Custom Wheels to another level

We have been looking to colour match our wheels for some time now. Stans No Tubes rims are our best selling wheel option, but their distinctive red rim decals don’t suit every bike. Our most popular wheels are primarily sold with either black or red Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs, we believe this is due to their acceptability with the standard Stans red decals. This is okay if your bike is black, white or red, but there’s lots of colourful bikes out there with other colour and detailing.

We have now found a supplier who specialises in high quality reproduction bike graphics including Stans rim decals. These are made from the highest quality vinyl and reproduced in exact detail and dimension in a variety of colours. The first set that we have received are blue, but there are also options for green, orange, yellow, pink, gold, silver and a toned down black edition. Although we can’t supply hubs in all these colours, black hubs with coloured graphics could be a really great option for many bikes out there.

In the coming months, we should be able to start supplying wheels with any of the rim decal colours detailed above on the following Stans rims:

• Crest – 26, 650b and 29er
• Arch EX – 26, 650b and 29er
• Flow EX – 26 and 29er

There will be an additional cost for this level of customisation as we do have to remove the 8 original Stans decals and painstakingly refit the new ones in the correct places to a high level of quality. The decals on the Blue Edition Crests shown above look every bit as good as the original Stans graphics.

We won’t be listing the coloured wheel options in the shop section of our site but if you are interested in something diffferent to our standard wheels please contact us directly at: info@moonglu.com

Everyone who has any interest in cycling will know by now Yorkshire is playing host to the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014! The first two stages will take place in our beautiful county providing a boost not only the profile of Yorkshire worldwide but fundamentally cycling in Yorkshire. The first stage will weave its way through the Yorkshire Dales before the riders make the dash to Harrogate for the stage finish.

The last 20 miles of the 1st stage route will see the riders pass straight through Ripon and Moonglu are extremely excited about this. It is fantastic news and a great opportunity for the area to really put itself on the global map. The eyes of a worldwide audience will see what the area and our city has to offer and we intend to make the most of it.

Moonglu are also very excited to be members of Welcome to Yorkshire. This self funded promotional body are largely responsible for bringing the Tour de France to Yorkshire. Gary Verity and his team have done a marvellous job and should be applauded for this once in a lifetime achievement.

When are you coming? Welcome to Yorkshire Promotional Video

Please check our site regularly for future blog posts about what Moonglu intends to do in the run up to Le Tour 2014.

Moonglu Hire Bikes

To coincide with this fantastic news and boost to cycling in our area Moonglu are excited to announce that we are going to be holding a selection of hire bikes from this summer. If you are planning a trip and intend to do some cycling in Yorkshire this summer, or fancy riding some of the stage for the 2014 tour and are in need of a bike, then contact us for more information. The Old Coach House in North Stainley can also provide cycle friendly accommodation or be used as a base to stay when planning lots of routes in the area. We are looking forwards to working with them coupling luxury accommodation with quality hire bikes.

Cycle Routes

Neil has ridden in the area all of his life so is perfectly placed to offer suggestions of some good local road routes which both Moonglu and our customers regularly ride.

Please click on the link below to view some of our favourite local riding routes:

Cycling Routes around Ripon and the Yorkshire Dales

Also if you fancy riding with some locals while on your trip then meet us at the market square in Ripon on thursday evenings at 6.30pm and join us for our weekly club runs. All abilities are welcome.

Cycle Friendly cafes and accomodation directly in Ripon

For the all important pit stop to refuel then Olivers Pantry in Ripon are a fantastic independent coffee house that can provide cyclists with a secure bike park whilst they enjoy some amazing coffee and refreshments. Ripon is a fantastic area for cyclists and the Way of the Roses cycle route also passes through our city. If you are in need of a place to stay with secure bike storage facilities then Fountains Guest House on North Street offer this service and have already had a number of Way of the Roses guests reside with them en route.

Other Cycle Friendly Accomodation

• Box Tree Cottages, Ripon
• The Royal Oak, Ripon
• The Old Deanery, Ripon
• The Unicorn, Ripon
• Bishopton Grove House, Ripon
• The Spa Hotel, Ripon
• Jelley Legs, Studley Royal

All of the hotels and guest houses above are bike friendly and can offer secure overnight storage for multiple bikes. These would all be suitable for overnight stops on the Sustrans Way of the Roses through Ripon.

