Rider Profiles: Grant Taylor
Grant Taylor
Joolze Dymond talks to Grant who is more used to 24 hour racing on a singlespeed, sometimes as a soloist. At Tunnel Hill he found the Masters went off at a fair old pelt so doing some short xc races is all good training for the long enduros.
Age: 34
Riding for: Singular Cycles
What you riding? It's a prototype Singular Hummingbird. 26-inch back wheel, 29-inch front (but will take a 100-120mm suspension fork and a normal 26 inch front wheel too). It'll take gears or single speed. Production versions will be here in April! Geometry and details at the website: www.singularcycles.com
Grant rides for Singular Cycles and chooses a singlespeed as his
race weapon of choice. This prototype has a 26-inch rear
wheel and a 29-inch front, you'd have to ride it to understand!
[© joolzedymond.com]
When did you start riding? Been riding since I first pulled the stabilizers off my one speed as a 5 year old. Mountain biking since 1986, aged 11.
When did you get interested in mountain biking? Some lads from the secondary school used to ride over to my village to try and pick up the girls, they brought copies of Bicycle Action... been riding MTB's ever since... it never actually helped pick up girls!
Can you remember your first bike? My first actual MTB was a cheap Raleigh but it got through some races in the early days and lasted until I'd saved up enough in 1989 to buy a Diamond Back Axis.
Was round 2 Tunnel Hill your first race? I've been riding and racing for 22 years, but more recently I've been concentrating on Enduro stuff. As a Youth I did some XC but was better at downhill racing (this was pre-suspension when a downhill race involved a BIG chainring and a fire road down the side of a mountain in North Wales!). Riding for the newly formed Singular Cycles Team this year we are having a go at everything. I'm hoping these XC races will speed me up a bit for the summer enduros.
How did you find the race? It was hard work. I'm used to 24 hour racing on a singlespeed at a steady pace and the Masters went off at a fair old pelt! I need to do some speed work! The course was great, nice and techy.
How did you find out about the Gorricks? I'm based down south so had friends that have raced them for years... the Brighton lot have been regulars so I've done a few in the past.
Favourite Gorrick venue? Probably the Swinley Enduro course.
Best memory of the day? Singular Team mate Steve 'the Ringer' Webb winning the Masters, well done mate!
Future ambitions? Get faster, keep testing Singular prototypes for Sam, keep riding odd bikes that normal folk don't understand!
Favourite training ride? Into the woods from the back of Biff's house, ace singletrack, to the pub and back ;0
01 Dec 24
26 Jan 25
