Robert Thorpe Editorial Blog

PEDALNORTH INSTAGRAMEDITOR IN CHIEFROBERT
THORPE

Pedalnorth of  Wherever You Live 😉

Cycling is one of the best and easiest way to explore nature, the mountains and the wealth of amazing places in which we live. For me, as a climber and mountaineer, it’s something that allows me to continue to live out my passion for wild places and adventure. I also love writing and the power of the written word; how it can express so many emotions – the emotions that we experience when cycling or mountain biking in the hills and mountains.


Pedalnorth started out as simply a place to store the routes that I and good friends explored on 2 wheels. Over the years it’s grown into one of the leading independent cycling websites and quality tested route databases in Europe, with readers from over 200 nations – a fact which I’m immensely proud of, leading such talented athletes and writers. Now, when we look at the website, it simply means to ‘pedal north of wherever you are in the world’, to  seek  adventure and to enjoy your own fitness and cycling lifestyle!

With colleagues such as Larisa, Nadezhda, Scott and Steve, and with the support of our industry partners, especially Claudia and her team in Italy at Vitamina C Communications & PR, we continue to try to bring you the very best of written content about our own personal love for cycle sport, triathlon and the very best products; and, here is my own contribution – away from my usual role of simply editing others superb writing, as I share my own love of cycling with you. 🙂

Bavaria 5 Rivers Cycle Route

The 5 Rivers cycling route in Bavaria is an easy muti-day cycling route in Bavaria. However, it has along its way, some of the most captivating cultural history in Bavaria to explore.
September 15, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Munich exploring castles and Bavarian Mountain views

This cycling route in Bavaria takes you from Munich and into the countryside of Bavaria, passing several castles along the way, and heading into the Bavarian Alps. It's a bikepacking trip in Bavaria that we suggest you ride by gravel bike over a few days.
September 13, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Choosing the best road and offroad cycling shoes

Finding the best cycling shoes in the world is a challenge. Ultimately, we're all built differently, and that includes the uniqueness of our feet and how we use them. Add to this, that brands can't easily shout out that they probably make the best cycling shoes, then we've got an additional barrier. Time then to look at what does make a great cycling shoe even greater.
September 6, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Rudy Project Skudo cycling helmet

We've been busy recently, testing the latest road cycling and gravel biking helmets from Italian brand, Rudy Project. Their Skudo cycling helmet sits neatly in the mid-range for price, performance and quality, making it a great choice for all riders.
September 4, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website
Rudy Project Kilion Impact X sunglasses in white, with photochromatic lens

Rudy Project Kelion Sunglasses with Impact X 2 Lens

Rudy Project have surpassed themselves with the latest ImpactX® 2 lens used in their Kelion road cycling sunglasses. Yes, I know, the lens is always an important element to road cycling sunglasses – that’s plainly obvious. Read on however, and find out why we really like these new high performance sunglasses from Italy
August 25, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Rudy Project Egos Road Cycling Helmet

Rudy Project is renowned for producing great cycling safety products. They’ve been doing so for a long time, from their base in Italy, and are trusted across the global cycling community. Their latest Egos ‘road cycling helmet’ typifies their adherence to excellence, and has that unique Italian styling too.
August 25, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Benefits of a professional bike fitting session

There are a number of ideas why all keen cyclists – and regular commuters by bike – should get a professional bike fit from a bike fitting expert. Most of us simply walk into a bike shop and try a bike for size without actually knowing what a correctly fitting bike feels like. SQ Lab have been creating products to help bike fitters to help out cyclists, since 1992. Time to take a look at the 6 key benefits of a professional bike fit
August 16, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

SQ Lab and the Appliance of Science in Cycling Excellence

SQLab is probably one of the most established and long-term technical brands within the cycling industry, that you really ought to have heard of. Since it’s infancy in the early days of the mountain bike revolution of the 1990s, this group of cycling scientists from Germany have been setting the standard for innovation and excellence that still defines SQLab today.
August 15, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

The Positive Benefits of a Bike Fit and the Science of Bike Fitting

Bike fitting looks at every aspect of how we are built, how we move, how we sit and and how comfortable we are when cycling. Bike fitting should be as normal for us as cyclists, as stopping to enjoy coffee and cake is. However, the new science of bike fitting is still developing, despite World Tour riders and teams using it for many years.

