It’s that time of the year again when we all descent on the London Bike Show to take a look into what the bicycle companies have in store for us in 2012.

The show starts on Thursday the 12th of Jan at 10am and runs until Sunday the 15th. The busiest day is always the Saturday. However, this is also when most the attractions are on.

This year in particular the Training Hub looks to be of much interest. For £99 you get a full assessment of your cycling performance and you are given tips on how you can improve. Whilst that won’t appeal to the “just want to get from A to B” side of me it get’s my “I want to ride faster than my friends” competitive side tingling in anticipation. The £99 test includes “Fascial Stretch Therapy” and Postural Testing. If that makes you screw up your face wondering what on earth the sentence you’ve just read means, then there’s more on the website.

My recommendations from last year:

• Take cash – the few cash points inside are likely to be busy and you are after all visiting the world’s largest bike shop
• Use Cycle Superhighway 3 to get there – they’ll be cycle parking outside
• Factor in some time to wonder around the Boat Show and the Outdoor Show

For tickets click here.

In this post I’ll be talking a little about the different types of mudguards for bikes and giving a couple of recommendations.

Mountain bike mudguards

For much of my cycling career these are the mudguards I’ve relied upon. Whilst they are by no means the prettiest they generally do their job pretty well. They are also incredibly easy to fit.

You simply undo the Allen bolt on your seat post, slide on the rear mudguard and put everything back together again. The front mudguard is then positioned onto the down tube and attaches firmly in position. Once you’ve fitted mudguards once, the whole process takes less than 5 minutes.

A quick search on Wiggle will reveal plenty of great options with the Crud Urban Mudguard being a standard choice.

Road bike mudguards

Road bike mudguards fit closely to the front and rear wheel and provide excellent protection from water being lifted from the road. There can be some complications with fitting this style of mudguard for bikes because you may not have the necessary attachments on your frame. A quick inspection should reveal the necessary holes.

The other complication is that perhaps there isn’t enough clearance with the frame and the wheel to fit certain mudguards. Again, this will need to be checked.

Whilst you should aim to position these mudguards close to your wheel you should still have enough clearance to allow for any leaves and so forth that may get caught up in the wheels rotation.

In this category of mudguard I thoroughly recommend the SKS Bluemels Mudguards.

Alternatively, if you are lacking the proper attachments then the Crud RoadRacer is a great alternative. The first setup is a little bit of a pain but once that is out the way, you’ll never notice they are there.

Folding mudguards

An interesting alternative take on the mudguard concept is folding mudguards. The Full Windsor FoldnFix Rear Mudguards can be installed and removed from your bike rapidly.

See also: Setting up your bike for winter

Do you know what your bike is worth? It’s not that easy to know and that is why we are now providing a free bicycle valuation service to everyone who visits Going Going Bike. We’ll be totally honest with you and tell you whether your bike is worth a tidy sum that will pay for a dream holiday to the Tour de France or if it is really not worth much at all.

Because we’ve been helping people buy and sell bikes for well over a year we know what bikes cost. Throughout that time we have built up a pool of knowledge and data about prices and valuations of second hand bikes which puts us in a tremendous position to advise you about the value of your bike.

Since we began valuing bikes we’ve had lots of interest from Brompton owners. This is partly because we are the official marketplace for used Brompton bicycles. Below is a photo of one of the recent Brompton’s we’ve valued. They keep their value really well and, so long as they have been kept in good condition, tend to be worth between £450 and £600.

We were recently asked to value the following Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike. It was 4 years old, 19 inches and stated to be in good condition. We valued it at between £150 and £180 and it was subsequently sold on the Going Going Bike marketplace for £150. A pleasing result!

Apart from the mountain of pricing data we have built up in this time, we take into account a variety of factors including the age of the bike, the condition it is in and the bike’s make and model. We’ll also credit the added value given to your bike if you’ve added new or better components/parts to the bike.

