Stag and Hen Outdoor Activities Aviemore, Inverness, Grantown, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Rothiemurchus, Glenmore and Scotland

If you are organising a stag or hen weekend, do or party then why not try some outdoor activities such as rafting, canyoning, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding and zip lining. At G2 Outdoor we have been providing outdoor activities for over ten years to stag and hen groups and yes we believe we are the best but don't take our word for it read some of our reviews on TripAdvisor here are just a few:-

Cannot recommend highly enough. Spent the weekend white water rafting and canyoning (Upper Bruar) with the G2 team and it was absolutely amazing. All the instructors were very nice and up for a laugh. A fantastic experience! 

Wknd in Aviemore for a hen party, gorge walking was very refreshing after previous evenings drinking! charlie was amazing instructor! cant wait to go back! thank you guys! 

10 eejits in boats on the river Findhorn, carving a manical path downstream with the help of the G2 young team... only thing that could have possibly topped it would've been if we had a live wolf in the boat with us and some viking horns! YAAAASSS 

This year we have added a new activity of Zip lining, with 1km of zip lines set up in some of Scotland's best scenery this is the new must do activity to do:-

http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/summer-activities/zip-line-park-aviemore

For more stag and hen activities visit our website:-

http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/hen-and-stag-weekends

Winter bikes, night riding, demo bikes

Winter bikes – a quandary

It is written in the annuls of history, that all cyclists should have a winter bike (Hack bike), for use when the weather is foul or the salt is covering the region.

Now there are two schools of thought on this, and it really depends on how reliable you want your bike to be:

• Use your old dependable (ish) bike, which has now been demoted due to your newer/ shinier/lighter/more expensive steed.
Advantages: You already own it, so it’s cheap. You like it, and it was perfectly fine when it was your main bike.
Disadvantages: The very reason you bought a new one! It is a bit worn, and changing gear would tax an enigma decoder! Those creaking noises don’t sound great; in fact the detached rear seat stay is not a substitute for suspension.

• Buy a new inexpensive bike, there a loads of bargains from manufacturers as we head into winter. Provided it is from a big reputable maker it will be a good investment.
Advantages: everything is new, the gears work, and the brakes have new pads! The tyres tubes etc are all new. All the big manufacturers Specialized/TREK/Giant/Merida all make solid £300 bikes; they would not sell them if they did not work! The frames usually grace all their bikes up to £600. If the price is right, they will cost less than a new drive-train on your old bike, so wearing them out over the winter is not a bike concern
Disadvantages: Initial outlay, the gears don’t say XT on them!!

In our (the Mikes Bikes) view, an inexpensive bike from a quality manufacturer will provide the best trouble free and reliable transport. With this in mind we at Mikes Bikes set ourselves the following brief:

“Find a 2011 bike from a major bike company, which retails at £3-400, and negotiate and end of season deal, which provides our loyal customers with a bargain at just over £200.”

The best way to achieve this was to buy in bulk, which we did, & we are now in a position to offer a Merida Matts 10-V at £200 (original RRP £320) for a limited period. This bike is made by the world’s largest bike co, and shares its frame with a full range of bikes, which are similar to the revered Specialized Hardrock (Merida manufacture for Specialized). This bike has a full Shimano Altus gearset, Suntour XCT fork, V –brakes and decent Tyres/wheels. This is a real bike, not a BSO (Bicycle shaped object) from a supermarket, everything works and we build it for you!




Night Riding Continued

Cairngorm CC is continuing into the winter, with 15 riders out for our Thursday night ride, despite it being:
a. Dark
b. Cold
c. Winter

After last weeks single-track mud fest (courtesy of Brian), around Boat of Garten, and as a response to an expletive laden complaint from our esteemed chairman (Ian), this weeks ride returned to the wide, smooth trails of Rothiemurchus and Glenmore. Ian of course was absent! The downside is every hill was an excuse for Hamish/ Mike/Andy/Brian to make each other sick! In particular Hamish, who has beaten Mike on a bike and a running sprint this week (not that we are counting).

