Friday the 22nd of October saw the first round of our Wheelbase Wahoo Crank It Up Brewery Tour go off in style at the Hawkshead Brewery in Staveley, The Lake District. With the promise of fast and frenetic racing via the Zwift virtual racing platform on the most cutting-edge Wahoo indoor smart trainers and smart bikes a great mix of cyclists made the trip to the Hawkshead Brewery on a dark, damp evening; what better way to adjust to the beginning of the new Autumn season than a night of bikes and beers?!
The team from Wahoo Fitness were on hand to host the event along with Wheelbase and kept the racing and smart trainer demo sessions running smoothly all evening. Everyone who attended the Brewery Tour was entered into a free prize draw to win a brilliant Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer worth £999.99 at the end of the night; while those who were brave enough to take on the Wahoo hill climb were competing for a £349.00 Wahoo Elemnt Rival GPS watch. With two GPS watches being awarded to the King of the Mountains and the Queen of the Mountains every single competitor was giving their all on this gruelling 900 metre climb with an average gradient of 15%
There was some brilliant efforts throughout the night, with our Wahoo Fitness event hosts whipping up the crowd to cheer each and every rider up the virtual hill which got steeper and a whole lot harder towards the top of the climb. Cow bells were rung, shouts of encouragement rang out and multiple pints of fine Hawkshead Brewery beer were consumed! Speaking of beer, there was a nice little bonus prize too; everyone who raced was eligible for the best pain face of the night. With our talented photographer James Vincent in attendance to record the event we called on him to capture every racer in action and at the end of the night, with riders projected on screen the crowd voted for their favourite pain face of the night. The prize? Their own height in Hawkshead Brewery beer!
As Round 1 of the Wahoo Crank It Up Brewery Tour came to a close the King and Queen of the Mountains were awarded their Wahoo Elemnt Rival GPS watches and our Wahoo Fitness hosts did the prize draw for the star prize of the Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer worth £999.99
Thank you to everyone who attended our event and helped to make it a really fun get-together with bike racing and beers. Thanks to the excellent team from Wahoo Fitness for hosting the event and keeping the tempo high all evening and many thanks to Hawkshead Brewery for allowing us to run the event in the brewery and for the fantastic beer!
If you missed this event there’s another chance to join us at the next round of the Wahoo Crank It Up Brewery Tour! The next stop is at the Ilkley Brewery on Friday the 12th of November. The racing format will be the same and so will the prizes so there’s another chance to win BIG!
Click the link at the bottom of this feature to find out more and to register for the upcoming Ilkley Brewery event!
Be sure to scroll down to our event images below…
There were some fantastic prizes to be won on the night.
The Hawkshead Brewery made the perfect venue for this event.
The racing was fast and frenetic throughout the night.
Riders took on a gruelling 900 metre virtual climb on Zwift; it was a straight-up sprint with no warm up!
There was plenty of encouragement for each and every rider.
Plenty of Hawkshead Brewery pale ale was consumed.
Our winner of the best ‘pain face’ on the night!
There were some impressive times for this short, explosive climb.
The Wahoo Crank It Up Brewery Tour provided top of the range Wahoo smart trainers and smart bikes for the evening of racing.
Some competitors managed to smile as well as grimace.
Times were tight between the riders vying for the King and Queen of the Mountains titles.
Reece from Wahoo Fitness kept the crowd going throughout the night.
Finally it was time for the prize giving and the moment we decided on the best pain face of the night…
Once the winner was decided it was time to measure him up for his height in beer!
Thank you to Hawkshead Brewery for all your support.
No tippy toes!
Reece from Wahoo Fitness did the honours for the top prize of the evening.
Winner! The moment our prize draw for the £999.99 Wahoo Kickr Smart Trainer was announced.
Our lucky prize draw winner receives her prize from Wheelbase’s Toby along with Reece and Mike from Wahoo Fitness.
We go again! Join us at the Wahoo Crank It Up Brewery Tour at the Ilkley Brewery on Friday 12th November.
We gave the Ibis Ripmo AF the full dream build experience, check out the video above.