Moonglu Offers

We also have links with The Malt Shovel in Brearton which is just off the Tdf2014 route between Ripon and Harrogate. This restaurant is a family run gastronomic delight and anyone who visits the restaurant can receive a 10% discount in Moonglu (with proof of purchase). So why not head over after a days cycling for a relaxing meal and plan your next days riding in the area.

Completed in February 2013, this Lynskey Cooper CX was equipped with a SRAM drivetrain comprising a Force chainset, WiFi rear mech and front mech, along with SRAM Apex gear shifters. A Hope stainless steel bearing bottom bracket with GXP conversion was used instead of the stock Truvativ GXP unit. The latest SRAM Wifi rear mech was used to allow the use of an 11-32 cassette and 50-34 chainset.

The new Cooper CX disc brake only frame is bang up to date for cyclo cross and commute use but there is a lack of quality forks to compliment the growing numbers of disc equipped cross frames. We managed to secure a very early pair of the new Lynskey carbon cross disc forks, these look and work fantastic on the bike. They come with an alloy steerer, International Standard disc tabs and a disc side cable tab (RRP £199). Another useful feature on these forks are mudguard eyelets, Lynskey have made these forks with a hole in the crown to allow the use of full mudguards. This works perfectly on the versatile Cooper CX as it has rack and guard eyelets on the frame.  A Hope Stainless conventional cup headset was fitted to the bike.

Hydraulic disc brake were discussed for the bike but in the end we elected for Avid’s benchmark BB7 mechanical disc brakes. The wheels were also a talking point, some high quality disc ready wheels suitable for cross and commute use were needed. We looked at the options and decided to go with a set of Moonglu custom wheels using Hope Pro 2 Evo hubs and Stans Iron Cross disc only 700c rims. These can be used with or without inner tubes and are suitable for use with 700 x 35c cross tyres or will also work with narrower road tyres.

The intention is to use this bike for the annual 3 Peaks cycle race and to offer that additional control on the technical descents, Cane Creek Cross Top brake levers were included in the build. The bike was completed with Fizi:k handlebar tape and a Gobi XM saddle, along with Easton EA70 handlebars, stem and seatpost.

It is anticipated that millions will travel to Yorkshire to watch the Tour live. Aswell as the many Brits that will come to the area to stay and watch the Tour from the roadside, it is very likely that cycling fans from around the world will also come to the area. Many will want to stay awhile, view our beautiful county and maybe see some of it on their bikes. If you plan to stay in the Ripon area, hopefully these routes will help you get around.

Below is a list of routes that have been published by Neil on Ride with GPS. The routes have detailed descriptions and can be downloaded to paper or onto the leading GPS devices such as Garmin and Bryton.

Moonglu Club Run

The Moonglu Club Run is now our classic route and a great after work 22 mile blast with a flowing start, some good climbing in the middle and a fast run in back to the shop in Ripon.

The route can also be found through this link: Moonglu Club Run

Boroughbridge Loop

A comfortable 17 mile loop starting in Ripon and heading out through Littlethorpe to the beautiful village of Bishop Monkton. Taking the first left through the village, the road becomes a lane and heads out on a quietly across to Roecliffe. Once through Roecliffe, go under the A1 Motorway and into the riverside market town of Boroughbridge. Follow the route through Boroughbridge and take the road across to Skelton on Ure, past Newby Hall and back towards Ripon. The last mile will bring you past Ripon Racecourse and back into the centre, past Ripon Cathedral.

The route can also be found through this link: Boroughbridge Loop

Leyburn Loop

One of my favourite longer loops, heading out of Ripon past the shop and onto the Kirkby Malzaerd road. A gradual climb all the way to Grewelthorpe is rewarded with stunning views across Wensleydale and a descent into Masham. Masham is a great place for a mid ride coffee stop with numerous cycle friendly cafe’s or if this is too early for a stop, continue onto the A6108 Leyburn road. There’s 2 more great stopping points at the side of this road, Brymor Ice Cream parlour and Jervaulx Abbey tea rooms. You’re also now on the route of the 2014 Tour de France albeit, in reverse, this road will be used as the run in of Stage 1 coming down Wensleydale from Leyburn, to Masham then Ripon and finally across to Harrogate.

