A Cyclist's Life in Tenerife (Canary Islands)

Here’s a unique map we recently found hidden on the Cabildo website. It’s a traffic density map of Tenerife showing the average number of cars per day on each road (numbers marked in bold). The red figures indicate the percentage of «heavy vehicles» (I expect that means ones weighing in greater than 3,500 kg MMA (maximum authorised mass). It’s in pdf format and can be downloaded by clicking on the thumbnail image to the left…

Tags: Ride the Volcano!, The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

With just over 2 months notice, I’d like to annouce that we’ll be closed from 08/06/2011 to 18/07/2011. This means bike hire and guided rides won’t be possible during that time. Of course the website will continue to function and I’ll administer it while I’m away. Throughout the June July period we’ll also still be able to answer emails and take advanced bike reservations for the 2011 Summer & Autumn seasons. All current bookings for this period will be respected (currently there’s only one so Chiqui will take care of that).

The pro bike hire service will resume as normal after that date. We are of course happy to take bookings now for the remainder of July, as well as August, September, October, November and December 2011.

Happy cycling!
Leslie

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For those of you thinking about renting a car in Tenerife, I think it’s a great idea. If you’re a cyclist wanting to make the most of your cycling holiday, or just a casual tourist, hiring a car allows you the freedom to go wherever you and want, whenever you want. It’s surprisingly cheap to rent a car here too! Before you go ahead, I do have a few recommendations as far as local driving culture is concerned…

The roads on Tenerife are something else. Even though everything is well signposted, driving here isn’t what you’d call ‘easy’. In fact, the word «extreme» comes to mind, because there are almost no flat or straight roads here. Now, with that in mind, know that local drivers are accustomed to driving on these roads over and over and over again, hence most of them get a tremendous amount of practice driving on this little island. See where I’m going with this…? (más…)

Tags: Island Life, Mental Anguish // 1 Comment »

Les,

Many thanks for the great service last week. Great place to cycle: the ascent of Teide is one of the great European climbs. Great weather. Lovely roads. Good bike, beautifully presented. Prompt service and fantastic back up during the week.

I’ll be recommending you to cycling friends.

Good luck,

— Crispin Oliver, February 2011.

Hi Leslie,
Just a thankyou for making a very decent bike available to me in Tenerife. As I would expect from somebody of your background the set up fitted me like a glove and the gear change and brakes felt very slick (glad you put the new brakeblocks on).I was Billy No mates on all my 6 outings 3 times up to Arona once to Vilaflor and twice easy cycling to Las Galletas 240k in total and managed to do it without disrupting the wife’s holiday.I have given you a plug on my cycling club forum which is www.hinckleycrc.org which you can read under Cycling Chitchat, «Tenerife Training». Nobody has posted a reply I think they are Jealous.

We’ve already booked for next year coming out on 17th of January for 2 weeks so I’ll be in touch.

— David Evans. January 2011.

Leslie,
Thanks again for your usual professional service with the bike hire last week. Don’t understand how anybody would want to bring their own bike, rather than hire, its great being able to give you the bike back at the end of the week, rather than the worry of taking your own bike back.Highlights of the week for me-â—‹ Icod del Alto (worth the climb up for the veiws)
â—‹ Mount Teide (as always,I don’t count kms travelled in Tenerife, only metres climbed)
â—‹ La Matanza (locals thinking I was mad doing a 25% climb as a short cut- there was no way I was going to get off the bike, with them watching!)
Top tip- Always take at least arm warmers up to Teide, even if it is sunny on the way up, it will be cold descending. Above all follow the advise on the TT website- it is there for a reason

Many thanks once again

— Geoff Whitlow – Devon. December 2010.

Les,
Thanks again for meeting me. The larger map turned out to be the most useful to me as the detail came in handy. I absolutely loved the riding on the island and managed ~850 km while I was there. I particularly liked the climb up TF-421 from Garachico to El Tanque. I hope to make it back to do some of the southern climbs or spend more time in the Anaga range. Anage was great, but wet and consequently cut short.Cheers,

— Brian, December 2010.