This week’s Fast Bike Friday feature takes a detailed look at the Ibis Ripmo AF, an affordable alloy version of the their more expensive carbon Ripmo (the AF stands for aluminium frame; not what we thought it was short for when we first saw the bike!). But before we get into the Ripmo let’s just take a minute to acknowledge Wheelbase’s newest bike brand, available now in-store and online; Ibis have been around since 1981 when Scot Nicol started out with a little shop just outside Mendocino, California. The brand has grown throughout the years and has played an important role in the history of the development of the modern mountain bike; today there are now around 40 employees working in Santa Cruz, California and Scot Nicol remains one of the owners, indicating in his bio on the Ibis website that nowadays his role generally involves trying to stay out of the way.
There’s an honest, no-fuss industrial look to the Ibis Ripmo AF and we love it!
So back to our Ibis featured fast bike. Cast your eyes over the Ripmo and you’ll see an industrial looking full-suspension trail bike which features curved hydroformed tubes which in some ways mirror the distinctive Ripmo Carbon curves but also boasts a more utilitarian appearance with fat tubes and chunky welds. This is a burly trail bike that’s built to go downhill fast, absorb big hits and keep you rolling over technically demanding terrain; while its 147mm of rear travel and 160mm of front suspension travel means this bike is not quite a full-on Enduro bike it is ready for some particularly rowdy riding and definitely leans more towards excelling downhill rather than uphill.
Apparently AF stands for aluminium frame – not what we originally thought!
Ibis have designed the Ripmo AF to have a rangy but not super-long reach giving you just the right amount of room to remain agile and free to move around the bike when you’re constantly shifting your weight to compensate for gradient changes and tight turns. As you’d expect on a progressive trail bike like this, there’s a slack 64.9-degree head-tube angle; Ibis have complemented this with a 44mm reduced-off-set fork for a more sure-footed feel on steep descents and when you’re flying at top speed. With the Ripmo AF’s trail bike status in mind Ibis have not neglected ride quality when the bike points back uphill. The 76-degree seat tube angle places you centrally and upright over the bottom bracket creating an efficient pedaling position, helping to make climbing back to the top of your favourite trail all the more easy.
Chunky welds and fat tubes give a contrasting look to it’s carbon fibre Ripmo cousin.
The Ripmo AF is a burly alloy trail bike that’s ready to get rowdy.
Branding on the matt-silver Ripmo AF is subtlety hidden on the underside of the down tube and rear of the seat tube.
The DW link on the Ibis Ripmo AF is worth shouting about and features here on the bike’s livery.
At the heart of the Ripmo AF’s suspension platform is the DW link (named after its originator Dave Weagle); the DW link helps to prevent squat (the compression of the rear suspension under pedaling load) as the chain’s tension acts on the suspension. In practice this means that the Ripmo’s suspension remains active and sensitive to small and big hits even when your putting down the power through the pedals; brilliantly the DW link configuration also helps to minimise pedal kickback as the suspension moves through its travel AND also helps to negate the effects of braking forces on the rear suspension, keeping the Ripmo plush and active under heavy braking.
The Ripmo AF’s suspension configuration with DW-link reacts sensitively to changing terrain while retaining a stable pedaling platform.
There’s 147mm of plush travel on the rear of the Ibis Ripmo AF.
This particular Ripmo AF features a DVO Topaz T3 Air shock; the bike is also available with a coil shock if you prefer. The DVO Topaz T3 air shock provides excellent levels of small bump compliance and tunable damping that will stop you getting bucked when you fluff your landings; The T3 compression adjust gives you 3 compression settings at the flick of a lever and is denoted as pedaling, traversing and descending, however the DW link is so good at making the suspension work efficiently you most probably won’t need to use it.
The DVO Topaz T3 Air shock features a 3-position climb switch.
Upfront, to match that plush, active rear suspension Ibis have spec’d a pair of DVO Onyx D1 suspension forks with a whopping 160mm of travel. With 36mm wide stanchions and 110mm Boost spacing these forks are built to take big hits and keep your steering precise and in control even when things get fast and frenetic. This is a seriously tunable fork, allowing you to customise how the fork feels and performs; it features six-position compression adjustment and DVO’s OTT (Off The Top) adjuster which changes how sensitive the fork is to small and big hits.