The road up the south side of the Ure valley also offers great views of the hill side town of Leyburn and the limestone outcrops that dominate the valley further up. Both Middleham, famous for it’s castle and race horses and Leyburn are great stop off points. The long gradual climb up the valley is now rewarded in full with a gradual descent down the north side all the way to Bedale. Straight through the small market town and it’s mainly flat, on quiet roads all the way back to Ripon.

The Leyburn Loop can also be found through this link: Leyburn Loop

Vale of York

A great ride if you fancy staying away from the hills of Yorkshire. The first 15 miles follow the route of the Way of the Roses, a Sustrans Coast to Coast route. Heading out of Ripon using the same route as the Boroughbridge route above, it continues south east out through the small villages of Upper and Lower Dunsforth, over to Great Ouseburn. Once through Ouseburn, turn left and over the small toll bridge (free to cyclists) over the river Ouse and into Aldwark.

The route now turns back north towards Helperby and Cundall. The great thing about this ride is you’ll have the roads to yourself, the majority  of the ride is on quiet lanes and the stretch through Cundall, Norton Le Clay and over to Marton le Moor is reminiscent of Paris Roubaix.

Although not offering many stop off points, the route can be easily ridden in reverse or extended through numerous other villages. If ridden in reverse, La Rascasse in Boroughbridge is a great coffee stop and cyclist friendly.

The Vale of York ride can also be found through this link: Vale of York

Dallowgill and Brimham Rocks

Another popular Thursday evening Club Run ride and another ride that’s great either way round. We usually head out towards Kirkby Malzaerd, though Laverton and up onto Dallowgill Moor. This is a nice gradual climb that gains most of the ride’s height. The climb levels out in dense heather moorland, a beautiful sea of purple in summer, dives through a valley and heads down to Fellbeck. A short climb back out of Fellbeck and you’re skirting Brimham Rocks, a popular National Trust beauty spot. This is the start of a fast descent on quiet roads to the back of Fountains Abbey, another National Trust site and World Heritage site. We usually use the access road past the Fountains visitors centre as it is a much better tarmac surface. The ride ends with a further descent back into Ripon.

By far the best place for a stop is the visitors centre at Fountains Abbey with a great National Trust cafe and shop with safe bike parking and even a repair station.

The Dallowgill Brimham Rocks ride can also be found through this link: Dallowgill and Brimham Rocks

These routes will continue to be updated, please come back and check. If you plan to visit Ripon or the surrounding area and would like advice on routes or places to see by bike, contact Neil by phone on 01765 601106 or by email at: info@moonglu.com

Rideczech is owned and run by Jody and Martina Hamilton and is based in the far east of the CzechRepublic in a little town called Jablunkov. With the Polish and Slovakian borders a short ride away, the Rideczech house is nestled in the valley with mountains to 3 sides and the town centre, a 10 minute walk away. All rides start and finish at the house…so no hassles with transport…just kit up and ride off.

Rideczech has riding to suit all abilities from gentle, non technical climbs, to super steep technical singletrack climbs. The same can be said for the descending in the area. This includes some really great, secret singletrack that only Rideczech know about.  Plenty of mountain cottages dotted around means that there is always a place to grab a bite to eat for lunch.

The accommodation has been a labour of love and gives you all the comforts of home and more! There are 3 rooms all with en-suite bathrooms, 2 playrooms with table tennis, table football and darts. A living room, dining room and small kitchen are also at your disposal.

Have a look at the website www.rideczech.com for more details.

That’s right the Giant Defy 1. Just as it did in 2012, the 2013 version of the Defy 1 wins the test against some tough competition from the current big hitters, Specialized, Scott, Trek, Cube and our other road brand Focus Bikes.

Demand for this bike is going to be high, we currently have stock of 3 sizes (Medium, Medium/Large and Large) but the next due date from Giant is mid March 2013. If you’re looking for the best road bike under £1000, now is the time to buy.

