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There is nothing worse than riding an uncomfortable bicycle saddle. Like, literally nothing. It can ruin your ride, ruin the bike, ruin the road or trail… They’re just a pain, literally and metaphorically speaking. But how do you find the right one for you?  Saddles can be very personal, so it pays to experiment a little bit, as well as dispel a few saddle myths. First off, more padding and width do not automatically mean a saddle is more comfortable and supportive. In fact, more of either or both can be a BAD thing! So don’t assume you need a sofa of a sofa in order to comfortable, or that saddle that looks closer to a razor blade is going to uncomfortable. 

Now the clocks have gone back, and the dark nights are upon us, it’s night riding season! Whether out of necessity on your commute or if you want to inject some extra fun into your local trails or winter road training rides, getting out after dark can totally reinvigorate your riding. If you want to get the best out of your riding after hours, you’ll need the right  lights for the job! Check out this lights buying guide for the best front, rear and light sets for any budget or type of riding.

Tyre choice can be a complete minefield. Which tread pattern, what compound, what size, what width? Here we lay out the best Maxxis tyres combo. The list is endless! Maxxis make a huge range of tyres and are by far our most popular MTB tyre brand, but we still get asked what is the best tyre combo from their huge range? Well, it depends on what bike you ride and where you ride! We’ve compiled a recommended list to help you find the best tyres for your riding. For the full low-down on the Maxxis range, check out our video with Bike Expert Tom to learn all you need to know!

Raleigh’s Electric Bike Range  has gone from strength to strength over the last few years and for 2022 the range is bigger and better than ever. Perfect for commuting, leisure riding and exploring the great outdoors, Raleigh’s Electric Bikes offer great battery range, comfortable ride positions and great value component specs. To help you decide which model best fits your needs, check out this Raleigh Electric Bike Range overview and check out the bikes on our website today!

The world of mountain bike suspension can all feel a bit mind-boggling sometimes. You might have all the dials and adjustments in the world but if you don't know what they are and how to get the best from them… well, you can quickly turn your very expensive suspension into something resembling a pogo stick or worse, an office chair! To help, we’ve put together this guide to decipher what-is-what on your suspension and how it affects your bike and the ride.

Depending on your bike and suspension, you may have none or all of these adjustments available! Take note of what you need to know about your bike and dig in to get the most out of your suspension.

Single/Double/Triple crown

The arch that connects the two legs of a fork. This is usually a single connection but on downhill mountain

A huge brown box on your doorstep can mean only one thing: NEW BIKE DAY! But how do you turn the contents of that box into a rideable bike? All of the bikes we sell are given a Pre-delivery Inspection (PDI) by our workshop team, so all you need to do is follow a few quick steps and you’re good to go. With the help of our Bike Expert Tom, here’s our quick setup guide for how to build a bike and get it ready to ride! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qM7CuX-9ks

What you’ll need:

Going tubeless is one of the biggest upgrades you can make to your bike. You’ll have better puncture protection, more grip, more comfort and improved rolling resistance - that’s a whole lot of wins for a minimal amount of fuss! It can still be intimidating however the first time you go to do a ‘DIY tubeless’ setup, so with the help of our Bike Expert Tom, here’s our guide to setting up your tyres tubeless!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHju_0Eb3dk

Step 1: Make sure you have everything you need

Got a Cycle to Work scheme voucher burning a hole in your pocket and don’t know what to spend it on? With the amount of choice available, it is all too easy to be paralysed by indecision!

Or maybe not… after some office discussion, we’ve come up with a theory backed by years of extensive research*

* and a lot of phrases like “I reckon” and “chances are”

If you want to buy a new bike on the Cycle to Work Scheme but don’t have a specific need or leaning towards what you get then… quite simply…  buy a hardtail mountain bike.

There. We said it, a straight to the point answer! And now, we’re going to dig into why we think they are THE best choice for splashing your voucher on.

We all know we should wear a helmet whenever we go for a ride, even if it’s just a gentle spin around the block. What’s just as important as wearing any old helmet though, is making sure you have the right one for you; it needs to fit properly and offer the right amount of protection for your needs. No point wearing a full-face helmet on the road for example, and you don’t see the folks dropping in at Red Bull Rampage with roadie lids either! Here’s the definitive cycling helmet guide to help you get the right helmet for your riding!

Road & Urban

What do you do if you want to buy a new bike in a world where there is a bike-shortage? You build one of course! Ahhh, but there’s a parts shortage too… With some creative searching and extra patience it is still possible and the results speak for themselves. A truly unique dream build which you can really call your own. 

Our bike guru Tom was looking for his first proper gravel bike to hit his commute and weekend exploration adventures (on something a little more suitable than his Transition Spur). With gravel bikes THE bike to have at the moment and supply issues still biting hard, sourcing one proved easier said than done! Tom’s no stranger to a custom build (by his reckoning, this latest creation is his 6th!) and he pulled out all the stops to build this stunning Cotic Escapade!