OTT comprises a preload adjustable negative coil spring that acts against the positive air spring. It allows you to adjust the initial 30mm of travel by externally adjusting the tension on that negative coil spring in direct relation to the air pressure in the main spring. So what does this mean in practice? Well, by adjusting that initial part of the fork’s travel you can customise both the DVO fork’s bump-eating plushness and jump-friendly support. Put simply a heavier, more aggressive rider should use more air pressure AND more OTT while lighter, less aggressive riders should use lower air pressures and less OTT.
To compliment the rear DVO shock Ibis have spec’d a DVO Onyx D1 fork with 160mm of plush travel.
The DVO Onyx D1 fork includes adjustable six position high speed/low speed compression.
Unlike other brands Ibis ship their bikes to us as a build kit, allowing us to build the bike from frame and fork upwards, fitting the headset, bottom bracket, groupset, dropper post, cockpit and so on. Our workshop technicians love an opportunity like this; there’s no better way to get to know a new bike brand than building one of their bikes from the ground up. Jack was lucky enough to get the gig for the Ibis Ripmo AF build spec’d with a 12-speed SRAM NX Eagle groupset comprising a one-by drivetrain with a 30T chainring upfront matched with a 10-50T GX Eagle cassette to give you all the gear ratios you could need regardless of whether you’ve got your Ripmo AF pointed uphill of downhill.
Ibis have spec’d the Ripmo AF with a good mix of SRAM NX and GX Eagle components.
A SRAM GX Eagle rear derailleur with clutch gives secure and precise gear shifts every time.
A SRAM NX Eagle DUB chainset with 30T chainring combined with the wide ratio 10-50T cassette gives you all the gears you’ll need.
The SRAM NX Eagle 12-Speed shifter feels positive and precise on every gear change.
12 gears via the SRAM NX Eagle mean there’s a ratio to suit every riding scenario.
Braking duties are taken care of by a pair of SRAM’s G2 R 4-piston disc brakes. Aimed squarely at aggressive downhill-focused trail riding the Ripmo AF benefits from brakes that are able to quickly and effectively scrub off speed as you blast off the fire track and drop into tight, technical forest singletrack. Ibis have spec’d a nice big 203mm rotor upfront and a smaller 180mm rotor on the rear helping to keep braking sharp and easy to modulate with just one-finger braking required.
SRAM G2 R brake levers feel positive and powerful allowing for one-finger braking.
SRAM G2 4-piston brakes are super-powerful and scrub off all the speed that the Ripmo AF is guaranteed to generate.
The Ripmo AF comes fitted with Ibis’ own S35 wheelset which is perfectly suited to the type of rowdy riding this bike is built for.
Ibis sealed hubs are smooth and durable.
When it comes to wheels Ibis have spec’d their own S35 aluminium 29er wheelset. These wheels have been built to withstand the sort of forces that your rowdy riding will no-doubt apply to them; with rims that feature a 35mm inner width the tyres will benefit from a more square sidewall profile, meaning that the tyre is less pinched in as it would be on a narrower rim helping to position more of the tyre’s tread pattern in contact with the ground and negating the chances of pinch flats. If you plan on running the S35 wheels tubeless and/or want to run inserts this wide rim makes fitting easier and your tubeless setup perform more consistently.
The S35 rims feature a 35mm inner width to help give the Maxxis tyres a more square, less pinched in sidewall.
A pair of 2.5” Maxxis Assegai tyres with EXO+ Casing are another hint towards how Ibis intend this bike to be ridden – hard! These aggressive tyres were developed with multiple Downhill World Cup and World Champion Greg Minnar and are renowned for their predictable grip, tough downhill casing and all-round versatility when it comes to different terrain and riding conditions.
Ibis have spec’d burly Maxxis Assegai 29 x 2.5″ tyres on the front and rear – another hint at how they see this bike being ridden.
The Assegai tread pattern is balances traction, bite and mud-shedding efficiency brilliantly.
No detail has been overlooked on the Ripmo AF; a pair of lock-on Lizard Skins Charger grips are a welcome addition.
Lizard Skins Charger grips help you feel in control when things get a little loose.
The KS Rage-I dropper seatpost will very quickly prove its worth when you take the Ripmo AF down steep, technical descents.
