When it comes to feet, mine run cold and I’m always searching for the perfect solution to keeping my toes comfortable when the temperatures drop to single or minus figures. So it was either very brave or very foolish for Northwave to take up the challenge with their Celsius Arctic GTX shoes. Warning: there’s a lot of acronyms and product names in this review, such is the current fashion in the bike industry. Still, “Celsius Arctic GTX” does on the face of it sound impressively warm doesn’t it? Luckily the period of riding in these coincided with the UK weather reverting to normal with a named storm, torrential rain, floods that then turned into a cold snap of windscreen scraping mornings and crunchy puddles, so all in all perfect test conditions!
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX the clean unworn edition
Ok, lets get some of the jargon and acronyms out of the way first, the Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX boots are advertised as having a “Cirrus XT 4L membrane made by Gore-Tex” for waterproofness and breathability, 200g recycled “Primaloft Gold thermal padding” inside and a “4 layer Arctic insole”. More of a shoe with a neoprene cuff than a boot they close using a “X-Dial SLW3” (think Boa but with a quick release lever) and a zip up the inside of the cuff. The sole has an aggressive looking “Jaws Evo sole” tread, with a SPD cleat pocket and the provision of fitting football boot studs at the toe for added traction if you are fit/mad enough to run with your bike on a cyclocross race.
Enough of the jargon, what are they like to wear? Well i asked for a size larger than my normal summer shoe size as I intended to run thicker or waterproof socks with them and Northwave agreed that was a good idea. With a thicker sock on my feet I attempted to put them on for the first time. There’s definately a knack to it. Inside the shoe are two red straps to aid pulling them on and they are needed. It was a bit of a wrestle to be honest and i was instantly worried I needed an even bigger size. However once on and my socks straightened by wiggling my feet in the shoe they felt totally the right size and i had plenty of toe wiggle room. Infact they are sort of T.A.R.D.I.S like as they seem bigger when on than when putting on if that makes sense?
Once on and the dial turned to snug the front of the shoe down and the zip done up they feel really comfortable, there’s loads of adjustment with the X-Dial and the neoprene like cuff fits well around the ankle and allows unhindered ankle joint articulation. So no resistance to pedalling.
the sole has a very generous amount of cleat adjustment, I’d go as far as saying the most I’ve experienced on any clip in shoe. I set it as far back as it could go thinking the shoes were like most others and soon realised I had to move the cleat back towards the toe which is unheard of in my experience! The sole is aggressive and there’s lots of grip even without the toe studs for hike a bike sections. The close spaced knobs will get clogged with clay and leaves (your soil conditions may be different) but a quick bang on the pedals soon clears them though. Taking of walking, the sole has just the right amount of flex for trotting up muddy trails and lets face it more importantly they won’t make you look like a penguin when walking up to the counter in your favourite coffee/cake/chip shop/pub. Despite this flex there is plenty of stiffness at the cleat for efficient pedalling.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX test conditions
Are they waterproof then? the shoe part of the “boot” definately is, i know this because I deliberately on your behalf pedalled my bike through all the floods, stood in X-dial deep puddles and tried to (unsuccessfully) leap across a ford. The neoprene cuff though isn’t, it’s weather proof but will eventually get damp from spray. Bear in mind though that there’s a big hole in the shoe where your foot goes in so a wet sock cuff is equally caused by water running down the leg of my waterproof trousers as much as the neoprene. The good thing about neoprene though and why it’s excellent as a wet suit is that despite being damp it still insulates the wearer by trapping body heat. On the wettest day when i removed the shoes the top of my sock was damp but from the ankle down was as dry as when I put them on.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX in the wildNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX full frontal
Despite having to really tug to get the shoes on the straps have remained intact. the X-Dial looks fragile put I have accidentally smashed it into a concrete bollard (Northwave sell spares) and the release lever allows very easy adjustment, in a juxtposition to putting them on the shoes come off at the end of a ride very easily which messes with my mind somewhat.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX X-Dial adjusterNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX side zip
Did the Northwave Celcius Arctic GTX shoes keep my feet warm? Northwave needn’t have worried (I expect they weren’t losing any sleep) as my feet stayed warmer in these shoes a lot longer than I’ve experienced before. i’d go as far as saying they are the warmest cycling shoes/boots that I’ve tried so far and as the temperature drops the further we get into winter i’m looking forward to spending longer out on the bike than previous years.
Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX making wavesNorthwave Celsius Arctic GTX will never be this clean again
The Northwave Celsius Arctic GTX shoe is a comfortable, efficient pedalling, warm and weatherproof shoe that’ll help you go further for longer in the grimmest of conditions.
Northwave haven’t paid for this review, they took the risk of an honest review, there are no affiliate links or discount codes. I do (I hope) get to keep the shoes, not that anyone would want then after my plates of meat have been in them for a few weeks!
Back in 2020 as the first Covid lockdown loomed I contacted the owner of Fustle Bikes, It was a speculative move on my part. UKGRAVELCO up to that point was mainly based around instagram, reviews were on this website, including a couple of bikes but it was small potatoes really and reviews were mainly via contacts i’d made working in bike shops. I wanted to expand this but not review a bike from the mainstream big manufacturers as every website or magazine did this. instead i looked for more interesting brands who, even though the gravel scene was just beginning to gain momentum, were doing something different and putting their own design ideas into a bike rather than just rehashing a road frame with more clearance but sticking with traditional road bike geometry.
Fustle Causeway G2do both regularly
Fustle Bikes stood out as they were a fledgling bike company based in Northern Ireland and were designing their frames from scratch and using the experience of riding on the very same sort of terrain as we do in the UK rather than Californina or Wisconsin. That bike was the original Fustle Causeway G1 and I got to test it in the spring of 2020, you can read the original review here it’s worth reading the review to get a backround on this new version but if you don’t have the time the spoiler is this….I liked the bike so much i bought a frameset myself and it’s been my main bike for the last five years.
new Fustle Causeway G2 V G1
So to say i was intrigued by this latest iteration of the Causeway frameset would be a great understatement. Fustle in the meatime had brought out another frame, the Lakelander, which leans slightly more towards racing but has had a great reception. it was also Fustle’s first forary into carbon fibre and I was hoping for a version of the Causeway I love but in a lighter plastic package.
Alistair, the owner and designer at Fustle bikes sent me a bike that he had ridden at a local gravel sportive in Ireland. It was built with a basic 11 speed groupset and finishing kit and He was apologetic that it wasn’t the 12 speed Shimano GRX kit that all the production bikes get, this was down to the bike having launched a month or so before and all the available 12 sp stuff was going on bikes being sent out to customers. It was ideal for me though as my original bike has the very same groupset so comparing the two frames and how they ride would be much easier.
Side by side the two frames look very different. Alistair has taken feedback from customers and his own experience and added features to the new frame. the first is the front triangle. the G2 has much more space inside the frame for bottles or bags than the previous frame. it’s true that two large bottles would reduce the carrying capacity and size of any frame bag you decided to fit on the G1. the new frame manages to add more room without losing much of the standover. the top tube still slopes from headset to seatpost giving ample crotch clearance.
Fustle Causeway G2 mountsintegrated but clean
Talking of mounts and bike packing, the G2 has bolt mounts on the top tube, two sets inside the front triangle (one set that has three bolts so you can alter the position of a bottle cage up and down) mounts underneath the down tube, with rack and mudguard mounts on the rear end. The fork also gets three mounts per leg/blade too.
The next big difference on the new frame is tyre clearance. Officially the G2 will take a 50mm tyre with loads of mud room between that tyre and the frame. unofficially, and I’ve tried it, a 2.1″ (53mm) tyre will also fit. So the new trend of big tyres on gravel bikes is covered.
clearancefordays
The frame features a T47 bottom bracket. You don’t need to know what that is just know that it is a threaded system and 100% less hassle to maintain and replace than a press-fit bottom bracket would be and thanks should go to Fustle for using this. they also use a Rideworks T47 BB which is a UK company making parts in the UK so applause for that too.
