https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2019/03/blood-cells-missing-link-post-exercise-boost 

(it is only a short read).

also available in excel if u really want it (PS: I don't believe the ITU have the raw data - at least it is not online)

Casting for the new series 'Quest for Kona" is now open globally, with the first round of submission due by Feb 12, 2018. I watched the last series and found it so inspiring. I got up at 8am the next day and went for  5km run.

So if you want to be featured in the series and chase the holy grail spot that is "KONA" get your application in now.

UCI WorldTour team led by three-time World Champion Peter Sagan will be riding with Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT GPS computers and heart rate monitors for the 2018 racing season

(Atlanta, GA – December, 2017) – Wahoo Fitness, the leader in connected fitness devices is pleased announce a new partnership with the BORA-hansgrohe professional cycling team, led by three-time World Champion Peter Sagan and 2016 Polish National Champion Rafael Majka. In the partnership, Team Bora-hansgrohe will be training and racing with Wahoo’s aerodynamic ELEMNT BOLT GPS cycling computer and the TICKR Heart Rate Monitor beginning in the 2018 UCI race season.

As an official partner of BORA-hansgrohe, two key elements of Wahoo’s product ecosystem will become an integral part of the team’s race-winning strategies: the ELEMNT BOLT – the simplest to use and most aerodynamic bike computer on the market, and the TICKR Heart Rate Monitor for measuring critical race-winning efforts.
 

With over 30 wins in 2017, including six national and world championship jersey victories, BORA-hansgrohe will be looking to add to its successes in 2018 with the addition of innovative performance tools by Wahoo Fitness and key riders like Peter Kennaugh and Daniel Oss. The BORA-hansgrohe team will be joining 2017 Tour de France winners, Team Sky, who, since 2014, have leveraged Wahoo’s leading-edge technologies in the pursuit of gains both major and marginal at the the highest levels of world tour performance.

“We entered this partnership because the Wahoo BOLT persuaded us with its technical features. It works perfectly for us in both training rides and races because it syncs easily with our training platform Web4Trainer. Besides that, the outstanding usability makes the handling really easy for our riders,” says BORA-hansgrohe Team Manager Ralph Denk.
 

“I think the Wahoo bike computers stand out not only for the technology, performance, and features they offer but also for their cool design and user-friendliness. They are easy to use and can be fully-customised, and for me, this is very important,” adds three-time World Champion and BORA-hansgrohe captain Peter Sagan.

Chip Hawkins, Wahoo Fitness CEO says “It’s been a dream of mine to have a world tour-caliber team racing with Wahoo devices to measure and form their stage-winning efforts. It was with this goal in mind that we worked with industry leaders in aerodynamics to design the BOLT – with the sole intent of reducing drag and saving watts to help the fastest teams in the world like BORA-hansgrohe go even faster.”

Courtesy: FE Sports Australia

I purchased a Coros bike helmet at the Noosa Expo the other week (a white one with the red highlights) $229 at the exp - discounted from $249 RRP (but equal to the going rate on the interweb)- bonus t-shirt at the expo though.... The price seems pretty good and cheaper than a premium quality helmet ( which it seems to be)  plus a pair of Bluetooth headphones.

This helmet uses Bluetooth to link to your smartphone and has bone conduction pads fixed to the straps so that they contact your cheekbones just in front of the ears. There is also a microphone tucked inside the lining of the helmet under the pad at the front of the helmet (out of the wind). The combination allows the rider to the hear any output from their device (music, navigation etc as well as make and receive phone-calls (if you have a mate with one then you can purchase a walkie-talkie accessory and enable this functionality from the handle bare remote).

Out of the box: it was well packed and came with a full set of replacement pads plus the adhesive velcro pads to secure them inside the helmet, a manual, a remote control for the handle bars, a charging cord, and a carry bag.

Set up: It took about 100 min for the initial charge (the manual cautions to fully charge before use) but this gave me time to download the app for my iPhone and read the manual, and mount the remote to my handlebars (well I put it on the stem as I'm running out of space on the road bars due to clip on aeros), then a quick nap. After that pairing it to my phone was simple, just follow the user guide.

