Category: Bikes & Gear

We thought it would be pretty cool to join our Hub regulars out on a ride & capture them doing what they love most. To kick off our Eat Sleep Cycle Rider series meet Brent Botha & his Kona Process 134.⁠ Brent is a soigneur for Israel Start Up-Nation & a long-time Girona local.

 I chose Kona because it took me back to my days of innocence. It took me back to the days of riding my Kona stab with mates on a weekend from sunrise to sunset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mz9RjxVtWQ

Kona Bikes – An Iconic Bike Company

Kona is an iconic bike company which was founded in 1988 in Vancouver, British Columbia by Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron. They started out building bikes for riders pushing the limits & progressing the sport on the North Shore. Kona is still owned by its founders and now makes all kind of bikes – cross, road, gravel, downhill, city, cargo, touring – but it’s a company famed for being on the rough side of biking with origins in the grassroots racing scene.

We asked Brent what his Kona means to him:

For me it’s brought back the fun. Simple!!!”

Too often cycling becomes a a numbers game & the fun is lost in the data. For Brent, riding his Kona is all about the good times & living in the moment.

The Kona Process 134 AL/DL

Kona descirbe their Process line as “synonymous with fun, fast, and playful riding.”  The new Process 134 takes those qualities into a shorter-travel bike that has been designed to achieve that “just-right” feeling. Kona reckon that “If Goldilocks needed a bike, this would be her obvious choice. It’s perfect for all mountain bikers.”

The Kona Process 134 AL/DL is a full suspension 29er built for ripping up the trails downhill. It features 140 mm of travel on the front & 134 mm on the rear. Kona redesigned the Process for 2020 & introduced a ‘modern’ geometry – that is a slacker head tube & a steeper seat tube for better stability downhill & easier climbing uphill. Brent opted for the alloy deluxe build – the Process also comes in a more afforable spec (the AL) & in carbon (CL) or carbon deluxe version (CL/DL).

The Process AL/DL was one of Kona’s most popular bikes of 2020. Brent says:

It’s a bike of heritage, it’s “sendy” and has given purpose back into riding my bike.”

Want to find out more about Kona Bikes?

We are the official Kona Bikes point of sale for Girona. Head over to our Kona bikes section on our online shop, check out our Mountain Bikes for great rides from Santa Cruz, Focus & Ridley. or get in touch to speak to us about your dream sendy bike.

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What is is about a bike? Why do we love to ride? Why invest in working with an artisan to build a one of a kind bicycle, just for you? Reyes Soriano makes custom steel bicycles in his workshop in La Rioja. For him a custom bicycle is more than science, more than a perfect geometry & precision welding; a custom bicycle is a journey of self-discovery. Get it right & work with the right builder & you’ll not only have a two-wheeled companion for life, you’ll also discover landscapes, routes & journeys from a whole new standpoint.

Here’s what Reyes had to say – it turns out Reyes is just as much a master of words as a master of steel.

¿De dónde eres? / Where are you from?

Nacido en León y después de vivir en varias ciudades, hace ya 15 años que llegué a La Rioja, es una zona con un clima agradable y gran diversidad de paisajes y terrenos, siempre hay sitios nuevos que poder descubrir en bicicleta entre montañas y viñas.

I was born in León & after lived in various cities. It is now 15 years since I arrived in La Rioja – it is a region with an agreeable climate & great diveristy in routes & terrain, there are always new palces to discover by bike between mountains & vineyards.

¿Cuándo empezaste a fabricar bicicletas? / When did you start to make bicycles?

En 2014 Mattia Paganotti (Legor Cilcli) fue el maestro que me enseñó las bases y el camino a seguir; desde entonces todos los días son un constante aprendizaje y evolución, siempre creciendo, siempre probando el comportamiento de las bicis que hago para poder sacar conclusiones y mejorar. Disfruto tanto con las bicis que hago para mi como con la felicidad de los clientes satisfechos.

In 2014 Mattia Paganotti (from Legor Cycles) was the maestro who showed me the basics & the route to follow; from then all the days are a constant learning & evolution, always growing, always testing the behaviour of the bikes that I make to draw conclusions & imporve. I enjoy everything – the process of making the bikes & the satisfaction of a happy customer.

¿Por qué acero? / Why steel?

El acero tiene un fuerte componente histórico, romántico, heroico… pero además la tecnología ha permitido evolucionar las aleaciones mejorando las características técnicas y reduciendo el peso. El acero es un material muy versátil, eterno, con un comportamiento muy noble y que transmite perfectamente las características del terreno por donde ruedas, es cómodo pero también reactivo.

