Robert Thorpe Cycling Blogs

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EDITOR IN CHIEFROBERT
THORPE

Words on Paper

Lifestyle Blogs &Reviews by Robert Thorpe

It’s always fascinating how cycling is constantly evolving, and how we as cyclists interact with the cycling industry. In truth, we’re not just one, but several linked sub-cultures. Cyclists take their riding quite seriously – even if we won’t admit it! With this in mind, I thought that it would be kind of interesting to share a few thoughts across a range of cycling related subjects. Off you go then, and have a read – and thanks! Your support for our website is really and genuinely appreciated, by all of us.

Words on Paper

Editorial blogs by Robert

Pirelli Scorpion MTB Mixed Tyres

When the trails are tough and technical and can change in an instant if the weather is feeling temperamental, tyre choice is vital. Thankfully, these Pirelli Scorpion MTB Mixed Terrain Tyres are just what’s required. Tested and developed alongside the world’s top teams, they’re made for days on the trail when you can expect the unexpected.
December 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Mia and Mia Thermo Bottles

It’s quite refreshing to see world leading brands like Elite bringing back the ‘Full Metal Jacket’ cycling water bottle, with no plastic used in its construction. Following on from their Bio Green water bottles, this dynamic Italian brand are using their technical knowledge and expertise to help us older cycling kids to be greener.
November 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Yakima High Road Tyre Hold Bike Carrier

The Yakima High Road is a top of the range heavy duty piece of engineering, designed with typical Japanese effectiveness. The front wheel is locked into place by a moveable set of hoops that wrap around the wheel. Simply lift the bike up and place the front wheel into the front hoop, bring the second hoop in towards the wheel and tighten things up with a calibrated ratchet that clicks when the correct tension is applied.
November 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Alé Mens Klimatik KTour Bib Shorts

‘Bib shorts in autumn and winter’ I hear you exclaim! Yes, because Italian brand Alé have worked out that riders often need performance shorts for those colder days, and they’ve used their knowledge and know how to produce the Klimatik K-TOUR shorts.

Thermal and elastic, the K-TOUR bibshort is designed for riding in particularly humid mid-winter days, and is also really useful in autumn and in early spring. It’s a perfect kit item for the serious cyclist. And, you can also add warmers if you're not from the north... we're used to the cold 😉
November 12, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Alé Mens Klimatik KTour Jersey

Alé know that cyclists need a different kind of protection in autumn. One that also covers milder winters days and those early days of spring. They’ve used this knowledge to create the K-Tour jersey and bib shorts from their Klimatik fabric collection. Having tested it extensively, we really do like it.
November 11, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Making the most of autumn riding

Autumn and winter riding can be amazing. It’s a different kind of challenge, often trying to catch the weather. We thought that we’d help you out over the colder months, with a few simple to stay safe and get the most from riding outside during autumn and winter.
November 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Sutton Bank and Boltby Scar

A super stunning all year round mountain bike route or gravel route, with some of the best views in Yorkshire. Natural trails are mixed with man made tracks, to bring you a fantastic ride.
October 22, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Wensleydale TrailFest

While this is a reasonably short 2 hour ride, it packs a punch, and is probably one of the very best rides in the National Park. With hard climbing, the rider is rewarded with epic descents and superb views across the hills. This is definitely a favourite ride with the team here.
October 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

BIEHLER Signature Mens Bib Shorts

A good jersey needs great bibs, and these Signature shorts from Biehler are a worthy ambassador product for this high end performance brand. Time to take a look then,at what makes Biehler so special.
August 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Stoneman Trail Mountain Bike Challenge

If you’re a lover of mountains and adventure and you ride a mountain bike, then you’ll love the Stoneman Trail in the Dolomites. The route sits neatly in the mountains in the north of Italy and briefly crosses the border in Austria. With a distance of over 100km, this mountain bike challenge has a number of days in which to complete the ride, visiting certain checkpoints along the way, so that your ride can be verified. It’s a challenge and a tough one, but ultimately it’s up to you.
August 13, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

London by Bike

We are at Liverpool Street in the City of London, deciding to rent bikes and start exploring and there is so much to see.
August 7, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Lenzerheide to Arosa and Chur MTB Route

Lenzerheide and Arosa is the ultimate venue for mountainbikers. The two valley sides of Lenzerheide, 'Red Peak' and 'Western Summits', as well as the foothills to the north and south are the real trail paradise for mountainbikers to visit from all over the world.
July 31, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Furka Pass Cycling Route

Sean Connery took to these roads in the classic Bond Movie 'Goldfinger', and now you too can, as you ride through spectacular scenery and enjoy the breathtaking mountain roads of Switzerland.
July 29, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Trail building the ELECTRIC SNAKE for Val di Sole World Championships

 The UCI MTB 2021 World Championships will be held in Val di Sole from 25 to 29 August. But how is a world cup track created? Who is a trail builder and how does one become one? THOK E-Bikes asked a real guru (Italian but internationally renowned): Pippo Marani. He uses THOKs E-Bikes to move around the slopes.
July 28, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Summer Cycling in a Pandemic

It’s summer, but it’s not really summer. Yes, the sun is high and warm, but we simply can’t enjoy it in the way that we want to. Our writers were supposed to be competing in and writing about the legendary Trans Alp mountain bike race this year - but covid travel restrictions put paid to it.
July 26, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

New Ordnance Survey Mapping

We're changing how we share Ordnance Survey mapping of our routes. From August 2021 there'll be far more mapping options available to you, and the ability to do 'fly throughs'.

Read about the reaons and benefits here.
July 25, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Summer Performance

As we reach the middle of the year, Larisa and Robert write about how their use of the Elite interactive trainers has prepared them and ensured that they've got early season smiles on the long cycling miles.
June 17, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Richmond Park to Chichester Cycle Route

How about a cycling route that takes you from London, through the Surrey and Sussex hills, with the South Downs waiting for you,as you approach historic Chichester.
This is an excellent route for a two day trip into the hills, using Chichester as an overnight halt.
May 26, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Bottle Cages

There are some key areas that we all need to focus on when buying new bottle cages: Lightness & Performance, Great Grip and Access, and finally, Fitting & Aesthetic. In order to get the highest possible results in each of these areas, Elite put their considerable knowledge and expertise to good use, resulting in cages that the top riders in the world rely on.
May 15, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Tour des Combins

Take on this classic bike packing tour in the Alps. If you're after a real adventure, then this could be for you. There's some bike hike along the way, but the rewards are epic. Either a hardtail MTB or a Gravel Bike is the ideal way to travel this route at speed.
May 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Renew Not Replace – Bike Love

I’m going to take you down memory lane; to that time when you stood outside of the bike shop on the way to school and you looked at the shiny new bike, with your nose pressed to the window. I was reminded of this a few years ago at Velo Follies in Flanders, looking at a youngster eyeing up the new bike helmets on show. The truth is that we’re all kids at heart, and whatever the technical data or artistic sales description, the colour and look of the bike is still one of the key factors.
April 29, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Benefits of Indoor Cycling

We’re into month 4 of our Elite indoor training project and it’s the perfect time to examine the initial benefits and how it all fits in to the reasoning behind using an indoor trainer.

Let’s get this out of the way early then: indoor cycle training is not about avoiding cycling outdoors - quite the opposite. I’m happy to evidence this viewpoint for you.
April 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elterwater Independent Hostel

We want to help you to get back to what riding is all about -adventure. In the first of a new series of blogs, we're visiting Elterwater Independent Hostel in the English Lake District, to show you some amazing mountain bike routes from the door.
April 2, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Jet Water Bottle

Looking across the water bottle range at Elite, we previously wrote about their award winning super lite Fly water bottle. This time we’re going to be telling you all about their Jet bottle, which takes a few of the advancements from the Fly and puts it into a more robust biodegrable bottle that’s suited for tougher riding environments.
March 12, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Summit Jersey

ALÉ have produced a quite simple but effective springwear jersey that also has its uses on those warmer days towards the end of winter, and on those colder summer days.
March 10, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Bike TransAlp 2021

During the Covid pandemic, sales of bikes have risen exponentially, with more and more people seeking the freedom and adventure that cycling brings. Riding our bikes takes us back to days of childhood, gives us the opportunity to explore new challenges and new places. And, if you’re looking for real adventure in spectacular surroundings in the future, then there’s only 1 Trans Alp race.
March 9, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Bullet DWR Jersey

If you’re looking for the ideal winter jersey, that also comes in useful in late autumn and early spring, then this is definitely the jersey for you. In a short space of time, it’s become one of the jerseys that I instinctively go for as a favourite.
March 4, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Fly Water Bottles