Use: The bit that matters - fit was very comfortable. Turning the unit on is pretty easy wirth a small button located tucked under the rear peak elicting a reassuring "device paired" announcment (the reverse at the end of the ride).  The sound quality when listening to music stationary was slightly less dynamic than my apple earbuds but that's not really the point of this product. On the move the sound is actually better than having a set of buds in your ears as there is no extra wind noise from wires and turbulence around the ears. But then the joy - with the ears unencumbered you can hear everything around you: cars, pedestrians, cycling buddies, swooping magpies.... Plus no wires, zero, zip - nothing snagged around the back of the head to connect Bluetooth headphones, no cable dangling down the back to jersey pockets (when not getting snagged on your seat at the lights, or impeeding getting the jersey off for that bathroom break (you do all wear bib-nicks right?). And as there is no cable and nothing in your ears - you attract fewer disparaging glances from other road users. 

The handle bar mounted remote means your ever-so-expensive smartphone can stay in a zip-lock bag tucked in your pocket (yes the new ones might be "water-proof" - but at nearly 2k or some of the newer models why risk it? and sweat can be a bit more corrosive that rain water) a couple of butons let you adjust the volume and skip to the next track (but not backwards - sorry to people practicing their karaoke) anothe button to answer calls and one last to activate the (optional) walkie talkie function.

I found I could hear all my tunes at anything up to about 6okph - but I like to keep the volume fairly low. Phone conversations were of an acceptable quality on the move and perfect if stationary. The unit performed better than a number of my other Bluetooth based in/around ear headsets as apart from the restrictions on hearing the outside world and the problems of wind whistling/dropping them etc a particular bugbear has been the signal dropping out when moving to a full tuck position (too much of me blocking the radio path I guess) - no such issues here with no dropouts for the whole ride.

I only rode for about 3.5 hours this morning from (Hervey Bay to Burrum Heads and return - predominantly rural Qld) so the battery was not tested too much (claimed duration is 10hours with a 90 min recharge).

I wonder how TA would respond if I wore one while competing? Now if only a friend would by one so we could try out the walkie talkie....

 More details at the Australian distributor's site:  https://www.iico.com.au/shop

I'll add some more after a couple of months of use. But for now - high recommended.

Joining the tri-spoke tubular and rear disc clincher wheels in its line-up, PRO now releases its Tri-spoke Clincher front wheel designed for triathletes and time trialists.

Whilst tubular wheels are the racing choice of the pro’s, it’s not possible to quickly repair a punctured tubular. Riders who puncture on a tubular during a race will usually take a spare wheel from their team car or neutral support service. For riders who don’t have this luxury, the new PRO tri-spoke clincher wheel offers high speed aerodynamics with the practicality of being able to quickly repair punctures on the roadside.

Tech features

The Tri-spoke Clincher uses the same technology trickled down from the Tubular version, with the same aerodynamic shape as the Tri-spoke Textreme wheel with a 3K 2x2 twill carbon weave and a wide 65mm deep rim design for optimum aerodynamics, suitable for 25mm clincher tires. The Tri-spoke Clincher is built around an Ultegra 6800 hub, weighing 1040g in total and comes with a protective PRO wheel bag.

The PRO Tri-spoke Tubular wheel is regarded as one of the fastest on the planet, being ridden to victory in multiple World Tour time trials by the likes of Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas of Team Sky, Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis of BMC, Primoz Roglic of LottoNL-Jumbo and Tom Dumoulin of Team Sunweb.

Together with the current PRO Rear Disc Clincher, the new PRO Tri-spoke Clincher wheel completes the full aerodynamic set up for triathletes and testers looking for the elite wheel technology that has helped many world-class athletes achieve the highest-level victories.

The PRO Tri-spoke wheel will be available from January 2018.

They say clothes make the man (or woman), but in cycling terms clothes can make or break a good ride. I has also been said that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choice and while that may be true, often times when cycling it’s not as simple as that. Spring or autumn weather or long days in the saddle can mean that the weather when you head out the door can be markedly different to the weather condition as you head home. If you are like me and hate the cold the temptation is to dress to be warm from the first turn of the pedals. This is generally achieved by the desired number and thickness of base layers. However if the weather improves and the mercury rises you can be left overheating and with cool sweat running down your back.