Just a note of caution though. A used bike is only worth what somebody is willing to pay for it. The price someone is willing to pay for your bike will vary on the type of bike you are selling. Generally road bikes with drop handlebars and mountain bikes raise the highest prices. Kids bikes notoriously struggle to sell for a high price, while  bikes with step-through frames also tend not to hold value.

Like antiques, a rare vintage bike brand will retain value and be priced accordingly. Similarly a bike with branded components such as Campagnola groupsets or wheels will be more sought after.

Since we began offering our valuation service we have been asked to value a fabulous array of bicycles. Road, hybrid and mountain bikes have predominated but we’ve also been sent some wonderful vintage bikes. It’s always a pleasure to receive valuation requests and we will look forward to hearing from you.

Apart from offering our bike valuation service, Going Going Bike also provides a quick and easy place to sell a bike for free. You can list a bike even if you are not certain that anyone will want to buy your old bike.

Thanks to Andrew from Going Going Bike for providing this useful article.

Over time I’ve investigated a number of options for carrying my shopping from the supermarket to my house. I started off simply loading the shopping on my handlebars. This, as you would expect, often turns into a bit of a disaster and makes for some very wobbly steering. I’ve also tried a big gym bag that I lug over my back. The weight of the shopping always makes it rather uncomfortable. Panniers are another option but I prefer riding without my rack attached so each time I have to re-attach it. Plus, carrying the bags around the supermarket is a pain. Perhaps a solution would be to go with something extreme such as the Burley Travoy Urban Trailer System. At £251 it’s an expensive option and doesn’t look particularly attractive. However, it would certainly get the job done.

How do you go about getting your shopping from the supermarket to home?

The essential bike accessories

Lock, lights, helmet, track pump and lockable skewers.

1. Bike lock

Suggestion: Kryptonite New York 3000
Price: £65
In-store or online: In-store (Cycle to Work = 40% off woo!)

What came first? The bicycle lock or the bike. It doesn’t matter, because unless your bike looks like you’ve just hauled it out of a canal then its going to get stolen. The first thing you’ll need therefore, is a decent lock. It doesn’t get much more decent than the Kryptonite New York 3000. It’s a lock that will resist all but the most persistent attacks.

2. Bike lights

Suggestion: Knog Boomer and Blackburn Flea
Price: £25.49 and £21.99
In-store or online: Online (Probably don’t have these in store)

Even if you the thought of repairing a puncture makes you run and hide under your bed covers you’ll still be able to install the Knog Boomer and Blackburn Flea. Both are beautifully simple to install and with USB charging you’ll save a bundle from not having to replace batteries. Plus they both provide plenty of light and look great.

3. Helmets

Suggestion: Bell helmet
Price: £31.49
In-store or online: In-store (Cycle to Work = 40% off woo!)

I hear gasps at the back? I’d be hearing even more gasps if I didn’t give a shout out to the bicycle helmet. Long a point of contention – to wear one or not to wear one? I’ll leave the choice up to you. I’ve written about bicycle helmets previously. The Bell helmet I recommend is a bit of an “out there” choice for those that want to look cool on their bikes.

4. Track pump

Suggestion: Topeak Joe Blow Sport
Price: £24.99
In-store or online: In-store (Cycle to Work = 40% off woo!)

Life before buying a track pump was tenuous. My mini-pump, try as I might, could barely ever reach the required tyre pressure. The track pump on the other hand makes light work of empty tires and means I can cycle without wasting energy due to flat tyres. I highly recommend the Topeak Joe Blow Sport.

5. Lockable skewers

Suggestion: Pinhead Four Pack Locking Skewer Set
Price: £53.99
In-store or online: In-store (Cycle to Work = 40% off woo!)

You may have mistakenly believed the fifth item I’d mention is mudguards. You can’t have the pleasure of road muck spraying on your back if someone’s run off with your wheels, saddle and handlebars. That’s exactly what the Pinhead system secures and it is worth having if you are riding an expensive bike.

Bike accessories for a later date

Bottle cage, basic tool kit, waterproof jacket, mudguards, shoes and bike mount.

