It had been a long time off the mountain bike. Prior to the ride recently, I think it was in December that I last managed to ride any trails on my trail bike. To put it plainly, there simply are no local mountain biking trails which were accessible during the last UK lockdown. Or at least none I could get to with the shorter daylight… Read More »Getting used to it.
Lockdown cycling has been tough. Especially this time. It’s been cold, wet and the shorter days have meant that it’s got to be a bit more accurately planned when your mates don’t have lights. Still, having a chance to get out on a bike at all makes me feel very grateful. Despite missing mountain biking so much that I’m now literally dreaming about it, having… Read More »A simple mistake. Twice.
After every ride, I like to give the bike a wash. Exceptions, of course, are during the summer months when there’s a thin coat of dry dust. For those rides, the chain gets a wipe and things carry on. It’s not dusty at the minute though. And it’s certainly not dry. So, the bike is getting a wash after every ride. That means that I… Read More »Peaty’s Loam Foam and Drivetrain Degreaser
Getting the opportunity to doodle on people’s cycling helmets has been great. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had an array of messages on social media for people offering up their helmets for me to test a few things and get properly used to sketching on different sizes and shapes. The first few, I offered for free so that I could get some practice and… Read More »Free Bikes 4 Kids Helmet
An unrelated blog post today. Sort of. Well, it’s only partially related to cycling – it’s more about ‘business’ and creativity. So, if that’s not your thing, scroll on by and check out something else. Maybe this post about not riding the local. Creating stuff is a passion of mine. You probably know by now that I’m into photography and that I like a good… Read More »Be Brave
When you order a jersey, it’s normally all about the design. Right? It is for me. At least, mostly. I like to buy something that I like the look of. I might have a peek at the fabric too, just to make sure it’s not 100% cotton and going to make me freeze if I sweat too much. But otherwise, it’s mostly about the way… Read More »Terrain Clothing Jersey
I’d been looking for a bar bag for the gravel bike for a little while when I stumbled across Jango Rolls. Don’t get me wrong, I’d found the usual brands. Restrap’s bags looked nice. Apidura clearly know what they’re doing. I’m a fan of Alpkit’s bags already, and the Podsacs frame and saddle bag from Planet X have been holding up well. But I wanted… Read More »Jango Rolls Tool Wallet
Flannel comes as part of the territory with mountain bikers, right? Isn’t it that you’re not a mountain biker truly unless you’ve got a flannel shirt. Of course, that’s a load of old rubbish but I can’t help but enjoy a good flannel shirt all the same. I find that of all the shirts I have (and I have a few because of my day… Read More »Dakine Reid Tech Flannel Shirt
I love getting immersed in the wider world of mountain biking. It’s a bit more than riding for me at this point. In my spare time, as you probably know by now, I like to snap some photos. I’ve also been doodling little bits and bobs more recently too. Some of that has meant that some exciting things have happened. A while back, I sketched… Read More »Doodles.
Having the right kit at the right time is really important. Amongst the stuff that I reckon you should always have is a multi-tool. It’s one of those things that I find I’m using most regularly. A slightly wonky bar after a crash, a slipped brake lever after a crash, a loose grip after a crash. You get the idea. The thing is, it’s also… Read More »Fix MTB Tools