hire just 100 metres from the start of the new Altura Mountain Bike Trail at Whinlatter Forest Park near Keswick. At 19K, it's the Lake District's longest purpose-built mountain-bike trail and a brilliant place to have a go at this exhilarating sport

sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard whenever you squeeze a brake lever.The problemYour brake pad and rim surfaces have a buildup of dirt on them. The solutionRemove your wheel. Using a clean cloth and Finish Line Speed Degreaser or plain alcohol

triathletes, but before you join the bunch, here are a few skills to master. Pedal smoothlyFirst things first: you need to learn to ride steady on your own. Many beginners use too low a cadence, so the bike surges forward with every pedal stroke - this can

they’re either nervous or they don’t practise it enough. Personally, I live for carving turns on a descent, but I know that many triathletes struggle.To start, familiarise yourself with the condition of the road surface by riding up the hill. Look

you need if you've set your sights on a time trial or are diving into a triathlon. "The biggest mistake people make is setting up their aerobars without adjusting their bike fit," says Dan Smith, of LifeSport Coaching in Victoria, British Columbia