Rudy Project Tralyx+ Sunglasses with Photochromic lenses

There’s something comforting about Rudy Project for me. You immediately know that the product will be of the highest quality, well designed, extremely comfortable and perform superbly. Yes, that ultimate balance that all cyclists and athletes seek in any product.
August 4, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

3T Bikes – Innovation and Excellence

Since its inception in 1961, over 60 years ago, when Mario Dedioniggi founded 3T in Torino, this eclectic brand of artisan cycle makers have produced exceptional bikes for riders all over the world.
August 3, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

What’s the Best Mountain Bike Lights

Mountain biking at night adds a different and exciting dimension to trail riding. On late summer evenings and those warm autumn days; riding into the darkness with friends is food for the soul. Thinking about this, we wanted to share our thoughts with you about our favourite mountain bike trail lights
July 23, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Cycling Industry Technology and Innovation

Cycling technology and innovation is having a huge impact on cycling participation. In our daily lives, commuting by bike, and for leisure and sport, science and technology in cycling is allowing more and more people to get out cycling, making the most of a healthy lifestyle
July 21, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

SQ Lab Cycling – Maximising Performance & Comfort

SQ Lab are a group of very clever scientists, based in the heart of Bavaria, who are passionate about helping you and all cyclists to find the perfect fit for your bike. Using their well-researched and detailed software and measuring tools, they'll not only tell you what's required; they also design and create innovative solutions to optimise your ride.
July 18, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Best European MTB Events

Cyclists are looking for new adventures, and there's an explosion of events all over Europe. We put our experts to work, listing the very best of European mountain bike events. Off you go then - join the adventure revolution!

EuroBike 2024 Day 1

EuroBike is a place where one day is simply not enough. I’m not actually sure that a week will be either. This year in particular, there are so many fascinating aspects to the cycling industry to see
July 3, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

High Performance Cycling Clothing

The cycle clothing market is awash with so many brands, that it's often difficult to determine which clothing to choose for true quality and performance. WE thought that it was about time we started to examine this for you. Let's focus of real quality and performance brands, and create a cycling revolution
June 27, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

On the trails of Triada – Transylvania epic ride

We're developing a new 4-day challenge route, for both gravel bikes and mountain bikes' It'll take you from the mountain resort of Paltinis in Transylvania, exploring the epic trails of Europe's last great wilderness. Join the ride, on the adventure revolution - with TRIADA mountain bike!
June 25, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Entering the age brackets within cycling

I don't weigh myself; I haven't done so for nearly 30 years. These days, if my trousers fit me, I know that I'm fine; and I have a deal with my wife: she promises to tell me when I no longer look good in Lycra - and, I know for sure that she will! At such a point, I'll never where tight cycling shorts and jerseys again 😉
June 13, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

ALE cycle clothing for wet summer rides

Wet cycling days seem to be more common than ever these days, which is why we wanted to give you a few ideas from our own selection of our favourite rainy ride kit options. Here's a few from Italian high-performance brand, ALÉ
June 9, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website
ALÉ cycle clothing

Grantley Hall Cycling Routes

Grantley Hall is one of the very best hotels in the U.K.. Situated within the actual Yorkshire Dales, on the edge of the National Park, it has some of the best cycling in the world, direct from the hotel.

Transfăgărășan Challenge 2024

It’s thankfully quite refreshing to know that there is still a place in the world, and an event to really challenge yourself on, and that actually means something – welcome then to the Transfăgărășan Challenge, and the opportunity to cycle up what is correctly described as the most spectacular ribbon of tarmac in the world – the Transfăgărășan Highway, in Romania.
May 31, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ R-EV1 Hammer Bib Shorts

Bib shorts are a cycle clothing necessity that you have to get right. Thankfully, ALÉ are a brand that understands this and put all of their world tour expertise and years of research into this critical area of clothing. For me, the three main elements of the pad to get right are: the pad, the fabric, and the straps.
May 13, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Pragma Dinamica SS Jersey

ALÉ don’t simply make cycling clothing; no, they craft some of the finest men’s and ladies cycling clothing in the world, from their base in the magical and historic city of Verona, on the edge of the Italian Lakes and Mountains. It’s the city of Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and this ALÉ Pragma Dinamica ss jersey for summer, is definitely a cycling jersey to fall in love with.
May 13, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Elastic Interface Chamois Pad