Steel has a lot of history, it is both romantic & heroic… but moreover technology has permitted an evolution of the alloys – technical characteristcs are improved & weight reduced. Steel is a very versitile material. It is eternal, with a noble character that perfectly transmits the characteristcs of the land where the wheels go – it is comfortbale but also reactive.

¿Qué preguntas le haces al cliente primero? / What questions to you ask your client first?

Un aspecto fundamental es escuchar y poder entender qué tipo de bicicleta quiere y qué uso le va a dar el cliente; siempre hay quien lo tiene muy claro, y quien todo lo contrario… y es entendible, muchas veces nos cuesta analizarnos, entendernos y saber cuales son nuestras necesidades, nuestros deseos y tomar una decisión firme; esto es algo inherente a muchos aspectos de la vida, no solo a definir una bici… es una parte muy bonita del proceso, una especie de conocimiento personal muy enriquecedor. El resto del proceso consiste en toma de medidas, diseño de geometria, seleccion de materiales, fabricación y pintura.

A fundamental aspect is to listen & to understand what type of bike the customer wants & how the customer wants to use it. Always there are those who have clarity & those who are the opposite… and this is understandable! Lots of the time it is hard for us to analyse ourselves, understand ourselves, our needs & desires to make a firm decision; this is something inherent in many aspects of life, not just in defining a bike. This is a very nice part of the process, a way to enrich our personal knowledge. The rest of the process consists of taking mesasurements, designing the geometry, selecting materials, fabricating & painting.

¿Hace todo usted mismo? / Do you do everything yourself?

Si, hago todo en mi taller en La Rioja excepto la pintura.

Yes, I do everything in my workshop in La Rioja, except for the painting.

Finalmente, ¿Andas en bicicleta? ¿Cuál es tu ruta favorita? / Finally – do you ride bikes? What is your favourite route?

Tanto en carretera como gravel mis rutas favoritas son las que no tienen hora límite de llegada a casa, me encanta tomar decisiones de trayectos de ruta sobre la marcha, apostar por la aventura, explorar, perderme, descubrir, hacer paradas sin prisa para disfrutar del paisaje, de la gente, de pueblos perdidos y por supuesto de la gastronomía!

Both on the road & on the gravel my favourite routes are not limited by a deadline to arrive at home, I love to make desicions about the trajectory of a route on the go, betting on an adventure, exploring, getting lost, discovering, making stops without a rush to enjoy the journey, the people, the lost villages, and of course the gastronomy!

Custom Steel Bicycles

We’ve just taken delivery of a RS Cycles Greta Gravel frameset & over the coming weeks we’ll be blogging about the paintwork, the build decisions – groupset, wheelset, finishing kit & sharing scenes from the stand in our Girona workshop. If you’d like to find out more simply get in touch or browse our Custom Bike information. Make sure you follow Reyes on instagram at @rs_cycles & on the RS Cycles Facebook page.

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Eat Sleep Cycle’s Bernat Vilaginés has been keeping himself busy outside of work test riding a set of Steliacoom René Herse tyres. In this blog Bernat introduces the René Herse brand to the uninitiated & shares his insights into the joy of knobbies what makes a tyre great. If you like what you read you can shop René Herse tyres at Eat Sleep Cycle.

Wide Tyres Roll Faster

Have you ever heard of René Herse tires? Maybe not… maybe Compass tires (the former brand name). René Herse tyres are probably the best tires for gravel and all-road bicycles, and even road bicycles. Their statement is famous, Wide Tyres Roll Faster, and it’s not just a statement, it’s a fact supported by physics.

René Herse make tyres from 26mm to 55mm with a choice of slick or and knobbie finish. I would say from 38mm they are very suitable for gravel, the slick ones yes, and even better the knobbie versions.

Supple Tyres Roll Faster

René Herse tyres have a very particular characteristic, they are supple, and the key factor to get the most juice from them is tyre pressure. Jan Heine, the man behind the brand, is recognised as the eminent figure in the field of tyre pressure – I encourage you to head to the René Herse blog and read everything about tyre presssure and tyre width, you will go to sleep with a deep thinking and very inspired to change what we’ve been assuming for a long time.

René Herse Casings: Standard to Endurance Plus

Nowadays René Herse offers almost all tyres in 4 different casings: standard, extralight, endurance and endurance plus.

Standard is the original tyre, with a supple casing that will surpass your expectatives on grip, rolling stability, and comfort. Then you have the extralight, which enlights all previous charachteristics to the next level. A truly performance version!

Endurance is a more robust sidewall tire with puncture protection retaining all riding habilities.

And the Endurance Plus is a tough tyre thought for this rides or adventures were you don’t really want to puncture, it is a super reliable and protected tire.

A quick note here, all tires are tubeless compatible.

Test Ride: René Herse Steliacoom Endurance

I’ve been testing the Steilacoom 38mm Endurance tyre recently. It’s a knobbie version with the endurance casing (reinforced extralight casing) that weighs 445grs. I’ve been riding with them on pavement as well, and let me tell you something. At first sight you can think, this thing is not gonna roll well on pavement, well, false! It rolls well, and honestly it rolls surprisingly well, because there is a lot of thinking and design that goes behind the placement of the knobs along the tyre.

Knobs are disposed so there’s always a series of knobs in contact with the road so the rolling surface becomes pretty “smooth”. And the knobs on the sides of the tire are disposed in a way that when you corner they are not reaching their edges, and you feel confident that when cornering you have lots of rubber in contact with the road. You have to check your speedometer to realize that you are riding at speeds so close to your rides with slick versions.

Noise Cancellation Technology

The only drawback here would be noise, knobby tires are more loud in contact with pavement. But wait a minute, they are working on a noise cancellation knobs patern, which is already
available in the Fleecer ridge tire. Let me add a comment here, you can’t imagine how confident you can feel descending on 32mm or bigger tires, this is a game-changing property on the road, and you know what, lots of new road bikes launched in 2020 and next season have room to install 32mm tires. And as I’m not a racer and you probably are not I will choose for comfort, safety and rolling performance over skinny light tires, they were good yes, but wider is better.

So, pavement approved. Let’s move to gravel roads. What can I say? All the previous ups just become better, off the road you can squeeze all the nice properties of the tires, they roll super-well, they corner like a dream, and they are supple or comfortable as you were riding on a magic carpet.

Not too many more words to add here. I will encourage you to believe in our reccomendations to give these guys a try. Honestly, you will be surprised and inspired, how a simple thing like a tyre can change the riding properties of your bike, how important a supple case is, how important tyre pressure is, how important width is. Because the most important part of your riding experinece are the tyres, simply because they are always in touch with the ground being the latest asphalt or not.

Want to learn more about René Herse?

Check out our recent Cyclist’s Guide to Tyre Pressure with JP, maker of 2-11 Cylcles & René Herse expert. If you like what you read, shop René Herse tyres at Eat Sleep Cycle.

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Ridley Bikes is a Belgian family run business run by foudner Joachim Aerts (fan of the films by Ridley Scott, hence the name of his bike company). Aerts has created a very cool bike brand, with its HQ & experience centre located in the heart of the Belgian countryside. Ridley are a long-time sponsor of World Tour team Lotto Soudal & riders of Ridley bikes include sprinters Caleb Ewan & John Degenkolb, master of the breakaway Thomas de Gendt & classics star Phillippe Gilbert.

Ridley Noah Fast Ultegra Di2 Disc

The Ridley Noah Fast turns-heads. Ridley has used its on-site windtunnel to develop new, faster tube profiles and improve the overall aerodynamics of the Noah Fast, while saving 250g frame weight over its predecessor, the Noah. The integrated bar stem does much for the look of the bike – cables are nowhere to be seen & the bike has an exquisite, minimalist look.

Chris talks us through the bike:

Ridley Noah Fast Specification

Product

• Price €7,899
• Weight 7.5 kg (Size M)

Features

• Frame: Noah Fast Disc, 50T-40T-30T High Modulus Unidirectional Carbon, In-Mould F-Surface Technology, TA 12x142mm
• Fork: Noah Fast Disc, 50T-40T-30T High Modulus Unidirectional Carbon, In-Mould F-Surface Technology, TA 12x100mm
• Group: Shimano Ultegra Di2 HDB
• Crank: Rotor 3D+ 52/36T
• Sprocket: Shimano Ultegra 11-30
• Brakes: Shimano Ultegra Flatmount
• Wheels: Forza Vardar, 17mm Internal Width
• Handlebar: Ridley Fast Integrated Cockpit
• Stem: Ridley Fast Integrated Cockpit
• Seat Post: Noah Fast Disc Seatpost
• Chain: KMC X11
• Saddle: Selle Italia SLR
• Tyres: Vittoria Corsa 25mm

Industry Reviews

Paul Norman reviews the bike for Cycling Weekly:

As you’d expect from an aero machine, the Ridley Noah Fast Disc feels, well, fast. That’s particularly noticeable on flat-out downhill runs, where the Ridley feels very stable riding in the drops without the twitchiness that some machines exhibit. Crosswind stability is also good, with none of the buffeting that the combination of deep tube sections and disc rotors can cause for some aero machines.

