News • Alpine Bikes

You've already heard Neil's thoughts on his Trek Session 88 downhill bike last month. Here he talks abut his other bike- the versatile Orange Five.

"With the Tweedlove POC King and Queen of the Hill Enduro at Glentress coming upon 27th May I thought I’d share my trail bike set up to help give some ideas to anyone thinking about taking part.

My Trek Session 88 is an amazing downhill bike but when the trail levels out or starts to go uphill it’s just a struggle so my “do it all” bike is an Orange Five. From Orange’s standard “Pro” spec, I upgraded the forks to Fox 160 TALAS 36s to handle the rough stuff, the 20mm axle keeps the front wheel where I point it and I can alter the travel on them between 120 and 160mm depending on what I’m riding. The maxle swing arm keeps the rear end stiff.

It’s important to feel comfortable on your bike so bars and lever positions are worth spending some time on. It’s not all about going as wide and low as you can - I have my bars at 765mm wide and I run a 50mm stem. And I always use lock-on grips.

Brakes are standard Hope X2s but I fitted bigger rotors with a 203mm up front and 185mm at the back to improve stopping power.

One of the biggest and best upgrades was an “Uppy-downy” seat post – it’s a huge help being able to sit down and get power through the pedals but I can then drop the saddle out the way when I need to stand up. The Rockshox Reverb seems to be the best of them just now and has been faultless for me in nearly a year of use. I have a left-handed lever upside down on the right side of my bars to keep it out of the way in over the bars incidents.

A lot of time was spent considering gearing but, following advice, I went for a 34 tooth chain ring and an 11-36T cassette and I’ve yet to resort to pushing up any hills in the Tweed valley so far. A chain device helps keep the chain on through all the rough stuff and protects the chain ring. I went for the E13 version and it’s been faultless.

What tyres to use is a regular discussion topic on internet forums and at trail centre cafes but after a recommendation from Jake at Alpine Bike’s Glentress store I bought a pair of 2.2” Continental Mountain King 2 tyres which roll brilliantly and with the exception of a few sketchy moments on some wet rocks at Innerleithen, have gripped well. The “protection” version of the tyre with a Stans No Tubes tubeless kit, have kept them light and (so far) inflated.

Flat or clip pedals is another point of discussion that runs and runs and although I rode flat pedals all winter, I clip in for racing.

Anyway, that’s my tuppence worth on bike set up - I hope it helps with some ideas. There are alternatives to all of the above, so see what works for you and if you’re not sure, go ask the guys in your nearest Alpine Bikes store who’ll be happy to help."

If you would like to ride an Orange Five, click here to check out our demo fleet which features quite a few of them!

Peebles CC/Alpine Bikes rider Calum Magown, has been racing all over the UK during the last few weeks. Here's an update on how he got on, including the first wins of the season!

“Hi guys and gals its Calum again. Over the past few weeks I have done several races around the UK. Here’s an update on how things went.

First off was Sherwood Pines Forest Park in Nottingham, for the first round of British Mountain Bike Series. Unfortunately as I have just moved up an age group to Youth, I was gridded on the third row. Fortunately this wasn't to be a problem as I soon worked my way up into 7th after the first lap but managed to finish 4th on what was a fairly flat course, in a very fast and hard first race of the 2012 season.

Next up was the first round of the Scottish XC Series at the 7stanes venue of Kirroughtree, nr Newton Stewart in Dumfries. I was feeling particularly nervous as there was a LOT of pressure to perform after being the best placed Scottish rider down at Sherwood Pines the weekend before. The race started off well with me sitting comfortably in second up the first climb. After this I attacked and came through the first lap with a 20sec lead. I was to finish the race in first just managing to beat one of my main rivals Liam Mclaughlin in another very fast and painful race.

