Two Hoops on the Trail

 It’s spring in the UK and it feels like a long time since I last rode in the sun. (Thank gawd for heated kit) The winter hasn’t been wasted, though. Sarah and I did a trials day up at BUMPY in Leeds, and that quickly turned into something more. We bought a trials bike and spent most weekends giving competitive trials a go. It’s a humbling experience. There’s always that older rider (most of them) on what appears a prehistoric bike, looking like a diet of twenty pints a day for the last twenty years sculpted their physique, yet somehow float over obstacles with the finesse of a ballerina. Completely embarrassing, but brilliant fun and great for improving skills. Below - gulp! Quick trip to the Alps.. ..and some off-roading in the Dales.  When not doing the above with friends and family, we were thinking about travel bikes. Something reliable, capable of covering long distances with minimal tools and fuss. We eventually settled on the Honda CB500X and ended up buying two. I’m ...