Swiss Side

Swiss Side Tour de Suisse Photo Recap

Brad — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:57:31 +0000

Swiss Side has been following the Tour de Suisse and we put together this photo report from the finale. It was a 28.6km time trial from Bad Ragaz to Flumserberg. It was a very tough time trial more suited to the climbers as the final 10km was a 1000 vertical height meter climb to the top of the local ski resort of Flumserberg. It was also a hot day with temps around the 30C (90F) mark so it provided an extra challenge for the riders. All the details of the results can be found by CLICKING HERE.

A beautiful cycling rode, the climb from Mollis to Filzbach. Google Maps: 47.101973,9.075724

The gorgeous cycling path along the Walensee in the north of Switzerland. Google Maps: 47.112576,9.242138

The 100m mark on the final 18% ramp to finish of the final stage of the Tour de Suisse at the top of the Flumersberg Ski Resort. Google Maps: 47.093493,9.281986

One of the riders on the limit approaching the finish. Google Maps: 47.093493,9.281986

Who says battles can’t happen in time trials. Check out the pain faces! Google Maps: 47.093493,9.281986

Looking south west down the valley from the climb up to Flumserberg. Google Maps: 47.094085,9.316221

Looking back up the hill towards the beautiful Churfirsten Mountain Range. Google Maps: 47.094085,9.316221

Riding through some of the Swiss Military Tunnels along the Walensee bike path. Google Maps: 47.124461,9.141063

Swiss Side Sponsors ULTRA 6 World Record Attempt

Brad — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:31:39 +0000

Swiss Side is proud to announce our sponsorship of the Ultra 6 World Record Attempt which is set to take place July 14th- 20th to raise money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and the Forces’ Children’s’ Trust.

NEW CHARITY CHALLENGE AIMS TO SET WORLD RECORD TO AID WAR HEROES IN 6 DAYS
Chance to make the record books as famous Yorkshire charity adventurers hit the road again

Dynamic Yorkshire athletes who last year ran, kayaked and cycled across Europe in aid of our Armed Forces heroes, are launching a new world record attempt from Land’s End to John O’Groats – and need your help.

The Ultra 6 Great Britain challenge, spearheaded once more by Leeds’s Andy North and colleagues, will see a team of runners complete a daily cycle and marathon from July 14th- 20th to raise money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and the Forces’ Children’s’ Trust.

Andy North, Ben Wood and team aim to complete the 850 miles in a world record time of just 6.4 days; in that time they will complete 26.2 miles daily and then cycle a further 100 miles on the same day; a total of 15 hours on the move each day.

The Ultra 6 team is set for their world record attempt.

Big hearted businesses and members of the public who sponsor the event are invited to join in the endeavour. Each entrant will be able to drop in and out at any stage and will be helping the Ultra 6 team to break the world record.

The entourage will joined for two days along the route by former soldier Andy Reid who lost three limbs whilst serving in Afghanistan with 3 YORKS in 2009.

As a result of the IED explosion, Andy lost his right leg below the knee, left leg above the knee, and right arm. After being flown back to the UK, he astounded people with his recovery by only spending only two weeks in hospital.

The Soldiers’ Charity, the national charity of the British Army, was instrumental in supporting Andy during his recovery by providing a number of grants to aid his rehabilitation and make adaptations to his home. He is now an ambassador for The Soldiers’ Charity and also patron for the Forces Children’s Trust charity. In a remarkable display of tenacity, for the first time since being injured Andy will ride a bike and cycle part of the challenge.

The team also hope to inspire young people so in the run up to the event, will roll out a programme to schools and other institutions aimed promoting well-being, health and fitness in young people. Inspired Life.org, in tandem with the Ultra 6 team, will be trail-blazing the efforts of the Ultra 6 teams to encourage youngsters to get out of the house and to get fit.

This is not the first time the Yorkshire adventurers have gone to the extreme in support of charity; in autumn 2011 Andy North accompanied by Dave Edwards, Mick Bowden and Mike Senior completed the Sunshine Challenge. They undertook the equivalent of 25 marathons, covered over 1,700 miles of cycling and kayaked 26 miles, over 43 days of physical endurance from Catterick Garrison to Gibraltar. This year the stalwart team will also be joined by Ben Wood who brings his vast cycling skill & knowledge from his many years working at Allterrain Cycles in Bradford.