Thanks for the email, back in dark england now, but will definately recommend you guys to anyone heading over, really appreciate your local knowledge and when I get back I’ll definately look to go out for tour with you guys.Take care,

— jodi – UK. December 2010.

Hi Leslie,
I was very pleased about your service and your bike. You have an excellent business, keep it this way.I was so happy about it that I posted an advice on my FB page. I have lots of solar physicists as friends that may be interested in your services. Enjoy,

— Thierry Appourchaux – France, November 2010.

Leslie,
Very nice to meet you last week mate, a very professional outfit you have set up. Thanks very much for your great service with the bike. It was in great condition and having a working odometer attached saved me having to do anything. I was just reading again your description of the climb up from the north of the island on and it brought back the memories (horrors!!!) of last week.The worst part was riding up from las Americas and turning left at La Camella on the TF51. A short distance along this road there is a sign saying El Teide 42km. That makes the whole climb just short of 48km or 29 miles which is why it took me over 3 hours to complete. The descent on the TF21 back down to Vilaflor was superb though…including overtaking a car at about 70kph. (I thought I’d wait to e-mail you about that one instaed of telling you as I handed the bike back!)The final ride was up to Vilaflor but the legs were too tired to take me up any further…or was it the aftereffects of the previous night’s consumption?!

Anyway, great holiday and great bike service. Hope all goes well with your business.

Regards,

— Chris England – Lancashire. June 2010.

Hi Leslie,
We enjoyed our cycling in Tenerife very much, even though we’re not used to the steep terrain. All your advice that you provided by mail, in person and on your web site was extremely valuable to us.The bikes were of very good condition and great, my girlfriend still misses the great brakes that were on her bike! We would highly recommend your website and services for anyone interested in getting some cycling during some winter sun holiday. The views that we saw while cycling in Anaga, Teide and Masca regions were marvelous, the roads were in great condition and we had no issue with cars as some of the areas were indeed very isolated.

— Sarunas Vancevicius – Ireland. March 2010.

Hi Leslie.
We would like to thank you for your great service and assistance during and before our holiday on Tenerife. We plan to cycle again at the end of this year – and be sure, we will be hiring bikes from you again.Thanks and Best Regards,

— André Wachsmann, January 2010.

Leslie, Just to say thanks for the bike you provided and the support you gave me when I came over to Tenerife late December 2009.
The bike was spot-on — good specification and obviously well maintained. Like many cyclists coming to Tenerife, I wondered whether it would be better to bring my own bike, or hire one of yours. Quite frankly, I cannot see any argument in favour of bringing your own, in terms of the UK at least, bringing your own bike is more expensive, a lot more hassle and with the added worry of not knowing what will happen to it during transit. Very few cyclists are that good that bringing your own bike would make that much difference «to your performance». I would recommend that visitors concentrate on bringing their own shoes, gloves, helmet etc , none of which takes up too much baggage allowance.
You also provided great advice on the routes to ride and which roads to avoid, which greatly added to my enjoyment of the five days I rode a bike. Hopefully, the next time I will visit it will be part of a club group, I am still telling them all how wonderful the experience was.
Best wishes for 2010.

— Geoff Whitlow, UK. December 2009.

Leslie
Arrived home safe in Bonnie Scotland. Many thanks for your assistance with the hire of the Merida 880 bike and track pump. It was a great service and I enjoyed my 18 days cycling in Tenerife very much. As I said I had absolutely no problems with the hire and everything worked like a swiss watch. The only thing I needed to do was adjust the saddle height to suit me and change the back tyre (which was my fault) for doing an emergency stop at a crossing. Changing the tyre was very easy as everything was in good mechanical order and a spare cover was provided by you.
Here are the pictures I promised you. If you wish to put any of them on your website then please go ahead and do so.
Many thanks and good luck. I hope to see you again in the future.