Everything feels very taut and there’s a degree of steering precision which adds to confidence at speed, while there’s the reassurance of the disc brakes when you do need to slow yourself down.

The flip side is a rather less comfortable ride than, say on the Scott Foil – although that bike has been ridden to a win at Paris Roubaix, so you’d expect it to have plenty of compliance.

Eat Sleep Cycle team rider Amy Waldron has been test riding the Noah Fast:

This is a great bike! As well as being fast on the flats the Noah Fast climbs really well – a nice addition to an aero bike. It’s a bike that almost rides away from you – the power transfer is awesome.

Ridley Noah Fast Custom

As with all Ridley Bikes the Noah Fast is available to buy as a frameset or as a complete bike with Ultegra Di2. Ridley also offer custom Pure Line paintwork for the bikes. Our rental fleet comes in stealthy black with white decals, Caleb Ewan’s bike comes in metallic black with white decals. Whatever your style, this can be a beautiful personalised machine for any rider looking to optimize speed!

Ridley offer a wide range of beautifully made bikes, from the Fenix SL for shmashing over the cobbles of Roubaix, to the Helium SLX for floating up the climbs. Ridley are well known for their cyclocross & gravel bikes and make fantastic mountain bikes too.

Interested in a Ridley Bike?

Check out our Ridley Noah Fast bikes for sale online or contact us about your very own custom build.

Focus Bikes was founded in 1993 by cyclocross World Champion Mike Kluge & is based in Stuttgart, Germany. Focus has it’s roots in mountain bikes & now leads the way in producing high performance road bikes & e-bikes.

The Izalco Max – A Perfect Aero All-Rounder?

The Izalco Max is fast, aerodynamic, elegant & light – the perfect all-round machine? Check out Chris’ video review of the top of the line Focus Izalco Max Disc 9.7 – the bike currently proudly on display in our Hub window!

Focus Izalco Max Specification

Product

• Price €6199
• Weight 7.9 kg (Size L)

Features

• Available Sizes – XXS – XXL
• Groupset – Sram Force AXS
• Fork & Frame – MAX technolofy carbon
• Handlebar – Easton EC90 Aerobar
• Saddle – Prologo Dimension
• Seatpost – Izalco Carbon
• Stem – Focus Izalco
• Tyres – Conti GP 4000 SII 25 mm
• Wheels DT Swiss Dicut ARC1450

Industry Reviews

Warren Rossiter summaries his experience in his review for Bike Radar:

The ride is brilliant – firm yet forgiving. It’s comfortable enough for long, hard rides, light enough to climb with the best. The handling is sublime – nimble without nerves and with an agility that puts it up with the best of breed. Very impressive.

Cyclist Magazine takes a slightly more ciritical view of the 9.9 models & scores the bike 3/5 as they find the handling too lively:

Does well to blend aero design with classic road bike attributes, albeit this means it much more Jack of all trades than true master

Gran Fondo Magazine conclude that the bike is a great option for bike racers but note the light handling make it less suitable for more leisure-oriented riders:

With its sprinting abilities and playful handling, the FOCUS IZALCO MAX DISC 9.9 is a great choice for all the racers and crit riders out there. For tours and more leisure-oriented riders, it’s less appropriate due to the agile front and the comparatively low amount of comfort. While it’s a solid all-rounder, it’s just a bit too sporty to take the win in our test.

The Focus Izalco Max Range

The 9.7  comes in at €6,999 with the Sram Force AXS groupset. This bike can be upgraded to the 9.9, €8,999 9.9 Dura Ace Di2 or the 9.8 €8,499 Sram Red AXS version. For those looking for a similar ride feel without the super bike price tag, the 8 series starts at €3,099 for a Shimano 105 build & a light (but not superlight) carbon frame & non-integrated cables.

Interested in a Focus Bike?

Head over to our online shop to browse the models we have in stock or contact us about your dream build!

Cycling shorts are an essential piece of kit for anyone wishing to enjoy a comfortable ride. The all-important chamois is one of just 3 contact points with the bike, meaning it’s extremely important to get the right fit. A great pair of bib shorts coupled with a well fitting saddle can lead to many hours of comfortable riding. Get it wrong & you might experience all kinds of chaffing, discomfort & saddle sores.

