Editorial thoughtsRobert Thorpe

Thinking Out Loud

A few thoughts on cycling from a middle aged rider

It’s always fascinating how cycling is constantly evolving, and how we as cyclists continue  to interact with the cycling industry. In truth, we’re not just one, but several linked sub-cultures in a varied tapestry of styles. 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 editorial thoughts, across a range of cycling related subjects. Things that interest me, and some of which may sound to be somewhat political or opinionated; they’re not – they’re simply my thoughts. As cyclists, we need a voice, and we need to express the good, the bad and the inspirational.

For me, cycling is a journey of exploration; of us and of the world in which we live. I come from a climbing and mountaineering background, and I’m a writer (poet) at heart; so expect that now and them my writing may get somewhat detailed or emotive. However, isn’t life emotive – despite us trying to hide from it on social media these days. My writing will always be an honest account of a stream of thoughts.

Off you go then, and have a read – and thanks! Your support for our website is really and genuinely appreciated, by all of us – but especially so by me 🙂

Editorial blogs by Robert

Elastic Interface Triathlon Chamois Pad

Triathlon cycling element is an aggressive position, where the rider is usually at their limit and trying to create as much performance as is possible. Add to this that the suit worn by the triathlete has two other elements to content with, then it’s a difficult decision to make in terms of what the chamois pad should be like and how technical it needs to be.
March 1, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Into 2022 with the Elite Tuo

In a world filled with indoor interactive cycling trainers, many people will be surprised to see that the good old ‘wheel on’ trainer, or ‘turbo trainer’ as it was once familiarly known, still has a place. Indeed, the Tuo Interactive Wheel On trainer by Italian brand Elite, is more than capable of holding its own
February 20, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Settle to Carlisle Cycling Route

One of the most famous rail journeys in the U.K., the Settle Carlisle road cycling route takes you from the historic Yorkshire Dales market town of Settle, all the way through the magnificent Dales National Park, to historic Carlisle and it's wealth of Roman and medieval history.
January 23, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Rosti – Italian by Design

Rosti are renowned for their excellence and performance, and for their unique design culture. We decided that it was time to look behind this family firm from Italy and its beating heart.
January 22, 2022/by Pedalnorth Website

Deuter Flyt 14 Mountain Bike Pack

Any mountain biking pack needs to first of all perform as a pack on the hills. After all, it’s pointless carrying anything on a bike that doesn’t perform in its basic function. Thankfully, the Deuter Flyt 14 backpack performs superbly in its base function as a mountain bacpack or for adventure days on a gravel bike.
December 29, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Spirit of the Hills

Some people seem to have a special bond with the mountains.It's like an addiction, they're drawn to these wild places. Robert comes from a mountaineering background, and Larisa too, also being a mountain ski tourer. Our 2 intrepid editors write about this spiritual bond with wild nature.
December 21, 2021/by Pedalnorth Website

Rolling The Gap

I love exercise and training - it’s part of who I am. I wasn’t unduly concerned at having a break; it’s probably done me some good in a way, but I knew that I needed to get back to daily training. Going for the odd short ride or a long walk just doesn’t cut it for me. I need to sweat and to ache and know that my heart has been pushed.
December 20, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Voom Nutrition for Cyclists

VOOM is a young and vibrant brand from the U.K. and it’s one that has its base firmly in endurance sports, with triathlon, fell running and cycling being sports that the brands key people participate in at a high level. There’s also some good science behind what they do, with their own scientist within the brand team. All sounds good so far then.
August 10, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

London Fixed Gear

I’d better open up by saying that I wasn’t on a drug crazed trip in our capital city. No, I’d simply gone down to London to spend time with our son, a photographic artist who lives in the south of the city. Yes, a man after my own heart, whose apartment is filled with bikes and bike parts, all fixed gear machines, including a folding one! He has other bikes... numerous at the family home, but London is for riding real - and that means fixed gear.
August 1, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

London to Telegraph Hill

Telegraph Hill in London is a secret viewpoint with one of the very best views over the city. Take a cycle ride from Central London, along the Southbank to this amazing small park.
June 23, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Morning Ride

It’s time to ride. The air outside is cool and a slight dampness hangs as the sun is still warming the earth. Fixing the bottles into the cages, I clip the pedals and place the gloved palms of my hands onto the bars.
June 21, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Ditchling Beacon

It is possible to find country lane road cycling routes in Sussex and London. The classic Ditchling Beacon road cycling climb is an example, cycling from Balcombe to Brighton.
June 19, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

Romania 5 Top Cycling Climbs

There are places in the world that are not only still relatively undiscovered, but that also have road cycling climbs that rank alongside any cycling climbs in the world - welcome to Romania cycling, or to be precise - it's time to be transfixed by Transylvania!
June 7, 2020/by Pedalnorth Website

It’s Time to Ride – with Time Bikes!

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