The seatpost clamp and adjustment is accessed from under the rear of the top tube and can be a bit fiddly to adjust as it’s hard to see but this is a minor thing because (especially if using a dropper post) you’ll set the height and not have to adjust it again other than for maintenance.
Fustle Causeway G2 hidden seatpost boltCause and effect
FIT and sizing The original G1 frame came in only 3 sizes, S/M M/L and L/XL and some riders found this limiting when trying to get a good fit. The new G2 frame is avaliable XS, S,M,L,XL so should make the frame accessable to more riders. the geometry of the new bike has been tweaked and the reach is slightly shorter and the head angle a tiny bit slacker. the wheelbase remains the same. Like for like the new frame is around 700g (1.5lb) lighter than the original
The cable routing is all internal including the dropper post. It looks amazing but does mean all those cables run through the inside of the headset bearings making changing those bearings at best a pain if you have the skills and tools or at worst expensive if you are paying a mechanic to dismantle the bike and rebleed the hydraulic system to change what in effect is a £10 part. Most carbon bikes now have this internal hose/cable routing so it’s nothing unique to Fustle. All that said though the bearings on my G1 are 5 years old and have suffered all sorts of abuse in all weathers and are still as smooth as the day I got the bike so not too much of a worry as Fustle clearly use quality components.
Finally on frame differences is the Fustle branding logo. It’s in the normal place you’d expect on the side of the down tube. I know this seems a weird thing to point out but on the G1 the logo hides under the top tube, gets covered in mud from the front wheel and you can’t see it. just a tiny thing but it’s always annoyed me!
Fustle Causeway G2 logoFustle Causeway G2 paint
i must also mention the paint on the frame too, the colour is “Dunseverick Dingleberry” and is a lucious deep colour that has a lovely pearl fleck to it if seen in the sun. The other paint option is “Bushfoot Dune” which i’ve not seen in the flesh.
HOW DOES IT RIDE So no matter how the frame looks or how many features it has had added it always comes down to how it rides. Quite frankly it’s got big shoes to fill as the G1 rides superbly and in my case definately flatters my riding style. Carbon bikes are often described as being able to dampen fibrations and give a more comfortable ride. Well yes that can be the case but they can also be as stiff as hell and give the harshest feel. It all comes down to how the sheets of carbon are layered into the mould and where stiffness is added or compliance dialled in. Alistair the designer has vast experience of bike design and has put all that knowledge into the G2 and it shows
Tarmac, yes the T word, I know some of you spend a lot of time on the black top on your gravel bike so i need to tell you that the G2 bowls along very efficiently on tarmac and yes on our current rough ass roads it does feel smoother than the G1. it also turns into corners well with no flex at the head tube and despite the slacker head angle compared to a road bike it doesn’t feel sluggish or slow to turn. It does feel like the bike wants to propel you forward when you stamp on the pedals, the side to side flex of the frame is miniscule and you feel like non of your energy is wasted. It doesn’t though batter you, it’d be perfect for a cobbled sportive ride. if you are intending to ride it more on the road or with a road club i’d get the double chainset version to try and match any of your buddies using road groupsets as although the 1 x range of gears is perfectly adequate the quick changes of pace in a group ride are better suited to the double set up. One other thing to note if using as a road or winter bike is that because of the massive tyre clearance you’d be able to run a wider tyre and still fit full mudguards.
With full mudguards and a double chainset set up this bike would make a stunning long distance mile eater, perfect for Audax in fact.
Off road is where the pressure to perform was highest for me, I set the bike up to be as close as possible to my original G1, reach, handlebar and saddle height etc so I’d be feeling at home straight away and able to concentrate on how the frame and fork felt in comparison and get over the “new bike” feel. this took a couple of rides to get right. Then I took the bike on familiar trails where I knew exactly how the old bike felt. All in all I think I’ve ridden around 300 miles during the time I had the bike to test.
