Happy Mondays: Hills, Chills and Lower Back Aches

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New Year, new series. There’s a lot of unhappy news out there these days, so we thought we’d kick off a regular weekly series of positive vibes.

We’re calling it Happy Mondays. Because we want the obvious, we get the obvious.

In terms of the weekend’s ‘riding’, it was pretty much an exercise in… exercise. Whilst it was nice to not have soft mud, we may possibly have underestimated the amount of snow there’d be on the fells. Still, it was rideable and enjoyable once the gradient turned downwards. And 15psi in tyres was a good idea. As was our local bakery’s New Year decision to finally enable card/phone payments. Never has a sausage roll and a cup of tea been so welcome.

Lando Steezy 3 minute edit

Singletrack Magazine cover star Lando Steezy emitted an edit at the tail end of last week. It was too late to include in Fresh Goods Friday, but we think it makes for a fine debut vid for Happy Mondays.

TJ is off again

Forum legend tjagain is off on another adventure. Find out how he deals with the helmet compulsion laws of Down Under, plus riding the ‘wrong’ gender bicycle.

Strathpuffer survival

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A post shared by Blaine Hunt (@blainehunt)

No matter how snowy and cold your ride may have been, it probably wasn’t quite as extreme as the conditions encountered at this year’s Strathpuffer endurance race. Still, that’s kinda the whole point of the event. It’s always a bit of a letdown when it’s just utumnal levels of muck and chill!

Reece Wilson goes gearbox

After his comeback last year, Mr Wilson has left Trek Factory Racing and has started with a new team called Aon Racing. And he appears to be riding belt-drive gearbox (Gamux?) bicycles. No doubt the $100k prize purse on offer for the first elite racer to win a World Cup on a belt-driven bike is very firmly in his sights.

New Fox Speedframe Pro not-launch

The new Fox Speedframe open-face trail helmet range is launching in Spring 2025 and we’ve had the £164.99 Speedframe Pro for a while. Too early to give any sort of worthwhile verdict beyond “fine so far” but we can tell you that it’s got MIPS Air Node, an integrated sunglasses holder, a one-hand adjustable visor, and the same head form as the previous Speedframe.

Happy Deal

Fox Dropframe Pro currently 35% off at Fox Racing £259.99 now £168.99.

Other colourways are available

These sort of increased coverage(?) helmets are pretty much our go-to helmets during the wintertime. Extra coverage = extra warmth. You still need a Buff under it some of the time due to the vents. Anyway, your ears will thank you. These helmets aren’t cheap so it’s a good idea to scour around and find a deal on them, which we have done for you.

Happy Memories

Check out this Orange Clockwork from 10 years ago…

Are you Happy now?

If you’ve seen anything that made you smile over the past few days, leave a comment below. Similarly, if you’ve got any pics or tales from your weekend’s riding, post them too ?

Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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Home Forums Happy Mondays: Hills, Chills and Lower Back Aches

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  • Happy Mondays: Hills, Chills and Lower Back Aches
  • prettygreenparrot
    Full Member

    It was indeed a happy Monday. A slippery, chilly, and beautiful afternoon out above Hayfield in the ice, snow, slush, and occasional bits of mud.

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