WideopenMag Issue 20 by Wideopen Magazine

contents

SPRING

CONTENTS / ISSUE 20 6 - FRESH OUT THE BOX We have a sneek peak at what we’ll be looking

34 - NO DOORS, NO WINDSCREEN, NO ROOF, NO COMPROMISE.

at in the next issue.

Henry Siebert-Saunders – Parts Manager at Ariel Motor Company and Outlaw Rider.

12 - PLAN TO FAIL The Jacob Gibbin’s guide to crossing borders without your passport.

38 - WIDEOPENMAG, DAN STANTON AND THE TI SLACKLINE We’re huge fans of Dan Stanton’s bikes here at

COVER “I had to turn my bars to get through that one butt!”. Taylor Vernon is a buzz word in MTB right now. The young gun from Bridgend has gone supersonic with a massive step up to the Atherton team for 2013. Jacob Gibbins shot this cover in deepest South Wales on a sunny

16 - QUICK FIRE

Wideopenmag. They’re designed with love in the

Firing quick fire questions at some of the worlds

UK by a genuine bicycle fanatic and – best of all

to earth and at the same time 15

best riders.

– ride amazingly well.

feet in the air.

20 - JEREMY WITEK

44 - THE NEXT STEVE SMITH: MARK WALLACE

The man behind the 2012 Red Bull Rampage course.

24 - TWISTS & TARNS Orange Bike’s resident hobbit Pete Scullion and photographer Sam Needham explore the deepest and darkest the Lakes has to offer.

30 - LIFE, DEATH AND A SPOKE KEY Wideopenmag’s resident warrior poet (and mechanic) talks about his theory on life, death and why it’s actually ok to covet the inanimate objects that our sport is fixated with.

32 - HOW TO BE FASTER World Cup racer Rich Thomas breaks down some home truths to help you get ready for your first race of the year.

Mark Wallace is part of the new breed of Junior downhill racers set to try and make a name for themselves on the DH world cup circuit.

48 - BUTTHOLE SURFERS The Olly Wilkins and Sam Reynolds interview

56 - THE TAYLOR VERNON SHOW Having tracked his progress over the last year we finally pinned him down to talk about bikes.

64 - LET’S GO! We talk with some of the organisers of the best biking events in the UK.

70 - PRODUCT REVIEWS Bringing you the tests and reviews of some of the new products on the market.

Wideopenmag is a free quarterly UK mountain bike magazine that’s available in print and online. We’re dedicated to showing off the wealth of talent that the UK mountain bike scene boasts. We are free. Visit our website at: www.wideopenmag.co.uk

THIS MAGAZINE IS FREE

winter’s morning in February. Down

“I had my mind made up after my first run. I was impressed.” Sam Hill

Pro £3999.99 | Comp £2999.99

www.nukeproof.com

For all dealer enquiries contact

www.hotlines-uk.com

Email: sales@hotlines-uk.com

Tel: 0131 319 1444

Welcome

WELCOME Ladies and gents, boys and girls. Welcome to Wideopenmag issue 20!

SPRING

wideopen mag uk bike magazine

EDITOR

WEB EDITOR

RACE TEAM

JAMIE EDWARDS

JIM SMITH

RICH THOMAS

@jamie_wideopen

@rideroots

@richthomas24

PRODUCER

PHOTO MONKEY

@jaywilliamson_

JAMES HILTON

JACOB GIBBINS

LAURIE GREEN-

@james_wideopen

@jacobgibbins

LAND

magazine that you can hold in your hands, pass to your mates, leave on

COPY EDITOR

VIDEO CHIMPS

DAVE THOMASON

a table at a race, read on the plane on your way to Morzine or discover

FIONA DAVIDSON

TIM LAKE

@wideopen_dave

hidden on the counter of your local bike shop is a bloody beautiful thing

@fionacdavidson

@tim_lake_

There was a time when I would have said “hell no” if you’d asked me if we would ever print Wideopenmag. I would have discounted it as ‘old fashioned’ or ‘behind the times’ or “financial suicide”. And well – I may not have been wrong – but I just can’t shake the feeling that a decent, printed

indeed. We’re all about inspiring stories and beautiful photographs and we damn well want to show them off in all their glory, full bleed on double page spreads... Not just squashed onto a phone or amongst the distractions of a computer desktop. Hence, Wideopenmag issue 20

JAY WILLIAMSON

@lauriegreenland

DESIGNER

PAUL ROBERTS

SPANNERS

@proberts487

CHAZ CURRY

JAMES WEBBER

@rocketsnrascals

@jamesmwebber

OSCAR JOHN NEWTON-MASON

and our first print issue is born! It’s been a hell of an effort and it’s been

@tftuned

possible thanks to your support, nagging and encouragement and the trust, faith and investment from some really awesome people. Also the generosity of some very wonderful bike shops across the UK that have allowed us onto their counters and into your hands. Don’t worry though, Wideopenmag online isn’t going anywhere – in fact you’re most likely reading this online,right? We’ll continue to produce a ‘modern’ online magazine that you can read on your phone, on your computer, on your tablet. Huge thanks to everyone that has given in to our promises, favours, begging and borrowing and brought Wideopenmag to its 20th issue and into print. We owe you a beer. Last but not least, we’re going to dedicate this issue to two of our very good chums who are recovering from knocks and have been absolutely brilliant in supporting us over the last 20 issues. They are Mr Michael Bonney at Orange and Mr Paul Thomas of Riders Retreat. See you both soon for a coffee and a chin wag about bikes eh? Now – get stuck in, enjoy our work and then pass it on to a mate!

JAMIE AND THE WIDEOPENMAG TEAM.

CONTRIBUTORS MATT WRAGG, ADAM BRAYTON, JOE SMITH, JEREMY WITEK, DAVE REUSS, PETE SCULLION, SAM NEEDHAM, JONNY ASHELFORD, RICH THOMAS, HENRY SIEBER-SAUNDERS, DANIEL STANTON, GARETH HOWELL, GEE MILNER, MARK WALLACE, OLLY WILKINS, SAM REYNOLDS, ROO FOWLER, TAYLOR VERNON, TOM LLOYD, CHRIS ROBERTS, CHRIS RATFORD, SIMON PATON, STEVE PARR, DUNCAN PHILPOTT AND SZYMON NIEBORAK. WE LISTENED TO... FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, SUM41, GOLDIE LOOKIN CHAIN, MUSE, THE SMITHS, OF MONSTERS AND MEN, METRIC, MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS, MUMFORD AND SONS, THE LUMINEERS, LOWER THAN ATLANTIS, HOOBASTANK, THE DIRT BAG DIARIES PODCAST, HOSPITAL RECORDS PODCAST AND ANSWER ME THIS PODCAST. DISTRIBUTION WIDEOPENMAG IS AVAILABLE IN PRINT AT QUALITY BIKE SHOPS AND EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE UK. WIDEOPENMAG IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK FIND US ON WEB: WWW.WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/WIDEOPENMAG TWITTER: WWW.TWITTER.COM/WIDEOPENMAG INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/WIDEOPENMAG

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.The publisher or editor accepts no responsibility for the consequence of any action taken based on any information, opinions or advice contained herein. The opinions and view expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers or the editors. The publishers and editor cannot accept responsibility for errors in articles or advertisements or for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or illustrations.

Fresh out the Box

SPRING

THE FRESHEST PRODUCTS TO

FRESH OUT THE BOX

LAND AT WIDEOPENMAGHQ.

LOOK OUT FOR OUR VERDICT NEXT ISSUE.

THE Cosmo gloves £24.95

Low profile, comfortable and

light-weight – ideal for the warmer months. Possibly consider the

colour option that doesn’t have

Production Privee Cedric Gracia

white palms if your trails are as

replica cockpit €219 548 direct

muddy as ours!

THE shirt three quarter jersey £44.95 Light, comfortable and airy with a wee pocket for beer money and

house keys. Will be great for the summer.

mount stem (fits Boxxer, 40 and

888 forks) and LGB 780mm wide, 1” rise bar. Comes as a complete package for anyone that wants their bike to look like CG’s.

MSR Whisperlite stove £100

Race Face Chester stem £44.99

Light, packable stove that will

50 mm or 70mm available with

boil a litre of water in less than

8” rise. Tough, no frills and

5 minutes. Runs on white spirit,

affordable.

DMR Viral chain guide (caged)

kerosene or unleaded fuel. Should

£79.99

be great for light cooking at the

Quick and easy to fit, loads of

races.

adjustability, super cool UK

company. Death to dropped chains!

Continental Mountain King II £44.95

2.4 All round trail tyres for our

Hope Flow test wheels. 2.4” wide, tubeless compatible, we’ll be

running a Stans no-tubes set up with Conti’s own Revo Seal.

THE Maxi knee pads £69.95

Platypus Duthie AM 12 £110

Maxi Pads ..?! Seriously?! Don’t let

Big brother of the Tokul pack

the fact that they’re named after

we’ve reviewed in this issue. 9

a feminine hygiene product put

litres of storage space and a 3

you off. Two big, solid Velcro staps

litre bladder. Odd mesh pocket

with SAS-TEC impact foam inside.

that tends to eject items but

Suitable for boys and girls alike.

otherwise,loads of space and well built. We like.

Race Face Chester bar £36.95

1” rise, 740mm wide, comfortable, affordable, tough.

Emulsion / JAMES WEBBER

SPRING

PHOTO: JAMES WEBBER / @JAMESMWEBBER RIDER: MARCEL HUNT / @MARCEL_HUNTMTB Dartmoor Bike’s UK rider Marcel Hunt shredding on a summers day at south east hotspot, Woburn Sands.

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ISSUE 20

SORTIE NINER 2

The Sortie Niner 2 is a perfectly balanced 29er with Diamondback’s legendary Knuckle Box suspension and the ideal geometry for any trail/XC ride. Knuckle Box Technology Low and tight. The Knuckle Box platform was designed specifically to give a lowand tight ride: • Low leverage suspension design: Lower air pressure results in longer shock life, less frame loading and better pedaling efficiency. • The tight, compact linkage system of the Knuckle Box bell crank isolates and cradles the rear shock. • Tight and large anodized aluminium hardware matched with Force-Rated Enduro Max Bearings to withstand higher loads and better handle oscillating motion.

www.diamondback.eu

/diamondback.bikes

@diamondbackuk

Plan to Fail

PLAN TO FAIL The Jacob Gibbins guide to crossing borders without your passport. WORDS AND PHOTO: JACOB GIBBINS

SPRING

ISSUE 20

2013 My old man once told me “Fail to plan and you’re planning to fail”. Some

who you are!” I jumped in the back with all the spare tyres and race kit

of the time though, no matter how hard you plan you’ll end up saying

and hoped to god we didn’t get searched by the man with the rubber

“Oh shit!” usually when you’re way past the point of no return.

gloves.

I was on the way out to the World Champs in Champery in

After 30 minutes of shitting myself hidden in the back of the van, we

the Madison/Saracen team truck. I was (and still am) their team

made it on to the ferry, free of cavity searches or security checks of any

photographer and it was my first season on the job so I was eager not

kind. Switzerland was in my sights. From here on in though it got even worse. As if that’s possible.

to fuck it up.

For the next week I was up at 6am everyday,

I was double checking my list of things that were needed for the next leg of the

NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU

trip. Sunnies? Yep. Walking boots? Yep.

THINK YOUR MOTHER LOVES

Passport? Um... passport... SHIT! Sure

shooting all day and editing all night. The whole time I was on the phone to my parents back home trying to get that annoyingly important little

enough, no passport. It was back safe and

YOU, AT 1AM IN THE MORNING

sound in my top drawer in Devon.

AND HALF WAY THROUGH HER

manner that would let me go home on Sunday.

fast. I started calling round every taxi

WORKING WEEK, NO ONE, NOT

he could post it to me in Switzerland. I guessed

company in the book for a Plymouth to

EVEN YOUR MUM LOVES YOU

the address as accurately as I could, hoped

My first instinct was to sort the problem

Dover delivery. It turned out that’s not an option. I then called up my mum and

THAT MUCH.

burgundy book half way across Europe in a timely Finally my old man worked out that for £60

for the best and started checking the post box obsessively.

discovered that no matter how much you

Eventually Sunday afternoon came around and

think your mother loves you, at 1am in the

Madison/Saracen rider Manon Carpenter took the

morning and half way through her working week, no one, not even your

win. Everyone was happy, my passport was nowhere to be seen and the

mum loves you that much.

team truck (and my lift home) rolled off without me.

Failing that, I saw that I had two choices if I wanted to keep my dream

By having this bastard little red book of stress posted over, our fates

job and not look like an even bigger twat in front of my employers. I

were now entwined. I faced the impending reality that if it didn’t turn

could try to be nice to the man on the border and blag it with my driving

up in the next 24 hours when Manon and her dad Jason could drive me

license (it seemed fair enough to me) or I could go balls out and just get

home I was going to have to buy a tent, camp on the front lawn of the

in the back of the truck and hide like some bad ass refugee escaping his

chalet until it showed up and then get taxis, trains, planes and buses all

oppressive motherland.

the way from Champery to Plymouth.

And so to the words “If they find you, I’m making out I have no idea

The morning of the big day arrived. Breakfasts were made, suitcases and vans packed and I was slumped at the window with eyes fixed on the road like a man on death row waiting for his pardon. I had until 10am or they’d give me the chop. Honest to god, the post-woman strolled up at 9:45 with the most beautiful parcel I’ve ever seen, at the right house and decorated with my Pa’s handwriting. Passport in hand I had my stay of execution, a lift home and no stress of another potential arrest at the border. She strolled up as Manon and Jason were in the van, engine on and ready to leave. Rolling back into Dover and sat proudly in a legit seat of the van we were waved through security... once again unchecked. “Don’t you even want to see my passport? Do I even need this thing?!” I asked. “Nah mate, we don’t really check those. Your driving license is enough to be honest”. All’s well that ends well...sort of.

Jacob Gibbins is Wideopenmag’s chief photo-jock. When he’s not terrorising the girls of Tavistock’s pasty shops he’s shooting photos and video on the World Cup downhill scene. Twitter: @JacobGibbins

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

emulsion / MATT WRAGG

SPRING

PHOTO: MATT WRAGG / @MATT_WRAGG RIDER: ANDREA BRUNO Transition’s top European enduro racer Andrea Bruno drags a bar in Sanremo. Shot on photographer Matt Wragg’s 30th birthday during the Transition European Road Trip after Eurobike.

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Quick Fire / ADAM BRAYTON & JOE SMITH

SPRING

K C I U Q FIRE PHOTO: SAM NEEDHAM

ADAM BRAYTON

Who is Adam Brayton?

My favourite memories of riding bikes usually

Adam Brayton is the fire breathing Italian Stallion

involve …

from the jungle.

Gassing to flat, racing, laughs and more laughs and some stuff that’s so silly I can’t believe it

Describe your style in as many words as you think

happened or watched it happen.

@adbrayton for more from the

you need.

Keswick’s own answer to King

Fast, aggressive, one of a kind. No one has a style like

Alex Rankin’s grime soundtrack gave you the

Kong. Adam rides for Hope,

it.

‘Eskiboy’ nickname… But what tunes are you hammering at the moment?

Specialized, Scott, Five Ten, Shimano, WTB, Fox Europe, FOX

Name some things that are awesome.

I’ll hammer anything! At the moment it’s Lady Gaga,

Racing Shox, Carlisle Leisure, Go

Me, The DEMOlition and Hope

Little Mix and JT.

Name some things that suck

Favourite people in mountain biking and why?

Snow at the moment, injuries and tracks with no flow.

