Need to know
Key features to consider if you're tempted to splash your cash on one of our ace race machines
WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR IN a bike that virtually requires its own mortgage? Why is high-modulus carbon so beloved in top-end bikes? What spec should you expect? Read on to find out more....
01 Aerodynamics
Aerodynamic tube shapes, components and wheels will help you slip through the air with less effort. This typically means wind-tunnel tested, aero shapes, deep-section wheels and aggressive geometries, designed to put you in an aero riding position.
02 Carbon fibre lay-up
A key difference between carbon fibre and metal is that the composite nature of carbon fibre makes it anisotropic, which means its physical properties are different in different directions. A piece of wood is aniso opic; you can easily split it lengthways, but it's a lot harder to break across the grain. It's the same with carbon fibre, which means the 'lay-up' of different frame pieces is crucial to how it rides and how strong it is.
The other important factor is the modulus of carbon used. Higher-modulus fibres are stiffer, but they're also more brittle, so even a frame marketed as 'high modulus' will be made of a mix of different grades of carbon fibre. Higher-modulus carbon fibre is also more expensive, but the end result will be a lighter frame for the same strength.
03 Geometry
This story is from the October 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
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This story is from the October 2023 edition of Cycling Plus UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
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