There’s a video below that’ll show you the sort of stuff I was riding and if you have time please take a look as it does give an insight on how the bike handled.
Riding the new frame felt different to the alloy version as soon as I started the first climb, yes, the lighter weight does make a difference. I swapped wheels and bags between the two and the new bike was just under 4lbs (1.8kg) lighter. The aforementioned feeling of all your effort being used to move the bike on tarmac applies here too. the bike is agile and you can pick a line on techy climbs with confidence. It’s easy to lift the front wheel over roots and fallen branches but it still tracks well in ruts and loose gravel. Riding along flat chunky gravel feels different too, this is no suspension bike, you can still feel the terrain under the wheels and you’re not isolated from anything but you do get a floaty feeling that combined with the pedalling efficiency makes you want to go faster! Downhill on gravel/fireroad and the typical cross country trails near my house I found myself using the brakes less and just letting the bike flow and do the work. Its lack of weight doesn’t mean it bounces off every hump or stone like a pinball like some light weight bikes do. I’m no engineer but I guess this the the slightly slacker head angle of the new bike helping here. the G1 is a fun and engaging descender helped by the length of it’s wheel base keeping things balanced and non twitchy, this is exactly the same on the new G2 and is confidence inspiring. there’s a set of steps you’ll see in the video which on a MTB i’ll usually drop off the last step of to maintain speed. On a gravel bike I’ll be slower and roll down them. After riding them once and going back a few times to film different angles I also dropped off the last step on the G2! Add the dropper post into the equation too and the bike becomes a little ripper down steep techy XC trails. Sit with your hands on the drops and you feel in control and stable.
The Fustle Causeway G2, and I hesitate to say this as it’s a bit of a cliché is a great all-rounder. It’ll scoot along quite nicely on tarmac, It’s forgiving enough to be a long distance bikepacking bike but having said all that where this bike shines for me is off road and that’s where it excels. if you are a beginner or coming from a road bike backround to gravel the G2 will flatter you and help you gain confidence, if you are an MTBer at heart you’ll feel at home as soon as you hit the dirt.
So i guess as I own the original Causeway i should say which of the bikes I prefer. I do love the aluminium G1 it handles great and we’ve had some top adventures together but if i had the money i’d definately go for the G2, same great handling in a lighter package and all that tyre and front triangle clearance, what’s not to like!
This Fustle Causeway G2 is like the person your mom warned you about but you ignored her, met up with that person and had the most incredible summer that you’ll remember forever!
here’s the video of my few weeks riding the G2, please take a look and please subscribe to my youtube channel, it costs nothing but really helps me grow this website.
you can find more information on Fustle Bikes here
I recently noticed that Lake shoes had produced a cycling shoe that they had promoted as adventure ready. It looked a very interesting design and having had Lake shoes in the past, most notably their winter boot which has lasted for 8 years so far I really wanted to try them out. I shot the team at lake a DM and they agreed to send a pair out for me to review.
I’ll start first with sizing and this is because Lake are one of the few companies that manufacture cycling shoes that offer different widths, narrow, regular and wide. The fitting guide on the lake website is excellent, theres even a tutorial on how to measure your own feet. This involves a piece of paper, a tape measure, a pen and of course your feet! I measured mine and took advice from the guys at Lake. I usually take a EU44 and mostly find that size comfortable in most shoe brands. Lake suggested going a half size bigger with a narrow fit. I left the colour up to them, secretly hoping for the white pair as they’d stand out for the photos.
My wishes came true and a white pair of MX30Gs turned up and well, this is going to sound silly but they looked even brighter in real life than on the website. Maybe it was a bit of rare sunshine glinting on them that day, but they were a bit dazzling!
