Stanton Bikes Sponsor Ian for 2017

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This is really exciting!!

When Ragley Bikes approached me last year to act as a brand ambassador I must admit I was a bit hesitant. For a start, I had my incredible Ibis Mojo HD3 sat in the garage waiting to become weapon of choice for 2016. Secondly it meant stepping away from riding my usual hand picked choice of components and thirdly, and I only found this out after I agreed to the deal, Ragley aren't the small scale UK rider owned company that I saw them as, they're part of the great Chain Reaction/Wiggle acquisitions conglomerate. Whilst there's nothing wrong with that, the purist in me always wanted to ride for a small company where the exposure I can get them might actually make a difference and also where I could get a chat with the fella who designs the frames to get all geeky about materials and seat tube diameters.

Now I'm taking nothing away from Ragley here, they were good to me and the Bigwig is a ripper of a bike so once again many thanks to them.  However, I must admit that when Dan Stanton offered me a deal for 2017 I didn't pause for thought.  There's a few reasons for me jumping at this opportunity so wholeheartedly.

1) I'd just got off the phone from having that exact hour long conversation where Dan was able to describe (in great detail) the evolution of Stanton frames over the last few years.  I instantly got the sense of a massive bike lover with a bubbling enthusiasm for producing the best hardtails in the World.

2) Titanium!  As a youngster I drooled (probably literally) over Merlins, Litespeeds and the other US produced titanium exotica that filled the dreambikes sections of MBUK.  They were so far beyond a pipe dream even for a teenager who had three jobs on the go and I couldn't ever really envisage a time when I'd be able to ride a top end Ti frame.  In recent years I've had my head turned by the plastic bike revolution with a couple of Santa Cruz's and a couple of Ibis's but that long dormant desire for the smooth lines, brushed natural finish and mythical whippy ride quality has never left me.

3) Stanton Bikes.  I've been a massive fan of the aesthetics of their frames for a while.  They've been at the forefront of the 'hardcore hardtail' revolution producing the bombproof and slacked out framesets that have left me questioning the need for rear suspension.  I was tempted by a Slackline a couple of years ago and every time I see one of their bikes I do stop and stare.  They have that ability to look fun from a distance, you know full well that if you swing a leg over the top tube you're in for a serious grinning session!

4) Wooly Hats.  Stanton make a really cosy looking one!

5) Race Support.  In sponsoring the hardtail category of the British Enduro Series and backing it up with some pretty amazing prizes Stanton have shown a solid commitment to the development of the race scene.  I love racing and definitely want to ride for a company who share that passion.

6) Steel.  Whilst I never got on to titanium I was fortunate enough during my XC racing days to ride some really classy steel frames.  I've still got my Voodoo Bizango from 1997 (when Voodoo were a pretty high end company) and love the springy nature of the material.  The Ragley had some of these qualities but I'm really looking forward to getting on some Reynolds tubing to bring back the memories and recall why it is so perfect for making bikes.

7) Future Developments.  Through chatting to Dan I've learned of all sorts of really interesting upcoming developments in their frames and their rapidly expanding component range.  The bike I plan on racing in 2017 doesn't actually exist yet but it sounds incredible on paper!

So for this Winter I'll be getting in the miles on the beautiful Reynolds 853 steel masterpiece that is the Sherpa 29er and then hopefully by Spring will be getting all aggro on a brand new Ti bike.  Kit choice will be a mixture of Stanton components, Shimano XTR, Chris King, Rockshox and I'll be continuing my links with Ibis through their industry leading 942 carbon rims. Timescales are a bit loose but the frame arrived yesterday so there'll be some shiny build pics coming soon.

It looks stunning in the flesh and really oozes quality.  Can't wait to get building and riding!

As ever, if you're interested in getting a test ride don't be shy about coming and saying hello at the races or on the trails.  I'm more than happy to let you have a spin and begin your hardtail conversion! The longer I coach and the better hardtails get, the less I'm convinced of the need for full bouncers at all outside of top end Enduro and DH racing. For beginners the rear suspension tends to mask and allow poor technique whilst for experts it overly sanitises trails, removing the joyous link between rider and terrain.  I love the precision required for fast, techy hardtail riding, as much as I enjoy reading the results sheets and seeing the bouncy bikes trailing in my wake!

It's going to be a fun 2017!