If you play the tough guy and dress light, to be comfortable on the back end of the ride, you need to suffer through the first 20 minutes or so till you truly warm up. Even then, you need to hope the weather lives up to expectations, otherwise you could be in for a miserable few hours.

Enter the Warmfront. The Warmfront is one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” inventions. However, having a good idea is only part of the journey, it also needs to be well executed. The Warmfront is beautifully simple, well made and remarkably effective. The Warmfront in simple terms is a “Polartec” shirtfront with a Velcro collar and while something that simple doesn’t really need instructions it could come with a quick recommendation. Something along the lines of “attach Velcro collar around neck, do not under any circumstances look in a mirror.” Like most undergarments, worn solo the Warmfront is not a good look, but that’s not what it’s about.

Worn in place of a base layer the Warmfront does what it says on the packaging, it keeps your front warm, as warm as my usual base layer, with the added advantage of leaving your back unencumbered to breathe and keep you comfortable. The days I rode with the Warmfront were both about 12 degrees but predicted to warm up. That is normally the temperature where I will grab a decent base layer to kick off and then put up with a sweaty back and crack as my punishment for not being able to handle a little cold. So I swapped the base layer for the Warmfront and put a summer weight jersey over the top with some arm warmers and headed off.

Now I knew it was cold, my eyes were watering behind my glasses and my ears were chilly, but my chest felt, for all intents and purposes, like I had a full base layer on.  The difference came about 45 minutes into the ride when normally things start to get uncomfortable. Having only the front covered means the Warmfront can stay in place keeping the windward side toasty warm while your back is free to vent away.

Now, depending on your tolerance for the cold or the changing conditions the Warmfront can stay in place as is or it can perform its magical quick change trick. If you are comfortable riding one handed (or no handed for the show offs) then if you are warm enough you can reach around the back of your neck, undo the Velcro collar and pull the Warmfront out in one swift movement. At the point of removing the Warmfront while moving you realise just how much work that seemingly small piece of material was doing. The Warmfront then can be scrunched up in a fist sized ball and stuffed in your jersey pocket leaving you free to enjoy the rest of your ride.

The Warmfront as tested weighs in at just 44 grams. There is also an ultralight version and women’s fit options for both models. The collar graphic is also customisable if you are looking to do a team order of about 16 or more pieces.

The Warmfront is $56.90 and available from Full Beam Australia and is destined to become an essential part of many cyclists kit.

Find them at https://fullbeam.com.au/

New Ultegra R8000 provides high-performance stopping power with hydraulic disc brakes, ergonomically shaped mechanical and Di2 shifting levers, new top-hood Di2 buttons for enhanced shifting customizability, Synchronized Shift TT levers for shifting simplicity and lower-profile Shadow rear derailleurs for aerodynamic advantages.

The launch of new Ultegra R8000 offers much more than pro-proven products. Ultegra R8000 takes the technologies used by professional teams and perfects them for real world riders, offering customizable, ergonomically superior drivetrain control with advanced disc brakes or rim brakes and pin-point accuracy from Di2 or mechanical shifting options.

Designed equally for racing, training, performing, or for enjoying cycling with friends, Ultegra allows you to recapture the passion of riding.

ULTEGRA R8000 DRIVETRAIN

A redesigned asymmetric crank arm takes its cue from the Dura-Ace R9100 design with a beefier-looking Hollowtech II 4-arm design for stiffer power transfer, whilst even dropping a couple of grams (674g, 50-34T) from the previous design (676g).

The crankset’s outer chain ring features Shimano’s Hollowglide technology for a highly rigid yet hollow structure to cut down on weight and maintain strength for more precise front shifting.

Crankset options include a standard 53-39T ratio, mid compact 52-36T, compact 50-34T, and cyclocross-specific 46-36T.

The 11-speed cassette sprocket comes in 6 ‘standard’ sizes (CS-R8000; 11-25T, 11-28T, 11-30T, 11-32T, 12-25T, 14-28T) and a wider 11-34T (CS-HG800) cassette with a hub body designed to fit both road bikes (with spacer) and mountain bikes.

