Recent comments

Hi do you know of any racks – front and back which will fit a salsa vaya? Just bought one without realising the racks do not appear ready to ship and we are going bike touring before the date??? It's a wonderful bike going to be disappointed if I cannot use it!

Many thanks

Thanks both, for the helpful info.

Amazon22 is right, Viewranger does that and there are other apps that do similar.

Every week there's the release of yet another OS mapping, GPS tracking, calorie-counting app. I've tried loads. Some even work.

But there's nowt for newbie cyclists, showing them the way to nearest quiet roads and (good) cycle paths.

This app does that. It will also be good for enthusiast cyclists in towns new to them. And I know I'll use it to find bike shops when I'm in new places; on tour or when my Brompton gets a rear wheel puncture etc.

A new beta of the app comes to me tomorrow. This gets tested by a few people and then I hope we can go live with it next week.

Next addition (in version 2) will be a synthetic voice option for turn by turn navigation.

Bear in mind this app is based on OpenCycleMap and data crunching from Cyclestreets.net so is community-based. If corrections to bike shops, locations, cycle paths etc are needed, put them into OpenCycleMap so we all benefit.

The app is free and I've agonised over this. By rights, we should charge cos the app is useful but I want as many people as possible to benefit from the app so decided it should be free despite the crap connotations of making it gratis.

It cost a lot to build but all the expenses are covered by the Bike Hub levy, a weeny bit of cash British bike shops and suppliers pay to promote cycling projects.

But I too hadn't seen the "Press this to save changes" button so I got another go at selecting a team. Not sure it will make any difference!

What's the best time of year? I heard that May is good.

I fit the age profile but not much else. I haven't got £3K plus to wedge out on a carbon road rocket so I spent a fraction of that recently on getting a Ribble Audax, just in case I was in danger of taking myself too seriously.

Started 'proper' cycling five years ago because I wasn't allowed to drive at the time and found that lycra was actually the best thing to wear while cycling.

Why should this be such a alien concept? No one seems to baulk at the Rooneyfication factor of wearing base layers and gloves while playing football? I bet there are plenty of Sunday morning wannabes decked out in all the most expensive compression gear (and wearing alice bands in what's left of their hair, FFS) kicking a ball round a turd-strewn council pitches up and down the country.

Now it makes sense to be properly dressed to go properly cycling - have never ridden either of my last two bikes in anything other than the 'proper' gear (which, sad to say, includes mirror shades and BG gloves) - I do possess bib-shorts but draw the line at a skin suit...

Thanks, nice to have a personal recommendation. I visited their site earlier today, since it was the top Google hit for "cycling holiday mont ventoux".

My name is Shugg McGraw and I am a Mamil.

Why only £50 for that cycling essential - a silk scarf with an inane slogan on it? Surely a price tag of £5,000 would discourage the riff-raff.

Dog72, Viewranger will do that, using OS maps. Currently the best selling paid-for gps app on iTunes, and rightly so. I use it on my Nokia 5800 and its excellent. You can also plot a route directly on the phone.

Do love Rapha stuff but blimey, the prices seem to be getting higher. While I feel some is justified by the quality and style some is not. But then being based in London I suppose they have a different view of life than some of us. And I suppose stuff sells so why make it cheaper?

Oh well.

Hi do you know of any racks – front and back which will fit a salsa vaya? Just bought one without realising the racks do not appear ready to ship and we are going bike touring before the date??? It's a wonderful bike going to be disappointed if I cannot use it!

Many thanks