bike

‘Marathon’ bikes – full-suspension machines designed for day-long epics – are big over on the European mainland. That’s probably why German company Ghost offer nine different versions of their 100mm-travel RT platform. The Actinum 5900 sits in the middle of the three-bike aluminium range.

There’s lots to like about this bike, which combines a Shimano Deore XT transmission with a pair of Fox shocks â€“ not least the fact that the rear suspension works well without relying on a constipated shock for pedalling efficiency. If you like your trails technical, though, you’ll find yourself cursing the low bottom bracket.

Ride & handling: Reasonable alternative to the norm for those who ride less-technical trails

Despite claims that the RT’s pivots are positioned in some clever way to prevent pedal input from ruining the ride, we can’t see anything in particular that sets the Ghost’s four-bar system apart from similar supension setups. The proof is in the riding, though. 

The rear end is certainly active over small bumps, sucking up tricky technical climbs with an alacrity that means you can just sit there and pedal. With no heavy compression damping to hinder its performance, the shock just gets on with it.

It’s a similar story on the way back down the trail, helped by spot-on weight distribution and a ride position that feels perfectly balanced. If this were the end of the story we could award the RT Actinum 5900 a gold star and all go home, but sadly there’s a fly in the ointment. 

A low bottom bracket means it’s all too easy to clout the pedals on trail obstacles, particularly if the shock is set up with a decent amount of sag. Less sag helps, but higher shock pressures rob the bike of some of its small bump response. It’s the very definition of a rock and a hard place – and that’s a shame.

Frame & equipment: There’s nothing not to like about XT, and the suspension is supple and active

Hydroformed top and down tubes form the bike’s backbone and, unusually for an aluminium chassis, there’s barely a straight line to be seen. Like many new bikes, Ghost have equipped the RT Actinum 5900 with a tapered head tube. By increasing the diameter of the lower headset race, the front of the frame is stiffened and strengthened. Reducing the tendency of the head tube to twist also increases bearing life. It’s a win/win situation.

The vertically-mounted Fox shock is driven via a curvy linkage and needle bearing pivots to improve small bump response, while full-length cables run neatly down the underside of the down tube. The whole lot is adorned with acronyms aplenty and torque settings for each pivot bolt.

Ghost’s designers give each frame size its own chainstay length, claiming that this results in a better balanced feel. Mud clearance at the rear is tight, though. In fact, it’s among the worst we’ve seen on a 26in-wheeled full-susser, at least with the 2.25in tyres that it wears as stock. And narrower tyres would make the low bottom bracket even lower. 

It’s unusual to see a plain vanilla Fox Float RL shock holding up the rear of a full-susser. Ghost are clearly confident that careful pivot placement – they call it ‘anti-squat technology’ – doesn’t need a helping hand. The shock is matched to a Fox 32F fork with remote lockout. If you’re a dedicated racer, tend to ride the climbs out of the saddle and worry about fork bob, this is worth having. For the rest of us, it’s arguably overkill.

As for the rest of the kit, Shimano’s Deore XT transmission is still the benchmark by which everything else is judged, while Deore hydraulic discs are up there with the best in terms of performance.

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.

CINCINNATI, OH (BRAIN) Feb 22, 12:04 MT— The Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition is conducting a survey on career satisfaction, compensation and benefits, and gender-related workplace experiences and is putting a call out for the bike industry to take part. The OIWC Workplace Study 2012, sponsored and conducted by Leisure Trends Group, takes about 15 minutes to complete

Chris Porter is the outspoken boss at South Wales suspension specialists Mojo, who are the UK distributors for Fox Racing Shox. Matt Skinner, editor of What Mountain Bike magazine, grilled him on the trouble with Taiwan, electronic suspension and walking downhill.

On Taiwan

“Taiwan is now full of skills for building great bicycles (cheaply) and the rest of the world can no longer build bicycles on a scale that can compete with them. We’ve lost those skills in the rush for profit. Because almost all of the world’s mountain bikes are being built there, Taiwan now dictates to a quite large extent how bikes develop and how they look. It’s almost no longer possible to build something interesting; we just have endless rows of hydroformed bikes that look the same. We don’t get new ideas, we just get new standards: same headset, different size, same bottom bracket, different size, and so on. A show the size of Interbike or Eurobike has endless displays of the same bike with different stickers.”

