There are certain models of bike that we’ve heard great things about. Bikes that we’ve seen and loved the look of, or maybe you’ve had one in the past that sold on, grown out of or, God forbid, had stolen (swine!).
No matter how much you search for them they seem to have disappeared from the face of the bike retailing planet. Sometimes they have, but often they’ve been re-modelled and re-na
med in an effort to ‘keep things fresh and exciting’
Looking for a Specialized Stumpjumper? No problem, they’ve been in continuous production since 1981. The current 2009 range of 9 models may bear no similarities to that original single model but you know what you’re getting because of the name.
And therein lies the problem. A change of name can make a bike seemingly vanish. The list below is not exhaustive by any means but will hopefully provide a few answers to the question of the missing bikes.
Continue reading "Whatever happened to..." »
Velodromes, MBE's and World Records. Yup. Jody's been in touch to let us know what he's up to...
Continue reading "Jody's still collecting medals" »
Nothing upsets a great ride quite as much or quite as
frequently as punctures. They are the bane of every cyclist.
There has
been something of a
quiet revolution going on for some time now concerning the dark art of going
tubeless on mountain bikes. The tyres and rims have been available for a while
now but for me the solution is the Stans No Tubes
system.
Continue reading "Flat as a pancake " »
It’s St. David’s day soon, a time to celebrate all things
Welsh, all the great things about being Welsh and living in Wales. Believe me there’s a lot to celebrate and I’m not talking Daffodils and leeks
here, although they are unde
niably lovely, I’m talking about the riding Wales has got to offer.
Whatever kind
of cycling floats your boat we’ve got it. You could spend a year out on your
road bike and never ride up or down the same quiet brutally steep hill twice.
Touring is a delight for the same reason and the fantastic scenery. Of course if
you fancy getting a bit more in amongst the scenery then you're spoilt for choice.
Continue reading "Wales Rocks" »
I’m lucky enough that my girlfriend loves mountain biking. Just another indication of her excellent taste (ha ha).
She has spent the last
12 months throwing herself around South Wales’s excellent trails on her
Specialized Myka Pro (now become the Myka Expert)
which has proved a reliable and great riding little bike but she felt the time
was right to move to full sus as I think she’d reached the limits of what a
hardtail can cope with on some of the rockier descents we’re both keen on.
Finding a suitable bike was no easy task as Sarah is 5’2” and whilst there are
numerous ‘women’s specific’ bikes out there, finding one with a decent amount
of travel (5”+) to suit her riding style and height and able to cope with long
wilderness rides and forays into the Alps wasn’t simple.
We looked at the Orange
5 Diva Pro but budget prevented this and besides, the obvious choice was the
Specialized
Safire Comp as it seems to tick all the boxes; travel, sizing, spec, price.
Continue reading "Specialized Safire Comp 2009 Review" »
Yesterday we got Phils take on the early training for the Cape Epic. Today it's Tonys turn to give us a glimpse of the pain...
Continue reading "Cape Epic Training: Tony's take" »
Despite the terrible weather conditions recently, Tony and Phil have been in touch about their early training sessions on their brand new Specialized Epics. They've both been kind enough to send us accounts. First up is Phil's, written prior to their first road ride. He's been and done the Cape and his straightfoward account really reflects that. Especially when you read Tony's tale of suffering tomorrow!
Continue reading "Cape Epic training" »