I was sent the clarino microfibre upper version, there is also a mesh version. I think the version sent is best for UK conditions. The material looks robust and equally importantly it looks like it would wipe clean easily. Which given the nature of UK riding (mud, more mud, water and if we’re lucky one day of sunshine) is a very important feature, especially when your shoes are that white! The toe box has extra material around it for reinforcement to take any knocks and the rubber sole extends slightly upward at the toe for more protection and to aid traction if walking. The heel is padded but not bulky and the tongue is soft and comfortable. The shoe is secured to your foot via two BOA dials, these have lots of adjustment by twisting one way or the other and release quickly when removing them. its easy to reach down and adjust the fit while riding too, an advantage the BOA system has over laces.
The sole is 100% carbon with rubber lugs to aid traction and the addition of two stud placements allows for an enhanced level of grip if needed. The cleat pocket is generously wide allowing lots of mud room.
The sole is plain carbon but there’s a little rubber coverage between the heel and cleat section. The cleat fitment section of the sole is fairly long and I was able to pull the cleat far enough back for me to feel comfortable. I’m definately a ball of the foot over the pedal axle kind of rider rather than on the toes so this was good news, so many other shoe brands don’t have this adjustbility
The Ride, i’ll be honest and say that when I took these shoes out of the box I was a little bit intimidated. The colour was the first thing. I always think if you’re going to stand out this much then your riding had better live up to the aura of greatness your shoes are emitting! The other was the level of stiffness. Grabbing the shoe by the toe and the heel and trying to bend the sole was an exercise in futility. These babies do not flex!
On my feet I found the sizing spot on, the micro adjustability of the BOA system was fantastic and they feel really comfortable. On the bike, the large cleat pocket meant clipping in and out of the pedals was easy and even in the mud they performed flawlessly, not clogging once. The rubber strip across the arch of the shoe is excellent to see, too many carbon or stiff soled shoes miss this out to get a lighter weight but this little strip of rubber can save your bacon. Unclipping for a tight turn and getting back on the pedal sometimes ends in missing the pedal with the cleat and you end up with the wrong part of your shoe on the pedal. A plain carbon arch means you can slip off the pedal in a panic moment (see also rocks, roots etc too). The MX30G offers up that extra grip here that could get you out of a sticky situation before you re-establish accurate contact with the pedal.
Power transfer, as you’d expect with a sole this stiff is direct. You feel like all your effort is going towards propelling the bike forward. Despite this stiffness I didn’t experience any heel slip which I’m guessing is all down to how well they fit and the shape of the heel. This though does have its downside. Walking is a bit of a chore, entering a cafe you will get the walking like a penguin effect and this also tells you how the shoe would feel if your route contains a good slice of hike-a-bike. The material the shoes are made of has proved to be hard wearing, shaking off all the knocks of off road riding and yes, they clean up well despite a liberal coating of mud and various farm yard effluents! I’ve bashed the BOA dials of roots and a gate post and they’ve remained as good as the first ride
Lake describe the MX30G as “pure and simple off-road adventure shoe” which I think is a little innaccurate, maybe pure and simple gravel race shoe would be better. This is all down to the stiffness. The all day comfort is there definately but that’s if you stay in the saddle. Prolonged walking would be a bit of a chore purely for the lack of flex in the sole. Lake’s other gravel shoe the MX238 is probably a better bet for bike packing (and cafes) with its “built in walkability“.
So it all comes down to what you want your shoe to do because material, comfort, durability and looks wise I can’t fault the MX30G shoe, it’s really, really good. My only criticism is of that one sentence on the lake website which might be a little misleading or maybe it’s just my idea of an adventure is different to theirs.
Oh and it also comes in a more subtle blue colour!
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My last article on UKGRAVELCO.COM was about flat pedals and if it was possible to use them on a gravel bike and a quick review of the Crank Brothers Stamp and HT pedals. As discussed in the video you can wear whatever shoes you want with flat pedals, that’s what makes them so versatile and popular, you don’t have to have expensive specialist or specific shoes to use them. However, if you want the optimum amount of grip and performance and your budget or circumstance allows you can buy shoes designed to mate perfectly with flat pedals. the bonus of shoes without a cleat sticking out of the bottom is that you can use them as ordinary shoes too and you won’t stand out as “a cyclist” sterotype at work, the supermarket or down the pub!
