We had a visit today from Mark Hambleton who is a ‘cycling’ solicitor at Withy King.  Mark is a keen cyclist and comes in three times a week or so on his bike from Bristol. He and his colleagues at the firm sound pretty keen on pitting themselves against various challenges at home and abroad, so they are definitely a sound bunch!  Mark himself is undertaking a 300 mile bike ride in September for the BHF, Prostate Cancer and the Street cricket club youth team for whom he used to play.  He’s promised to update us on this blog with progress towards that.  

After seeing the recent incident where a cyclist was knocked off his bike by a bus driver in Bristol its pretty clear that at certain times legal help is needed.  We had a long chat and Mark is evidently a committed and keen cyclist and (I’m sure) would use this expertise in any case where his professional assistance is needed. A bit of blurb from him about his legal work below.

 Mark Hambleton is a keen cyclist and solicitor at Withy King Solicitors. Mark specialises in representing cyclists and advising them on their legal rights. He founded the BicycleLaw Unit at Withy King. Mark regularly cycles to work in Bath from his home in Bristol. Mark also works at the Withy King offices in Oxford and Swindon.

If you have been injured whilst riding, purchased a faulty product from a bikeshop or the internet or have a general legal query you should not hesitate to phone him on 01225 489 216 or email him at [email protected]

Mark will be happy to discuss your query with you on a free of charge basis initially before advising you on the likely fee if you wish to pursue your matter further.

If your enquiry relates to an injury that you have suffered then Withy King will represent you on a “no win, no fee basis” following an initial (free) assessment. Withy King’s injured clients always keep 100% of the compensation they are awarded. 

We got Craft clothing  into the shop in mid January and since then I’ve been able to try out a few pieces to see how it performs in real world conditions.  I’ve been really impressed with it overall.  I’ve previously had Endura kit and having worn the 2 brands I’d say that Craft have the edge when it comes to lighter weight and fabrics that will perform better when you are working hard.

The first thing I did after the Craft sales guy visited was heed his advice and try out one of their Active Extreme baselayers. I’d never really worn base layers before as I’d used to wear Gore N2S (next to skin) jackets, but the advice the Craft guy gave me was that I’d feel less sweaty with a baselayer.  His advice proved so true.  I’ve been riding with the Craft baselayer for about 4 weeks now from temperatures hovering around 0 to 12 degrees and I’ve found riding so much more comfortable.  In the past my jersey would get moist with sweat soaked up from direct contact with my skin, chilling me and generally making me feel uncomfortable.  Now with the baselayer that moisture is transferred away brilliantly.  Road.cc did a review of the baselayer last year, which has since changed its name but its the same product.

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I’ve also been trying out the Craft Performance Storm Bib Tights they sound a bit hardcore but they really aren’t!  Again I’ve been using them in temperatures from decidedly cold to really very mild and they have been great across this wide temperature range.  The first thing I noticed about them compared to my old Endura winter longs was that they weighed next to nothing.  They also have a really nice mesh upper body which really helps in the overheating department.  The details are great, like unobtrusive slimline zips that go a decent way up the calf, and silicone ankle grippers.  The fronts of the tights are constructed of a wind and waterproof membrane, and I really didn’t notice the difference between it and normal lycra, in other words it pretty much moulds itself to your skin and doesn’t crinkle or flap about!

Riding them is where it really matters though.  So how did they do?  Well they kept me warmer and cooler when I needed it than other tights I have worn.  Starting off a ride in cooler conditions you do notice their lightweight construction, but once you’ve warmed up they’re great.  They keep the chilly wind and road spray off brilliantly at the front and allow you to breath through the lighterweight lycra at the back.  But their best feature is in milder conditions – they really do not get warm in the slightest even at 12 degrees, and it’ll be great to test them this week when we get up to around 15 for an after work evening ride.  I’ll post an update on that here.  The pad is one area where I have felt a noticeable improvement in my riding comfort.  Its made with ‘exploded bubbles’ and is very high tech – basically press the pad between your fingers and it springs back to shape!  It also has  an extra layer of anti shock EVA foam in the back part of the pad where your sit bones are located, making it even more comfortable – and the pad is size specific to each size of tight.  I found that I didn’t move around on my saddle in an attempt to ease pressure on my rear as much as I used to, so the pad must work!  It also stayed ‘put’ unlike some pads I’ve worn which slip around all over the place! Road.cc reviewed the tights and gave them a thumbs up as well.

Overall the Craft kit I have worn has been great, I look forward to trying out some more pieces, like a lightweight gilet or the rain jacket and who knows if the weather gets really mild you might see me out in their bib tights, god forbid!