The 2013 Giant Defy 1 is available to buy here – Defy 1

Cycling Plus also tested the new Focus Culebro 2.0 SL. Whilst not topping the test, the Focus did score well on it’s value for money. Focus have managed a coup, cramming Shimano Ultegra gear shifters and derailleurs onto a bike at £999. We currently have the 2.0 SL instock in the 52cm frame size, with 54cm, 56cm and 58cm sizes due in February.

The 2013 Focus Culebro 2.0 SL is available to buy here – Culebro 2.0 SL

Cycling Plus is available now in newsagents or on your Apple iPad and iPhone through Newsstand.

As one of the UKs few Nicolai dealers we try to keep up to date with everything Nicolai. We started reading reports of an 18 Speed Gearbox after Eurobike in late 2011, shortly after we saw some spy shots and rough details. Nicolai were working in conjunction with a small team of designers in Germany going by the name of Pinion. They had come up with this revolutionery gearbox design and as a modular unit, they need a pro-active frame builder to make use of the box.

As Nicolai hand build all their frames and use their own in house design team, designing and producing prototypes is somewhat easier than it is for some of the bigger manufacturers. With a past history that includes extensive experimentation with gearbox style frames and as a fellow German manufacturer, Nicolai were perfectly placed to work with Pinion.

The first frame that appeared on the internet was the Helius AM, the Pinion gearbox fitting perfectly in the bottom of the classic 4 bar, Horst link equipped full suspension frame.

Moonglu decided very early on that we should order one of these for the shop. We ordered our Large frame in November 2011 knowing that we were unlikely to see the frame until early 2012. Nicolai produce their frames in batches and we were already scheduled for the 2nd batch in March, demand globally was already high, especially the Asian market which is huge for Nicolai. We gradually put the Pinion bike on the back burner, March came and went and the delivery date was put back to May, then June and July. Tempting photos were sent by the factory with racks of AM frames, hung up ready for their gearbox. The delay had been at Pinion as they struggled to keep up with demand.

The day it arrived was a great surprise, as it always is when a Nicolai arrives. UPS only deliver to us from 2 suppliers and the Nicolai frame boxes are very distinctive, the delivery driver was nearly rugby tackled! As is the norm these days, I jumped straight onto Facebook and announced to the world that we had a Pinion frame. A day later and we’d already sold the frame that was supposed to be our demo bike.

The build itself was the longest in our history, a chain of events put lots of obstacles in our way, but with alot of patience from the eventual owner and lots of help from both Nicolai and Pinion we finally completed the bike. With some new parts and some donor parts from an existing bike we got the Helius on its wheels.

The final set up was very straight forward, Pinion were very thorough in their instructions for setting up and cabling the box. Although it looks like 2 cables, the gearbox works on 1 long cable wound round a spool at the box end and clamped into the twist shifter at the other end. Early Nicolai prototypes had a chain tensioner attached to the rear mech hanger but the production bikes came through with a sprung 2 jockey wheel tensioner fixed to the gearbox shell. A Pinion rear sprocket with a Shimano style freehub spline is also supplied with the frame.

The twist shifter is a similar unit to the Rohloff 14 speed shifter but definitely smoother and more refined internally. Fine adjustments to the gear synchronisation can be made with the adjustable cable stops. Exiting the shifter in parallel we had concerns about the compatibility with the Hope Tech brake lever fitted to the bike. The chunky lever doesn’t fit very well with any of the current Shimano or SRAM conventional shifters, but it ended up matching up really well with the Pinion shifter. We used a short ODI lock on grip with colour matched red collars.

First Impressions

I jumped on the Pinion AM as soon as I had the gear cable fitted and rode round the Moonglu instore figure of 8. Although it’s not a good test of the suspension, the smooth carpet gives a quiet ride and allowed me to test the gears. It was clear they weren’t synced correctly on the first circuit but a quick tweek of the barrel adjusters and that sorted it.

Gear shifts are very definite but smooth and well spaced with a fantastic range. We have built many Rohloff equipped bikes and also ridden some Nicolai G-Boxx bikes, the Pinion is a big improvement on both of these, drivetrain noise and feedback is significantly less. Having taken the box apart slightly we know it runs in gear oil, similar to the Rohloff.