There are a lot of good guys in this game, some good

Pro and Ogio.

memories with Sam Dale, Mark Scott, Rich Thomas, When I’m not riding bike, I’m usually …

Jim Stock and Gerard Wolfe. LADs on tour 2k12 USA

Grafting. I’m a sparky.

and CANADA… Boshed haha!

Favourite fishing spot and setup?

Tell us about you breaking your collar bone in

Shimano Baitrunner, PikePro Watson signature rod,

Spain.

20lb Fisheagle Braid and a sexy Rapala. Unreal set

I should have broken my neck. Safe to say I’m one of

up and it’s got to be Derwent Water on the boat with

the hardest on the race circuit. Ever seen a rock

the boys!

cry? I have.

Complete this sentence. This year I’m going to be gassing to flat but I’m definitely not going to fall off or do anything silly.

ISSUE 20

2013

JOE SMITH @joesmithdh for more. Joe rides for Chainreactioncycles / Nukeproof, Leatt and 100% Eyewear.

Who is Joe Smith?

out some cool new parts which feel spot on. Only bad bit

A downhill mountain bike racer from mid Wales.

was that it rained a few times.

Can you describe your riding style to us?

2012 seemed like a pretty good season for you.

A bit loose but smooth as well. At least that’s how it

Your World Cup results just ticked down and down

feels.

throughout the year. How was it for you? Stoked or not stoked?

Name some things that you think are awesome right

Yeah stoked, it was a good season for me. Obviously

now.

7th at Fort William was the highlight but other than that

Our new team bikes and kit. That I’m travelling the world

I think it was my consistency which earned me my best

doing what I love doing.

overall so far. In the past I’ve had some mixed seasons with really good results but also some crashes and

Name some things that you think are rubbish right

mechanicals which put me down the results a little.

now. That I’m on a sweaty sleazyjet flight now.

Who are your favourite people to ride mountain bikes with and why?

What are your favourite memories of riding

All the lads from back home are fun to ride with, we ride

mountain bikes so far?

some rad tracks and they don’t take stuff too seriously.

Some of the cool places I’ve got to travel to and race including Chile, Japan and South Africa.

When you’re not riding bikes ... what are we likely to find you doing?

You’ve just been out to San Romolo for suspension

Probably riding some kind of other 2 wheeled piece.

testing, right? How was that? What were the best and worst bits of the trip?

Complete this sentence. This year I’m definitely

Yeah testing has been good these last few days. It’s been

going to be…Drifting. But I’m definitely not going to be

cool having Jon and Evan over from Rockshox to help

skidding.

PHOTO: DUNCAN PHILPOTT

out with settings and adjustments and we’ve been trying

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

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Jeremy Witek

SPRING

JEREMY WITEK E ED WA RD S IN TE RV IE W: JA MI

US S PH OT OS : DAVE RE

THE MAN BEHIND THE 2012 RED BULL RAMPAGE COURSE. Who are you and what was your role at the 2012 Red Bull

You obviously do a huge amount of work with wood

Rampage?

through your ramps and skate park projects. Presumably

My name is Jeremy Witek, I’m from Twin Lakes, Wisconsin

you also craft dirt, rocks and all sorts of other materials

and my role at Red Bull Rampage was the course manager of

alongside that. What’s your favourite medium to work

Rampage 2012.

with and why? I truly enjoy building with all the different kinds of materials

How does a guy get to the stage where he’s creating the

there are to build with - everything from concrete to steel,

course for the biggest MTB event on the planet? Where

wood to dirt. There are even some parks that we worked on

did you learn your craft and how did you turn it into doing

in Beijing, China which had granite surfaces - they’re all super

something that you love?

enjoyable for me. If I had to pick a favourite I would say dirt,

I got my opportunity to be part of the biggest MTB event in

just because it’s normally in a super natural setting and it’s

the world pretty much by getting the opportunity to build

where I started and how I have gotten to where I am today.

Woodward West in California. Woodward is an action sports camp for kids between the ages 7-17 and I helped develop

How do you approach an event like the Rampage? Where

the program there which started about seven years ago. We

do you even start?

ended up having Cameron Zink come out to ride a bunch of

The first thing we normally do for events like Rampage is go

stuff that I was actually getting campers to shred down on

out with the riders and do the site check. During the check we

and he wound up filming half his New World Disorder 10 part

look at the site and decide what things are possible and what

there. So after filming at Woodward West he put in a good

things we want to try and build to progress the sport and take

word for me to go and be a part of the build crew for Red Bull

it to the next level. After that usually everyone goes back to

Rampage 2010. Most of the dirt work that I had done was

their home bases. I start to draw stuff up on the computer,

self-taught but a bunch of it was learnt from travelling and

come up with a budget and then pick the biggest project on

shredding different trails and meeting people. Wood work and

the mountain and that’s usually our starting point for the

dirt working with people such as Rom Kimler, Nate Wessel,

build.

Ryan Corrigan, Dave King and a bunch of others.

2013

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

ISSUE 20

Jeremy Witek

SPRING

And once your obstacles are in, how does it feel as the first test rider is setting up to drop in and test your work? Do you feel a lot of pressure?

“I’M DONE S ’ T I , G N I D BUIL ” ! E D I R O T E TIM

I think one of the best feelings when building events is when you can finally step back and say "I'm done building, now it's time to ride". Most of the time, I like to jump everything I build first just to take that pressure off my shoulders and know whether it's going to work well or not. Rampage is a little bit different from the other events that I build though – it is at the top of the world level for the best riders in the world. I'm definitely not one of the best riders in the world but having said that I am not the first to ride things there most of the time.

Was there anything you wanted to build that people thought "He's crazy, that'll never work it's too big" but that you pulled off and that you were proud of? Was there anything that you were unsure about building because it was too big?

I don't feel like I've ever built something where people think it's too big or it can’t be ridden like that. I definitely don’t think anything at Rampage can be built too big. The place is simply amazing in size and you can go so flipping big there! At one point at Woodward West I did build a 70 foot dirt to dirt that only I, Cam Zink and one other person ever hit. I think that would be one of the very few things that I've ever built that people said was stupid.

What was the thing you were most proud of at the Rampage? Was there a particular feature or stunt that you really stood back and thought "Wow, that's one of my best ever?" The thing that I was most proud of at Rampage was that no one really got seriously injured on any man-made feature that was there. That is my main goal and I go there to build things as big and safe as we can. I was happiest with that.

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ISSUE 20

And how closely do you work with the athletes? How does that work? Is it easy? Difficult? What are the challenges and then bonuses? Seeing that the riders are the ones putting their lives at risk, I try to work as closely with them as I can on the course layout. I find working with the riders very easy. I know a lot of them, I have ridden bikes with them, some of them I've even jumped 60 and 70 foot jumps with. So they understand that I know what a big jump needs to feel like and what it takes to make it safe. The best bonus about building stuff with and for the riders is watching them ride it and seeing people be so stoked. Risk of injury is obviously a big one - how do you feel when a rider gets hurt on one of your features? I understand the risks of riding - I've broken my neck twice and watching a rider crash on stuff that you build is never easy but we all know the risk of riding bikes. I don't believe that you should be upset with somebody if you get hurt on something that they built, as long as what was built was right and safe. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good feature there's no reason to be upset with anybody but yourself - we are humans and we all make mistakes. With that said, I still take it very strongly to heart when I see a rider crash on something I built. I always look at it and try to figure out a way to make it safer so that it doesn't happen again. Last but not least, if you had the best riders in the world and weather conditions and budget was no option - what would you build? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an easy one. If I had the best riders in the world and an unlimited budget I would simply build the Red Bull Rampage. It is amazing and unique and by far the sickest event in the world!

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

Twists & Tarns

SPRING

ISSUE 20

2013

& STS I W T TARNS UL LIO N WO RD S: PE TE SC CO UK M_ ED HA ED HA M / @S AM NE PH OT OS : SA M NE

t hobbit Pete Scullion Orange Bikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residen Needham explore the and photographer Sam e Lakes has to offer. deepest and darkest th

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

Twists & Tarns

SPRING

In his classic Dio track 'Caught in the Middle', the late, great Ronnie

Sam Needham at the Old Dungeon Gyll Hotel in Ambleside and

James Dio wrote "look inside of yourself, you might see someone

were setting off up the mountain by 9am.

you don't know". Only recently have I realised that exploring large

The Cumbrian Way led us beneath the sleeping stone giant of

mountains with my bike really is the way to make me truly happy

Pike of Stickle, our imaginations working overtime having seen

and to (as old Ronnie says) look inside myself and understand who

The Hobbit a few days earlier. The opening few miles are gentle

I am and what I'm all about. It has taken many years of riding bikes

double-track that follows Great Langdale Beck until it splits into

to find the magic formula.

two, the track following the Rossett Gill side of the fork. As we

The concept is essentially very simple. Find a route that meets

made our way up the dale, the sun gradually spilled its way over

all the requirements, load a vehicle with friends and bikes and go

the peaks above Wrynose Fell and the temperature jumped as

smash it.

everything was bathed in the early morning sun. Far below Rossett

Three days prior to the Winter Solstice is a risky time to be

Crag the track splits and narrows. It is here the beauty of this

heading into mountainous country. Thankfully, having studied

route appears, not in the surrounding landscape, but the options

the weather forecast like a finals-year meteorology student, we

available. The route we took was anti-clockwise up Stake Pass and

managed to get a still, sunny day with enough cloud to make the

down Rossett Pike. Rossett Pike is one of the most demanding rides

sky interesting.

I have ever encountered and did see me have a fairly impressive

Our original plan for a circuitous route around Kirk Fell wasn’t

over-the-bars. I can safely say it was in some places impossible and

going to work because somebody had placed an impassible scree

anyone who isn’t either a trials wizard or a superb downhiller will

slope in the way. This was canned at 8pm the night before we were

find themselves walking or crashing down most of it. Heading up

to go… Out came the Explorer map and on went BikeHike.co.uk.

Rossett Pike and down Stake Pass would be the best way of tackling

Half an hour later and we had a new route that satisfied all the

this route for the majority. That’s not to say this trip wasn’t fun, far

criteria, plus lopped an hour off the drive time each way. Bonus.

from it in fact.

Rather than coming up on Scaffell Pike from the South West, from

As the path steepens up Stake Pass you get an incredible view of

Wast Water, we’d now be heading up under the Langdales, along a

the route you’ve just taken. Rossett Gill is unusually straight in the

short stretch of the Cumbrian Way up Stake Pass, behind Rossett

valley and the bridleway itself sweeps down the open hillside in

Crag to head down Rossett Pike, heading back to the van along the

consecutive smooth arcs that looked like brilliant fun to ride. More

same stretch of Cumbrian Way.

reason to head back and do it again I suppose! The lack of winter

After a blast up the M6 we were greeted in Windermere by a clear

and an unusually strong sun meant that the climb was a sweaty

sky with mist sitting in the hollows, a good omen indeed. By the

affair although the steepness is short-lived as the gradient peters

time we’d navigated the narrow, snaking B-road from Windermere,

out in Landgale Combe. The wider contour lines in the Combe are

the sun was striking its brush across the sky with a fiery orange

ultimately misleading however. What isn’t shown on the OS Map

catching the clouds that lingered atop Bow Fell. The weather was

is the moraines that scatter the combe and are just a piece of the

definitely on our side now. We met our intrepid photographer Mr.

evidence of the glaciers at work in this part of the world many

ISSUE 20

2013

moons ago. The moraines rise at most some forty feet but do make the going slow with a number of short, sharp rises. The ground on the day was very soft and sticky as a result of the rapidly melting ice that would have seen the ground solid. In many places, water had been freezing as it exited the ground in springs. We left the Cumbrian Way as we climbed out of Langdale Combe and headed over the top of the crags that had towered several hundred meters above us only a few hours prior. This part of the route is the only piece of footpath but proved unrideable owing to the bog and ice prevalent. Even without the latter it would be tough going, so more hike-a-bike it was. From the top of Rossett Crag, Bow Fell was still over three hundred metres above us, with Sca Fell and Scaffell Pike snow-capped and partially obscured by a whisp of cloud. After spending far too long breaking the inch-thick layer of ice that covered Angle Tarn, we negotiated the snow and ice that took us over the last ridge to the top of Rossett Pike and the descent back into the bottom of the valley. From the very start this trail proved to be difficult. The opening set of rock steps weaved its way along the edge of a ravine, the steps themselves made more difficult by the foot-compacted snow that offered no grip at all. Straight after the steps was a fairly straight track that offered plenty of boulders to catch wheels, rear mechs, rotors, limbs and any other extremity of bike or body. No clear line was available and keeping the wheels turning was a laborious process of riding on sight. Just the way we like it! A short, rocky climb led into what is quite possibly the most technical section of any trail I have ever witnessed. A narrow channel split by a ridge of rock fell left into a steep set of boulders set into another ravine as steps. This would set the standard for what followed; a mixture of level boulder fields, rutted corners barely wide enough to clear both pedals and only gentle enough to stop the front wheel folding under you, a staircase that was too slippy and twisting to ride with any confidence then finally mellowed into a Mach 10 open, paved track with little grip plus water bars to catch your wheels and keep you on your toes. Almost as the trail meets the valley floor, some of the best corners I’ve ridden appear out of nowhere and allow you to entertain some notion of bike handling ability after the ego-shattering upper slopes. The Cumbrian Way makes getting back to the Old Dungeon Gyll Hotel fairly easy although be warned that through the winter, the hotel only offers soup which isn’t much cop after being out for 7 hours. We made a quick exit in favour of Wilf’s Café in Staveley, renowned for its foodstuffs and caffeinated beverages. We’ll go back, of that we’re confident, maybe going clockwise to prevent us holding up any walkers and reducing fear…..or we’ll go again the same way and try and tame the beast. Either way, we won’t be disappointed! Time to get the maps out again!

IT IS HERE THE BEAUTY OF THIS ROUTE APPEARS, NOT IN THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE, BUT THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

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Twists & Tarns

SPRING

2013

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

ISSUE 20

Life, Death and a spoke key

LIFE, DEATH AND A SPOKE KEY

RRIOR POET (AND WIDEOPENMAG’S RESIDENT WA THEORY ON LIFE, DEATH MECHANIC) TALKS ABOUT HIS COVET THE INANIMATE AND WHY IT’S ACTUALLY OK TO FIXATED WITH. OBJECTS THAT OUR SPORT IS

SPRING

ISSUE 20

2013

Forming an emotional relationship with an inanimate object is a very

comes in the form of my latest addition. A 43” Joe Clarke Bodyboard

curious thing indeed, yet we all do it, with the possible exception of the

(made by VS, shaped by Todd Quigley).The most man made of all man

most enlightened Buddhist monks who practice the art of letting go of

made things: polythene, carbon fibre and surlyn plastic. It was one of

such things to “relieve suffering”. But that is an awfully cold world to live

those purchases that I had to pay for with both money and contrition.

in, isn’t it?

Contrition because it cost me more than I could really afford at the time.

The attachments that we form do indeed cause us to ‘suffer’. Losing

I and those I love had to go without the little luxuries for a couple of

or breaking something that we are fond of or attached to makes us sad,

weeks because of my impulse. For those weeks I couldn’t use it either

causes us to suffer and yet the very reason we are attached to that thing

and every time I saw it I was racked with guilt. Good surf and free time

is that in the past it has given us joy.

refused to line up and so desperate was I for a wave that the first time

But it’s not as simple as that, is it? I have an emotional attachment to a

I did use it, I didn’t catch one. My haste had now been coupled with the

spoke key. It hasn’t given me any joy in particular, it is a tool. It aids me

thirst of an addict and the combination forced me into a messy, heaving

in accomplishing a task that I could accomplish with any other spoke key

and ultimately unrideable sea. Tail between my legs I capitulated.

just as well. The quality of my work would not suffer as a result of not

By the next opportunity the universe decided I had paid enough for my

having that particular key. Nonetheless I am attached to it. I have built

folly and bugger me, from the first wave I caught it became clear it was

literally thousands of wheels with it. It has an obvious history. It is filthy,

worth every penance and penny I had paid.

thumbed and worn by my hand. The red plastic is crazed like a Raku pot.