On carbon fibre

“It’s a great material for certain applications, I just don’t believe the off-road bicycle is that application. It makes the marketeers’ and stylists’ jobs easier. I don’t use the word ‘designers’ ‘cos there isn’t a lot of designing going on! Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen isn’t a designer, Gok Wan (bless him) isn’t a designer â€“ they’re stylists, as are many of our ‘celebrity’ bike designers.”

On common mistakes with suspension setup

“Most people complaining of a lack of ‘small bump sensitivity’ have either 50psi in a downhill-carcass 2.5in tyre or have never serviced their fork. Also, people love to ask for a ‘magic’ number to pump their rear shock to â€“ go by the sag, it’s way more accurate and repeatable.”

On setting suspension by sag or travel

“Both are correct ways of setting suspension. If you can’t get one without the other then you must change the spring rate or air volume of your air spring (air volume reducer kits in the case of Fox Racing Shox). When that’s dialled get the rebound damping sorted to suit the spring rate and set any compression controls to individual requirements. There is no right and wrong, different people will want different setups.”

On what to bear in mind when working on suspension

“Read the manual, know your limits, be clean and tidy about it, and don’t guess if you’re stuck â€“ if you don’t know, stop. Remember, inch/lb of torque are not the same as ft/lb!”

On the potential for more electronic wizardry in suspension (following the unveiling of Fox’s smart shock pump)

“You could do all sorts of really clever things with GPS or accelerometers or a combination of both to sense the terrain and the bike’s up or down attitude. Ohlins have some pretty nice electronic presets for motorcycle suspension which change preload, spring rate and damping to give settings for sport, comfort, two up, touring, etc. While we still have the rear derailleur hanging off the back waiting to be ‘designed’ out of existence, that’s just science fiction, isn’t it?”

Fox’s Smart Pump allows you to set up your suspension using an Android smart phone or Garmin GPS unit

On the biggest dead-end trends in mountain biking

“29ers.”

On the most significant developments in mountain biking

“Tubeless tyres â€“ when will Maxxis do the Minion DHF in LUST? Wheels which are both strong and light â€“ everything Mavic do, especially the amazing 2012 Crossmax STs. 1 x 10 drivetrains. Dropper posts. And would we have believed 10 years ago that a full front and rear 6in-plus suspension package could weigh in at less than 4lb?”

On the trend to watch in 2012 and beyond

“Check out Cesar Rojo’s bike at the Trans-Provence â€“ an interesting guy doing clever stuff for the right reasons. He wants to make bikes that ride better and are more fun, no marketing BS. 0mm stem and downhill-length wheelbase on a trail bike anyone? If anyone ever gives him free reign and a couple of million to make a completely new bike, watch out!”

On his favourite bike event of the year

“The Trans-Provence ‘cos it’s utterly, utterly bonkers! It’s such a mad thing to do, to do it as a race is even madder. The trails were mental. I was off walking uphill twice in the very first stage on day one. I thought I’d left any of the fitness I’d gained in Wales on the autoroute on the way down. I was chatting to Mark Weir about my failure and he said, ‘You joking?’ He was off and walking twice too (though clearly walking much quicker!). 

“Better yet, I was chastising myself about not having the bottle to ride a particularly nasty section of washed out downhill trail on day five but even Fabien Barel said he’d walked it. Trails so gnarly Mark Weir can’t ride up ‘em and so sketchy Fab and Nico Vouilloz are carrying down ‘em! Some of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen. There’s simply no need to fly anywhere to get any kind of mountain, we have it all and more in Europe.”

On the tough economic conditions and their effect on the bike industry

“The tough economic conditions are in the imaginary money sector created by the banks. Oh hang on, they have all our money/time/property now, don’t they? People still want to buy real things but the Government’s job isn’t to facilitate that â€“ they’re there to keep the money where it is, at the top. Democracy is an illusion. If your business isn’t capable of making money, don’t rely on government to help you.”

On his passion for bikes

“I love anything on two wheels. The feeling of balancing and cornering a two-wheeled vehicle is like a religious epiphany every single time, totally life affirming. Cars just don’t have that.”

An abbreviated version of this article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.

Welcome to BikeRadar’s bike maintenance video series, produced in conjunction with Unior tools and What Mountain Bike.

