|
|
|
|
|
|
Forged To Endure
|
|
|
I first met Serena at an antenatal class. Apparently I made quite an impression when the course leader told us that labour quite commonly caused women to vomit, and I realised that I now had a tiny human trapped inside me and getting it out might cause my worst fear. I don’t remember making a fuss about it, but apparently I did, because Serena decided that she was in no way as badly prepared as the crazy lady on the other side of the room. She would be fine.
|
With our first babies born around the same time, we became part of the ‘baby cafe gang’. We went to playgroups, went on walks, inadvertently displayed our boobs in public places, and took over cafes in just the way that people without small children find really annoying. United in the fight against ductal thrush (a tortuous experience that resulted in a lot of oatcake eating, and not enough cake. If you’ve had it, you know. If you haven’t had it, imagine feeling like your boobs are filled with thorny fire worms, who wriggle from your chest and out of your nipples every time your small dependent human looks at you cutely and demands feeding. It is not comfortable.)
|
Boob hardships aside, we had a fantastic time on maternity leave, and it forged the kind of easy friendship that an abundance of bodily fluids and a lack of housework tends to create. It was a sad day when she moved out of the Valley, and our paths crossed much less frequently.
|
Off on her own - nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Reyt Good Rides - Serena discovered bikes. Mostly gravel bikes, though she’s not averse to flat bar action either. I’m not exactly sure when she started, but when I rode with her in the middle of 2022 it was her first singletrack ride. As is typical Serena, she whooped, squealed and laughed her way through the whole thing. She’s a lot more organised about her social life than me, and has worked her way through a whole series of group rides, weekender bikepacking trips, and even a week-long gravel trip in Spain. I was not particularly surprised then when she announced that this spring she was going to ride the Badger Divide, a 200 mile off-road route from Inverness to Glasgow, with some seriously remote terrain along the way. I loaned her a couple of bits of kit, but her expertise already far exceeded mine.
|
Part way through last week I got a message ‘I’m broken! I’ve bitten off more than I can chew this time.’, accompanied by a photo of her trying to have a nap on her handlebars. I suggested she eat something extra, drink something extra, and take some ibuprofen. But I had no doubt that the next message I got would show that she was still riding. Sure enough, a scenic camp photo, mention of tea and breakfast butties, and she was still in the game. And then she was in Glasgow, arms in the air and victorious.
|
This week’s newsletter is dedicated to Serena. To good friends. To the people who always look on the bright side. To the people who try something new and give things a go. And to all those who endure, whether it’s headwinds or boob fire you’re up against.
|
|
Have yourselves a happy long weekend, folks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Word From Our Sponsors: Industry Nine
|
|
|
|
|
Let’s be honest. The best rides don’t just come from highlight reels or flashy skills. They also come from gear that doesn’t let you down when it counts. That’s where I come in. I’m Hydra2. The latest evolution of hub set from Industry Nine and I wasn’t dreamt up in a sterile lab. I was forged from years of relentless development, refined through countless rides, and tested in the harshest real-world conditions. I'm here so that when things get steep, loose, or just plain stupid, you can laugh in the face of bad line choices and still keep rolling.
|
|
|
I was shaped by more than 100,000 riders who came before me. Their experiences, feedback, and demands helped Industry Nine reimagine what a hub could be. Stronger? Absolutely. Smarter? Without question. I’ve been fine-tuned to shrug off abuse, mile after mile.
|
|
I know some of you out there will love statistics, so let’s dive into my numbers. I carry a 65% thicker axle to better handle stress. My pawl pockets are larger giving me 26% better force dissipation to reduce wear and keep me spinning smoothly longer. My drive ring? Hardened metal, with an extra tooth on each pawl because e-bikes demand more, and I’m built to deliver.
|
|
|
For you mud loving Brits, there’s more good news. Inside, I run on oversized 6903 bearings with full-contact radial lip seals and proximity dust shields. The UK’s finest trail centre slurry? Bring it on.
|
|
And yes, my engagement is lightning-fast; 0.41°, to be exact. That’s 870 points of engagement and 60% less coasting drag, so when you’re ready to power forward, I respond instantly.
|
|
|
I’m not just another hub. I’m a Hydra2 hub. The toughest, most capable system ever to leave Industry Nine’s Asheville workshop. Whether you're smashing downhill lines, enduring brutal enduro stages, or hauling up fire roads with an e-bike motor kicking out watts like a small generator, I’m here to go the distance with you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome one and all to the first Fresh Goods Friday of the month
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Craig, more commonly known as 2nd Life Bikes, brought this Stayer ATB to the Bespoked Manchester bike show. While this bike was built for him by Stayer, you can also go on one of their Frame Building 101 courses and build one yourself. Or, build whatever wild dreams you have. It's £1,500 for the week long course, and a fairly …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tim ‘Moff’ Gray is the organiser of this year’s Singlespeed UK Championships, taking place just outside Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Hampshire on 5th-7th September 2025. We caught up with him to get a feel for the vibe you can expect from the event. In a world of electronic shifting and dinner plate sized cassettes, I wondered what the single speed …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Singletrack Crew Long Sleeved T
|
|
|
Ross is wearing a size large. See size guide in full description tab.
|
Organic cotton casual t-shirt.
|
Ride in it. Sleep in it. It's super soft and 100% organic fair trade produced, which is why we are happy to put our logo on it.
|
£31.98
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DJI? Deliveroo? Disabled people? Proposals to set a 750w peak power limit appear to be on the cards.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bennet Janz is the man behind Ballern Cycleworks, and the winner of the Best Mountain Bike Award at Bespoked Manchester 2025, for his ‘Pressing Iron’ full suspension bike. Bennet is described in Petor Georgallou’s article in Singletrack Issue 160 as ‘built like a horse conditioned by techno’, and ‘Ballern’ is roughly equivalent to ‘beast mode’ or ‘mind off, legs on’. …
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's very hard to fault the Cotic Cascade. I am sad to be sending it back. Do you need to know more?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