I have two other boards, both good, but neither like this. It performs

Native Americans say that over time a workman’s energy is transferred

in just the precise way I want a board to behave, quick, nimble, exciting.

into his tools. In some sense that may well be true, science tells us that

Its dexterity flatters a very average rider, allowing me to make it around

energy is not created or destroyed, merely harnessed temporarily and

broken, frothy sections and get back on to the clean face. I look at its jet

it is not unreasonable to assume that some of the energy harnessed in

foam deck and shouty, slick orange belly and my mind replays waves in

the act of work can be transferred to an object. After all, no object lasts

my head, I can feel the little shot of dopamine taking hold, easing my day

forever and it is inevitable that as the object is destroyed or decomposes

and making me smile. It fits.

it releases energy, sometimes quickly and sometimes painfully slowly.

It fits like that spoke key, like my red Trek road bike that I have had for

Indeed this theory extrapolated is my own very personal theory on life

twelve years now, forsaking other much flashier bikes for, like my Dialled

and death, the soul and the body.

steel frame mountain bike. All of them ‘fit’. So I am attached, against my

I remember joining one of my favorite (there we go with attachment

better judgment and all the good advice. These ‘things’ make me suffer;

again) Buddhist monks for the alms round one morning. As we walked

I am a willing slave to them. I constantly worry about them: are they OK?

he asked what I thought about life and death, in particular what happens

Is it too hot, too wet, too cold for them? Are they getting scratched? Are

after we die. I replied at length, telling him that I thought our ‘soul’ was

they safe? But none of this knocks the edge off, despite all logic, nothing

energy and just as there is AC and DC there is human energy, animal

helps. These things don’t define me, but they help me to define myself.

energy, plant energy etc. The body is a harness for that energy, it houses

They help me to live each day and not let it pass. They allow me to be

that energy for as long as it is able and when we die, when the body is

someone I am happy with. They allow me to experience things that teach

no longer able to sustain that energy, it escapes to be harnessed again

me, they allow me to achieve things and feel positive emotions.

somewhere or in someone else. So in a way I do believe in reincarnation

I have come to think that I am better off with these attachments. Yes I

but I also believe that our energy can mix with others at the point of

have to keep that in check but I am fond of a shot of joy every now and

emancipation, we can share past lives with people (ever met someone

again. True they are not me and I would live without them but I would be

and feel like you have known them for longer than you have?). But also,

less without the lessons they have taught.

with enough effort and thought, energy can be changed and therefore Nirvana is achievable. He smiled and nodded slowly. “That’s a great theory - but don’t get too

Chaz Curry is the Wideopenmag team mechanic and lives in Exeter with his very patient wife and kids. His CV includes co-founding Juice

attached to it.” “What do you believe happens when you die venerable?”

Lubes, helping to bring Gawton’s new Gravity Hub to life and recently

(I asked, slightly annoyed as I was pretty chuffed with that theory - it took

co-founding the Rockets and Rascals bike shop in Plymouth.

a lot of considered pondering to come up with). “I don’t know - no one has ever come back and told me.” Typical. During my teenage years I became accustomed to having the philosophical rug pulled out from under my feet by Theravada logic you simply can’t argue with. But I digress. The muse for this particular ramble

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how to be faster.

SPRING

HOW TO BE FASTER WORLD CUP RACER RICH THOMAS BREAKS DOWN SOME HOME TRUTHS TO HELP YOU GET READY FOR YOUR FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR. So you’ve booked your first race of the year and the big day is

Practice smart

approaching fast. Have you put in the hard work? Are you a grafter or

When you’re at the race you should sign on early, enjoy some banter

a quitter? Did you eat too many pies over Christmas? There’s nowhere

with your mates and see your friends. Walk the track. Make sure you

left to hide - but it’s never too late to make a difference. Jamie asked

know the sections where you are strongest and weakest, and work on all

me to try and give some advice that people can relate to. I race at a

of these during practice. Even if you think you’re pinned in one section

semi-professional level but I’m not a ‘full-on’ pro with a big team and I

and overlook it, I guarantee this is where you make a mistake when

don’t have somebody to wipe my arse daily. I’m very lucky to ride for a

racing, don’t get complacent. Don’t overlook even your strong areas.

great team but at World Cup races I do all my own cooking, cleaning,

After that, all that is left is the end product, your race run.

driving, bike mechanics and admin, so an insight from me is perhaps a little more realistic for ‘normal’ riders than from a top prima donna.

The race

This article will hopefully give you some things to think about and make

The easy bit as I see it. You’re ready; you have everything you need to

you a bit quicker when you hit the start line. So here is my take. To

be at your best. Eat a light snack an hour before your run. Cous cous or

help aspiring racers to race better and control the outcomes and the

rice is great but no shit - no crisps or chocolate. Get to the start line well

emotions that go with racing. So where should you start? Start with the

in advance and if it is cold put on a jacket, the timing crew will always

basics. Do everything that you possibly can to control the variables.

bring it down for you if you ask them nicely. The key now is to warm up

Variables are crucial in a sport like mountain biking which has so many

well and to start at least 30 minutes before your run. I can’t give you too

things that can affect your performance. At the end of the day you make

much advice about your warm up because everyone is different. Learn

your own luck.

what it takes to make you feel warmed up and switched on outside of the race. Play around with it and don’t forget to warm up your mind as

Be positive

well as your body. People who say they don’t warm up because it isn’t

I get a lot of riders and parents chatting rubbish to me about being

cool or they don’t like it are the ones losing out - it is proven to improve

“unlucky” and saying things like “I could be a good racer but I can’t put it

performance, make your own luck!

together for my race, I only practice well”. I understand what they mean, but deep down we all know that “can’t” or “could” are just quitter words.

Smash it!

So start with being positive, so if you’re one of these “can’t” or “could”

So what’s left? To start riding and just smash it. Empty the tank. You

people, when you leave for the races, firstly leave the negative vibes at

can rest after your race, you only get one chance so make it count.

home.

The results are just the end product of all the training, preparation, enjoyment, and not worrying about what other people think. At the

Be organised

end of the day, each race could be your last so why not give it 110% no

Be organised, get your spares for your bike, from tyres and tubes to

matter what? Thrive on those emotions because they are what make

gear cables, all weather clothes and kit, goggles, lenses, tear-offs and

you feel alive on the most anatomical level.

even a bike to spin around on between runs to keep those legs lactic acid free. Get the right food, plenty of water and some cash for anything

That’s it – I hope you can take something from this.

you forget. Basically, get everything you’ll need in every scenario. This

See you at the races!

sounds bent, but all those little things allow you to start controlling variables and avoiding stress, allowing you to have more fun at the races

Rich Thomas races elite downhill for the Wideopenmag team. He placed

and in turn to be more relaxed. Being relaxed is a key part of performing

50th overall in the World Cup in 2012 with a 25th place at Fort William.

well and your starting to make your own luck.

Alongside the racing, Rich is a British Cycling qualified coach and offers skills and fitness sessions to aspiring racers. He wrote this from

Enjoy the highs and the lows

Malaga, Spain as part of his winter training.

Just don’t forget, the season is long and your only ever as good as your

Twitter:@richthomas24

last race, so from a coaching point of view, enjoy the highs and the good results foremost, but don’t let the highs become too high, and the lows to low, work on your weaknesses and most of all, have fun and enjoy it.

WORDS: RICH THOMAS PHOTO: JONNY ASHELFORD

ISSUE 20

2013

“YOU CAN REST AFTER YOUR RACE, YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE SO MAKE IT COUNT.”

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no doors, no windscreen, no roof, no compromise!

SPRING

ISSUE 20

2013

NO DOORS, NO WINDSCREEN, NO ROOF, NO COMPROMISE! HENRY SIEBERT-SAUNDERS – PARTS MANAGER AT ARIEL MOTOR COMPANY AND OUTLAW RIDER WORDS: JAMIE EDWARDS

PHOTOS: JACOB GIBBINS

Henry Siebert-Saunders. Push bike lover, Outlaw Rider, Somerset born and bred and a guy with the Ariel Motor Company running through his veins like the fuel running through its cars. That’s literal; his old man is the Managing Director. Hidden away somewhere near Yeoville in the UK’s South West, next to a few sweeping bends and a fast straight on the A30, is a big tin shed. You’d never know it from driving past but inside is our host Henry and a fleet of the fastest cars you’re ever likely to see on a public road. Home of the Ariel Atom. Ariel’s roots are even closer to home than you might think. The company started way back in 1870 as a manufacturer of pushbikes and as the first to patent spoke tension wheels and inventors of the Penny Farthing. The name ‘Ariel’ even came from their big wheeled invention meaning ‘lighter than air’ which the ‘Farthing was said to be with its sprightly ‘all steel construction’. Later came motor bikes. Fast, powerful, elegant ones. Fast forward to 2001 and Ariel is reborn and given a new lease of life by Henry’s old man, Tom Siebert. Their focus was the Ariel Atom. A car in as far as it has a reg plate, lights and four wheels – but nothing like photographer Milky’s family wagon that brought us to Ariel HQ to meet Henry. The Atom is an astonishingly fast, face melting, eye watering, bum tingling machine that is built to go very, very fast and be very, very fun. It’s a car that Top Gear’s Clarkson described as “fast on an entirely new level” and one that will see you from 0 to 100mph and back again in a ridiculous 11 seconds, at a price of just £30,000. There’s no roof, no windscreen, no panels and definitely no room in the back for your bike! The nearest equivalent for speed and horse power will cost you a million quid and says ‘Bugatti’ on the front. Introducing Henry Siebert-Saunders everyone:

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no doors, no windscreen, no roof, no compromise!

SPRING

“NO DOORS, NO WINDSCREEN, NO ROOF, NO COMPROMISE!” I’ve been working here for about 6 years but when I was 13 I was sweeping the floor and making cups of tea. I’ve lived up the road all my life. I’m Somerset born and bred. My father is the MD so I’ve grown up with Ariel Motors my whole life and I’ve seen it grow from the back of a napkin to what you see today. To see us here with a 500 brake ‘giant killer’ and to have seen us sit for two years unbeaten at the top of the Top Gear leader board is quite special. I always knew I’d have some part in Ariel but perhaps not the part in it that I have today. I trained as a drummer and a photographer! What’s my job title? I don’t know really, probably ‘Parts Manager’? What don’t I do? The only thing I don’t do is build the cars. I make sure that the boys in the parts department have got a hand in everything, speak to suppliers, make sure the parts are here, help people with their problems, deal with taking people for test drives, showing people round the cars. It’s a good life – someone has to do it! The Ariel Atom is the fastest road legal car you can buy that won’t cost you a million pounds. For a top spec super charged Atom, you’ll pay £45,000. I had a guy come up to me at a car show who was looking at buying a KTM X-Bow and asked “why should I buy an Atom?” I said to him “well, for the price of a X-Bow you can have one of our cars and a 2nd hand BMW M3 to go with it!”. A standard spec on one of our cars is £32,000 and that’s 0 – 60 in 3.2 seconds. How would I describe the drive of the Atom? It’s just ultimate control. I’ve never met anyone that hasn’t enjoyed driving an Atom. There are no driver aids at all. There’s no traction control, there’s no power steering, the brakes aren’t servo assisted, there’s no launch control. It’s just you, the car and the road. It’s very light-weight. It’s very reliable. It’s very easy to drive. We wanted something that was great round the track but that was also fun on the road. It’s been designed as a road car, it’s fully road legal. It’s got a MoT and a tax disc. People often compare them to go-karts and it is similar to a go-kart. It’s very low, you can see the road, and it’s open but not really drifty like a go-kart. Karts don’t drift all that well. You can drift these but it’s quite difficult because the weight is over the back end. When it does step out it steps out quite quickly so you’ve got to be on your toes! It’s got to be a calculated thing to make the back end come out! You can’t just think “ooh I’ll slide round this one!” It’s very satisfying once you get the hang of it!

The classic thing since day 1 has been “no doors, no windscreen, no roof, no compromise!” A lot of Ferraris have got 500 brake horse power and weigh 1,500kg. The Atom just goes past all of those. The supercharged one has got 310 brake horse power and weighs 510 kilos. It’ll go 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds, 0 to 100 in 6.5 seconds and 0 to 100 to 0 in 11 seconds flat. Obviously there are cars like the Bugatti Veyron that go a little bit quicker…but not a lot. And the Bugatti is a million pounds which is not exactly accessible to the everyday market. The Sunday Times used to do a 0 to 100 to test every year and we used to just go up there every year and win every single year. So they stopped doing it. It’s been on Top Gear a fair few times. When we were first on there in 2004 we were second only to the Ferrari Enzo which is another million pound car. We went back in 2010 with our V8 car and beat the Bugatti Veyron Supersport by 1.7 seconds round the test track. The V8 car is about £120,000 but it’s a massive leap up in performance. That’s got a 3litre or a 3.2litre engine over the standard Honda engine. It takes 160 hours to make an Atom and they’re all made here in Somerset. They’re assembled here in Somerset and almost everything on the car is bespoke made in the UK, there are very few off-the-shelf parts. That’s a very important part of the company. It’s a British sports car so most of the stuff needs to be made here in Britain. Nothing comes from the Far-East, the Jackson Racing super-chargers come from America and the dampers are from Bilstein in Germany - they make some beautiful dampers. The car that won the Le Mans in 2012 had Bilstein dampers on

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2013

it. As standard the Ariel has a 2litre Honda engine, from Honda in Swindon. The chassis is hand-welded here in the UK by a company called ‘Arch’ who have been doing that sort of thing for decades, that’s a massive thing for us. It’s about getting the best that we can. All of the exhaust, the carbon fibre, the spoilers, and the chassis are made in this country. It’s not just about cars. My favourite mountain bike is my Planet-X Jack-Flash Easton Rad hardtail. I’ve had the frame since 2001. It’s like Triggers Broom (google it!). Everything is new and everything has been replaced several times! It’s had 3 sets of forks, 2 sets of cranks, 2 sets of wheels, it’s been repainted by an ex-girlfriend, I’ve had the disc brakes forever and a day. I rode it exactly how it is out in France in Les Gets down Chavannes, with those tyres on it. It was awesome fun, it just rolled so fast! It was just berm, berm, jump, jump, berm! I’ve also got a 2003 Rocky Mountain RM7 Wade Simmons signature edition, the one with the stupid green flames on it. When I went to Bulgaria with the Outlaw Riders everyone named it ‘the Huck Truck’! It’s good. I’ve got a Norco Six One from 2006 that’s twin chain ring so I can take it on XC if I’m feeling brave. That’s been to the Mega Avalanche, Mountain of Hell, Les Gets, Morzine and it’s still going strong. I’ve also – probably stupidly – got an Intense M9 for downhill racing which I’ve been trying to get into. I’m obviously crap but I enjoy it! I used to race the Rocky Mountain but I thought I’d get something that’s built for the job. I love the Planet-X the most though. It’s the one I ride the most and it’s what got me into mountain biking. The simpler a bike is, the better it works. Which is also why the Atom works so well – it’s very simple. I love hardtails because they’re very simple, they’re easy to manage, you can do anything with them and it’s just all round fun. I think bikes are overcomplicated these days – especially my Intense! I do two races and I’ve got to strip it down and do a bearing change and it costs me £100 and about 6 hours labour. The Planet-X I can just chuck in the back of the Landy and go ride it. My hardtail is just two triangles and that’s it. It’s simple and easy to maintain – like the Atom and like my 1966 series 2 Landrover! I’m in the ‘Outlaw Riders’ club. We’re just a group of friends that like to have a laugh on a bike. There’s nothing particularly special about any of us – we try and do a trip every year. Last year we did Scotland and Mountain of Hell, which was really good. There’s no real competition between any of us thought we do race! I’m taking part in the Woodlands Riders series this Sunday at Tavistock and I’ll probably come stone dead last … again! I did one round last year at Tavistock Woods on the Planet-X and I came 3rd actually! It was out of 6 though – I got a tee-shirt for my podium position! I usually lie about midpack on the downhill stuff. As long as I enjoy it it’s good! A motorbike is next for Ariel. We’re developing it at the moment. It’s kind of been known about for two years and hopefully by the end of this year we should have something to show for it. That’ll be a road legal bike. It’s going to be kind of similar to the Atom. It’s going to be a niche bike. It’s not going to be a sports bike. If you want a sports bike, go and spend ten grand on a Hayabusa and throw yourself down the road at 200mph on that. We’re going to make something that’s a jack of all trades, good to look at, nice to ride, quite fast, good handling, totally unique, British. Huge thanks to Henry and all at Ariel for their hospitality. Check out the Ariel homepage at www.arielmotor.co.uk and The Outlaw Riders Facebook at facebook.com/OutlawRidersRacing

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Wideopenmag, Dan Stanton and the ti slackline

S PHO TOS : JACO B GIB BIN S INT ERV IEW : JAM IE EDW ARD

We’re huge fans of Dan Stanton’s bikes here at Wideopenmag. They’re designed with love in the UK by a genuine bicycle fanatic and – best of all – ride amazingly well. Even better Dan is a bloody nice guy who’s always great to share a pint and some bike chat with. After our first ‘meeting’ (a short ride, followed by a long night of laughing and arguing in the pub!) we tested the Slackline 853 and loved it. At the end of 2012 Dan sent us the prototype of his top-of-the-range titanium version with the instruction to “ride the hell out of it”. Now the Slackline Ti has been built up and the thrashing has begun I wanted to catch up with Dan and share some thoughts.

