Reece Langhorn and Henrik Jensen head to the Lake District for some time on the bikes. Joined by videographers Nico Turner and Jacob Gibbins, they’ve …

By identitizombie

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Video: A Proper Lakes Epic

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Need a route GPX

It’s not a single ride. Helvellyn down Sticks Pass, cut to Surprise View above Derwentwater, then some bike park somewhere, then Warnscale descent towards Buttermere.

Epic drive around the Lakes, though.

Shouldn’t this be in the ebikes section

yea i wondered where that woods bit was off hellvellyn

“A proper lakes epic” is highly suspect wording designed to suggest this is all one big ride using a battery to get around a large area when it clearly isn’t. It’s a series of video shoots in some nice places.

Not really into the skidding to be honest.

is that main photo infornt of Warnscale Bothy?

Home to the the smuttiest visitor book I’ve set eyes on.

Yep epic drive around the Lakes, suppose it will sell bikes to the massive though. Cringe at the skid/roost around the corners! Shame Singletrack world are promoting this as the planet burns 😉

Rich

Shame Singletrack world are promoting this as the planet burns

motorised bikes is where the advertising revenue is

Wasn’t sure if I’d be alone in cringing at the big skids on natural trails, seems not!

Me too, bad form not impressed, it does seem that is what mtb has become, sadly,

Having read the comments not as much schralping as I feared but that vid would’ve lost none of its appeal if the skidding was omitted. Agree it’s about time the riders, manufacturers, producers and outlets recognised the sensitivity of what they’re doing. Otherwise it only encourages and legitimises the Tommy C’s and all the other wannabes doing it.

Yep. Skidding not cool.

How many batteries did they need. Does the bike come with that many so you can emulate them on the product.  I think not. More marketing bs

To be fair, apart from Helvellyn, I don’t think there’s any pedalling there which is more than a km from the safety of the T5.

No excuse for all the deliberate dirt-flicking on the Sticks descent, even though someone seems to have turned it into a flow trail.

I’m disappointed too with the skidding. The Lakes is very busy and the amount of pressure on those trails is high. We really need to be more careful on what we project from the sport. Specialised should know better. Actually after this summer I’m beginning to dislike the whole e-bike thing – too many muppets going too fast in too many places in the lakes.

I’m pleased it’s not just on the e-bike site, I’d have missed it, nice video, beautifully shot!

Is that really what Sticks pass looks like now?

Impressive riding (except the needless skids) & looks lovely, but going back to get another battery is the first fail amongst others. Epic is a big day out with your kit leaving at dawn & returning home at dusk. NOT driving around the Lakes, then splicing bits together to make it look like one ride & THEN having to grab another battery because you’ve killed your first one.

The midst of a climate emergency & we get this irresponsible marketing tosh? Shame on you STW for not challenging it!

It’s even implicit in the title. We shouldn’t be wanting to ‘slay’ the Lakes, so much of the recent scene is about ripping-it-up, shredding, owning, destroying, smashing… how’s about enjoying being in harmony with your surroundings not bludgeoning it with consumerist tech, respecting the environment, having minimal impact and leaving no trace.

How’s this thread going for you @identitizombie 😂

The midst of a climate emergency & we get this irresponsible marketing tosh?

Whoa, can you explain the link please? What’s so evil about an ebike from a climate change perspective?

Whoa, can you explain the link please? What’s so evil about an ebike from a climate change perspective?

Nice bit of cherry picking.

What’s wrong with this ad is a number of things:
1. They’ve driven all over the Lakes & then stitched together the films they shot to make it look like one burning yummy hydrocarbons as they go.
2. They’ve skidded needlessly & shown a blatant lack of regard for the sensitive state of the areas they’ve ridden in.
3. Just how clean do you really think the battery in your ebike is? It’s the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. The production of li-ion batteries is resource intensive & then when they are dead recycling them is the last thing the designers thought of. They are (ebikes), at best, an imperfect solution to a problem I know not what they were created for.

Yeah good point on ‘slay’. Bollocks choice of words.

Perhaps specialised could mend manon Carpenter to fix the trails they have damaged she is their U.K. trail guru isn’t she

Agree re Skidding comments above.
Not that the Ramblists will see the video but the scuffs on the ground will be clear. Then it’s “those mountainbikerists” again… Different user groups have to share the space and its all to easy to stoke the us against them mentality. Especially in the Lakes, being so crowded.

Can’t we just see a great ride> Same video, no schralping, all good IMHO.

Thanks, guys, we hear you. We’re going to work on something. Appreciate the feedback. I was the one to pop this up, it was scheduled to go live before the video was released. In future, I will do better!

Mark has shared this piece with me as an alternative and an actual proper epic in the lakes: https://singletrackworld.com/2019/08/singletrack-issue-126-how-to-lose-friends-and-alienate-people-e-mtb-ebike/

Mark’s piece is far more like it. Could he do some more e-hike-a-bike for us? 🙂

Mark’s piece is far more like it. Could he do some more e-hike-a-bike for us? 🙂

I’m sure he’d love to.. 😛

@identitizombie – next time post up about a hot hatch or a motorbike, no one will bother you mate! 🤣

Don’t beat yourself up Lauren, fwiw I liked it!

Yeah I get the points made but not sure it’s all negative, I quite liked it and just accept that marketing won’t be super realistic!

Skidz is for kidz.

This is being pushed on fb now.
I love how in these things they completely disregard the climbs like they’re just setting off and seconds later they’re bumping fists and descending. Gtf 😂

I love how in these things they completely disregard the climbs like they’re just setting off and seconds later they’re bumping fists and descending. Gtf

ebike init. what hills?

i quite liked it, but then I remember when jacob was a grom at my local woods building shit berms, making films and riding one of the shonkiest bikes ever. boys done good.

Well I like the fact that it got posted; it’s opened a conversation and maybe put me off spending money with Specialized (maybe) ! Poorly conceived and irresponsible marketing tosh.
Unnecessarily nay blatantly eroding natural trails is far from cool and not the sort of behaviour the industry should be encouraging, we’ve enough of an ongoing battle for acceptance going on as it is!
Maybe I’m missing something but it wouldn’t have required much of a change to show the capabilities and versatility of the bikes in a much more “POSITIVE” manner. A few takes of riders enjoying a proper “mountain epic” ridden responsibly and in tune with surroundings; trails and other trail users. Then drive/cut away to shots of riders ripping up some obviously different bike park/gravity trails on the same bike in full hoodlum stylee!
A disappointing lack of sensitivity and intelligence from the Specialized media/promotions team,, still I bet it shifts units and that’s what matters innit!

MRLEBOWSKI
3. Just how clean do you really think the battery in your ebike is? It’s the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. The production of li-ion batteries is resource intensive & then when they are dead recycling them is the last thing the designers thought of. They are (ebikes), at best, an imperfect solution to a problem I know not what they were created for.
Valid point but Ebikes will be the last of your worries once all the Ecars start to die.

You’ve got to laugh at the anti-skidding nonsense in this forum! What a bunch of old biddies. To descend most of the paths in the Lakes without any skidding (braking on a loose surface) you’d have to be going at walking pace. Maybe the anti-skidders are?

You’ve got to laugh at the anti-skidding nonsense in this forum! What a bunch of old biddies. To descend most of the paths in the Lakes without any skidding (braking on a loose surface) you’d have to be going at walking pace. Maybe the anti-skidders are?

theres the occasional break of traction which I agree is going to be unavoidable, and then there is deliberately and unessesarily sliding the back around a corner, with the camera positioned behind to capture the roost shot…