Cycling Shorts: Finding A Good Fit

So, how to find the right fit? There are a huge number of shorts & price points to choose from – whilst it would be impossible to cover & test every single short on the market, we’ve selected our favourites to review here.

Cycling Bib Shorts vs Waist Shorts vs Casual Shorts

The first decision to make is what style of shorts you want to ride – bibs, waist shorts or casual? Your perfect cycling shorts starts with the type of riding you want to do.

Casual Cycling Shorts

Chrome Industries – Madrona 5 Pocket Short

Touring cyclists, commuters & some gravel riders might opt for something casual but tailored for the bike. The Chrome Industries Madrona short is nothing short of awesome. They look like a classic pair of everyday shorts, but are constructed with a quick-dry 4-way cotton/nylon/spandex stretch fabric which makes exploring on the bike super comfortable. Plus, they’re a great option for hitting a coffee shop or taking a stroll around somewhere new mid-ride.

Madrona 5 Pocket Short, €90

Gender: Men & Women’s available

Best For: City riding, commuting, touring

The Chamois

If you’re planning on spending continuos hours on the bike, shorts with a chamois is a must.  Back in the day a chamois was made out of leather and used by endurance cyclists to try to reduce the chafing of wollen shorts on long distance rides. The first synthetic chamois was produced in the 1980’s by Mauritzio Cinelli. The new materials achieved a big improvement on chafing & also dampened vibrations on the road. The battle for the most comfortable chamois had begun.

The key to a good chamois is density. Many cheap shorts have a chamois that is thick & spongy – great for a week but over time the pad compresses & reduces to nothing. A dense pad, between 8 – 13 mm is ideal & after 40 years of chamois development, pads are now also designed to suit different ride positions. For example, a chamois optimized for a time trial will have less padding at the back & more the front, as this is where the rider comes into more contact with the saddle in an aero position. A chamois designed for a long Gran Fondo or sportive will have more thickness around the sit bones and add extra comfort to a more upright, leisurely riding position.

A good chamois will also be made out of breathable, anti-microbial materials which eliminate moisture & friction – the two biggest causes of chafing.

Once you’ve got an idea about your ride style & ideal chamois thickness, it’s time to decide – to bib, or not to bib?

Waist Cycling Shorts

Assos of Switzerland – GT Half Short

Assos have built their reputation around the cycling short. They are known for their best-in-class award winning chamois & their shorts are tough to beat for comfort & performance. Unlike most high end cycling clothing brands Assos have inlcuded the half short in their range, and with good reason. The half-short is a great option for riders getting starting in cycling who are not ready to make the jump to bibs. For women in particular, taking a comfort break becomes much easier. The Assos half short is contructed around a great chamois, has soft grippers & a wide waist band to hold the shorts in place.

RRP €120

For Women: Assos UMA GT Half Short

For Men: Assos Mille GT Half Short

Best For: Getting started in road cycling

Cycling Bib Shorts

Bib shorts are by far the most widely used by cycling aficionados. The straps remove the need for a waist band (which can cut in & be uncomfortable), and the chamois provides a comfortable contact point with the saddle & the fabrics should wick away sweat & provide temperature control. But how to choose your perfect bib? Finding the absolutley perfect fit is personal – riders are different shapes & sizes & enjoy different styles of riding. Here’s our top pick of cycling bib shorts.

MAAP Pro Bib Short

MAAP is a performance cycling brand from Austrialia, who get all their kit made in Italy.  Additional support without unecessary bulk. MAAP have extended its bib short range to include a choice of 3 shorts. The new, premium Pro Bib Short is designed exclusively with performance in mind. They are most definitely a race cut, with wide, comfy straps and material constructed to minimise chafing & maximise compression. These are shorts which last well over time and through multiple washes – maybe something to do with the high-tech, 4D woven fabric. For the price tag you can take your pick of the best shorts on the market – we love these for their simplicity, durability & MAAP style.

The Training Bib & Team Bib short offer nice alternatives at a cheaper price point. The same chamois technology goes into both & MAAP have put the same effort into developing both their mens & womens range.

Pro Bib Short, €235

Team Bib Short 3.0, €195 

Training Bib, €165

Best for: Riders looking for a high performance, super stylish short who don’t mind the price tag. 