This week, What Mountain Bike’s technical editor Justin Loretz shows you how to identify and remove noises and creaks in your bike, a problem that nearly all of us will have encountered. As Justin shows, it might not be necessary to delve deep into the bottom bracket – simply tightening the chainring bolts might remove the source of the noise.

Video: How to get rid of creaks

Welcome to BikeRadar’s bike maintenance video series, produced in conjunction with Unior tools and What Mountain Bike.

This week, What Mountain Bike’s technical editor Justin Loretz shows you how to identify and remove noises and creaks in your bike, a problem that nearly all of us will have encountered. As Justin shows, it might not be necessary to delve deep into the bottom bracket – simply tightening the chainring bolts might remove the source of the noise.

Video: How to get rid of creaks

Specialized came relatively late to the big-wheeled party but no-one could accuse the California-based company of not making up for lost time. They now make 26in- and 29in-wheeled versions of most of their key models. Tested here is the entry-level Camber 29, which comes in under the magic £2k mark with a decent-looking spec list. 

The Camber has impressed us in the past, in both 26in and 29in versions, and it continues to do so here. The Camber 29 is a bit heavy next to the competition but the superb handling and wallet-friendly price make up for that. For an affordable entry into big-wheeled full-suspension it’s hard to beat. It’s won over some hardened sceptics, so if you’re unsure, book a test ride. 

Ride & handling: Thoroughly sorted 29er handling in a great value and easy-to-live-with package

Our earliest experience of a big-wheeled Camber was a ride on a pre-production carbon version. We came away impressed with its versatility in a whole variety of trail conditions. It combines the kind of race-bred athleticism that’s capable of demolishing tough climbs with a sure-footed nimbleness on descents that’s normally the preserve of quicker-handling 26in-wheeled bikes.

The good news is that the entry-level model preserves almost all of the carbon version’s winning attributes. Of all the 29ers we’ve ridden, the Camber is one of relatively few that comes close to mimicking a 26in bike in terms of both high- and low-speed handling, with a front end that all but eliminates any sense of big wheel inertia. Pedal, point, go. 

This sure-footed nimbleness makes it instantly likeable, while the big wheels’ ability to roll up and over the kind of stutter bumps that’ll halt a smaller wheeled bike in its tracks helps to compensate for the bike’s slightly oversize waistline. In fact, although we grumbled inwardly every time we had to manhandle the Camber 29 (on and off a bike rack, or over a gate), when it came to pedal power it never seemed to be an issue.

 It lacks the sprightly skip of lighter (and more expensive) competitors but for long-haul epics that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It wouldn’t be our first choice for a potential podium finish but for all-round trail duties with fun along the way, its combination of value and performance is hard to argue against.

Frame & equipment: Budget-squeezing component choices have pushed weight up

While the 26in-wheeled Cambers have 120mm of travel, the 29ers have 110mm… except this one, which has 100mm. It’s down to the fact that this base model uses the M4 aluminium frame of the original 2010 Camber 29 instead of the updated M5 frame used on the pricier Camber Comp 29. It wasn’t possible to adapt the older frame to accommodate more bounce, and it also has standard 135mm dropouts instead of the 142mm+ dropouts used throughout the rest of the 2012 range.

Specialized put great effort into reconciling the engineering and aesthetic components of their frame designs, so that the result both looks right and performs well. The Camber 29’s smooth, flowing lines and inline shock, seatstays and top tube are no coincidence. The curved down tube helps distribute stress away from the head tube area without the need for a gusset, while the inline stuff is all about improving small bump response and reducing frame weight by making each tube as short as possible.

There’s no doubt that Specialized’s designers have performed a minor miracle shoehorning all the important stuff into a big-wheeled bike and making it ride so well. But you can tell they live and ride in southern California. The Camber 29’s mud clearance at both ends is on the tight side of minimal and, although we had no issues, it’d be a concern for regular use in muddy conditions. All-up weight is another point of contention. The Camber is on the wrong side of 30lb and although it has a price advantage over some of its competition, it could certainly do with losing a few grams.

Bump munching duties are taken care of by a pair of RockShox air springs – an Ario shock at the rear and a Recon Gold fork up front. They’re well matched, although the Ario’s lack of adjustable compression damping might have some riders reaching for the lockout lever on long, smooth climbs. Specialized’s in-house kit takes care of most of the ancillary components, including a saddle that should prove comfortable for long days out.