New Ultegra carbon SPD-SL pedals encourage pro-level performance by reducing the stack height by 0.7mm, extending the crank’s lever effect, and shaving 12g off the previous PD-6800 design (now 248g). Pedal options are also available with 4mm longer axles.

ULTEGRA R8000 SHIFTING SYSTEMS

Ultegra offers riders incredibly fast and accurate Di2 or mechanical shifting, and hydraulic or rim braking with near-identical, perfectly ergonomical levers and hoods.

The new Di2 lever can operate with the recently released full or semi Synchronized Shifting function (with the BT-BN110 battery), giving riders the option to make automatic shifts from the front (full-) or rear (semi-Synchro) derailleurs. This means that you could set, for example, both left shifters to move up through the drivetrain and both right shifters to move down through the drivetrain. As well as this the shifters have more defined click feeling to offer quick and precise shifting with gloves.

Following the design of the ‘secret’ Dura-Ace Di2 shifter buttons, the new Ultegra ST-R8070 hydraulic Di2 and ST-R8050 rim brake Di2 levers also include the top-of-the-hoods buttons for remote shifting, which can be programmed to shift gear or to control additional devices such as compatible computers or lights.

All shift levers or buttons can also operate multi-shift which, like the top buttons and Synchronized Shift features, are customizable in the E-TUBE app for phones, tablets or PCs. The app not only allows you to customize functions and operations as you please, but also allows you to keep all units up-to-date with the latest firmware and run error checks to pinpoint and solve abnormalities.

The ST-R8070 hydraulic levers step up from the previous non-series R785 levers with greater reach and free stroke adjustments. The new hydraulic levers (STR8070 and ST-R8020) weigh in at 360g and 550g respectively, just 65g and 112g heavier than their rim brake counterparts (ST-R8050, 295g, and ST-R8000, 438g).

The front derailleur (FD) is designed to handle quick and smooth shifting under high pedaling torque. Combining with the re-designed crankset, the FD has been redesigned so it can accommodate wider tyres as well as a wider gear pitch without sacrificing shifting.

The Di2 (RD-R8050) or mechanical (RD-R8000) rear derailleur (RD) adopts the Dura-Ace low-profile Shimano Shadow RD design to sit fully under the cassette, tucked away from potential damage. The RD comes in a short cage (SS) design to cover 11-25T to 11-30T and a longer cage (GS) design to cover 11-28T to 11-34T. Both front and rear Di2 derailleurs communicate with each other to operate full or semi Synchronized Shifting mode, allowing the rider to maintain concentration on the road or the race ahead.

The mechanical shifting levers are available as hydraulic (ST-R8020) or rim brake designs (ST-R8000) featuring Polymer-coated cables for an incredibly light shifting operation. Furthermore the design does away with the in-line barrel cable tension adjustor and instead offers an allen key adjustment for easy, precise and accurate cable tension settings.

ULTEGRA R8000 ADDITIONAL SHIFTING COMPONENTS

For time trials and triathlons a pair of dual control Ultegra ST-R8060 levers plug into the ends of the bar extensions to offer braking and shifting. The design offers a new dimension for TT/Tri riders by simplifying the shifting operation when the rider is at his or her maximum level of effort. One shift button and the switch box of the ST-6871 unit have been removed, making the design smaller, shorter and more aerodynamic.

The effect of eliminating a button on each shifter means that TT/Triathlon riders will use full Synchronized Shifting mode in this position. That means there is one button on one shifter (ie on the left of the extension bars) to move up through the entire drivetrain and one button on the other shifter (ie on the right) to move down through the entire drivetrain. Alternative compatible options here still include the non-series SW-R671 TT shifters plus the SW-R600 climber or SW-R610 sprint buttons.

ULTEGRA R8000 BRAKE SYSTEMS

The new Ultegra Hydraulic braking options include advanced stopping power from the direct mount BR-R8070 calipers, offering sleek integration into a road bike profile. The rotors feature distinctive enclosed disc fins which allow a greater surface area for heat dissipation. A pair of BR-R8070 disc calipers weigh 280g plus 212g for a pair of SM-RT800 rotors, compared to 360g for a pair of Ultegra BR-R8000 dual pivot rim brake calipers.

