The way we buy bicycles has changed over the years and one noticeable trend is that of ‘concept’ stores that sell just one brand of product. Both Specialized and Trek are at it, as are Giant, who this week have opened their latest Brand Store in St Paul’s, central London. Giant already has a wide network of standalone stores spread across the country but this latest marks their first move into the Capital.

And it’s a biggie: 950 square metres split over two floors. That space includes the first women’s specific area in any of their brand stores, covering an area of 150 square metres and will showcase their range of women’s bikes and clothing.

Read the full article here.

Giant St Paul's invites you to come by and have a drink on us. We'll have beer, coffee, water and a few other options, but more importantly, we'll get to introduce ourselves and get to know our local cyclists. All coinciding with the Smithfield Nocturne (just around the corner).

Where: The Giant Store – St Pauls, 200 Aldersgate St, EC1A 4HD (on the roundabout with the Museum of London)
When: June 8th, 2013 – 8pm till Midnight
Why: Because we want to support the people that make riding in and around London great.

So, if you're available, come by, introduce yourselves to Andrew Wagerer or Dave Corrigan, grab a drink in our café, take a look around at this unique, massive, 11,000 sq.ft. shop.

If you have any questions, get in touch here and we hope to see you here on the 8th.

Calling all Runners! Do you need your aches and pains serviced or do you want general advice from training and nutrition down to your choice of running shoe and other secret tips? Simon Harrison is your one-stop running shop if you are training for a 10km, half or full marathon.

Simon's competitive running and training experience spans 23yrs. Starting at the age of 16 years, Simon ran his first 10km in 32mins 57sec. At 17 he went on to do his first cross country 40m ultra marathon. This stood him in good stead for his military career in British Army Commando Forces where he competed in Ski Biathlon and Triathlon.

Simon qualified as a Sports Massage Therapist and Personal Trainer and in 2001 trained and helped condition many people for running events from New York to Helsinki and London. Simon has worked with Ironman elites and studied new innovative techniques created in Austin, Texas that are endorsed by elite athletes across the world with a focus on improving and sustaining performance when running and more.

Simon is at H2 Bike Run tonight (5th June 2013) and is happy to do a free Q&A drop in session for any runners tonight. 

H2 Run Club – All abilities are welcome at this running club. No One gets left behind so grab your trainers and enjoy a run with us in this beautiful weather! 

Want to drop Simon a question? Get in touch here.

Osteon @ H2 Bike Run.

Users of the cycle to work scheme are saving 112,210 tonnes of CO2 every year, according to new research from the Cycle to Work Alliance.

A survey of over 18,500 employees looked at how the scheme motivates people to commute by bike and how that an help central and local government's sustainable objectives.

The research finds that users of the cycle to work scheme are cycling over 13 million miles per week and of these commuters, 67% would travel to work by car if they did not cycle to work. Through their participation in the scheme, these commuters are saving 112,210 tonnes of CO2 in reduced car emissions.

Here at H2 Bike Run, we have always promoted the benefits of commuter cycling and are pleased to announce we accept Cyclescheme certificates. Cyclesheme enables employees to buy a bike tax-free, saving on average half the cost. Employees will improve their health, save money and everyone involved will be doing their bit for the environment

Joining Cyclesheme can also save your organisation money in National Insurance Payments.

Employees:

1) Come in to H2 Bike Run to get help selecting the right bike and accessories/clothing up to £1000. Complete the from with an H2 Crew member.

2) Take your completed form to your employer, who will get Cyclescheme to issue you a voucher for your bike/accessories/clothing.

3) Once you receive the voucher, contact your H2 Bike Run branch to arrange collection of your goods

4) Bring the voucher with a photo ID to your local H2 Bike Run at the agreed time and ride home happy.

To enquire about Cyclescheme at H2, please get in touch here.

Read the full article here

With the good weather here it's time to get some Summertime tunes in your ears. 

Momentum magazine suggests 20 songs for your Summertime cycling playlist:

GRIMES - Oblivion

THE SHINS - Simple Song 

TANLINES - Brothers

THE VACCINES - Norgaard

ALABAMA SHAKES - I Found You 

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT - Out of the Game

AU - Solid Gold

OBERHOFER - Cruising FDR

FRIENDS - I’m His Girl

JACK WHITE - Sixteen Saltines

LOWER DENS - Brains

SANTIGOLD - Disparate Youth

FRANKIE ROSE - Know Me

BEST COAST - The Only Place

THE MEN - Open Your Heart

A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - Onwards to the Wall

BEASTIE BOYS - B-Boy Bouillabaisse 

BEASTIE BOYS - Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win

KISHI  BASHI – Bright Whites

To see the whole momentum magazine article click here.

Join us on the 20th April 2013 to launch London's largest bike shop, Giant St Paul’s.

At 11,000 sq ft, Giant St Paul’s is light, spacious, and friendly and showcases the full Giant range and together with other leading brands such as Pearl Izumi, Oakley, Endura, Shimano and Giro. We have 160 bikes on display including the Giant Defy Advanced 2 – winner of the 2013 Cycling Plus Road Bike of the Year award – and with Liv /giant we have a cycling brand dedicated solely to female cyclists.

We offer a retail experience that is completely different to the industry norm. We offer custom bike fitting, bike servicing, RideSense, Cyclescheme and 3 years FREE servicing on every bike sold and we will  deliver directly to your office so come and have a look and join us for a coffee at our in-store cafe.

Giant St Paul's is different.

For any more Giant St Paul’s information, get in touch here. Watch out for our e-Commerce website www.h2bikes.co.uk coming soon.

