At last, a chance to dress up. Today is a day for technical clothing, however, despite the forecast yesterday and my excitement for dressing up, the weather let me down twice. I rode early wearing a Kraft baselayer, Gore Windstopper jacket, Endura MTR Softshell bibs (waterproof butt panel) and knee warmers as protection against the…
Tag: Gore Windstopper Alp X 2.0
Tough riding on the South Downs Way.
Right on our door step is the longest National Trail in the country: The South Downs Way. Everyone talks about riding it, three days, two days, one or even there and back! The gentle rolling nature of the Downs belies the true toughness of this trail. I have decided to get to know it before…
Drive and ride? Is it worth it? – Endura MTR bibshort review
I don’t like driving to ride. Of course I’d happily drive to the Alps, Wales or drive to a race but I never wanted to just drive and ride. I know that that the North Downs are good but having ridden there loads I question whether they are worth the cost of two hours of…
Campagnolo EPS: Electronic Power Shift, is electronic shifting the future? De Rosa Merak revisited.
I have to ride. Recently I have been going too hard so today I wanted something gentle. Mark from I-Ride delivered a De Rosa Merak with Athena 11s EPS on Saturday morning so, despite perfect dry conditions, there would be no mountain biking for me on Sunday. I have a buddy following a strict training…
You need a plan
Sometimes you need a plan. Last night, for instance, we just rode. It was a bit of a mess and I got the raw deal. My legs were hurting from the last few rides and I needed an easy session. I never expected to be out on this ride, hence my effort on Sunday. There…
The joys of (dry) winter riding
Should it be a cause for me to celebrate that I have had my second mountain bike ride of the year (excluding the 2 shop rides)? Maybe it is worth celebrating that like the last ride the bike came back virtually as clean as it started. It was definitely worth getting excited about the conditions,…
Is our right to drive the same as the American’s right to bear arms?
Only in Britain can we have such a change in the weather. Yesterday was horrific, no sleet but constant rain and a very cold wind from the East (Russia). In all that terrible weather we had two women’s rides – one on the road and one off road. So all you tough guys out there…
Are frosty rides my favourite? Probably
If a judge of a ride is how easy it is to get out from under the duvet then frosty rides must be some of the best: great grip and no bike cleaning. The only problem that I had was that it is December and there is no light. I had a Lezyne Micro Drive…
Riding for pleasure not pain
The ride I rose early excited by the prospect of riding on frozen ground. My wife was surprised that I didn’t want a lay in but some winter days are special. Its not all about going flat out, I told myself, ride for pleasure not speed. And I did. I stopped to take pictures, chat…
Sometimes the wind works for you. Gore AlpX 2.0, Endura Convert and De Rosa Merak reviews
This has been a year to remember for the weather. Most of you will think of the rain but what drives the rain is the wind. It started windy and got windier. Anyone road racing on the motor circuits of Goodwood and Dunsfold will know just how tough it has been. I used to say…