Read a detailled review of the MAAP Team Bib 2.0 by Bike Radar

CHPT3 Girona Bib 1.17

Theses are classy bib shorts that are the result of British Ex-Pro David Millar’s collabortation with Castelli. The bibs feature the Castelli Kiss Air chamois & a beautiful, understated design inspired by Girona city. We found the straps to be on the short side, so be sure to check the feel of the bibs in your ride position. The leg gripper is tight, providing a reassuring amount of compression – again, test the fit at your local stockist to ensure you’ve found your perfect match! The price point is spot on – these shorts offer great quality for the price.

Girona Bib 1.17, €125

Best for: Riders looking for everyday comfort.

Cons: It doesn’t come in women’s fit. 

Assos: The Golden Gate

Assos remain the brand to beat when it comes to cycling shorts & chamois construction. They have a short for every rider & once you’ve ridden an Assos bib, it’s extremely hard to appreciate another bib once you’ve found your perfect set of Assos. Assos make shorts that do not move on the rider – the shorts feel like a second skin & chafing is non-existent. The ‘Golden Gate’ is available in the Equipe & Cento short. It’s a clever innovation whereby just the front & the back of the chamois is stitched onto the shorts – any movement happends between two layers of fabric, and not between the fabric & the riders skin – bliss!

Mille GT Bib, €130 – For the everyday cyclist

Equipe RS Bib Shorts S9, €200 – For performance riders.

Cento Evo Bib, €255 – For long distance riders looking for luxury

Cons: Their women’s shorts are fantastic, but just available in UMA (Mille) & Laalalai (Equipe)

Trade in Trade Up

In the market for some new cycling shorts? Take advatnage of the Assos Trade In Trade Up Campaign. Bring any set of clean bibs to your local Assos dealer & get €20 off any set of Assos shorts.

What’s your favourite bib?

We’d love to hear from you! Tell us about your best bibs or ask us if you’d like some advice with purchasing your next set of bibs – get in touch!

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Gravel cycling is developing from a cool-American niche to a mainstream discipline in cycling. Hundreds of gravel events have sprung up across the world, in a few short years the Strade Bianche has become one of the most important races on the UCI calendar & in January the UCI said it was looking into introducing a Gravel World Championship. The gravel bike has become the new essential bike in many cyclists collection and offers even the most experienced rider the opportunity to discover something new. In this blog we take a detailled look at Ridley’s new offering, the Ridley Kanzo Adventure.

Ridley Kanzo Adventure Review – High Speed, All Terrain

Ridley has a long heritage of designing bikes that work on rough Belgian roads – unpaved, cobbled or poorly surfaced. Ridley has an international reputation for making great cyclocross bikes & beautiful all-round endurance road bikes. The fact that Ridley have billed this as their first pure gravel bike is exciting.

The hugely popular Ridley X-Trail is the predecessor of the Kanzo. In our Ridley X-Trail review, one thing we felt the X-Trail could improve on was tyre clearance, a 36 mm max width just didn’t give the flexibility to enjoy all the trails in Girona. In contrast the Kanzo has a tyre clearance of 47 mm for 700c wheels and up to 50 mm for 650b – for those in the mood for something more extreme.

Ridley have also added extra bottle cage mounts on the fork, top tube and below on the downtube give huge flexibility for carrying your gear – this is a bike which was made for stripped down, fast days out in the saddle, or epic multi-day bike-packing adventures. The Adventure has longer chainstays & a shorter reach than the X-Trail, giving the rider a more comfortable position for longer adventure-style rides. The flex zones in the rear stays also add extra comfort by filtering the vibrations from all the different surfaces encountered on your adventure.

The Kanzo Adventure cabling is all internal – preventing mud & water from ruining shifting (not that there’s much mud & water in Girona this time of year!)

What’s in a name? Why Kanzo?

According to Ridley:

Kanzo is a word that dates back to the times of the troubadours, who were singers and poets in the Middle Ages. They traveled widely and experienced all kinds of adventures, which they turned into stories about knights & love. On return to their home villages, they would tell the inhabitants about their adventures using three different genres. The most commonly used of these was a “kanzo/canzo”. Their stories moved entire communities, who hung on their every word.

Just like the troubadours, we want to encourage cyclists to go out and ride their bikes, to discover new places or rediscover what they thought they already knew.

The Ridley marketing department is framing this bike as a machine for discovery, which is all well & good, but how does this translate to everyday use? We asked Kanzo owner Rich to share his opinion.

