Assos winter collection - get your wallets out!

A confession....
Much as I love Assos shorts, I don't actually wear much of their summer kit (mainly just Assos socks, gloves, arm-warmers and technical gilet on big rides)
I am very proud of our Bespoke Team Kit and like to wear that as much as possible
Its made by Giordana, and whilst the chamois pad is not as nice as the one on Assos shorts its is still very good indeed
Having great summer kit certainly helps riding enjoyment; clothes fit better, are more comfortable and sweat wicks better
But it would be an exaggeration to say that your summer clothes choice can make or break your ride

However as we approach Autumn and then descend into winter it gets far more serious indeed
As the weather deteriorates, technical clothing comes into its own.......
Being dry, and having a constant core temperature and warm feet and hands can be the difference from a 3hr winter ride on beautiful empty roads to a 60 minute misery-fest where you turn back early because you cannot change gear or brake (believer me, I have done both)

I firmly believe that Assos make the best technical cycling clothing in the world, and that their winter collection has always been the jewel in the crown.

The exciting thing is that this year the range is even stronger
I had heard great things about the new Assos winter collection as far back as this Spring
But it was not until last week that the rep came round with the new collection and I could see/try on for myself
I can confirm the hype is worth it - this is the biggest revamp Assos have ever done in one collection


Highlights for me were the new SturmPrinz rain jacket
It will cost a fortune but looks to be the best rain jacket in the world
Totally waterproof, yet light and breatheable with the classic Assos racing cut

The bonka is the new winter jacket. It does not replace the 851 but rather sits above it (and below the Fugu)
It felt wnderful, you really need to see it in the flesh to see all the different cuts and materials that have gone into the different sections. It will also come in 2 fits (an Assos first) - so there will be the normal 'Racing' fit, and a slightly more genteel version!
This is a very big move as it addresses the major issue a number of people have had with Assos sizing







And for those who are looking for the ultimate glove, look no further than the Fugu glove
(This replaces the 3 glove system they had last yr)



This is the new Winter glove and will be perfect for all but the very coldest of morning starts


The rain cap - regretaby this will be a must have in our sunny climes....



Assos have revamped their winter sock collection - I was skeptical of these when I saw the catalogue pictures but was a convert when I tried them on. Called 'fuguSpeer' (another name that just rolls off of the tongue) these have an airblock band at the front. Perfect on their own, or when the weather is exceptionally cold you can put another pair of socks on underneath



We are expecting our first shipment in the next 7-10 days so please come and see for yourself

Run with Mo Farah

Dear all

On Wednesday 14 September, Holiday Inn the official hotel provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will host a free running club with world championship gold medallist Mo Farah.

Starting and finishing at Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park, the 5000m run is open to all running enthusiasts and fans of Britain’s best track and field athlete. The first 250 runners that complete the run will be rewarded with breakfast which will be served outside the hotel.

We would like to invite you to join Mo on the run.

Details
Date: Wednesday 14 September 2011
Meeting start time: From 07.00
Run start time: 07.30
Location: Holiday Inn London Regent’s Park, Carburton Street, London W1W 5EE
Run: 5000 metres unmarked route with Mo Farah
Fitness level: The Mo Farah running club is for runners with a good level of fitness who are very comfortable running 5000 metres
Running gear: All runners should turn up in proper running shoes and clothing to make sure they are comfortable during the run.

All participating runners run at their own risk. If you’ve got any health conditions, you should consult your doctor before running the Mo Farah free run.

Look forward to seeing some of you there!

The Holiday Inn London 2012 Team

Pretty in Pink

This is Jules' new Parlee Z5
It has SRAM Red Black (which is LOVELY in the flesh), Dura Ace wheels and some Ritchey and 3T finishing kit
The whole bike looks wonderful
Why are girls so much bolder than the guys when it comes to colours !!

Dream winter bikes

It used to be that a 'winter bike' was very much a poor relation
An ill fitting, heavy bike with all your old/unwanted parts
The bike would be a pig to ride and thus you would take your summer bike out whenever you could

Working with the guys at Firefly has been a breath of fresh air
Sure we have done a number of 'classic' road bikes with them this year, but the real beauty of their custom approach has been when it comes to putting modern twists on urban riding
Boston gets as bad weather as London, so the guys are well versed in the need for mud-guards, wider tyres, longer chainstays etc
Previously you had to use a long reach fork and brakes to get full mud-gaurds to work
We have now found a solution which removes this need, so you can use a dedicated Enve road fork and nromal road brakes
This saves almst half a pound in weight, and vastly improves stopping power
when spring comes you simply take the mud-guards off and pt them in storage for another year and you have a road bike that you can train, race and do sportives on



Just how cool are these custom mud-guards !

Gerald's FS Eriksen

The latest in Gerald's wonderful fleet
A custom Kent Eriksen MTB with tubeless wheels, XT/XTR parts and a Yeti carbon rear end
Lovely !

Introducing Ben Hallam

Ben is the newest member of the Bespoke family and I am thrilled to have him
He runs the Performance Lab here (Bike fit studio, treatment room and our Assessment room)

Being born into a cycling family, Ben was always destined to race bikes. His uncle, Ian Hallam, was 3 times Commonwealth champion on the track and Ben followed in his footsteps, winning the junior national pursuit championships as well as representing Great Britain at 2 Junior World Championships and 2 Under 23 European Championships. Ben also applied his pursuiting prowess to win multiple junior and under 23 time trial titles. While chasing the professional cycling dream, Ben spent 4 years living and racing on the road in France and Belgium which culminated in completing the Tour of Britain.

Looking for ways to use the sporting experience, Ben completed a degree in BSc Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention in 2010. The degree focuses on the assessment and treatment on musculoskeletal injury through electrotherapy, soft tissue treatment and therapeutic exercise prescription.

Ben has developed his bike fitting philosophy based on the principles that he learnt from the degree. The core principle to Ben’s bike fitting comes from Burke (1988) who said that the key thing to remember when setting a bike up is that “the body is adaptable and the bike is adjustable”. This means that:
A) The body will adapt to a bad position (compromising posture and core stability) and consider this to be “normal”.

B) The body and the bike must be assessed and adjusted simultaneously. Adjusting the bike to a poor posture will reinforce the poor posture and cap the performance potential of the rider.

C) Through treatment and corrective exercise, body has potential to adapt towards maintaining a good posture and position. Therefore, bike fitting often has to be a progressive process where the bike is adjusted as the body adapts.
Therefore, during the Retul bike fitting sessions, Ben will identify areas of tightness and weakness in the body that can cause incorrect movement patterns, decreasing performance and increasing the susceptibility to injury. Ben can then address these issues in a one to one to one clinical session.

Sidas custom footbeds are here

When we hired Ben Hallam to run the bike fit studio/Performance lab I was delighted. He came with very high recommendations and little demands!
One thing he was insistent on was the Sidas footbed system as he has had great success with using it in the past
It arrived on Monday, and we have already had lots of bookings for footbeds - I think it will be a a great addition to the list of services we offer here