As things progress with your cycling you’ll probably want to grab a couple of extra bits. A bottle cage for one is useful for staying hydrated. A basic tool kit is good for that inevitable puncture on the way home in the rain. Cycling specific waterproof jackets keep you dry and at the same time not too sweaty.

You may also eventually transition either to clip in shoes or power grips. This gives you extra power especially when heading up hill. Do be aware you will fall over often as you get used to them.

A final item I can’t close this post without mentioning is a bike mount. If you’ve got a modern Android or iPhone mobile phone then these are a game changer. No longer will you be getting lost all the time as you can follow your route on your phone’s screen. Here at London Cyclist we love them so much we even sell one ourselves!

See also:

• Our complete coverage of Cycling Gear
• Puncture proof tyres
• Helmet cameras
• Bicycle insurance

In this weeks comment Friday we’re dreaming of our next bike purchase. Road bike, single speed, mountain bike… what takes your fancy as a potential next bike purchase?

This weeks posts if you missed them:

• Guide to finding a cycling buddy
• Trailer for the new movie Premium Rush – all about messengers and fixie bikes
• It’s time to grab your tickets for the 2011 bicycle film festival

As our plane freed itself from the gravitational confines of the earth, I tucked my head into my book. A calm flight lasting an hour and fifteen minutes lay ahead of me. However, the past three hours had been anything but calm.

Everything started at 4 am. Awoken rudely by my alarm I climbed out of bed, completely disorientated. Only a few hours ago I was loading up an Open Cycle Map of Germany onto a Garmin 705 and I had clearly not considered the huge amount of beauty sleep my body needs these days.

I packed the last few items into my panniers. I was already sure I was carrying too much but it was too late now as a taxi was waiting outside. I wondered to myself if I’d ever plan something a little better and how it would be to be organised for a change. Promising myself I’d one day be organised I taped the bike bag and carried it into the taxi.

Picking up my friend we reached Paddington station.

The train roared its way to Heathrow Airport. At this moment I realised mistake number one. The first part of our journey could have been an absolute pleasure had we made one crucial change in timing. Instead of struggling and calling on little used muscles to haul the bike to the airport we could have packed the bikes when we got there. Then, we would have enjoyed a short cycle to the train station, and wheeled the bikes onto the train.

Welcome to Terminal 5

The next mistake soon presented itself upon being greeted by the British Airways employee. A lady who was clearly just as unhappy as we were to be awake at 5.30am. She quickly dished out the bad news. We had to pay an extra £35, each, to check in the panniers.

With the benefit of hindsight, I’m not sure why I didn’t realise the bike would count as one item of luggage and the panniers as another. However, I guess it is the fact British Airways claim to carry your bike for free. Unlike budget airlines that have a set fee.

My stupidity didn’t stop there. Owing to the early hour and my brain working at around 20% of it’s normal capabilities, we didn’t realise we could have tied all our panniers together and split the £35 fee. I’ll class that as mistake number three.

Welcome to Frankfurt

Before boarding the plane we made jokes of haulage employees launching our bikes onto the plane and amused each other by recreating the image of someone kicking the spokes of the bike as they struggled to cram it into the plane. We laughed, somewhat nervously. On arrival at Frankfurt we were about to find out if our predictions were to come true.

May I present you with mistake number four. As I pulled the bike out of the bike bag I looked for damage. It seemed minimal, a few scratches on the panniers and that was about it. However, placing the front wheel and trying to give it a spin a realised it was out of alignment. It had obviously had its share of banging during the flight. A little more padding and care taken to wrap the bike wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Despite our errors, ahead of us lay 400km of Unesco world heritage sights, traditional German towns and German beer. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Learning from my mistakes

• Tape extra protection (clothes in carrier bags I’m told) around sensitive parts of the bike
• Tie all your panniers together in one big bundle and pay for the extra luggage ahead of the flight to save money
• Pack your bike when you get to the airport if it is in a bike bag

“Take it for a test drive!” “Sure”, I said, “what’s the harm?”