— Ian Russell, UK. December 2009.

Les,
Many thanks for the bikes… will recommend you to all cyclists/triathletes coming to Tenerife & send an email to you on return to UK.

Thanks again

— Chris & Vicky Morris, November 2009

The most amazing cycling trip ever! Thanks so much.

— Chris Ricketts, Southampton, UK. April 2009.

Your website is GREAT!!! Lots of the information I was looking for was there. Thanks!

— Thomas Källander. February 2009.

For my first ever ride on a road bike I chose to ride up from Puerto to the crater of Volcano Teide! Amazing climb, stunning summit, and unbelievable (and extemely cold!) descent back down. The bike, helmet, pedals, shoes, and much needed water bottle were all excellent and great value. Booking and pick up of the bike was easy and we have already booked flights back at the end of June when we will be renting again.

Many thanks,

— Tim (Birmingham, England). February 2009.

Hallo,
Danke für die Informationen auf der Website.
Genau diese Infos habe ich gesucht.Schöne Grüße

— Johannes Weßling, December 2008.

THANKS
GREAT BIKE
GREAT SERVICE
GREAT RIDES

Cheers

— Andy Davis, November 2008.

Tags: Sales Pitch // Add Comment »

Hello, I would like to rent a bike for three days, but have still a few questions in mind:

1. what if e.g. one week before my renting starts there is a rain forecast for my rental days, is there a possibility to change days or cancel without cost – what’s your policy on this?
2. my current bike has a sloping frame (Specialized Roubaix) size 56. Virtual top tube length 56,5cm (+11cm stem) and effective seat tube 56cm. Would you have the 56cm Pro-Lite Cumeo Rival or Ultegra available?
3. Ok to change my own saddle on the bike?
4. would there be any open group rides organized that I could join?

Hello,

To answer your questions:

1) Most people do not cancel due to the weather. Will your airline or hotel refund your holiday because of rain? It is just a case of luck with the weather. If you don’t want to commit & reserve a bike, you will almost
certainly miss out during christmas time.

2) We only have a 56cm Pro Lite bike available on the 12th & 13th of December, for 2 days (shimano ultegra, compact cranks). Otherwise if you want a bike for three days, there is a 58cm leader 730R road bike
available…

3) Yes that is definitely okay. You can attach any of your own equipment to the bikes. GPS, make handlebar adjustments, etc.

4) We have stopped doing group rides and focus on bike hire. The best thing is to contact a bike club, or have a look at Tags: The Bike Guru // 2 Comments »

Hi Leslie,

Around 3 years ago you gave me invaluable info for my journey to Tenerife…this year I’m again heading to Playa Amaricas with my family…

Im doing3 routes…

I’m going up to Satiago Del Teide…then down to Masca…onto Buena Vista Norte then up the hairpins at Garachico and back over the Erjos Pass back to Santiago Del Teide and back through Chip to Las amaricas…I’ve done this in reverse the last time (swine of a climb out of Masca) so know I can get water in stretegic places..

I’m also doing Teide from San Miguel…up through Granadillo and onto the TF21 up to Vilaflor…to Boca Tauce…

Water is the thing thats worrying me…Will I get water in the Las Canadas Crater at the cable car?

My 3rd outing is the most worrying….

Im gonna get dropped off at Guimar by Taxi…then onto Arafo and up the TF523 to Teide…I’ll be heading passed Azana through the Las Canadas crater back down thru Vilaflor to Las Americas…water is worrying me! Will I get water at El Portillo?….is there nowhere else to refuel between Arafo and El Portillo?…its pretty worring me…especially in August heat…

Any help you can offer would be truly appreciated..

Many thanks,

Richard

Hello Richard,

Yep, I’m pretty sure I remember you, from bikeradar forums, right? To answer your questions:

Looks like you know what you’re doing with the Erjos/Masca loop… like you say, it is a difficult one if you do it in reverse!

