Cycling - 2012

I cover many aspects of cycling as a means of travel, including towing children about. Various aspects of recreational, commuter and competitive cycling are covered. There are Tandem bike reviews, child trailer reviews, cyclo-cross & time trialling advice and results, and lots more!

30 December 2012: Iceni Velo Chris Cross

Cyclocross 30 Dec 2012

The penultimate round (#13) of the Eastern Cross league was fabulously sunny - but very windy! The large amounts of tape used for the brand ...

How to check chain stretch

Sports Gear: Under Test 26 Dec 2012

Bike chains are the same all around the world, made of links half an inch long. During its lifetime it will gradually stretch, depending on ...

Bottom bracket difficulties

Giant SCR 1.0 26 Dec 2012

The bottom bracket on my Giant SCR 1.0 road bike is worn out, with lots of play on the drive side. My LBS had some difficulty locating the ...

16 December 2012: Broome Heath Scramble

Cyclocross 16 Dec 2012

Youth Race Dougal Toms (Iceni Velo) got well into his stride on the south Norfolk Broome Heath Scramble cyclocross, putting a full 43 seconds ...

Planning the Festive 500!

15 Dec 2012

Strava's Christmas challenge for 2012 is the Festive 500, and you simply have to ride 500km between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve (inclusive ...

Latex inner tubes: blessing or curse?

Sports Gear: Under Test 25 Nov 2012

After much pondering, and recommendations from fellow cyclocross racers, I decided to give latex tubes a go in my clincher tyres. You wouldn ...

24 November 2012: Redgrave Cross

Cyclocross 25 Nov 2012

A rainy week guaranteed muddy conditions for the Eastern League Cyclocross Round 11 at Redgrave (near Diss) in Suffolk. Earlier riders had ...

18 November 2012: Hempton Cross

Cyclocross 18 Nov 2012

A clear blue sky and gentle breeze greeted the riders this Sunday, and a chilly start soon gave way to almost pleasant conditions. There had ...

10 November 2012: Grafham Water Cross

Cyclocross 11 Nov 2012

A lot of rain in the days leading up to the race meant that the cyclocross course rapidly turned into a quagmire, with lots of sections made ...

Coyote bike maintenance stand

Sports Gear: Under Test 02 Nov 2012

Despite owning and maintaining many bikes over the years, I only recently made the sensible decision to buy a bike work-stand. It was a bit ...

Lezyne Macro LED light

Bike Lights 31 Oct 2012

At first glance you wonder whether the light will stay in place on the handlebar. It's only a rubber strap after all, and doesn't seem flexible ...

28 October 2012: Colchester Rovers Mistley Cross

Cyclocross 28 Oct 2012

A lot of rain during the week had made conditions very slippery and muddy in the Furze Hill woods at Mistley, Essex. The mud didn't tend to ...

14 October 2012: Amis Velo Supacross

Cyclocross 15 Oct 2012

The sixth round of the Eastern Region cyclocross league took place at Hillyfields, on the west side of Colchester in Essex. The ground was ...

29 September 2012: CC Ashwell Cross

Cyclocross 29 Sep 2012

A blustery wind on large sections of soft grass made this cyclocross course at Baldock a bit of a slog in places, and strategy was required ...

Cyclo-cross in the East Anglia Daily Times

22 Sep 2012

A lengthy write-up and pictures appear in the EADT (dated 22 September 2012). Fergus Muir penned the article, and the two smaller photos were ...

16 September 2012: Springfield Cross

Cyclocross 17 Sep 2012

There was a large turn-out in Springfield Hall Park (Chelmsford) for all of the races in round 2 of the Eastern Cyclo-cross League. A twisting ...

8 September 2012: Essex Roads Cross

Cyclocross 09 Sep 2012

There was a healthy turn-out of riders for the first round of the Eastern Cyclocross League, the Essex Roads Cross at Gloucester Park in Basildon ...

Chariot Cougar 2 FOR SALE!