As well as the dual-pivot design, Ultegra’s new rim brake calipers also come in a direct-mount design. Both designs are compatible with up to 28c tyres and feature sleek designs with narrower gaps between the arms. The dual-pivot design features a stabilizer between the arms to reduce deformation and improve braking efficiency. Meanwhile the direct mount design connects directly to compatible frames to reduce weight and increase overall performance.

ULTEGRA-LEVEL WHEELS

Complementing the new Ultegra line-up are two new lightweight wheelsets – the tubeless carbon-laminate WH-RS700 rim brake wheels (which replace the Ultegra WH-6800) and the tubeless WH-RS770 disc brake wheels with road e-thru axles.

New hubs (HB/FH-RS700/770) within the wheels encourage faster acceleration with a weight saving of almost 60g compared to a pair of Ultegra 6800 hubs, whilst the rims use a new rigid but lighter carbon lay-up procedure to create a rim brake wheelset that comes in 80g lighter than its predecessor.

ULTEGRA R8000’S DEVELOPMENT

Shimano Europe Product Manager Tim Gerrits: “The goal was to bring high end technology to a wider audience of riders. We wanted to offer high performance riding to the many types of road cyclist with a wide variety of products to serve the ever-growing road bike landscape.

“Ultegra is designed to cover everything from TT/Triathlon racing, to those who want disc brake and Di2 race or Gran Rondo performance, to the digital intelligence and shifting accuracy of Di2 and rim braking, to the braking performance of discs with the reliability of mechanical shifting, or to the simplicity of rim braking and mechanical shifting. With five different ‘standard’ set ups the choice for consumers is really broad.

“To retain that Ultegra quality level across such a wide variety of products and for such a wide range of uses was a big development challenge, especially when it came to integrating some of the new features from our top-tier Dura Ace R9100 series. Hydraulic disc brakes and Synchronized Shifting for example, were two completely new areas for Ultegra and we needed to find the right balance between high performance, high quality and high levels of durability and reliability.

“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created. Ultegra has such a loyal and enthusiastic appeal that it is associated with the true spirit of the sport. We’ve pushed that forwards, and hopefully in the process we can attract more people to the sport of road cycling.”

Ultegra R8000 components will start to arrive from August 2017.

So, I thought I’d give this reviewing thing a go!  Now, as a triathlete I was a bit of a shmo and now days I’m much worse than that.  But I thought that maybe few of us have gotten into the territory of using cycling specific orthotics in their shoes.  So this is a bit about the Solestar brand orthotics I’ve been using for a few weeks now.  One of the podiatrists at the clinic I go to is a cyclist and triathlete and does a bike fit assesment as part of the orthotics fitting process. So with an initial consultation and then a fitting appointment, I was measured up, flexibility checked, and had a bike fitting done.

Then we got stuck into the orthotics themselves.  She uses a brand of orthotic called Solestars.

http://www.solestar.de/en/products/cycling-insoles.html

They are not a custom molded orthotic, so I guess you’d say they’re ‘off the shelf’.   They are designed to get your foot into an optimum position within your shoe and during the pedal stroke, and also try and promote a slight amount of pronation during the stroke.  So I guess that’s the spiel.  Here’s some pics of them themselves.

Here are some pics next to the standard insole from my Northwave shoes.  Big difference!

In my case, rather than just supplying the orthotic, she has added a fair bit extra into the arch of my orthotics which you can see in this pic.  The extra is the grey stuff between the red and the black.

The support section of the Solestars are carbon fibre and is bloody stiff.  The section under my toes and the ball of my foot is soft and flexible; you can see in the pics the line behind my little toe which cuts across then down behind the ball of my foot, that's where the carbon support starts.  You can also see that it graduates down in thickness which is what is spose to help create a little pronation within your stroke.  On the top of the orthotic under the outside and behind your little toe is another thicker section which is also part of the pronation control.  I did ask my pod why cycling shoes aren't made with the same sort of shape or support that you find in runners etc. She expected that it was because in the end most of the force is going through the front of your foot, not the back where most support is.

