Long-time readers might remember that way back in May 2015, in our landmark 300th issue, we had a feature in which gear tester Simon Withers and a motley crew from the office rode from Weston-super-Mare to Land’s End: 300km on 300 quid bikes, all in the name of symmetry and magazine cover lines. As a Cycling Plus staff writer, I admired my colleagues for riding bikes that probably cost less than the expenses budget of the trip.
Fast-forward seven years. With breathing laboured and sweat pouring profusely off my face onto sticky handlebars, there I was hauling myself up the steep slopes towards the Westbury White Horse, some 250km into, you’ve guessed it, a 400km ride on, yes, a 400 quid bike. With me was architect of the ride, editor Matt, who had mapped the route and sourced our bikes from Decathlon and Halfords, the same provider as two of the bikes in 2015. Current rampant inflation and supply chain problems in the bike industry might
