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Check out the new 36" carbon rims from Nextie, perfect for Unicycles are endurance machines. Basic
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 BUY EVO Prong
The low down: Hub Width: 15x110 Boost Weight: 680g +/-5g 55 mm fork offset Suspension corrected geometry 525mm Axel to Crown Carbon threadless steerer uncut length 300mm Tapered steerer 15mm thru axle (supplied) Direct mount disk brake Ideal for 29er or 29+ bikes (suitable for the RUSSTi EVO 27.5+ or 29+) Maximum Tyre width 3" (76.2mm) Internal front brake cable Matte or Gloss finish With or without “Triple cage mounts" 2 year Warranty on EVO Prong" forks The EVO Prong forks works with any Boost Fox Axle, it is supplied with a MT Zoom allen key axle Do you have 15x100mm hub/wheels but want you use the XC Prong Boost Fork? You can now purchase an Hope Pro 2/ 4 adapter which will convert your standard hubs to Boost width! No weight limit on the carbon XC Prong fork Why have a big cassette when you can be a Single Speed Monster like Steve Day! This Garbaruk Single Speed Cog is off to be destruction tested by the Multiple World Champion! Do you have the legs to turn a 60 tooth chainring? Check out the machining on this aero Garbaruk chainring. #Aero #chainring    Shakedown ride on my new bike today! Custom Ti frame, pinion, gates, lauf, jones, klite. Very pleased with it all and looking forward to going much much further!
Thanks to Duncan for the email and images. "  Always nice to get a picture of them out enjoying their bike and getting it dirty. This was a special bespoke build with a combination of SRAM AXS parts making a very clean looking build.
The GB Escapade is a mini version of the GB Divide, just 481km! - based partly on the first sections of the Divide, but mainly in the opposite direction with an extra section added taking you along the Medway up to Dorking. I had a plan, and it was to go as light as possible with no stops, so no sleeping bag - just an emergency bivvy bag, sleeping mat and pillow. I was feeling a bit sick before the start with an upset stomach but I didn't think much of it as I get it before most events from nerves and normally it goes away quickly as I get riding. We set off at 17:00 Thursday evening. I wasn't under any illusion that I was going to be the quickest, but I did want to go with the quicker riders just to experience what I needed to do for future events. I was set off in the first group and made sure I was on the front. I didn't know what speed to expect, so thought if I was on the front I could control it or respond as riders came past. This worked and I lead the first road section before being overtaken just before going into the first off-road section. The first climb was quite tame but I realised something was wrong, I had no power, I just felt empty.  The rest of the evening was just misery; a battle to eat when I didn't feel like it, I was making silly navigational errors and it was clear I wasn't in any state to ride through the night. Realistically the sensible decision would have been to scratch but I had done the same in the Divide (albeit much further in and for a different reason), I needed to finish this one - so bedded down, set an alarm for 4 hours time and tried to sleep it off. Thankfully the nights were warm and the bivvy bag with mattress was enough to keep me warm and I felt a bit better. I still couldn't eat much, but I was trying to nibble as I rode along. Check point 1 was 165km in and by my calculation I would be there about 09:00. The trails there were kind to me, no real hard climbs, I could just plod along without pushing myself too much. I arrived pretty much bang on the new pace I set myself. I was already 8 hours behind the leaders and it was nice to see a friendly face. Jon was manning the CP (who I had ridden quite a bit of Wales with in the Divide), he was full of support and asking me why I was so far behind! Cheeky git! I filled my bottles and as I left he said the next 60km are hard! He wasn't wrong, it was great riding, really nice trails and on any other day I would have loved it, but not today. Luckily a couple of kilometres in, I stumbled upon a posh food van, forced myself to eat a bacon roll and took some apple slices for later. This 60km section was unrelenting, sandy, rolling and leg sapping. About 40km I bumped into another rider sitting outside a small store. I thought it would be best to refuel as shops seem to be very infrequent en-route. This was the last real food I could get down me for the remaining of the event. At this point it was a real mental battle to keep going, all I wanted to do was go to bed but the voice in my head to keep going was still shouting louder. I was almost at the South Downs way - I did it a couple of weeks ago the other way, it was going to be a doddle! I rolled into Graffam feeling extremely sick. Luckily there was an amazing little village shop where I sat down and rested my head on a table, trying to stop myself being sick. I am not sure how long I was like this as I fell asleep. Once I woke, I walked around the shop to find something I could keep down. For some bizarre reason I went for raspberries and cheese and onion crisps! I knew the sickness was probably a result of the bug I had and the lack of food I was eating. I needed to reevaluate my plan again. What was the slowest speed I could do but still make the time cut? More sleep at night and just keep rolling was the plan. The climb out of Graffam was evil, steep with loose rocks and about 2km long. I walked from the bottom, it was not what I needed, but I made it and we were on the South Downs Way Baby! The scale and the openness of everything up here is amazing, although you are only 45 minutes from London, you can ride for miles without seeing a house or person. I only rode for about an hour after dark before finding a spot to sleep but I soon realised it was far too close to one of the many gates that are spread along the length of the SDW and every person that went through seemed to try and close it a bit harder than the last, waking me up! I slept for about 6 hours and woke feeling a bit more refreshed. It was a perfect morning, no breeze and the sun was just