Cable-activated, the KS Rage-I dropper post is sized comparative to the Ripmo AF frames, growing in length as sizes increase.
The bike that Jack built; all Ibis mountain bikes come as a build kit giving our workshop technicians the satisfaction of a complete bike build.
The Ibis Ripmo AF is a bombproof trail shredder built with the express aim of facilitating fun! The no-nonsense alloy frame boasts active & plush suspension and also happens to pedal very well; tough alloy 29er wheels and a simple, user-friendly SRAM groupset make the Ripmo AF the sort MTB trail bike that you don’t have to second guess or fret over; if you prefer to spend your precious free time riding rather than tinkering in the workshop this aggressive MTB is the bike for you. Once you’ve tuned the suspension to suit your dimensions and riding style it’s just a case of hitting your favourite trails with your mates and getting in as many runs as you can before the sun dips and the light fades.
The Ripmo AF is a no-nonsense, playful alloy 29er built ready for gravity-induced fun.
Want to see more fast bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
The all-new Cannondale Tesoro Neo SL EQ and Tesoro Neo SL EQ Remixte (step-through) e-bikes are launched today! Yes, despite their sleek looks they are in fact powerful e-bikes, ready to assist your ride; whether you want to get to and from work in more comfort, plan to carry your shopping efficiently or simply want to explore a little further afield at the weekend the Tesoro SL EQ e-bike is a fantastic, lightweight option.
There’s a powerful 250Wh battery hidden within the downtube of the frame driving an efficient Mahle ebikemotion X35 250W rear hub motor giving you a pedal assist up to 15.5mph. The sleek internal battery gives a range of up to 47 miles on a single charge making this e-bike perfect for your daily ride in and around town.
The Tesoro’s frame is made from lightweight alloy combined with a carbon fibre fork for added comfort; Cannondale’s choice of compact 250Wh internal battery and Mahle hub motor means the overall weight of this e-bike is particularly low making it ideal for commuters who have to negotiate stairs as part of their journey.
Cannondale have spec’d this bike to be a truly user-friendly e-bike with everything you need to make your travel by bike easy. They’ve included a rear rack so you can carry a small load, there’s front and rear lights for improved visibility in low light conditions, full mudguards to protect you and your clothes from road spray and a kick-stand to help you park your bike more easily. When it comes to frame style the Tesoro Neo SL EQ comes in two options – a conventional diamond frame or if you prefer, the Remixte option provides a low step-through configuration.
A 250Wh battery is stowed in the downtube and powers a rear hub motor.
Blink and you’ll miss it. This sleek, conventional-looking bike is in fact a powerful e-bike.
The 38T Prowheel chainset includes a chainguard to help prevent getting trousers getting caught in the drivetrain.
A wide ratio 11-48T 10-Speed cassette gives you a huge range of gears.
Hit that button and enjoy consistent pedal-assist on your daily commute.
The iWoc Trio handlebar remote lets you select assist level and monitor battery life.
The Tesoro Neo SL EQ includes front and rear lights as well as reflective elements for enhanced visibility in low light.
Have you seen our weekly Fast Bike Friday feature? Missed some of our best bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
It doesn’t get much more basic than this, used as a primary source of shelter, nothing but a raised platform to sleep on and a wood burner on the other side of the room.
Bothies are few and far between here in the Lake District and with bothying being an ever growing past time to many you are hard pushed to find any “room at the inn” in some instances, especially in peak season and on weekends.
On a mid week micro adventure once again. Time to pack up the bikes and head to the northern fells of the Lake District. Let’s be honest, there wasn’t much riding involved in this jaunt however it made getting to our chosen bothy much quicker having been up against the clock at this time of year.
A steep climb up Honister slate mine soon warmed us up from the forever biting easterly wind.
We approached the bothy in darkness, as we looked towards the pitch black abyss that was the backdrop to the bothy, light shining through the windows made this descent down to the bothy comforting and knowing of the possibility that the fire was already burning put me at ease, being reassured we would have a comfortable evening in this primitive shelter.
As we walked in, bikes in hand. Noses running relentlessly from coming from the cold we were greeted by two other blokes and welcomed in.
We cooked our evening meal, ramen noodles was on the menu this evening and soon warmed our insides. Stories were shared of our experiences in the outdoors, past and present.
