Hoodies and Tees now available.

You can now buy all quickerbybike kit from yourclubshop.  Click the jeresey on the right.

Use code YCS10 to get 10% off until 1st June.

I've still got stock of s/s jerseys, bib-shorts and shorts, so email me if that's what you're after.  It's cheaper from me while I've got stock.

Lycra Kit from YourClubShop.

I've got stock here of bib-shorts, shorts and ss jerseys in most sizes.  See the thread below.

If the size you want is no longer there or if you want full-zip jerseys, skinsuits, gilets, long-sleeve jerseys or the like, then please order from Yourclubshop.

Use code YCS10 for 10% off until 1st June.

All club kit from yourclubshop.co.uk is made to order.  It can take 4 weeks.  If you need it sooner or have other special requirements, put a note in the "special instructions" box and they'll contact you.

Or just ask me.

All kit now in stock. Lycra and baggies.

The new Lycra kit is here, made by Impsport and much improved.  See images on the right for a look.  Photos will be up later this week.

In the future, quickerbybike.com lycra kit will be supplied via YourClubShop.  This relieves me of the burden of taking orders and payments and posting kit out.  It's brilliant!  They make the kit just-in-time: that's to say they only manufacture when they get an order.

Lycra kit prices will be:

• Bibshorts £62.40
• Shorts (non-bib) £52.80
• Short sleeve, short zip jersey £48

In order to set up this service it was necessary to order an initial batch to be photographed.  This batch is now under my desk and ready to be posted out to whoever wants it.  Because the quantities were greater, the prices are lower. 

Prices (and live (ish) quantities in stock) are:

• Bibshorts (S-2, M-4, L-2) £48
• Shorts (non-bib) (XS-2, S-3) £41
• Short sleeve, short zip jersey (XS-3, S-3, L-2) £37 
• Postage £3

Email me at martin at quickerbybike dot com with your address and SIZE and I'll post it out to you.  You can pay me by BACS (internet transfer).  I'll email you the details.

If it helps those who know me I'm a Medium short and Small jersey.

Baggy shorts are Endura Singletrack shorts and are £40 posted.  See photos on the right.  Just email me if you'd like a pair.

New lycra kit is in production.

The new batch of lycra quickerbybike.com kit is now in production, due to be ready for sale 2nd week of February.

The kit is much improved with more and larger logos.

Jersey looks like this:

and shorts look like this:

The kit will be available to buy direct from http://www.yourclubshop.co.uk/ which makes my life far easier and your deliveries far more reliable.

Happy days.  I hope the entire new batch will be out and about on bums on bikes, passing traffic, before the summer comes.

Genesis Day One Alfine 11 Review

I bought a Genesis Day 1 Alfine 11 last year to ride off-road as a 'cross bike.

This is what I learnt:

• Riding trails on a 'cross bike is not as much fun as riding them on a mountain bike.
• Cyclocross is a racing discipline only.
• The Genesis Day 1 is heavy, despite the 853 tubing.  It would be hopeless for 'cross racing.
• The Genesis Day 1 has poor mud clearance to the front fork (you won't think it's important until you're having to stop and pull the stuff out with your hands because it's jamming the wheel).
• The Avid BB7 disc brakes are great, as is the Versa shifter and the Alfine 11 speed hub.

I got muddy:

After a few outings I gave up and took my mountain bike instead.  It was fine riding the Genesis on my own as an alternative to training on the road (with the busy, angry cars) but it wasn't very sociable because my friends were either on the road on road bikes or off the road on mountain bikes.

I left the Day One in the shed but I kept hold of my buyer's remorse.

Then I moved house and my commute went from 8 miles to 21 miles.

I stepped the Genesis up for the job.  And   it   is  brilliant.

I've now been riding the Genesis for my extended commute for three months.  I put the original Conti Gatorskin 28s back on and fitted SKS Bluemels guards.  Much better than the cross version.  It now looks like this.

You'll need some patience and skill (and some long bolts and spacers) to fit the mudguards so that they go around the disc calipers.  Ask Genesis if you're stuck.

It's just perfect.  Almost no maintenance.  Bomber braking.  Comfortable but fast.  Easy gear changes and huge range.  Just perfect.  Apart from anything else it's silent.  Derailler gears always make a bit of noise when you pedal and when you freewheel.  Hubs make no noise at any time.

I've done all my winter training on the Genesis too, riding in the Surrey Hills with friends on road bikes.  I can keep up fine, my brakes are reliable in the wet and don't create a horrible black paste on the rims.  The gears are in a metal box so they don't care if it's raining and gritty.

So, I highly recommend the Genesis Day Alfine but with some caveats.

• If you're buying a bike for commuting, why not get the Alfine 8.  It's a lot cheaper and the slightly heavier tubing won't make any difference to you.  The 8 and 11 are both heavy bikes.
• If you're buying it for racing 'cross, get the Day 01 disc and race singlespeed.  At least it will be a race-weight bike.
• If you're buying it to go riding off road - get a mountain bike.

Amazing tool for planning cycle routes.

What an extraordinary application this is.

Double-click your start point on the map.  Same for your finish point.  Tell it how fast you are, Press 'Go'.

It knows cycle paths and parks.

Brilliant:

http://london.cyclestreets.net/

It says "London" but it's UK-wide.

A new way to communicate. Help needed!

There's a big queue of traffic outside my office window as I type.  I started Quickerbybike.com after riding past this queue every day.  Queue is still going strong.  Same drivers?

On the plus side, I see loads of cyclists these days.  Way more than before.

The quickerbybike.com shorts are a way to communicate with motorists and point out the alternative and encourage them to switch.

And I hope we're reaching some.  But it'd be great to reach more.

So I'm going to get a sign, like this clicky made up and I'll plonk it next to the road each morning.  You might be thinking that this is hardly thinking big.  True enough.

So what should the new sign look like and say?  Please help me!  Tweet or email your ideas to martin at quickerbybike dot com.

It mustn't be smug.  It will include the quickerbybike logo, nice and big.  Then perhaps the simple message: "Let me help you to cycle instead of driving.".

I'm going to leave an area white so I can write different messages each week.  Suggestions for this would be great too.  Perhaps we can have a weekly poll.

But please - what should the main, printed sign say?

Maybe even just the logo and a big question-mark?

Thanks in anticipation.