The benchmark flat pedal shoe before Adidas took them over was the Five Ten range of shoes, known for their super sticky sole and robustness for trail riding. They were excellent for all round riding from cross country to downhill. They kind of lost their way especially with sizing and narrowness when taken over and lots of other companies caught up and designed and introduced their own version.
Crank Brothers are one such company, not new to the cycle industry and well known for their pedals they have introduced the Stamp Trail line of shoes. Yes, they call their pedals Stamp too so I’d hope they were designed in conjunction. I tried out a pair of the lace up version and as well as using them on the “can you ride gravel on flat pedals” experiment I’ve been using them on my mountain bike too.
The look of the shoe is very understated (they do a white version too, perfect for UK conditions! 🙂 ) with a blue upper and a brown gumwall sole. there is a reinforced poly urethane toe bumper. the heel is well padded and the laces mean micro adjustments for fit are easy and endless. The upper is perforated for heat transfer. The tongue also has a very neat lace pocket to stop any lace-crank/chain interface. this is much better than the elastic lace strap you get on a lot of these type of shoe. I like the fact that the logos are subtle and don’t shout “LOOK AT ME” which is why you can wear them all the time with pretty much any outfit, I’ve even worn them a few times at work.
Crank Bro Stamp shoe in and out of lace pocketCrank Bros Stamp lace Shoe
Crank Bothers advertise these as the perfect blend of performance and adventure and that the sole has high-friction MC2 rubber compound combined to provide optimal grip on and off the bike. So they are pitching these as an all rounder, a shoe that can play at the bike park and also engage in a bit of hike a bike or bike packing where sections of walking might be involved.
The sole is made up of “lozenge” shapes that you will realise is the same outline as the Crank brothers logo, a nice touch. at the heel and toe the pattern changes to horizontal grooves that are designed to aid traction when walking up or down slopes.
So you’ve seen the specs and the intentions fron Crank Brothers how do they compare to the bench mark?
First of all sizing. I initially went for my usual size of 44 and I found them a little small so I exchanged them for a 45 and they felt spot on. In use on both gravel bike and mountain bike they are superbly comfortable i’d go as far as to say they felt like slippers on my feet. Now usually when a shoe is that comfortable it tends to be quite soft and flexible on the sole. The Stamp shoe however was not. It was good to try them on the gravel bike because on that bike I do longer distance on tarmac where any flex would be felt after a few miles through the sole of your feet. In this case the Stamp shoes were stiff enough on the ball of the foot to not feel hot spots or like my feet were curling around the pedal. i’m not saying they are as stiff as a clip in shoe but compared to the bench mark they are excellent. I’ve had the shoes since the end of april and they’ve had multiple rides but obviously I can’t say how flexy they’d get after a year etc, but up to now there’s no complaints. There’s no compromise for this stiffness in the way of grip either, they stick to the pedals tenaciously, I’ve even found myself trying to unclip like a clip in shoe when I’ve forgotten I’m wearing them such is the level of adhesion. This soft compound pleasingly hasn’t meant the sole has been chewed up by the pedal pins either. They size up a little small but only in length, width wise they are spot on for me.
The Crank Brothers aim of making a flat pedal shoe fit for adventure has been met and I’m happy to say exceeded the benckmark.
The Stamp flat pedal shoe is thoroughly recommended, if you need a flat pedal shoe for all your riding then crank bothers might just have the shoe you’ve been looking for.
2023, what a year! Or was it? I can’t actually remember what my New Years resolution was, probably something about doing more cycling (predictable), riding different places (yep, that old chestnut) with lots of new people (ok, that happened but only up to a point).