A range of bikes arrived last night from cross bikes (three) to a fancy pants full suss (Merida 96-Andy) and old winter hacks, and the bunch stayed together without mishap, although Nethy folks seem to have issue with pumping up tyres Gordon, Malcolm and his Geordie friends all used soft tyres as an excuse for some RnR during the ride!

It was great to see the Rothiemurchus estate bike (a Merida Matts 40-d, in fetching estate livery) out, the bike also came with a free rider Julian! Julian borrowed Mikes Bike demo Sigma Karma Pro (£140) light, and declared it fantastic. All riders came with suitable lighting, a necessity until you meet Callum Irvine going the other way, with no apparent light source, there is a family resemblance to a bat! Mike did try his best to ride into him.

Biggest thrill of the night came when Hamish descended to Loch Morlich on his cross bike, yes, its true the cantilever brakes and narrow tyres make for some sphincter clenching moments! Who needs black diamond downhill runs, when a cross bike on Land Rover tracks (“double track” if you are an American hire customer) can provide the thrills. Mike has recently changed his brakes to XLC mini V-brakes (£32 a set), to test them, the upsides are: no brake judder, 50% more power. The Downsides: the shock of the cross bike actually slowing! And the pads running close to rims. His verdict “they are miles better”.

Of course the big news this week, and it should make the Strathy, Andy Hyslop rode the staircase at Subway, in Aviemore, congratulations from all at Mikes Bikes!


Demo Bikes

The shop has now built up the 29er demo fleet and they are ready to test, this includes the showstopper a Specialized Epic FSR Carbon (£3200), Mike is determined to make it fit him!!! Lets us know if you want to try them, dry days preferred.

The G2 Outdoor mighty Ski Mountaineering and Ski School getting ready

Well it's that time of year again folks when our minds wander to 5 foot of fresh powder, blue skies, new skis and endless free beer.........................ahhhhhhhh skiing in Scotland! Ok maybe it's not quite like that in Scotland but we get close sometimes apart from the free beer.

We are currently working out our ski mountaineering dates and prices for ski mountaineering and ski and snowboard stuff so if you are keen to learn and move on then give us a call on 01479 811008 or contact us via email on info@g2outdoor.co.uk 

Or visit our dedicated ski school webpage


http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/winter-activities/g2-ski-school

Or visit our dedicated Ski mountaineering page

http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/winter-activities/ski-touring-and-mountaineering

Thought about offering Bushcraft and Survival courses at your outdoor centre or as part of your sessions? We have just finished training up Llain Outdoor Activity centres staff to deliver half and full day bushcraft courses.

Covering the basics of Fire, Shelter, Water and Wild foods with some sharp edged tool training as well as looking for animal signs.

29ers the myth exploded!!!!

Its arrived, Mikes 29er! after nervously selling his Merida Ninety - Six, full suspension carbon dream machine, Mike has just built his Merida 29er, which retails around £1500 with full XT, Rockshox recon (Air), and FSA kit. Immediately, it was taken for a test ride with Hamish, Callum and Andy! So, what you want to know is, what is all the fuss about?

Well here are Mikes brief comments:

1. Its very smooth (long wheelbase, larger wheels, low centre of gravity.)

2. It rolls over bumps rather than the "choppy" feel you get with 26" wheels.

3. Aside from the odd bump it rode over single track/rocks as well as his beloved Ninety-Six full suss.

4. Its fast, almost road bike in feel on land rover tracks, the "normal" gearing ensures you dont spin out on road/smooth tracks.

5. It grips really well on steep ascents (more surface contact.)

Is it better than a "26"er? Oh yes, and it looks good, feels more substantial, you feel more at one with the bike, rather riding on top of it!

Mike is so convinced that he is organising a number of Specialized 29er demos for the coming year, including the awesome Specialized Epic (full carbon 29er), which won the World cup at Dalby this year. His own bike is also available to try (if you are tall enough!). There only seem to be benefits to 29" wheels, the negative comments made by some people regarding handling tight bends, failed to materialize, the bike (and rider?!!) handled all the burnside trails and Badaguish without a murmer.

