Whilst riders generally grab most of the attention when it comes to racing, mechanics are often the unsung heroes behind a team's success. Up earlier than anyone to wrap a fresh set of bar tape, then last back to the hotel after a full clean, possible strip down and rebuild; they are working around the clock. This means mechanics, like Mark Haylett, of BIKE-CHANNEL CANYON know exactly what works and what doesn't.

Have a look at what Mark has said about setting up the team's Hunt 50Carbon Wide Aero: 

Starting on Friday December 16th, I am attempting to cycle 107 kilometres a day, every day, until Saturday April 1st. 107 days in total.

That's 11,449km - or the equivalent of cycling from London to Geneva, Switzerland, every week for 15 weeks in a row.

BELGIAN NATIONAL CX CHAMPIONSHIPS

The following are excerpts from my new cycling journal I got for Christmas. I will be taking it with me on trips abroad and other such adventures. Expect shorthand, wishful thinking, and logical fallacies…

Friday 6^th Jan 

The four of hearts. Apparently, that’s my card. Sitting on the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, Aston, Danny & myself resorted to the most rudimental of card games called ‘guess the next card’. It’s amazing, if we ever meet I’ll teach you how it works. After just 3 cards were flipped and (incorrectly) guessed, I totally nailed it. It’s impossible I just got lucky, so cue suspicions from my peers over cheating. Thanks a lot, Lance...

With the advent of tubeless tyre technology taking the road, cyclocross and gravel scenes by storm, Hunt has always striven to improve how tyres are anchored to the rim. Depending on the particular wheelset, a Hunt wheel sports either a Hook-less or Hooked rim profile to take care of securing the tyre to the rim. You can read exactly what H-Lock Wedge (HLW) sidewal rims are here. However, we have also chosen to take the tyre/rim interface one step further with H-lock.

I had this week all planned out – Wednesday was going to be a leg-breaking, lung-busting 215km ride from home out across the Strines to Holmfirth, then up the ‘Moss, over the Glossop and Macclesfield, up the Cat and Fiddle and home via Buxton. Then a cold intervened and I decided something a little more low-key and less chest-infection-inducing was more in order.

I decided that I’d tick off another ride on my list instead – the Monsal Trail tunnels. Having ridden on the trail as a youngster, and knowing that the tunnels had been opened up in 2012 after some grant funding to make them safe, I had fancied getting up there and riding the entire length of the trail for some time. As it is flat all the way, I thought it would be less likely to transfer the lurgy to my chest and have me running to the GP for the dreaded antibiotics.

Hunt Open Dev team member Chris Hall was lucky enough to spend a few days tackling some of the biggest climbs that the Italian Dolomites have to offer. Chris reports on his trip:

A few days in Italy, it would be rude not too! On a ride organised by Traverse Aravis   a group of Ripcor riders ventured on this search for the best climbs that Italy and The Dolomites have to offer.

Our brand new range of Carbon Disc wheels was recently launched and has generated a huge amount of interest. They embrace the latest rim technologies to enable the wheelsets to deliver some of the lightest weights available on the market. Industry magazines and websites often ask questions about the H-Lock Wedge (HLW) sidewall rims used and the benefits they provide. Hunt owner Tom Marchment recently answered a few and we thought the answers might be useful if you wanted to be completely up-to-date on the latest tech: