Monthly Archives: August 2014

  • The cyclists home tool-kit

    Every cyclist should be able to carry out a few repairs to their own bike themselves. By doing work on the bike yourself you will be more capable to attend to roadside repairs when necessary as you will have a better understanding of how each component works. You will also have more confidence in the…

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  • Winners and Losers

    She turned towards me with a look of disappointment on her face. The glowing smile of pride when I congratulated her on almost getting a strike was now replaced with a scowl of disappointment. I felt responsible. I had set her up for a fall.

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  • The cyclists on the road tool-kit

    Every cyclist who ventures further than the end of their road should always carry a minimum amount of tools and spares with them. Some feel that a mobile phone and €20 is all the toolkit that they need. But what happens when you get a mechanical 30k from home in an area with no phone…

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  • Concept bikes

    Today at Eurobike, BMC unveiled its concept bike with an internal gearbox. This futuristic looking machine may well be ahead of its time. But Colnago had a similar internal gearbox concept back in 1987 2014 BMC 1987 Colnago This bike weighed over 13kg. The BMC weighs just over half that. Bike technology is moving rapidly…

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  • How to use a Dublin Bike

    A friend of mine mentioned recently that he was going to Dublin, and would be running and racing around the city centre for the day. I suggested that he use bikes from the Dublin bike hire scheme to get around quickly and easily. He replied 'sure I wouldn't know where to start with them yokes'…

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  • The 2014 Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford

    As usual the last Sunday of August begins with an early start for both cyclists and volunteers. Just like many of the cyclists who were travelling from all parts of the country, as a volunteer I was on the road before the darkness of night had passed into the brightness of dawn. A fiery red…

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  • Swift – A bike that lives up to its name

    When John Dempsey of Lucca Sports called up to my house one evening with a new bike for me to test out I was happy to see him. As he handed over the Swift Ultravox RS-1 and we looked across towards the Comeragh mountains he happened to remark 'Mind it now and no going for…

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  • Motivation

    Everyone experiences days when they do not feel like going training. We have all been there. It would be easy to stay in bed, watch tv, sit on the couch, surf the web, have a quick look at Facebook that turns into an hour or any multitude of other distractions that seem like valid reasons…

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  • The road to redemption

    The Rangy rider ignores the jibes and the whispered insults. He is an outcast and is comfortable with that, or so he thinks. A compulsion drives him to change gear

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