Fitting a bigger profile tyre on the front isn’t a new idea – Kona did it a lot in the ‘90s. We don’t see it so often now, though, so the Camber 29’s big volume Purgatory front tyre is a novelty. It works well, giving the front of the bike extra bite in the corners and helping the big wheel reduce the fork’s workload in the rough stuff.

The only obvious area of cost-cutting in the Camber 29’s spec is in the transmission, with a downgrade to nine-speed. Although many riders will expect 10-speed at this price, in functional terms there’s nothing to choose between them. A Deore XT rear mech adds showroom appeal and the Shadow design helps keep it out the way of rocks.

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.

With 11 world championship wins and an Olympic gold medal under the belts of the Multivan cross-country team, Merida are often perceived as a mountain bike brand. But the Taiwanese company have their eyes firmly on the ProTour and top-level road racing with their latest Scultura road bike.

Merida have never been ones to shy away from innovation. The previous generation Scultura Evo boasted double-chamber fork legs, an integrated front mech mount and an 875g frame weight (56cm size), while the 2010 Reacto was one of the first aero road bikes, before the concept went mainstream with the likes of the Specialized Venge and Scott Foil. 

Examining their competitors in the high-end road bike market, Merida concluded that although ultra light weight frames are achievable, their performance â€“ notably stiffness, and therefore efficiency â€“ suffers. Their aim was to create a light, stiff but still comfortable frame, and crucially one that doesn’t cost the earth. 

That’s not to say the Scultura is heavy â€“ the claimed frame-only weight of 844g is still light enough to build a bike with clincher tyres and SRAM Red that weighs around 6kg (13lb). Not wanting to produce a frame that focused on function to the exclusion of form, Merida’s product designer Martin Stuetz drew on his background in industrial design and sculpture.

The name Scultura means sculpture in Italian, hinting at Merida’s emphasis on form as well as function 

There are three Scultura models for 2012: the SL Team, Pro and Comp. The range-topping SL comes with the new SRAM Red groupset and uses FSA’s BB386 Evo bottom bracket system. The extra surface area provided by the 86mm wide bottom bracket shell allows Merida to use a super-fat down tube and deep asymmetric chainstays to boost stiffness. A carbon bridge at the base of the seat tube further strengthens this critical area. The design accepts all large diameter axles (eg. BB30) and with an adaptor can take smaller ones, too.

Merida imbue the Scultura with some shock damping comfort using their FLEX-STAY technology. A layer of flax is added between the carbon sheets on the upper surface of the seatstays plus the top and bottom of the chainstays. This material has great stiffness and shock absorbing properties, and the 40-50g it adds to the frame weight is a price Merida are willing to pay. 

The left-hand chainstay is fitted as standard with an underslung electric shifting battery mount, alongside the wheel. The internal routing can be changed to accommodate either mechanical or electrical cables via a system of plugged inserts, which helps future-proof the frame. A neat touch which shows Stuetz’s combination of design and aesthetics is the pair of ridges running along the down tube; these do double duty as internal cable channels and stiffening structures.

The Scultura’s BB386 Evo oversize bottom bracket setup keeps things stiff underfoot

Most modern road bikes have a chainstay length of around 410mm, but the Scultura’s is 405mm, promising aggressive handling for the rider in a hurry. Wanting to test out all of the headlines, we embarked on a ride in unseasonal (for Mallorca) winds and light snow. Our medium/large SL Team test bike with Time pedals, bottle cage, clinchers and a layer of dirt weighed in at 6.57kg (14.48lb), which is under the UCI limit. 

The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is how solid the bike feels. There’s no feeling of pedalling in ovals due to flex, and any lateral bottom bracket deflection isn’t noticeable by a mere mortal. When you stand on the pedals the Scultura kicks forward. Allied to the tapered and enormously stiff head tube area, we had to slightly alter our sprinting and climbing style to account for the lack of flex.

Mallorca’s roads are mostly very smooth but after searching out the rough bits we found the Scultura to be firm but never harsh, presumably due to the flax fibres doing their job. The bottom bracket solidity gives the drivetrain an extra gear, and we had no problems rolling up smaller hills in the big ring when we’d normally be reaching for the front shifter. Front end stability is mighty impressive and unflappable â€“ very reassuring on a fast 180-degree downhill bend when turning across a gusty wind.