Andy says:
“We thought we couldn’t top the gruelling run we made from N Yorkshire to Gibraltar last year – but what better way to make our efforts even more relevant than create a community of challengers,. Our aim is to set a new world record by running and cycling 126.2 miles per day in total and to raise £50,000 for charity.

“Following the success of the Olympics and Tour de France our dream is to motivate and inspire people to actively use sport and compete for their country. And at a time when so much focus is on the heroic endeavours of our Armed Forces in Afghanistan we must make special mention of Andy Reid who is facing an extraordinary difficult challenge in attempting his first consecutive distance bike ride since his horrific injury fighting for our country.

“This endeavour is going to be tough enough for us but imagine then how tough it will be for Andy with no lower legs and only one arm? But he has immense spirit and willpower which underlines the ethos of this challenge.”

Ultra 6 World Record Attempt

ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

The Forces’ Children’s’ Trust

Franc Evo-2 Wheel Set – Deal of the week!

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:01:12 +0000

To carry on our spring into action summer deals we are launching a 1 week long deal on the Franc Evo-2 wheel set.

This deal starts today and runs for 1 week only, or while stocks last.

The Franc Evo-2 wheel set normally sells for €414. For this week only we are offering a 1 time season kick off price of €359!

Click here to learn more about the Franc Evo-2 wheel set

Welcome to the pure excellence of Franc. The ultimate in performance, quality, design and style, the Franc Evo-2 is not just the world’s leading currency but one of Swiss Side’s leading alloy wheel sets. Optimized in every aspect, this wheel is designed to offer every rider a gold lined riding experience. Aerodynamically superior by design, light weight without compromising on stiffness, and elegant styling, the Swiss Side Franc sets the benchmark.

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Thanks for the positive feedback!

admin — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:04:30 +0000

We’ve had some great feedback recently from our official EBay partner, Cycling Insiders. They’ve been receiving only great feedback from customers who have purchased Swiss Side products. Absolutely zero negative feedback! We know that independent reviews are important for our customers so we thought we’d share some of these with you!

Once again, we want to highlight that our goal is to bring you absolute top quality road bike wheels for the best value for money anywhere on the market! We believe that this is some proof that we are well on the way to fulfilling this goal. Check out some of the feedback listed below.

Thanks again to all those supporting our movement to ride great wheels for a fair price! Feel free to spread the word and keep an eye out for more of our red hot deals coming soon.

Your Swiss Side Team

rubble916 said:

“Wow, They are nice wheels, get em before the price goes up!”

Swiss Side – Franc Evo2 Wheel Set – Road Bike Wheels

janeandmatt said

“Great stuff! Fantastic wheels. Get them instead of RS80s!”

Swiss Side – Franc Evo2 Wheel Set – Road Bike Wheels

ajleeds89 said:

“Super fast delivery amazing product too quality wheels. Highly recommended”

Swiss Side Heidi Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

gwls2010 said:

“Very happy with product, fast delivery very pleased look awesome on the bike!”

Swiss Side Heidi Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

spoc84 said:

“Couldn’t have asked for more guys, will be buying again soon A ++++++++++++++”

Swiss Side Heidi Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

kevp59 said:

“Best ebay win ever. Great item. Superfast del. Well packaged. Many thanks. 5*”

Swiss Side St.Bernard Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

sk1ppy59 said:

“Very happy good value set of wheels”

Swiss Side St.Bernard Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

Macleem said:

“Perfect in every way, thank you”

Swiss Side St.Bernard Wheelset – 700c Road Bike Wheels

89walton said:

“Amazing Product, Great service, Perfect Communication. Would highly recommend!!! “

Swiss Side – Franc Cycling Jersey

123edwillcox said:

“Beautiful, high-quality wheels at an amazing price, will be reviewing highly +++”

Swiss Side Heidi Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

crossers76 said:

“brilliant service & the quality of the wheels are unbelievable for the price”

Swiss Side Heidi Wheelset – Road Bike Wheels

Spring into action for summer! Pick up a set of Swiss Side wheels at an even more unbeatable price.

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 12:04:56 +0000

This deal starts today and runs for 1 week only, or while stocks last.

