An Aspect in Malaga

Did you manage to find some sunshine this winter? In our corner of Europe, months of cold and wet have dampened many appetites for adventure. For some – like our friend Daniel Gillborn of HUNT – an escape to the warmth of southern Europe has been an irresistible draw.

When Daniel told us he was heading out to Spain to put some HUNT wheels through their paces, we were happy to lend him one of our titanium Aspect Integrale demo bikes for a bit of winter testing in the sun.

Here's what Daniel told us about his trip...

Day 0

Travelling is always an early start, but when you have the prospect of a short shakedown ride ahead of a week’s worth of cycling it seems a minor inconvenience!

This marks the start of a week’s cycling in and around Malaga in the south of Spain and with the weather turning at home riding in the mid 20s can’t be bad. For this trip I am fortunate to be testing two things I haven't ridden before, our HUNT Carbon 30s and a MASON Aspect Integrale. In my role at HUNT, I have ridden many of our wheels both road, gravel and even the Proven MTB wheels but not in this location and set up on this bike.

Arriving at lunchtime gave us all time to assemble our bikes, check in and then get ready for a shakedown ride. There are 13 of us in total and about 7 of us rode out through the city of Malaga to join the cycle way along the coast, past the port and out along the coast. Any ride even a 46km ride needs a cafe stop so after ice cream and a breather we set off back to the hotel watching the sun set as we weaved our way back through the city and past the old fort. Saddle adjusted, Shimano app downloaded, gears trimmed and we are ready for the first full day out riding with the New Generation team who I am here with (Tom, Duncan and Oscar).

Day 1

Our first ride out as a group and for me still some 'fettling' to be done. Riding a bike that you have 'borrowed' means that you need to personalise it. For me this meant two iterations of raising the saddle, then standing back and actually looking at the bike at the top of a 753m climb realising that the saddle is so far back on the rails it might as well be an old style BMX set back seat post. A quick alteration of 1.5cm forward and my hand position is transformed.

Today’s route looks OK at 55 miles until you see it's across 6,119ft of climbing. Once you get inland the roads around Malaga are quiet, smooth and flowing. The great thing with the ascents is that unlike the Alps for example there are moments of flat and even a slight decent in between the climbing. I am riding our HUNT Carbon 30 Disc wheelset, which until now I haven't tried, but after 55 miles (89km) across a very varied terrain of climbing, rolling ridgeline roads and a reasonable amount of wind speed, particularly at 753m altitude, these wheels are really reassuring, planted, but also with that aero assist when rolling through undulations. I’m very impressed with these and will see how the week goes but I may also try the HUNT 44_46 Aerodynamicist wheelset I have out here for the wider group to test out.

One of the great things about riding with a group is that you can move up or down the group, making time to speak to all your fellow riders. For me this means spending the time understanding the type of riding they do, what they like and don't like. But also, it's clear that they are looking to HUNT as a brand for clear, concise advice on what they need and what will make a difference to their bikes' ride feel. I have had several really authentic conversations today that made me think 'How do we do more of this? How do we ride out in a relaxed environment and talk to our riders?'

We have at least three riders in the group who are going to try either the 30 Carbon or 44_46 Aerodynamicist wheels through this week knowing that their current 'original equipment' wheels are heavy, unresponsive and not particularly aerodynamic because they are built to a price point. And that's the great thing. We as HUNT can make such a positive difference to our riders' enjoyment of riding by simply understanding how they ride and providing what is a significant upgrade to what is – by and large – a great bike set up (frame, drivetrain etc).

Anyway, day one is under our belt along with Remembrance Sunday's two minutes' silence observed in a small mountain village square. Cycling or not, these things are there to be observed and respected and I have been riding around all day proudly wearing my poppy swinging from the zip of my HUNT Castelli jersey.

Day 2

Today was a big climbing day at 2,119m, with the heat to go with it. Climbing up from the coast to Comares at over 700m is a good place to stop for lunch. Before you get there though you have to get over the first range of hills that in this region tend to run north to south. For today the group had split so there were six of us and apart from a quick coffee stop we kept rolling until we got to the lunch stop at Comares.

The great thing with riding in this area is the lack of traffic. The more reasonable gradients at mostly 7-11%, although we did some 15% parts today and the road surface. Riding on 32mm Vittoria Corsa tyres is perfect for this type of riding, grippy and super smooth rolling characteristics add to the enjoyment of a ride.

In all we did just under 100km today but with the level of ascending this was enough. The benefit is that once you are up on a peak you tend to be able to ride along the ridge of that range which we did before descending back down into Malaga. The descents here are next level in the sense that they are wider than in the Alps, better road surfaces and more open and swooping. The descent back down to Malaga today was my favourite.