> Water is the thing thats worrying me…Will I get water in the Las Canadas Crater at the cable car?

Yes you can get water at the base of the cable car; I’m pretty sure there is a restaurant there but I never take much notice as I always bypass it. Before you reach that, you will arrive at a small hotel with restaurant & café called «El Parador». That’s a few kilometres (1 or 2?) before the base of Mt. Teide.

You can also get water in Vilaflor on the way up- that’s the last reliable water source before reaching El Parador.

> Im gonna get dropped off at Guimar by Taxi…then onto Arafo and up the TF523 to Teide…I’ll be heading passed Azana through the Las Canadas crater back down thru Vilaflor to Las Americas…water is worrying me! Will I get water at El Portillo?….is there nowhere else to refuel between Arafo and El Portillo?…its pretty worring me…especially in August heat…

That sounds like a great route and I think you will be rewarded in planning it!

You will definitely get water in both Arafo and then in El Portillo. A few kilometres past El Portillo there are two more restaurant-cafés either side of the road. Then you’ll go past El Parador again (th emost expensive of the lot). Besides those three places (and maybe the base of Mt Teide), you won’t find anywhere else that I’m aware of to refuel between Arafo & Vilaflor. There is one place along road TF24 somewhere but I can’t remember if it’s after the Arafo junction or not… I’ve just tried in vain to find out but I’ve already spent a good 20 minutes searching with no results. It’s like a lodge log cabin thing and I’m pretty sure it’s
closer to La Esperanza.

I would make sure you bring two 750ml bottles (Decathlon even sell 1L versions) or else do like we do in OZ and get a camelback and/or two bottles which hang off the back of your seat like you see in the triathlons…

Currently in Australia (Sydney) on a business trip for vertebrae components so I’m not around to make any phonecalls for you regarding the location of that other unknown restaurant, etc. won’t be back until mid-August & I’m looking forward to tackling all those roads once again…

One more thing: There’s another log-cabin style bar at the top of the climb coming out of Vilaflor [called «Las Lajas»]. It’s on the left, just at the crest of the climb, pretty much right below the treeline. If you start veering to the right and then back down left and down into Boca Tauce (a 200m descent), you’ve past it. I’m not sure of the opening times and it is $$$.

Hope that helps,

Thanks,
Leslie

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Good evening,

I’m a keen mountain biker and road cyclist and wish to get some rides in while visiting Tenerife. Was planning on being there in Oct and Dec, will the weather be good enough for the rides you mention on your website?

Also if are the mountain bike trails easy to follow if I was to cycle alone?

Many thanks,

James Young

Hello,

Yes, the weather will be cooler obviously but still rideable. In fact the December-April period is our busiest time – most of our clients who rent bikes come down from Northern Europe to cycle here then & escape their own Winter.

It will be colder up the mountain, so you will likely need arm & leg warmers. It’s a good idea to bring a thin windshell jacket + gloves for the December visit too! Check out our Weather & info page for more info about the climate…

The mountain trails are not all that easy to follow as they aren’t really marked. But all you really have to do is point your bike downhill in the direction of the sea, and you can’t go too far wrong.

The best map is the Kompass 233, available here.

On the road it is completely different – all roads are clearly signposted with a TF designation.
Hope this helps.

Thanks,
Leslie

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

There are many apartments and villas in Tenerife – needless to say- but not all of them are what they say they are. So after 5 years of delivering bikes all over Tenerife and having seen a lot of different properties ourselves in the flesh, we decided to write this list of what we consider as the best apartments, rural houses & private villas. We’ve included links as some of these places are not easy to find online otherwise. Here’s the link to the top ten hotels in Tenerife.

1. Villa Preciosa

This is without a doubt one of the most exclusive villas in Tenerife and also has a long heritage. Villa Preciosa has recently been totally renovated and the attention to detail is amazing. Here you can relax in your very own private bar, pool (heated if you desire), and surrounds. Even the bathrooms exude luxury!