The Matterhorn wheel set normally sells for €999. For this week only we are offering a 1 time season kick off price of €699!

If you are interested in taking advantage of this very limited time offer or would like to learn more about the Matterhorn wheel set and the items included please click here.

Swiss Side is 11-speed compatible!

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:59:52 +0000

In case you didn’t know, all 2013 model Swiss Side wheel sets from the Heidi up through the range to the Matterhorn, are compatible with 11-speed Shimano and Campagnolo.

Our wheels are supplied as standard with an 11-speed Shimano cassette body pre-fitted. An additional spacer is provided to ensure you can also run 10-speed Shimano ‘out of the box’. This same cassette body spline is also compatible with SRAM groupsets, as well as older 9 and even 8-speed Shimano cassettes, (a couple of extra spacers required).

For Campagnolo riders, we supply the Campag-specific cassette body with your order which allow for both 10 and 11-speed compatibility.

Swiss Side at the Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclo challenge.

admin — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 11:01:01 +0000

If you ever feel like truly punishing yourself, then consider the 259km of the brutal Vlaanders Tour! Swiss Side Team riders James and Nick recently took on the challenge of the famous Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclo challenge with the aim of giving next generation pre-release prototype Heidi and Franc wheel sets a thorough shakedown. Here is what they said:

Shake down is probably the best description of the hammering we gave the wheel sets across the Pavè of Flanders… the cobbles were BRUTAL! In the name of product testing neither wheel set was looked after lightly – in order to keep momentum and perversely save energy, you have to hit the cobbles hard and fast! By the end of the 259km challenge, the wheels were in a much better state than we were. Both of us had only been able to ride 145km in training the weekend before for the event. The snow in Switzerland had put a stop on winter training and we both had to rely on our cross country skiing fitness to get us through.

After 180km we were both wondering how we would get to the end – in fact there were a couple of occasions where one of us – no names mentioned James! – could have easily climbed off. But the beauty of riding with friends is the camaraderie and evil looks which keep you going. Neither of us dared to step off the bike in fear of being banished to softie corner!

Both of us were left impressed by the new wheel sets. Crosswind stability was particularly excellent in the biting cold and swirling winds of Belgium. The wheel lateral stiffness was ideal on the steep climbs of the Paterberg and Koppenberg, vertical compliance was difficult to judge over the Pavè as both of us were running higher pressures to prevent pinch punctures, but both wheel sets were running perfectly true by the end of the 259km bashing which was impressive and not a given on such a course. We were both also equally impressed by the rolling resistance of the wheels. We both also ride other brands of wheels for comparison, such as Mavic Ksyrium SL’s, and Fulcrum Racing Three’s and the Heidi and Franc both felt to roll with comparatively less energy – especially in a crosswind. Final result… both wheel sets passed the Flanders test with flying colours!

So, all in all a cracking weekend away in Belgium and a great test environment for the new wheel sets – they certainly fared better than the riders!

Britta fights through at Melbourne Ironman

admin — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:18:54 +0000

Britta Martin, pro-triathlete and development rider for Swiss Side fought through the crazy conditions at the Melbourne Ironman to once again secure a top 10 finish. The crazy high seas saw the course shortened and many athletes pull out already during the swim. Combined with some blustery bike and run conditions it was one hell of day out there! Although Britta was very disappointed with her result, we say hats off and congratulations nonetheless!

Here is Britta’s race report:

Finally, here is my Ironman Melbourne update. Sorry it took a bit longer, but it took a while to get my head around what happened in the race. I am still very disappointed with the result, but I will try to move on and focus on the positive parts of the race.

I didn’t have a very good build up to this race. I developed an injury at the beginning of January. I could swim and bike but unfortunately could not run as much as I wanted to or needed to. I have done endless miles running in the pool, which should have at least prepared me mentally for a hard race (I hate aqua jogging). I guess it just wasn’t enough running on land. So my preparation wasn’t ideal, but I was physically fitter then I have ever been before. So I went into the race positive, hoping everything would come together on race day.