After putting the world to rights it was time to get tucked up, what I really enjoy the most about bothying is the freedom of space, the ease of just rolling out your sleeping bag and mat without being confined to such a small space like in a tent or bivvy bag, also having a roof over your head just makes everything so, so much easier no matter how long you intend on staying for.
Morning soon came round after possibly one of the best night’s sleep I’ve had outdoors. Packed up and with the bags back on the bikes we were soon sending it down the mine, super super fun especially all before breakfast.
If you’re interested in bothying head to Mountain Bothies to adopt the correct etiquette when visiting these highly valued structures within the outdoor community.
For Fast Bike Friday this week we’re in full-on gravity mode with the Cube Two15 Race downhill mountain bike. Despite the rapid growth of Enduro racing and the ongoing development of versatile Enduro and Trail bikes which prove popular with the masses there’s still a demand for race-ready downhill bikes that can take on a season’s campaign on the most demanding race tracks out there.
Focused 100% on downhill performance the Two15 Race is built to race and shred resort parks.
The tough but light HPA Ultralight, Advanced Hydroform chassis can handle the bit hits that come with downhill racing.
If you’re a privateer downhiller, racing on a tight budget then a bike like the Two15 Race is the ideal racing companion; spec’d with everything you’d expect from an out-of-the-box race-ready machine. This 2022 model features the same frame that was introduced in 2021 with Cube giving it a longer reach, a shorter rocker for an optimised rear wheel path and a slacker head angle with built-in angle set allowing you to tune fine tune your headtube angle from 63,3° to 63,8°. Cube’s ETC (Efficient Trail Control) geometry means you get nimble handing with a stable feel at speed while their tough hydroformed alloy frame includes chainstay and downtube protectors and a clever fork bumper that’s incorporated into the frame’s internal cable routing channel.
Nice little frame details include the cable guide that doubles-up as a bumper to protect from triple-clamp fork uppers in a crash.
ETC geometry includes a longer reach and a slacker head angle which is adjustable between 63,3° and 63,8°
The Two15 Race is designed around 27.5″ wheels and 200mm of front and rear travel.
When it comes to suspension kinematics and smooth, progressive control on race courses that include flat-out speed sections combined with more steep, technical and rocky sections the Cube Two15 Race excels thanks to its clever suspension configuration and optimised rear wheel path. When it comes to suspension forks and rear shocks you may already be familiar with the Bomber name. The legendary Bomber is synonymous with downhill racing and the history of the sport and that’s why Cube have spec’d the Two15 Race with a Marzocchi Bomber CR rear shock and a matching Bomber 58 FIT GRIP fork up front, both providing 200mm of plush suspension travel.
The 200mm Marzocchi Bomber CR rear coil shock is super-plush and tuned to excel on fast downhill tracks.
Upfront there’s a Marzocchi Bomber 58 FIT GRIP fork with 203mm of travel and tuneable low speed compression & rebound.
The Bomber 58 FIT GRIP triple clamp configuration copes better with the higher forces incurred in downhill racing.
The triple clamp Bomber 58’s are fitted with a compact Race Face Chester 35 Direct Mount stem.
There’s 203mm of plush travel to get you out of trouble when things get rowdy.
Rounding out the spec of the Two15 Race is a downhill-specific 7-speed GX DH drivetrain from Sram complete with an MRP SXG chain guide and a pair of super-tough 27.5” Answer Atac DH wheels shod with durable Schwalbe downhill tyres. Magura’s powerful, easy to modulate MT5 4-piston hydraulic disc brakes keep you in control regardless of how rowdy your riding gets.
Cube have spec’d the Two15 Race with a downhill-specific SRAM GX DH short-cage 7-speed rear derailleur.
This downhill-specific MTB features a compact 11-25T cassette and short-cage rear mech, keeping the drivetrain simple and less prone to damage.
Cube have spec’d a Race Face Atlas chainset fitted with a 34T chainring, paired with an MRP SXG chain guide to keep your chain secure.
Powerful Magura MT5 hydraulic brakes allow for one finger braking regardless of what track you’re riding.
Those 4-piston brake calipers are designed to scrub of speed quickly, keeping you in control on tight, technical descents.