So it’s my (Becci’s) turn to write a couple of blogs, and in an attempt to attract some comments that aren’t actually spam I’ll be writing mine a little differently.

We’re a few weeks into the New Year, and I’m sure many people made resolutions or goals for themselves. So, out of curiosity what might those goals be, and are you still on course?

We’re on the lookout for a couple more “big rides” to take part in during the rest of the year, although, thanks to the latest cycling Plus, the Exmoor Beast and Dartmoor classic certainly sound good to me!

You may remember we mentioned the Action Medical Research Bath 100, a 100 mile (or 100 km) loop out from Bath on the 1st of April. With the hills around here it’s meant to be a toughie, but at least there are three food stops along the way!
We’re still planning on taking part, although so far training hasn’t exactly been to plan- what with the cold weather, ice, slush, snow etc. I can’t say I’ve been overly keen to just hop on the bike! When the temperature is already zero degrees or below without any wind chill and the risk of running into ice, I do feel that just popping down to the gym is so much more appealing! So I, personally, have been doing a fair amount of Spinning and weight training along with a few longer rides.

But what have you been doing during the cold snap and winter months? Do you take on a different sport, learn to love spinning / the turbo, or head out regardless of the weather?

I was umming and aahing about whether or not to go for a ride this Sunday, being with stationary bikes all week I was getting a bit jaded with it all!  Luckily in Bath we have very energetic and enthusiastic cycle clubs, and I could just not ignore the tweets and Facebook reminders about Velo Club Walcot’s  weekly Sunday ride.  I summoned all my willpower to gear up, looking out the window at a grey misty gloom.  I got to Bath Guildhall at 9.25 with the off time being 9.30. At 9.30 nobody appeared and I was getting a bit twitchy as I’ve been out on rides where groups leave on the dot! I didn’t need to worry as a few seconds later folk started to turn up.  We did brief introductions, chatted a bit about our bikes giving any latecomers a bit of leeway to get to the start point.  I fiddled with the zip on my left shoe cover, it was pretty wrecked but luckily the velcro strap at the top stopped it flapping around.  There was no way I’d be cycling in today’s freezing conditions without some thermal foot assistance.

We headed off down Great Pultney Street making for Bathampton and the old Toll Bridge.  The descents and flats were chilly, no time to warm up, so it was good to get to the foot of the Bannerdown climb to get warmed up.  One of the gang’s chain flew off right at the bottom, typical, a chain always chooses the best moment to dislodge itself from the drivetrain, even if gears are perfectly adjusted and by the looks of it the bike, a Cervelo with nice red spoked wheels, was running sooo sweetly.  He quickly sorted it and was soon closely following the main bunch.  Bannerdown seems less daunting going up than coming down, so we soon got to the summit!  After a short wait we all set off again.  Near whiteout conditions prevailed on the plateaux at the top, but not bad enough to make cycling difficult or unpleasant.

Map of the ride

Its fairly flat up on the Cotswolds Plateaux so we bowled along at a good pace.  It wasn’t your typical chaingang with riders taking turns at the front, not so, the pace was just that slightly bit more relaxed with riders a bit more spaced out 2 abreast, with each pair of riders pushing their way against wind resistance.  Paul who was leading the ride let the group know that a steepish bend was coming up and to go carefully.  One of the group had sped ahead a bit so we kept our fingers crossed that he would read the road well.  Unfortunately when we came round the bend we saw the guy on the floor in the middle of the road with his mangled bike.  I stopped at the back to warn traffic, and the others went on to retrieve him and the bike.  Luckily we were a hundred yards from the White Hart Pub at Ford where we could sit outside and sort things out.  The guy’s back wheel was totally bent, like he had come down heavily on it, so he got on his ‘phone to arrange transport.  He really was quite beat up by the road with two big bloody gashes to the head and one to the leg.  A bar person kindly brought a hot drink, and the manager even came out and got the guy indoors to keep warm until help arrived. The guy wasn’t wearing a helmet and it was lucky that nothing more serious occurred, this really underlines the importance of wearing a helmet, even if just to prevent those nasty scratches when skin contacts the gravel.

The ride then turned west towards Acton Turville and then to Pucklechurch, on to the Bristol Bath railway path and back home to Bath.  This final stretch was pretty uneventful, apart from a nice fast blast down the Bristol Ring Road where we were all strung out in a long time trial like line!  The ride ended up at the inimitable Chelsea Cafe where we had seriously good coffees and cakes, what a refreshing ride!