Wheels & tyres

Since 1887 when John Dunlop first made a pneumatic tyre for his son's bike we don't seem to have been able to find a better way to protect our wheels and ourselves from the hardness of the roads. Whether the tyre, inner tube (and hence the puncture repair industries) are holding back proper development of the airless/punctureless tyre because of what it might cost them, remains to be seen. But the truth remains that as long as people have ridden bicycles, they have had to endure the pain of punctures. The good news, however, is that the number of tyres available to cyclists which match their particular requirements is huge and although change might have been slow in the product itsef, there have been huge strides in developing new compounds and treads to cope with our increasing demands.

Pedals are that point of contact between us and our bicycles where the work we put in gets transmitted to the back wheel via the chain. As such, we will have differing requirements from our pedals depending on what cycling we do. If we're occasional cyclists then we want comfort - a big pedal with hopefully some 'give' in the platform. If we're racing, then we demand something slightly more dynamic with an efficient cleat system and low weight. So, as per usual with bicycles, there is a variety of choice. Make sure you get the pedals you need