2. Casa La Abejera

The owner is your typical Mr Fixit, so everything works. It’s a very cute little house which has a charming rustic theme. Worth mentioning that the owners are into recycling & ecological gardening.

3. Casablanca Apartments

consistently has the highest tripadvisor ratings of any property in Tenerife, regardless of location or status. It’s also the only place I know of with dedicated locked bicycle storage room, meaning no ‘normal’ luggage is allowed! Well done!!

4. Jardin de la Paz

This place probably has the best vantage point on the island, located atop a true 300m cliff with views out over neighbouring island La Palma and the Atlantic ocean.

5. Aparthotel Riu Adeje Although it seems a little fake, it’s still one of the best apartments in Las Americas (it’s usually resort hotel accommodation in Las Americas) – NOTE: now called «Family Isabel»
6. Playa de las Roques

Located in a very secluded spot in La Romantica, Los Relejos; nevertheless, it’s right on the coast and is a great place to stay if you’re looking for peace and quiet.

7. Villa Caya An authentic rural house located in an ideal spot for cycle-training in the North of Tenerife.
8. Hollywood Mirage

Located in Los Cristianos, it’s just like the website shows…

9. Apartamentos Villa Mandi

Also located in Los Cristianos, it is clean and well-maintained.

Tags: Inspiration., Island Life, That's Business, The Bike Guru // 2 Comments »

We’ve become quite fond of our our official delivery van since getting it late last year. It’s a 2004 Ford Transit connect, with a 1.8L turbo diesel engine delivering 75ps. This is an ex-rental van from Molina rentacar. We have since fixed up the interior a bit and added the Pro Bike Hire signwriting and then not long after, the name «Molly» stuck. We’ve tried out a number of similar small vans like the Citroen berlingo and VW caddy, but they are just not as practical as the transit connect.

Unfortunately, about six weeks ago, Molly’s engine exploded. Here’s basically what happened: The day before, we heard an unusual sound coming from the engine bay. We stopped as soon as we could and checked the engine temperature & oil level, both seemingly ok, but the sound grew worse as we came home. The very next day, we had another delivery to do in the South of Tenerife. In hindsight, we shouldn’t have taken the van that day, we should’ve taken it straight to the mechanics. But we assumed it was the fanbelt and that another hundred kilometres or so wouldn’t be detrimental. (más…)

Tags: News Reel, Sales Pitch, That's Business // 2 Comments »

There has been an «Extreme wind risk» issued by the spanish medioambiente site for Tenerife on Monday the 29th of November 2010. I.e. tomorrow!

There are also simultaneous «rain» and «coastal» risk alerts. The maximum gust of wind is predicted to be 170 km/h, with a 40%-70% probability. So yes, this is a serious weather alert folks…

There are three (four?) alert levels:

No Risk  Risk  Important Risk  Extreme Risk.

It’s normal for there to be a few sub-tropical storms in the Canary Islands, especially at the start of Winter. This happens when snow is dumped on the peak of Mt Teide. The main danger for all road users are gale force winds, which can cause trees, branches and rocks to fall onto the road surface or vehicles themselves. The chances of this provoking other accidents is greater than normal, due to reduced visibility around blind corners, etc. Cars, trucks and buses may then swerve to avoid obstacles. Therefore, it’s highly reccommended that you don’t cycle at this time, especially above 1000 masl where the wind level is always esculated.

Last year a whole bunch of pine trees (hundreds!) fell down in the area called «chanajiga» in the North of Tenerife. That landscape is still scarred today by strong winds such as these. Anyway, the good news for tourists is that the weather forecast for Tuesday is much improved, with just the «rain» risk currently in place.