Back on the Road, Hamish organised a Kincraig loop TT, for the cycling club, with 20 participants (willing or accidental), on a warm sunny evening it was a great success, with some very serious competitors who sported TT bars and even oversocks! The top 3: 1st Charles Fletcher 34.53 (he was the oversock offender!), Mike 36.40 (who hates TT events, and shuns TT bars, its an age thing!) & Rob 37.46 (I never celebrate when I do well!) - lead a very competative field.

It should be noted that Julia did offer her dad a wheel when she passed him, but he could not keep up! and the battle of the night was between Julia and Elena who both showed the old men how to ride! If you want to witness the event Andy Hislop made a film with much heavy breathing (there a link on this webpage).

Finally, to the 10 riders glued to mikes back wheel on the "individual" mile at Loch Morlich, THANKS!

Canyoning must be the best Outdoor Activity ever!

Canyoning is Awesome


At G2 we reckon that Canyoning is the best outdoor activity you can do, some people mistake canyoning by calling it gorge walking but in reality they are different beast's, both jump into pools and have slides and that's where gorge walking ends, canyoning has the added extra of abseiling, bigger jumps and usually mega places to be, don't be fooled by those that call it canyoning and take you gorge walking!!

So if you fancy some serious hard core activities in the outdoors then give G2 Outdoor a call on 01479 811008 or visit our dedicated webpages:-


Laggan and Bruar standard:-
http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/summer-activities/canyoning/laggan-and-bruar-standard-trips


Upper Bruar:-
http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/summer-activities/canyoning/upper-bruar


The Mighty Dundonnell:-
http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/summer-activities/canyoning/dundonnell-canyon

Saracen Zen - The Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance

Saracen Zen 1, spare tube karma, electric bikes, Raleigh Leeds Tour, Panasonic Ebike, Ridley Bargains, Dawes Tracker v Islabikes Beinn, DMR, Uvex
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As promised in the last blog, we have Cal's review of his latest bike, the Saracen Zen 1. Unfortunately, we don't have Sal's review of the Zen because she has been too busy being in Spain, doing her English homework and going out for dinner. Whilst being quite happy to accede to the maxim "what happens in Sitges, stays in Sitges" and having no interest in English homework, I was a little surprised that an offer to publish a review of the dinner date didn't meet with a little more enthusiaism So, here is Cal's first hand account of the Zen...

" I've been riding the Saracen Zen 1 for a little over two weeks now. I love it! Most of my riding has been on the High Burnside trails but I have also managed a day at Laggan Wolftrax. It is so fun! The Zen climbs well and descends even better. The RockShox Tora forks, powerful Shimano hydraulic brakes, SLX gears and a lightweight trail frame combine to make this a brilliant hardtail. Due to our fantastic Scottish summer, I have only managed to use it in the wet but Schwalbe's 'Nobby Nic' tyres kept me glued to the track. If you are looking for a fun hardtail that can bomb down hills (but still can be ridden back up them!) look at the Saracen Zen range - you won't be disappointed "

Continuing the theme of Eastern mystical philosophies, I benefitted from a little bit of Karma last week. Riding through Drumlanrig Castle in the rain I suffered a rear wheel puncture. The Bedman had assured me that he was carrying a spare tube and true to his word produced it for me. It looked like it had last seen service in another century and even the patches were older than my children. If it had been a mattress, it would have had a health warning. Unsurprisingly, it would not inflate. At this point, we were passed by half a dozen end to end riders closely followed by their support vehicle. Out popped a mechanic with a new tube and a track pump. Problem solved! I didn't feel too bad about not being able to pay him for it - a few of my spare tubes have found their way on to other bikes in previous good Samaritan episodes. If you want to prepare to put your own account into Karmic Kredit (or just want to avoid relying on people who ride £3.5k road bikes on patched tubes), check out our range of inner tubes. You never know when it will come in handy!