below the horizon but you could feel the day was coming. The mist was thick in the valleys with just the odd light from a house shining through. I felt this was going to be a good day, I can easily push onto the finish from here...I am an idiot, got carried away and broke my no riding up climbs rule and pushed myself over the edge again. I found as long as I just cruised the flats and walked the hills I could keep the sickness in check, but oh no I got carried away and have to make it hard for myself again! So I just knocked it right back again, relaxed and enjoyed the view and the riding and rolled into the end of the SDW to complete section 2 of 3, we are now on the home straight - just 155km to go! I don't want to babble on about the sickness that seemed to dominate my ride this time, although just a couple of days after finishing I can already recall it through rose tinted glasses. It was without doubt the hardest ride I have ever done, the last 155km took me 24 hours! I had to stop multiple times during the day to sleep, one of the highlights was waking up in a bus stop to the noise of the bus doors opening, then me retching over the edge of the bench in-front of a bus load of people...they soon drove off! I phoned my girlfriend, I had about 100km to go at this point and was quite emotional, I really didn't want to stop but maybe I was at the point, she said she would look ahead for any B&B's or hotels.  As soon as I was off the phone I was back on my bike, just a couple more kilometres, if I can just leave 70km for tomorrow, I could finish in the time limit! I stopped at about 22:00 Saturday night with about 70km to go, so I could sleep for 6-7 hours and still do it comfortably. I set my alarm for 2 hours, what was I thinking? I just wanted it finished! So at about midnight, I rolled out of my ditch and as soon as I set off my knee injury from the Divide was back. Basically anything from this point onward that wasn't on the road or downhill - I had to walk. I pedalled with just my left leg for parts, but as you could imagine this wasn't particularly comfy after 430km. My original calculations when I set off at midnight was I would roll in at about 04:00, but I was already way off that, with 30km to go my, body just shut down. I grabbed some drink, ate as much as I could, then climbed into my bivvy bag and went to sleep against a tree. I woke and it was just starting to get light, 30km to go, I am just going to enjoy the ride/mainly walk, chat to a few horses.....  I rolled into the finish just before 09:00 on Sunday, not the ride I had planned, but an adventure I won't forget quickly. Not every ride goes perfectly, sometimes you just have to get your head down and get through it. On the plus side, most of the equipment tweaks I made worked, I will get my knee sorted and have another crack at the Divide in 2022!
 I awoke and found my knee was very stiff again. It was tricky to straighten. Two and a bit days of pushing on hoping it would sort itself out, but in reality I just needed a few days off the bike to allow it to recover and I knew this was the end of my event.
The Welsh mountains were done and I just had the rolling foothills leading back into England. Sounds easy, but what could have been a nice roll down into Oswestry turned into some really tough, steep tracks criss-crossing the countryside before dropping me down slowly into the town. I rode through Oswestry into the town of Gobowen where there was a railway station. I was still on the route and on schedule. I stopped opposite the station and sat down outside the Co-op. I didn't want to scratch and needed some time to consider my options. People were telling me to get a hotel, sit out a day, regroup and see how I feel. The thing that was pushing me forward was knowing I was still within the time limit and without the motivation I wasn't sure I would make it. Everyone needs something when you are having a bad time and this was mine - maybe I set my targets too high, maybe I could just ride and see how it goes? I looked for a local hotel on my phone but my heart wasn't really in it. It was carry on or go home. I ate some food and swung my leg over the bike and continued down the track. I didn't get very far, I turned down the wrong road, I couldn't find the correct track, I couldn't seem to work my Garmin anymore, I was just getting frustrated with myself, ahhh! I turned round and returned back a couple of kilometres to the bench. I sat there for about 5 minutes, crossed the road and bought a train ticket home. It didn't take long, couple of trains and I was back in London, short ride across to Liverpool Street and within hours I was back in Essex. On reflection it took about a week before my knee was comfortable to ride on again, I made the right decision. Even on the train back I was planning next year’s attempt, some kit changes and the knowledge I had gained from riding it this year would make a big difference. I must say a big thanks to Kevin and the team for their support and for putting on a great event. When you are writing the blogs it’s easy to pick out the memorable/painful bits but there are hundreds of kilometres in-between where you are just riding along, lost in your own world, enjoying the scenery. It’s hard to explain the joy of just riding your bike for 19-20 hours a day with no other pull on your time. You are probably thinking, "I can't do that" but you probably can, it’s just a matter or pacing - normally you have a target, "I am going out for 2 hours" or a certain distance and you feel tired at the end because your mind and body is working towards that goal. When that's taken away and you just ride until you need to eat or sleep that’s it, you just do it. I would encourage anyone to have a go, it doesn't need to be an organised event, just get out and ride your bike. Hopefully I will see a few Travers Bikes on the start line in 2022 or posting their adventures from their rides. Awful nights sleep - I just picked the wrong location again and never got comfortable because of the slope and uneven ground. My right leg had all but locked straight at the knee overnight. Any other day and I wouldn't have considered going out on my bike but I needed to suck it up and