The internal cable routing is compatible with both electronic and mechanical transmissions

The Scultura’s cables enter behind the head tube at around 45 degrees to the frame. When handling an unladen bike this feels like it could slow the steering because the cables aren’t very flexible, but in the saddle it wasn’t an issue. If anything, the cable position works like a damper for the steering, preventing any sudden flicks when unloaded, such as when riding no-handed. We tried it even at slow speeds and have no problems to report.

Although we hung on to four members of the Merida race team for most of our test ride, we have no illusions: the Scultura was merely flattering us with delusions of fitness. Most of us will never reach the limits of what this bike is capable of, but the beauty of owning a bike like this is knowing that it’ll never disappoint.

The SL Team is officially a 2013 bike but it should be available in the UK around July/August for £5,500. The Scultura Pro uses the same mould but a lower modulus carbon fibre, resulting in around 130g of extra weight. It does retain the BB386 bottom bracket though, and costs significantly less â€“ £1,500, with Shimano 105.

The sub-£1,000 (exact price TBC) Scultura Comp uses a different mould and different carbon fibre construction, with no flax. It also has to make do with a standard 68mm bottom bracket shell. However, it still gets a full-carbon fork with tapered steerer and the same cable routing. Claimed frame weight is 1,200g, and an increased chainstay length of 410mm allows use of tyres up to 25mm wide.

With 11 world championship wins and an Olympic gold medal under the belts of the Multivan cross-country team, Merida are often perceived as a mountain bike brand. But the Taiwanese company have their eyes firmly on the ProTour and top-level road racing with their latest Scultura road bike.

Merida have never been ones to shy away from innovation. The previous generation Scultura Evo boasted double-chamber fork legs, an integrated front mech mount and an 875g frame weight (56cm size), while the 2010 Reacto was one of the first aero road bikes, before the concept went mainstream with the likes of the Specialized Venge and Scott Foil. 

Examining their competitors in the high-end road bike market, Merida concluded that although ultra light weight frames are achievable, their performance â€“ notably stiffness, and therefore efficiency â€“ suffers. Their aim was to create a light, stiff but still comfortable frame, and crucially one that doesn’t cost the earth. 

That’s not to say the Scultura is heavy â€“ the claimed frame-only weight of 844g is still light enough to build a bike with clincher tyres and SRAM Red that weighs around 6kg (13lb). Not wanting to produce a frame that focused on function to the exclusion of form, Merida’s product designer Martin Stuetz drew on his background in industrial design and sculpture.

The name Scultura means sculpture in Italian, hinting at Merida’s emphasis on form as well as function 

There are three Scultura models for 2012: the SL Team, Pro and Comp. The range-topping SL comes with the new SRAM Red groupset and uses FSA’s BB386 Evo bottom bracket system. The extra surface area provided by the 86mm wide bottom bracket shell allows Merida to use a super-fat down tube and deep asymmetric chainstays to boost stiffness. A carbon bridge at the base of the seat tube further strengthens this critical area. The design accepts all large diameter axles (eg. BB30) and with an adaptor can take smaller ones, too.

Merida imbue the Scultura with some shock damping comfort using their FLEX-STAY technology. A layer of flax is added between the carbon sheets on the upper surface of the seatstays plus the top and bottom of the chainstays. This material has great stiffness and shock absorbing properties, and the 40-50g it adds to the frame weight is a price Merida are willing to pay. 

The left-hand chainstay is fitted as standard with an underslung electric shifting battery mount, alongside the wheel. The internal routing can be changed to accommodate either mechanical or electrical cables via a system of plugged inserts, which helps future-proof the frame. A neat touch which shows Stuetz’s combination of design and aesthetics is the pair of ridges running along the down tube; these do double duty as internal cable channels and stiffening structures.

The Scultura’s BB386 Evo oversize bottom bracket setup keeps things stiff underfoot

Most modern road bikes have a chainstay length of around 410mm, but the Scultura’s is 405mm, promising aggressive handling for the rider in a hurry. Wanting to test out all of the headlines, we embarked on a ride in unseasonal (for Mallorca) winds and light snow. Our medium/large SL Team test bike with Time pedals, bottle cage, clinchers and a layer of dirt weighed in at 6.57kg (14.48lb), which is under the UCI limit. 

