Tom Morgan

The @pearsoncycles On&On gets a makeover 💅🏻 The MTB’s been swapped out for the gravel bike for the next event starting this morning. The 7 Cities Off Road, a 1200km mixed terrain lap of Wales by @allmountainadventureswales A few changes sees the @use.components Vybe suspension stem making another appearance to take the sting out of the hands. A big shoutout to @caveboy76 for printing a spacer to allow the stem to be used on this integrated frame, it looks mint. @exposure.lights coming in with the best power to weight ration of the Toro and Boost lights 🔦 The cranks and levers were pretty battered so sanded those back to silver. To keep things as aero as possible, the best in the biz packs from @restrap 💨 Paint job was a rattle can session in my old man’s workshop using @spray.bike finest 🫟 The plan is to travel light, no bonking and don’t get burnt ☀️ #spraybike #ultracycling #allmountainadventures

A mashup of the mission that was the Hope1000 🇨🇭 East to West across some of the Swiss Alps and everything in between. It. Was. Tough. 1000km 31,000m ^ 47,600 calories 86h29m 8 hours sleep After scratching from the Hellenic mountain race due to a mechanical I was glad to just finish this one with bike and body in one piece, came in for 7th which I’m more than stoked with! The route was a never ending snake that bit you whenever it had the chance. Knife edge hike a bikes at 3am, 40° heat, often around 2000m altitude, tricky resupply, a few times parked up in bonk city, a few over the bars and a rear tyre gone just over half way. Good few tears down the phone to @nonballard which got me out of a few deep holes! (thanks and sorry 👀) Never have I gone so deep on something before. I put a gap between myself and @florian.vdc one morning, from then on I knew he’d be hunting me down. I never thought I’d be able to keep ahead until the finish line got closer and closer, never with more than 10km between us through the last days and nights. A right battle until the end, only being split by a handful of minutes when we’d both crossed the line. As always (apart from bearings) all kit and equipment was bang on👌🏽Class to meet up with @gnarvana on a few sections to catch some bits on the big cam🤝🏼 Miles Cyrus for the boys #hope1000

💥New FKT💥 Route: Marcher Castles Way Distance: 290km Time: 18h 54m 42s Congratulations to Tom Morgan @_schism who has set a new fastest known time on the Marcher Castles Way! Leaving from the historic town of Shrewsbury this is a route immersed in rich history and beautiful scenery, from the Roman ruins at Wroxeter to the industrial heritage of Ironbridge. Offering panoramic views across Wales and England, we look forward to seeing who will next take a crack at this long distance route!

Staggered start times for the Hope1000 has me rolling out at 6:20am this morning. I’ve packed lighter than Hellenic, I think, with a couple of spares here and there. No mechanicals this time plz 🤞🏽 1000km 31000m ^ East to West through the Swiss Alps 🇨🇭 📸 by @lloydjwright . A few more beaut pics of his to come 🙌🏽 #hope1000

3 minutes of this and that from the @hellenicmountainrace Not the race I was hoping for! A lot was learned, and I’ve got a list of things to change for the next mission. Started off rough—the heat was a real struggle, and I was teetering on the edge of heat stroke on the first day. I pushed through the night and eventually settled in a bit, but couldn’t eat properly. I then had what you’d call a “big sleep” of 3.5 hours which got me feeling normal again and ready to push through to CP2 and then on to CP3, trying to claw back some of the positions I’d lost in the first two days. Unfortunately, around 500 km in, at about 9:30pm the bearing in my idler disintegrated and brought me to a dead stop. I wasn’t too gutted at the time—my brain went straight into “oh shit, I need to get off this mountain” mode. It got cold up there, fast, and there was no time to mess around faffing. These things happen, and honestly, I’m just glad it wasn’t a stack that took me out. From that point to the finish line was a bit of a faff, to say the least. Getting down off the mountain was a mission in itself. Some old boys in a late night cafe helped get me picked up by a fella who took me back to his hotel—turns out it was actually closed to guests, but he still put me up. Legend. His wife had even prepped a hot meal for me, which I inhaled. It was 1am at this point should I add. Another legend. I ended up staying there another night until a small village bus came the next day to take me west to a bigger town, where I could start heading south again. After being dropped off on the coast, it was a final 12 km walk/roll to the finish. Not how I wanted to arrive at the line, but it could’ve been a lot worse. As usual, the @restrap gear was absolutely flawless, along with the set and forget bits from @use.components and @exposure.lights . Having @styrkr.uk on board was a massive boost—crucial when I couldn’t eat solids, keeping me going through a 24-hour stint on liquid carbs. @paria.cc kept the garms fresh as always 🤝🏼 A few people asked why the @forbiddenbikecompany for a route with 28,000m of climbing? Easy, because that meant 28,000m of descending 😏

2025 drops 📷 @matahayaph 🐐 @_schism #CyclingStyle #CyclingKit #KitGameStrong #CyclingJersey #RoadCycling #GravelCycling #CyclingApparel #CyclingLife #BoldKitClub #CyclingFashion #RideDifferent #CyclingAddict #PARIA #UKCycling #OutsideIsFree #CyclingGoals #FromWhereIRide #CyclingGear #SmileIfYouCanCatchMe #UnboringCycling #DisruptThePeloton #paria #pariacc