get on with it. I packed my kit up as usual, dragged the bike back onto the trail and just as I was mid applying the barrier cream, Jon rode past me. Normally I would have jumped on and tried to follow him, but I knew my leg wasn't going to play along, so I took my time and rolled up the trail about 2 minutes later. We were in the middle of nowhere and the trail soon petered out to nothing, leaving us with only the GPS as a guide as to which direction I should scrabble across the mountain side, through the bracken. There were a couple of watery dips, they could easily be ridden with just damp feet...until the last one just before the gate, where we rejoined the trail. I rode in and quickly realised that this was much deeper than the rest, but it was too late - I was committed. The wave actually came over my handlebars....thanks Kevin! Just what I wanted before breakfast! Jon was waiting on the other side of the gate, messaging Kevin a video of water pouring from his bottom bracket. I gave Jon one of my caramel waffles to cheer him up and we set off together....in the wrong direction! We back-tracked and found an opening in the trees and a path that went through some tall reeds. I lead the way, hit a hidden hole, fell off, and ended up on my back like an upside-dowb tortoise! The testing terrain continued for another hour or so, until we hit the road again. We passed a petrol station and, knowing there wasn't much else for miles, I stopped and restocked. The food didn't cheer me up and my motivation was ebbing again; my knee was bugging me every time the trail went up and I phoned Amanda and told her I was finished when I got to the end of the section. The road section was quite short - maybe 2km before we hit a trail centre. As I pulled into the car-park to find the correct trail up the mountain, Andre was getting out of his car! Andre from the night before. I had bumped into him the previous night, where he lived, and today, where he worked! What were the chances?.. It's as if he could have been tracking me in someway! We had a quick chat and I pushed on before me knee started to seize up again. The next section to Machynlleth, I loved, although the mountains continued - they seemed to suit my style. Apart for one section of steep hike-a-bike, I could ride on without much pain from my knee. After this, I caught up with Jon again - he was having a bad time and struggling, so we rode together for a bit. It was nice to see the cows entering into the spirit and enjoying some parkour on a slag heap, just off to the side of the trail, with a rather large bull just out of shot watching us closely. I stopped just long enough to take the photo. We stopped in Machynlleth as Jon's GPS battery had died. We stopped to recharge it and had some dinner in a pub. We were there nearly 2 hours - too long because my knee was getting tight again. I knew there was nothing in the next section, no shops or pubs at all and 100km before Oswestry where there was a hotel. I knew it was probably one of the hardest sections so far, but I knew another night of poor sleep might push me over the edge. I rode with Jon up the first mountain, he stopped at the top and I carried on; I was on a mission. I felt really good, at no stage during the event had my legs felt bad, tired - yes, but I had always held back a bit, now was the time to push on!  Everything in this section was stunning, the mountains, the views - but it was brutal. Hike-a-bike sections up a 500m mountainside with no track to follow. It was too steep to ride, not that you could, because it was so overgrown. I ended up on the wrong side of a barbed wire fence. Unfortunately, the land fell away so steeply on the other side, I couldn't put the bike on the ground when lifting it over, so had to drop it - not far, but I had visions of it shooting off down the mountainside. Clearing this section, surely we deserved a break? Nope, it was followed by the almost arrow straight steep climb up to the top of Clipiau Duon mountain. It was a road climb, the top of which you could see from miles away and it just didn't seem to get closer. I neared the top and turned round to admire the view when I noticed a figure climbing up to join me. It turned out to be Tom Gibbs - we hadn't met so far on the event and he seemed to be flying. We rode the descent together and alongside the llyn Llanwddyn Reservoir - we then climbed back up the mountain before dropping back down to the reservoir a number of times. Tom was too strong though and I settled back into my own pace. I knew at this point I wasn't going to make the hotel tonight - it was getting dark and there was still some evil hike-a-bike sections to come. The middle image above is of one of the hike-a-bike sections. We came down through this and I took the photo about halfway down. It's tricky to see how steep it really is. There were brambles and fallen trees hidden in the grass and flowers. It was tough but downhill and mercifully shorter than some of the sections earlier. The only plus point was that you could actually feel the mountains were getting smaller as we headed to the border of Wales. This didn't mean it was any easier, if anything, it was harder. There were still no flat trails and although the climbs were shorter, they seemed to get steeper and more frequent. I had come up short by about 20-25km. It doesn't sound much, but at night, with these mountains it was another 2-3 hours of tricky terrain before the hotel. I knew I was going to spend another night outside. I think, by this point, I was one of the only riders not to have stayed in a hotel. It took another 30 mins of riding before I eventually found somewhere to camp. Again, not the best, it was on a slope - but everywhere around here was. I set up my kit and took my shoes and socks off. I had pins and needles in my feet all day, but my knee had taken my mind off it. I had loosened my shoes, the Velcro on the bottom part was completely off, but still my feet were swollen and feeling like they wanted to burst out of the shoes. It's hard to tell how swollen they were from this photo.  I knew falling asleep, that I probably didn't have many more kilometres left in me.
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