I've been bike riding for more years than I care to remember. Of late my age but more likely my weight has been catching up with me. I remain active but the data, which never lies, shows me going slower on routes I used to fly up. So I decided to do some research into what Jeremy Clarkson might call electrical assistance.
I'm so glad I did and let me say I'm an absolute convert!
In my mind it reminds me somewhat of my younger days rock climbing and whether or not the use of chalk was cheating or not. It's not that at all, rather it's first and foremost about accessibility especially in a place like Corsica where you are typically spending most time going up and less time going down. It's also about extending riding longevity. To be honest I was finding it less enjoyable particularly in the heat of the summer despite the early starts.
During my research I came across Yako who has a Youtube channel and rides out of Catalunya. What I like is that he's a regular guy testing great kit. I was very taken by his review of the Canyon Endurance ONfly CF7 but could I find one - no. More research led me to Balfe's Bikes in Crawley to look at, test and buy a Trek Madone +SLR 7 Ultra Di2. Great service and very good prices. Now this is by no means an inexpensive piece of kit and I thought long and hard however it has for me proved to be a complete game changer. I've been out on my favourite routes here in Corsica over the last three weeks and the data shows me riding times I last recorded ten years ago. But, it's not about times it's about life on the bike and this bike has done it for me.
I'm so glad I did and let me say I'm an absolute convert!
In my mind it reminds me somewhat of my younger days rock climbing and whether or not the use of chalk was cheating or not. It's not that at all, rather it's first and foremost about accessibility especially in a place like Corsica where you are typically spending most time going up and less time going down. It's also about extending riding longevity. To be honest I was finding it less enjoyable particularly in the heat of the summer despite the early starts.
During my research I came across Yako who has a Youtube channel and rides out of Catalunya. What I like is that he's a regular guy testing great kit. I was very taken by his review of the Canyon Endurance ONfly CF7 but could I find one - no. More research led me to Balfe's Bikes in Crawley to look at, test and buy a Trek Madone +SLR 7 Ultra Di2. Great service and very good prices. Now this is by no means an inexpensive piece of kit and I thought long and hard however it has for me proved to be a complete game changer. I've been out on my favourite routes here in Corsica over the last three weeks and the data shows me riding times I last recorded ten years ago. But, it's not about times it's about life on the bike and this bike has done it for me.
RSS Feed