Tags: Island Life, News Reel, Ride the Volcano!, The Bike Guru // 1 Comment »

This is just a quick note to say that apart from other green measures we are taking, it’s worth noting that the Tenerife Training website is also hosted by a green server. What the hell does that mean? Well, it means that the people who host all our files use wind energy instead of energy derived from oil or nuclear sources. In simple terms, it means that when other people see our website, the information that we provide 24 hours a day to the world is accessed through the use of green energy.

Tags: Inspiration., Sales Pitch // Add Comment »

We’ve been to enough hotels in the past 5 years to know which ones stand out above the rest. Here’s the link to the top ten villas & apartments in Tenerife.

Rather than list all the hotels that we don’t recommend, here’s my personal list of favourite places to stay on the island:

1. Gran Hotel Bahia del Duque Resort. For me it’s like entering fairytale land where everything is perfect. Time and time again, they’ve proven to me that they know how to run a hotel with unrivaled professionalism.
2. Abama Golf and Spa Resort. It’s an isolated hotel on located right by the coast, surrounded by banana plantations. Every time I arrive at Abama they offer a good welcome. The decor is classy without going over the top. If I wanted a 5 star holiday in the South of Tenerife, this is probably where I’d pay to stay.
3. Barcelo Santiago. This is a spot which probably takes the record for repeat clients; guests keep coming back here year after year. It’s a small, cosy resort located in Los Gigantes. It’s quite affordable & has a great buffet breakfast. Not to be confused with Barcelo Varadero in Puerto Santiago. We have stayed there. Don’t miss out on the breakfast!/li>
4. Hotel Alhambra. This is a much smaller hotel located close to the old town of La Orotava. Every room is different and the hotel itself is quite unique.
5. Roca Nivaria. A cut above the majority of resorts in Las Americas. This one is located in Playa Paraíso.
6. La Quinta Roja, a cosy, understated hotel in the charming old seaside port town called Garachico.
7. Hotel Gran Melia Palacio de Isora. This is renowned as the top hotel in Tenerife, but personally I’d rather stay at Abama or El Duque.
8. Hotel Riu Garoe. A newly constructed resort in Puerto de la Cruz. This hotel has effectively managed to push Hotel Botannico off this top ten list, because the facilities are newer and they are less pretentious.
9. Europe Villa Cortés. Possibly the best hotel to choose if you’re looking to stay in the heart of Las Americas.
10. Hotel El Nogal. A beautiful rustic hotel in a quiet spot in La Escalona, not far from Vilafor.
11. Hotel Rural El Patio. This is where we jokingly say we’d like to retire to… like an estate house. I am not sure how you get to stay in the main building though.

Tags: Island Life, The Bike Guru // 2 Comments »

Hi,

Very informative website you have.

Planning a road cycling trip in France, Spain and Canaries for Aug/Sept 2011.
We are 3 couples who are serious riders, who have ridden most all the Cols of note in France, the last couple of years.

For the best cycling experience for one week in the Canaries, would you have any recommendations on where (city/island) to stay for the best cycling?

Appreciate any advice you might have for us.

Best Regards,
Larry

Hello,

It’s really hard for me to say what are the best locations to stay. I think you would be very limited by spending only 1 week in the whole Canary Islands. It might be best to choose two islands at most.

Here is my list of «top 10 climbs in Tenerife». Depending on what you are seeking out, you can choose your location based on that…

Personally, as far as Tenerife is concerned, I wouldn’t miss the main climbs to Mt Teide (all but the western approach), Masca & Anaga. La Gomera is a great little island I’ve always been meaning to explore by bike. I’m sure La Palma and Gran Canaria also have some rides which are not to be missed…

Thanks,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net | Pro bike hire
www.vertebr.ae | Precision braking & shifting

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

This giant rider snatches the record for our tallest client to date by just 1cm; Jurgen van Oorschot of the Netherlands, measures an incredible 204cm tall (6’8″). He sure towered above me! The previous record holder stood 203cm tall.

