San Remo mens racing bike, Claud Butler

Two months ago, I paid £320 for a Claud Butler mens racing bike, the San Remo (Triple) model, 21 speed, 22" frame. Was it worth it?

Sidwell Cycles were originally supposed to order the regular, 14 speed version. They messed up. A 21 speed, 3 chainwheels-at-the-front, version is a total waste of time. The smallest cog - ie., the lowest gears - are so low that they are simply unusable. It is surely just a marketing gimmick to add an extra cog at the front and then print on their brochures "21 speed" instead of 'just' 14 speed. Looks good on paper but actually pointless in reality.

Also, the frame is the wrong shape. It is too long. On my twenty year old Raleigh mens racing bicyle, the frame is larger but shorter. 4 inches shorter. This means that the new Claud Butler bike takes a while to get used to. In the end, though, I got used to it.

Sidwell Cycles ordered the medium size frame - against my express wishes - yet ultimately made the right decision as the large frame would have been way too long.

Overall, however, it is a superb bike. I wasted no time in going to Halfords to buy one of their cycle computers, all for the ridiculously low price of £10. Ten pounds for what would have been space age technology a mere twenty years ago. I can now go for a run down to the coast - about 15 miles - and have a constantly updated record of distance, journey time, odometer, average speed and, the best measurement, speed.

I can cycle past Woodmanton farm, an uphill struggle through tiny country lanes (little more than paths, with enormous tractors appearing at any moment as if through a hedgerow) on the way to Budleigh Salterton, join the B3179, and then enjoy the 2 mile downhill stretch through Dalditch, reacing 39 mph on my speedometer. It beats travelling by car any day, especially on a warm sunny day.

The wheels are 700x25, about 27 inches. They have a narrow tread, smaller than the old Raleigh bike of the 1980s, enabling fast cycling. The seat's a bit small and the handlebars a bit big ("oversized" apparantly), but it is a delight to cycle.

If you want a cheap racing bike, then at £320 the San Remo is a bargain. Why pay £1000 upwards for a Greg Lemond just to have carbon fibre forks? You're paying an extra £1000 for some stupid lightweight forks which are liable to break and won't even make any difference to cycling, for the amateur.

Claud Butler have a range of bicycles: racing (road) bikes, hybrid bikes and the usual idiotic mountain bikes. They are all made by Falcon Cycles of Brigg, Lincolnshire, a last refuge of British cycling, I imagine.

As for bicycle shops in Exeter, I'm not really sure who is the best. Sidwell Cycles are handy - not far from town - and offer the usual maintenance facilities, etc. Halfords, in Sidwell Street, are pathetic. The manager there wouldn't even let me try out a racing bike before buying. The Bike Shed, at the top of Fore Street, are the Rolls Royce of bike shops, with various racing bikes priced at £2000.