I wear the same size and brand of cycling and tri shoes - Northwave, so they fit pretty well in those.  While I wear a size 43 in shoe, the size 42 orthotic fit quite well, with just a small amount of trimming around the toes. This contradicts Solestars website which recommends the same size orthotic as your Northwave shoes, so something to take into account if you look at them.  One thing I think to consider with these is how roomy your shoes are.  These orthotics do feel like they make my shoe a tighter fit, though I am getting used to them.  I did have to loosen them off a reasonable amount more at the toes.  I have chosen Northwave shoes because I feel they are a wider fit, which my Podiatrist did confirm when chatting with her.

All up my appointment (with bike fit) took around 2 hours and out I walked with the new orthotics.  She wanted me to ride no longer than about 45mins for my first few rides, so I stuck to the trainer for those.  My first was a lazy gentle spin of 30mins, but the next two were spinerval workouts of around 45mins.  They felt very awkward at first but within those first three rides I got pretty much used to them.  It probably helped that I’ve had to have orthotics in my everyday shoes as well.  Since those spin sessions, I’ve had 4 rides outdoors of 40ish+ k (one of those very intense (by my standards)) and one more spin on the trainer.  All the trainer sessions have been on my TT bike which has been the worst for my back over the last few years, and the first 3 outside have been on my roadie with the 4th on my TT.

What I have noticed is that my right foot position has changed slightly, and my right leg and knee position has changed quite dramatically.  She noted my right leg during the setup, that it hugged quite close to the top tube, and at times my right knee would almost tuck over the top of the tube at the top of my stroke.  She asked me if I felt it touching when cycling, which I most certainly have.  I even feel my right knee and leg brushing my seat tube drink bottle quite often.  Well, that has really changed!  My left leg is still pretty much moving how it did before, but now my right foot sits slightly toe pointing out on my pedal, and my right knee has moved out from my top tube quite a lot!  It now sits slightly further away from the tube than my left sits.  What I’ve also noticed is my right leg is much more stable during the stroke, moving more in a round motion without much left and right wafting which it often did, in particular under load.  What has been quite a revelation to me has been my back while riding.  This back problem (a muscular issue, I think it's my right external oblique) persists to this day.  It’s usually at it’s worse after 25 to 30k on the bike, but it can bother me in day to day life as well.  Well, on my TT bike on the trainer it is not noticeable at all!  Like, not at all.  On the road it starts to show up, but more as a niggle rather than a pain.  I clearly have more work to do on it, but it’s really been quite astounding the difference in these 8 rides thus far.  I had an appointment with my surgeon a week ago and mentioned this to him, and his response was that that was what he was hoping would happen which is one of the reasons he suggested the cycling orthotics.  My right foot and right biomechanics were really that bad (he originally commented that having me stand barefoot, to see my right foot made him physically sick).  I don’t expect this to be a magic cure-all, but with some stretching the Pod has me doing, along with having to now get a foam roller (I think I will learn to hate her for that), I hope to be able to finally get some relief from this.

Back to the orthotics.  As I said, they are really an ‘off the shelf’ product, and I believe you can source these yourselves and off you go.  They sell about 4 different models, of which mine is the second top model, the Kontrol.  I’ve noticed since I first started looking at them that there is a new version of mine - typical.  But so far they seem to be doing a good job for me.

Who are they really for?  Well, I don’t really know!  I would never have thought of them myself if not suggested.  I thought cycling shoes are already stiff so what would an orthotic do?  But in my case they seem to be doing quite a lot.  And even in the pics you should be able to see that there is quite a big difference in the shape and support offered, compared to what you get in a standard cycling shoe.  They have certainly stabilised my leg movement on my right side.  Two weeks down now and I don’t really notice them after about the first 5 minutes of riding.  How much extra weight do they add?  My original insoles weighed 12 grams.  My orthotics, with the extra support added to them, come in at 66 grams.  I couldn’t say how much they weigh without the extra added, but it would still be a fair bit more than 12 grams.