Tags: Ride the Volcano! // Add Comment »

…I have small hands and a quite weak grip, so please make sure that the brakes of the bike grips good and that the break levers run easy with no effort!
Otherwise i will not make it down the mounatins!…

Hello,

Yes we have just the bike for you!
It is a 48cm Vitus shuffle ladies bike just been built up a few days ago, photo attached.

It features a compact crankset (in small size 165mm with 34/50T chainrings), low-range cassette (12-27t), full carbon fork, 10 speed components.

The good thing about this bike is that it has narrow, compact reach handlebars, and we have also reduced the reach of the levers for small hands (they’re the new carbon ultegra shifters). Possibly the best thing about this bike is that we have equipped it with our own brand of compressionless cable housing called «vertebrae», so although the brake levers don’t have much travel, you definitely won’t run out of brakes. (normally f you reduce the reach of brake levers, they will hit the handlebars when you apply them hard)

The brakes are also very easy to apply, because all your hand force goes into working the brake calipers, not compressing the brake lines… have a look at our link below for further info…

We can also mount a short (50mm) stem, ladies saddle and zero-setback seatpost if you prefer.

I’ve reserved this bike for you over your requested dates… total price is 85 Euros including delivery & all necessary equipment. The small merida is also available & will have an upgraded compact crankset, but the Vitus is a much nicer bike, especially with the brakes & gears…

Very much looking forward to your reply,

Thanks very much,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net | Pro bike hire
www.vertebr.ae | Precision braking & shifting

Tags: Learning Curve, The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Hallo,

mein Freund und ich möchten im Dezember Rennradurlaub auf Teneriffa machen. Wir möchten dann gerne zwei Rennräder bei Ihnen mieten. Können Sie uns eventuell ein günstiges Hotel empfehlen, das auch über einen Radkeller verfügt?

Für eine baldige Antwort wäre ich dankbar!

Martin Jeitner

Hello!

I would try the following:

* casablanca apartments
* puerto palace
* florasol
* masaru
* orotava palace
* turquesa playa
* chimisay

other hotels might be cheaper but maybe don’t have the same quality…

What sizes of bikes are you interested in renting?

Thanks,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net | Pro bike hire
www.vertebr.ae | Precision braking & shifting

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

Dear Dr. Brown,

I just read your exciting blog on climbing and thought I’d ask some advice.

I used to ride a Bianchi Torino but I moved on to a Kona PhD. The components of the Kona are far superior to the heavier Bianchi. Nevertheless, the heavier, inferior
bike climbs with vastly more ease than the Kona. When I have asked cycling experts, most of them spoke of cycling position or dismissed my claims as «in my mind.» I
would rather conclude the opposite: I expected the new sexy bike to make climbing a cinch. While it is subjective to a degree, I experimented using both bikes to climb
the same steep hills and found that the difference was phenomenal. I asked yet another cycling expert/friend and he concurred that it could be the gear ratios. So
naturally, I thought I’d show you the specs of my Kona and ask whether taking your advice and switching to a 53/39/30 chainring would make a significant difference.

Here are the specs: http://www.cyclerscafe.com/AroundTownBikes/Kona/PHD.aspx.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

Jerry Piven

Hello,

It definitely makes a huge difference.
I’m a bit confused because the photo of the Kona already shows a triple… what gearing does your older bianchi have?

You could try installing an 11-28T cassette, which is easier because you won’t have to but a new crankset, front derailleur & possibly shiftlevers. 11-28T should work with a standard rear derailleur, if not, it’s still less investment than a triple setup (just a long cage rear derailleur is required, and possibly a longer chain. Then if that doesn’t make a difference, have a look at installing a compact crankset as well. Don’t do it the other way around, because changing the rear sprockets makes more of a difference than the front gears.

With all our bikes, we are moving in this direction: 34/50T or even 33/50T front chainrings, 12-27 or 11-28T cassette – merely because it’s the most flexible and economical setup.