A note to those that buy and frame and for whatever reason, take the Pinion box off the main frame. The gearbox is mounted to a Nicolai with 6 mounting bolts. We did remove the box from our frame and later re-installed it. Beware when re-fastening the bolts, there aren’t any published torque settings, our suggestion would be tighten each bolt a little at a time, gradually tightening them all. We found if they aren’t evenly torqued, it can cause some knocking in the gearbox.

It is also highly recommended from our own experiences NOT to take the box apart. It requires a specific tool to remove the sprocket, down the line this can be bought from Nicolai UK. The box can be serviced by changing the oil but we don’t recommend removing the casings. We have seen the internals, suffice to say, this box is a work of art mechanically, probably the equal of anything else out there in the bike world.

Final Specification

Frame: 2012 Nicolai Helius AM Pinion

Fork: 2013 Fox 36 Float 160 RC2

Shock: 2013 Fox Float CTD with adjustable Boost Valve

Headset: Chris King 1.5 with tapered top cap

Stem: Renthal

Handlebar: Renthal

Grips: Custom ODI Rogue lock on

Seatpost: SDG Micro I-Fly

Seatclamp: Hope QR

Saddle: SDG Bel Air I-Beam

Gear Shifter: Pinion 18 Speed

Bottom Bracket: Pinion

Chainset: Pinion

Rear Sprocket: Pinion

Chain: 3/32″

Brakes: Hope Tech M4 Custom Red

Wheels: DT Swiss EX1750

Tyres: Panaracer Rampage 26 x 2.35K

Colour: Raw Aluminium with Red Extra Love

Pedals: Hope F20 Red

Final Weight: 34.6 Ibs (including pedals)

Nicolai have finally updated the head tube on their frames. For 2013, most of the suspension frames and some of the hardtail frames come as standard with the ZS44/56 flared headtube. This makes the bike compatible with both 1 1/8″ standard fork steerers and the increasingly common tapered 1 1/8″ to 1.5″. A tapered fork can be used with a Zero Stack headset to keep the front end of the bike low, it reduces the stack height of a conventional headset by 15-20mm and is a much neater solution. We have chosen a Chris King Inset 2 for this Helius AC.

Nicolai are gradually revamping their frames. 2013 has seen some significant changes and the addition of Rock Shox Reverb Stealth compatibility keeps their frames bang up to date. The exit hole can be seen on this frame beneath the front mech band. Nicolai supply a rubber gromit to keep this hole sealed if a Reverb is not in use. There is also compatibility for non Stealth dropper posts with cable/hose guides beneath the top tube.

There are also updates to the shock linkage for 2013. The 4 travel settings have now gone on the Helius AC in favour of 2 defined travel settings, 150mm (top hole) and 140mm. The frame still uses a 200 x 57mm stroke shock, we have used a 2013 spec Fox Float CTD with adjustable Boost Valve. Nicolai have also chosen to dramatically narrow the shock link, machining a beautiful pair of rockers to create the link. The upshot of this is a shorter bolt, shorter shock mounting hardware and what should be a tighter and stiffer rear end.

This particular bike is virtually the ultimate trail bike build. We have kitted it out with XTR M980 2 x 10 Speed with the new XTR Shadow+ clutch style rear mech. The gear ratios on this bike are 40/28 up front and an 11-36 cassette, this should provide ample gears for almost any terrains. The cables and hoses on the most recent Nicolai’s are much tidier and there’s virtually no rub points during suspension movement. The rear mech cable slots neatly through the guide ontop of the driveside chainstay.

Chris King ISO Disc hubs built onto Stans Arch rims, these wheels suit the bike perfectly, a great balance between strength and lightweight. The rear dropouts on the Helius AC are 135 x 12mm thru axle, we have equipped the bike with a SRAM Maxle but the frame does come equipped with a simple bolt as standard. To keep the weight sensible but maintain power, we have chosen Hope Race M4 brakes in the new Stealth black finish, but upgraded the hoses to black Goodridge.