Elite Cycling from Italy don’t just make great indoor cycle trainers. They also make the most technologically researched water bottles for cyclists. We thought that we’d take a look at this critical item of cycling kit.
February 7, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Art From Bike Parts

What do you do with old bikes and old bike parts? Keith fromthe north of England uses them to create awesome pieces of art, personalised for his growing customers. We loved his work so much, that we thought you'd love it too. Take a look at what can be achieved in an environmentally way to recycle metal.
February 6, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elastic Interface Ladies Chamois Pad

Did you know that women have a greater spectrum of bottom shapes and structures than men, it’s true. Elastic Interface have researched this, partnering with the Department of Biomedical Science at the University of Padua, Italy. After developing their First Ladies specific pads, Elastic Interface listened to the feedback and wanted to improve things, and so looked towards the scientists in order to better understand female cyclists bottoms.
January 16, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Indoor Cycling – Not Hibernating

Indoor cycling isn't about hibernation. Instead, it's all about developing your performance to be better equipped to tackle those hills outside, bringing you more smiles when the snow and ice thaws. Elite provide the very products and apps to help you to make the most of indoor cycling.
January 14, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Suito Interactive Trainer Introduction

The Elite Suito Smart Trainer is described as an “out of the box” solution, and it really is. For all the technology and science that has clearly gone into developing this high performance indoor cycling trainer, it’s simply itself in setting up. When the parcels arrived from Italy, I was eager to get started, making room for the myriad of trainers and accessories and planning the cycle area in the bike store.
January 7, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Indoor Cycling Trainers

Indoor cycle trainers should help you to improve your enjoyment of cycling outdoors. Here's our initial thoughts on the latest indoor trainers from Italy in Italy.
January 3, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Real World Video

Wouldn't it be good to be able to bring the outdoors indoors - not like Zwift, good as it is, but to be able to ride interactively to real world video. Welcome to Elite Real World Video, where there's a great selection of routes already uploaded, plus the ability to film your own interactive rides too.
December 14, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Elastic Interface Palm Technology

You’ve got to hand it to Elastic Interface, literally - you really have to. This dynamic and forward thinking Italian technological fabric solution brand have done it again. I mean, how do you reinvent a cycling glove? After all, it’s just a glove isn’t it; with bits of fabric stitched together in the shape of a hand and then pads sewn into the fabric. Well, as the saying goes: ‘the past is another country - they do things differently there!’
December 8, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Taking a break from training

It’s lockdown again, although due to circumstances I didn’t really leave it earlier. With a wife working at the hospital, elderly parents-in-law and kids at university I had to stay safe, to semi-isolate. Thankfully I’m a solitary person, but at times it’s been demotivating. I need to refocus and the rollers are an excellent way to achieve this.
November 17, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Elite Indoor Cycle Training

I like a challenge - I’m still a competitor at heart. But the distance involved in travelling to practice and, the onset of colder weather means my training has to be adapted. Yes, I can go out into the smaller hills in my local National Park, the Dales. They’re truly beautiful, but the winter is coming. Yesterday we had snow! My wife’s parents sent a picture of it.

Yes, I’ll be back onto the rollers again I guess, spinning away and wiping away the sweat, as I try to retain my legs in readiness for spring or a crisp winter day. It won’t give me the strength though, just the stamina, which as a former distance athlete God or my parents already gave me.
October 28, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Voom Nutrition Bars

During the spring and summer of 2020 I’ve been using and testing the Voom Nutrition energy bars and their super tasty “Recovery Fudge” protein bar. Best of all, they’re more than a replacement for the Mars Bars and I’ve seen my power levels maintained on both long rides and shorter but harder rides. How can they benefit your own cycling?
September 22, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Pirelli PZero Race TLR 28

Pirelli returned to road cycling just a few ago, going back to their heritage and using their knowledge and skills developed in a formula 1 to great effect. Now sponsoring UCI World teams at both road and mtb disciplines, their latest tyre ranges take things to a whole new level, like the new 28mm TLR road tyre.
September 11, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Factor Bikes Harrogate

Factor Bikes are all about performance and technolological excellence.This young cycling brand aim high and achieve their goals, so it's no surprise that they've opened a showroom in Harrogate - the cycling centre of the UK. And, The 'Cold Bath Clubhouse' is already establishing itself as the bike place to be in town - with great coffee too!
September 2, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website
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