Article: Sunscreen

Now comes a topic that many people know and understand but do they use the simplest thing that can help minimize the exposure to harmful UV rays and could also potentially reduce the chance of skin cancer and premature skin aging? Skin pigmentation is also caused by exposure to UV rays.

Besides my full time work as an Occupational Safety and Health Advisor and a competitive cyclist, which both requires me to spend a reasonable number of hours under the sun, I have been asked to write something about sunscreen.

If you have been kept abreast with Celebrity / Hollywood news or paparazzi, you may have noticed that there have been numerous publications and articles about celebrities battling skin cancer. Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor, Melanie Griffith, Brooke Shields and many others have graciously stepped up to share their stories.

celebrities battled cancer

So let’s begin, pay attention now;

What You Need to Know About Sunscreen

What Are Sunscreens?
Sunscreens are products combining several ingredients that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin. Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB.

What Are UVA and UVB?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is part of the electromagnetic (light) spectrum that reaches the earth from the sun. It has wavelengths shorter than visible light, making it invisible to the naked eye.

Ultraviolet A (UVA) is the longer wave UV ray that causes lasting skin damage, skin aging, and can cause skin cancer.
Ultraviolet B (UVB) is the shorter wave UV ray that causes sunburns, skin damage, and can cause skin cancer.
Take note that both UVA and UVB can cause skin cancer.

What Is SPF?
SPF – or Sun Protection Factor – is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin.
Here's how it works: If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer – about five hours. Most sunscreens with an SPF of 15 or higher do an excellent job of protecting against UVB.

Another way to look at it is in terms of percentages: SPF 15 filters out approximately 93 % of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 keeps out 97 % and SPF 50 keeps out 98 %. They may seem like negligible differences, but if you are light-sensitive, or have a history of skin cancer, those extra percentages will make a difference. And as you can see, no sunscreen can block all UV rays.

So what about sunscreens with a rating of more than SPF 50? Are they able to give a filtration efficiency of 100 %?

On the contrary, anything higher than SPF 50 does not mean that you will 100% filtration of UVB rays. 

For outdoor activities, I highly recommend a sunscreen of SPF 50 and has water resistant capabilities.

What is PA?
PA stands for protection grade of UVA (UVA light is caused by aging factors) system and is the Japanese measurement of sun protection, which is based on the Persistent Pigment Darkening (PPD) reaction reading at 2-4 hours of sun exposure.  PA is a protective level of strength to mark the three PA+, PA++ and PA+++.

PA+ provides some UVA protection with a factor of PPD 2-4. It protects sensitive skin against low to medium UV radiation.
PA++ provides moderate UVA protection with a factor of PPD 4-8. It offers better protection from UVA rays and can be used by people with normal skin exposed to medium UV radiation.
PA+++ provides good UVA protection with a factor of PPD > 8. It is the strongest grade of UVA protection now available. It is designed for normal skin under very strong or direct UV radiation.

What Does Broad-Spectrum Mean?
Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect the skin from both UVA and UVB rays.

Application of spray sunscreen
Recommended that this be done in a well-ventilated room, or outdoors. Keep your eyes and mouth closed when spraying sunscreen.

When applying sunscreen to the face, it’s best to spray the sunscreen (if spray type) on your hand and then apply to your face by hand. Or you will end up like him…

We were late for a race (partially cos we woke up late) and due to the fact that he had sunscreen in his eyes (oh behave)… …

"You have to be careful if you're pale-skinned and spend any time in the sun," Ewan McGregor said.

Product Review: The BikeSmith Custom (38mm) Wheelset

Review: The BikeSmith Custom (38mm) Carbon Wheelset - Clincher

WARNING: Don’t test ride this wheelset. If you do, you’ll be yearning to be riding it every single day and eventually be compelled to buy them.

The Hubs

Well, as for me I bought it even before testing it. Reason for doing so, the fact that the rare and Royce Hubs will be used and that I have faith in Gabriel of BikeSmith when he told me of his custom wheels.