Ridley Kanzo Adventure – A Versatile Machine

Rich bought a Kanzo a few months back to enjoy a winter season of riding Girona on both the road & trails. Here’s what he has to say about his new machine:

The Kanzo has been a great mixed surface bike for me – with the stock wheels and tires, it’s super secure on all sorts of trails, from smooth hard pack up to single track trails. The 45c WTB Riddler tires just roll over most ruts, rocks and holes, providing great confidence when exploring new terrain.

When I swap out the wheels and tires for my set of Hunt road wheels (takes 5 minutes), this allows me to go out on long road rides with my friends. Super comfortable ride on the road, it has secure handling. While it’s not race geometry, the Kanzo keeps up easily with “real” road bikes and climbs surprisingly well.

For me, it’s really a “one bike for all terrain” that I can use anywhere.

Ridley Kanzo Adventure Review Analysis

Overall the Ridley Kanzo Adventure is a wonderful bike which brings together Ridley’s years of experience & applies it to the gravel market.

Positives:

• Fantasic tyre clearance – 47 mm on 700 c, 50 mm on 650b wheels
• Internal cabling for a sleek look & no interference from mud & water
• Pure Line custom paint available for a personal bike
• Fantastic price point – from €2,999 for a complete bike (Ultegra) to €3,799 (Force 1)

Weaknesses

It’s tough to find fault with the Kanzo! If there are other Kanzo riders out there, let us know your comments on the bike. We’ll keep this updated as rider feedback comes in.

The Ridley Kanzo Range

The Kanzo comes in different models – a high-speed race version, an entry level alloy version & an electric assist – Ridley have truly covered all the bases!

• Kanzo Speed – This is the fast, race version of the X-Trail – there’s less tyre clearance than the Kanzo & perfect for long, non-technical rides. Starting at €2,799 (105) to €3,599 (Ultegra).
• Kanzo A – an affordable alloy gravel machine. Starting at €1,499 (Apex 1) to €2,099 (Ultegra)
• Kanzo e Fauza – an awesome electric assist version, availble in road, flat bar or gravel versions. From €3,899

Want to try the Ridley Kanzo Adventure for Yourself?

You can rent the Ridley Kanzo Adventure (or the Basso Palta, or the Reilly Gradient) from us during your next Girona cycling vacation – we run gravel tours in Girona all year around & head over the Moroccan Atlas Mountains in Spring & Autumn! Give us a call now on +34 972 754 301 or contact us online for more info!

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This is a blog that comes from the heart. Both Lee & I have a background in sustainability – we met whilst both working for an environmental behaviour change charity in London, Global Action Plan. We spent our days working with organisations to help them to reduce their impact on the environment in whichever ways made sense for them. With the havoc caused by the outbreak of Covid-19 it’s time for us all to reflect on our new reality & to recognise how unsustainable our lifestyles are & the devastating impact we’re collectively having on the natural world & on our global health.

As someone who’s livelihood is dependent on people taking holidays & flying out to European destinations to see us the solution for our guests is not clear cut. The human species loves to travel & move about. Modern lifestyles mean flights & short breaks are a really great way to stay happy & expand our horizons. The global reduction in pollution & carbon emissions as a result of lock-downs to prevent the spread of Covid-19 has been significant. No flights, no production, no non-essential journey’s is a great way to tackle climate change.

So the question emerges, how can we maintain a lower-emission lifestyle & still get to enjoy the travel that keeps us happy, and to ride bikes in some of the world’s most spectacular locations?

Solutions for Sustainable Travel

So, what can us travel-obsessed cycling junkies do? How can we experience new places in a way that respects the planet & does not have a negative impact?

Cycling Stay-cations

The Cycling Stay-cation is a great way to avoid public transport & crowded public spaces like airports & train stations. Cycling from your front door on routes you have never seen before, is a pretty cool thing to do.

The cycling stay-cation might expand to destinations that can be driven to in comfort (& isolation), just a few hours from home. For example, Londoners might head north to the Yorkshire Dales or south west to Cornwall. Cyclists in Barcelona might head to Girona or to the Costa Brava for some relaxed days in the saddle. San Franciscan’s might simply head to Marin County, New Yorkers to the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.  The truth is there are incredible roads & trails just a few hours from most big cities.

A great side effect of this is that riders will be supporting their local hotels, cafès & restaurants – a great opportunity to give back a little & cut your personal carbon footprint. Plus, it’s just less stressful. The language is the same, the food is familiar and staying close to home in holiday mode might change the perspective of where live for the better.

Taking Longer Holidays

If you do need a take a long-haul or short-haul flight to enjoy the holiday of a lifetime try and go for as long as possible. Can a few days be a week, can a week be two? It is possible to negotiate a remote-working solution with your company for an extended period?