Are you sitting comfortably? It’s an interesting question, especially for a cyclist. Far too often cyclistssimply choose their bib shorts based on design or the feel and compression of the Lycra, without considering the cycle chamois pad itself. And yet, when we think about it, the pad is the most important choice.
April 4, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Made in Yorkshire – Carbon Wasp

Carbon Wasp – artisans for the modern era

If you look hard enough across the internet, you’ll find a wealth of small and specialist engineers making bikes and bespoke bike parts in small workshops up and down the U.K...
March 28, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Mountain Biking in Romania – Europe’s last great wilderness

Transylvania, a fascinating and quite beautiful region of Romania, has been central to European history for centuries. In more modern times, we tend to think of it simply in terms of the quite false literary account of Count Dracula. In truth, there’s so much more to Transylvania than vampires
March 26, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

TRIADA and the Trilogy of the Trails

Transylvania has been described as Europe's last and most beautiful wilderness. It's also home to the inspiring mtb racer, Tudor Oprea, and he's got an all-new epic for you ride. Welcome to the 'TRILOGY OF THE TRAILS', the future of off-road adventures. This epic new off-road biking festival takes on gravel bikes, XC & trail mountain bikes, and e-mountain biking, over 3 epic weekend festivals in the Carpathian Mountains. Read here to find out more...
March 12, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Indoor Cycling – Training Through Injury

One understated benefit of interactive indoor cycle trainers, is how useful that they are when you're training through imjury. You need to ensure that you stay within performance parameters, and the data that you get from the 'My E-Training' app allows you to focus and to work at the right level. Robert writes about how Elite are helping him through such a period of injury.
February 20, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Officine Mattio Bikes partner with BePInk Cycle Team

Specialist and high-quality Italian bike brand, Officine Mattio has signed its first ever technical partnership agreement with the UCI Continental BePink women's team, for 2024. The Cuneo based cycle brand will provide the team riders with its top range Lemma RT model. Read more about the new partnership here
January 17, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Rudy Project and Bahrain Victorious – Thinking Ahead

Italian safety wear specialists, Rudy Project have just announced the continuation of their partnership with World Tour team, Bahrain Victorious. Time then to take a look at what Rudy Project will be bringing to the 2024 peloton.
January 16, 2024/by Pedalnorth Website

Indoor cycling for life

None of us can be motivated all of the time. We all go through periods in life, when we simply can't be bothered - admit it. Thankfully, cycling indoors can help to reinvigorate us and create some much needed positivity. Life, after all, should be cherished; and, trying to stay healthy is always a good idea
December 20, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Getting Interactive with Elite

The Elite Justo and new Rizer indoor interactive cycle set-up brings a whole new level of realism to cycling at home. Time to take a look as winter hits hard outside
November 13, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Indoor Cycling Inspiration – Ben Ralston

Indoor cycling isn't just for elite athletes and keen amateur riders. When you consider the technology these days and what it can replicate from the real roads, then it's also a way in which ordinary and some quite extraordinary people can stay cycling. As we begin another autumn season of indoor cycling blogs, read the account of Ben Ralston and how having access to an indoor interactive training allowed this inspiring man to keep turning the pedals in his last few months of his battle with cancer
October 25, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Pirelli Scorpion XC RC Mountain Bike Tyre

we decided to put a set of latest Pirelli race ready Scorpion tyres on our test bikes this year. Not only did we choose their super fast and flighty, Scorpion XC RC, but we then went for the 2.2 widths - just to add a bit more spice. True to form, the Orbea Oiz XC bike that we ran these tyres on, became an unleashed trail beast that required careful handling, and harping back to those halcyon days where flat pedals on a hard tail taught you the necessary skills of foot control.
October 24, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Pirelli PZero Race 4S All Weather Tyre for cycling

Once in a while you test a tyre that seems to have it all. I'm quite fussy with my road tyres too, as I live and ride in the Yorkshire Dales, where the gravel edged roads are tight and twisty and take no prisoners. I want to feel safe, and it's not always possible when you're testing tyres. However, these new Pirelli all-weather tyres in the 26 mm size are the cycle tyre equivalent of having Belgium Chocolate Cake from Jervaulx Abbey - they're simply irresistible.
October 24, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Designing Cycle Shoes for Women