There’s 203mm disc brake rotors, front and rear as you’d expect on a gravity-focused bike like this.
Tough 27.5″ Answer Atac DH TR29 wheels are shod with downhill-specific Schwalbe tyres.
On the rear there’s a super-grippy 2.4 Schwalbe Big Betty featuring their durable Super Gravity construction.
That open, blocky tread pattern has plenty of bite and sheds mud well.
Upfront the Schwalbe Magic Mary features strong shoulder studs for plenty of control in tight, loose turns.
Angled studs on the middle portion of the Magic Mary are faster rolling.
A wide 820mm Race Face Atlas 35 handle bar with its large-diameter 35mm clamp area adds strength and enhances steering precision.
Raced by Danny Hart (international downhill racer – former World Champion and friend of Wheelbase) the Cube Two15 has had a successful racing campaign at the UCI Downhill World Cups and World Championships this year proving just how good this bike is and how every aspect of it has been informed by racing at the highest level. If you’re a privateer downhill racer on a tight budget who is looking for a race-ready off-the-peg downhill bike then the Cube Two15 Race is a great option. Built to excel on the race track and shred at your favourite bike park during an uplift day this 200mm travel bike is 100% focused on gravity-assisted fun.
If you’re a privateer downhill racer looking for a race-ready MTB then the Cube Two15 Race is a great option.
Want to see more fast bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
Congratulations to our star Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli Team off-road racing specialist Giles Drake who recently took the win at the infamous ‘Battle on the Beach’ race in Pembrey on the South Wales coast. Despite being more used to racing cyclocross and traditional mountain bike races there’s always a glint in Giles’ eye when this annual beach race comes around; the Coronavirus pandemic meant that the 2020 race was cancelled and the 2021 edition, which was originally scheduled for March was postponed until October making for a frustrating wait to get back on the sand. When the opportunity to race finally came around Giles was more than ready; we’ll let him take up the story…
While beach racing is quite popular in Northern Europe and Holland in particular, opportunities to race full speed down a UK shoreline are few and far between; the annual Battle on the Beach is the one opportunity and after the frustrations of the cancelled 2020 event and postponed 2021 race I was raring to go! Race organiser Matt Page dreamed up this incredibly unique event 6 years ago and it has now grown into one of the most oversubscribed events on the UK race scene. Traditionally, top beach racers from Europe come to race but due to COVID, defending champion Bram Imming was a ‘DNS’ (did not start), which meant the race would see the crowning of the very first British male winner.
One of the more special elements of the Battle on the Beach is that any bike goes – cyclocross, mountain bike, fat bike… whatever you want to ride, you can. This means there’s a real mix of bikes and setups on the start line, with the event also attracting a really broad mix of riders and ability levels it has quicky become a must-do race on most rider’s bucket list. An hour before the race I was still unsure which I would opt for, cyclocross for pure speed down the beach or mountain bike for the more technical twisty sections that wind us back to the arena? This year, there was a pretty substantial headwind on the beach and in the end this tipped me towards the Cannondale Scalpel SI full-suspension 29er mountain bike over the Cannondale Super X cyclocross bike as I felt I wouldn’t need the bigger gears.
Giles chases the leaders through the tight single track after the long 5km beach portion of the race.
At midday with 1,000 people gathered on the beach for the mass start we set off through soft sand in search of the faster firm sand to begin the 5km trek down the length of the beach. The relentless headwind soon created small bunches of riders racing on the beach, it’s easy to sit in but just as easy to be caught in the wrong place and get shelled. I had a good enough start, settling down and being attentive to some of the stronger riders futile attempts to break away from the group.
We reached the exit of the beach and this is where it got messy, there were forced dismounts due to the soft sand and inevitable bottle necks quickly formed. I got through relatively unscathed but had to work hard to reach the front. Taking stock as I got near to the front I quickly realised that Gruffudd Lewis & Steve Calland, two of the pre-race favourites were away off the front. Gruff fresh from the Tour of Britain road race was going to be tough to reel in, but by the end of the first lap, riding on my own I managed to catch Steve as we re-joined the beach and continued to chase Gruff.
Intelligent racing and valuable experience of the previous editions of Battle on the Beach contributed to Giles’ win.
