Chris King approaching perfection

The Cycleworks team deals with many of the greatest cycling brands and products. With so many quality components in-store, we rarely get over-excited about new arrivals. But everything snapped into very sharp focus with the arrival of box-fresh Chris King R45 hubsets for Campagnolo. Charlie Oborne waxes lyrical about rarity and near perfection.

We have just had these R45s in for a customer: one of the first pairs in the UK. These hubsets are really special, as these are the first campagnolo-compatable hubs that Chris King has made since the company began in 1976.

The R45s are Chris King's road-racing specific hub, they are the first in the country with this type of freehub body. We got them for a custom build, a full carbon wheelset for a customer's bike right now. It's a titanium road-racing frame, that also has a Chris King headset in blue so there will be a nice match-up.

Why is this arrival important? It basically means that guys with Campag components can now build Chris King hubs.

The wider picture is that there are three different component companies that build road gear sets: Campagnolo, Sram and Shimano. All are fierce rivals on the road circuit. The fact that King have now produced this campagnolo body is big news for road-racers.

We can now fit a lightweight campagnolo compatible cassette onto a Chris King hub.
This hub alone retails for about £400. Each bearing is hand-made in-house by Chris King — no one else does that. These are very specialist parts, but they perfrom at the highest level.

This system that gives amazing free action and almost instantaneous pick up. The hub uses a unique drive ring engagement system that has 45 pick up teeth. These are all precision-machined in Portland, by guys who care. King's production is some of the most environmentally aware on the planet, all waste is recycled where possible and the employees are actively encouraged to cycle to work.

This hub is a work of art. It is simply as good as it gets. Pro tour teams are using the King R45 hubs, and more and more are coming on board.

Road-racers please contact Charlie and the team on 0117 929 2151

Stolen Bristol Bikes - the fourth emergency service?

Getting your bike nicked is a truly gutting feeling. Stolen Bristol Bikes, now in its third year of existence, has created a destination for people to list and describe their missing cycles. The service helps the community identify and retrieve bikes and also offers  great advice on bike security. Mud Dock caught up with site founder Antony to get the low-down.

Your site 'does what it says on the tin'. What prompted you to set it up in the first place?

"My ratty old single speed mountain bike got stolen, together with my friend’s bike. They were both insured, but dealing with the claim turned out to be a really slow and frustrating process. I’d heard encouraging stories of people pounding the streets giving out flyers to bike shops, and realised that an online version of this could be just as effective. The police managed to recover my bike after I spotted it on eBay and “purchased” it."

Any other people involved in the project?

"I maintain the blog.  The domain name is paid for by my mate Taylor in return for advertising his locksmiths business (A bit mercenary if you ask me). The other big involvement comes from Bristol’s cycling community: reporting their stolen bikes, checking to see what’s happening and calling out anything unusual or suspicious."

The site has approaching 400 posts, the majority of which are reports of stolen bikes,  stretching back to 2009. How is it so popular?

"It has good word of mouth, I’ve made sure it has a regular (if slightly impersonal) presence on Facebook and Twitter, and I think the police are now routinely telling people who have a bike stolen to report it to me."

Looking at the last week's posts I counted 8 new listings of stolen bikes, plus frames and other bits and bobs. It seems incredible that so many bikes go in such a short time.

"There are often little bursts of bike crime, then it goes quiet for a while. It’s a reflection of the fact that not everyone reports their bike as stolen, not everyone reports thefts to me straight away, and that bike theft isn’t a steady 9 to 5 job!"

http://www.stolenbristolbikes.com/

Is it possible that an organised firm is at work targeting the higher-end bikes? How would they move those bikes once stolen?

"There are definitely some very organised thieves out there, carrying out targeted thefts.

"There’s a lot of speculation about how the bikes are sold, but in reality there are very few controls on the second hand bike market. A lot of shops will refuse to buy something obviously dodgy, and some websites like Going Going Bike have anti-theft measures, but there are so many other platforms that thieves can use. If I was a bike thief I wouldn’t bother taking bikes to London or Eastern Europe. I’d just sell the less traceable parts online, using appropriately vague descriptions, and a spell checker."

Do you have any liaison with Avon and Somerset Constabulary to maximise recovery chances?

"There are some very clued-up officers who will go the extra mile to track down a stolen bike, if they have enough information. The police also routinely send me pictures of recovered bikes in the hope that they can be reunited with their owner."

A bike was retrieved within the last couple of weeks, which must be a great feeling for you and the owner. What sort of success rate do owners get in terms of being reunited with their loved one.

"It’s still very low overall, but it does depend. For example, if someone with a completely generic Halfords bike has it nicked, and has no current picture of it, no note of the size or model, and no record of the serial number, they’re not likely to see it again. On the other hand, there was one guy who immediately started doing the rounds of local shops with some paper flyers, and his bike was found within 24 hours."

What are the most memorable posts that have been on the site? Any good stories to tell?

"One lady bought her bike as a reward for giving up smoking after 25 years, only to have it stolen after one short ride. The police were able to recover it very soon afterwards, so hopefully she’s still off the tabs.

Please spread the word about how Stolen Bristol Bikes is fighting back against the thieves.

Follow SBB or find them on Facebook.

Next time round Stolen Bristol Bikes offers Top Five Tips for Securing Your Bike

Cycling and the city (part 2)

In the second part of our interview with Cycling mum Katriel Costello, she shares tips on cycling with kids, where to get advice if you're trying to get back in the saddle, and some great routes near her home town, Bristol.

Do you do any longer rides with the kids?
"Yes, the bike has plenty of gears, it goes fast, and we go on bike rides along the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, which has artworks, wildlife, beautiful canals, and, in the summer, the juiciest blackberries."

Trek Allant, the current alternative to the Navigator

Any tips for ladies thinking about cycling?
"If you haven’t ridden a bike for a while, Bikes Belles is worth a look. It's a campaign by Sustrans.

"Mud Dock run bike maintenance classes for women where you can learn how to change a puncture over a glass of wine: very civilised! Or you can go on a bike ride with Cycle Bristol CTC.

"I've found cycling is one of the best ways to keep in good shape, plus it’s kind on your purse and, of course, good for the environment as it means you're not driving. There’s no reason why you can’t ride a bike and still be glamorous.”

Can you recommend any cycling routes to inspire new riders?
"I've found lots of great routes around Bristol, but one of my favourites is to go over the Suspension Bridge, then down to Leigh Woods towards Pill. Come back down the path by the Gorge into town and stop for a cup of tea and cake somewhere.

“From Bath, there is a lovely ride along the canal path through to Bradford-on-Avon. And of course there is the Bath to Bristol cycle-path, a great route. It takes me about an hour and a half. And it’s flat all the way: perfect!”

The current alternative to the Navigator is the Trek Allant though some closeout stock is available of last year's Navigator - please call Mud Dock Cycleworks on 0117 929 2151 for availability and discounted RRPs.