The Wild Boar Chase 2019
The EventThe Wild Boar Chase is a charity bike ride in The Forest of Dean run by The Lions Club. There are four different rides available; The Small Boar and The Woody Boar at 20 and 23 miles, The Hog and The Full Boar at 39 and 44 miles, as well as the Humbug chase for 9-12 year olds. This is a family friendly 9 mile loop, entirely off road.Riders enter their chosen ride beforehand but can switch to any other distance on the day. The organisers then scan a barcode on your ride number to determine which distance you are riding on the day. This is not entirely accurate as my ride result came back as one of the lower distances even though I rode the Full Boar; this may of been my fault if I missed a checkpoint.The
Sunday Muddy Sunday – Telford Toothpaste, The Hell of the Wrekin.
Waiting to roll out.IntroductionTwo Sundays ago, I rode a reliability ride out of Bridgnorth, Shropshire called Sunday Muddy Sunday, or is it Telford Toothpaste, no, its the Hell of the Wrekin. To be honest I`m not sure what its called, but despite its identity crisis, whats this ride all about?The ride is pitched as Shropshire's tribute to Paris - Roubaix and is a 92km mixed surface ride that loops up and around the Wrekin and is run on the same day that the pros tackle the real Paris - Roubaix. Finishers are encouraged to watch the Pros finish in the pub with a beer and some frites at the end of the ride.A Late Early StartOn the morning of the ride I turned up to sign on at 8.15am under a clear blue sky which at this time of
Local Bike Shop Day 2019
Save the Date: 4th May 2019The UkGravelBike.club endorses the Local Bike Shop Day on 4th May, 2019. Local Bike Shop Day celebrates independent cycle shops and all they have to o er – specialist service and advice that can’t be bought online.Local Bike Shop Day was established in 2018, by Daniel Jones, in order to celebrate independent cycle stores in the same way that the hugely successful Record Shop Day acknowledges local music stores. It is supported by the industry body ACT (Association of Cycle Traders).In its first year over 100 stores took part in Local Bike Shop day and this year we are one of the more than 120 cycle specialists that have so far signed up.We look forward to welcoming regular cyclists, mountain bikers, novice riders, women, children in fact anyone who’s ever had a bike and
UKGBC Sponsor news – PMP Bike : TUBELESS REVOLUTION The new PMP VT+
Why is it a revolution?"More volume, more air, more efficiency, less problems!"Having a valve capable of guaranteeing a higher air flow allows you to free yourself from all those limits of "standardized" products.Here the 9 advantages of the new VT+.280% more air volume transfer inside the valve in contrast to the traditional one.No risk of obstruction caused by solidified latex.Perfect adherence of Tubeless tires, thanks to more air volume transfer in less time.The Sealant A.C.R. system is composed by a small tire tube, able to catch the latex inside the tube without removing the hood and the valve.Easy and fast dismantling, even on the trail, thanks to the possibility to add an inner tube after an incision and perforation.Easy and efficient maintenance ensured by the possibility to dissemble the "core" of the valve.The possibility of adaptation on 14mm to 26mm
Save the date! Are you ready for theDirty Reiver?
12 - 13 APRIL 2019 ( ENTRIES CLOSED - SOLD OUT)Riders will traverse gravel forest access roads that service the vast areas of forest covering the border region of England and Scotland. The events will take riders through remote areas providing outstanding viewpoints across this spectacular part of the UK.THE COURSEThe Dirty Reiver 200 (200km), Dirty One Thirty (130km) and the new Dirty Sixty Fiver (65km) are off road cycling challenges based on the Gravel Grinder format found predominantly in the mid west of America.The new ‘Sixty Fiver’ course will also be open to E-Bikes as the Dirt-E-Reiver!For 2019 both courses will be re-planned to explore new trails within the Kielder and Wark Forest areas.Riders will traverse gravel forest access roads that service the vast areas of forest covering the border region of England and Scotland. The events will take
The Versatility Conundrum – One mans Battle with Wheels, Formats, and Tubeless Tyres. Part 2.
ContinuedMy Kenda Flintridge Pro tyres arrived a week later. These have to be the easiest tyres I have ever setup tubeless. Kenda say that the KSCT casing is designed to not only protect the tyres from cuts and abrasions but also aid in tubeless setup. It could be marketing spiel but like I said the setup was very, very easy. The Flints weighed in at 480g, and measured just under 36mm compared to the WTB which measured bang on the 42mm claimed and weighed 440g. Despite the 6mm difference in width, side by side its hard to see the difference in width between the two tyres, more on this later.Kenda Flintridge Pro - 35mmWTB Resolute - 42mm700c Test RideFor the test ride I tried to pick a route that would emulate the conditions that the Kenda tyres were designed for.
The Versatility Conundrum – One mans Battle with Wheels, Formats, and Tubeless Tyres.
Gravel bikes are some of, if not the most versatile bikes on the market. Fast and efficient enough for a road century, capable enough to tackle cross country mtb routes and muddy bridleways, and as you would expect fast and comfortable on gravel tracks and fire roads. The ultimate go anywhere bike, some would say.In an effort to maximise this versatility many will decide to run two wheelsets. This makes a lot of sense as most framesets now accommodate different wheel sizes with a wide range of the many tyre sizes available.So, what's the ultimate double wheelset setup? What are the advantages and the drawbacks of the many combinations available. I cannot answer these questions for you, as there are just two many variables and personal preference will play a large part. What I can do though is pull together
Kinesis CX Woodcote Wildwood Report by Ian Howell
Having enjoyed the, both CX Badlands Princess Risborough and its previous incarnation at Henley I looked at the date and timing of the Woodcote version and considered it a useful test in the build up to this years Dirty Revier (130)Planning has gone well and having spent the previous evening enjoying an early valentines weekend with the current Mrs H, I channel my inner Jacques Anquetil with the right amount and Champagne, good food and rest it was with a degree of apprehension I dragged my self out of my warm hotel bed to travel the 30 minutes from Oxford down to the CX registration aka Woodcote community centre. Having been warned about the lack of parking I was delighted to realised that my promptness was rewarded with the choice of spaces which were then quickly filled up around me
Cosmobike trade show visit 2019
The Cosmobike trade show has been the main event for Italian Bike producers for the past 4,5 years in Verona - Italy. Unfortunately it has been hit like many other trade shows by 'Rocky Waters'.This year Cosmobike decided to relaunch with a new format and new calendar date. I feel it's a brave move but premature to call it a success. Trade shows really need to become more interactive and less static. Here is selection of a few snaps we took today.