How much did it all cost?  Well, I had two appointments.  The first being an initial consultation where she measured a lot of me up and assessed my flexibility etc.  Then there was the bike fitting and orthotic fitting assessment.  After health fund rebates, the first appointment cost me about $45, and the second including the orthotics was around $189.  This actually ended up cheaper than when I had my other orthotics done.  Apparently because they are a pre-made product rather than custom the whole process costs less, hence my health fund effectively covered more.  The total cost of both appointments including orthotics and bike fit was round $700 pre health fund.  For my regular orthotics the total was closer to $900 with my health fund covering about $500 of that.

The internet has brought us many exciting innovations. It allows us to connect to loved ones on the other side of the world in real time, we are able to access volumes of previously inaccessible knowledge, Youtube allows us to waste hours watching old music videos or cat videos if that’s your thing. We can meet and engage on line with like-minded people on internet forums or we can use it to source the best bargains from around the world and fill our homes with things we didn’t know we needed.

When it comes to internet shopping bike “bits” have generally been the staple for most of us, however  “direct to market” bike sales have hit the spotlight of recent times with Canyon pushing the barrow.  Now Ribble are also making a concerted effort to push themselves into this space. While for many of us in Oz, Ribble is best known as being one of the originators of the internet cycle shopping revolution, their roots actually go back way beyond the internet. The art of bike building has always been an integral part of their business and they are rightly proud that riders such as Chris Boardman and Bradley Wiggins have spent time aboard Ribble bikes.

Just as Ribble’s retail strategy has changed with the times, going from a bricks and mortar high street store to a more on line strategy with warehousing and “click and collect” shopping, their line of bicycles has also evolved. Hand built steel frames have now been replaced with a range of carbon fibre frames to suit most cycling applications, however one part of Ribble’s business remains constant; the ability to have “your bike your way”.  With Ribble you are not constrained to a set build for any of their bikes. You, the customer, are free to tinker with the build as much as you like to get either the spec or the price point that best suits your requirements, and that is no different to the test bike I have had the opportunity to ride for the last few weeks.

The Aero 883 road bike is Ribble’s aero road rocket, a bike that looks fast standing still. In my opinion the frame looks as good as any aero frame on the market. But it seems it was not just the stylists who had a major hand in designing this model. The UK is home to almost all of the worlds Formula 1 engineering factories and Ribble have taken full advantage of this convenient fact. The Aero 883 frame was designed with the assistance of Performance Engineered Solutions in Sheffield who are involved with F1 and Moto GP and if experience tells us anything, bringing these big budget players into the cycling sphere can only have huge benefits for our sport. 

The Aero 883 also makes judicious use of Kamm-tail shapes, predominantly on the seat and down tubes, which give the effect of larger aero tubes without the additional material or area. The seat post is also a neat match for the seat tube and has a simple yet effective and very clean clamping mechanism. Without a wind tunnel it would had to verify any claims, although Ribble don’t actually stick their neck out and make any, but if the eyeball aero test is anything to go by the 883 certainly appears to be a slippery sucker from all angles.

When I picked up the Ribble Aero 883 I was pre warned that it was a stiff ride. Having been reviewing bikes for nearly ten year now I have heard lots of claims and generally take them with a grain of salt, but maybe the decal on the fork that reads “Race Rigid” should have been a bit of a giveaway that they were serious, and they couldn’t be more correct. From the first pedal stroke the Ribble Aero 883 shows it has the build to match its racy looks. It is stiff, impressively so, which equates to an immediate forward trajectory. While sitting on the couch typing away one night a repeat of a Mythbusters episode came on the TV. It was the one where they used the rocket sled to completely destroy yet another car. (If you haven’t seen it Google “rocket sled car” it’s awesome)  Watching this clip reinforced to me what happens when you get maximum power transfer with minimal resistance and point it in a straight line and this is just how the Ribble feels. Of course that degree of energy transfer does not come without a compromise of some sort.

