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We've had the pleasure of supporting the incredibly talented Iestyn Harrett for several years. This winter Iestyn returned to RBW, wishing to upgrade his previous bike from us; a raucous fluorescent yellow Trek Madone series 9. This bike was first purchased from us in 2018 to compete in the Australia Commonwealth Games.
An athlete and triathlete since the age of 12, Iestyn's hard work paid off at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where the national-squad athlete came home with a silver medal! After his success this season, Iestyn visited us in Talbot green to once again up his bike-game. Supplied and custom built here in-house, the standard Bontrager wheels were upgraded to a set of Enve's in order to maximise the full aerodynamic potential of the bike. Rotor 3D Power cranks were also added to the build, with an aero chainring to match.
It's truly fantastic to supply such bikes and see them compete on the world stage. We can't wait to see what Iestyn can achieve over the new few years and wish him the best of luck in the 2023 race season.
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It's not every day you supply a member of the Botswana national cycling team with a mountain bike, that's for sure!
During the 2022 Commonwealth Games, we had the pleasure of assisting the Botswana national team with our demo Trek Rail, and various servicing & componentry needs. Fast forward to winter of 2022, the Botswana national team returned to the UK with talented mountain biker Kato.
Kato had been awarded a sports scholarship at Bath university and would be staying in the UK to complete his studies, whilst training and racing at a high international level. Requiring a full race and training setup, it was a pleasure to work with the Botswana coaches, Kato and his family to choose the perfect equipment and bike.
Wishing to strike a balance between XC performance and downhill capabilities, after testing multiple options we settle on a carbon Top Fuel 9.7. A fantastic all-round choice, the top fuel is a fantastic compromise between a fast and light bike to pedal, whilst maintaining excellent downhill performance with mid-travel Fox racing shocks.
We wish Kato every success for the coming 2023 race season, and can't wait to see what he can achieve with his new performance setup!
It's only taken 12 months, but we were finally able to get everyone in one place long enough for a Bike Park Wales trip this winter! With an enormous group of over 20 friends and staff of the shop, we spent a day shredding and shivering our way down some of the finest trails in Wales.
Not wishing to hold any riders up, ability groups formed, meaning no one was left feeling out of their depth. Shortly after mid-morning, riders were greeted with snow at the summit of the Park, lasting for several hours and beginning to settle by early afternoon! Bikes included an eclectic mix of both electric and analogue rides... and not just Treks either!
We all had a fantastic day of riding and socialising (despite the cold)! Will you be joining us for the next adventure?
We just can't get enough of James' gorgeous new Speed Concept SLR... Pre-delivery, our first job was fitting some bling upgrades to James' new ride; A CeramicSpeed bottom bracket (a fantastic investment in our opinion) and a set of Enve SES Carbon Wheels. A talented Iron Man athlete, James previously qualified for the 70.3 World Championships.
His new Speed Concept SLR is the perfect all-round weapon for the 2023 Welsh Iron Man calendar- light on the climbs and fast on the flat. Post-delivery, James' first task was a full professional bike fit with Whistlefit: an expert service who ensured his position was not only fast but comfortable too.
Speed Concept has a long history of success in the pro triathlon scene, with tri athletes including Sam Long, Ellie Salthouse, Tim Reed and many more!
Hit the link below to check out a Global Triathlon Review:
We love a challenge here at the Ride Bikes workshop, although catch Ben on a bad day and he may beg to differ! We recently had the pleasure of completing a full Di2 upgrade on this gorgeous Cannondale Super Slice. On paper, a straight forward job... but in reality one that required a full frame-up rebuild on a Cannondale Slice.
Why Di2?! Apart from the obvious shifting accuracy benefits, making the jump to Di2 has several benefits. The first is weight saving for crucial marginal gains; in time trialling every second counts. Secondly, future-proofing the serviceability of the bike: no need for labour intensive cable changes every 6 months, navigating the complex internal routing system of the Slice. Thirdly is the ergonomic benefits of Di2 tribar shifters; riders are able to grab the solid end without fear of an accidental gear change... a common issue when using older-style mechanic bar end shifters.
We think this bike has turned out absolutely fantastic and cant wait to see some PB's smashed on it in the 2023 race season.
Long standing customer and friend of the shop, John, may just have the finest collection of Trek's this side of Wisconsin. John already owns some rather fine Trek bicycles; his Project One Emonda SLR and bespoke Crockett being two of our favourites.
John's latest addition to his fleet was this vibrant Checkpoint SLR; the ultimate adventuring machine! Although John keeps his bikes in impeccable condition, its safe to say none of his rides are 'garage queens'... when we say he does serious mileage, we mean it!
John's new checkpoint comes equipped with vibrant Ltd Edition paint (because who needs lights with paintwork this bright?!), SRAM AXS wireless gears and ultra light carbon wheels. Proper lovely stuff!
We can't wait to see John get his wheels dirty this winter and look forward to him joining us on our shop gravel rides... although we're not sure we'll be able to keep up with his new ride!
We recently had the pleasure of joining our friends at Trek UK for a day out at Coed Y Brenin bike park! A day spent putting the latest and greatest tech through it's paces, the RBW Team had the chance to try electric bikes such as the new Fuel EXe and Rail in their natural environment.
Prefer to keep it non-electric? We also had the chance to ride offerings such as the Slash and Fuel Ex, two awesome full suspension mountain bikes within their own right... so much so, our social media guru Charley ordered himself a new Slash!