In my opinion, this bike is close to the ultimate trail bike, light enough for all day rides, capable enough for gravity enduro racing and tough enough to last. The German engineering in these Nicolai’s may not be everyones cup of tea, but with a 5 year warranty you can bet they’ll outlast almost any other suspension bike out there. These latest bikes with the machined shock link and greater standover clearance certainly ‘sit’ much better than the older frames. A Helius AC will definitely be my next bike – Neil @ Moonglu

Final Specification

Frame: 2013 Nicolai Helius AC

Fork: 2013 Fox 34 Float CTD

Shock: 2013 Fox Float CTD with adjustable Boost Valve

Headset: Chris King Inset 2

Stem: Thomson X4

Handlebar: Easton Haven Carbon

Grips: Moonglu custom Lizard Skin lockon

Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Seatclamp: Hope QR

Saddle: SDG Bel Air RL Ti

Gear Shifters: Shimano XTR 10 Speed

Front Mech: Shimano XTR Conventional Swing

Rear Mech: Shimano XTR Shadow+ SGS

Bottom Bracket: Hope Stainless

Chainset: Shimano XTR 40/28

Cassette: Shimano XT 11-36

Chain: Shimano HGX 10 Speed

Brakes: Hope Race M4 Stealth with Floating Rotors 183F/183R

Wheels: Chris King ISO Disc on Stans Arch EX

Tyres: Maxxis Ardent 26 x 2.25K

Colour: Fire Department Red (gloss)

Final Weight: 28.6 Ibs (including XTR pedals)

Mark and I were recently discussing the history again, as we often do after the question is asked. So at this point it would probably be sensible to explain the whole history of why there is a bike shop on Blossomgate, Ripon, along with how I came to own it.

The shop was originally set up by Mark Swindells in 1992, on Blossomgate at the site of the existing shop, now called Moonglu. Mark is Ripon born and bred, he decided to set up as a bike shop, Blossomgate Cycles for the reason many entrepeneurs set up their own business, a keen interest, hobby and skill.

By 1992 I was already a keen cyclist, not in a particularly competitive way, but I had watched the Tour de France, the half hour daily 6.30pm programme on Channel 4 with Phil Liggett, Gary Imlach and Paul Sherwen. Chris Boardman hadn’t even won Olympic gold on the Lotus superbike by this point. My earliest memory is Greg Lemond in the Z-team jersey, an all American hero winning the Tour for the 3rd time. Those half hour shows must have stirred something in me as I decided to save my paper round money and any Christmas/Birthday money to buy a proper mountain bike. I had already read the only UK mountain bike magazine, MBUK cover to cover, then again and picked my ‘proper’ mountain bike, a GT Karakoram, a distinctive triple triangle design mountain bike with a very late 80s/early 90s red paint with splatter finish, it was all the rage then!

I seem to remember that the price back then was £585, quite a large amount of money for a 14year in 1990. Once I had saved enough money I had to find a bike shop that stocked GT Bicycles and ask my mum to take me over one Saturday afternoon. Ripon had a Raleigh shop back in those days, John Donoghue run by Pete, a nice guy who sold me my first mountain bike, a Raleigh Mustang SIS. We had to look further afield for the GT and a friend recommended Arthur Caygill Cycles in Richmond. So off we went, £585 exactly in my pocket, hoping to bring back the red splattered Karakoram.

It didn’t pan out quite how I had wanted it to. When we got there, although the shop was beyond my wildest dreams, packed full of the bikes I had drooled over in MBUK, I couldn’t find the red Karakoram. We waited our turn and spoke to one of the staff, it was confirmed, it wasn’t a bike they had instock, I was deflated. Good shops were few and far between in those days and I didn’t want to drag my mum all over Yorkshire in search of my dream bike, so we wandered around some more. The next part is abit grainy, I don’t know how it happened, but I ended up leaving the shop with a pink Saracen Tufftrax. Looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking, perhaps I fell into the trap of not wanting to leave with something. It wasn’t a bad bike by any stretch, equipped with full Shimano 400LX with a biopace chainset but there was no getting away from it, it was pink. Now I hadn’t really discovered my sexuality by this point, I was pretty sure which way the gate opened, so I learned to live with the bike.