Longer trips mean less trips & significantly reduces the amount of flights over the course of a year. And longer trips also mean you can spend more time getting to know your holiday destination.

Travel by Train

If there’s an option to travel by train to your holiday destination, take it. Overland journey’s are a wonderful way to see the landscape change & is a particularly awesome way to get around Europe. For example, the journey from London to Girona is a great one, starting with the Eurostar across the rolling green fields of Kent to Paris. From here the TGV heads south to the Mediterranean with views of the Massif Central, and an amazing section of track along the south coast of France. Door to door it’s around 10 hours but it’s a magical way to spend the day & peaceful, stress-free way to start a trip!

Carbon Offsetting

It’s not the solution, but it helps if flying to a quick holiday is the only option (which is more realistic for most of us!) The challenge here is to find a great scheme whereby your heard-earned €€ goes directly to great projects which are producing real-world results. There are some awesome projects out there – from tree-planted to clean energy projects. We would love to know your preferred Carbon Offsetting projects so we can start to help our guests to offset their own travel. Let us know via email or in the comments below!

Responsible Cycling Tours

If we’re encouraging our guests to think about their carbon footprints, it’s only right that we apply the same concepts to our tours & bike rental service.

Here’s what we’re doing so far:

• We us recyclable cutlery & plates made from sustainably sourced materials on our tour picnics
• We buy organic & locally produced ride nutrition wherever possible when on tour
• Working with some amazing local hotel & guesthouses who are off-grid or have great environmental policies
• Including fantastic local food producers on our tour itineraries – for example, an organic olive oil maker in Andalucia & a natural wine maker in Empordà
• Recycling stations in our hub, service course & office
• LED lighting in our hub & office

Here are our ideas for what’s next:

• Transition our tour support vehicles to hybrid
• Zero waste tours
• Eat Sleep Cycle jersey made from recycled fabrics
• Eco-packaging & postal service for everything purchased on our online shop
• Offer incentives for those travelling to their holiday by train
• Offer guests the option of offset their flights as a part of their holiday package
• Digital tour handbooks for our guests
• Plan to reduce our energy use
• Plan to reduce our fuel use

As we work on developing our sustainability plan, we would love to hear your ideas & to get your feedback on everything – what do you think? Is there more we can be doing and working towards?

Case Study for Sustainable Tourism: MTB Morocco / All Brother Travel 

We work with a special company to deliver our cycling tours in Morocco. They have a very special ethos with is to build a global family of guests who together support the communities they visit whilst cycling in Morocco. We’re taking a huge amount of inspiration from how this small business is run. 

Founder Lahcen Errami lives in the village of Imlil and works as a bike guide. He’s built his company around supporting local communities in Morocco & in doing so all of his guests have a unique & authentic experience of his homeland. Here Lahcen shares his insights & values:

I was born in the High Atlas Mountains, in the Imlil valley, 70 km from Marrakech. I have been a guide since childhood – my father took me with him when he worked as a hiking guide. Eventually I had responsibility for my own groups & anytime I took guests into the mountains, I would work on sharing my culture. Then, one day, I guided a group of cyclists from the UK up to Mount Toubkal – the idea of cycling guiding was born! Cyclists are people who understand more about culture, because they travel a lot by bike. I love my bike because it teaches me to be human!

The High Atlas mountains my home and my preferred place to bike. The Atlas are also home to many indigenous tribes living in mud huts scattered along the mountainsides, and even nomadic and semi-nomadic families throughout the valleys. We’ve selected our top picks for biking in this unique destination. Our routes provide a glimpse in to Amazigh (Berber) life as trekkers pass through little mud-hut villages where time seems to stand still.

We make sure our tours support the communities we ride through. There is 2% of the benefits of the tour going direct to the community & sharing in our culture is one of the best ways to give back. Our community needs the world to be one country & for everyone to love each other as family.

My favourite ride in area is from Agouim to Igli, what amazing place to ride and to stay for night under the stars! For the future of tourism in Morocco I want to get more brothers and sisters & build a new world!

Lahcen operates tours as mtbmorocco & has two guesthouses in Imlil – www.riadjnaneimlil.com & Riad Altas Imlil. We work with Lahcen & his awesome team on our new Atlas Mountain tour!

Inspired to try to travel sustainably?

We’d love to hear from you! Whether you’d like more advice on how to adapt your travel plans or have some feedback & ideas for us, get in touch!

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