A Year On A Bike
27/03/2020
Video Round Up: 8 of our Favourite Dirt Factory Edits
04/05/2020
Team member Ben had never owned a bike let alone ridden one. This started to change after a few months of working at Dirt Factory. Is Ben catching the bike bug? We thought Ben could possibly help inspire other people to give a new sport a go, especially while we’re all in lockdown. Read on to follow Ben’s journey into MTB so far.
When I first came to work at Dirt Factory I had little to no experience riding bikes and my only real experience with extreme sports was some snow boarding from a few years back. But as soon as Dirt Factory opened it didn’t take long to see what an amazing community there was in the world of MTB. After a long time of egging on from my colleagues I eventually jumped on a bike and eventually took a bike on the track.
And I absolutely loved it.
The most exciting part about discovering this new hobby was realising I had a whole world of outdoor riding to discover so I was going to need a bike. I landed on a 2019 Trek Remedy 8 and I felt like a kid at Christmas when it arrived. I’ve since been out on some nice down hill trails with a more experienced friend and continue to practise at Dirt Factory. On my break of course.
The thing I love most about the sport is the range. Both in types of bikes and riding disciplines and in the people who ride bikes. I was initially put off getting into the sport because of my age but that was quickly debunked just by the range of our regular customers.
The most difficult thing for me has been the climbs. Shortly before choosing my bike, Dirt Factory aired a live screening of hardline and I really enjoyed it and liked the look of navigating steep and technical descents. Which of course means climbing the hill in the first place and it’s been a challenge to get my fitness up to speed. Thankfully I’m determined by my love of both the sport and my bike and I look forward to gaining more riding experience in the new season.
I have always been more of a winter sports person and have never been very confident on bikes. But working next to an indoor track everyday and seeing people of all ages having so much fun I had to have a go. I’m really happy with my progress and can’t wait to see where I’m at next year. Watch this space.
Ben AKA Spider-Yates
My first climb with Buffy (my bike) and first time riding with my mate (before lockdown). 
3rd trip out and getting more adventurous. A quick stop to admire the view overlooking dovestone. 
I like this one. Its my first ever day out on my brand new bike and you can see how happy I am. 
Look what they stuck on my bike 
A big smile on the push up. We must have been near the top.
