Tag Archives: mountain biking

The Bike Leasing Company, My Experience

By 6 commentsReviews, Rides, , , , , , , ,

You Can Lease Bikes? Really?

I didn’t know that leasing a high end bike was an option until seeing BLC’s stand at the Cycle Show in Birmingham: I’d always assumed that the only way to afford one without a major windfall was to seek 2 or 3 years’ interest-free credit.  So I picked up a leaflet and read it at home later.

First of all I checked the BLC website and noticed a few bike brands which weren’t commonly advertised, which impressed me.  Up to that point I’d only looked at 0% credit options, so my shortlist had been limited to the high volume brands sold through major retailers.  BLC opened up a wider range of boutique options.

So, How Does It Work?

Paul at BLC talked with me about where and how I ride, to help narrow the search to a couple of strong choices.  A little thinking and advice later and I’d made my decision to lease a 120mm full suspension bike to progress from my previous hardtail.  A Merida One Twenty fitted the bill perfectly.

My lovely Merida One Twenty

Phill’s Merida One Twenty

The choice of leasing options was helpful: I chose to pay a heavier initial payment followed by 24 months at a very affordable rate.  I’m only paying for around 2/3 of the bike’s overall value, so in two years I can decide whether to purchase my bike, or hand it back and begin a new lease.  The biggest reason to lease instead of buy was the way that BLC’s lease option makes higher-end bikes available with affordable payments.

The bike was delivered to my work at my convenience, even though Christmas got in the way of deliveries for a short time!  BLC put a mechanic in touch with me, who came to my home – at a time that suited me – to set the bike up.  He (Ben) was pleasant, professional and remarkably skilful, setting the bike up quickly and perfectly with no fuss.  After a quick test ride around the street to confirm that everything was right for me, he made sure I had his number in case anything went wrong and left me to it.

Cut To The Chase: Is It A Good Idea?

There’s no feeling quite like riding a new bike for the first time. Snowy conditions didn’t keep us indoors on the first day we had the daylight and the time to get out.  Making fresh trails in the white powder was even more of a pleasure than when I’d done it in the past, and the bike performed beautifully.  I’m looking forward to spending more and more time enjoying the great outdoors, climbing and descending the pennine foothills on my shiny Merida.

Thanks very much to the Bike Leasing Company for making a potentially complex process very simple, and for delivering and setting up a fantastic top-end bike for me to play out on!

You can look at BLC’s website here, and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter too.

Tell ’em Phill sent you! 😉

Merida One Twenty 800 D Carbon 2011 – My First Review

By 1 commentReviews, Rides, , , , , , , , ,

My Marvellous Merida

After (almost) two years happily thrashing my hardtail Fat Boy around the trails of Rochdale, Littleborough and further afield, I gradually came to the decision that I wanted a bit more bike.  Since I decided to buy the Fat Boy, my mileage has increased and with it, the amount of time I spend thinking about bikes in general.

I toyed with the idea of going roadie at one point.  A neighbour offered me a good bike at an excellent price but after much soul-searching I decided that mountain biking was my true love.  I’m lucky enough to live in the foothills of the Pennines, not very far from where Singletrack Magazine is based, so their features and photos never fail to inspire me to get out into the hills where I live.

So, I started to look around and to think about buying options.  My research was in-depth and extensive.  But I’m not writing about the purchasing process here: I’ll do that in another post.  This one’s all about the bike.

With much advice, much checking, much thought and much procrastination, I decided that I definitely needed a 120mm full-suspension steed.  Any more would be too big a step and the bike would be bigger than both my talents and my usual trails.

Merida One Twenty 800 D Carbon 2011

Merida are arguably the biggest bike company in the world.  They hold a 48% stake in Specialized (apparently) and their Taiwanese operation turns out huge numbers of bikes of all shapes & sizes.  Their MTB design team is German-led and the mountain bikes seem ideally designed for European conditions.

The One Twenty range is designed to merge go-faster XC with go-more MTB riding.  The geometry is reasonably steep by modern standards, but noticeably slacker than my speed-intended Focus.  As such, the bike feels like a fantastic plaything beneath my feet and hands.

