Busy Busy Busy Busy summer in Aviemore and still more to come!!!

We are nearly at the end of the Scottish school holidays with still two more weeks of English holidays to go and it has been a crazy bonkers busy summer, here at G2 Outdoor we have been none stop flat out with lots of very happy customers rafting, canyoning, gorge walking and zip trekking, check out our latest tripadvisor reviews to see how happy they have been at our G2 Outdoor white water base:-


http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186537-d1396592-Reviews-G2_Outdoor_Day_Activities-Aviemore_Aviemore_and_the_Cairngorms_Scottish_Highlands.html

and our reviews at our Zip Trek Park:-

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186537-d4227999-Reviews-Zip_Trek_Park_Aviemore-Aviemore_Aviemore_and_the_Cairngorms_Scottish_Highlands_Sc.html

For more awesome activities call 01479 811008

Zip Trek Adventure Tree Park Aviemore

Zip Line Park Aviemore

Zip Slide through the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highlands near Aviemore on Zip wires, passing magnificent Scot’s Pines and seeing nature at its best.
With over 1.5km of zip wires to blast around on you will start at the top of a beautiful gorge and zip line all the way to the bottom going from one zip slide to another under the safety of our zip instructors.
Sessions start at 10am and 2pm meet at Alvie Estate Office (see map below) there is a 20min walk to the top of our zip park through some of Scotland’s best scenery. This is about a 2hr turnaround depending upon group size. You will be given a Harness, gloves and a helmet all you need to bring is shoes that don’t fall off and sense of adventure!
Minimum age is 5 maximum age is unlimited! Maximum weight is 19 stone and able to fit our harnesses! Long hair should be tied back.
This is a Family friendly course but we also run sessions for Stag and Hen groups, Individuals, Corporate and military groups.

So Mad for it? Give us a call on 01479 811008

Things to do in Aviemore and the Cairngorms

Looking for things to do in Aviemore and the Cairngorms? 

Click on the picture below to go to Zip trek Park website possibly one of the best activities you'll do in the Cairngorms?

And if that's not enough:-

So for some awesome things to do in Aviemore and the Cairngorm National park give G2 Outdoor a call on 01479 811008 or visit http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/

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!