Third race was the second round of the British Mountain Bike Series down at Dalby Forest in Yorkshire. I was feeling very confident about this race as it was one of the hillier and technical courses on the calendar, which is to my liking. This race I started on the front row and had possibly the worst start EVER! I went back to 8th or 9th going into the first single track and knew that there was plenty of work to be done. As the first real climb started I made a move and managed to get into the next singletrack in 5th and about 15sec down on first place. As I went down the track I could see my self catching them on every corner until there was a 5sec gap. I closed this gap going up the next long and hardest climb on the course. I moved into first with only Dylan Ker-foot Robson able to go with me. We rode the next two and a half laps together each taking turns to attack each other. On the final climb I managed to find a tiny bit of energy and used it all, so much so that I barely had enough energy to raise my hands going across the line in first place! This was one of my biggest wins yet.

The latest race I have done was the second round of the Scottish XC Series, at Gleniffer Braes in Paisley, where I managed to get another win in making it 3 in a row. The race was very fast and very, very short. I also learnt a major lesson at this race too. Don’t scoff energy gels and energy drinks too quickly and at the same time, as it makes me feel very ill!

That's all folks; I will keep you posted on how things go later on in the season.”

Next big race for Calum is Hopton Woods in Shropshire for Round 3 of the British Mountain Bike Series.

Natalie Milne- Alpine Bikes sponsored Triathlete, talks about her final preparations before the start of the 2012 season.

“It’s just under a week now until my first race of the 2012 season, so I thought I’d give you an update on what my final preparations have been like. Back at the tail end of March I headed out to Andalucia in Southern Spain with the rest of the Triathlon Scotland Development Squad for their annual Easter training camp. The purpose of the stay was prep work, to make sure that we are all race sharp and ready to go for the new season following the long hard hours of winter training. Base for the 8 days was to be Kinetic PB, which is a specialist training centre for Triathlon in Cuevas del Almanzora. They have a superb set-up including a 1km long man-made lake which is perfect for open water swimming, along with lots of tracks and trails for running.

The roads in the area were great for riding, and unlike my local roads in Stirling, the road surface is fantastic! We did many rides into the rolling hills of the area. These ranged from hard individual efforts to fast group “chain gang” rides. One day we got caught out by the weather and ended up riding in a very angry thunder and lightning storm. This was pretty spectacular, not to mention scary! The final days of the camp were spent doing mini races, to make sure that our race skills were up to scratch, and we had the all important swim-bike and bike-run transitions dialed!

All this training has had to be fitted around my University commitments. I’m now finally able to relax after having got my dissertation handed in. Even got it done a couple of days early!

Last week I had the grueling task of 2 fitness tests to complete. That’s the thing about being a multi-sport athlete; you always have more than 1 test or set of equipment to sort out! One bike test, followed the next day by a run test. It’s every bit as horrible as you would imagine it to be. Basically you and your bike are hooked up to a multitude of monitoring equipment and pretty much ride until you can go no more! It’s a necessary evil, and is a great way of telling whether your training has had the desired effect. My attention now is on my first race of the season this weekend at the BUCS (British Universities) Sprint Triathlon Championships. After that I’ll be lining up with my Trek Madone, at the Scottish Womens Road Race Championships in Balfron nr Stirling, later in May.”

Natalie lines up this weekend at BUCS Sprint Triathlon Championships in Wiltshire.

Written by Alpine Bikes Team Rider Neil Wilson.

Last year was a frustrating season due to injury and although I was happy to be riding, a bit of the fun went out of racing as I was struggling with fitness. This year however I’ve been feeling fitter and stronger and with Alpine Bikes’ help and my new Trek Session 88 I’ve been counting the days until my first race.

There might have been 12 year olds in the Juvenile Category who were as excited as me about the race season starting again but I doubt it. I’ve been competing since before those Juveniles were born but if growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional and I still get a buzz from the thought of racing my bike. I usually do the Alpine Bikes winter series but due to other commitments that wasn’t possible so the SDA at Innerleithen was going to be my first race.

