Here’s the current stable as of August 2025, Roadbikes first because I’ll always consider myself a roadie at heart……..

This is the bike I’ve owned the longest, ridden the furthest and is probably my all time favourite bike. if I could only keep one bike, this would be it. The frame is a Ti Sabbath Silk Road from 2011 that I snapped up on eBay when it was a couple of years old. Over the 12 odd years I’ve owned it the bikes slowly evolved to its current spec which I’m pretty happy with. The basic groupset is the perennially popular and super reliable 11 speed mechanical Shimano 105 which apart from having the odd cable replaced over the years has been 100% reliable and shifts as well as it did the day it was installed. The left crank arm has a 4iii powermeter installed to remind me of my meagre wattage range as I struggle up hills. The wheels are a set of 40mm carbon rims from Chinese manufacturer 9Velo which again have been absolutely faultless since they went on the bike a couple of years ago. the rest of the finishing kit is a mish-mash of decent reliable stuff like the Thomson seat post, Deda alloy bars, Charge saddle and Speedplay Zero pedals. The sabbath is fast, comfortable and looks great (imho), what more could you ask for in a bike?

Here is my Moulton TSR22 in all its lime green British niche manufacturers quirkiness. The only bike I own that was bought new from an actual bike shop and is still mostly completely standard. The only changes I’ve made are to the contact points (saddle and pedals) and modifying the stem set up to get the bars lower down. The Moulton riding experience is a bit difficult to pin down. This is a bike that can really do it all. Its surprisingly fast especially on flat or gently undulating terrain, its suspension makes it a very comfortable ride over the terrible UK road surfaces, and its short wheelbase and steep head angle makes for fast and nimble handling. I’ve never ridden this bike and not come back without a smile on my face. It even splits into two pieces if you need to stick it the boot of a car.

Lastly on the roadbike front this is my latest acquisition (or folly according to my long suffering better half) A 2018 spec Giant TCR Advanced pro Disc. At the time of writing I’ve ridden this bike precisely zero miles because it need some unexpected work after I picked it up from eBay at whet I’m still insisting is a bargain price……. I bought the Giant mostly to see if the 2 big developments in roadbike tech over the last few years are worth it, namely disc brakes and electronic gears. The TCR is everything the sabbath is not, carbon fibre frame, long and low riding position and everything screaming ‘I want to go fast’. When I get it working properly and have some miles in the saddle I’ll be reporting back so expect a few blog articles on this bike soon!

Now for the Mountain bikes:

This bike for regular readers of the Blog needs no introduction because I’ve recently bored you all daft about its long awaited acquisition – this is my primary off road weapon a 2018 Santa Cruz Bronson. The bike for the last 5 years that I’ve lusted after and intermittently whinged about not being able to afford is finally allowing me to conquer sections of trail which have defeated me for ages. Its safe to say I’m not disappointed in it! Spec wise its the lighter CC carbon frame variant, with Rockshox suspension front and back and a Shimano SLX drivetrain and brakes. For the sort of predominantly trail centre riding I do these days its the perfect bike, it climbs well, inspires confidence on the descents and soaks up the rough stuff without me needing to feel like visiting the Chiropractor on the way home.

The last bike in the stable is my Cotic Soul mk2. Another bare frame buy from Facebook marketplace and built up with spare parts and bits from a free doner bike this is the bike I don’t really need or even ride much but have no intention of selling. Its bang out of date. Steel frame, 26′ wheels, 120mm front suspension, unfashionably small 160mm brake rotors and it hasn’t even got a dropper post. So why do I keep it? well firstly just look at it – I think its a great looking bike that gives me a hit of pulse quickening retro nostalgia every time it comes out of the shed. Oh, and its still a blast to ride around a fast blue trail.