Journal | Hunt Bike Wheels

First thing that came into my mind when I woke up this morning.

“I’m going riding.”

Second thing that came into my mind;

“My medical insurance probably doesn’t cover this, best not crash!”

I had only made contact with Himalayan Singletrack the day before I left the UK so I was really pleased that they managed to come up with a single day trip for me to get out of the city and see some of Nepal from a bike. Expecting the terrain to be somewhat mountainous I also tentatively asked if it could not be too gnarly as I had a course to teach the following week!

ROB HARWOOD has been a rider for the Hunt Open Dev Team since it was first announced. Hailing from the lanes and b-roads of Essex, UK, there is nothing more Rob likes than a long day spent out on the bicycle (and finished off with a few beers). Until recently, Rob has been keeping things on the tarmac, however, the draw of gravel has brought this roadie to enjoy the adventure that venturing off the beaten path offers. Spending weekends in Scotland and Wales, as well as being co-founder of a bunch of great guys as ColVelo Collective (read below for more) - Rob sets a bench march for being an ambassador for not only Hunt Wheels but the wider cycling community in general. 

We managed to wrangle in Rob to answer a few questions for the latest edition of On The Drops. Enjoy.

Early this morning in Australia, Hamish, our Hunt Australia and NZ Manager was meant to meet the highly respected Ultra Endurance Cyclist Mike Hall for a rolling interview for Kinesis UK as he raced the Indian Pacific Wheel Race. As you can see from his Instagram feed below, tragedy had struck Mike Hall's ride.

RideInPeace Mike Hall, an inspiration to us all.

Delving into the hardest hitting debates circulating around cycling (such as Jersey Pockets or Saddlebag and C02 versus hand pump) our latest semi-regular segment "On The Drops" will focus upon the slightly more light hearted side to cycling presenting riders from all circles of life. Enjoy the grill sessions!

Mitchell Webber is one of BikeCannel Canyon's youngest rider, but that certainly does not mean he lacks in ability. Alongside wheel choice, we find out what the Hampshire local enjoys about racing and where we might see him in the future.  

Hunt supported BikeChannel Canyon have kicked off their first race of the season with a spectacular win coming from Chris Opie at the 52nd PERFS Pedal Race. Tom and Ollie from Hunt Wheels were there to capture all of the action, so we have put together a photographic journal to show all of the excitement which took place. 

Starting on Friday December 16th, I am attempting to cycle 107 kilometres a day, every day, until Saturday April 1st. 107 days in total.

That's 11,449km - or the equivalent of cycling from London to Geneva, Switzerland, every week for 15 weeks in a row.

8 days 15 hours 2 minutes. That is the winning time for the 2016 Trans Continental Race by returning 2 times winner Kristof Allegaert of Belgium. But what happened to the 2015 winner our Hunt Wheels Brand Manager Josh Ibbett? Read on to find out.

170 miles. Not quite the impressive trip across Europe that I had anticipated when I set out from Geraadsbergen 12hours earlier but my body still feels battered as a slouch against a grey wall in the small French town of Romilly-Sur- Sienne. Fatigue feels so much heavier when you know you are beaten. I’ve eaten all my food, drunk my rehydration drink, even drunk another recovery drink yet still the cramps are there.

The human body is a fickle thing. It can be pushed hard by the mind, beyond what even seems feasible yet sometimes it just says no, or non as they say in France. As I sit there weighing up my options my mind begins to run over the past few years. Suddenly the feats of the past 2 Transcontinental races seem ridiculous. How on earth did I push that hard? How did I force myself to carry on riding single speed when I was injured in 2014? How on earth did I force my self-awake and onto my bike every morning in 2015? It all seems so easy when you are on top of your game yet here I am unable to ride without cramping whilst the leaders ride off into the day, the first day at that!

The truth is I am not strong enough. I already knew deep down, but I’ve learnt to override body with mind. Just keep pedalling it will feel better soon, just eat some food and it’ll be fine, just have a quick nap and carry on. These are the things I normally tell myself to keep myself moving, however this time I know it just won’t work.

580km around the beautiful Tuscan hills and mountains in the early June sunshine. That’s what I imagined when I entered the Tuscany Trail and I wasn’t far wrong. There was certainly hills and mountains, mainly of the super steep variety, the trail was indeed 580km long and the Tuscan countryside is fantastic. However, as one might expect, it rained! Not a gentle shower, this was full on biblical rain.

I lined up at the start in the Piazza in Massa alongside over 500 other riders to tackle the Tuscany Trail. The rain had momentarily paused to at least allow the spectators a dry experience however normal service was assumed as soon as the race started.

My race tactics were to pedal and not stop. As obvious as that might seem not many people generally try and complete the trail in one hit with no sleep. I had pretty much ruled out any sleep with my light equipment and bike setup. My brand new Mason Titanium prototype was packed with the bare essentials, warms layers, a rain jacket, a stash of Torq energy products and (much to my annoyance) a pair of shorts and a tee shirt I had to carry so I could wear something clean at the finish and on the flight home. I had deemed by Bivvi bag as too much extra weight so had decided to leave it at home, my compromise was a Gore rain jacket with a hood that I could sleep in if required.