I have just fitted a Brooks B17 narrow saddle to my Ridgeback Panorama. This bike was perfect. It was set up like my road bike, it was like a full on grand tourismo, built for speed…. But it weighs 27lbs, 40lbs with panniers. So it is not a speed machine. It only felt comfortable because…
Tag: Kinesis FF29
South Down’s Way here we come!
Are we ready for the South Down’s Way? Maybe. Am I ready? No. No, but I would never be. There is always something else that I could do. Bike, kit and body are on a diet. The tyres have been changed to Maxxis Crossmark Exceptions which has saved (on paper) 235g, pedals and shoes have…
What do you really need to ride?
I am going to ride the South Downs Way so need to get some off road and SDW miles in. However, Saturday night I thought that I would not be able to ride. Panic! I couldn’t find my Garmin! I searched all the usual places at the shop, went home, searched there, then went back…
Mountain biking can be very social – but needs to be done more often
I used to ride fifty fifty road and mountain bike but, in part due to the weather, I have been almost exclusively riding on the road for the last year. One reason for this is that when you go for a road ride that is what you do. You , I, ride! So often mountain…
Its not all about the road
After the last 12 months it really is a joy to be mountain biking. Road riding of one sort or another is on the up because of a variety of things: lifestyle trends, the Olympics, the sheer number of road cyclists and rain. Around this part of the world it is the latter two that…
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,…
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…
I thought I’d be frightened of the mud – its all in the mind!
I’ve only had one off road ride since our Whyte demo weekend on 8th September. With all the wet weather I have been putting off riding wet trails in favour of the narrow lanes of Sussex. Use it or lose it is a fact and I was worried that I’d lost it – my confidence…
Whyte T-129, 929 and M-109 reviews and a local trail
I don’t usually need an incentive to ride but there has been some extra pressure over the last few days. In no particular order: The weather and trail conditions are awesome (grab it while you can), I have been trying to get a time on the Blue Run (Strava pressure) and I had three new…