So, How Is It?

I’ve only covered around 8 miles so far, on a beautiful winter’s day.  There was plenty of snow, a little ice and some trepidation about staying upright!  The bike feels incredibly stable and is a simple pleasure to propel along.  The Carbon frame and lightweight wheelset accelerate amazingly and the Shimano gears click into place instantly.

The forks and shock are a total revelation.  I have no frame of reference, since this is my first full-bouncer, but the comfort and grip offered as I pootled along in the snow were excellent.  I deliberately avoided locking either the front or back, so I could get a feel for how active the suspension was at each end.  There seemed to be no stiction when I hit any bumps, but I certainly didn’t feel to be bouncing as I pedalled along my path, even when I climbed out of the saddle.

I can’t wait to get out into my local hills when the weather’s a bit better and I have more time.  The new bike’s been a total revelation so far, even with the tiny little ride I’ve managed so far.

Bring it on. 🙂

Couriers – Who’d Have ‘Em?

By Tat, , , , , ,

Grrrrrr!

I ordered a new bike.  It was scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.  On Tuesday night, a mechanic was booked to come to our house to make sure everything was where it should be, and to set the bike up so that it would extract the maximum output from my minimum talents.

I was excited about this.

At Tuesday lunchtime, I contacted the guy who’s sold me the bike.  He chased up the delivery.  He was told that it wasn’t on the courier’s van.  There was a docket in the courier’s office clearly indicating a Tuesday delivery, but it wasn’t in the van.

I waited until the end of the day at work, just in case there had been a mistake.  There hadn’t: it definitely wasn’t in the van.  We cancelled the mechanic.

Now it’s Wednesday lunchtime and I have heard nothing.  Neither has the guy who sold me the bike.

Why?

Why is it that the final link in the supply chain, the vital link which actually delivers everybody else’s promises and dreams, is so unaccountable?

The guy who’s spoken to me over the last few weeks and helped me to choose a bike which should be perfect for my needs; the distributor who so carefully ordered, prepared, boxed and handed the bike to the courier; the various organisations involved in carrying messages and money over the wires and airwaves to facilitate the choosing and buying interaction…. all of these worked beautifully.

Then the couriers, who are paid regardless of their ineptitude and indifference, let everyone down.  They don’t call us to tell us when it will be delivered. We have to call them, and so far can’t get a concrete indication of where the bike is, let alone when it might be delivered.

I’m still waiting.  🙁

If you’d like a guess at what time the bike will turn up, you can enter a prize sweepstake on my Google+ pages.  There is an actual prize and I’ll mail it anywhere in the world if you’re right.

Glentress Day Out – A #Nov100 Treat

By Cycling Challenges, Photography, Rides, , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking Advantage

I was in Scotland on business last week, spending a couple of days up at HQ with my team.  I’m normally back in Lancashire by midweek when I’ve been up to the bonny land, but last week I wasn’t due to head back down south until Saturday.  So, I had an idea…

Glentress

The 7Stanes trails at Glentress are a fairly short diversion from my usual drive back from near Edinburgh to the top of the M6 before heading home.  Last Saturday I had the Fat Boy in the back of the car and took that diversion.  What a great idea that was!

Before you even get onto the trails at Glentress, it’s obvious that you’ve arrived somewhere special.  The facilities are exceptional, with a large bike shop, great cafe, great car park (only £3 all day) and informative signage all visible before you even get out of your car.  Hungover from a previous evening spent in the finer establishments of Edinburgh, I headed for the cafe first.  With change from a £fiver for beans on toast and a pot of tea, I was delighted.  When the enormous portion of “beans on” arrived, I was chuffed to biuts: this was proper man-sized mountain biking fuel!

