Page 5 - Blog
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July 25, 2019
The springtime and school holidays represent the ideal time to get outside. Thinking back to our own childhood's, being off school meant spending hours in the garden or out in the park with friends and family; perhaps even out on bike rides and as we've reached that time of year again it's time to turn our attentions to our own children and how to get them into cycling.
The countryside, National Parks and playgrounds are often filled with people riding their bikes and as the weather improves we're likely to see more and more ditching the car and cycling to work instead – perhaps making your kids take note and think how much fun it must be to ride their bikes.
Whether they've ever ridden a bike before or they own a bike but don't really use it, perhaps this summer could be the one where they really get into cycling. Now, we might be slightly biased (and make no apology!) but cycling is great fun, especially with the range of great bikes on the market these days and particularly kids bikes.
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June 14, 2019
If you frequent any cycling news-related websites at the minute, you'll be met with a plethora of new bikes and kit aimed at gravel riding. But what is a gravel bike? Is it just a road bike that you can use on gravel paths? Or is it a mountain bike for people who don't want to ride the more technical, treacherous trails?
For a lot of people there are more questions surrounding gravel bikes and riding than any other discipline, so we thought we'd assemble a quick guide to help you make sense of cycling's latest craze!
What is gravel riding?
For the cynical among us, gravel riding is just a marketing term for something we've been doing for years. It's a bandwagon the industry has jumped on to sell more bikes and more kit and, to an extent, that's not far from the truth. Gravel riding, as the name implies, largely involves riding along mostly gravel or hard packed fire roads and trails on a bike that roughly resembles a road bike with big tyres and disc brakes. Nothing ground-breaking there
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May 29, 2019
One of the many reasons that we all fell in love with cycling at a young age was because we would go out on family bike rides in the summer or at weekends, taking in the local countryside and getting to ride around off road without the worries about traffic. Now, as we raise our own families, it's time to pass that enjoyment down to our own children and to reminisce by taking our kids on similar rides to those we used to go on with our parents.
Getting the kids out in the fresh air and way from the games consoles has always been a challenge, but cycling represents the opportunity that we need. They're active, they're having fun and they get to control where they go and at what speed (to an extent!!)
A lot of children, to their credit, will ask to go everywhere on their bikes – which is fantastic from our perspective as cycling enthusiasts – and means we can instill a love of cycling from a young age, through their teenage years and into adulthood; and it all starts with a family bike ride.
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May 17, 2019
Tyre choice on any bike is important, but arguably none more so than on mountain bikes. With ever varying terrain, conditions and high-consequences; MTB tyre choice is vital in order to have confidence in your bike. Any bike – and any ride – can be ruined by poor tyre choice, so while you may think fancy components make a difference to your ride, it's actually those black rubber circles that make the biggest difference of all.
As your one contact between the bike and the ground, tyres have a pretty crucial role in keeping you upright on the bike. You want to ensure you invest not only in quality tyres, but the right tyres for your bike, riding style and the terrain you ride. Cheap, plasticky feeling tyres may last an eternity and roll reasonably quickly but will offer next to no grip when you venture out on to proper off-road trails. More expensive, softer compound tyres will grip far better but roll slower and wear quicker.
There's a compromise to be made, so it pays to do your research;
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May 17, 2019
Now spring has sprung families and avid cyclists alike will be packing up their cars and heading out into the hills with their bike in tow. Carrying your bike over long (or even short) distances doesn't have to involve loading your car's boot up to the rafters with bikes and all your gear.
While many people do this (how else would we know you can fit two mountain bikes and a weekends worth of camping gear, food and beer in the back of a Fiat Punto!) a dedicated bike rack can be quicker, leave room in the car for passengers, as well as keeping the inside of your car looking more car-like and less like a mud bath.
There is a massive range of different shaped and sized bike racks out there, from tow ball mounted racks through to roof racks; and we've picked out some of our favourites for lugging at least 2 bikes around, because we all know cycling is more fun with friends or family!