Within a few seconds my name was being signed on a piece of paper. The bike was now my responsibility. 30 seconds later I was officially in love.

I had somehow suddenly found my posterior sat comfortably on a Schindelhauer Siegfried in Schist Black. Flash forward 24 hours and I’m on the train on the way to do research for a ride for the new London Cyclist app.

The woman across the way has spotted me glancing back at the bike every few seconds.

“You remind me of my son. He’s always arm in arm with his bike. Even keeps it in his room!”

“Hah! What a weirdo!” I nervously joke with her. The bike was in fact sat in my room the previous night.

On the train back home someone else is eyeing the bike. I know what’s coming.

“Nice bike mate.”

“Cheers”

I’m wondering what will be commented on first. Maybe the maintenance reducing belt drive chain? The gorgeous polished finish? The brooks saddle? The fact it is a single speed? The beautifully crafted design?

My first guess was right. It’s the belt drive chain that has caught the attention of the bike’s newest admirer.

“What’s that chain – I’ve never seen one before?”

“Oh, it’s a belt drive. It doesn’t need oiling and is slowly becoming more common on bicycles as it lasts twice as long as normal chains.”

The guy looked impressed and I knew the next question is shortly to follow. Fortunately, if there’s one thing I like doing it’s talking to fellow cyclists.

“Is that a racer then?”

“Yep. It actually has only a single speed.”

“Can you still go fast up hills?”

“Yep.”

“It looks really good”

“Yep, it’s incredibly light as well. Really fast around the corners”

I’ve learnt that this is to become part of a routine when on trains. I’m not sure which part of the bike the compliment magnet has been fitted to but it certainly seems to be working.

So let’s break things down a little. Gates Carbon Drive belt which is low maintenance and oil free. The frame is a aluminium, with triple butted aero tubing, horizontal drop outs with a belt drive tensioning system. It’s light but at the same time strong. Brooks leather saddle. Aluminium fork. Brooks leather bar tape in antic brown which feels excellent to the touch and looks great. Weight of just 8.9kg.

What does this translate into when you are out riding?

Highly agile. Responsive. Corners beautifully. Elegant. Speed when you need it. It feels like it will follow you around every corner and never complain. In short – the sort of bike that will inspire you to pop out for a ride around town.

The Schindelhauer Siegfried is what the joy of cycling is all about and more.

Any nuances?

Yes. As standard it doesn’t come with pedal straps. Minor. No screws for bottle cage. Minor. Plus you probably wouldn’t want to ruin the design. The 2010 version doesn’t have a flip flop hub – a bit of a shame as it’s a joy to occasionally switch to fixed. A loud clicking sound when you are not pedalling. Although, I found a few days in I got used to this.

But there is one huge problem with this bike and it doesn’t take too long to discover it. In fact, I knew it before I even hopped on the saddle.

It was illustrated perfectly by one of my many conversations on the train. As I was stepping out of the train station one bloke shouted over “Nice bike!” “Cheers!” I replied as usual. “Would you mind if I stole it?” I laughed not knowing how serious he was. “How much is it worth?” I dodged the question and shouted “I don’t know. I’m just borrowing it”.

The answer I was avoiding is £1295.

That’s a bit of a kicker. But, not extreme for what you are getting here. In fact, the problem lies in the everyday use of the Schindelhauer Siegfried. Would I leave it at Euston station? Locked up in Angel? Outside Tesco?

It doesn’t take a genius bike thief to work out this bike is worth a fair bit of money. So here-in lies the problem. Here is a bike that you’ll want to ride everyday but you’ll probably be too worried to leave it anywhere. It just looks too damn good for everyday London.

You can meet the Schindelhauer Siegfried along with the rest of the Schindelhauer gang on the Bike Republic website. Huge thank you for the guys there for letting me borrow it – only problem is it’s now too difficult to return to my normal bike!