By my 16th Birthday I had been given a holiday job at Ripon Land Rover, cleaning and polishing new Land Rovers and Discovery’s prior to collection. £2.50 was what I earned, probably well below minimum wage, but I embraced work, loved the job, made some great friends and even learnt to drive. 1992 also coincided with the opening of Blossomgate Cycles, and a lunchtime visit gave me a new dream, they stocked GT and had a new model the Pantera AL with Rock Shox Mag 20 suspension forks, I had to have it. This was cutting edge at the time, aluminium frames were rare then, Hans Rey on his Zaskar AL was always in MBUK and Rock Shox forks just weren’t on production bikes, most bikes came with rigids,  I worked every hour I could at both Land Rover and my paper round and got to the magic figure. I can’t remember how much this was, Mark would probably still remember but I believe it was over £600.

Buying the Pantera coincided with a meeting that would create a lifelong friendship. I was working one evening at the Newsagent down the road from my house when whilst stood in the doorway I saw a guy ride past on a bright yellow, red and pink Klein Attitude. This moment still lives with me, he knew I’d seen him as he powered past on his XTR equipped superbike and there was a knowing mutual look. A Klein, in Ripon, at the time would be comparable with the rarest Ferrari in Ripon, Klein’s were the real dream bike, superbikes of their time, handmade in very small numbers in the states by mountain bike pioneer Gary Klein. Dave Hemming had just won a Mountain Bike World Championship silver medal in the downhill on a rigid Klein Attitude, these were only ever seen in the magazines, and I’d just seen one.

The summer of 1992 was also when Ripon Mountain Bike Club was trying to take off. The first meeting was at the South Lodge on Harrogate road and I decided as a mountain biker that I should go along. 6 or 7 turned up to that first meeting, including the guy with the Klein. It turned out that he lived about 100 yards up the road from where I lived and he just bought the Klein from York Cycleworks. It was their showpiece and Graham must have made their day when he went along and bought it. The meeting quickly became superfluous and Graham and I struck up conversation about bikes and bikes and bikes.

The wheels of fate continued to turn and it turned out that as well as Graham growing up with Mark from Blossomgate Cycles, he had also just met 2 other lads that were also into mountain biking. Jody Hamilton and Dan Furness were school friends, best friends and fellow mountain bikers, Jody on his Raleigh USA Technium and Dan on his Marin Palisades and 1993 Kona Kilauea. We all met up and rode nearly every Sunday for the next 2 years, Graham picking us up in his Toyota Land Cruiser and laterly many Ford Transits and taking us riding all over Yorkshire. Scar House and Nidderdale, Boltby Forest, Bolton Abbey, Bolton Castle and Reeth were our regular rides along with our favourite ride above all others, Guise Cliffe above Pateley Bridge. Not a bridleway and not particularly far but some of the greatest trails that we could imagine. Today they are considered ‘Cheeky’ trails but I know they are still ridden, I’ve seen the tyre tracks.

The end of school brought big changes to our lives, I went off to Liverpool University, Jody tried college, Dan went off to America and to climb some mountains in South America and Graham continued his day job as an agricultural engineer. Despite my 3 years of ‘study’ for a Geology degree, one thing remained constant, bikes. Our riding continued as we met up during the holidays, not always the full group but 9 times out of 10, Graham and I would ride somewhere. Yorkshire is a great place for riding, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales are both beautiful in different ways and over the years we have ridden most of the classic trails that are now covered in numerous ride guide books.

The biggest change in my life came in 1998, meeting my wife Kelly. Bikes had always been number 1 until this point and nothing had got in the way of my cycling. I think Kelly would argue that bikes were still number 1 but life does change and a level of flexibility needed to be found, I couldn’t keep disappearing all day every Sunday. I’m not sure if it was the need for flexibility, the foot and mouth crisis or having some money in my pocket but a road bike seemed like the sensible option to keep everyone happy. Despite the romance of the Tour on Channel 4 I had never actually owned a road bike until this point. My first purchase was a Trek 5200 OCLV with Shimano Ultegra 9 Speed. The road bike allowed me to get a 2-3hour ride in, without driving somewhere and having the extra hours bike cleaning afterwards, the perfect solution to time management.