SPRING

2013

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ISSUE 20

Wideopenmag, Dan Stanton and the ti slackline

SPRING

Afternoon Dan! Remind me how you started Stanton Bikes again? -

when you come smashing deep into the corner the power is instantly

wasn't it drunk at a party?!

there to burst out. You don't get that on a full susser, you end up trying

Yeah that’s right! But I'd like to think of it as more of a 'lock stock' poker

to wrench the bike out of the compression.

affair than an ‘American Pie’ thing. Our Slackline is the prototype Ti version - how close are you to a Tell me about the Slackline. What was the vision for that?

finished product? How close are we to seeing a production bike?

It started off with me loving riding 4X frames at trail centres as I loved

What differences will the final bike have to our version?

how playful they are. I was always on a quest to get the playful nature

It's all there, the only difference is the production model has a

of a 4X bike in a trail bike. This never happened and I started to feel like

replaceable mech hanger and yours has a shim to fit the correct post

it never was going to ... So I did something about it. I'd say that from me

size, the production one doesn't, it's 31.6 standard.

deciding to do it to it being in production was probably 3-4 years with quite a few prototypes!

Now when will you see them? When you bump into one of the 20 people in the UK that have one. Most are sold already but there's a few left. After this I'm not sure if I'm going to have any more made. If I do

So our test bike is the titanium version of the Slackline. Are there

I'm going to have to use a new Ti supplier as mine has decided not to

really people out there buying titanium hardtails over full similarly

produce Ti anymore due to prices of raw material and labour.

priced suss trail bikes? The Slackline Ti is priced into the lower/mid end of the Ti market. Ti is an

As a bike designer - why do you use Ti?

expensive material to work with and its tolerances are a lot more acute

Ti is definitely tougher than standard steel however something you

and require a very talented/experienced welder.

probably didn't know is that Ti is roughly the same strength as Reynolds

Ti is something special, a wonder material especially for hardtail

631! Reynolds 853 is roughly 1/4 stronger but obviously not lighter and

mountain bikes. If designed correctly you get all the burst acceleration

surprisingly 853 is not lighter than 631, 853 frames tend to be lighter

you get from a good hardtail and you get a real trail comfort. Ti definitely

because the tubes can be thinner. If you use the same wall thickness,

dulls down any harsh hits from the trail and you still get to know exactly

say 0.9, on all 3 materials 853 has a stronger dent resistance but is not

where your feet are in relation to your rear wheel, also Ti seems to buzz

any stronger at the welds. So if 853 is tougher why Ti? Well you build to

along a trail, smoothing it out like you’re floating a few mill above then

the same wall thicknesses as with 631 but its over a 1/3 lighter! It has a

ISSUE 20

2013 greater elasticity and therefore feels like you can mould the design like

So I think the highlight of the Slackline for me is the back end - it

you’re working with Play Doh, localising tension and flex where you want

just seems to work really well on those tight berms at the trail

it. I'm truly in love with the material!

centres. It also manuals rollers super nicely … That’s all about the relationship between rider position, BB and chain-

Tell you what - it was a labour of love getting the bottom bracket

stay length. I knew what I wanted from the off but my first attempt was

and the bloody headset in! You explained that was because of the

too low in the BB. The BB took quite a few attempts to get right and

tolerances of working with Ti..?

that's when I realised it’s a real fine line to get that aspect of the geo

Yeah, the welder can quite easily warp a tube or blow a weld as there’s

right, this is how I came up with the name for the frame... ‘Slack Line’. It’s

a small margin between too much and too little heat. Also after a good

all about getting the perfect slack lines in a bike.

chat with my new friend Keith the MD of Reynolds he enlightened me as to the tolerances of Ti, take for instance a 0.9mm tube it can be cut

I might be wrong but I think it feels a bit stiffer than my old steel

to a tolerance of +.05mm (making it 0.95mm) as .1mm can be removed

frame ... not uncomfortable but just a little bit more rigid. You

in the polishing and finishing process of the frame. Granted it’s a bit of

maybe need to ride it a bit more aggressively to take the edge off

a way round the houses to say it but yes it can be a little tougher to get

the bumps on the trail. Does that make sense?

your headset in! But yeah, that’s why!

Sort of, if your steel frame was a bandy XC style design, the Slackline is a DHers or 4Xers XC/trail bike, balls on the table, do or die, make it look

What do you think of our build - is it how you would imagine a

stylish! It's the stiffer in the BB so it bursts away under acceleration; it

slackline should be built? What sort of set up do you think works

should feel supple and get increasingly more supple the faster you go.

the best? Jamie, it looks good bro! Mine is obviously how I think it should be built,

So you've got a pretty modern set up with a 44mm headtube, ISCG

Fox 34 Talas 120-160, Mavic Cross Max, XT and saint with a Reverb and

tabs and 31.6mm seat tube - I understand there were a few design

1-10 that bad boy! Join the revolution!

challenges in getting all that designed into the frame? Yeah sort of, the Ti supplier that my manufacturer used didn't cut the

The first ride on the bike I'll admit that I was impressed - the

specific size diameter seat post I wanted (31.6 id - 34.9 od at the top

'shape' of it just felt good. How did you design the bike to feel the

and then variable thickness to the BB) so I had to find a Ti tube forger

way it does?

and get them to manufacture to my specifications then ship it to my

That's a massive question! It had to feel fast off the mark, to feel super

frame supplier. The arduous part of it was that we were all different

nimble like a 4X bike but be able to ride real distances. It's not an easy

nationalities and so quite a bit of the logistics of the situation was lost

request to ask for so much from one design.

in translation, it was a proper faff! All done now though and I'm super

In short the geo-chemistry of the frame is ‘lower BB, shorter stays,

mega-rad stoked to the point of bursting awesomeness with the result!

slackish seat tube, longish virtual top tube’ and a shorter reach with as small a stack height as I could get away with. The BB isn't stupid low but

If you want a Slackline you can contact Dan on stantonbikes.com. A

it's enough to counteract the slacker seat tube angle – it’s the seat tube

Ti Slackline will cost you £1250, the 853 steel version is £460.

angle that gives you the longer virtual top tube and shorter reach. The head angle is another good bit, it had to be slack enough to handle my messy skills but not sluggish on the flat. To get the optimum out the frame then a variable travel fork is the way to go. The head angle/BB relationship is another good one, smaller fork lowers the BB, "but I want a lower BB with the forks at full-on whack out!" Yeah you do sort of... It's actually about stack, feeling deep in the bike, on full whack-out you don't want the BB past the axle height (330mm on 26") on the Slackline, if you run a 160 fork the HA is 65.5 and the BB is 330 put weight on the bike and you dip it 1/3-1/4 into the travel (120mm ish) you also dip the BB by 7mm every 20mm in the fork dropping the ride height to 316mm and steepening the HA to 67.5ish. So if you run the fork at 120mm the BB drop is less as the compression under weight is less and the travel dips to 95 and in turn the BB drops from 316mm to 307mm a nice Trail XC, play height. I found this formula to be the most perfect for all disciplines, BB is respectively low for DH rough stuff with the forks at 160 (lengthening the wheel base) while still feeling super nimble at higher speeds. At your lower speed tech trail riding running forks at 120 shortens the wheel base and drops the BB making it nimble at lower speeds.

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

emulsion / GARETH HOWELL

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ISSUE 20

PHOTO: GARETH HOWELL RIDER: PHILIP AUCKLAND / @PHILAUCKLAND Mountain bike skate park images are always a little controversial. Let’s be honest, a BMX is a far better tool for the job and looks a lot more at home in the park than a big bike. However there are a few riders that can get away with it and Phil Auckland is one of those guys. This shot is of Phil boosting a massive toboggan over the hip at the famous Marseille skate park, which anyone who has played the first Tony Hawk game should recognise! This was shot during an evening session on a trails road trip around the south of France last year – Phil’s style even managed to earn a clap from the salty BMX locals!

WWW.GARETH-HOWELL.NET

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The Next Steve Smith: Mark Wallace

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THE NEXT STEVE SMITH: MARK WALLACE WORDS AND PHOTOS: GEORGE MILNER / @GEEMILNERVIDEO

If you don’t live in British Columbia, chances are you’re probably sat reading this article thinking “Who the heck is this?” Well truth be told, when I was advised to shoot him by small time biker Darren Berrecloth I had similar thoughts but in a few months that might all have changed. Mark Wallace is part of the new breed of Junior downhill racers set to try and make a name for themselves on the DH world cup circuit. So far Mark has already beaten big named riders such as Sam Hill whilst racing the Canadian Open at Crankworx back in August. Getting himself on the podium at this race as well as the Garbonzo DH, it’s clear that Mark has something special going on right now.

Can you introduce yourself please Mark?

Would you say that the rise of your friend and fellow

My name is Mark Wallace, I am 17 years old and I live in

Vancouver Islander Steve Smith through the world cup

Duncan, British Columbia, Canada.

ranks has kick started a spark in the hearts of would be Canadian racers?

Relatively unheard of Canadian junior Holly Feniak

Yes, definitely! It is a good thing to have a Canadian to be

rocketed through to victory at the Leogang World Champs

inspired by; it makes young riders’ goals seem realistic

last year. Do you think it puts you at an advantage in the

and achievable. It raises the level of riding and increases

sense that you are under less pressure coming into this

awareness of the sport in general.

race season with fewer people knowing who you are? Does this make you feel more relaxed?

Something you’re most likely going to get sick of being

I think either way there is pressure, especially at World

asked throughout this season but… how has Stevie

Champs. Holly has a title to defend but she has already won

influenced your recent success?

a World Championship, so it depends how you look at it. I still

Steve sets a good example just by doing what he does and

have to reach my goals, and for me that is where pressure

being who he is. Riding the same place during the winter (Mt.

comes from.

Prevost) and having the same trainer (Todd, PerformX) has allowed me to learn a lot about riding and training. He pushes me to go faster and bigger every time we ride which forces me to continuously improve. Canada is renowned for its riding and mountains. British Columbia alone has nearly 10 fully lift operated bike parks with Whistler being the jewel in the crown. Why do you think that out of a nation which contains so many mountain bikers, only two Canadians have really excelled at world cup level, Stevie Smith and Claire Buchar, compared with England which has small hills and long pushups but has produced many successful athletes. I think because there is so much great riding that is easily accessible most of us don't feel the need to race. Anyone can go ride whatever they want almost every weekend without the access provided by a race series. There are also a lot of activities other than riding to enjoy. Another factor is that the elite level of racing takes place on either the east or west coast, which are about 5000 kilometres apart making travel to races very expensive.

2013

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The Next Steve Smith: Mark Wallace

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You live 20 minutes drive from the base of Mt Prevost, which was seen in Steve Smith’s Seasons segment. What does Mt Prevost feature which allows you to train and get faster on the bike? Mt Prevost is great for a lot of reasons. It is usually rideable all winter and the shuttle road is good making it time efficient. The trails are diverse and fast with not much room for error which builds our skill and confidence. Riding Prevost is great because of the trails and the people who ride there. So Crankworx Whistler… most people would consider you a “local” on that track. Is that really the case? I consider Whistler to be close to where I live but not local. It's an hour drive to the ferry then a 1 hour 40 min ferry plus waiting time, and another 1 hour 30 min drive to Whistler. So it is not just another weekend of riding like Prevost. I do know the trails there relatively well because I have been able to spend some time there each summer since I was 7. The competition in the Canadian Open was pretty much identical to what you would expect to find in a world cup, what factors helped contribute to this result? And to name a few riders you beat, Sam Hill, Brook Macdonald and Ben Reid, etc. How did it feel to beat so many of the “elite”? I don't really know what it was exactly, probably a bit of everything. I felt good and fit (especially after Garbo) and I really liked the track which always helps. There was also a lot of people there supporting me. I was really happy with the run but didn’t think I would place as high as I did because of who else was racing. It was just one of those good days where everything felt good and went according to plan.

MY DAD GOT ME INTO RIDING AT A YOUNG AGE BY PULLING ME UP THE MOUNTAIN WITH A ROPE AND HOLDING IT ON THE WAY DOWN.