The Scottish Downhill Association is a group of Mums and Dads who volunteer their time (and energy!) to organise the Scottish Downhill race series. Its a friendly atmosphere with some riders just out for a laugh and to race their mates while some take it seriously and there’s also usually a strong Elite rider presence and even the occasional visit from a current or past World Champion. Alpine Bikes’ Ruaridh Cunningham, the British Downhill Champion, was racing this weekend on his new carbon Trek 9.9.

This round was at Innerleithen, not far from home and one of my favourite places to ride. It was the Gold Run track - typical for the venue, some tight twists through the trees and some fast flowy bits . The weather was typical too – it was cold and wet! - but it was great to be back racing and to catch up with friends I haven’t seen over the winter.

Ruaridh is loving his new Trek and had an amazing time of 2min57s to win Elite and for a first race of the season on a new bike I was delighted to get on the podium in my category with a 3rd place finish. Thanks to all for a great weekend of racing.

If you want to come and race, watch some great riding, or even help out by marshalling (the SDA would be delighted to get help and they pack a mean lunch) then here are the dates and venues:

Round 2 - Glencoe - 19/20th May 2012

Round 3 - Pitfichie - 23/24th June 2012

Scottish Championships - Fort William - 14/15th July 2012

Round 4 - Dunkeld - 11/12th August 2012

Round 5 - Ae Forest - 8/9th September 2012

More info at: www.sda-races.com

I had two new arrivals in my house in February – one was a baby son which has left the other - my Trek Session 88 from Alpine Bikes firmly stuck in the garage , however after a few weeks and the new race season fast approaching I managed to get out and spend a day on the uplift at Innerleithen.

First impressions of the Session88 is that it looks way better than it did in any of the pictures I’d seen already. I think Trek used computer generated images in its publicity bumf which does it a real dis-service – it looked great under Alpine’s shop lights and even better on a sunny hillside. The decals are covered under a laquer so it should stay looking good too.

The Trek is a big change from what I’ve had before so I was expecting to spend ages setting it up but it couldn’t have been easier – a quick look in the owners manual and all the settings are there for different riders weights so it was just a few clicks here and there on the shock and the Fox 40 forks and I was ready to go. There was even a sag meter included from Trek to help the set up. The shock is specially valved by Fox for the Session 88 so there isnt anything to think about other than the slightest adjustments to taste. The head angle can altered with a Cane Creek angleset and flipping over Trek’s frame adjustment ‘Mino Link’ makes it “slack or slacker”.

Out of the box and it had lock on grips, direct mount stem, 780mm wide, low bars and Bontrager G4 tyres, Avid Elixir 9 brakes and a 10 speed SRAM – I changed the bars to Renthal Fatbars but nothing else needed doing and it was ready to ride.

I wont bore you with axle path or suspension linkage descriptions as I don’t understand them anyway but, the Session has been tweaked by the Trek World Racing Team over the last couple of years so I know its spot on. Its light, pedals well and the suspension works great so I’m really pleased with it.

Thanks to all at Alpine Bikes for their support, I’m ready and looking forward to the race season getting underway.

Alpine Bikes is delighted to announce the sponsorship of Triathlete Natalie Milne. Natalie is current Scottish Champion in both Sprint and Standard (Olympic) distance triathlon, and finished an impressive 5th overall in the 2011 British Triathlon Super Series. The deal will see Natalie racing the 2012 season aboard a Trek Madone 6 Series, equipped with components from Shimano and Bontrager, and fueled with Science in Sport products. Natalie will be providing updates on her training and racing throughout the season.

A delighted Natalie says of the deal: I am pleased to be sponsored by Alpine Bikes this year and I’m look forward to representing them at races throughout the season. Oh and I love my new Trek Madone 6 Series! It’s really comfortable, not to mention very fast!

Bryan Shedden, Director of Alpine Bikes says: We are delighted to be supporting Natalie. I was more than happy to provide Natalie with a top of the range Trek Madone and hope that it helps her to continue to improve this season. Everyone at Alpine Bikes wishes Natalie every success this year.

