Twelve50 Bikes Team
Twelve50 Bikes is an independent specialist bicycle retailer committed to delivering a level of service to our customers that far exceeds the point of sale.
As part of our strategy to ensure we supply the best kit to the right audience we have created a diverse race team of 9 riders whose remit is to put the equipment we sell through its paces in the challenging format of Gravity Enduro racing. Having a team gives us the ability to supply our customers with experience based recommendations and what better way than for us to be able to say “our race team uses this kit”.
The Twelve50 Bikes Race Team are a vehicle for brand exposure for our own shop, our web shop (Twelve50bikes.com) and the brands that support the team.
We are proud to be supported this year by Mavic, Maxxis, Osprey, PowerBar, Fox, Renthal and Weber BBQ’s
The team ride a range of bikes from Orange, Cube, Nukeproof and Yeti with most of the team opting for 27.5” models this year.
We are all friendly and approachable and we do our best to add to the great atmosphere at the UKGE races. Come say hello and have a chat, complain about our music choices, borrow a tool or talk to our Chef about what he’s grilling for the team.
RIDER PROFILE: Rick Minshull
Race category: Masters
Best result 2013: One Industries Mini Enduro – 3rd from 57
UK Gravity Enduro Round 3:-
Qualified 26th
Finished 16th from 142
Found under a can of Stones Bitter in 1979 and pieced together from leftover body parts and silly string, Rick Minshull has a long history with cycling and has been racing mountain bikes for as long as Steve Peat. One went on to enjoy a glittering career racing at the highest level and is held in great esteem as a legend of mountain biking. The other is Rick Minshull.
Once a pretty handy downhill racer in his time, Rick hung up his racing boots, opened the esteemed northern bicycle emporium, Twelve50 Bikes and got on with riding bicycles for fun.
Somewhere along the line, he gained the nickname “Hollywood”. Not as a result of his choice of pubic hair styling, but by looking exactly like an obscure American actor…
Along came Gravity Enduro. Like riding your bike flat out with your mates, with great atmosphere and friendly banter. He was hooked and set about forming a race team with co-conspirator Matthew Steadman. Some solid results, a second place in Masters at a UKGravityEnduro round in 2012, a winter of training and he was set for 2013.
Unfortunately whilst racing in a Superenduro race, the silly string finally gave way and despite a Mini Enduro podium, the season was over early.
A winter of surgery and physio means a late start to 2014 but, backed by Mavic, Renthal, Osprey, SRAM, PowerBar, Fox, Weber and Maxxis he’ll be back by mid-season and gunning for the Masters podium..
RIDER PROFILE: Dave Read
Race category: Masters
Best result 2013: UK Gravity Enduro Overall – 6th
UK Gravity Enduro Round 5
Qualified 2nd
Finished 9th
Sauze D’oulx Super Enduro – 4th
Cue the music – A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…..
A young boy was born, and went by the name of David William Read. He was born on May the 4th in the year of 1980, spending his early years riding his bike round the frozen north competing in different disciplines he never really fitted in with his slightly wild style and even wilder facial expressions.
After a break from riding bikes due to several large incidents he returns to what is more than likely the future of mountain biking as we know it, in 2014 as Dave Vadar. This year will be different!
Riding for the Twelve50 Bikes biking emporium of the village of Frodsham and with the support of:
Mavic, Maxxis, Renthal, Osprey, Fox, Weber and Marshguard he will be chasing down the fast boys in masters (at least that’s the plan).
May the 4th be with you
RIDER PROFILE: Cheri Mills
Race category: Elite Women
Best result 2013: Steel City DH – 1st Elite Lady
Ard Rock Enduro – 2nd Elite Ladies
UK Gravity Enduro Round 1:-
Qualified 3rd
Finished 3rd
Cheri mills aka ‘Lardy’ loves everything MTB, especially the friendly Enduro scene. She has been riding/racing xc for 18years, won a few national titles then switched to Enduro in 2012 and won women’s UKGE title. Following a move into elite in 2013 Cheri had a podium in first race but the season ended early due to injury. Shes back stronger in 2014 with a few early season results – a win at Llandegla night Enduro and a 2nd behind T-Mo at Hopton woods.
“ I’m really looking forward to a great seasons racing with the Twelve50 Bikes Race Team family”
RIDER PROFILE: Al Stock
Race category: Elite Men
Best result 2013: UKGE Overall Winner
My name is Alexander Jon Stock and this is my 15th year racing. I love the feeling of being on a bike and liken myself to a modern day Knight roving the land in search of Honour and Bloodshed.
Last year I won the UKGE series though I’m still waiting to receive an official Knighthood. I’m looking forward to a fantastic year with all the team at Twelve50 Bikes and wish everyone all the best for 2014
RIDER PROFILE: Matt Steadman
Race category: Masters
Best result 2013: DH: Borderline Events Rd3 – 7th
Megavalanche:
Qualified 13th for “A Final”
Finished 90th Master
Borderline Mini Enduro – 15th
Hi,
I’m Matthew “Sicknote” Steadman, and here’s my story:- Started riding ‘back in the day’ and ended up racing XC for a few years before graduating into a the proper sport of DH and a sponsored ride for the legendary Leisure Lakes Race Team. After a nasty crash in ’97 I was off a bike completely for 7yrs (In this time I wasted vast amounts of cash thrapping around Oulton Park in cars!)