Do you commute by bike, run to work or are you considering a lifestyle change? You'll soon start noticing the benefits of commuting three or more times a week.

• Get fit, lose weight and make time – By combining your commute and workout you'll burn calories and lose weight efficiently without putting over time in at the gym.
  
• Save money  - A Zone 1-2 underground travel card costs £112.20 a month versus an H2 Cyclist Commuter membership which costs £34.99 per month.
  
• Avoid public transport – Avoid the rocketing ticket prices and dreaded commuter crush every morning and evening and ride or run your own way #h2bikerun
  
• Boris' plans to enhance the capital's cycling network with segregated lanes and back street routes will mean safer routes for all and reducing commutes from hours to minutes!

Take control and change your life #alifestylething

#irun #iride

Join our Red Nose Day Spinning® Roulette class at 12.45pm on Friday 15th March at H2.

You choose the music! Make a donation and trainer Izzy will play any tune you want to hear!

Izzy (left) has donated her class fee to Comic Relief, if you match her donation she will give you a FREE personal training session at H2!

All donations welcome on the day and we're giving away FREE T-shirts.

Sponsor Izzy here. Book your bike here.

Giant have today become the first bicycle brand to regain the prestigious Cycling Plus Bike of The Year title – as the Giant Defy Advanced is named Cycling Plus Bike of The Year 2013. The previous Giant title winner was the Giant TCR Advanced.

Once again Cycling Plus experts pitted 40 of the World’s best bikes head to head over a number of months of rigorous testing – used in real world conditions day in, day out to distinguish the good and the great that eventually make the final five, before selecting the truly special bike that takes the overall title. Giant Defy Advanced was up against tough competition from the likes of Specialized, Trek, Canyon, De Rosa, Cannondale, Boardman, Cube, Scott, Ribble and Focus – the list of also rans goes on and the extensive testing resulted in this: Giant Defy Advanced is ''the finest endurance frameset ever created”. 

“Giant has pulled off a unique trick with the Defy Advanced 2 – it’s one of those very rare bikes that feels just right from the moment you swing a leg over it.”

Cycling Plus Testers found that the Defy’s “pitch-perfect and intoxicating combination of smoothness, comfort, speed and handling” rang true throughout the Giant Defy range; the AluxX aluminium Defy and Avail, (Avail is Liv/giant’s equivalent designed specifically for female riders) Defy and Avail Composite, Defy and Avail Advanced and Defy and Avail Advanced SL all share the same DNA – excitement and performance coupled with real long distance comfort. A bike you can use to ride a gruelling sportive one weekend, then ride to work on less than perfect roads all week before racing the following weekend – and enjoy every mile.

“the Defy perfectly balances comfort with excitement”

The Defy Advanced features a frame that is hand made in Giant’s own C-Tech facility – taking raw Toray T700 carbon filament, weaving it then crafting a custom lay-up that allows Giant engineers to control the whole process from start to finish and dictate the ride quality to perfection. Add in Giant’s own handlebar, stem, tyres, aero Vector seatpost and P-SL1 wheelsystem (wheels which helped tip the scale in Giant’s favour according to testers) further allowed Giant to control exactly how the bike handles – ensuring you get the best balanced ride and best overall bike available. 

''A classy, light framset that's future-proof and superbly finished, with great kit and a ride that truly offers the best of both world's – we're sure the Defy Advanced 2 will impress you as much as it has us.'' You can read the full Cycling Plus Bike of The Year 2013 review in Cycling Plus issue 273 – available in stores now. Read the full Bike of The Year test line-up here.

New Giant Store, St Paul's. It's official, H2 Bike Run are in partnership with Giant. In April 2013, we open London's largest bike shop, offering a huge product range delivered with exceptional service.

Herne Hill Velodrome – Sunday 30th June 2013

Set up in conjunction with charity partner Access Sport, this sportive guides riders through the stunning Surrey Hills with routes that take in Biggin Hill and Box Hill.

There are short,medium and long routes available taking in 50km, 100km and 100 miles ensuring that there is something for everyone whether it be a novice cyclist up for a challenge or a serious cyclist keen to take on a longer route.

For more information or to enter please click here

For cycle training get in touch with H2 Bike Run, where we provide a safe, controlled environment with the support of a cycling coach; a fantastic addition to your regular Spinning® classes and personal bike training.

We look at why cycling and cycle training can compliment and enhance your performance on the slopes.

Cycling makes you use the quads and core muscles you use to ski, whilst being low impact and easy on the knees.

Cycling is a great aerobic exercise and, like skiing, cycling requires short bursts of intensity to raise the heart rate. Cycling has some downhill and flat coasting making for a great interval workout. You can raise the intensity and keep it raised to meet (or push) your heart rate zones.

You don't need mountains to benefit from cycling, but adding resistance will add to your leg workout. You can vary the intensity of your ride through the mechanics of your bike. A bike with three basic range of gears can be used to ease you up the hills and to pace you through the flats. 

Keen skier, Matt Pearce stated ' Each year I go to Deer Valley, UT for a ski week. After 11 months of coached cycle training my legs felt great the entire ski week with little impact. I skied harder with less rest than I have ever skied since I started…I would do a 1750 vertical foot black diamond run going full out the entire length and feel great at the bottom, get on the high speed chair and do it all again'.  

The best workouts are the ones that won't make you bored. With a summer goal of keeping skiing muscles tuned and lungs in shape for a day on the slopes, cycling offers the opportunity to both explore your world and stay fit.

For Cycle Training check out H2 Bike Run. H2 provides a safe, controlled environment with the support of a professional cycling coach; a fantastic addition to regular Spinning classes and personal bike training.