The first thing that becomes immediately apparent is how solid the bike feels. There’s no feeling of pedalling in ovals due to flex, and any lateral bottom bracket deflection isn’t noticeable by a mere mortal. When you stand on the pedals the Scultura kicks forward. Allied to the tapered and enormously stiff head tube area, we had to slightly alter our sprinting and climbing style to account for the lack of flex.

Mallorca’s roads are mostly very smooth but after searching out the rough bits we found the Scultura to be firm but never harsh, presumably due to the flax fibres doing their job. The bottom bracket solidity gives the drivetrain an extra gear, and we had no problems rolling up smaller hills in the big ring when we’d normally be reaching for the front shifter. Front end stability is mighty impressive and unflappable â€“ very reassuring on a fast 180-degree downhill bend when turning across a gusty wind.

The internal cable routing is compatible with both electronic and mechanical transmissions

The Scultura’s cables enter behind the head tube at around 45 degrees to the frame. When handling an unladen bike this feels like it could slow the steering because the cables aren’t very flexible, but in the saddle it wasn’t an issue. If anything, the cable position works like a damper for the steering, preventing any sudden flicks when unloaded, such as when riding no-handed. We tried it even at slow speeds and have no problems to report.

Although we hung on to four members of the Merida race team for most of our test ride, we have no illusions: the Scultura was merely flattering us with delusions of fitness. Most of us will never reach the limits of what this bike is capable of, but the beauty of owning a bike like this is knowing that it’ll never disappoint.

The SL Team is officially a 2013 bike but it should be available in the UK around July/August for £5,500. The Scultura Pro uses the same mould but a lower modulus carbon fibre, resulting in around 130g of extra weight. It does retain the BB386 bottom bracket though, and costs significantly less â€“ £1,500, with Shimano 105.

The sub-£1,000 (exact price TBC) Scultura Comp uses a different mould and different carbon fibre construction, with no flax. It also has to make do with a standard 68mm bottom bracket shell. However, it still gets a full-carbon fork with tapered steerer and the same cable routing. Claimed frame weight is 1,200g, and an increased chainstay length of 410mm allows use of tyres up to 25mm wide.

Better known for their pioneering mountain bike designs and their beautiful stems and seatposts, Ibis have been at the forefront of the more ‘bespoke’ vanguard of bicycle makers for more than 30 years, during which time this niche brand have always elicited a high ‘drool factor’.

The Silk SL is the top of their two road bikes. At just 920g for the frame and 345g for the fork, it treads lightly too. Due to its densely compacted carbon tubes and lack of thick lacquer, it has an almost musical quality, and transmits a rewarding amount of feedback. Traditional in appearance, the frame is beautifully proportioned, with subtle tube shapes and profile transitions.

Shimano’s Ultegra groupset does its usual sterling work whether it comes to stopping you safely or helping you to put the power down aggressively; its finely sculpted forged aluminium cranks not only look great but also provide impressive levels of stiffness.

Handling felt like a bit of mixed bag, making it difficult to pinpoint any particular overriding character trait, but describing the Ibis as having a twin personality wouldn’t be far off the mark. Its neutral geometry keeps the bike steady at speed, pleasantly light and adroit while in the saddle – but it’s strangely steady while climbing out of the saddle, the front end almost fighting you a little as you climb. But overall the feel was snappy with good acceleration.

Up front, the Easton EC90 all-carbon fork had just that little bit too much lateral flex, and made the bike uncertain when abruptly changing direction at high speeds. On the other hand, the Easton Circuit wheels were perfect at carrying out their duties, with a wide front wheel spoke stance compensating somewhat for the fork. 

This is one bike that you steer a little more with your hips rather than your arms; 73 parallel frame angles or thereabouts, combined with a 99cm wheelbase, makes for nimble response, especially while seated. As a multi-purpose platform, from road racing to sportives, Ibis’s bike is as light and smooth as its silk name suggests; hitting the road with it is bound to spice up any ride.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

(via)

I couldn’t help it, that picture is so romantic. Nothing says I love you like “I will carry you and the bike back after you flat out.”

With valentines day right around the corner I was wondering how many of you ride with your sweeties? If so how do you work that relationship? If not, how do you deal with your “two loves” so to speak?