In case you haven’t noticed it, women are built differently from men – it’s a fact. All too often, historically, brands have simply produced downsized products for women, and have failed either deliberately or otherwise, to recognise the physiological differences. Yes, the cycling world simply used a ‘Pink it & Shrink it’ mentally, failing to understand the specific needs of women as athletes.
September 19, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Our Favourite Coffee Stops – Lumos Cafe in Sibiu

As far of Coffee shops and cafes go, Lumos sets the bar very high indeed, as we start to share our own list of favourite cafes for cyclists with you. I don't know if it can be matched...
August 30, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Hill and Ellis Saddle Bag

Stylishly modern vintage

There's a whole new movement of cyclists, all over Europe, who love vintage bikes of all genres, especially fxed wheels. Add to this, the cyclists on Brompton's and other more modern city bike for cool commuters, then this high-quality leather saddle bag from Hill & Ellis is the perfect gift.
August 8, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Cycling to Paltinis and the city of Sibiu

It’s a year now, since I was cycling upwards, in the hills close to the historic city of Sibiu, deep in Transylvania. I returned again in winter, visiting people I regard as family, and the wonderful Sibiu Christmas market. It’s a city that’s easy to fall in love with, filled with amazing architecture, a warm ambience and some of the most beautiful mountains in Europe.
June 19, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Pink it and shrink it – a male perspective on sexism in cycling

Working in the cycling industry as a man, I was shocked when I first heard the phrase ‘we simply used to pink it and shrink it’, in relation to ladies cycling clothing. Seriously! Yes, women who wanted cycling clothing etc, were expected to buy and wear smaller versions of a men’s design - just in pink.
June 1, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Countdown to Adventure – Transfăgărășan Challenge 2023

If you still don’t know where the Transfăgărășan Highway is, and that it’s described by many as ‘the best road in the world’, then give your head a shake please!
This epic ribbon of tarmac, winds its way chaotically across the mountains, close to the historic city of Sibiu, in Transylvania, Romania – itself a World Heritage Site.
May 25, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Biehler Supreme Mens Jersey

Biehler is one of those cycling brands that are simply reliable. Their clothing range is of the highest quality and made with the very best fabrics, using their vast experience from the pro riders that Biehler work with.
The Supreme jersey is testament to their adherence to design and performance.
April 13, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Ben Ralston – One Last Ride

Ben Ralston, a close friend of editor, Robert, has terminal cancer. Being an adventure seeker, we arranged for Orbea U.K. & Chevin Cycles to give Ben and his son 'One Last Ride' - get the tissues ready for this inspiring man
April 7, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Camelbak Podium Water Bottle Range

It's hotting up outside and it's definitely time to start looking at water bottles. Larisa and Robert take a look at the latest bottles from world leaders in hydration, Camelbak 🙂
April 1, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Cycle Shoe Cleat Maintenance and Replacement

Have you got pain in the knees or feet when cycling? If so, why not visit one of the skilled Lake shoe fitting experts at their retail partners, and getting them to take a close look at your feet and cycling position - give yourself some well-earned foot love! We really believe in getting your cycling shoes properly fitted, and that means Lake Cycling - the best cycling shoes in the world.
March 18, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÉ Cold Weather Cycle Clothing – Wrapped in Warmth & Style

Italian cycle clothing brand, ALÉ, are annoying good at producing cycling performance wear. ‘Why annoying’ you may ask - well, it’s quite simple; they’re so good at what they do, that each year, the kit simply gets better, and I am forced to change my thoughts on my own favourite jacket for days on the bike.
March 16, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

ALÈ Klimatik Guscio Thunderstorm, Waterproof Jacket

Having used some quite excellent jackets before, and some quite terrible waterproof jackets too, this stylishly modern jacket ticks all the right boxes and is most certainly, at the top of the list.
March 14, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Lake Cycling 242 Cycling Shoe

Is the new Lake Cycling 242 shoe, the most comfortable cycling shoe in the world? Our editor, Robert, thinks that it just might be. Read why in this blog
February 25, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website

Verve Info Crank 2

The Metaverse already exists - especially for cyclists. How many of you guys love Zwift racing, where you meet up online, in avatar format and race against each other… often daily.
January 29, 2023/by Pedalnorth Website
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