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!

mountain Expeditions

This summer has seen us kick off a number of dates for a three day Mountain Bushcraft/Survival course. 1 Day in Glenmore forest followed by two days over in the Loch A'an basin sleeping under the famous (or infamous) shelter stone.

This three day course focuses on Navigation, shelter including emergency shelter, security on steep ground, fire-craft, water collection and fishing.

If your interested in booking on one of these courses then let us know, fitness level should be high and you should have carried out one of our two day courses previously.

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

Stag and Hen activities Aviemore and the Cairngorms National Park.

For stag and hen activities in the Cairngorms national park, Aviemore you have hit the jackpot with G2 Outdoor, the most popular activities are rafting and canyoning however we have had stag and hen groups do a wide range of things such as canoe camping trips, sea kayak trips, ski and snowboard lessons, gorge walking and rock climbing.

If you are after a tailor made trip then give us a call and we can organise most things to make your stag or hen do go smooth.

We can also advise on the best places to eat, get accommodation and last but not least the best places to drink.

For accommodation visit our friends webpage:-

http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/about/friends-of-g2

At G2 Outdoor we have been providing Outdoor activities for stag and hen groups for over ten years based in Aviemore we are easily reached from your accommodation either by car or foot as you may be slightly worse for wear after a big night, if it's that bad then we will pick you up.

For more information visit our website:-

http://www.g2outdoor.co.uk/

or give us a call on 01479 811008

or email on info@g2outdoor.co.uk

Arrival of Specialized

Well, the news is finally out and Mike and Jenny are pleased to announce the safe delivery of that Special little bundle they have been expecting.

That's right, in a notable coup for small independent bike shops, Mikes Bikes are the newest Specialized dealer in the North. The arrival of the Specialized range adds some iconic model names such as Hardrock, Stumpjumper, Epic and Roubaix to the selection of established brands and models already on display at Mikes Bikes. Specialized's reputation as a market leader has been reflected by the interest shown in the bikes by regular visitors to the shop and several have already been sold - if you see a new Specialized around, check to see the orange Mikes Bikes sticker that marks its origins from a local business.

Of course, we continue to provide a wide choice for our customers. Newcomers Forme, a British company featuring Kinesis frames, are offering a particularly good deal this month on mens and womens Ramble Hybrids, knocking 20% off the shop floor price to deliver a 700c wheeled alloy hybrid with mechanical lockout forks and tektro disc brakes for £399. Leading the way on high end sales has been Merida, the company who make Specialized, with customers proving that money is no object when it comes to shaving an extra few seconds off their race times. It will be interesting to see how the Specialized S-Works models affect the market at this end. Also joining Forme, as from today 23rd June ,Merida have reduced a number of their srps - one of the best deals being £100 off the Merida 100D now retailing at £499.99.

This month's competition is to name five bike brands sold at Mikes Bikes, so with the previous two paragraphs providing three of them, I think that is enough for this article I think a future competition could be to decipher Specialized jargon - how about Body Geometry, Brain Technology and ZertZ for starters?

There is a rumour going round the town that Callum completed the Bikeathon on Sunday on something resembling a real bike. Also, Mike opted to provide mechanical and puncture repair services rather than risk his status as Aviemore's fastest Devlin, with Sally rolling up to the starting line on her public debut using SPD pedals. Unfortunately, there is no truth in the rumour that there is youtube footage of the embarrassing tumble at the flags at Dalfaber, resulting from an earlier SPD experiment (caused by Cal's brother, I am reliably informed). Sally's next competitive outing will be at Cairngorm Cycling Club's one mile challenge on Thursday - will Cal be there, or will he be collecting style points Strictly Come Cycling on his Ashton DB down round the town centre?

G2's new Canyon site's now on our website

Canyoning near Aviemore, Scotland

Canyoning is probably the best Outdoor Adventure Activity you will ever do!! With fantastic pool jumps, natural water flumes, abseils through waterfalls and stunning scenery this is fast becoming Scotland and the UK’s must do outdoor activity. Based from our HQ in Aviemore near Inverness we can access some of Scotland’s best Canyons from great Stag and Hen venues through to the mighty Dundonnell Canyon for those clients who have experienced Canyons before or know what they are letting themselves in for!

G2 Outdoor is the specialist canyoning and gorge walking provider in the area and we have a few different venues to choose from so we will tailor the venue to your ability.

All you will need to bring is a spare pair of trainers and a towel we will provide you with wet suit, wet suit socks, splash suits and all safety equipment.

Minimum recommended age is 13 (however if you think your child is competent enough then we can consider younger, 9 is the youngest so far in the Laggan Canyon, for kids younger than 13 Gorge Walking is recommended)

We have 4 choices of venue to choose from:-

• Laggan Standard Stag, Hen, Family and Corporate trips
• Bruar Canyon Standard Stag, Hen, Family and Corporate trips
• Upper Bruar  For those with experience or “balls of steel”!
• Dundonnell Canyon This is the full on real deal Canyon for those with Canyon experience or “balls of steel”!!

Price per person is £55 for our standard Laggan and Bruar trips CLICK HERE
Price per person for our advanced “Upper Bruar” trip is £75 per person CLICK HERE
Price for our advanced “Mighty Dundonnell” trip is £90 per person CLICK HERE
For a Taste of Canyoning check out our Laggan video below this shows a standard trip.

Outta Affric walking festival

This weekend past saw us over at Glen Affric for the Outta Affric walking festival. A good day for it, although it was midgy hell!!

A number of folk turned up for the sessions including MSP David Thompson and outdoors travel writer John Davidson.

If you don't know Glen Affric its definitely worth getting down there and having a look.

The Outta Affric festival is run by Tim and Gina Francis @ Natural high Guiding based in Tommich.

Personalised Products @ Mikes Bikes

News from Rock & Run
R+R and Mikes Bikes: We are now manufacturing and developing a number of biking textile accessories for ‘Mike’s Bikes’ in Aviemore. Mikes Bikes is a small specialist cycling retailer, with a similar retailing ethos to our own. Couple this with their close proximity to our Aviemore workshop and it seemed like an obvious partnership. If you’re into your biking and in the locality, Mike’s is well worth a pit stop for both cycling spares and local knowledge…Check our facebook on; http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/rockruncom Mikes Bikes have a number of saddle bags for sale and have put them on their hire bikes, and we are informed they hold an SKS mini pump. tyre levers, tube, mobile phone, energy bar, keys and cash ....what more do you need?