The usual response to a mountain bike fitted with an electric engine is: ‘What’s the point of that?’ But once you get over the puritan notion that the joy of cycling downhill should only come after you’ve suffered on the uphill, you’ll be clamouring for a go. The Ranger is the latest full-suspension eMTB from the American brand Diamondback, which first started out in BMX. It’s one of the first bikes to use Shimano’s specific E8000 drive system. This is more compact than most which allows handling to be tighter in the twists and turns. It feels like a bike you can ‘throw around’ rather than merely powering down trails. The battery pack is integrated into the frame and gives a range of 80km. Suspension, front and back, is light and silky. Boost spacing brings trademark stiffness and ride improvements to the 27in wheels and the plus-size WTB Ranger tyres give monster-truck grip. The brakes are Shimano M-315 hydraulic disc brakes with plenty of power to give you the confidence to push the bike and yourself to the limit. Don’t feel guilty, just enjoy it (diamondback.co.uk).
Price: £3,650
Frame: alloy 6061
Motor: Shimano XT E8000
Suspension: Rockshox
Gears: Shimano SLX 11 speeds
Brakes: hydraulic disc
Deloitte’s Ride Across Britain
Have you always wanted to take on Britain’s greatest cycling challenge and ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats? It’s one of the great long distance challenges – a journey of 969 miles along the best possible routes from the most southwesterly point of Cornwall to the most northeasterly tip of Scotland. The ride is sponsored by Deloitte’s and over the past seven years more than 4,500 cyclists have crossed the finish line at John O’Groats and achieved what is at the top of every British rider’s bucket-list.
Last year a group of riders set out and were filmed (above) along the way. It tells five individual exhilarating and life-changing stories – why they signed up, their journey and what it felt like to reach the finish line.
On 9 September this year, a group of 800 cyclists are setting off on the Deloitte Ride Across Britain 2017. If it’s something that you have always wanted to do, then entries for the 2018 event (which will be from 8-16 September) have just opened. For more details, go to rideacrossbritain.com.
The ride raises millions for good causes. It is fully supported – training and preparation plans, luggage transfer, base camps, delicious food, regular pit stops, hot showers, medical and mechanical support and chaperones are all included – and it’s undoubtedly one of the best ways to experience the country.
Cycle to work – and earn your bike
Free2Cycle is an innovative new scheme which intends to give bikes to employees who can earn them back through their own ‘pedal power’. The employer would contribute 20p per mile commuted towards the cost of your bike. Think of it as every pedal stroke you make getting to the office as a down payment on a new free bike.
It’s been estimated that sickness in the office costs UK businesses about £29bn per year. Free2Cycle wants to reduce this by getting more of us to cycle to work. If we were healthier and happier we’d take less time off sick, so companies would gain in the long term. In fact, we all would.
The scheme has been launched by Eric Craig. ‘As an employer myself,’ he says, ‘I believe it is a priority to invest in your number one asset – healthier, happier and more productive staff.’ It’s estimated that there are 7 million employees in Britain who are not currently cycling to work but potentially could and would benefit from doing so.
Under the Free2Cycle scheme, employees would set a ‘personal mileage pledge’, and based upon the number they will be offered a free bike of their choice. A maximum value of £1,750 has been set for bikes funded by pedal power alone, but employees can make an optional contribution that could add another £1,000 to that.
The employer is obliged to pay 20p per cycle-commuted mile. ‘Typically this is likely to equate to a cost of £20 to £30 per month with a tenfold benefit being realistically achieved by many employers as a result of increased productivity, reduced sick days, decreased late arrivals, reduced parking costs and other benefits,’ says Craig.
Visit free2cycle.com and see if you can talk your boss into it. It’ll be good for you and good for them.
Strong locks for weak wrists
For anyone who still enjoys cycling but struggles with a stiff lock. This may be a godsend. American super brand Master Lock has become the first security specialist in Europe to create a portable lock that requires no key-turn to unlock it. Backed by the latest technology and designed with Master Lock’s 90-plus years of expertise, the simple-to-use PushKey Padlock requires less than 2.5kg of pull down force to open and is perfect for people with strength challenges. It’ll provide peace of mind for carers and relatives of elderly people or those suffering with arthritis; a simple daily activity such as unlocking a padlock may seem straightforward to most but for those with sore and weak bones it can be a seriously strenuous ordeal.
The operation of the lock can be achieved by a simple bumping action to the key head that both opens and closes the lock without the need for tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist. The large flat key head makes it easy to grip, a feature that is particularly beneficial for the disabled and elderly with joint pain or limited finger dexterity. Master Lock has also devised a groove system on the bottom of the padlock that acts as a key guide, aiding users with sight challenges to easily insert the key. Each lock includes four keys and two oversized, interchangeable key head covers. It costs £20.90 and is available at Masterlock and from Homebase and Toolbank.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @MartinLove166
