Sorting my own bike fit never stops

I have some new bikes and it is surprising how it has affected my set up. Just over a year ago I felt that I needed to go smaller to go faster. I had been riding a Whyte 29C medium which is billed as an XC machine but devours the meanest of tracks like a…

I want a tyre with more grip.

I want a tyre with more grip. I hear this all the time. The other one is “I want a tyre for the slippery chalk”. Well, I hate to disappoint you but, there isn’t one. You choose your tyre for everything else. For chalk the smaller the knob the better the chance of maintaining grip…

The sun brings out the crowds… and mud.

I have warned countless times over the last 10 years not to ride on melted trails…… Yesterday I did. I could not start until late. So, still wanting to take it easy and enjoying my renewed passion for mountain biking, I opted for the trails and not the roads. It was an easy decision as…

Its all in the numbers – if you can believe them

This was supposed to be about numbers but they aren’t always what they seem. As I was riding yesterday it occurred to me that winter is always slower. The air is heavier, the trails are heavier, the bike is heavier and the body is heavier. However, it is not the protective layer of blubber that…

Winter riding advice and the Scott Scale 900 SL

I know that I harp on about the weather but I am British and so again I refer to our climate and some essential riding advice. Usually at this time of year I would be raving about the first winter rides with minus temperatures and frozen ground. Of course I am referring to off road…

I love mountain biking.

As I said last week it’s the riding not the kit that counts. Or is it? Let’s define a few things first. I am, foremost, a fitness fanatic, following that I am a cyclist as it’s an easy way to enjoy the former, everything else falls into activities (walking, running, paddling, skiing……. living). The more…