The stiffness of the Aero 883 translates to a greater degree of saddle feel than many would be used to. This is not a “comfort bike” or an “endurance geometry” bike this is a point and shoot weapon. But, let’s face it, you don’t buy a Porsche to carry groceries and you don’t buy an Aero road bike and not want to ride it fast. If your idea of a Sunday ride is cruising coffee shops and chatting with mates then then the 883 may be a bit too much for you, but if your idea of a Sunday ride is punching off the front, trying to put your mates into the hurt box and racing at road signs for sprint points then the 883 may be right up your alley.

The steering of the Aero 883 is also in line with what you would expect from a top flite racer. While not slow or lazy the steering does feel like it needs definite and purposeful input at which point it responds accordingly with dependable accuracy. This, I believe, is where this bike falls squarely into being reviewed on a Tri site. The steering lends itself nicely to the addition of some clip on bars for those that want a tri bike for hilly courses or simply a cost effective single bike tri strategy. Unlike many aero bikes which use generic brakes the 883 comes equipped with Shimano direct mount brakes. Often aero mounted brakes accompanied with funky cable outing can lead to a less than effective brake, the Shimano direct mounts are a great brake and work as well as standard brakes, although the bottom bracket mounting can leave them susceptible to getting gunked up. 

Our test model came equipped with Shimano Ultegra Di2, which is without doubt one of the best bang for buck groupsets on the market. The 2^nd tier electronic groupset has been virtually faultless on any of the test bikes I had over the years and on my own bikes. The 883 comes standard with an internal battery setup which keeps everything neat and tidy and also helps keep the aero lines nice and clean. However if you are not an electronic kinda person, or just want to save a few dollars then that’s where the beauty of the Ribble comes into play. The Ribble websites bike builder allows you to spec the frame how you like. In its lowest spec an 883 complete bike can come in as low as $2,249, or if you have your own fancy wheels you can get the 883 specced with Ultegra Di2 and Shimano’s entry level RS010’s for $3,868.

With the Mavic’s as tested the 883 currently runs at $4,544 and tips the scales at a pretty respectable 8.08 kgs. When I say “currently”, it is worth noting that as these bikes are shipped from the UK the price can fluctuate a bit depending on the current exchange rate. (When I started reviewing this bike it was listed at $5,009, thanks Brexit). Ribble are however, trying to keep fluctuations to a minimum and holding prices for a month or so before revising the exchange rate. There is also the additional issue that firstly your bank may sting you for a foreign currency transaction and also the fact that you may be up for additional costs as the bikes come through Australian customs. Although this is estimated to be only a 10% chance of being picked up, it is worth doing your homework and being prepared just in case, however I have been told that Ribble are looking to work towards an all-inclusive “landed” price in the near future.  However even with any possible customs impost the Ribble 883 is still a pretty good deal.

Ribble bikes arrive well packed and 90% assembled with only a few bolts to be tightened before you are on your way. Di2 also makes any fine tuning a doddle. For those not accustomed to tinkering with their own bikes and not keen on assembling their own bike there are a multitude of boutique mechanics getting around now that will happily work on any bike from any source or with some help from Youtube it may be time to get learning.

The quality of the Ribble 883 and the ability to customise your own build certainly make this bike one worth investgating

Specs as tested: 

Frame: Ribble AERO883 Di2 Carbon Road Frame

Chain: HG701 (6800 Ultegra) Chain - 11 Speed

Crankset: Ultegra 172.5 34/50

Gear Levers and Shifters: STI Levers Ultegra 6800 11Spd

Cassette: Ultegra 11-28

Front Derailleur: Ultegra 6800 11Spd Dble Front Gear Braze-on

Rear Derailleur: SS Short (max 28T)

Brake Set: Ultegra 6810 Direct Fit Brake Set

Bottom Bracket: BB71 Road Press Fit BB Cups 86.5x41

Wheelset: Mavic Cosmic Pro Carbon 25mm WTS Wheelset

Tyres: Continental Ultra Sport 2 Rigid Tyre  700x23mm

Handlebars: Deda RHM 02 Bars

Stem: Deda Zero 2 Stem

Saddle: Selle Italia SLR Flow (Manganese)

Weight 8.08 kg’s excl pedals (Large)

Price as tested $4,544.00 (may include additional charges)