You might have seen something about Hebden Bridge getting flooded on the news. Southern propaganda I say, it’s always sunny here. Come and see for yourself (just wait until after Friday when the pub re-opens)

Great Rock is supported by some fantastic brands for 2015 and it’s something worth shouting about. I’m more than happy to recommend the kit that I use because it’s tried and tested by me and if it didn’t work without lots of faff and fixing then I wouldn’t want it. It also helps if the kit looks good and can put on a pretty face for the relentless Instagram photos!

Kit has to work well in the tough and rocky conditions of Hebden Bridge, as pictured above, as well as at Gisburn Forest, Lake District, Basque Country, Pyrenees and all the other places that it gets dragged, ridden, thrown in vans, carried up mountains, crashed, rained on, sun bleached, sweated on and cleaned over and over again. It’s making me all excited just thinking about all the adventures to come this year!

Frames are Santa Cruz

Clothing, helmets and pads are Sweet Protection

Drivetrains, brakes, pedals and shoes are Shimano

Forks are X-Fusion

Wheels are Mavic

Bars, stems, saddles and grips are Chromag

Tyres are WTB

Dropper posts are KS

Frame protection is Invisiframe

Chain lube and bike cleaner is Squirt

Waterproof socks and gloves are Sealskinz

Trail tools are Lezyne

Bike travel bag is Evoc

Haircuts and beard trims are North West Barber Co.

Hebden Bridge trails are rideable all year round. If you stay on the steep valley sides the water just runs away and if it’s windy you’re protected. Our trails are gritstone based which means there’s a good level of grip and even when conditions are wet you can usually find traction somewhere.

Of course it’s not always grim up north and now that the sun is getting his flat cap on and the green shoots of spring are popping up it’s time to start another season of skills and guiding days.

As well as being the base for the Northern Rock Tours, the Alpine Tech skills courses take place on Hebden trails as well as many private one to one and group bookings. People travel from far and wide to ride the trails, progress their riding and enjoy the food and drink of the town.

The trails in this short edit are classic Hebden: rocky, technical and fast and a firm favourite on our days. Check out the courses or trips we offer and maybe come and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.

In just 100 days the Tour de France starts off in Yorkshire. On the 6th July the spectacle will pass through Hebden Bridge, and what a great place to watch it come through, with the beautiful landscape and fantastic pubs, shops, restaurants, cafes and all round good vibes of the place.

The Tour will pass the start and end points of lots of our mountain bike trails and the TV helicopter images will show the great countryside that we have in and around our valley.

If you want Online Casino to come and enjoy the trails and the culture of the area then Great Rock is now offering 3 day tours called Northern Rock, which include 2 days of local riding, a guided day in the Lake District and eating, sleeping and drinking in the centre of town. We’ve been established here for over 7 years now running mountain bike skills courses and guided riding trips and we know all the best riding as well as the best after riding delights.

New for 2014 is this 3 day guided riding trip based around the biking heartland and cultural centre of Hebden Bridge. This is not a skills course!

Two days riding on local Hebden trails and one day when you will be shuttled up to ride Blackjack Online one of favourite Lake District rides. All of this based in a fantastic converted mill with pubs, cafes and the famous ‘great little shops’ all around.

See the Northern Rock page for more details of the trip.

Hope to see you up here soon!

 

“Ed doesn’€™t reconstruct your riding, instead he focusses you on a few moves to make it somewhat more fit for purpose. Firstly a more open body position combined with better management of speed before letting it all hang out on technical sections. This act of faith to abandon the binders means taking more direct lines and committing 100% to the terrain. There’s some soundbites around “€˜chin up, elbows out”˜ but it’€™s more subtle than that.”

More great feedback on a blog, this time from Alex who came up to ride Hebden Bridge with two mates. This was a private booking and we did an Alpine Prep course specially tailored for the group of 3. We looked at pumping the trail, carrying speed, manual, bunny hop and drop offs as well as steep switch back corners and other ace mountain biking stuff.

As always with these courses I try to build on what is good about the way the guys are riding and then make tweeks and add in good technique where it’s missing. Then we ride lots of trails, have a good lunch, ride more and drink some fine ales to finish.

You can read the full blog here.