Thanks,
Leslie

www.Tenerife-Training.net | Pro bike hire
www.vertebr.ae | Precision braking & shifting

Tags: The Bike Guru // Add Comment »

In order to encourage further activity on our local cycling forum, we are giving away several free gifts for the following categories:

• most number of posts per month wins a free multitool
• funniest post of the month wins a pair of advanced polymeric PEEK water bottle bolts from our sister company, Vertebrae Components.
• most useful post of the month has a choice of Isostar isotonic sports drink, twin bottle cages from Btwin or one very detailed map of Tenerife (Kompass Teneriffa 233)

Tags: Island Life, Lucky Dip, Sales Pitch // Add Comment »

These are the three projects we have chosen to support with CajaCanarias:

Tags: Inspiration., Island Life // Add Comment »

Every time I turn on the news or read a newspaper, it seems as if everything is against us, the Earth itself included. Have you noticed that certain weather incidents are now portrayed as a bad thing? Don’t misunderstand me. When I say they are bad, if there are casualties, it goes without saying that a tragedy has taken place.

What I don’t agree with is the notion that that the environment has somehow reached enemy status. Like it has a mind of its own and it’s out to get us to teach us a hard earned lesson. No! It’s our friend for Pete’s sake. It’s the oxygen we breathe. We grew up here. It’s almost like teenage children rebelling against their parents! Here’s a thought: if you’ve driven a car today, don’t attack the weather afterwards like some kind of evil foe.

I guess unlike a lot of other things, the weather can be dangerous and we’re naturally afraid of that. Just witness the air travel chaos caused by the recently erupting Icelandic volcano (Tenerife is a primary European holiday destination, so we were indirectly affected by all the flight cancellations). But then people begin to react with fear & anxiety which stems from a threat which usually can’t be controlled easliy.

I’m just waiting for the day when some bright spark proposes [seriously] putting a stop to these ‘human inconveniences’ by plugging that Icelandic volcano or some other grandiose idea to reduce the volcanic ash cloud. Because my biggest fear is actually the moment when humans do try to stop or prevent weather phenomena in order to create a more ‘stable’ environment. Oh wait, seems it’s already happening:

Climate intervention is a field so new that the senior scientists who attended the five-day meeting don’t agree on its name. Some are calling it geoengineering; others call it climate remediation. Either way, it involves complex — and, some say, ethically questionable — processes to reduce the impact of global warming.

You may or may not be aware that us humans have a great history of fucking things up big time. Sorry to say this, but whatever we touch, we end up destroying in one way or another. Sometimes we’re so stupid, we don’t even know what we’ve destroyed until it’s too late. Sometimes we’re that ignorant and we’ll never even know what we buggered up. The bigger the scheme, the greater the fuck-up. Mark my words people, because the first thing scientists do before attempting to create an artificial ‘solution’ is to measure or characterise something. Some of the most powerful computers on Earth are dedicated to weather prediction. I hope we never reach the stage where we try to interfere with Earth’s natural systems. It’s probably too late, since it looks like we have already kick-started another global warming phase. I wouldn’t be suprised, for example, if some clever schmuck is right now devising an artificial gas halo to protect the Earth and cool it back to it’s natural level. Or they could extend the Earth’s orbit a bit and cool it down that way. If it isn’t clear already, I think that these sort of grandiose schemes are doomed to failure right from the start. Not because they won’t work, but because of the unintended consequences.

Journalists are not entirely to blame. You even hear people being interviewed on the street. Too much rain is bad, too much hot weather is bad, too much snow is bad. There is drought and at the same time there is flooding. But who decides how much is too much? In my opinion, the rapid change in weather patterns we see now probably are caused by humans. But I’m not convinced that we can fix our mistakes quite so simply. Anyone who thinks otherwise should probably read the book «why things bight back»… In conclusion, I think it’s our entire mindset we really do need to change not just our lifestyle.

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