Local Bike Shop Day 2019 will take place on the 4th May
Inspired by Record Store Day, this is the chance for your local bike shops to show why you should shop there, this is going to be a big day and we're hoping many people in the cycling industry will take part.For the public, this is your day to show your support for the backbone of the cycling world, call in, go for a demo ride, buy a bargain, see a talk. Every shop will have something unique on, we'll be compiling a list of those taking part and what's going on as it comes in.
My Gravel Bike – The Holy Grail
by Tom WoodburyLike most people born in the early eighties, my first bicycle was a BMX. Not one of the gaudy Raleigh Burners or gimmicky Street Hawks, but a rather subtle white Ammaco number. I rode over anything and everything I could on it, the time eventually came to get a new bike because I had outgrown it. This coincided with the explosion of mountain bikes into the UK scene. All of a sudden the must have bike for the discerning youth was an ‘MTB’ or ‘ATB’ with Muddy Fox the ultimate aspiration. Some friends had Raleigh Lizards in their lucid two tone fade and orange bottle cage, and the odd MBK or Giant was spotted occasionally. My first MTB however was one of the most affordable and popular amongst pre-teens – Halfords’ own Apollo Atomic GT18. Weighing at least 30 lbs
Sport Cross 2019
It's 6am and -1ºC outside, by the time I get to Clitheroe it's now -6ºC, I pull my bike off the rack and think of that beautiful sunrise as I was driving up the A59 over Mellor and the lack of ice
Snow is still Gravel, right?
The white stuff has fallen across the UK this week and as usual cars are stuck on non-gritted roads, trains are late or cancelled and social media is full of videos of that guy trying, but failing, to walk to the end of his driveway. Despite the inconvenience, all of us still have somewhere to be and I was not going to let the snow stop me on my commute to work.Langley Bottom FarmI am lucky that when the snow does arrive I have the option of cycling on main roads (if they are just wet) or off road across the local racecourse and through the woods to work. Usually I find it safer (and more pleasing to the eye) to stick to the off road route; I'd rather fall onto the soft snow that into the unforgiving, frozen tarmac.
Gravel – Not just for posh driveways!!
In 2016 I had started a new job and my requirement for a bike that could carry me there and back everyday had extended beyond the Townsend Mango Creek that I had owned since I was 17. Baffled by the various options available (cycling had come a long way in 16 years it appeared) I visited my local bike shop for some advice and guidance. I walked out with a 2016 Specialized Diverge A1; an adventure bike and all rounder which should have done almost everything I needed it to. This is where my gravel experience began. Assigned to commuting duties during the week and all-road machine at the weekend the bike lapped it up and gave me a sense of freedom I hadn't experienced on a bike for years. Unfortunately, the frame was faulty (replaced under warranty), the tyre