Road biking is great; it’s super good for you, you can do it anywhere that has roads and unlike our other favourite pastime, snow sports, you can do it easily almost all year round. But road biking in the Alps is a little different to what you might be used to, so with some expert help from Tim from Torico Morzine, we’ve put together five of our favourite road biking essentials!
Scott Solace 10 Disk
Let’s be honest, most of us road bikers in the Portes du Soleil aren’t racers, but we can go the distance! The Scott Soalce is designed for endurance but has racy undertones that even the toughest of endurance riders will enjoy. The two-part carbon frame is split into two zones: the Power Zone and the Comfort Zone, resulting in a stiff and stable but responsive ride that’ll tackle the ice-damaged cols of the Portes du Soleil with ease and provide you with fun, confidence-inducing descents. Plus, the wide-ranging gears are perfect for the hilly mountain roads of the Alps.
€2800
Endura Pro SL 11 bibshorts
If there’s a pair of shorts designed for summer road biking, it’s these bad boys. Available in a men’s and women’s version, with two different leg lengths and three pad width options, you can truly tailor these to your preferences. Plus, they’re made from Italian Power Lycra for optimal compression and muscle support, with performance-enhancing Coldback technology and SPF 50+ sun protection. The bib section is made from ultra-breathable 3D mesh to keep you comfortable on long, hot days, plus the padding has an anti-bacterial treatment so you don’t need to worry about stinking out the bar after your ride.
€100
Garmin Edge 25
Strava fans, beware. The Garmin Edge 25 is light, compact, easy-to-use and accurate to a tee. Use this tiny cycle computer to plan your routes, track your speed, distance and elevation and even measure your heart rate. It has around ten hours of battery life (allowing you to use your phone for other things like emergency calls and taking photos), a flawless GPS signal that doesn’t rely on 3G and works even in thick forest or the middle of nowhere. It’s also got an IPX7 water-resistance rating for those who like riding in torrential rain and it can be easily connected to your other devices so you can download your data and measure your progress – genius!
€199.00 with HRM function
Clif Bloks
Long bike rides mean you’re burning hundreds of calories per hour and that means you need a way to keep your energy levels up! Clif (of CLif Bar fame) Bloks are perfect for fighting fatigue and hanger (hunger = anger) in the saddle; they come in packs of 33 calorie gel cubes that can be kept close to hand and are easy to eat on the move. Not only does this make it easy to keep track of your calorie intake, Clif products are made mainly from organic, natural ingredients and don’t contain any nasty stuff like hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrup. They also taste surprisingly good and come in lots of different flavours. Yum.
€3.30 each
€43.50 for a pack of 18
Torico Water Bottle
Everyone needs a good water bottle or two, or even three, especially for long climbs on hot days, and what better way to support a local business than by treating yourself to a unique Torico water bottle? These BPA-free bottles are exclusively available to buy from Torico bike shop on the Rue du Bourg in Morzine. A great reason to stop buying single-use plastic bottles, keep yourself hydrated and go in and say hello to Tim and the guys – they’ll do a great job of fixing your bike, too!
600ml: €6
800ml: €8