I could see Gruff ahead on the beach but in these conditions, with a stiff headwind, a couple hundred meters was a much bigger time gap than it would have been in previous years. I didn’t see Gruff once we left the beach but the format of this race is such that the final lap is different from the first two and it deviates shortly after you leave the beach. As I entered the arena, the commentator declared me as the winner, which at the time confused me, but as it transpired Gruff had unfortunately carried on instead of taking the alternative turn for the third lap. I sympathise with Gruff’s mistake and its easily done in the heat of battle but this has always been the format of this race and race organiser Matt went above and beyond to ensure the turn-off was as visible and obvious as possible. I’m over the moon to be the first British winner of this unique beach race which has become a staple of my summer racing & I can’t wait to return next year to defend the title, hopefully against the full European contingent.
Giles Drake takes the win and becomes Britain’s first ever winner of Battle on the Beach.
Giles will be racing National and Regional Cyclocross throughout the Autumn and Winter alongside the rest of the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli Team. You can keep up with all of his racing and results here: Giles Drake
Say hello to the all-new Trek Top Fuel, returning with plenty of fresh features and a new attitude! Trek have resisted the temptation to use the term ‘down-country’ but the Top Fuel is definitely that type of bike, squeezing into a gap between a full-on cross country bike on one side and a playful trail bike on the other, this bike is a quick, short-travel 29er MTB that suits riders who like to blast up AND down the trail.
Trek saw an opportunity to take the previous Top Fuel and evolve it further, blurring the lines between traditional trail and XC categories and as you’d expect this involves updated geometry with a slacker head angle and longer reach as well as a slight increase in travel, adding on an extra 5mm to the rear suspension to strike more of a balance with the 120mm travel fork upfront.
Trek have peppered the new Top Fuel with lots of little features that all point you towards pushing your gravity-influenced riding as much as your climbing and xc performance. There’s a larger 34.9 seat tube that accommodates a longer, oversized dropper post and they’ve included their Knock Block 2.0 to help prevent frame damage or cables ripping out in the event of a crash. It’s good to see the inclusion of a storage door on the downtube too; located underneath the bottle cage this space is perfect for storing a spare tube, multitool or similar and brilliantly this feature is not just on the carbon options, it’s on the alloy frames too.
As well as more progressive geometry changes Trek have included a Mino Link on the rear shock to allow you to fine tune how you want your Top Fuel to ride. A simple flip of the Mino Link changes the geometry from slack and low to slightly steeper and responsive for quicker handling; stay in low for a slack 66-degree head tube angle, flip it for a quicker 66.5-degree head tube angle and a 7-mm higher bottom bracket for more ground clearance.
The rear suspension configuration provides efficient pedalling and near-constant anti-squat through the bike’s entire travel. That means the bike accelerates every time you push on the pedals regardless of where you are in the suspension travel; all this makes the Top Fuel perfectly suited to long days on the bike when you’re testing your fitness and endurance levels as much as your technical bike-handling skills. With climbing in mind it’s worth pointing out that Trek have steepened the seat angle too so when your sitting in the saddle and pushing down on the pedals it’s easier to keep your front wheel weighted.
Lighter and more spritely than Trek’s Fuel EX but now more capable on rough and rowdy descents the all-new Top Fuel will feel more responsive on the climbs and pedals efficiently during long days in the saddle compared to a full-on trail bike but then keeps you out of trouble when you point it downhill and take on the sort of loose, tight rocky and unforgiving trails that we ride here in the Lake District. We’re eagerly awaiting the first drop of 2022 Top Fuels into the UK; in the meantime check out the full range and prices below…
Have you seen our weekly Fast Bike Friday feature? Missed some of our best bikes? You can now see all of our featured bikes in one place over on Pinterest where you’ll find links to each of our Fast Bike Friday Blogs too!
National Trophy Cyclocross racing rolled into Cumbria this weekend for the 2nd round of the excellent British Cycling series which sees UK venues as far and wide as Kent in the south of England to Falkirk in Scotland hosting a weekend of fast and frenetic cyclocross racing across all age groups from the under 14’s right up to the over 60’s. Wheelbase Cycles were proud sponsors of the 2nd round which took place at the Westmorland County Showground, Cumbria, just a short trip from our flagship Staveley superstore and conveniently located just off the M6.
