One Bike One Summer: ep 1
Remember when you were a kid and the summer seemed to stretch out for an entire lifetime ahead of you? Endless possibilities for adventure… a bike, a packed lunch, some mates and a “be back in time for tea” was all that was needed.
“The nice thing about being a grown up is you don’t always have to be back in time for tea. The downside is that an endless summer rarely exists. Work, life and commitments get in the way. But maybe that’s just a mindset? Light mornings, light evenings, weekends, holidays. With a little bit of creativity, we can all eke out the very best of the best season of riding. ”
One thing that I miss about my childhood is that my bike was just that. It was my road bike, my mountain bike, my gravel bike. 21 speeds, bar ends, dodgy canti brakes and in many ways it was still the best bike I ever owned. One summer, one bike.
Sat in my office, as the wettest spring in years finally began to peter out, I asked myself a question. Nearly 30 years on, can I recreate my own endless summer? On my side is the benefit of being a freelancer who only needs a laptop and an internet connection. Work can be done in the evenings and in between adventures. Not a bad start. But, if I’m truly to replicate the summers of my youth, then I need to pick a single bike. What to choose? Perhaps the first question, though, is what to do?
I already had a few plans set for the summer; it would kick off in earnest with the Stone King Rally in mid-June. I’m in no hurry to get home, so July and early August will be spent in the Alps; hunting out the best trails I can find, and riding with as many friends as possible. From bike park to high-Alpine singletrack, all day epics to an hour of playing in the woods. New-to-me trails and some old favourites.
Back to the UK for the rest of August and September; doorstep adventures reminiscent of my childhood. Calder Valley tech, long days out, one more hill. The best of the rest; Lakes and Wales and Scotland. More friends, more mountains, more daylight. More, more, more.
And a bookend to finish the adventure, pushing the borders of what “summer” really means. Back out to the Alps at the end of September, riding from Lake Garda to Lake Como with my partner’s guiding company before a last hurrah in the Chamonix valley before the long drive home.
But I want the summer to be more than simply about riding a bike. I want it to be an adventure with purpose; a way of reconnecting myself to a more simple way of life. Turning pedals, embracing the environments I pass through, the friendships I form and strengthen; embracing life as I want it to be. And as part of that, I want to document my adventures – partly because that is what I do for a living, but also because I want to bolster my memories; create a record of the places I’ve been and people I’ve met along the way.
I guess there is just that one question left to answer. What bike? … Well, after spending a bit of time on a Claymore last summer, I fell in love; and to be fair it would be the perfect bike for much of what I have planned… but for long days pedalling and the softer terrain of home, I felt the brand spanker Highlander II would be the perfect compromise of sure-footedness, trail chops and climbing efficiency. Paired with a sparkling array of Hope Technology components to provide the stop and go and Ohlins suspension, the Highlander II feels like the dependable workhorse and the prize-winning show pony all in one. It will act as a donkey carrying me up the climbs, and a thoroughbred on the descents. So there we have it. One summer, One bike.
All that’s left is to start this adventure… and (spoiler alert), I actually have. The Stone King passed in a brutal and beautiful flurry; a few days without even looking at a bike was needed after, and I’m now on a tour of Aosta and Valais; making the most of lift access, but hunting out the wilder trails beyond the bounds of the bike park. But that’s all a story for another time. I’ll check back in soon.
