Always check your bike before using it, wise words indeed and you can substitute the bike for just about anything, car, chainsaw, climbing equipment etc.

Having got my motivation back a bit, Thanks to Bikeradar.com, I have been out pretty much every day for the last week and have so far racked up a little over 100 miles.  A downside to this new found vigour is a slight lack of maintenance, working hard, family life and trying to fit a ride in each day means that a thorough wash and going over with spanners etc after each ride has to give way to a weekly schedule with a quick once-over before a ride.

When I got back into mountain biking a few years ago the answer to this question was a resounding NO.  The saddle on my old bike was very much of the racing variety whereas my body shape was more comfort-oriented.  Managing for a few months with the old seat seemed appropriate as this new found enthusiasm for cycling may have subsided as quickly as it appeared and being a Yorkshire man I’m not in the habit of frittering away the pennies.

Looking forward to the 2012 BTT Benidorm, I started to check the bike, all was well until it came to the wheels and more specifically the Shimano loose bearing hubs.  They had been serviced, by me, a couple of times over the last few years and adjusted regularly but after 4000km with me and an unknown amount with the previous owner they were starting to cry “enough”.