07 Sep 2012

Some extra photos, close ups of damage, etc.
Contact us directly if you are interested in purchasing this item.

Eastern Cyclo Cross League is now on Strava

Cyclocross 31 Aug 2012

If you have entered the Eastern Cross league and also use the awesome Strava app to track your cycling performance, you can now get more social ...

UK Cyclocross 2012 Events for the Eastern Region

Cyclocross 25 Aug 2012

To help you organise your weekends over the autumn and winter months, I've put together a map of the cyclo-cross events in the UK's Eastern ...

New cyclo-cross bikes for 2012 season

Bikes 23 Aug 2012

Adding to the collection of bikes in our garage (but hopefully allowing the sale of a couple of others), we have bought a pair of cyclo-cross ...

Crivit Sports HRM / Pedometer

Sports Gear: Under Test 11 Jul 2012

Fantastic product, available from Lidl's. It's really easy to set up, and picks up your heart beat without any fuss as soon as you put the band ...

Effect of the Norwich Northern Bypass on Cyclists

Norfolk 11 Jun 2012

The Norwich Northern Distributor Road has been debated at length and for many years. The essential problem is that it would cut through exceptionally ...

Boudicca Sportive '30: fantastic fun!

10 Jun 2012

Conditions were perfect for the Boudicca Sportive today (Sunday, 10 June 2012) and a bunch of riders - mostly Great Yarmouth CC - worked well ...

Commute harder with Strava!

01 Jun 2012

It's hard to describe just how simple and effective Strava is. You will either love it or just not get it. If you enjoy riding your bike ...

Pro Blaze Overshoes pass the test

Sports Gear: Under Test 19 May 2012

All too often, modern day products fail to withstand the test of time, especially when exposed to the elements like most cycling equipment ...

Preparing for the TdF Pyrenees Trip

Tour de France 2012 14 May 2012

Here is a list of things we need to have organised before (in some cases, long before) we go: Passports Physically locate each traveller ...

GYCC 2012 Club Track Championships

21 Apr 2012

Here is a video of the Great Yarmouth Cycling Club Track Champs, 2012:

6 April 2012: GYCC 10-mile Time Trial

Time Trialling 07 Apr 2012

A sunny but chilly morning greeted the early risers for Great Yarmouth CC's Good Friday '10. The cold (almost freezing) and a brisk breeze ...

18 March 2012: Great Yarmouth CC 25-mile time trial

Time Trialling 18 Mar 2012

Heavy rain overnight meant that there was lots of standing water on the Somerleyton course, and temperatures were quite low on the overcast ...

A twisted chain doesn't run smooth

25 Feb 2012

If you are suffering from a skipping chain, jumping occasionally as it runs over the rear cassette, then you may assume that the chain is stretched ...

22 January 2012: Mistley Cross

Cyclocross 24 Jan 2012

Unseasonably warm weather again greeted us at Mistley, although this time the ground was much more moist and tree roots were exposed. A strong ...

Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheels

Sports Gear: Under Test 18 Jan 2012

These are very nice wheels indeed. If you have a bit of cash to spare they might not initially catch the eye, as they aren't deep section ...

Park Tool Mini Chain Tool

Sports Gear: Under Test 18 Jan 2012

Codenamed CT-5, this chain tool is really quite small (weighing 77g) so shouldn't cause problems fitting it in any size of saddle bag. You can ...

VO2 max results for child athlete

18 Jan 2012

(Daniel, age 12+2 months) and his dad John (age 37). On stationary exercise bikes, Tested by the Surrey Human Performance Institute in January ...

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Calendar

All Cycling events | All events

December 2023 2 events January 2024 3 events July 2024 1 event August 2025 1 event

Coming soon...

03 December 2023 (Sunday): Ashwell Cross (inc Regional Champs)

17 December 2023 (Sunday): West Suffolk Cross

About the author

My name is John Swindells and I'm a keen recreational cyclist with a preference for long one-day rides. I've also previously dabbled in time trialling and cyclo-cross. See more of what I get up to on Strava!

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