Every. Day. Ride #37 with Claire Frecknall

In this month's Every Day Ride we spoke to Claire Frecknall! 

Tell us a little about yourself?

When not out on my bike work part time in the bike industry and as a Dental Technician, I'm also a qualified BC level 2 mountain bike guide and do some dog sitting around that, I like to keep busy! 

How and when did you get into riding? 

I’ve been riding for a while now, as a kid I was always out mucking about on bikes but I guess things got serious about 9 years ago when I did my first Bikepacking trip, a solo adventure across Sweden and Norway on an ancient pilgrimage route. This started a real addiction, I did my first ultra race 2 years later and now I spend almost every waking hour dreaming about where to do next 

What are the best and worst things about riding?

I love the escape it gives you, especially on longer multi day trips where all you have to worry about is where your next meal is coming from and where you’ll sleep at night, it’s real back to basics living. The downside of this is when things don’t quite go to plan- the shop you were banking on is closed, the weather isn’t playing ball or your planned sleeping spot is actually a bog… but you adapt and overcome. 

Tell us about your most memorable ride to date?

This is a really tough one, every trip I go on has its memorable bits, not always for the right reasons, but my most recent race- Illyrian loop in Albania is fresh in my mind the mountains were beautiful, the weather was perfect and for once nothing even went wrong! 

What’s the best piece of riding advice you’ve ever been given?

“Say yes to every adventure” not specifically riding advice, but advice for life that fits really well with riding too. I’ve done lots of things I’ve been scared to do and met so many great people through this. 

How do you keep your bikes secure at home and on the go?

At home I’m lucky to have a garage, it’s covered by a camera and my bikes are locked to the wall. Out and about I tend not to leave my bikes for too long unless it’s my cheap commuter so I use the Litelok Core Flex, it’s easy for me to carry around my waist without the need for a backpack or straps on my bike frame but still offers a great level of protection. 

Share your best tips to help others keep their bikes safe?

Don’t assume that somewhere leaving your bike in a busy location in daylight is safe, even if it’s nothing particularly fancy. I previously had a bike stolen from outside my gym in the hour I was in there, it was just my cheap commuter but they quickly cut through the cable lock and it was gone. It’s the bike I use all the time for my everyday errands so losing it was a real pain. 

When someone asks what kit you recommend, you say?

A lot of kit is pretty personal to people’s particular needs, body shape, budget or riding style, but there are key things I’ve been using for years that I love. My Mason Bokeh has been my do everything bike for nearly 5 years, it’s a gravel bike but I can fit road wheels or chunky 2.1” tyres in it to ride virtually any terrain. Restrap bikepacking bags, I’ve used these for years and they’re so convenient, well made and produced by an absolutely lovely team up in Leeds. For clothing I love Velocio and I always use Exposure lights… none of this stuff is cheap but when you work out the cost per hour spent on the bike it’s worth the outlay to have kit you can really rely on. 

What’s on your riding bucket list?

Japan, I visited without a bike a few years ago and  just love the culture, the landscape and the people, it’s just a shame it’s so far away