Close friend, former colleague, all round nice guy and fellow mountain biker Dave ‘Dangerous’ Mitchell is giving up his time to cycle from Riga in Latvia to Tallinn in Estonia in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. He’s doing it at the end of August and needs your help to raise some vital funds. The route, covering 530 challenging kilometres, links two beautiful capital cities in Eastern Europe following the Baltic coastline. More information on the ride can be found here:

Marie Curie Charity Ride - Riga to Tallinn

More importantly you can give a little here to help him on his way:

>>>>>>>>>>>PLEASE MAKE A DONATION HERE>>>>>>>>>>>

Alternatively you can donate to Dave’s charity ride at the shop or just send him a good luck message via this blog. Thanks for taking the time to read this; I know Dave will appreciate it too. Good luck buddy.

Despit the snowy and frosty conditions, a few Firth Cycle’s regulars joined Jim and I for a jaunt around Calder Valley on Sunday morning. The route was led by Terry (his first and last - thanks for the tarmac memeories Terry) and went like this: started at the shop in Queensbury, then Ogden Water, Oxenhope, Leeshaw Reservoir, Bodkin Lane, Stairs Lane, down the side of Crimsworth Dean, Hardcastle Crags/New Bridge, up to Pecket Well then a monster road climb up Bedlam Hill on the Hebden Bridge road and finally a sneaky right onto the drainage channel back to Ogden and then back to Queensbury. 25 miles in total. A great trip out as you can see from the pics but the best news had to be that the Withens Pub is set to re-open in the near future and is currently doing tea and cakes which makes a nice stopping point.

We are planning to collate a mailing list of other like minded riders so if you would like notice of other rides please send me your email and i’ll add you to that list.

A sad set of photographs of a beautiful Bianchi 928 CARBON L that kissed the front of a car at about 30mph. The rider (and still riding) suffered a broken back, several weeks in hospital and some metal pins to add to his biological mix. He avoided being speared by the broken ends of the tubing by going over the car but used the well known ‘tarmac/skin’ method to slow himself down - ouch. If you ever wondered why you should wear a helmet, have a chat with this guy and his family who are all glad he’s here to tell the tale.

The BBC news said (amongst other things) that the budget would prove expensive for smokers, drinker and motorists. The best solution? Get a bike! (you knew that was coming right?). Give up the fags, drink less booze, buy less fuel and get out on your bike. Yeah drive a 3.5L V8 gas guzzling Landy if that’s your bag but commute on your bike when you can - balance it out. I get fed up feeling like I must ‘go green’ overnight but it isn’t practical for everyone to give up their cars tomorrow, if you ride your bike to work or to the shops once a week then it’s a start - and you’ll feel better physically and financially. Rant over.

We were so impressed with the recon job done on these PACE Air Force forks that we thought we should tell you all about it.

These beauties belong to Mr John Walker and are usually attached to his 1996 Bontrager Race Light which is currently in the workshop for some TLC (thats Tighten, Lube & Clean!). Since Pace forks were bought by DT Swiss they no longer service any models older than 2003 - a shame I know especially since (in my opinion) they are one of the limited brands that has a heritage that should be shouted about. Anyway, one man’s loss is another’s gain and that man is Tim Price who is now servicing the older stuff. He is based in Pickering, North Yorkshire, and be contacted on 01751 476815. Thanks Tim.

Click on the picture for more images.

The Patriot is without doubt the most versatile bike in the Orange range. Its all round ability allows it to ably perform as an all day all-mountain trail bike, yet it excels as a full-on free-ride rig in severe Alpine terrain.

The Patriot’s frame has been completely revised with new state-of-the-art folded down tube and swing arm sections. This ingenious new frame shaping gives a bigger contact patch between the CNC machined head tube and the down tube for a stronger welded join avoiding the need for unnecessary gussets. The addition of a CNC’ed shock mount on the swing-arm disperses shock loads into the wider area of the swing-arm’s body, reducing the stress at the shock’s connecting point.

Improved stand over clearance is provided by the lowered top tube, giving extra confidence when things get hectic. Adding a gusset at seat-tube/top-tube joint for extra frame durability.

RockShox Maxle on the rear drop-out is the icing on the cake, bringing a tool-free quick-release 12mm bolt through rear axle to the Patriot.

Single-pivot simplicity means reliability. The tried and tested Orange pivot design is rock-solid and easy to maintain. With the adjustable geometry feature, the Patriot is a breeze to set-up for any riding style.

The Spec

• Monocoque/Tube 6061 T6 Aluminium
• Colour: Orange (what else!)
• Fork: Fox 32 Float R (Optional Fox 36 Talas RLC)
• Rear shock: Manitou Evolver Air X4
• Rear Mech: SRAM X9 Medium Cage
• Front Mech: Shimano XT
• Shifters: SRAM X9
• ChainSet: Race Face Atlas All Mountain X Type
• Cassette: SRAM PG950
• Brakes: Hope Moto Raptor V2 with Vented Discs
• Hubs: Hope Pro 2
• Rims: WTB Dual Duty FR
• Spoke: DT Swiss Competition S/S Black
• Tyres: Kenda Nevegal 2.35
• Headset: Hope
• Seat Post: Thomson Elite
• Stem: FSA All Mountain
• Saddle: SDG Bel Air
• Handle Bars: Truvativ Hussefelt
• Pedals: Bring your own!

So what will all this cost you?…only £2200

2007 ended in style when an interesting pair of recumbents came into the workshop for customers Dave and Helen Hart. Specially ordered from ICE (Inspired Cycle Engineering), the ‘Trice T’ models are an ultra-comfortable touring recumbent trike with rear suspension and the ability to fold up and fit in the boot!  As with all build-ups we have to test them (you’d expect nothing less!) and we were really impressed with how well they handle and as you can imagine they are also super comfortable with the laid back riding position. 

Check out the ICE website for pricing and parts.  This is Dave and Helen showing us how it’s done. 

Many thanks to them for their patience whilst sourcing the bikes and accessories, we wish them many happy miles of cycling. Click on any of the images for more pictures.

£50 million is up for grabs from the Big Lottery Fund and it could be invested in cycling and walking across the UK but only if you really want it.

Sustrans needs you to vote for Connect2 , one of four projects competing on ITV1 in the Big Lottery Fund’s: The People’s £50 Million Contest with the winner decided by public vote. Online voting will open on 26th November at www.thepeoples50million.org.uk and telephone voting takes place over the weekend 7th-10th December.

Do one of the following today so that they can remind you how and when to vote.

• Text CONNECT2 to 80010
• Complete the online form at www.sustransconnect2.org.uk (also has more information about the projects) or
• Call 0845 058 1373 to leave your contact details.

Go on then…..

Spent last weekend in the Scottish borders with a bunch of mates doing what we do best - breaking stuff!  We stayed here at the Criffel Inn and would recommend it to anyone (including families) who want to explore the 7Staines.  Great digs and food and the owners are bikers too so they understood our strange ways (mostly pre-ride fettling in the car park).  The photo above shows young Jim on the left, Andy Moore in the middle and Craig Tabiner on the right, check out more photo’s from the trip by clicking on the pic or just go there yourself.