There has been rapid growth in the purchase of electric bikes in Holland in the past three years - recent purchases in Aviemore suggest that Scots might be catching up on the trend. There has never been a better time to buy an electrically assisted bicycle. The recent rise in the price of petrol has been accompanied by advances in design and development that make an electric bike a very real alternative. The pick of the bunch is the Raleigh Leeds Tour featuring the Panasonic EBike System. In Europe these bikes are marketed under the brands Kalfhoff and Rixe, however, by opting for Raleigh you will get full UK support from the national network of UK Raleigh dealers. The Panasonic crank drive motor has won world-wide approval for its efficiency, reliability, looks and lightweight setup. The system drives 250w of brushless power through the bike's own chain meaning that there literally won’t be a hill too steep to climb anymore. The 26v 10Ah battery only weighs 2.4kgs, yet returns a massive range of between 25 and 50 miles dependent on the mode you are in. Lithium technology means you can quickly recharge the battery at any point. The stunning looks of the Raleigh Leeds Tour coupled with the quiet operation of the Panasonic system means that if it wasn’t for the amazing performance, nobody would even know you were riding an electric bike! It comes fully equipped with front and rear lights run from an internal dynamo, hub gears and mudguards plus a stand so this bike is ready to go.
If traditional road bikes are more your thing, we have some remarkable deals on Ridley Road bikes just now. The Ridley Eos is available in small, medium or large sizes, has an amazing spec within our special price of £750 and is ideal as a sportif or lightweight tourer, or even as a fantastic winter bike. The deal on the full carbon Ridley Orion (last one!) is so good that I wouldn't be surprised if it was sold before I finish this blog - there is no where else you can buy performance like this for £1,200

Buying a bike for your child is something you want to get right. The internet can be tempting but it can never match the customer service on offer from a good specialist shop and the satisfaction to be gained from knowing that you have made the right choice. I thought I'd share this unsolicited customer review, with a special mention for Cal

" Hi. Gotta thank you for getting us to go to Mike's Bikes. Lovely folk, great service. My Cal totally delighted with bike and Big Cal was great with him. Will go back in few weeks to get service check.Thanks again for help with making my Calum a v v happy BMX boy! (I think the bike has now become surgically attatched to him somehow!) "

Our latest model for kids is the Dawes Tracker. Recognising the demand for no-nonsense, quality bikes for children identified by companies such as Islabikes, Dawes has produced a bike that matches the Isla Beinn for performance and philosophy but at a much more attractive price. The 24" wheel Tracker features an aluminium frame, alloy v-brakes, 18 speed Shimano EZ-Fire trigger shifters, alloy wheels and fast rolling semi slick tyres in both girls' and boys' models. The current price in Mikes Bikes is £190.00 - go compare!

Also new in (says Cal) is an extended range of DMR grips and pedals - more bike bling at pocket money prices

Some adventurous riding last week at Forest of Ae, one of the 7 Stanes resorts, will see me purchasing a new helmet this week following a tree stump/head interface. Never mind, the money I saved through the Ae cafe and bike shop being closed (the second time this summer I've had to miss the post-ride cake and coffee ) will mean I can rationalise myself a bargain on whatever I like from the comprehensive range in store. Currently riding high in the popularity stakes is the Uvex fp1 but Specialized are offering some very serious alternatives at very reasonable prices.

Finally, as a reward for reading this far, the bargain of the week. We have one Dawes 20" XC 2.0 frameset - hydro formed light alloy frame, disc ready, suitable for up to 120mm fork, curly stays - £150 to include the FSA headset!

The Young Ones Part II

The Young Ones Part II

Jenny wants this blog to have a theme - I pointed out to her that they all have a theme, one week we make fun of a well known local outdoor equipment business magnate, the next week we say something derogatory about Bianchi man - however, it is about time we had an update on our assisted riders aka The Young Ones, so we have a ready made theme for this edition. Its a day when Young Ones all over Scotland will be opening envelopes from SQA. If you need cheering up check out the original Young Ones on youtube - if you got the results you were after, well done!