Tow ball mounted bike racks
While not the cheapest option, tow ball mounted bike racks are incredibly popular,
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May 17, 2019
Electric bikes. Always a topical subject this one! Love them or hate them, electric bikes here to stay. There's a time and a place to discuss the implications electric bikes might have on various access and legal issues, but putting that can of worms aside, there is no denying they enable more and more people to get out on bikes and enjoying the outdoors. Which, after all, is what bikes are all about! But what are they and who are they for? We take a detailed look at what they are, why you might want one, answer some key questions you may have and highlight our recommendations to help you buy your first electric bike.
Electric bikes are not, as the name suggests and as many believe, fully electric bicycles where you just press a button or twist a throttle and point it where you want to go. They are instead a hybrid or mountain bike designed specifically with an electric battery and motor that gives you a little bit extra assistance – ideal for anyone who wants to get out and ride but needs
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April 09, 2019
Stress is a condition that affects people from all walks of life. It isn't a genetic condition passed down from parents to children, and it isn't like a cold that can appear and last for a few days before disappearing again. Instead, stress is a condition that develops over a period of time. It may be a period of a few weeks – it may even be as long as a few months or years with things building up and eventually coming to a head.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, around 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point in the last twelve months that they have felt either completely overwhelmed or unable to cope with the various factors mounting up and affecting how they feel.
Stress plays a crucial role in our mental health, often resulting in issues with anxiety and depression, as well as physical health problems such as heart disease and digestive problems brought about because – in simple terms – we stop looking after ourselves.
In order to try and combat the effects of stress,
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March 29, 2019
Bike-packing and gravel riding have exploded in the cycle industry in the past few years. While riders have been out in the wilds camping and adventuring with their bikes for years, there has definitely been an upward trend in popularity with more and more people strapping gear to their bikes and heading off into the wilderness.
It's a great way of letting off steam and escaping the day to day monotony of modern life: no work, no social media, just you with your bike and the great outdoors. If you've been considering going on your own bike-packing adventure, our bike-packing guide will point you in the right direction, so you can get out there and enjoy being out in the wild.
What are the best bikes for bike-packing adventures?
The beauty of bike packing is that unlike other disciplines of cycling you can do it on pretty much any bike; your trusty mountain bike and even some road bikes will do the job with little to no modifications required, but that hasn't stopped the influx of new bikes
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March 01, 2019
When we were kids, we didn't really need to think about keeping fit – our lifestyle had it sorted. We ran around all day, swam in the river and went on bike rides. There was probably some other stuff too – skinned knees, school bullies, terrifying clowns, etc., but let's focus on the positive for now eh! Anyway, nowadays most of us (unless you're still enjoying the benefits of education or are especially well-heeled) have jobs. Along with the fact that you're not getting any younger, jobs have a tendency to make one ... a little ... well, fat – especially the dreaded desk job, where you sit on your behind for eight hours a day staring at a screen. Unfortunately, given that jobs also sap most of your free time, many of us either can't or won't do any exercise when we get home. That leaves you with the weekend – which tends to be a hectic affair at best.
The solution could be at hand, however, especially if you currently have a short-ish trip to work. We're talking of course about leaving
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February 27, 2019
Clean
By cleaning, we don't just mean blasting your bike with jet wash! We've seen so many ruined hubs, headsets, forks, bottom brackets & dropper posts ruined by excessive jet washing, so it pays to be smart about how you clean your bike. A selection of brushes, Muc-Off's Nano Tech Bike Cleaner and Bio Drivetrain Cleanerand a bucket of clean water or hose pipe will give you pretty much all you need to give a bike a good clean up without over-doing it. It might take a bit more time than a quick blast with the jetwash, but your bike (and wallet!) will thank you in the long run.
Protect
Once you've got your bike looking like it just came out of the factory, you'll want to keep it looking that way. You can use Muc-Off's Miracle Shine Polish to coat your frame in a deep, luxurious shine that also protects from atmospheric pollutants and helps remove imperfections and minor scratches. Muc-Off's Silicone Shine is great for use on mountain bikes too. It can be used along the underside of the