Bike tech explained

Your quickfire guide to bike jargon

Monoblade fork ● It looks unusual, but Cannondale’s Lefty monoblade fork isn’t a case of form over function. Chris Boardman’s gold medal-winning Lotus also had a singlebladed fork and that bike’s designer, the late, great Mike Burrows pioneered its use on more utilitarian bikes such as his ‘Gordon’ city bike – which also had a monoblade rear triangle – and his Eight Freight cargo bike. Why? The everinnovative Burrows called them “lighter, stronger and better” and went on to explain that your bike already has two monoblades – the cranks, and they’re clearly built to withstand a lot of force. A further advantage is that you can take the tyre off to repair a puncture without removing the wheel. Neat. Reynolds 725 ● A Reynolds 725 steel frame (as seen on the Spa Cycles bike in this test) is a heat-treated version of its 525 chromoly (chromemolybdenum) steel, the heat treating increasing the material’s strength, which allows for thinner wall thicknesses and a lighter weight. ED ● has The an coating Audax ED coating also on its steel frame. Electrophoretic deposition is a process that gives a tougher finish than can be achieved by a layer of paint alone. It works by placing the conductive steel frame in a liquid that has particles of paint suspended in it. When this is charged, the paint is attracted to the fork, and adheres uniformly to the frame. A layer of powder coat is then applied on top of this, to add even more protection. MIK The and Trek bike Blendr ● comes with a ‘MIKcompatible’ rear rack and a Blendr stem. MIK – ‘Mounting is Key’ – is a system that allows you to attach and lock dedicated bags to your rack. Numerous luggage items are available from Bontrager, Giant, Basil and more, taking in trunk bags, panniers and a dog carrier! Trek describes Blendr as ‘the ultimate integration system for the clean-and-easy installation of lights, computers and other accessories on your bike’s stem’.