I’ve been riding mountain bikes for 23 years and I turn 42 this year. I grew up in Dunblane, lived in Edinburgh for 10 years and then moved to Dunbar, East Lothian, where I have lived with my family for the past 10 years. I ride regularly in the Tweed Valley and love to ride new trails whenever I can!

My bike is an Ibis Mojo HD 160. It’s a full carbon frame and is great for both uphill and downhill. Strong and light, just like me. Ha! I was really surprised by how good the HD is on the climbs. I ride all types of trails, from XC to DH, and I am very happy with my bike. I am very fussy so that is a great compliment from me.

One of my sponsors this year is Crankbrothers so I am lucky to have some nice parts on my bike. The wheelset is the Iodine 3 in black and orange. I love these colours. I use 740mm wide carbon bars, an Iodine 2 stem in black and orange and the Iodine saddle. I look forward to trying the new Kronolog adjustable seatpost. Just now I use the RockShox Reverb, as it has 5” of adjustability. It’s easy to get the seat up high for the climbs and as low as possible for the steep descents. I have the control lever on the left hand side underneath so it gets more protection when I crash!

My pedals are clipless Shimano PD–M424. I have used this kind for years now. They are my favourite. I have tried different types but am so used to these that I can’t change now.

I use Fox suspension. The Float 36 160mm is so smooth and controlled. I don’t use the Talas version as it is heavier and I never use the adjuster for climbing. The rear shock is the Kashima RP23. It’s great, I have never had any problems with it. For my suspension set–up I go on feel, not too soft and not too firm with quite fast rebound. I suppose it’s pretty firm compared to a lot of riders though. I also set up my tyre pressures by feel rather than using PSI measurements (I just use my fingers). I’ve used Maxxis High Rollers for a long time now and feel very confident with them. I have the 2.35 LUST versions on my bike now. I started running tubeless tyres a couple of years ago, which are great as I don’t get pinch punctures anymore. Sometimes I will put a spike tyre on the front if it is very muddy.

I switched to 1×10 gears this year. With the MRP chain device it is very smooth, simple and just works great, the chain never comes off no matter how rough the ride. I use a Shimano XT drivetrain with a Renthal 34T chainring.

My brakes are Avid but I don’t use them much!

Last year Cannondale launched their completely redesigned Jekyll model, I saw press releases over the internet and adverts in Dirt magazine, and immediately I liked the look of the bike and was impressed and intrigued about the switchable rear travel feature, as on paper it seemed like the perfect bike for gravity enduro racing. So as I was really concentrating on racing the gravity enduro discipline I contacted Cannondale UK and with some good timing managed to get onboard with them and was soon putting the new Jekyll through its paces. Last year I was aboard an alloy framed model and straight away loved the bike and how it was impressively versatile, my first two races with it I managed a third and first place finishes!

For 2012 I am on the carbon framed model, the vanity within myself (and most mountain bikers I think!) loved the colour scheme of the carbon models, paired with an impressive weight saving over the alloy frame, I wanted to see how I could kit the bike out to suit different courses and races. Out of the box, before I fitted pedals, the bike weighed in at about 27lbs, very impressive for a bike with such varied riding and racing potential. I’m very much a ‘get on and ride it’ style of rider and so out of the box I set the pressures on the suspension as instructed and off I go. The only changes to this method I have adopted with the Jekyll is that I probably run the rear suspension a little softer than stated as I often run the bike in its 90mm short travel model so energy loss isn’t as a big issue than if you’re always in full 150mm travel.

The spec on the bike was very good to begin with, but being an experienced (some would say old!) racer I’ve always kept an eye on what products are out there and what is the best…or best looking! I’ve been very fortunate to team up with Mavic, Crank Brothers, Maxxis, Giro, RRP, GoPro and 661, so I’ve have been able to finish the bike off to my exact likes and wants. With wheels I have opted for the superb Crossmax ST wheels, a perfect balance of weight and strength. I have a set of the burlier Crossmax SX wheels ready to go for when the racing gets rougher, so will probably run these at the Mountain of Hell and Megavalanche this year, as I have the past two years without a hitch. Wheels are wrapped up with Maxxis rubber, after numerous races wrecked by punctures I now always run DH tyres and so choose the best rolling ones I can find with an XC tube to keep weight down a little. Dropper seatpost, essential piece of kit for me in this discipline, and the Crankbrothers Joplin is still one of the best and I have nothing but good things to say about mine and am currently eagerly awaiting the first batch of their new Kronolog to try that out, lighter, mechanical, no cable rubbing issues and a bit more drop, what more can you ask for?

Bars I’ve kept as standard on the bike, running 680mm wide, I’m not one for following the wide bar trend of late, choosing to stick to what I know and feel comfortable with threading through any tight gaps I may encounter. The stem I have swapped out for a 65mm CrankBrothers, a good length for me being 6’2”, shorter than stock so good for when it gets steeper and more technical, but with some room for general riding and the climbs. The other notable change on this year’s bike for me is the front forks where I have recently fitted a set of Fox 36mm floats instead of the stock 32’s. The original fork was ideal for all UK races in my opinion, but for the Mega the extra bit of travel, stiffness and consequential slackening of the head angle will make it that bit easier for the longer rougher racing that the Alps can bring. I have also added on a single ring chain device for security when I race. Initially I thought I would adopt this just for the Avalanche races but with the gearing range that a 10 speed cassette now brings I found myself settling with a 35t ring up front and that is how I will run it all year, hey if you need to use a granny ring for the climbs I’ll just walk!

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