The wait was long but I was never in a rush. I knew the fact that there must be a wait for good things to come.

Before the review of the wheelset, here's the background to why Royce hubs was my choice and not any other for my custom wheelset.

Ever since I heard about Chris Boardman and his componentry that he deployed just for the hour record, I knew that the componentry he deployed must not only meet his demands (he wouldn’t be called the Professor for nothing) but also capable of setting the hour record.  Of course the ones that he used are for track. I on the other hand will be getting the road series hubs. I knew these hubs are a gem and they are almost unheard of here in Singapore which makes it more of a rare gem and something which I have been yearning to own. When anyone mentions Royce, they would think of either Rolls Royce or Royce confectionery.

The hubs people usually go for are Chris King, White Industries, DT Swiss and now Industry Nine (which I swear by and am so fond of the engagement and the reactivity of the hubs). It's not that the brands I mentioned are not any good, oh no, they are good. But I always like to be able to possess something different, something unique. Royce are almost unheard of here. They are heavier than all the brands aforementioned. But if Sir Chris Boardman specifically "demanded" it, it wouldn't be wrong or at least it won't go far off by too much (I hope).

These beautiful Royce hubs are hand made in the United Kingdom and not mass produced, Cliff Polton (pioneer and owner of Royce) is meticulous about his work, and he would just thrash a piece if any piece doesn't meet his quality controls so you can imagine how many pieces do actually get out into the market. Well, he manages to roll out something like 3 to 4 pairs of hubs a day, that is if they meet his strict quality control standards.

Another thing to note is the weight of the hubs, it’s heavy comparing it to the likes of DT Swiss 180 (290 grams a pair), Chris King R45 (325 grams a pair), Shimano Dura Ace (367 grams a pair). So how much does it weigh? The Royce hubs weigh in at approximately 432 grams for a pair. However, weight is not a factor which I will tell you more in the wheelset review.

Now before I go into my review on the BikeSmith Custom (38mm) wheelset, these are the wheels that I currently own and/or previously owned.

1.       Zipp 404 (tubulars)

2.       Bontrager Race Lite

3.       Fulcrum Racing 3

4.       Fulcrum Racing Zero

5.       Industry 9 i25 TL

And the wheels I have tested or rode on (not that none of them are good. They are great wheels)

1.       Enve 3.4

2.       Shimano Dura Ace C24

3.       Mavic Ksyrium

4.       Gokiso (briefing tested)

The Wheels

I was actually contemplating on building a pair of alloy clinchers to the Royce hubs, with the likes of HED Ardennes or H Plus & Son (Archetype), but Gabriel told me of his custom wheels which made me decided to give carbon wheels another chance. I was never too keen on owning another pair of carbon wheelset as my previous experience with my tubular 404s wasn’t the best, the constant rattling of the valve against the wheel which I had to use black tape to secure it so that it doesn’t rattle anymore and especially the braking in the wet.

The BikeSmith custom wheels are built with T700 carbon and Kevlar ballistic protection incorporated at the rim wall which gives the wheels the added strength, better braking capability and also helps prevent overheating from hard braking during descends.

Opted for 38 mm profile (38mm depth x 25 mm width) instead of 58mm profile as I wanted an all-rounder wheelset so that I can use on a daily basis and these should be more than capable of handling the rides and races I participate in. Did I mention that I enjoy climbing too, albeit not my forte nevertheless climbs are something which I am extremely fond of and I needed something that won’t be too difficult for me to climb with especially since I have gotten accustomed to low profile alloy clinchers.

The Build

38mm T700 carbon rims, laced to Pillar PSR TRA 1420 spokes (20 spokes front, 28 spokes rear), external Brass nipples, rim tape, Michelin 58mm tubes, 23mm Continental GP4000 SII, Royce Ultra light front hub and Venus Rear hub.

