PREVENT FLATS AND IMPROVE YOUR RIDE
Bicycling South Africa|January/February 2023
Over the past decade, 29-inch wheels, bicycle-geometry evolution and improved suspension performance have increased the speed at which we ride our mountain bikes.
PREVENT FLATS AND IMPROVE YOUR RIDE

Meanwhile, gravel has us riding our unsuspended drop-bar bikes off the tar and onto rougher roads and trails. As a result, we’re hitting things harder, which takes a toll on our wheels and tyres.

We’ve also seen the widespread adoption of tubeless, the use of hookless rims, and the embrace of wider tyres. Brands constantly launch new wheels and tyres, claiming they’re the lightest, grippiest, toughest, fastest, or just bestest.

Along with noise about wheels and tyres is new momentum around something that’s neither a wheel nor a tyre, but that interacts with both: tyre inserts.

The modern iteration is a hoop of foam that lives inside a tubeless tyre. These inserts can fit all types of bikes, from road race bikes to downhill MTBs and everything in between and adjacent. For race use, inserts are most often seen inside the tyres of mountain-bike and gravel pros. There are some road races, however – the Spring Classics, and especially Paris-Roubaix – where an insert could be advantageous, as the roads in play are notoriously tough on tyres. Inserts can benefit everyone from the top pros to more casual riders.

The advantage that unifies most tyre inserts is flat protection. In a hard impact, an insert functions as a bump-stop, preventing the tyre’s casing from folding and bottoming against the rim (which often causes a pinch flat). This protection also cuts down on rim strikes that can dent aluminium rims or break a carbon one.

Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2023 de Bicycling South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición January/February 2023 de Bicycling South Africa.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE BICYCLING SOUTH AFRICAVer todo
GEAR FOR THE AGES
Bicycling South Africa

GEAR FOR THE AGES

Some bicycle components, tools and accessories - by design, luck or a bit of both - become icons of performance, reliability and permanence in cycling.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July/August 2024
A RACE LIKE NO OTHER
Bicycling South Africa

A RACE LIKE NO OTHER

IN KENYA'S MAASAI MARA, KNOWN MORE FOR SAFARIS THAN CYCLING, THE MIGRATION GRAVEL RACE CHALLENGES RIDERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD THE WORLD WHILE FORGING A FUTURE FOR BIKE RACING IN AFRICA.

time-read
10+ minutos  |
July/August 2024
WAR ON WHEELS
Bicycling South Africa

WAR ON WHEELS

IF YOU GO FOR A RIDE IN CAPE TOWN AT THE WRONG TIME, YOU COULD FIND YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF A CYCLING GANG WAR, WHERE THE WEAPONS OF CHOICE ARE STRAVA RECORDS AND SALTY COMMENTS ON INSTAGRAM. THIS IS THE TALE OF THREE RIVAL ROADIE CREWS AND A REMINDER THAT CYCLING IS A SPORT BEST TAKEN WITH A SENSE OF HUMOUR.

time-read
7 minutos  |
July/August 2024
GET TOUR DE FRANCE FAST IN FOUR WEEKS
Bicycling South Africa

GET TOUR DE FRANCE FAST IN FOUR WEEKS

HAVE YOU GOT TOUR FEVER? If you have a good fitness base, let the pros inspire you to take your riding to the next level.

time-read
4 minutos  |
July/August 2024
THE SECRET TO MAKING A COMEBACK? JUST START
Bicycling South Africa

THE SECRET TO MAKING A COMEBACK? JUST START

\"THIS IS WHAT DECONDITIONING LOOKS LIKE,\" I said out loud to no one, as I looked at the heart-rate reading on my phone and gasped for breath. \"This shouldn't be so hard.\"

time-read
3 minutos  |
July/August 2024
DEAR MARK CAVENDISH
Bicycling South Africa

DEAR MARK CAVENDISH

WHEN I FIRST STARTED FOLLOWING professional road cycling around 2014, you were at the top of your game.

time-read
3 minutos  |
July/August 2024
HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR POWER-TOWEIGHT RATIO
Bicycling South Africa

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR POWER-TOWEIGHT RATIO

POWER-TO-WEIGHT RATIO IS one of the most telling metrics in cycling - and thanks to indoor trainers, many more cyclists are now familiar with it. Right now it's never been easier to calculate your power-to-weight ratio and use it to improve your performance.

time-read
5 minutos  |
July/August 2024
EASY RIDER
Bicycling South Africa

EASY RIDER

A FEW YEARS AGO, my wife and I along with her parents, brother and his wife-cycled down the Danube River in Europe.

time-read
2 minutos  |
July/August 2024
LEADING THE WAY - RYAN GIBBONS, 29, SA PRO RIDER, MULTIPLE SA & AFRICAN ROAD CHAMP
Bicycling South Africa

LEADING THE WAY - RYAN GIBBONS, 29, SA PRO RIDER, MULTIPLE SA & AFRICAN ROAD CHAMP

AFTER JOINING LIDLTREK from UAE Team Emirates, South African national champ Ryan Gibbons aims to be the best lead-out man he can be - while also helping his new team in their quest to climb the World Tour rankings.

time-read
7 minutos  |
July/August 2024
6 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT THIS SUMMER
Bicycling South Africa

6 WAYS TO BEAT THE HEAT THIS SUMMER

TOP TIPS TO KEEP YOU COOLER AND RIDING STRONGER... NO MATTER WHAT THE TEMPERATURE.

time-read
3 minutos  |
January / February 2024