The following review was written by Steve Revill-Darton – Sunday Echappée co-founder, Incredibly Cross instigator, racing bikes for Echappée Racing, map geek and lover of gravel.
“Being relatively new to road cycling, arriving there off the back of track bikes, working as a courier and fixed crits, much of the country remains undiscovered territory when it comes to thin strips of asphalt. I recently took the opportunity to explore the Peak District over three days with two old friends I grew up with. The guys are just getting into the whole cycling thing themselves so it was a great opportunity to introduce them to the delights (suffering) of riding up hills all day. It was nice to take a break from intervals, chain-gangs and racing to get away from London and get back to spinning the pedals all day, seeking out scenic lanes and admiring the views.
It was also a great opportunity to really put the new Kepler Disc to the test! I slung a pair of 28c slicks on and in return was blessed with a super smooth ride, even on the roughest of tarmac, thanks to a bit of tyre volume and the delights of a steel frame. The bike took everything I could throw at it, dropping down hills like a bullet and holding a solid line on the corners and was even surprisingly spritely on the way up too.
Next on the horizon is a trip to Sweden for the Dalsland Runt, an infamous three-day ride in the remote Dalsland region on the Norwegian border. I’m heading there with some of the other Echappée guys and good friend, TCR rider and Kibosh team rider Neil Phillips. The ride entails a significant amount of gravel riding on the fire roads that characterise this region, it seems like the Kepler Disc and I will be right at home there.”
Head over to the Sunday Echappee Journal to see the full set of photos.