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Garbonzo is arguably the toughest DH race in the world, definitely the longest one at that! 12-20 minutes of completely flat out, relentless downhill trail from the top of the mountain bike park (excluding peak chair!) to the GLC drop at the bottom. You came 5th again, how did you find the 2012 race in terms of compared with how other years had gone in the past? It's hard to compare it to other years (I didn't race it 2010 and 2011 as I wasn't racing very competitively) but I think it was the way I decided to race it this year, and the training from PerformX during the winter. I believe that it is just as tough mentally as it is physically; I tried not to think about how tiring it was and how much longer there still was left in the race and that seemed to work well. Whilst I was at your place filming with you, your dad struck me as one of the most genuine and good willed people I’ve met. Very Canadian! How has your dad influenced you and helped you to be where you are now? He’s always supportive, works hard to be available to shuttle and be able to travel to races. My dad got me into riding at a young age by pulling me up the mountain with a rope and holding it on the way down. He helps me build trails. Supports my ideas and also helps criticize them to improve my understanding or performance but never puts pressure on me that I don’t want. So lots of Canadian riders are on the “PerformX program”. Tell us a bit more about it and how it is different from training which has gone before it. PerformX is a downhill and motocross specific training run by Todd Schumlick. It is the first training program I have had so I can’t compare it to anything, but I have learned a lot and know it is working for me! 2013 is a big step up for you, you’ve joined Devinci Global Racing. Tell us how that’s going to help you achieve the things you’ve set out to accomplish this year. I am very excited to be riding for Devinci Global Racing this season. All of the products and people on the team are great and I am looking forward to the season starting. I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with the team in Europe last year and felt it improved my racing. Spending the whole season with the team this year will allow me to improve even more and reach my goals. Who would you say has influenced you and inspired you, who has helped you be where you are? Travis Pastrana has been an inspiration because of his attitude towards pushing boundaries. Drew Mitchell and Steve Smith have also been inspiring and have taught me a lot of things about racing that I will never forget. The support from my parents, family, friends and sponsors is the best and I wouldn’t be where I am without it. For more from Mark hit up @markwallacebike

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

Butt Hole Surfers

BUTT HOLE SURFERS THE OLLY WILKINS AND SAM REYNOLDS INTERVIEW. PHOTOS: ROO FOWLER / @ROOFOWLER

2012 was not a good year for Sam Reynolds. He broke his back, got carried home from Crankworx on a spine-board and spent the winter on his ass. Just a few months later though he’s back in the air, back on a bike and back on the international comp scene – riding for Polygon bikes – and back pulling double-flips. We asked his good chum (and fellow pro rider) Olly Wilkins to pin him down for an interview and see what makes Mr Sam Reynolds tick.

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Butt Hole Surfers

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IS IT JUST ME OR DO YOU THINK OF BUTTHOLE WHENEVER YOU HEAR WIDE-OPEN? Olly: Hi Sam. So. They want me to interview you. Sam: <laughter> Hi Olly and hello Wideopenmag readers! Congratulations on your first printed issue and thanks for putting me on the front cover. Olly: Ok Sam, let’s begin. Game face. Your tooth is looking nice? Sam: Thanks, I got it this morning. Olly: What happened to the other one? Sam: The first one was smashed out and is in the woods somewhere. Then I got a new one, went to Vegas and lost it again like the guy from The Hangover. Olly: Face stuff sucks hey? Sam: Yeah it hurts and makes girls like you way less than they already do. You have a GF though so it’s fine. You win already so it’s just cool to be ugly.

Olly: <more laughter!> Yeah plus its kinda rock n roll to have a crazy fucked up face. Like a pirate. Sam: For sure that’s why I got a clip in tooth so I can take it out and look badass again when necessary. Olly: Yeah completely. Your back is all good again now isn’t it? You’ve kind of made a fairly killer comeback from that. Your first double-flip since that must have been a big turning point Sam: Oh yeah it’s not perfect but I can’t complain. And yeah - of course - I wanted to double-flip again ever since the crash but just needed to find the right place and the right time. I’ve learnt the hard way not to play with a big trick like that. It’s quite a relief to do another actually. Olly: Yeah totally. I think a lot of people would have left it at that. It’s easy to get spooked by shit like that. So California looked amazing from the edit. I was sat here with a broken ankle in the rain. A trip to Bognor Regis would have looked good from where I was sat! Sam: Wow yeah, that place is a hole, I went there on a football tour when I used to be a jock and play (lads on tour pretty much). We found this trike and I jumped it down the stairs at Butlins and broke it and ran away and left it there, <laughing> suckers! Cali is good though, I’d live there if I could. I will definitely be going there every year if I can!

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Olly: Yeah that’s the dream isn’t it? Got any tattoos yet? That’s

Olly: Oh god yeah! What are you doing contest wise this year?

well California isn’t it?!

You were killing it until Euro Crankworx. You and Pilgrim were

Sam: I have S4P on the inside of my lip. One of the Fuel girls did

1-2 at that point right?

it when we were wasted. She did it so shit though, I told her I

Sam: I’m doing the whole world tour hopefully! Yeah I was running in

would give her one back. She wanted 'shhh' on her finger but I was

a pretty juicy 2nd place until I nailed myself at Crankworx Les Deux

annoyed so I wrote 'fuck' instead. Needless to say she was more

Alps so I was pretty gutted to miss all the big comps like Whistler

angry and we haven’t really spoken since. Apparently she got it

and Rampage. Hopefully this year will be a little smoother… I’m

lasered off.

booking flights to Vienna Air King today actually.

Olly: Yeah I heard she did. That costs loads I think.

Olly: Yeah, I see this year as being a good one. I guess that stuff

Sam: I think she was an escort so she can afford it… I saw her on

is part of growing up contest-wise. What contests do you see

babe station too once.

suiting you the best this year? Sam: You certainly get better at contests with experience, obviously

Olly: Talk to me about the Masters of Dirt tours. Are you doing

I’m best known for hardtail style contests but I’ve been riding my

them this year? I guess its kind of a no brainer for you. That’s a

DH bike a lot more lately so am looking forward to Rampage. A lot

Sam event if I ever saw one…

of contests are just shows though with no care for rider safety or

Sam: For sure! I love MOD; it’s the most fun times of the year. The

the wind or sketchy jumps or whatever. There is always an annoying

parties are the best things I’ve ever been to, nothing compares to it,

shitty kid who is willing to send his life for the glory at a contest so

not even the Monster Wideopen party aka: the Catalina wine mixer

everyone then has to step it up. I’m looking forward to X Games though; it is awesome that we're being recognised now.

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Butt Hole Surfers

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Butt Hole Surfers

Olly: Yeah absolutely. X Games is actually a dream that I never thought would come true. Surely there’s a job for me there? Maybe I could commentate or something?! I just hope they are sensible with the course. It’s really cool to have huge jumps but I think there needs to be a mix. The real progression never normally happens on the massive dangerous jumps and that should be recognised. Sam: For sure, and I’ve already seen the course and people are gonna die. The last jump is 20 meters. But at least its invite only I guess so people coming know what they’re doing. I agree to a certain extent that bigger isn’t always better, the tricks are often boring at the big mountain events. Chatel mountain style was the worst highlight video I’ve ever seen. Olly: How’s the Polly Gee going? I heard you are working on a slopestyle bike? Sam: The Polygon is the best. And yeah it’s going to be so fun! Not sure I’ll use it in a contest, we shall have to see, but I can’t wait to bomb around on it like a mini-DH bike that can do tricks. Olly: Is there ever really much use for a 'slopestyle' bike? You don't see many winning contests? Sam: When a guy wins Crankworx on a hardtail it kind of proves that they’re pointless. It’s just annoying because the Americans can’t beat the Euros at hardtails so they make worse jumps which are better for full suspension bikes. In the end we just have a less fun course to ride and tricks are worse. This is the problem with Whistler Crankworx, no one wants to ride it for fun – it’s just a show. Olly: Yeah I guess that’s an unfortunate part of the sport, crashes certainly bring a certain thrill to the event from a marketing perspective. I can’t say that I or any rider would want to see another go down but a lot of the crowd would. Olly: On a different note, are you riding any UK contests this year? Sam: Probably not no. They kind of died a few years ago. King of Dirt used to be insane but I haven’t been for a few years now. Olly: I guess when you have to travel loads, it’s less appealing to ride contests that you aren’t contractually obliged to do? Sam: No it’s not that, it’s just more why go to a contest where 1st prize is £200 when I could get a flight and go to one that’s like 10,000euros. It’s the money. Olly: Good point. I guess we should wrap this 'interview' up then. I wonder if we actually covered anything that anybody will find interesting? Sam: What you mean they might actually publish this trash? What kinda magazine is this? Nice cover though hmm? Olly: Hahaha. They also sure know how to throw a giant sausage party. Sam: They sure do, I can’t wait, that party is funny as hell! Olly: I want to thank DMR bikes for making this interview possible. As well as Xfusion suspension. Sam: Well I’d also like to thank DMR, mainly their pedals. As well as Polygon bikes, Monster Energy, Fox Head, SRAM, Rockshox, Truvativ, Avid, Halo wheels and last but not least Buff (hahaha). Olly: What are you actually sponsored by a scarf company? Sam: I am yes. Is it just me or do you think of butthole whenever you hear wideopen? There’s a nice end of the interview for ya. @samreynolds26. Olly: Agreed… @odub_23.

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ISSUE 20

The Taylor Vernon Show

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ISSUE 20

2013

THE TAYLOR VERNON SHOW WORDS: JAMIE EDWARDS PHOTOS: JACOB GIBBINS

2013 SEES TAYLOR VERNON STEP UP TO THE MAJOR LEAGUE WITH A WORLD CUP FACTORY DEAL ON ATHERTON RACING. HAVING TRACKED HIS PROGRESS OVER THE LAST YEAR WE FINALLY PINNED HIM DOWN TO TALK ABOUT BIKES. TIDY DARTS!

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

The Taylor Vernon Show

SPRING

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU INTERVIEWING HIM FOR BUTT? ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IS THAT I’M GOOD LOOKIN’!” I'm struggling to keep the interview going for laughing so hard. Every question I subject Tay's mate Tom Lloyd to (known from here on in as ‘Lloydy’) is being interrupted by Taylor (the little bastard) flying past on his carbon GT Fury and hurling a string of banter at us in his just-about-

every night up the local field by my nan’s house. My dad used to make

understandable valley tones. “Haha! I hit the power band on that one

me go out in all weathers whether it was raining, snowing, shining.”

butt!” shouts Tay. Watching Tay ride it's pretty bloody obvious that he deserves his new

Is your old man pretty pushy then?

factory deal on Atherton Racing, but there’s something more to it than

“Oh yeah he’s pushy! He’s really pushy! He used to make me wear a radio

just being fast, stylish and pin point accurate. Those things definitely

in my helmet on the moto so he could talk to me and go “Power! Power!

win races and win fans … but I don’t think that’s why people want him

Power! Brake! Brake! Brake!” He’s better now I’m racing downhill actually

on their team. I first met Taylor Vernon and Lloydy in the Easyjet queue

– he lets me get on with it. He’ll still put me in my place and make me get

on the way to our first trip out to Malaga. I was overwhelmed by a tidal

focused if I need it though.”

wave of valley boys swearing, laughing, arguing, juggling bike bags and bullying each other relentlessly. Tay was typically at the centre of it all –

Did he race as a youth?

keeping quiet and then shutting the banter down with a sharp, hilarious

and deeply Welsh one-liner. “I’ll open you up like a tin of beans butt!” But

“Haha! He did one race! He forgot to put his goggles on so he had to pull

it’s not just the lip – he’s also a good kid full of encouragement, praise,

over and some bloke t-boned him! He broke his collar bone and that was

banter and good riding advice. Who doesn’t like to hear a “You’re the

the end of it!” <Much laughter continues at Tay’s dad’s short-lived motocross

ticket butt!” after they nail a line from a kid half as old and three times as

career>.

fast as them?

Tay’s dad Jason is obviously a massive force in the Team Vernon racing campaign. You’d be hard pressed to find Tay at a race without the family

Jamie: So you started off by riding motocross then? How did that all

camper and Jason and Rach (Tay’s mum) there to keep him and his

begin?

bike running. Separate to our photo shoot, I gave Jase a call for a chat

Tay: “Everyone knows the answer to that butt – that’s a shit question! I

and caught him on a day off from working in BikeIt – his bike shop in

got a bike for Christmas when I was five years old didn’t I? It was a KTM

Bridgend. It seemed only fair he got a chance to defend himself right?

mini adventure and my feet didn’t even touch the floor! My dad had to put his legs round the mud guard and I had to go braaaap!”

So did Tay pick up the moto stuff pretty easily?

“I started racing moto straight away. Yep, straight in at the deep end! I

Jason: “I’ll you the truth, when we got him his first MX bike – he was

remember my first race was at Glandy Cross Dredgers moto club. I was

scared shitless of it! He didn’t like the noise! But he had a go on his

last in every race. I was shit! I started improving though. I’d go practicing

cousin’s bike which was quieter and that helped and he got on better. I’d

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2013 purposefully take him out in all weathers and especially in the rain. After

How did you and Tay get to being buddies then?

a time I’d be shouting at him to stop and come in and he’d just race off

Lloydy: “How did I first meet him? Fuck knows – he probably tried to key

and refuse to stop!”

my car or something! Nah – I know Tay from riding moto down the beach with Leon (Rosser) and all of them boys. He’d done a season of local

Back at our shoot Tay pauses for a minute having spent some time

racing before I met him and you could see from his moto background

drifting a corner for Milky. I seize my chance to ask him some more

that he had something special.”

questions about his moto background. And how is it that you help him out at races? So do you still race moto now?

“What do I do for him? I dunno. I just help him out and try to make sure

Taylor: “I still race moto now yeah. I backed off in 2010 to focus on

he does right for his sponsors. Jason runs his bike shop on Saturdays so

mountain bikes though. Moto got really competitive and everyone was

on a race weekend I’d drive Tay to the venue on a Friday night, get him

just racing against each other and it was shit. There was loads of fallings

booked into a hotel and keep his bike working till his dad turned up.

out – everyone was just being a dick. In mountain bikes everyone’s just

He hasn’t got a fuckin clue about fixing his bike!” “Fuck off!” shouts Tay

sound and gets along. You don’t see Herlings and Tommy Searle being

“you’re always rounding my bolts off!”

top muckers like the boys in downhill do you?” 2012 was a pretty special year for Tay – he just seemed to win Which do you prefer to race? Did you have a plan to start racing

everything?

downhill?

“Yeah – in 2011 he was getting dinged by all the older boys but you

“Mountain bikes are more fun. I enjoy that more. I didn’t think I was

could tell he was pretty on it. In the winter after that his dad got him

going to start racing downhill, I just wanted it as a hobby but then I got

involved with Alan Milway (pro-fitness coach who trains Danny Hart, The

hooked on it! My dad got a bike shop when I was getting into it and I saw

Athertons, Tracey Moseley and others) who helped him out a hell of a

all the bikes and was like ‘Oh Dad! Hook me up!’.”

lot. He was doing a lot of training anyway but Milway helped him know that he was doing it right and it gave him a hell of a lot of confidence. It

Tell me about your first downhill race then…

stepped up after that.”

“My first race was at Wentwood for the WDMBA. I raced a Da Bomb Cherry Bomb - it was a little 4” travel slope style bike and I came 4th!

Damn straight it stepped up – having spent 2011 narrowly missing out

That was my first time ever on a downhill bike too! I wasn’t sponsored or

on wins he went in to 2012 and pretty much never left the top step. By

anything then, I was just helped out by my dad. The year after that I went

the end of 2012, Tay had the British Downhill Series overall youth trophy

onto a Giant Glory. It weighed tonnes and I had to get people to lift it on

and youth National Champ trophy on his mantelpiece.

to the uplift truck for me because I was too small! After that in 2011 I was on a Scott and I started to take it more seriously.”