I’m writing this in the pub with a pint in my hand, so forgive the spelling and the rambling style. After reading a post on instagram from @ipulledthepin, I realise I’ve been doing the New Year thing all wrong. Lindsey says instead of the usual, “Im going to change, get a bikini body, get promotion, be positive” bullshit that flies around at this time of year mostly by Gyms trying to shame people into joining you should just focus on one word to see you through the year. Lindsey’s word for 2023 was “soften” here’s a link to why she chose that word, she can explain it, much more eloquently than me.
So what is my word? I’ll come to that later but first lets talk about 2023 and those goals previously mentioned. I don’t think I achieved any of them. Did I ride in loads of new places? No. I’d say 80% of my rides were from the door. Did I meet new people? One or two but again I’ve mostly ridden with the same few friends, but even that seems to have been reduced this year for some reason. Have I done more cycling? Again no, around my average 4500 miles for the year.
So has 2023 been a massive fail? Up until today I’d have said yes! It’s funny how reading one post on Instagram can change your whole perspective on things but @ipulledthepin has done that today.
I’ve had a few health issues that have knocked my confidence, making long term plans awkward and the thought of bike packing a bit of a terror. I’ve said no to a lot of invites because of the “what if” demons and not wanting to let anyone down by pulling out at the last minute and felt low about it. I’ve forced myself to go and ride when not feeling great and as you’d expect, it hasn’t made the experience as enjoyable as it should have. All this comes with the worry that people will stop asking If I don’t go. Hopefully that won’t happen.
Thankfully just the simple act of riding my bike has helped with the head games even if at times it’s been hard to motivate myself to get out and ride. That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!
So in the spirit of balance lets look at the positives of 2023. UKGRAVELCO continues to go from strength to strength, thanks to all of the people who interact with it and allow me to repost their stuff on instagram. Thanks to those who have joined the Facebook page, comment on posts on all the channels and to all the companies and distributors who have trusted me to give a fair and honest review of their products.
By far the biggest thrill for me this year has been the popularity of the UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE youtube channel. This one here.This time last year it had around 400 subscribers and it’s now up to around 1100! Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to it or liked the videos. It has definately been hard work but so much fun and again a motivator for me to get out there. Thanks to everyone who has had to endure me whipping a camera out on group rides, asked them to ride things over and over and to all the non cyclists wondering why a bearded bloke on a bike is riding along no handed while talking to himself into a camera lens. Hopefully the growth of the channel will continue and the production values will get a bit better too! 🙂
Enough retrospection, lets look forward to 2024. I was asked by John from wildcycles.cc what my plans were for the year and I had to say I’d made none. I can update that with the fact that yesterday, I tentitively agreed to attempt the Traws Eryri (trans Snowdonia) route with a good friend and regular cycling buddy. I may live to regret that! That lack of planning frames what I thought I’d do for 2024, namely just play it by ear and see what happens. Not putting pressure on myself to do a certain amount of miles, go to important events where I (probably mistakenly) think I need to be seen to promote ukgravelco will be a good thing for me. Less pressure (I have a day job too, this cycling stuff after all is just my hobby), will hopefully mean I actually do more riding.
So following @ipulledthepin’s example we come to my word for 2024. No New Year, New Me bollocks. my word will be THANKFUL
I want to appreciate what I’ve got, I’m very privileged compared to a lot of society, I have a job, I have spare time to do something frivalous like ride a bicycle for fun rather than for work. The recent passing of Nils Amelinckx has made me realise that even the shortest ride (or just waking up in the morning) is a gift that not everyone gets. It doesn’t matter if I don’t enter a certain number of events, If I don’t pin a race number on my bike again nothing bad will happen. Thankful to feel the first warm spring sun on my face, Thankful to get to the bottom of a dodgy descent in one piece while giggling to myself that I survived it! Thankful I’ve got friends and riding buddies that will turn out for some hair brained ride idea like tossing pancakes! and thankful if I inspire one person to ride a bike for the first time or the 10000th time it will be a victory and I want to be thankful I’m able to do it.
UK GRAVEL COLLECTIVE 