Event organiser and Wheelbase Team racer Dave Haygarth along with his brilliant band of helpers put together a fantastic event which ran smoothly over the 2 days and gave everyone involved, whether they were racing or spectating, the chance to enjoy the very best of UK cyclocross racing on one of the most enjoyable and demanding courses of the series.
Day One
As well as supporting the race behind the scenes Wheelbase were also well represented throughout the weekend by their multi-talented racing team. Saturday saw our Vet riders racing in damp, warm conditions with some light rain making the course slick on the tight turns and off-camber sections. There was never really any significant mud with the ground remaining hard, making for fast, frenetic racing; in the Vet 50 race Dave Haygarth briefly replaced his race-organiser’s hat with his helmet and showed everyone how it’s done, racing his own course in style and showing his bike handling skills over the hurdles as he bunny hopped them with ease on each lap, much to the joy of the spectators.
In the Vet 40 race we had our very own National Champion Lewis Craven racing along side teammate Davie Lines who had made the long trip down from Scotland and was starting at a bit of a disadvantage with a lowly start grid placing. When the claxon sounded it was Lewis who was off the line the quickest as he led the race out onto the more technical elements of the course. Craven was at the head of the race within a small group of leaders before a small tangle with another rider early on lost him some significant time and found him in no man’s land fighting to get back onto that fast lead group. Remaining composed and focused throughout the race Lewis Craven would go on to finish in an excellent 3rd place to retain his high overall series placing. Davie Lines managed to fight his way through the pack, turning around that low starting place to a brilliant 11th finishing place. Later on in the day, as the rain began to intensify we saw Wheelbase racer Elsie Haygarth compete in the U14 girls category where she displayed all the skills she’s no-doubt gained from riding with her cyclocross-mad family through the years to boss the course and negotiate the toughest sections with style and ease to finish her race in an excellent 15th position.
Vet 50
Dave Haygarth 22nd
Vet 40
Lewis Craven 3rd
Davie Lines 11th
F U14
Elsie Haygarth 15th
Day 2
Sunday saw the Junior and Elite races take place in warmer, dyer conditions. While the junior racers at the start of the day still had some slippery conditions to contend with following a cold, damp night, a mix of sunny skies and stronger winds dried out the course as the day progressed. Wheelbase fielded a strong squad for the men’s Elite event; the final race of the day features a mix of senior and U23 racers (riders under the age of 23) and this year has seen a significant number of former junior racers making the move up to this level giving the race a real ‘new guard’ feel to it.
Rory McGuire, the super-fit, super-talented off-road specialist and our newest recruit on the Wheelbase Team, showed the same kind of form that saw him take 3rd place in the U23 category at the first round of the National Trophy, sprinting from the line to get the holeshot and significantly gapping the entire field of racers. As Wheelbase looked on our elation was unfortunately short-lived with Rory going down hard on a tight turn; he was quick to be up on his feet but found himself isolated for the duration of this fast-paced race which was looking more like an off-road crit thanks to the dry conditions and hard-packed terrain. Rory would go on to finish in a brilliant 8th place overall and took 6th place in the U23 category; Giles Drake rode well throughout the duration of the race and finished strongly in the top 20 taking 17th position.
Despite racing to 3rd place in the Vet 40 category on Saturday Lewis Craven was able to race at the sharp end of the Elite race too taking 20th place; David Duggan our National Scottish Road Race champion carried over his road form to take a fantastic 21st place on this super-fast course while young Flynn Gregory who has only recently moved up from the junior ranks rode strongly and confidently to take 28th place overall and 14th in the U23 category.
Elite Men
Rory McGuire 8th / 6th U23
Giles Drake 17th
Lewis Craven 20th
David Duggan 21st
Flynn Gregory 28th / 14th U23
You can find all the race results from the weekend HERE
Thank you to everyone who came and raced or spectated at this brilliant national cyclocross event! Massive thanks to Dave Haygarth and his team of helpers for all of their hard work behind the scenes to help run such a successful series of races. See you all again next year!
Be sure to scroll through all of our excellent photos of the two days of action…..
