Weapons of Choice | Random Bikes From The UKGE Triscombe
The first round of the UK Gravity Enduro series was a blast,held down in Triscombe in the South West of England. The intermittent weather conditions and harpack ground, mixed with some super gloopy fresh cut sections made for some difficult tyre choices. With no clear tyre choice some riders went with dry tyres, others with cut spikes. We checked out thirteen different rides and tyre choices for race day. There were definitely no clear favourites, with riders choosing a real mix of rubber to try and keep their bikes traveling in the right direction!
Shropshire shredder Helen Wainwright aboard her carbon Giant Reign Advanced, she chose to run a schwalbe Magic Mary up front and the faster rolling Specialized Purgatory Control on the rear.
Steve Peat Syndicate’s Faye Jordan aboard her Santacruz Nomad, racing the pro women’s category, rocking the Enve rims with two Schwalbe Magic Mary’s, a draggy but grippy combination helping her to a top 10 finish.
Super fast twins Jack and Harry Sowden aboard their Intense Carbine 29ers on the Intense Bad Ass Bikes team. Both choosing to run the Michelin Wild Mud Advanced reinforced cut spike on the front and Maxxis High Rollers on the rear. They both found their way onto the U18 podium, with Jack in second and Harry in fourth, good luck working out which one is which!
Enduro mag’s Editor and chief tester Jim Buchanan riding his Custom Marin attack C XT9, Jim has more bling on this ‘parts testing bike’ than you would find in a magpies nest! He ran a Maxxis High Roller up front and a Schwalbe Hans Dampf on the rear. He also used the new Bell Super2R helmet with its detachable chin piece for extra comfort on the transitions. He had his best result at UKGE to date and finished eighth in the Vets category.
Blazing Bikes rider Marcus Jones aboard his awesome looking Mojo IBIS HDR 3, Marcus races in the Vets category and choose to run a pair of Maxxis Minions. Marcus, a regular podium finisher, had a nasty crash on a road gap and unfortunately failed to finish on sunday.
Steve Peat Syndicate’s rider Vini Crighton-Poli aboard his Santacruz Bronson, Vini races in the Pro category and ran a Continental Trail King on the front and a Schwalbe Rock Razor semi slick out back. Vini chooses to run the Rock Razor most of the time, as to whether this is out of choice or just plain ease is something we will never know!
Peter Jordan riding for Swinnerton Cycles in Cannock, aboard his beautiful Yeti SB6C, Running a Schwalbe Magic Mary on the front and a Hans Dampf on the rear. Pete Took a well earned Masters win even with a nasty crash over the finish line.
Team Continental/Saracens Aled Griffiths (Pisgah) hailing from Aberystwyth. Pisgah was running a set of the (soon to be released) Continental Barons, an excellent tyre choice for the conditions, they’re quick rolling and clear mud well. For this season Pisgah chose an XL Saracen Ariel 151 for extra stability.
Matthew De Villanueva riding for Bad Ass Bikes in Bristol. Matt has a very interesting set-up, choosing to run only one Enve wheel on the rear to help aid stiffness on his Intense Carbine 29er, running a Michelin Wild Mud Advanced reinforced cut spike up front and a Grip R advanced reinforced on the rear. He is also one of the few competitors who chooses to run a coil shock.
Whyte Bike’s ‘high energy’ rider Peter Lloyd racing in the Senior category aboard his G-150 Works, he ran a set of Maxxis High rollers, one of the best all round tyres available. Pete was on his way to a good result until the second to last stage, where he suffered a mechanical, dropping him down the order.
Ison distribution’s Pat Campbell-Jenner and his striking Banshee Rune. Pat was running a Schwalbe Magic Mary and the new Nobby Nic out back. He was using the Snakeskin sidewall option and was running them with Schwalbes new Procore system, helping to find that extra grip and finishing a very respectable fourteenth in a stacked elite field.
Downhiller Gareth Brewin (Gazzy B) riding for the nearly formed SB Gravity team on his whopping XL GT Sanction. Gaz rode the Continental Kaiser Project up front and a Trail King on the rear. This was his first ever enduro and he managed to finish third in the Pro category, top result!
Words: Andrew Cooper <strong<Photos: Doc Ward
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