The conditions on race day were tough, but it normally suits me well. I like it windy on the bike and the rough sea doesn’t bother me either. The swim was actually fun out there. It was absolutely crazy with high waves, but I could hang onto a group of girls and was very happy with this. Once I was on the bike, this normally where my race starts, I just couldn’t push myself. I was riding along alright, but just couldn’t lift the tempo to the speed I needed to be at. I tried to calm myself down and concentrate on doing everything right, to make sure I could at least finish the bike in good shape for the run. Unfortunately this is where the real disaster started. I felt horrible from the first few hundred meters. I pushed myself the entire marathon, but was suffering every single step. A marathon is a long way to go, when 1km already feels like a long way. Running is normally my strength and I absolutely love the feeling of flying along in the run, but the opposite was the case today. I felt more like a heavy dinosaur. I had awesome support out there on the course and I just couldn’t disappoint them. I kept pushing and pushing and finally got to the finish line. It was a long and horrible run.

I guess it is all part of the game. You have good races and unfortunately disappointments as well. You definitely learn a lot from your bad races. All I have done since the race is over is try to find reasons for the way I have felt on race day. When I look back and think about my substandard preparation, I probably shouldn’t have expected a much better race than this. When I got injured I discussed the options with my trainer and was thinking about cancelling the race. My decision was to do Melbourne as initially planned with my main focus to collect as many points for Kona qualifying as possible. Melbourne was the best race at this time of the year because there were a lot of points up for grabs. I guess it is just hard to do any Ironman when you are not on top of your game. I certainly know this now and will not be in a hurry to repeat the experience. I am still very happy and proud that I have finished the race and have got another race experience under my belt. And even more important, it did bring me a big step closer to my next big goal, which is Hawaii. I will try to look forward from here and learn from my mistakes. I will have a couple of weeks off now, but I am already looking forward to get back into training and keep following my journey towards my goal to be as good as I can be.

I want to thank a lot of people for keep supporting me and keep believing in me; especially my boyfriend Robin and my mum, sister and Andi for coming all the way over from Germany to be with me on race day, and my close friends. I want to specially thank my sponsors for helping me, without them I couldn’t do it: Ardex, USANA, PowerBar, Tineli, Swiss Side, Blueseventy, Scotty Browns, Results and of course my coach Dan Lorang and my best Physio Dawn . Thank you very much. I really appreciate your help.

Learn more about Britta on her website: www.brittamartin.com
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First rides- Swiss Side Matterhorn wheel set

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 02:13:04 +0000

Robin Reid, ex-pro cyclist and Olympian takes the Swiss Side Matterhorn out for the first time on a mountainous tour on New Zealand’s south Island. Here’s what he had to say.

I christened the Matterhorn wheel set in quite a big national series race in Christchurch. The race was 165km on mostly flat roads but with some rolling hills and small climbs. The road conditions were the usual rough, dead NZ heavy chip! I was in a 4 rider break for approximately 110km. We were caught by the remaining bunch with about 30km to the finish. Normally for this type of course I would have ridden either Zipp 404′s or 808′s. I really liked the Matterhorn’s though. They don’t feel as fast at high speed on the flat roads as Zipp 808′s for example, but over rolling hills they accelerate effortlessly and are very stiff when out of the saddle climbing, which suits my style of riding. In the finishing sprint the Matterhorn’s were good but my legs were dead so no wheel in the world would have propelled me any faster to the line! It wasn’t at all windy, but if it had been, I think the Matterhorn’s would have been even better. I am looking forward to racing more on these wheels.

The second etappe was quite a good test for the Matterhorn’s in the element they are designed for… 3000 mtrs of climbing with a numerous short, very steep climbs and many fast descents requiring a lot of hard breaking. There is nothing else to say but the wheels were great! They are really good on steep climbs because they are so stiff out of the saddle climbing. The power transfer is excellent. Similarly good, an important test for any carbon wheel set, the breaking had a consistent smooth feel throughout the ride.

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Making the most of the weather

admin — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:25:26 +0000

Hi there Swiss Side followers!

Well, just because the weather seems to be spasming between winter and spring for all of us in Europe at the moment, doesn’t mean that you can’t start your cycling season already now! Motto… Get out whenever you can! We picked the one clear day earlier this week (between the snow, rain and slush), to get out for a quick spin to continue accumulating the kilometers on the latest wheel set mules. Here is a nice picture of Heidi in the snow after a workout on the mountains around Zürich.

If you’ve got some cool pictures of your riding adventures, share them with us!

Ride free!

Your Swiss Side Team.