See also:

• Nicole takes a Brompton for a spin
• The eBike that makes people go “wow! that is nice!”
• What’s to love about the Strida?
• The Creme Cafe Racer: A classic looking city bike

No Nicole today as she is feeling under the weather – Get well soon!

Instead here’s a guest post by WallToAll who I invited along to instil us with the virtues of the Strida!

Those brave hearts who weave in and out of London’s motor traffic use a variety of devices based on the bicycle: to wit: road-bikes, off-roads, BMXs, hybrids, fixed-gears, dutchies, exotics and other variations of an implement first invented some 200 years ago to negate walking but little improved since. Some use ‘fold-ups’, a great nuisance we avow on public transport. The logic of design and use escapes us though we know what they’re trying to achieve, but at what social cost? The only thing more annoying than a foldable bike in a train gangway is an un-foldable one.

The exception to the folding bike awkwardness

Visualise a Brompton being lugged along a platform or being transformed among pedestrian traffic in a station. It’s one thing to lug a large bag of shopping on public transport or a furry pet in a basket but a fold-up bicycle? Quite frankly, if one intended to re-invent or re-parcel a bicycle for the 21st century, would a kissing gate be the most obvious place to start (even if the forge were down the same cul-de-sac). The idea of a folding bicycle is not a bad one; the implementation is generally terrible. Thankfully there is an exception to the awkwardness of folding bicycles in general and that exception is "Strida". (Very Googlable word "Strida"; don’t you think?) The unique device is at once a concept, an innovation and a solution, brilliantly succeeding in coupling the 19th century to the 21st without even nodding at the 20th. And yet you never see a Strida on the streets of London. The ill logic escapes us. Why don’t we see Stridas on London’s streets apart from the one we use? Maybe you should ask yacht skippers and private-plane pilots who apparently secrete the vast majority of the world’s production in their holds.

We use Strida rather than a bicycle because chronic ME, borne now for some 25 years, put a brake on exuberance and made us rather bear the ills we had than fly to others that we knew not of. We’re by no means ready for a wheelchair, nor do we need to make a point of how fit and able we are or aren’t. Being of advanced years tones down one’s competitive streak. Been there. Done that. Wore out the tee-shirts. Got the Strida.

ME is an odd ‘disability’, described succinctly as ‘the healthiest looking patient in a doctor’s waiting room’. For us, ME means being able to walk only short distances; daily and weekly amounts being of necessity accumulative: overdo it and the price is three days supine for each day’s stupidity. Having been Strida’d now for some five years, the ME goalposts have been totally repositioned and redefined. Strida allows lots of high physical mobility with a minimum of downtime.

The name "Strida" itself is not lost on the user who can Strida six or more miles anytime, without personal pain whereas that distance might take a month on foot. London Underground destroys us. One long day out (sans Strida!) a pedometer device strapped to the leg clocked up some 2.5 miles of walking: most of it entering, transiting and leaving underground stations. F’Krisake at Monument you can plod over half a mile just changing lines. More than once we spent a week in bed recuperating after a day like that before we got a astridastrida.

We have a Blue Badge for our car AND a dispensation for London, but refuse to abuse this wonderful privilege by bringing a VERY large vehicle into London either regularly, irregularly or even occasionally. Domiciled in the sticks, one uses a train to get to London and a skateboard would be very useful to get around the city. But dignity decrees we are too old for blades, roller skates, skateboards or other such options which can speed a body along a city street and can be stuffed in any available corner, or under an armpit, when not actually transporting said body.

Strida has active steering, as in VERY active steering which calls for dextrous balancing and manipulation, all of which makes the aging brain work that little bit harder and slows the gaga-making process more than somewhat. Yeah! We need mobility that looks like a bike, works like a skateboard but is appropriate to decorum for a worn-out pensioner who must perchance use wheels to get around the city. Strida’s the man: a foldable un-foldable skateboard that acts like a bike, wheels through a station concourse like a tiny golf trolley and in the final analysis is considerably more than the sum of its parts. I can bring it upstairs on a 205 and tuck it in so no seat is wasted.