The Trails

If you read any of the MTB press, you’ll know that a lot of investment has gone into the 7Stanes networks, and into Glentress in particular.  Getting out onto the trails at Glentress, you can tell.  I picked the Blue Route, as this was my first visit and I was feeling somewhat delicate.  Hearing of over 2,000 feet of climbing, I was not looking forward to the upward slog.   Having ridden at Gisburn Forest in the past, I was expecting a vomit-inducing fire road drag up to the top.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  At Glentress, you take in the fantastic views and the scent of fresh pine as you climb along red paths between the tress, dodging left and right through many, many switchbacks on your way up.  There are a few short fire road bursts, sure, but it’s almost a pleasure putting the hill beneath you.

About two-thirds of the way up, there’s a car park (for cheats) next to a skills area and freeride zone which looked like loads of fun, but which was too much for my limited bike and more limited talents.  So, I pushed on upwards to the top of the Blue Route before the long journey back down to earth.

And what a journey.

Glentress In 20 Words Or Less

Swoopy.  Jumpy.  Fast.  Dark.  Trees.  Red.  Rocky.  Loamy.  Grass.  Ferns.  Exciting.  Plush.   High.  Manageable.  Fantastic.  Friendly.  Organised.  Clean.  Fun.

That’s 19.  Can you add one? 😉

 

Night Riding: I Chased A Cat And I Liked It.

By 8 commentsCycling Challenges, Rides, , , , , , ,

Night Riding Is Cool

I have a routine of riding my bike every Tuesday after work, in a bid to keep myself going and to add some miles to the #Nov100 sheet.  If you look at my Daily Mile profile you’ll notice this.  Therefore it’s unavoidable that I have to ride in the dark.  Now, as I see it there are two options for riding at night:

1. Road
Vision is better on the roads, that’s for sure.  Surfaces are better, too.  You can cover a decent distance over a decent time.  There are only two disadvantages to road riding at night, one being that you might get wiped off the face of the Earth by a dim motorist and the other being that it’s boring. 😉

2. OffRoad
No motorists, no HGVs, no visual distractions. Just you and the quiet around you.  A big light, the sound of your own breathing, the sight of the moisture being expelled by your own lungs in the torch-beam when you slow down, the sounds of wildlife and distant urban noise reaching your ears unspoiled by daytime white noise…  Riding offroad at night is just better. Because it is. Fact.

Clarity, Cats and Cackling

This Tuesday, a strengthening headwind on my outward leg cheered me up, mainly because I knew it would be a nice tailwind on the way home.  Happily, the Great British weather did not let me down and I was pushed for my last 3 miles by a lovely breeze.  As the Rochdale Canal rushed past to my left and the distant street lights of Halifax Road twinkled to my right, my eBay special 900-lumen light illuminated the towpath ahead of me.

Suddenly, there was a surprised scurrying noise and two yellow orbs flicked round to look directly at me: I’d shocked a cat out on his night prowls.  One moment he was ambling along, checking the canal banks for unsuspecting rodents and moths; the next there was a portly, middle-aged diabetic man on a bike bearing down on him.

Run, Cat! Run!
The cat  sped off, tail aloft and fur on end, along the towpath.  Following the only straight line escape route open to him, he was in my sights.  I was losing him. For a few seconds.

I smiled to myself and turned the pedals a little bit harder.  The fear-stricken feline was being reeled back towards me.  Sensing me closing on him, the yellow eyes glanced back at me, reflecting my torch back and revealing the terror in the cat’s eyes.  His little legs didn’t skip a beat, he was running at a good pace now but I was gaining slowly.

My smile turned into a laugh now, and I surprised myself a little as the laugh escaped my throat into the night air.  Anyone seeing me would have certainly thought I’d gone a bit mental.  I was having fun!  It was like I was a child again, mindlessly  chasing the cat without a single consideration of what I’d do if I caught it.  There’s a certain primal glee in knowing that you’re catching something at pace. Anything.

The cat made one more flick of his head to look back at me and confirm that the noise of my tyres was indeed accompanied by my maniacal, laughing, advancing face, framed by a mountain bike helmet and carried by a steed of aluminium and rubber.  Then he had a moment of clarity, made a swift turn ninety degrees to the right and scaled a four-foot wall like a scalded, well, cat.

I laughed all the way home.  I wish I’d video’d it: cats are more popular than naked ladies on the internet these days.

Night riding’s cool.

 

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