At the tender age of 31 I opened possibly the coolest bike shop known to man – Twelve50 Bikes. From here I was riding again and decided it was time to recapture some youth and go racing. I tried DH, got hurt a bit but did ok…. Then Gravity Enduro was born! It was like being back in the 90’s again at a NEMBA or BMBF, nice relaxed races, loads of riding and plenty of banter….. perfect!
Now we have a 9 lunatic (and 1 chef) strong team and we all love it.
My speciality is being generally broken or injured (Old things wear out!), and entering a race so I can just go and watch (And complain about injuries) but sometimes I can actually ride my bike pull a result out the bag.
Roll on 2014, can’t wait to be on the race scene again!
RIDER PROFILE: Russell Cosh
Race category: Veterans
Best result 2013: UK Gravity Enduro Overall: 12th
UK Gravity Enduro Round 1:-
Qualified 11th
Finished 8th
Megavalanche:
Qualified 48th “C Final”
Finished 20th
As the principle of the acclaimed 1984 under 16 North Somerset and district Welly Wanging Team Russell knows a thing or two about what it takes to throw down some rubber and run a successful team.
Apart from the specially designed gloves to cope with the webbed fingers, growing up on the Somerset levels has not had a detrimental effect on Russell’s prowess descending hills. Now into to his third year racing Gravity Enduro in the Veterans category for the most awesome Twelve50 Bikes Race Team we expect great things from Russell – unless of course his foot and mouth flares up again!
RIDER PROFILE: Ross Adams
Race category: Veterans
Best result 2013: UK Gravity Enduro Round 3:-
Qualified 14th
Finished 16st
If I may take a moment of your time, my name is Ross Adams but you can call me Rossco and I race for the utterly brilliant Twelve50 Bikes Race Team, a wonderful cycling emporium in the leafy village of Frodsham.
I’ve been riding and racing mountain bikes since ’89 and steadily getting slower ever since. As an ex XC racer from the days of BMBF and NEMBA, the grounded, friendly and relaxed atmosphere of the UKGE series is a timely reminder of racing days gone by. Now onto my third season of Enduros and first full season as a vet I’m looking forward to more beer can chicken, noise generating paraphernalia and some bike riding at a moderately fast pace.
RIDER PROFILE: Josh Dodd
Race category: Seniors
Best result 2013: UK Gravity Enduro Round 5:-
Qualified 40th
Finished 32nd
Josh’s Biking career highlight has to be being asked to “try-out” for the Olympic Exhibition bike polo team. His fixie skills were undoubtedly on a par if not better than the other candidates but his distant Asian heritage meant he was unable to grow the full beard required for the sport so was dropped from the team
Having actually put some effort in to training last year, Josh completed his first full season of Enduro racing in 2013. After testing the water with a few races previously, he managed to move up the rankings to consistent mid pack finishes. Endurance cross country and downhill races sat alongside domestic and foreign Enduros in 2013. 2014 sees Josh focus on the Enduro scene and take his first steps into supported racing in a team environment with a well-deserved place on the Twelve50 Bikes Race Team. An early season 12th place finish at the Llandegla night Enduro in March shows great promise for the coming year. He just needs to keep his bike in one piece.
Rider: Nicole Mallett
Race category: Senior Lady
Best result 2013: UK Gravity Enduro Overall: 5th
UK Gravity Enduro Round 2:
Qualified 7th
Finished 4th
Hi I’m Nicole (although I seemed to get called ‘PEDAL’ a LOT at the races last year!). I’ve only been riding for 4years and started racing last year. Me and David Vader have spent 2 years building our own house and entering the 2013 gravity Enduro races was the only way of promising ourselves a few weekends riding during the build!
A couple of very busy years meant minimal riding and training. I had a mixed bag of results; my best being 4th at Innerleithen and 5th overall for the series although I only did 4/5 races. In December I competed in my first downhill race and came 3rd.
This year I have already done more riding than the last few years and I’m much more confident on the bike after spending a week training with Tracey Moseley in Verbier. I hope to get some podium finishes with the new skills I’ve acquired!
Now I must remember to Breathe, Pedal, and have Fun…. Bring on the race season with the Twelve50 Bikes Race Team!
Team Chef: Des Ryan
Category: BBQ’d Meat
Best result 2013: 5hr Chilli Brisket Tacos
Smoked Pulled Pork with Coleslaw
4hr Pork Ribs
Stone Baked BBQ Pizza
Derek ‘Des’ Ryan was born in a sleepy (hungover) suburb of Dublin in 1976 and having been named after an Irish bank robber, he knew that danger was always going to follow him. The great potato famine forced him and his family out of their native land (despite it being an island surrounded by coastlines full of fish) in search of food, fame and fortune. It was Yorkshire that was to become his home for the next 37 years. His childhood passion was football and despite having a brief spell with Bradford City his career was cruelly ended following an unfortunate collision with a streaker. He then turned his hand to his other passion in life, cooking, and did what any aspiring chef would do…. he enrolled onto an IT course at Sheffield University. In later years to re-ignite his passion for cooking he set to the streets of Bangor where he managed a successful chain of chuck wagons, it was here that he achieved his first and proudest accolade, the ‘Best Sausage & Chips in Show 2005’. He displays his prize winning banger proudly on request. He is now taking his talents and love of being in a field with no wash facilities to new heights as the ‘Team Chef’ for Twelve50 Bikes. Here he combines his 2 true passions in life, cooking fresh, healthy, tasty food and waiting hours on end for people to come back from riding all day.