, hikers airing frustration at cyclists as they pass. Geoff Cole, rights of way officer for the Derbyshire area of the Ramblers Association, agreed that there is little conflict but said, “There are thoughtless cyclists and there are thoughtless walkers, and the problem with the bikes is they are very quiet, particularly if they are being ridden at speed, and if you get a lot of ramblers together they’re very good at chatting and missing the fact that something else is going on around them. “I think there’s a good case to have somebody who helps both sides see the other side’s point of view.”

Folds in a second, eliminates chain-related anguish read more

For the past few weeks I was noticing an increasing tendency for the front pads on the LHT to squeal when applying pressure.  Ultimately it got to the point where the front fork would actually shudder a wee bit if I squeezed hard enough. ‘figured it was time for some wrenching. Both current bikes have Koolstop Salmons I picked up from Pedal Pushers.  The LHT has them mounted on a pair of V-brakes, so the “adjustment” was pretty simple. I assumed the problem was due to wear.  To keep them quiet and effective, these pads require a fair degree of toe-in.  The rear of the pads have a small piece angled back towards the rim, and you have to pull the back of the pad out far enough so that clears, and the front of the pad strikes the rim before the back makes contact.  This also gives you better modulation to just tap the brakes to slow the bike slightly without things locking up.  To insure this happens, I’ve gone so far as to bend the bolt slightly so it rests correctly in the brake arm. The other factor is that the model of pads I have on the LHT are the simple nut and bolt type fastener, rather than the more popular, and easier to adjust allen head.  You can see that access to get in the tighten the nut is a challenge.  A deepwell socket would do the trick, but not too many people have a metric deepwell socket set in their kit. Fortunately, I have a 10mm spanner driver left over from my rowing days.  It’s no more than a deepwell socket with a plastic handle.  Most of the fittings on european made shells are 10mm, and it’s common to have to remove the outriggers from a shell whenever you need to transport. So it’s taking much longer to tell this story than it took to make the fix.  I just loosened the nut, grabbed the rear of the pad, and pulled it out a smidge.  Then, while holding the rear of the pad, I re-tightened the nut.  Go to the other side, repeat. A quick test up the street and the bike still stopped, the pads were not rubbing, and the squeal was gone.

Rogers, Kreuziger and Spanish climbers line up with former champion