The first of our Young Ones updates is on Megan Riach. If you have an eye for a nice bike you will have seen Megan speeding around Aviemore and further afield on her Ridley Excalibur

" The last couple of months I've been competing in the National Omnium rounds and I've been trying to get back to form after the flu and injury. I managed to qualify for the British Omnium finals and this month I've been training for the British National Track Champsionships in August for the sprint, scratch and TT (still waiting comfirmation!). In the next two weeks I'm going to be racing at Dundee in the Scottish Scratch Championships and the next weekend I'm away in Bradford for the British National Road Circuit Championships. August is madness for me! I will be in Manchester training most of the time but will have to squeeze in a trip to Edinburgh for a few days at the Scottish Track Champsionships before returning to Manchester for the Omnium finals . I also have a week at the British Track Championships. "
Our more astutue readers will have noted that there has been a short delay in publishing Megan's update but it is nice to hear how busy she has been on the cycling scene and we look forward to hearing how she fared in the events she was preparing for.

Next cyclist up on our talented rider scheme is Hamish Hepburn of Carrbridge. Hamish recently took delivery of a Saracen Amplitude to add to his stable of bikes. Sick of your dad beating you on a road bike? Sick of your mum beating you on a mountain bike? Sick of your wee sister out-tricking you on a bmx? Solution? Buy a trials bike... the Amplitude does it all, whether you ride dirt, park or street. Sick of being made fun of in the blog? Solution? Write your own updates

The latest addition to the Young Ones squad is Elena Melton. Elena used Mike's Bikes and Merida to source what can only be described as an awesome Merida Scultura Evo full carbon frame in XS with a bespoke build to her spec from Mike's Bikes. With Ultegra componentry, RS80 wheels and female specific modifications it is a fantastic machine - special thanks are due to James at Merida for helping to make this possible. Elena races in the colours of Mikes Bike's sponsored Cairngorm Cycing Club.
Elena had a good result recently with a 3rd place at the British Series MTB race in Margam Park Wales. The 26 hours of driving involved is not doing anything for her dad's fitness. She has also won the last 2 Scottish Cross Country series races. The British MTB Nationals and the Scottish MTB Championships are on her race calendar then she is going to target the Scottish Circuit race championships in August. The plan then is to race the UK school games at the beginning of September, though this has yet to be confirmed. She is not expecting too much from early season racing as she adjusts to a new discipline but she is hoping to be competitive on the hill climb races at the end of the season, as her power to weight ratio is very good.
Elena has provide us with her own account of the Scottish XC Championships at Perth on 31st July 2011
With the UK Schools Games on the same weekend as the Drumlanrig SXC, Perth became the Scottish Championships in the youth and juvenile categories and the last SXC for me this year. So far I had two 1sts and a 3rd and was hopeful of a good result.
However things didn't get off to a very good start as i had quite a bad crash in practice. I can't really remember what happened but i was going too fast down a steep descent and ended up off the trail not being able to stop and only coming to a halt when my head hit off a big branch and flipped me off my bike. Surprisingly, I wasn't too badly hurt but I had lost my confidence on that descent and when I went back later to try and ride it without crashing I kept getting blocked and had to leave it.
I didn't feel too bad on the start line and not as mervous as usual. My start is not one of my strongest areas particularly when it is a flat or downhill start. All my main competitiors got ahead of me. I pulled myself back into 2nd place as the fire road started going uphill. Just as we were coming into the first uphill single track some riders got in between me and Erika who was in 1st place. One of them got off in front of me which forced me to get off too and run. I tried hard to close the gap but lost further time when I ran the section where I had crashed. I ended up coming in to the finish 2nd, 40 seconds behind Erika and 2 minutes ahead of Eve in 3rd place.
I felt a bit disappointed but not too bad.

Cal and Sal, our 'happy to help you' assistants here at Mike's Bikes are eagerly awaiting delivery of their matching Saracen Zen 1 mtbs - watch here for their expert verdicts! In the meantime they have been testing the shop GoPro camera on their current bikes on the trails around High Burnside. Check it out!