Total weight of the wheelset: 1.7 kg without skewers

The Ride

First time I saw the complete build, I was captivated especially by the beauty of the hubs against the wheels. They complement each other well.

Eager I was to put them on and ride, Gabriel helped hook up the wheelset onto my Boardman SLR 9.8, brake pads were replaced with ceramic brake pads and fine-tuned the brakes before I got to test ride.

The first pedal stroke… awed me. Can’t explain what I felt but the smoothness of the roll was remarkable and undeniably the smoothest I have ever ridden. It was euphoric…

Went for a longer test ride around the area and I couldn’t imagine how plush the ride was. Not only does it roll well, it was plush, extremely plush, the wheels absorb road imperfections like no other clinchers I have tested before. I only thought my tubulars (Zipp 404s paired with 23mm Vittoria Open Corsa CX 320 tpi) wheels were comfortable until this came along. Without a doubt, the BikeSmith Custom wheels are the most comfortable wheels I have ever ridden on.

My personal opinion, the BikeSmith custom wheels laced to Royce hubs have this appeal to it that no other wheels have. It seems to invite me to ride them daily and it never fails to put a smile on me whenever I do ride. I have ridden some good wheels before but they have never had that kind of appeal compared to this. Does sound wrong in some manner but it does constantly “invite” me to ride, and how I wish I could do so.

After the first week of riding, I decided to bring the wheels back to Gabriel to check on the trueness of the spokes. He obligingly put the wheels to the test on the ultimate detector, the PK & Lie Special 250 Truing Stand.

Test results, almost perfect. Extremely minimal deflection was noted from the PK & Lie Truing Stand which in turn means that the spokes are torqued and true (refer to the video that I have posted). The gauge doesn’t lie. What more can you ask for?

And more impressively is that this pair of wheels is literally perfectly balanced. Raise the bike up by the saddle and crank it up a bit, the wheels will just spin without any bobbing effect, unlike the other wheels I have and had, there will always be a minimal amount of bob when you spin the wheels.

These wheels are very stiff yet plush and they accelerate quickly. The hubs are very lively, push it and it goes immediately. On the flats, the aero benefits are definitely noticeable; they definitely feel faster and are indeed faster than any of my previous wheels. What about the climbs? These wheels may not the lightest of the lot, but they are truly splendid in terms of climbing and descending. It feels just like I’m on a low profile clincher when I climbing plus the added “aero” benefits I get from descends. One might think that this is not possible but you may want to try it to believe it.

The braking prowess on the wheels is excellent, tremendous stopping capabilities especially with the ceramic brake pads (it bites down hard). Now this has given me the much needed confidence when riding in the wet with carbon wheels. When it comes to crosswind you can feel minimal deflection when you face strong crosswinds and it’s extremely easy to manage compared to deeper profiles.

After 3 weeks of riding and some 400 km on the wheelset, I am constantly looking forward to rides and that I have never grown such chemistry with any of my wheelsets before until this came along. These are the wheels that I have been truly waiting for.

Verdict
Plush, unbelievable smoothness, and immediate accelerating, the BikeSmith custom wheelset is now my official weapon of choice. Price may be slightly steep for a custom wheelset but then again it’s laced to one of the best hubs in the world. Believe in this and you will be as impressed as I was and still am.

RRP: SGD2500
Rims come with lifetime truing and a one year local warranty.
Contact: Gabriel (The BikeSmith) 93844501

Words by: Kenji Hong

A bit bout myself;
An Occupational Health and Safety Advisor
Morvelo Test Team Rider
Road cyclist
Competes in local and oversea races with an average mileage of 7000 to 9000 km per annum.

First Entry

I guess this is long overdue. I have been asked to do reviews on cycling and have only used Instagram and Facebook to publish my reviews. Guess it's time to have a blog to manage reviews, write-ups, yada yada yada.

So do follow my blog and do contact me should you have any products that you would like me to do a thorough product review.