Natalie has been selected for the 2012 Triathlon Scotland Development squad, and will be competing at Elite level in events across the UK and Europe. One of her main goals for the season is to be selected for the British Squad to compete in the European Under 23 Championships, to be held in Spain later in the year. Her ultimate goal is to represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow 2014. She is currently fine tuning her preparations for the upcoming season, at a training camp in southern Spain.

Here’s a short bio:
Name: Natalie Milne
Age: 22
Based: Stirling

2011 Honours

Scottish Sprint Distance Triathlon Champion 2011 Scottish Standard (Olympic) Distance Triathlon Champion 2011 5th Overall 2011 British Triathlon Super Series 4th British Triathlon Super Series GE Strathclyde Park Triathlon 5th British Triathlon Super Series GE Blenheim Triathlon 10th British Triathlon Super Series Virgin Active London Triathlon 2nd BUCS British University and Collage Sport Sprint Triathlon Championships

Bike: Trek Madone 6 Series, with Shimano Dura-Ace groupset and Bontrager Aura Carbon Wheels.

Tri Equipment: BlueSeventy Helix wetsuit, BlueSeventy Tri Suit, Saucony Fastwitch running shoes (for racing), Asics Nimbus running shoes (for training)

Favourite Triathlon Discipline: Swimming, as it’s my strongest, closely followed by the bike!

Favourite places to ride: For road it’s anywhere in Stirlingshire. On the mountain bike, I have a favourite loop around Lochore Medows and Blair Adam Forest in Kinross

Best race ever: Scottish Sprint Triathlon Championship 2011, Led from start to finish, plus it’s my favorite place to race.

Any Sporting Idols: No not really.

Just in time for the start of summer, Alpine Bikes will be holding a Demo Day at Glentress on the weekend of 21st and 22nd of April. Here you will be able to test ride bikes from leading manufacturers, including Trek, Orange and Yeti. Some of the bikes available on the day include:

Trek Fuel EX
Trek Remedy
Trek Slash
Trek Lush
Trek Rumblefish 29er
Orange Five
Orange ST4
Orange Alpine 160
Orange Gyro
Santa Cruz Blur LT2
Santa Cruz Nickel
Santa Cruz Tallboy 29er
Yeti ASR-5
Yeti SB-66
Yeti 575

Alongside the bikes, you will also be able to see the new ranges from hydration pack and rucksac manufacturer Osprey, and the new range of mountain bike shoes from Teva. Teva will also have some of their awesome new Links MTB shoes available for you to try out on the trails. UK based Hope will will also be there showcasing their new products, as will Sram, who will have their extended product family of Rockshox and Avid products with them.

With more manufacturers to be confirmed over the coming days and weeks, it is shaping up to be a cracking weekend of riding.

The event will run from 10am til 4pm each day, and will be based from the Glentress Peel carpark. Bikes are on a first come first served basis, and are not available for pre-booking. If you wish to ride one of the bikes, then please bring with you a form of photographic ID (either passport or drivers licence) and a credit or debit card as security. A pre-set loop will be set out in the forest which should take around 30-45mins to complete.

For further information please contact our Glentress store. Hope to see you there!

Do you cycle to work? Do you live in Glasgow? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then our Glasgow store may have something of interest to you. They are looking at running a series of one day Cycle Training courses for adults. A modern version of the good old Cycle Proficiency you may have done at school many years ago! The course will be run by Cycling Scotland qualified trainers, and will focus on building confidence and skills for riding in a city environment. Items covered would include, cycling in traffic, dealing with busy roundabouts/junctions, and generally encouraging safer cycling. We are hoping to run the courses on a Saturday from 10am til 4pm. A free bike safety check would also be included. To help with any accessories or servicing costs that may arise, we are also going to offer all course participants the chance to purchase one of our Outdoor Experience Privilege cards at half price.

Cost of the course will be £60, with discounts available for any groups or businesses that sign up.

For further information or to register your interest, please contact Jon Boyde at our Glasgow St Georges Cross store.