Finally, in the Young One's section, a rider who paid me a tenner to include him as a Young One. Andy, of well known local cycling duo Pandy, has just taken out the Merida 96er for an extended test ride on the Burma Road. Being a man of few (written) words and exhibiting a technical expertise uncommon in men his age, he has submitted his review in the form of an uploaded video. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?!

Aviemore Zip Park Open

Zip Park Open and what a stunning week.

Check out just a few of the pic's from this weeks clients:-

Also a wee bit of footage:-



So if your keen for a shot give the boys and girls at G2 Outdoor a call on 01479 811008

Mikes scoops prize for least improoved rider

Midway through my summer placement at Mikes Bikes as blogger and tame older cyclist, I was fortunate to be in Aviemore for the Cairngorm Cycling Club One Mile Championship held at Loch Morlich. Despite the weather, eleven hardy athletes and Bianchi man made it to the starting line with eight riders hoping to better last year's times. Julia Kenneth, with an improvement of 15 seconds and Finlay Strivens who was 17 seconds faster than 2010 must have fancied their chances in the most improved rider category but they were blown away by the eventual winner.

Most Improved Rider - Paul Taylor - 2 min 27 sec - 24.5 mph - 46 seconds faster than 2010

It was good to witness Paul's return to form - we look forward to a podium finish in 2012

Despite recording the fastest time of the evening Mike had no competition in the Least Improved Rider category. A full second slower than last year, he was still fast enough to hold off the startlingly unimaginitive consistent Calum Irvine and Rob Edmunds, whose times of 2 min 22 sec and 2 min 23 sec respectively were exactly the same as last year's. On the ladies' podium the trend of 'experience over youth' was reversed with Julia Kenneth and Sally Devlin pushing Cairngorm CC sponsor Jenny Devlin into 3rd place. Honourable mentions go to newcomers to the mile championship Dave Machin and John Love but the most eagerly anticipated category of the evening, 1st over 50 (not using tribars) went to Dougie Macdonald. Modesty prevents further eloquent prose describing this stunning victory. The final award was the Bianchi Prize for the Fashionably Challenged, a well deserved triumph for Iain Kenneth

The official results are displayed in the window of Mikes Bikes but, personally, I prefer my version

We had a flying visit from the CEO of Madison, Dominic Langan on the day of the Shop to the Top Time Trial. It was nice to see his subsequent complimentary comments in the editorial of Madison's Independent trade magazine - there's always a coffee for any other CEOs who feel the need to get out of the office and visit the sharp end of the business! Dom remarked on the female friendly aspect of the shop - we are particularly pleased with the range of female specific mountain bikes at every price point (in addition to our comprehensive range of unisex bikes) - evidence that needs of all riders are important to us.

Obviously, having dealt with the major races, we should devote a little space to the up and coming events. Congratulations to Mark Cavendish on his stage victory in the Tour de France yesterday. The tour board outside Mikes Bikes is updated daily (when the rain doesn't wash the chalk off!) to provide info on the various leaders in the Maillot Jaune and other jersey competitions. To mark Le Tour, Mikes Bikes have a number of special Road Bike bargains from stock that will only apply for the duration of the race. Once Cavendish has taken that final sprint victory on the Champs-Élysée, prices return to pre tour levels!

Last Thursday's club ride from Mikes Bikes had a peloton of truly Tour de France proportions (though some of the riders were more generously sized ) - 35 riders showing how popular road biking has become. Unfortunately, we will be saying goodbye to Mark and Chris as they start new jobs in Kelso - nice roads down there and some good mtb trails!

In "Young Persons' News" Mikes Bikes extends a warm welcome to Bruce who joins Sally and Cal on the shop floor in a desperate attempt to lower the average age of Mikes Bikes staff to something under 40. No doubt they will be the staff sought out by our discerning younger riders when the awesome new Saracen Amplitude CR1 arrives this afternoon. A quality 24" wheel Trials bike at £329.99 - be quick or be disappointed!