It was somewhere around Caersws BDS that I noticed the buzz around Tay step up a gear. Everyone had suddenly decided that it was time to talk about ‘transfer season’ and the rumour mill around Tay was grinding

Do you think that you’re a good racer?

hard. From the buzz you’d have thought it was Sam Hill or Steve Peat

“I think so – I feel that I’ve got a strong head. I’ve been racing since I

being talked about … not a 16 year old from Bridgend with a Justin

was five years old so I pretty much know the score. I’m not sure what

Bieber haircut. Shortly after that the rumours started mentioning “The

I struggle with at races. I love steep tracks but I feel like I’m a pretty

Athertons” and it looked like Tay had bagged the deal of a lifetime.

all round racer. I love wide open fast stuff and tech stuff! When I won National Champs it was a big eye opener. I realised that I could actually do alright in the sport. I had my targets set on getting the champs title and wanted to get that out of the way.” At that point Milky announces that he’s found another corner that’s worth some photos and Tay escapes – giving me a chance to have a proper chat with Lloydy. I’ve tried to get Lloydy and Tay to describe their relationship but they always fail and degenerate into bullying each other. I ask Tay to describe Lloydy as he pushes past us, “He’s a BFG! He’s over large and he’s furry! He smells severely and he eats cat food!” From what I can gather, Lloydy is Tay’s very good mate and until the recent factory deal from the Athertons, has adopted the role of mechanic, driver, fixer, legal guardian, cook, problem solver, chaperone and everything else in between. The two of them spend 90% of the time bullying each other and the other 10% in this amazingly professional, ‘getting shit done’ race mode where it’s all business. It seems to work surprisingly well. WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

The Taylor Vernon Show

SPRING Tell us about how the Atherton deal came about then… Tay: “The weekend of World Champs Alan Milway phoned me and asked me to send my CV to Dan Brown (Atherton Team Manager) and I was like ‘Yeah boy!’. There were a lot of people saying that it wasn’t the right decision but it was an easy decision. I went up there at the end of the season in October time and tried the bike. Obviously though I didn’t care what the bike was like, I just wanted to get on the team! Lucky I got on with the bike straight away though. It took a while to sort out but I knew it was a done deal by December. They knew that they wanted to do an enduro team but took a while to work out if they had the budget for me. They managed to get it sorted in the end though and that was it”. And how about when you first met up with them? Did you feel under pressure? “I first spoke to Gee at Bringewood – he came to say hello and we had a chat. It was pretty chilled. I wasn’t intimidated or anything when I met any of them. They’re the same people as the rest of us, they’re just put on a higher pedestal. They’re just so enthusiastic – they’re all a bunch of kids”. Lloydy chips in here. “My only worry was that he’d go off to his first World Cup and come back and his head will be absolutely fuckin massive. But I don’t think you’re like that, are you Tay? Besides, your dad would kick your ass anyway!” One thing that was obvious throughout the last year was that it wouldn’t just be a big step for Tay … but a big step for the family that has supported him since day one. I asked Jason about having to get used to not being a part of Tay’s racing campaign. So Jase, how do you feel knowing that the setup is going to change? Jason: “I was a bit worried to start with about being on the outside looking in. Me and Browny (Dan Brown) have got a plan though – like a sort of a ‘comfort blanket’. I’m going to stick about to start with and we’re not going to change things too drastically too quickly. I’ll still be there at the top of the hill and at the World Cups. Browny is really fair like that, he always asks Tay’s opinion on things. I’ll be disappointed when I’m nothing to do with it, but that’s all part of it aint it?” Separate again to our interview I asked Dan Brown about the pressure on Tay of stepping up to such a big team. Dan Brown: “He's taking it all in his stride. The media onslaught was pretty hectic from the off but I think we managed that well and made sure Tay wasn't overdoing it. We're working on a few things to ease him into racing under the team, I know there will be a lot of expectations of him but we'll be happy if he just gives it his all and learns from the rest of the riders, he's certainly doing that already so I am sure the boy is going to go far. One thing I am trying to install in him is to not to worry too much on his riding style, so many riders these days worry too much what they look like on the bike they forget they are there to race, luckily for him and us he is naturally stylish so he can hold it flat out and still look good!”

ISSUE 20

2013

The man, the myth, Tom Lloyd.

Our shoot finished on the top of a cold, windy hill above Cwm Carn. Milky needed to get some portrait shots of Tay and the scenery was ‘the ticket’ according to Tay. It was freezing but Tay got stuck in – diligently checking that his logos were clearly visible on his kit and that he had the right gloves or goggles or race kit on. “I’ve got to rep the sponsors aint I butt?! I’m a professional!” I ask Tay one last question as we leave, which hits the nail on the head to answer my question of why people seem so excited to get Tay on their team. So what do you think the Atherton’s can learn from you mate? Tay: “From me?! Fuck knows! They aint going to learn anything from me are they butt?! Oh I dunno – I suppose they might just like to have someone young on the team and have a fresh face to be with them?” That sums it up for me. He’s young and he’s excited and he loves riding his bike … but he’s not cheeky or spoilt or undeserving. And he doesn’t seem to be expecting anything. He’s just a nice kid with bags of talent who’s fun to be around. If you’re interested – Dan Brown reckons Tay is going to school the lot of them on their MX bikes! Good luck for 2013 Tay! Massive thanks to Milky, Taylor, Jason and Rach, Lloydy and Dan Brown for making this interview happen. As we go to print Tay has just won his first British National on his new team.

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

The Taylor Vernon Show

SPRING

2013

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

ISSUE 20

Let's Go! Chris Roberts

SPRING

LET’S GO! CHRIS ROBERTS 4X NATIONAL SERIES AND PRO TOUR ORGANISER INTERVIEW: DAVE THOMASON PHOTO: CHRIS RATFORD So Chris, can you give us a quick intro to who you are?

There’s been a lot of focus on 4X since the split from the World

Dad to Dave, Scott and Emma and I organise all sorts of mountain bike

Cup. How do you think the Pro Tour went last year – were the rider

races. It just sort of happened really. I had been racing mostly XC races

numbers as you expected?

and downhill had only just started to be popular. We had a 4x4 track and

Fantastic response from media and riders and the numbers were good.

a forest nearby where we live so we just started doing a few local races

It was a bit of an unknown what would happen but we knew there were

on Wednesday nights and it sort of grew from there really.

people who wanted it to continue so we had to make it happen. The big thing for the Pro Tour was all the different organisers in each country

How long have you been actually been organising 4X races for?

who wanted a race and could see the value the Pro Tour adds to the

We did the first National 4X series race at Apex Motocross track way

weekend.

back in April 2003. Steve Peat won it from memory with a whole load of other now famous names racing.

You said when you started organising the Pro Tour that you were going to look at bringing different tracks to 4X – like urban events.

With all the organising you do – national, euro and world 4X, plus

Is this still your aim?

DH and Enduro - do you ever get time to ride a bike yourself? What

Yes we still want to see new tracks in the series. We have a new Czech

kind of riding do you like to do?

track that Tomas Slavik has designed which looks amazing. It’s got a

Not really. I am always doing something or other for the next race or

bit of everything - big jumps, rock garden, off piste through some trees

am actually at a race, but I always try to get to Redhill Extreme on a

and the perfect set up in a ski resort with drag lifts etc. You can expect

Wednesday evening in the summer. The last few months with the mini

fireworks at this track! We are still looking for the perfect place for an

enduro have changed all that, now I need to go out and ride some trails

urban race. There are a lot of things to get right and it’s been quite

which is fun but most of my riding is done in the winter.

tough to get what we want with the right mix of features for the track and the build. It won’t happen in 2013 but fingers crossed for next year.

ISSUE 20

2013

The Pro Tour is only European based at the moment. What are your

in the UK is looking better now than ever with the new track in Falmouth

plans to go global with it – are there such plans?

and over in Germany they have 20 4X races planned for this year!

Yes we get enquiries every month from different countries. In America we have had 5 different people looking at doing a race. We are open to

And finally…what are you most looking forward to this year?

where the series will travel to but it’s got to be sustainable for the future

Dry races and meeting up again with some really great people across

of the sport.

Europe who love racing bikes and having a good time.

Talking of UK nationals, who do you reckon will be the British rider

For more from Chris check out www.nakedracing.com and

to watch this season - both in the nationals and at the Pro Tour?

www.4xprotour.com

Well things are starting to change this year. Scott Beaumont and I both sit on the British Cycling Gravity Commission and working with the commission we are helping to work towards a more structured approach to selection for World Championships. The idea is to give training advice etc to selected riders already racing in Elite but to also look forward and select junior riders who have the most potential to win a medal in the future. This is all under the guidance of Will Longden who is the manager of the British mountain bike gravity team. We believe the riders will get a real benefit from being part of the program and they really need to grasp it with both hands to make the most of it. This program will also have the added benefit of giving some of the other riders something to aspire to and they will want to get on it next year. I think the future for 4X riders WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

Let's GO! Simon Paton

LET’S GO! SIMON PATON

SPRING National Champs as a one off event, rather than diluting it into the National Series. That decision didn’t go down well with me and a few other people. To be brutally honest, it’s the best decision they ever made. I took it as a personal attack and came out of my corner fighting, both fists up, Smethwick style. Don’t go head to head with someone with small man syndrome who lived in council flats as a kid and then roamed

BRITISH DOWNHILL SERIES ORGANISER INTERVIEW: JAMIE EDWARDS PHOTO: JACOB GIBBINS

the streets skateboarding – you’re asking for trouble. We’ve delivered some absolute ground shaking knock-out blows for the BDS with Extreme/Freecaster streaming the BDS live, the Facebook page receiving over 100k views a week and with close to 10k likes and Twitter’s not far behind with over 6k followers. Just wait till Sam Hill, Greg Minnaar and Aaron Gwin turn up, it’s going be Armageddon. How did 2012 BDS go from your perspective? What did you do that you looked at and thought “Yep, I’m really pleased that we pulled that off, good job”? Every event ran well, the UCI reports were glowing and again no major incidents regards riders injured. We have the best safety record as a DH race organiser within BC for the last 7 years. The Commissaires get the technical document prior to each race so there are no surprises. We walk the course with them on Friday afternoon, there is an abundance of marshals, trees are padded and we spend a lot of time moving stuff from the side of the track so you don’t land on it. Ways to improve would include better uplifts at Combe Sydenham and Llangollen. The uplift road at Combe was re-graded mid March but as I write we’ve just had snow! A smooth road means tractors go faster. Llangollen, Martin Sands works tirelessly on that and we will improve on that each year. … And was there anything you think “Damn, that could have been better” or “I wish I’d done that”? Punched everyone in the face that chucks their litter on the floor. That’s

Afternoon Si – I hear there are some big changes at your end for 2013. What’s new with you and the BDS team? The big announcement is that Saracen are going to sponsor the British Downhill Series this year. Also - after three fantastic years working with Dave Franciosy, due to health and family life reasons Dave has moved onto the BMX scene to help Identiti promote their BMX product range. He will be hugely missed, Dave has taught me to be honest and speak my mind. No pussy footing about anymore, say it how it is! Jed Freeman is my new right hand man and is solely focused on the technical side of the BDS. He is responsible for live streaming, the BDS website www.gravity- racing.co.uk as well as a few more nice ideas that will develop over the year to give the riders and spectators a warm fuzzy feeling. I’ve worked hard and I’m now lucky enough to be in a position to work full time on the series and be totally dedicated to the cause, ensuring great customer service with rapid response times to any enquiry. No National Champs on your ‘to do’ list this year I see. Was that something you had a choice in or was it BC’s decision? How does it feel to not be doing that big event? Borderline Events and myself both tendered for the event. Borderline won the bid as BC felt they could do a better job of promoting the

the feeling I get when picking up litter on a Sunday evening from the camping field. Parking! We will have parking attendants at each round but again there are problems when riders land at 2am. We will have better instructions on the website to help guide you in. So what are the big, exciting new things that we’ll see at the BDS in 2013? It looks like you’ve had a big push on pro riders and media? Anything else? On my travels to the likes of Crankworx, Interbike and Eurobike I’ve been networking! Plus clever things like using Facebook and messaging every rider that raced a World Cup last year with a personal mail asking them to come to the BDS, listing the schedule etc. It only took a few days but look at the results, nearly every rider in the top 20 UCI rankings is coming to at least one BDS. The media is so important; we are offering them a press office, power, tinternet connection, refreshments and more importantly great content for their publications. There seems to always be a lot of chat about the cost of running BDS events vs the entry fees. Can you give us an idea of what an event costs and what people’s entry fees go towards? Is running a BDS series an easy way to get rich and live easy?! Always a great question. When you work out that most uplifts are between £25-30 a day (£60 a weekend) that should mean a BDS would

ISSUE 20

2013 cost £125 per entry when you consider how much it costs to put a BDS on. Land hire, uplift, toilets, skips, crowd barriers, BDS set-up team, commentator, media manager/photographer, marshals, marshals food, course maintenance, organisers travel costs, organisers accommodation, BDS Team food bill, UCI/BC Commissaires, timing, medics, prize money, UCI registration fees, BC insurance, number boards, foam for bikes on uplift, zip ties, bin bags… Then add on another big chunk for champagne, marshals whistles, hi-viz tops, branding for the event, road signs, marquee pegs, ratchet straps, folders, torches, outdoor lights, generators, podiums, hot seat, back drop for podiums, posters to be printed and distributed, mobile phone bills, phones, laptops, printers, stationary, marshal flags, wind sock etc. Then visits to bike trade shows abroad and in the UK, pre-site visits to venues for course digging and layout. Back after the event to repair damage. Then add Jed’s time and expertise and a few pennies for me and you’re well over £30k per round. I see that spectators are now paying to attend after a few years of you guys quite proudly allowing free spectating. What brought that change about? All of the above! Everybody has put their prices up, and we haven’t for the last 4years. With all the top boys and girls racing now we have more spectators and that means additional charges for race organisers, additional hire of fields, skips and toilets plus more litter pickers and stewards. We could of course charge the riders but we would rather charge the spectators. It’s a formula that’s worked well for over 100 years in football; you don’t expect David Beckham to pay to play do you? If every spectator paid £10.00 to come and watch you, you could all race for free. Think about that. Despite everyone’s claims that downhill is dying – it looks like entry numbers have stayed pretty steady at the BDS in the last 3 years. People obviously want to race downhill. Do you feel like it’s getting any harder to get people to race downhill or race the BDS? Only two years ago the series sold out in two days. Race fees have stayed the same yet travel, accommodation and bikes and their kit have significantly increased in price. It’s hard to enter the BDS; you need BC points and a race license, if we had an open category we would have sold out in one day! But why would you want an open category at the Nationals? That should never be allowed should it? I set the rule myself

Let’s talk about some riders. Simmonds won last year overall, Bony in 2011, Brayton gave Simmonds a run for his money in 2012. Who do you think the smart money is on for the overall title in 2013? I’d always like to see a different rider each year take the title and especially one on flat pedals. Does that mean Adam Brayton? Taylor Vernon seemed to be “the one to watch” in 2012. What other young talents are standing out for you at the moment. Who do you think is going to surprise us this year? Always look at the juveniles and who is miles apart from the rest of the field. Just make sure they are not 8ft tall because that’s a false bet come later in life. Let’s answer that in September as there is a wealth of young guns attacking the BDS this year. Last one – what else do we need to know? What is going to be awesome about the 2013 BDS and why should people come and race or watch it?! The BDS is the best National race series in the world. The UK riders are the most determined and they know I do the best job for them and pick the best lines down that track! They will also get the most coverage from these events with the amount of publicity on hand. The spectators need rewarding for their efforts for attending and getting their boots muddy.

that you needed a BC license to race the series. This set a higher level of expectation and standards although it dented the wallet for the first few years. It’s now paid off and we’re reaping the rewards of a race series that isn’t full of weapons.

For more: www.facebook.com/BritishDownhillSeries and www.gravity-racing.co.uk/

Is DH dying? It’s still the Formula 1 of the MTB disciplines. We all know downhillers don’t die, they go and race enduro. Joking aside, Enduro is what most people ride, myself included but if you’ve got a big pair of balls you also race DH don’t you! Can you tell us how many riders are signed up for this year? Each round has over 330 riders with Fort William at 360 riders and counting.