Strida fits anywhere a golf-bag or tuba case fits but takes up rather less space than either. It can be transformed in 15 secs and can belt along at 6-9 mph which in the City is quick enough to get from Aldgate to Marble Arch in 30 minutes. The single gear keeps things simple as does the Kevlar belt which drives the sprockets; no adjustment, no lubrication, no maintenance. The high gearing is not designed for climbing Villiers St. out of Embankment for The Strand, so you get off and mingle happily with the pedestrians. This puts civilized City progress into perspective. The comfortable bolted-up saddle obviates adjustment and the upright sit-stance is ergonomically great for the back. One doesn’t experience bike-lash even on ‘pavements’. People, including even bobbies, tend to stare and then grin. There is something whimsically nonsensical about a Strida in use.

Other bikes covered on London Cyclist:

• Creme Cafe Racer: A classic looking city bike
• The eBike that makes people go “Wow, that is nice!”

“Influenced by handbuilt porteur bicycles of the 50s and 60s" says the description of the Caferacer or Cafe Racer (Depending on which site you visit).

The bike has the classic features of a Dutch bike: 7sp hub gears, internal cable routing and a chain cover. The Caferacer is all about upright riding and staying classy!

The price tag: £629.99 (Chain Reaction Cycles)

So – I took it for a spin!

On the first ride

After completing some minor assembly (Straighten handlebars, tighten, add pedals and pump up tyres) I set off on the first ride. I quickly realised it would take a while to get used to the handlebar design. As someone accustomed to riding in a fairly upright position I didn’t expect so many difficulties. The arching handlebars make turning a twitchy affair. A small manoeuvre makes a big difference and you end up over compensating by twisting the handlebars the other way. All in which creates a very wobbly ride and produces a lot of worried drivers around you.

However, this is one of those things that you’ll get used to after a while.

I noticed the wide tyres provide a comfortable ride and the lack of needing to roll up my jeans was well appreciated.

On the second ride up to Hampstead Heath

I decided to take the Cafe Racer on a pleasurable ride up to Hampstead Heath. Unfortunately, before you get to the pleasurable part you have to do some major hill climbing. This is where Dutch style bikes let you down. Although the steel framed Cafe Racer definitely doesn’t suffer from a weight problem, it is not designed for climbing up steep hills. The wide tyres and an upright riding position left me sweating and puffing – the opposite of how this bike should be leisurely ridden. Fortunately, my saviour was the 7 hub gears that provide a good range. Otherwise, it may have been a case of hop off the bike and walk.

Once at the top the bike was again a pleasure to ride – it encourages you to take it easy and enjoy the sights. As someone who is always in a bit of a rush to get things done it was nice to have the pace forced down a couple of notches.

Looks

My personal opinion: It looks good! My friends opinion: It looks ugly!

I think the Creme Cafe Racer definitely draws mixed opinions. Whilst the brown cafe colour might not be everyone’s cup of Italian espresso to others it will strongly appeal.

Whatever your view you have to appreciate the attention to the design. The matching light brown chain cage and mudguards, the sleek back seat post holding the Brooks B17 saddle, the leather handles and inner cable routing that helps the minimalist look. All topped off by the polished retro crankset.

I can’t help but like its classic look!

An odd match

The harder I tried to get myself to love the Creme Cafe Racer the less I could do it. The slow speeds frustrated me, I couldn’t master the handlebars and I longed for a less upright riding position. The more I realised it wasn’t the bike, it was me. We were no match made in heaven. It was like trying to get Tim Henman to play rugby.

Yet there is a lot here to love, especially over time, the design of this bike will mean minimum maintenance and even in the English weather it will stay clean.

So who will love the Cafe Racer? Someone who wants to slow things down, who wants to grab a coffee at their favourite cafe on a quiet Sunday morning whilst flicking through the days news. It’s a fine example of Dutch inspired design.