Kelly and I were married in 2002. At the time, I was working for an multi discipline engineering company in Leeds.

Smaller, lighter and 2X more powerful, again.

The Wi-Fi enabled HERO3: Black Edition is the most advanced GoPro, ever. No expense was spared during its development, resulting in a GoPro that is 30% smaller, 25% lighter and 2x more powerful than previous models. Wearable and gear mountable, waterproof to 197′ (60m), capable of capturing ultra-wide 1440p 48fps, 1080p 60 fps and 720p 120 fps video and 12MP photos at a rate of 30 photos per second, the HERO3: Black Edition is the world’s most versatile camera. Built-in Wi-Fi, GoPro App compatibility and the included Wi-Fi Remote (normally a separate £99.99 accessory) make the HERO3: Black Edition all the more versatile, still.

Smaller, Lighter…Better

Weighing in at a scant 2.6 ounces, the HERO3: Black Edition is 25% lighter and 30% smaller than previous models.

2X Faster Video Performance

The HERO3: Black Edition captures professional, cinema-quality video at 2X the resolution and 2X the frame-rate of previous models while delivering 2X better low light performance. Slow-motion aficionados and industry professionals will love the HERO3: Black Edition’s 1080p-60, 720p-120, WVGA-240, 960p-100 and 1440p-48 video modes while those desiring a cinematic look will appreciate the ultra-high resolution 2.7kp-24 and 4kp-12 (Protune only) video modes.

3X Faster Photo Performance

The HERO3: Black Edition’s photo performance is 3X improved, now boasting 12MP burst capture at a staggering 30 frames per second with 2X better low light performance compared to previous models. Still Photo and Time-lapse Photo modes remain the same but are now joined by a new Continuous Photo mode that captures continuous 12MP stills at a steady 3, 5, or 10 photo-per-second rate, up to 30 photos at a time.

Improved Sharpness, Less Distortion

The HERO3′s reduced-distortion, 6-element aspherical lens combines with user-selectable Ultra-wide, Medium and Narrow field-of-views to deliver more perspective-capture options than ever before. Add the totally updated flat-lens waterproof housing that delivers stunning image sharpness both above and below water and you’ve got one of the most powerful and durable image capture solutions on the planet.

Redesigned Audio System

Understanding that sound quality is as important as image quality, GoPro engineers completely redesigned the HERO3 to be as adept at capturing the subtle, natural sounds of voice and music as it is at capturing the immersive sounds of sport. Also improved is GoPro’s already famous wind-noise reduction, ensuring that you’ll hear more of your passion, be it your engine or expletives, and less of the wind during high speed activities.

Built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi Remote Included)

The HERO3 Black Edition features built-in Wi-Fi and includes GoPro’s Wi-Fi Remote accessory. The Wi-Fi Remote is normally available as a $79.99 accessory but is included with the HERO3: Black Edition. The Wi-Fi Remote is waterproof, wearable and can control up to 50 Wi-Fi-enabled GoPros at a time from a range of 600′. The HERO3′s built in Wi-Fi means it can also be controlled by iOS or Android smartphones and tablets running the GoPro App. The GoPro App enables full camera control and live scene preview on any compatible iOS or Android smartphone or tablet.

The HERO3: Black Edition is compatible with all GoPro mounting accessories and older generation BacPacs™ along with the newer generation LCD Touch BacPac and 2nd generation Battery BacPac. However, as all HERO3 cameras have a new size and shape they require HERO3-specific Wrist, Skeleton and 3D housings so be sure to check for HERO3 compatibility when purchasing any new housing accessories.

What’s Included

• HERO3: Black Edition Camera
• 197’/ 60m Waterproof Housing*
• Wi-Fi Remote + Key Ring
• Remote Charging Cable
• Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
• QR Buckle
• J-Hook Buckle
• 3-Way Pivot
• 1 Curved Adhesive Mount
• 1 Flat Adhesive Mount
• Assorted Mounts and Hardware
• USB Charging Cable

Go Pro released the Hero 3 Black Edition in style with their brand new promotional video

Moonglu will have the GoPro Hero 3 available as soon as it hits the UK, keep an eye on our online shop for stock updates.