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

Let's GO! Simon Paton

SPRING

LET’S GO! STEVE PARR UK GRAVITY ENDURO ORGANISER INTERVIEW: JAMIE EDWARDS PHOTO: DUNCAN PHILPOTT / JAMES TENNANT Hey Steve – Can you remind the good people who you are and what you do? Hey Jamie, yeah I’ll probably have to remind some of the younger DH racers who haven’t come across me since I moved over to Gravity Enduro. I'm a 46 year old trapped inside a juvenile delinquents body that has somehow got the task of running the UK Gravity Enduro series along with co-organiser Charlie Williams. It’s our 3rd year and its gone bloody mental! Nearly 1,000 entries sold on day 1 and rounds 1, 2 & 3 are sold out with reserve lists. Big thanks to all the riders for putting their faith in us to deliver another outstanding series. Before this I ran the National DH series for 3 years with Si Paton, up until the end of 2009. Are you still working the day job alongside the race organising these days? Yeah I still have a day job, only 3 days a week though. I also have my

as well, we talked at length and I got persuaded to come back. I must

distribution company, SPS Distribution; we have MDE, Ancillotti and

be bloody crazy, but GE is so good and the people involved in it are

Shaman Racing as brands. That’s as well as organising the Enduro and

amazing. Round 1 went with a bang, albeit a bloody frozen one. Other

trying to help any organisers looking to get into GE.

than one moaning git, everyone got on with racing, with amazing timing courtesy of Chris Roberts and his TAG system.

Didn’t you retire last year?! That obviously didn’t last long - you were back in the captain’s chair after about 24 hours! Can you give

I get the impression that it’s been pretty tough getting the series

us an idea of how you were feeling at the end of the season and

off the ground since day 1 and to the point it’s at now. What have

what made you feel like you should throw in the towel?

been the big hurdles over the last couple of years?

I can't put into words how bad I felt when we got let down by our title

Hurdles, what are those? They’re bloody tiny compared to running 5

sponsor - all that work for nowt, I was totally gutted. Adrian Bradley

stages in a day, getting all the riders and staff to come together at the

felt the same as well; he was co-organiser in 2012. When I made the

right time and not lose my sanity.

announcement, the public outcry was, well, a bit of a shock I’ve got to tell

There have been a few issues along the way but none that can't be

you. I wouldn't have been able to ride anywhere in the UK without being

sorted with a bit of thought. I think the series is in a good place right

mobbed! Truly humbled by peoples outpouring about how the series

now, there are some great sponsors onboard for 2013 and we have

and myself had become part of their lives and how many new friends

started talks for 2014 with some of them already. The media machine is

have been made through it. The series has pretty much taken over my

starting to gather pace also, something we haven't focused on till now -

life now. I am away 20 weekends of every year sorting and tweaking

you have to have a quality product before you go singing its praises :-)

venues so the riders get the most from the stages and series. It really feels like this year enduro is much more in people’s minds You’re obviously back at the helm now – what brought you back?

and people are generally more excited about it. Is that your

How are you feeling now you’ve got your first event of the year in

experience? Has it been easier to get the sponsors and the race

the bag?

entries? Is the industry generally warming up to enduro racing this

There were a few things that brought me back, the public outcry for a

year more than before?

start. Then Charlie and Chris Roberts got in touch and some sponsors

Our catchphrase is "The future’s bright, the future’s Gravity Enduro".

ISSUE 20

2013 Talk to me about the UCI and British Cycling. Are they giving you the support that you’d like to bring a national standard enduro race series to the UK..? I don't really know what’s going on at the UCI; I hope they come onboard at some point but who knows? British Cycling’s coordinator is Roger Wilbraham, who is a 4x racer himself. I can only say good things about the support from him and all the commissaires who attend our races, but BC is still trying to understand fully about Gravity Enduro. It’s a whole new discipline to them and us, hell, we’re still learning! Give it 3-5 years and the discipline will surpass DH and XC for numbers, I will take bets on that as well. We better talk about timing – that seems to be the big struggling point with enduro racing. How did you feel last year when you saw the timing not working and riders getting pissed off? What have you guys done this season to sharpen up that aspect of the races? Timing was a big issue in 2012, not the equipment but the staff. 2013 will see Chris Roberts, 4x World Series main man, doing the timing using a TAG Heuer system. It’s the same as BDS and Pearce, only with five starts and finishes instead of just one. The system uses light beams top and bottom and in theory it should be the most accurate anywhere in the world.

I'm looking forward to round 4 at Dyfi again; we truly shocked pretty much everyone in 2012 with this one. Speeds in excess of 40 mph on stages on loose shale and grass, but the riders stepped up their game

And how did it work at Afan? Did it go smoothly and all the timing

big time there. I think it really showed that UK riders are starting to get

work well? Were you happy with round 1?

enduro :-)

Out of 1500 times recorded at Afan there was only one mistake, a 6 was keyed in as 9 :-). Each round is different to the next; round 1 was the

Talk to me about riders. Who are your favourite riders on the UK

fitness test for 2013 - pedally without too much height drop, round 2 is

enduro circuit this year? Who’s really making you laugh, scaring

totally different. Charlie and I were very happy with round 1 considering

you, impressing you, making you think ‘holy shit’?

the weather; we couldn't have been at a better venue. We couldn't care

You've got to say Neil Donohue for skill and impressing, but there are

about the odd moaning bastard, 90%+ were happy as a pig in shit :-)

some real good guys coming through: Sam Flanagan, Ralph Jones, Mark Scott, Joe Buck and the Rafferty bro's to name a few. There are also a

So what else is new for this year? I see Big Bud has moved on – what

few that you always get a laugh with: Rob “Box” Cooksley, Dave Heath

else has changed with the setup for this season?

(Harry's Dad), Richy Lewis, Mathew Mansell (crash test dummy), Matt

Yeah Bud has got himself a nice managers job at Arthurs Stinky Dog

Snelling - I could go on, the list is massive.

(alright for some). Charlie Williams has stepped up to the plate to take

That’s the thing with enduro, there are no massive egos, it is just

over his role. Charlie is a seasoned enduro racer; he actually came up

riders getting out and doing what they love, racing down trails with their

with the name "Gravity Enduro" in 2011. He also has a keen eye for

mates.

short cuts on stages. Another thing that has been brought back in is our stage checks on

Random one to finish – if you had all the money in the world– how

Sunday morning. Charlie and I get uplifted early doors on Sunday to ride

would you do your race series?!

all stages and check for any tampering and missing tape etc..... so be

What race series? I'd be in the sun somewhere drinking beer!

warned you cheats :-) For more: www.ukgravityenduro.com/ Everyone seems pretty excited about the more technical races– Innerleithen seems to be the one everyone’s talking about. What have you got lined up for future rounds? Which one are you looking forward to the most and why? Oh Inners, it’s every GE racers dream or nightmare, dependent on skill level. You can be truly over the moon on one stage and then totally deflated on the next. It’s got everything there, some of the most techy trails you will ever ride down to flat out jumpy man made stuff. And it’s got some amazing pubs and characters in the town just a 5 minute walk away. WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PRODUCT REVIEW / Saracen Myst Pro

SPRING

SARACEN MYST PRO Ridiculous as it sounds – I don’t always get that fired up at the prospect

it a really solid ‘suitable-for-anyone’ privateer vibe. It feels like a bike that

of testing downhill bikes. Despite how amazingly fun they are to ride

I don’t need to justify to myself or to anyone else – it’s a solid, downhill

I’ll usually do my best to dodge them and send them on to someone

bike that’s meant to be ridden, raced, thrashed and worked hard... not

with bigger balls and a bigger race CV than I do. Or give them to the

polished, pampered and tweaked. It’s not super expensive and it’s not

squid, cos he’s a gnarly bastard. I’m not afraid to admit that how hard

super high tech, or made out of plastic or got funny sized wheels. It’ll

you need to ride to really, really understand a downhill bike is a bit

work for a privateer that’s racing Pearce Cycles regionals out of the

beyond my level. I’m not totally useless, I can get down everything but

back of their car, or a top-level World Cup racer like Sam Dale or Manon

the wildest of trails and have a good time doing it … but I’m not hitting

Carpenter… or for someone that has no interest in even entering a race.

anything flat out and I’m not upsetting any race results. I’m also shit at

Sure, that’s no comment on the bike’s ability to handle rough terrain or

decent sized jumps. Despite everything that I’ve just said, the Saracen

win races but I think that when you spend a big chunk of cash on a bike,

Myst feels different. Let me explain…

it needs to ‘feel right’. For me, the Myst feels like the sort of DH bike I

When the Myst turned up, the simplicity of the bike, the ‘sensible’ componentry and the ‘born at the British Downhill Series’ pedigree gave

would buy as someone who isn’t actually an aspiring World Cup racer. Our bike is the 2012 ‘Pro’ model with a few slight tweaks. It is about

Saracen Myst Pro / PRODUCT REVIEW

2013

an annoying habit of going almost to the bar on the first pull and then

PHOTO: SZYMON NIEBORAK / DELAYEDPLEASURE.COM RIDER: HARRY STEELE / @HARRYSTEELEMTB

pumping up immediately on the second and third pull and then feeling normal. This means you find yourself having to pump your brakes coming into technical sections which is a pain. The Zee rear hub has also developed a bit of play … but that’s no biggy considering the rough terrain it’s been through. The Boxxer RC is a great budget gravity fork – but its limits appear quickly when you get it into big, tough and steep terrain. That’s an observation rather than a fault with the fork though. It does what it says it will – but no more. The paint could also be a bit sturdier. My bike’s paint-job is doing ok but I’ve got two buddies with Mysts – both of which are definitely looking nailed. But despite my grumbles I have actually had a flipping great time on this bike. I’ve had a week of amazing riding in Spain with our RoostDH buddies and heaps of DIY uplifts in South Wales and the South West, even an all-mountain uplift down on Exmoor which was a great test for the bike’s pedalling ability. Sat here with plenty of riding in the tank and my confidence running pretty high I’m happy to have the Myst in my stable. It’s required virtually zero maintenance and I’ve enjoyed seeing the bike help me boost my confidence and ride steeper terrain and even some bigger jumps. I have found the Boxxer RC’s limits on steep terrain and seem to be battling between getting the compression firm enough that you don’t get bucked forward in steep switchbacks … but still soft enough for the rest of the trail. Generally though – it’s a decent enough fork that is still feeling nice and plush after a good few months of riding. The Fox RC doesn’t need vast amounts of introduction. It’s simple, it does the job and I’d argue that with a decent tune and a bit of setup time you’d be hard pushed to need a vast amount more. It did seem to benefit from a slightly faster rebound than the other bikes I’ve ridden recently – but you can work that out for yourself. Digging deeper into the bike you’ve got a reassuringly large, solid main pivot that is holding up really well on our bike so far. Most of all though I think the size and the shape of the bike is what I’ve got on with. For me, it felt comfy from the first ride and didn’t take any getting used to or working out ... meaning I could get on with having fun and getting more confident straight away. Our demo bike is a medium (there’s also a large available which would suit anyone 6ft and over) and sports a 585mm top tube, 1181mm wheel base and 435mm chain stay. The numbers put it pretty much in the middle for a downhill bike – it’s shorter than a Nukeproof Pulse, but about the same as a Specialized Demo.

to be replaced by a flashy new 2013 bike with a new paint job and most excitingly a carbon swing arm. Other than that, the bikes are pretty similar and you should still be able to get your hands on a 2012 bike in your local bike shop. Our version is equipped with a full Shimano Zee affordable gravity groupset – the highlights being the ‘Shadow RD’ equipped clutch rear mech and the solid and no-hassle two-piece chain set. Suspension is taken care of by a Fox RC rear shock and a Boxxer Race. Wheels are built around Zee hubs with Conti Kaiser rubber. The wide Kore bar and direct mount stem also felt good. The total package will cost you and your credit card somewhere around £2500 (or £3,000 if

On the trail I reckon that gives the Myst a good blend of feeling stable and planted – without losing a bit of playfulness. I can chuck it around, hop over gaps and get it where I want it to be which makes it feel fast and fun. I think that’s the heart of the Myst – it just does what it does and it does it pretty well. It’s clean, it’s simple and it doesn’t do anything too wild or showy. It just eats bumps, rails turns and is fine to throw around. If that sounds like the sort of bike you might like … then you’d do a lot worse than a Saracen Myst.

www.saracen.co.uk

you get the new version with the updated swing arm). First – the things I didn’t quite get on with on the bike. The Zee brakes needed bleeding from the get-go and haven’t improved since. They have

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PRODUCT REVIEW / Platypus Tokul XC5

PLATYPUS TOKUL XC5 “Oh – they make bags as well as bladders now do they?” My buddies seemed pleasantly surprised to see the new Platypus 5 litre pack when I first took it out on a ride. Given the fact that they’re relatively new to the art of mountain bike packs, Platypus have done a great job of crafting a light, comfortable, stylish way to transport your junk and your water on the trails. The XC5 comes with a 2 litre bladder and a modest 3 litres of storage space – making it a great size for those rides that don’t require loads of supplies. There’s just enough room for the basics like a small jacket, a tube or a pump and there are small loops on the outside to attach your helmet to. The space inside includes a fabric ‘sheath’ to keep your pump held in place and a few mesh pouches to keep things organised. I like the size of the Tokul – it’s just enough to keep me watered and covered for basic mechanicals but not so big that it gets in the way or feels bulky when I’m riding. My only minor gripe is that the bag tapers towards the bottom. Whilst this keeps everything tightly packed and free from rattling about it can make packing and unpacking in a rush a bit of a hassle. No biggy though. The bladder has obviously had some thought put into it – it’s held in place inside the pack with two wee toggles meaning it doesn’t slosh about and sports a wide, zip-lock sealed ‘mouth’ making filling and cleaning really easy. The hose is generously long and is locked securely into the bladder with a clippy valve so you can unclip it from the bladder for easy filling. The bite valve also sports a twist- lock so you won’t get any dribbles mid ride!

Cash money: £69.99 Web: www.cascadedesigns.com/en/platypus The Word: Good effort Platypus – The Tokul looks good, it has plenty of sensible features and it’s a great size for most rides. The price isn’t bad at all either considering the bladder is included. Tested by: Jamie

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gamut p20 / PRODUCT REVIEW

2013

GAMUT P20 I’ve been running the new Gamut P20 throughout the winter and subjecting it to all the cold, wet riding that the UK can offer. With plenty of miles put through it I can safely say that I prefer it to the devices that I’ve run in the past or currently run on my other bikes. The Gamut is a light-weight and simple guide that does away with running the chain across a bottom roller and instead has it slide across a simple and easy to maintain rubber O-ring. Protecting the chain and chain ring is a light-weight bash ring which mounts to your cranks and does a good job of fending off blows. The whole thing weighs about 160grammes making it impressively slender and a good choice for trail bikes. One of the Gamut’s best attributes is how well it sheds mud and debris when compared to a guide with a bottom roller. I rode the Gamut back to back with a roller-equipped guide in the recent heavy snow and found that the P20 had way more empty space around the back and that the bash ring shed snow and mud instantly. In heavy mud and grit this means less muck to slow you down and less wear on your chain, which is great. The choice to use a rubber O-ring rather than a bottom roller meant zero maintenance and zero mechanical problems which I’m happy about. I was a bit worried about maintenance, but even after a good few months the O-ring is showing impressively little wear and tear. There’s also a spare supplied in the box though for when it does eventually snap. Despite loads of rocky riding in the Welsh valleys and Mendip hills the P20 is still going strong and looking in great condition - unlike my rims and frame which have taken a fair few dings! I did wonder about lack of a skid plate to protect the lower guide but I’m hardly using it like a trials rider and I think you’d have to be extremely unlucky or heavy handed to damage it. If you regularly smash your BB you may prefer something like an E-13 with a skid-plate but that’s up to you. I’ve really appreciated the P20 based on what it doesn’t have. That being: a jockey wheel to maintain, noise from things rubbing and any excess material. I don’t want any of that and the P20 fits the bill.