We all loved taking the chance to ride new trails away from home, although it certainly does make you appreciate how spoilt we are with the availability of Smilog forestry and Bike Park Wales on our doorstep!
A man of good taste, Andrew has owned some rather spectacular Trek's over the previous few years. One particular bike that comes to mind is his custom painted battleship grey Trek Madone; his previous triathlon steed!
Looking to improve on his bike split for Ironman Wales 2022, Andrew flirted with the idea of the new Speed Concept since it's release in late 2021. Coming close several times earlier this year, last week Andrew pulled the trigger and turned his dream TT bike into a reality!
Wishing to maximise his gains from day 1, Andrew upgraded the Bontrager carbon wheels to a gorgeous set of Zipp 808 / 404's; perfect for the undulating parcours of Ironman Wales. It was a pleasure to supply Andrew with this beast and we can't wait to see what further upgrades he has planned.
“Hey RBW, can you make my cool bike even cooler?”
We first met Kyle back in 2019, when he visited us to pick up this stunning SL6 Madone, equipped with mechanical Shimano Ultegra and basic finishing kit.
Fast forward to the following year, Kyle returned to RBW for a set of upgrade Zipp 404 wheels, looking to smash his KOM times and improve his triathlon bike splits.
Kyle returned to us this summer for his dream spec upgrade…
Wishing to upgrade his existing bike rather than replace, we worked closely with Kyle on the build, opting for a 12 speed DI2 Ultegra groupset with a Trek Madone SLR aero bar/stem combination.
We love that Kyle opted to upgrade his existing ride and can’t wait to see what upgrades he has planned next!
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Thank you SO much for the work on the bike guys, it looks and rides absolutely amazing!
Kyle
Jamie came to us with his frame, and a massive list of parts he wanted us to source for his Specialized Stump Jumper Carbon Pro 27.5.
Ben was straight on it, as he’s all about the Enduro bro… ensuring Jamie had the best specification with no compromises;
Our FAVOURITE sort of build.
Upon collection, Ben took the time to dial in Jamie’s suspension, set his tyres as desired and Jamie rode into Smilog for some runs!
We have never been thanked so much by a customer, Ben SMASHED it on this one!
It's better than I could ever imagine. Awesome customer service, I really appreciate all the work you put into it!
Jamie
Receiving numerous upgrades here at RBW over the past 12 months, owner Brent returned in June for a 27.5” rear wheel ‘mullet’ for ultimate Bike Park shreds.
First visiting us in spring of 2021, the RBW team have helped Brent build his DREAM spec bike. We jokingly remarked that the frame is the only original component of this build, and in reality we're not wrong!
Tasty upgrades include Fox 38 Kashima's, a DHX2 rear shock + coil, Fox Kashima seatpost and a finishing kit DRIPPING in Hope.
I can't thank Ben and the Ride Bikes Wales team enough for their help, not only with building my dream bike but also for the countless advice and riding tips over the past few years!
Brent
If you go down to the woods today, you're sure of a big surprise... That is of course if today is a Thursday, and you weren't expecting to see any cyclists!
Here at Ride Bikes Wales, Thursday evenings take the form of a group mountain bike ride; staff, friends and customers enjoying time at Llantrisant Forest. Affectionately known locally as 'Smilog' or 'Smaelog', whatever tickles your fancy, we meet most Thursday evenings at 5pm in the car park. From here, we ride a variety of steep, fast, technical and flowy off-piste trails until sundown.
We'd LOVE for you to join us; everyone is welcome... catch you on the trails!
After the waiting list for Trek Rails skyrocketed in lockdown, long-time customer Spencer opted for an aluminium ex-demo Trek Rail in 2020, whilst his Rail 9.8 remained on backorder.
Fast forward to summer 2022; we finally had the pleasure of supplying and upgrading Spencer with his gorgeous Rail 9.8, in a dream spec. Suited and booted with updated Bosch internals and a brand spankin' new 725W/Hr battery, spencer chose an incredible set of upgrades straight out of the box:
Fox Factory 38 Kashima and Fox DHX2 + Coil spring suspension setup.
Hope carbon bars and Renthal stem combo.
Running gear uprades including Hope 155mm cranks and spicy DT Swiss HXC wheels.
Finished off with a huge set of anchors; Magura MT7 big brake kit.
Spencer loves riding big jumps at Bike Park Wales, in our opinion we couldn't think of any better bike for the job!
Stuart and co. helped me build a bike with the perfect custom specification to suit my style of riding. To say I'm over the moon with both the bike and service would be an understatement. Thank you, Ride Bikes!
Author Attribution
Joe commutes from Swansea to Sandfields in Port Talbot a couple times a week…
As a primary school teacher he has to carry a lot of books and a laptop, so over 10 years ago he picked up his steel Genesis; a perfect work horse for hauling stuff!
Gradually over the years parts have failed and worn out, but the frame is still strong. Joe loves it so he decided to give it to us to overhaul and fit it out with all the best gravel components we put on all of our custom builds:
Hope RX crank and chainring
Hope RX brake rotors
Shimano GRX 800
Bontrager ncs mudguards
Hope bottom bracket
Hope 20five wheels
Level 3 overhaul with new gear and brake cables
Taking off the 2x gearing and making it 1x with a big cassette range, makes it more reliable, and clean.