Day 3

Today is more of an active rest day. For us this means a 66 mile out-and-back ride along the coast to Nerja, working our way east. Today also sees our first wheel test ,with one of the team trying out our HUNT Carbon 30s. Back in the UK they live in Cambridgeshire where things are generally flat, and it is the wind that is the 'invisible enemy', so going for something that isn't too deep-sectioned seemed a good plan. A ride along the coast is surprisingly similar to Cambridgeshire with the coastal breeze and flatish profile. I think the only difference today was the 23-degree sunny, dry conditions versus the rain and 16 degrees back in Cambridgeshire! With a good long test route in the bag, our test team candidate loaded up her route to Strava to receive a PB across 40km, so a very happy lady. Iris is going to keep the wheels on for tomorrow as well to try them up into the mountains with tomorrow’s route covering 5,800ft of climbing across 57 miles. 

Today, having switched my wheels out to give to Iris, this meant I put on the other test wheels that the HUNT team sent out here in the form of the 44_46 Aerodynamicist Carbon wheels. I've never actually ridden these wheels in the current form. As we had split into two groups this gave the group I was in the chance to practice going on the front, 'through-and-off'-type pack riding. I have to say that this type of riding (particularly along a sunny coastline), on smooth tarmac into what was a head wind going out, was an ideal test for the 44_46s and again I remain so impressed with the wheels that we are producing.

Sitting down in Nerja over lunch and at coffee stops gives us all a chance to talk bikes and wheels and for me to listen to our riders and customers of which there are already a few of in the group. The value in talking directly to your customers, hearing their perspectives and experiences is so valuable, but more importantly it allows us to adjust our thinking as a brand to ensure we remain innovative in the right areas and relevant to our audiences.

Safe to say this was another great day out on the bike riding and chatting with riders and customers.

Day 4

If yesterday was an active rest day, my legs aren't feeling actively rested. Some of this might have something to do with what can only be described as 'time trialing' it back from Nerja yesterday. Today we head into the mountains to Villanueva de la Concepcion with an extended out and back from there to Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera, which is basically another 1,200ft of climbing over 8 miles! A different day in terms of terrain and being on the 44_46 Aerodynamicist wheels it would still be interesting with more climbing, but again an absolutely great day out on the bike reaching gradients of 20% at points. With most of the climbing at the front end of the day it's always nice when you do stop for lunch and you know there is only one climb before descending back into Malaga.

El Torcal itself was quite blustery due to the altitude but well worth the view as always and based on the good weather we could get right to the top through the 'winter' gates. Again after lunch we were still up high rolling along the ridge from El Torcal on newly laid tarmac, a perfect way to end my days on the Aerodynamicist wheels where I will be switching back to the Carbon 30s and one of the team (Tamsin) will be riding our 44_46 wheels in place of her standard Liv set-up. Let’s see what she thinks tomorrow.

Day 5

Today it's Monte de Malaga – an 17k climb pretty much straight out of Malaga. The weather has changed to be overcast with chances of rain so getting to the top in the dry was good news. And with the super smooth road surfaces here in Malaga the only downside comes when it rains, and the surface becomes super slippy! So, at the top we all decided that we should bank the great climb and descend a bit, getting down to about 1,000m and a coffee stop. Stopping gave us a chance to re-group and decide on what the 'tempo' for the rest of the day should be. Basically, this turned into a clear vote to get down to sea level to find a restaurant for lunch before it rained. Whilst we only did 50km today, it was a big climb, but also a good chance to talk to fellow riders and HUNT customers.

Making it back to the hotel for 3pm is the earliest return of the trip, but with numerous miles in the legs now no one was complaining....and the barbecued fish was excellent.

Seeing as we are back early it’s a good opportunity to visit the local bike shop, Eat Sleep Cycle, who are big here in Malaga, running tours and training camps.

Last day of riding tomorrow, and a chance to talk to the team as a group at dinner and to get some feedback on the Carbon 30 and 44_46 Aerodynamicist wheels.

Day 6

It has rained heavily overnight but looks like it might have dried up a bit, but it was not to be. So, with about 450km in the bag, we have decided to pack away the bikes, do a de-brief and get a coffee. Hearing from the group in terms of the rides we have done, what they like and what they found more challenging is so valuable. For my group they are clearly happy to learn and where they see benefit, they will invest. I have had several of the team come up to me to ask what wheels are best based on how they are riding and the reality is that there is something for everyone. It’s more about listening and making sure they get the best product for them.

Tom, who heads up the New Generation team, has been so kind to invite me into this group, some of whom he knows really quite well across the skiing and cycling disciplines and it’s clear that there are more opportunities to work together as two brands with trips to the French Alps and Luca in Italy already pencilled in for next year. Tomorrow is a travel day so I will finish it off here but certainly a productive week in terms of spending time with some customers, partners and potential new customers, but also enjoying the riding and the scenery, food and culture that comes with that and for all of this I am truly grateful.