Cash money: £99.99 The Word: An impressively light and simple chain device that is hassle and maintenance free. Tested by: Pedal Progression’s Sam Fowler

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PRODUCT REVIEW / Renthal Fatbar Lite / Sweet Protection Bearsuit Knee Pads

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SWEET PROTECTION BEARSUIT KNEE PADS Sweet might not be a name you’ve heard often … but ask anyone who knows kayaking, skiing or snowboarding and they’ll likely sing the Norwegian brand’s praises. Sweet are looking to bring their knowledge across to mountain biking with some fresh, innovative products. The Bearsuit pad is totally new, built from scratch and one I’ve enjoyed riding in 3 times a week since January. Having ridden loads of downhill and singletrack miles in the Bearsuit Pads, I’m pretty impressed at its limpet-like ability to stay put while pedalling and crashing. No annoying pads-round-the-ankles moments and when I have a wobbler they stay where I want. Despite forum grumbling about Sas-Tec, I’ve found the ‘visco elastic’ foam (meaning it gets harder when you bash it) does the job nicely. This security comes from rubbery material inside the pad that grips securely to your skin and stops slipping. The flipside is that the Bearsuit pads aren’t the comfiest or most breathable out there - definitely less comfortable than the Fox or Nukeproof pads. But the impressive stability gives me plenty of confidence and has kept me using them again and

RENTHAL FATBAR LITE The Fatbar Lite has been on my hardtail for about a month now and has steered me safely through some of the filthiest winter riding imaginable. At 740mm it offers plenty of width for trail

again. The sturdiness of the Bearsuit pad is impressive too compared to other pads I’ve tested. After 3 months of pretty heavy riding one pad has a ‘wear and tear’ rip on one seam at the back … but otherwise they’ve shrugged off all the abuse I’ve thrown at them.

riding and I like the handy width-markers that give the option of neat cutting-down should I wish. With Renthal’s moto pedigree and the proven reliability of the ‘big-brother’ Fatbar, I’m feeling safe that they’ll be more than strong enough and will get a whole load of cooing approval from my brand conscious riding buddies. The updated graphics also look great and stand out from the crowd. Of course; the main reason for this new Lite version is to appeal to trail riders, and with a 25% weight saving bringing these down to 270g there’s nothing to stop Renthal bars adorning the lighter bikes in your shed. Whilst the ‘Lite is 40mm narrower than its bigger brother Fatbar, all other dimensions are near identical, which will be welcome news as the original Fatbar was universally well received. With 7 degrees of backsweep and 5 degrees of upsweep, the 10/20/30/40mm rise options should keep everybody happy.

Cash money: £59.99 Web: www.renthalcycling.com/ The word: An excellent trail bar and a welcome little brother to the Fatbar offering the same toughness with a decent weight reduction. Highly recommended. Tested by: Taff

Cash money: £79.99 Web: www.sweetprotection.com The word: A little on the warm side and as a result a bit sweaty but despite that the Bearsuit is a really impressive pad. It stays put, it wards off crashes and it inspires confidence. Generally this is my ‘go to’ kneepad at the moment. Tested by: Jamie

2013

UVEX XP / PRODUCT REVIEW

UVEX XP The XP has been around for a few years but has had a splash of colour for 2013 to give it a freshen up. Don’t believe the lack of hype around Uvex, despite a few less than exciting models in their catalogue the XP is a top quality helmet and comes with loads of smart features at a great price. The shell is a ‘full coverage’ style affair – similar to the Fox Flux or Giro Xen. It feels substantial with plenty of coverage around the back and sides of your head without feeling bulky. The shell features ‘In Mould’ technology – which isn’t unique to Uvex but means that the XP has a light, rigid and bump resistant structure. One word of caution though – the XP is a ‘one size fits all’ set up and fits 55 -60cm heads meaning it’s worth a try in a shop if you’re at either end of those measurements. The XP is impressively light at just 260g, sports 16 sizeable vents and feels super airy and comfortable on the trail. The adjustment is the highlight of the XP with a big, chunky wheel at the back that’s quick and easy to use on the move. The ‘Monomatic Buckle’ means that the strap is fastened with a ratchet strap – offering quick and easy fine-tuning. You can unclick it a few stops if you’re getting a bit warm on a climb and quickly click it back up again when the trail gets rougher. You can also adjust the height of the XP on your head which is a nice touch.

Cash money: £69.99 Web: www.uvex-sports.de The Word: Uvex might not be the most exciting brand in mountain biking – but who cares? The XP is an impressively light, airy and comfortable helmet that offers lots of protection. For the money, it’s a cracking helmet. Tested by: Jamie

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PRODUCT REVIEW / Griptest - Low profile lock-on grips

it right on the bits that you do. A decent set of grips can make the difference between your bike feeling like a pig or like a finely

4 - ODI TROY LEE DESIGNS

it’s important that you get

3 - DEITY LEAN

many points your bike – so

2 - RENTHAL KEVLAR

You don’t touch all that

1 - ODI ‘THE MACHINE’

GRIP TEST

SPRING

tuned trail killer. Here’s a few of our favourite low-profile grips that we’ve ridden so far this year.

1 - ODI ‘THE MACHINE’

2 - RENTHAL KEVLAR

3 - DEITY LEAN

4 - ODI TROY LEE DESIGNS

Maris Stromberg’s signature

Thank goodness Renthal built

The lowest profile in this test

ODI are renowned for producing

grip and ODI’s first signature

their own lock-on grip - the

and perfect if you like your grips

comfortable, reliable grips that

product in 25 years. Despite

‘slip-on’ didn’t bring that sense

super minimal. The Lean is

stay put and don’t mess you

BMX roots ‘The Machine’ is a

of moto-inspired delight. This is

made from a comfortable, soft

about. This collaboration with

great MTB grip – especially if

spot-on, a good ‘middle profile’

compound and features a very

Troy Lee Designs is (we reckon)

you like long, low-profile grips.

grip. Clamping is taken care of

subtle hatched pattern. They’re

one of the best in the range if

At 143mm in length, if you like

via CNC’d collars that lock into

not ideal when conditions get

you’re a fan of lower profile grips.

a roomy cockpit or have big

the body of the grip. There are

muddy but offer a good mix

The grip pattern works well to

hands these could be a good

various options of hardness –

of comfort and grip in the dry.

keep your hands in place even

choice. The grip is impressive

the Kevlar version (Renthal say)

They’re great for summer trail

when it’s wet. It features rows

– helped by a soft compound

offers the best grip, comfort

rides or the pump track. They’re

of small, overlapping ‘blocks’

material, and a pattern of rows

and durability. No complaints

also really comfortable if you

with channels running vertically

of tiny stars and a larger ‘The

so far - the grip is rock solid

ride without gloves and feature

between and is also ‘twisted’

Machine’ logo. Our test pilot

and the compound works in all

a small flange that’s designed to

to offer more security. Subtle

ran these in the wet for a few

conditions. These are on my ‘go

fit around shifters without the

flanges are another nice feature -

weeks with no complaints.

to’ bike at the moment and I

need for trimming.

extra support without feeling like

Cash money: £23.99

won’t be changing soon.

Cash money: £15.99

burly moto grips. And these glow

Cash money: £21.98

Web: deitycomponents.com

in the dark - what’s not to like?!

Web: renthalcycling.com

The Word: Not the grippiest in this

Cash money: £23.99

The Word: With surprisingly

test nor the most durable but we

Web: odigrips.com

effective ‘micro-nobbles’ these

wanted to include them as they’re

The Word: Amazing grips with a

give a solid hold in all conditions.

super comfortable and a great

super grippy and comfortable

The Kevlar offers a slightly fatter

choice for dry and dusty summer

pattern. Not the most low-profile

grip than the likes of ODI without

riding. They’re also a few quid

grip in this test, but a good ‘in

feeling too much like a ‘fat’ grip.

cheaper than the ODI and Renthal

between’ - plenty of grip without

offerings.

feeling too chunky.

Web: odigrips.com The Word: An excellent lowprofile grip – especially if you want a bit more room on your bars. We like the added width on these ones.

2013

TSG Staten Full Face Helmet / PRODUCT REVIEW

TSG STATEN FULL FACE HELMET Everybody loves getting a quality product for a reasonable price, right? Well the TSG Staten delivers just that. Yes, if you were to compare the Staten to a top end, top price helmet you might find it slightly lacking … but for £100 it’s a great looking and comfortable full face. Compare this 2013 model with its predecessor and you may be thinking ‘what changed?’. Well, for one the graphics have had a facelift thanks to rider and designer Jonas Janssen. The main changes to the Staten have happened on the inside however – the most obvious being redesigned cheek pads. When testing I found them to be super comfortable, almost hugging your face. Around the helmet you also have 11 vents to keep the air flowing through and to keep you nice and cool. The pads are removable and washable allowing you to avoid having a smelly helmet on the hill. Not as important but making life easier, the 2013 Staten has dropped the D-buckle for a simple snap buckle chin-strap with extra padding around the strap for comfort. Being fairly lightweight weighing in at 1000g there is always the added option of the carbon model priced at £199 which weighs 60g’s less at 940g. Is the 60g difference worth an extra £100? Personally I’m not so sure. In terms of safety – I can’t vouch for the Staten just yet as I’ve (thankfully!) not had a hard crash in it. It certainly feels secure and solid on my head but I have noticed that there’s a fair bit of flex in the chin guard which doesn’t inspire confidence. In fact, I’ve noticed that some fine cracks have appeared in the paint by the mouth-vents, presumably as a result of flexing. I’ll let you be the judge but I suspect that may put off the riders that feel they need a really tough helmet.

Cash money: £99.99 Web: www.ridetsg.com The word: TSG might not be the first name you think of when considering a full face helmet but I would definitely recommend giving them a try if you’re budget is tight. The Staten gives great quality for such a cracking price, which couldn’t be said for a few others on the market in the same price bracket. Tested by: JamesW

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PRODUCT REVIEW / TSG Staten Full Face Helmet

ONE ATOM HELMET One’s DOT certified Atom helmet is full of surprises - none more so than the £100 price tag. After a week of riding the Atom down gnarly Spanish trails I couldn’t believe it wasn’t more expensive. The Atom feels solid in the hand and on the head. The cheek pads are snug but not too tight and the lining inside is very comfortable. I normally run a Troy Lee D2 which I consider to be comfortable and well fitting. The Atom feels no less comfortable and is an equally great fit. The mouth vent looked a little small at first but it sits far enough off the face that getting air in during long downhill runs isn’t a problem. The large goggle aperture adds to a very open feeling with great peripheral vision, and my Blur goggles fit brilliantly. The MX pedigree of the Atom means that it lacks the venting you’d see on a lighter mountain bike specific helmet but even under the hot Spanish sun I wasn’t overly sweaty and I appreciated the added confidence. You may want to consider the venting and weight if you’re planning on using the Atom for anything other than top to bottom downhill style riding. My main impression is that it feels incredibly solid. Sure, it’s a bit heavier and bulkier than a mountain bike specific lid but the payoff is that it feels very solid and secure, helped by good padding and a solid D-ring buckle. The shell is impressively tough, my head has taken a few slams whilst wearing the Atom, one in particular that I thought was really going to hurt, but I just got straight back up and shook it off. My only grumble about the Atom is the innerlining is a bit tight to remove when it starts to smell like wet-dog. But that’s no big issue.

Cash Money: £100 Web: www.oneindustries.com The Word: Not the lightest or the coolest helmet out there but it feels ultra-solid and the DOT certification gives loads of confidence. For the money this is a really good helmet. Tested by: Wideopenmag test-pilot Jay Robinson

SPRING

2013

HOPE F20 PEDAL It’s fair to say that the F20 pedal was received with the same excitement that all new Hope products enjoy – that is, flippin’ loads. Hope are proud to admit that they took something like two years to get the pedal ready to sell and took great delight in teasing us with it all the way through the process. Finally though, the F20 is here and features – you guessed it – 20 pins, T6 aluminium platform, 3 cartridge bearings and one Norglide bush per pedal as well as being fully CNC’d in the UK. If you’re interested, Norglide is the self-proclaimed world leader for bearing production and also (presumably in a separate department!) claims to insulate a third of all of Europe’s homes! Back to the F20 pedal, sorry. The quality of construction is the first thing that jumps out at you, the F20 just feels good. The pedal is solid, it’s smooth and it’s tough. Everything has been precisely machined and while there is no excessive fat anywhere to be seen, there’s enough material to offer a solid platform. The total weight per pair clocks in at around 400gms which is very respectable for a solid flat pedal. Stomp your foot onto the F20 and you’ll get a safe, reassuring feeling that does nothing to discourage rowdiness. Attention to detail is what will stand the F20 out from the

TSG Staten Full Face Helmet / PRODUCT REVIEW

however (as you can see from the photo) could be improved. Whilst it isn’t getting any worse, the anodizing quickly looked worn and tatty after just a couple of rides. It’s disappointing given the quality of the rest of the construction. Grip is where I feel the F20 warrants a bit of discussion. The solid, reassuring feel of the F20 adds loads of confidence and the grooved platform is also a nice, albeit subtle, touch. My feet are a modest size 9 and they seem to offer an amply sized platform – which was also confirmed by my size 11 clowned-footed test pilot who borrowed the F20’s for a few runs. I’m not fully convinced however that the F20 offers the most grip out there. Despite Hope’s claim that the F20 is “in the average for concavity” any concaving really is very subtle and isn’t obvious to the eye or the foot. I don’t think the F20 is a bad pedal at all – I just don’t feel that my feet are locked in to it quite as securely as I have experienced elsewhere. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though and switching between my older, grippier pedals I did notice that I was struggling to reposition my foot in the way I’d become accustomed to on the Hopes. I wouldn’t be put off by this but do consider it if you don’t ride in shoes with sticky rubber soles or you liked to be super locked-in.

crowd and justify spending the extra cash over one of the usual rebranded offerings that flood the internet. The first winner is that the pins are screwed into the pedal body via the underside. That

Cash money: £120

means that pedal mashing won’t affect your ability to remove or

Web: www.hopetech.com

replace pins. All pedals should do this. The body of the pedal is

The Word: Incredibly good quality pedals with great attention to

also machined with a ‘grooved’ pattern to add extra friction and

detail … but not the grippiest we’ve ever ridden. Teamed up with sticky

contribute to grip which is a nice extra feature. Fitting and removal

rubber soles they work well, but not perfect with a ‘normal’ shoe or if

of the F20 is done via allen key with no pedal spanner option

you like loads of grip.

– presumably to save weight, again no complaints. The finish

Tested by: Jamie

WIDEOPENMAG.CO.UK

PARTING SHOT: THE ATHERTONS AT ROUND 1 OF THE SARACEN BRITISH DOWNHILL SERIES. It’s fair to say that the Athertons have mixed luck. On any given day they can absolutely destroy the competition, proven by their multiple World Cup and World Champs titles. Equally – as with any team and any rider – injuries, bad luck and mechanicals have peppered their careers with plenty of frustrating ‘what could have been’ moments. Round 1 of the Saracen British Downhill Series however was a hell of a race for the Athertons. Despite filthy conditions they destroyed the field with wins for Gee, Rachel and the newest member of the family, Taylor Vernon. To say Team Manager Dan Brown looked happy would be an understatement! With team mate Marc Beaumont scoring a 3rd at Combe Sydenham and brother Dan winning the UK Gravity Enduro a few weeks earlier things are certainly looking pretty bloody good for Atherton Racing. Good luck for the rest of the season guys! In this photo from left. Gee, Taylor Vernon and Rachel. Dad Atherton spotted in the background. Photo by Jacob Gibbins.

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