I don’t know technical wheel speak or the science behind wheel construction so these are my straight forward thoughts on Hunt Wheels 4 Season Dura Road wheelset;

I’ve been using these wheels since November on my Condor Super Acciaio as an all round winter wheelset for Cycle to Cannes (MIPIM) training. They are about 1500 miles in and have been out in all conditions with minimal cleaning and maintenance. I’ll say up front I think they have been a great choice so far and if they keep performing they represent excellent value for money.

They weigh more than 300 grams heavier than my Dura-Ace C24 carbon laminate wheelset.  Not a great deal really just a 1/3 of a bag of sugar.  The Hunt wheels feel strong and robust with 24 spokes at the front and 28 at the back.  They give a good sense of security should the inevitable pothole take you by surprise.

I’m very happy with braking performance on the aluminium alloy rim. There are deep grooves in the rim which makes braking in the wet super dependable including in the worst of  London’s road grim. We’ll keep an eye on rim wear over the next few months.

The hubs have been smooth even in the worst of the weather. The noise made by the ratchet when not pedaling is a comfort on the commute for increased pedestrian awareness.  The spokes all seem firm and I haven’t detected any issues with tension.

I  like the graphics used on the rims of the wheels which are monochromatic and minimal.

The wheels are tubeless ready but I run them with inner tubes currently. Interestingly they came with tubeless rim tape specified as default (I didn’t notice).  The rim tape did give way to the inner tube causing a blowout on the rear where it pushed through  into the spoke hole. I have now fitted Vitorria rim tape which is much higher quality and resolves the issue.  The guys at Hunt also offered to sort it all out; good customer service ; )

The wheels continue to be highly durable and the double sealed bearings are great for the bad weather months.  They are most definitely a fit and forget heavy duty training and commuting wheelset which I’m confident will survive until the warm months arrive.

A very misty Tuesday morning training with @ClubPeloton in Richmond Park for the Legal and General Cycle to MIPIM.  Reminded how much fog and mist can vary the temperature and the need for a good layer system.

A pair of merino glove liners in your jersey pocket can help getting caught out with cold hands.

Winter is upon us so here are my top tips for riding and training during the cold months.

Ice.  Always check for frost on car windscreens and if in doubt don’t take the risk. Also have a look at the temperature range from your point of departure to your destination.  Your destination maybe 2-3 degrees lower than your start point pushing the temperature below 0.  Also watch out for stretches of road next to lakes and water which may be colder. Avoid shady parts of the roads which may be prone to ice, frozen leaves and other slippy debris.

Tyres. Change to winter tyres with some good grip levels. And remember to stay off wet manhole covers and painted surfaces. Adjust your lean angle too so you’re more upright. Slow down a bit more and increase braking distance.

Layers. Keep warm by layering up. Each layer traps a warm layer of air beneath it so keep testing how many layers work for you.  Numb hands lead to poor brake and gear control. Make sure your hands are warm. If one pair of gloves isn’t suffice isn’t buy a thermal glove inner.

Hydration. It’s easy to forget to drink regularly when it’s cold. Keep sipping at the water bottle.

Lights. Use 2 sets of lights, one as a back up. If you head to work early and back late you may be riding 100% of the time in dark.

Cleaning and checking.  Increase the frequency of your cleaning and check your bike more regularly.  Clear brake blocks of crud and clean wheel rims to maintain a good braking surface.  Wipe down and dry off the bike if you’ve ridden through the rain.

Incentivise. Whether it’s cake or a new accessory think of a way to treat yourself for braving the elements.

Enjoy. Some of the best sunrises and sunsets can be seen during the cold months so don’t forget to enjoy the riding.

Cycle to Cannes MIPIM 2015 completed! What an adventure!

I’ve done it! I completed the 1.500km charity cycle ride to Cannes; massive thanks to everyone’s help with donations, training, products, support, and motivation. The harsh winters training paid off with a terrific 6 days riding in sunshine with amazing roads, some good luck, and brilliant comradery. I had no preconceived notion to do all the stage other than to see how things went. However a third of the way through I realised how tremendous it would be to get to the coast after leaving my doorstep in London.

It was a though 6 days that needed a strong will, mental alertness and more food than I would have thought possible to consume. All made possible by a brilliant support team and fabulous support from fellow riders and ride captains.
A brief synopsis of the days;

Note the course and routing can be found on my Strava profile.

Day 1; Nice start in the UK out of London and down to the ferry. Sunny with lots of chat and a fab stop in Leeds Castle (Kent). Great to see everyone come together in one big group. The support bus with all its logos looked the part.  

Day 2; Super early start and super long day in the saddle 6am – 8.45pm riding. Rolling roads of Northern France. Awesome dessert at lunch. I’m finding the speed of turn around between stages hectic; Stop, toilet, coffee, eat, drink, adjust clothing Go (punctuated with a whistle). Knackered and can’t imagine repeating that distance. Pitch black riding into the hotel fired up the adrenalin.

Day 3; Start out of Reims with a cracking sunrise over the vineyards of Champagne. Some petrifying fog and seriously low temperatures. Water bottles frozen and so close to calling it a day as the cold seemed to permeate my mind and ex entire my fatigue. Pushed on and weather improved on the following stages. Some great descending and another hair raising night ride to the hotel in Dijon. Having the motorcycle outriders keeping the traffic islands clear made for some fast turning. At the end of this day I’ve now made my mind up to try and complete every stage. One more long distance day fingers crossed tomorrow goes well.  

Day 4; Dijon to Valence 300km. Long long long. Cakes from Carol of the support team sorted out my doldrums. Fab sunshine and testing hills later in the day. So little time in the evenings to do anything other than eat. Organising your gear the night before seems to be the key in the mornings.

Day 5; actually looking forward to this day, less distance and more hills- my favourite. Great climbs with fab views and monster descents! Witnessed a road bike with disc brakes lock up into a fast right hander. Rider ok but some nasty road rash. 

Day 6; Aix en Provence to Cannes. More climbing and descending. Such a wonderful sunny day with amazing roads and scenery to take in. Disaster! Di2 battery flat so got stuck in outer ring on front -things got interesting. I actually listened to some who said I wouldn’t need to charge it for the whole trip! Stuck a mobile phone back-up battery charger into the charging port to give it some juice at the rest point and carved enough to get me to Cannes.
The ceremonial ride into Cannes was great. Especially to see the harbour and yachts after riding across France.   Thank you to all the welcoming party who cheered us in.

Off the bike and I literally couldn’t talk. Overwhelmed!  Beer, chips and burgers thank you Savills.  Rest time.

The participants and supporters on this trip were all awesome. Given the levels of fatigue it was an immense effort to keep everyone going and in such great spirits.

A whopping £250,000 total sponsorship raised from Cycle to Cannes 2015 and over £2 million in the 10 years of the event running, amazing!