No bike pics from the start of the @hellenicmountainrace , bike firmly in a shop all day yesterday trying to get fixed up haaaaa So here’s a pick of me in the jersey I’ll be wearing caught on some lovely portra400 Let’s try get this done in 4 days (ish) 880km 28000m @forbiddenbikecompany @styrkr.uk @paria.cc @restrap @use.components @exposure.lights

Race ready for the @hellenicmountainrace 🇬🇷 Not too much changed since Dales Divide. Out with the aero bars as I don’t think there’s a single flat part 🥴 Smaller front ring from @garbaruk_components to make the climbs a little more bearable. Fork bottle cage mounts to hold a bit of extra bonk prevention juice I will be carrying no sleeping equipment, no tools, no spares, no clothes, no bananas, @restrap packs only filled with @styrkr.uk rocket fuel Seems a shame to ride it when it’s this shiny @forbiddenbikecompany @use.components @exposure.lights @paria.cc

STRUGGLE. In hindsight, lining up for the @dalesdivide race probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas! I hadn’t fully recovered from a chest infection, and it’s no doubt prolonging my recovery now. One of the main goals was to test out the @forbiddenbikecompany Druid in ultra mode with the fresh @restrap , @exposure.lights , @paria.cc and @use.components setup for the season—nothing disappointed. Everything was spot on, so that’s my win. I started the race pretty poorly. I couldn’t climb very well—tight chest, no power in the legs to keep up with the leading group. I dropped back and switched to survival mode pretty quickly. About 30 km in, it started to rain, and we settled into the first 10 hours soaking wet with a brutal headwind. I told myself I’d just ride through the night, see how I felt in the morning, and rest once the sun came up. Around km 150, my rear brake rotor came loose, buckled, and stopped me dead. Luckily, @dannnyban was passing, taking both of us to wrestle it out. I found myself having to jam my foot into the rear tyre to slow down when the front brake boiled over. It wrecked my shoes, but it was either that or go splat. So pressing on, I planned to get to Scarborough by morning to pick up a fresh rotor, but arriving three hours too early, I pushed on to the next town—140 km away. I missed the shop by 10 minutes, which made the decision simple: get to the finish and see what these front pads are made of. Totalling 450 km with 5,500m of descent on one brake was probably a stupid move—but I’m fairly chuffed with that effort! From around km 330 to 520, I was yo-yoing with @patrickdewick , which was very welcome company after the first night shift spent with his good friend Dan the buckled rotor remover. I missed a crucial feed stop with 80 km to go during the second night shift, which was devastating and almost fatal to my race. I tagged along with @bobbymcnicol , who helped me mentally get through the night. Not sure what I would’ve done without him. We were cemented in the middle of nowhere at this point with no roads for 40–50 km. It was a huge battle not to freak out and just keep the pedals turning. Continued >> 📸 @ospreyimagery

A class coffee table zine arrived from @whitenphoto . I’m glad someone caught some memories on camera as the whole race was a bit of a blur 😂 Featuring @dave_scott_coaching who crossed the line first in the long route. A whole different approach to the race that paid off massively, kudos And Big man @ridefixedordietryin who’s currently balls deep racing the @indianpacificwheelrace ON A FIXIE and then continuing on to complete a lap of Oz to hopefully take the FKT. Madness

Choices, choices...⁠ ⁠ @_schism has built this @forbiddenbikecompany to be lightweight and reliable, ahead of taking on Dales Divide and other tough offroad ultras this year. A really tidy and techy build, he's been playing around with a few loadout options. ⁠ ⁠ How would you kit out this build?⁠ ⁠ 📸 @_schism ⁠

When you're deep into a multi-day race, miles from civilization in a remote mountain range, and riding for 50+ hours with little sleep, you need a bike that’s as light as possible, with a frame and components you can count on. This bike checks both boxes.⁠ ⁠ For Tom Morgan, the goal behind this build wasn’t just creating a dream bike—it was about strategically cutting weight without compromising its trail capabilities. The reason Tom spent days sanding and clear-coating the frame wasn't just for the raw carbon look to complement the blue fork and silver components; it was also to shave some weight. He was pleasantly surprised to discover he'd shaved off 260g in the process!⁠ ⁠ “I decided to leave electronic components off this build and stick with cables, one less thing to worry about. The Twistloc grip also being cable actuated is handy to flick between lockout, pedal, and open, which comes in clutch on long flat sections, and gives some added climbing efficiency on some terrains. Support from @restrap @use.components and @exposure.lights will enable the build to morph into ultra mode very soon! ⁠ ⁠ The races vary from 600km to 1300km and if all goes to plan they’ll take me to a good few beautiful spots around Europe and the UK with the aim for some bigger races such as the Tour Divide, Atlas, and Silk Road Mountain Race the following year. If my ass has recovered by then.”⁠ ⁠ Behold, the Druid SL. ⁠ Final weight... 24.69lbs (11.2kg)⁠ ⁠ 📸: @_schism ⁠ ⁠ Frame - Forbidden Druid v1 Large ⁠ Shock - @rockshox Sidluxe 3P⁠ Fork - @rockshox Sid Ultimate 120mm 3P⁠ Rims - @rovalcomponents Control⁠ Hubs: @dtswiss 350 ⁠ Crankset - @garbaruk_components XC ⁠ Pedals - @favero_electronics Assioma Pro MX2 Power⁠ Cassette - @garbaruk_components 10-52⁠ Chain - @srammtb XO1⁠ Rear Derailleur - @srammtb GX⁠ Shifter - @srammtb GX⁠ Brakes - @hopetech XCR⁠ Tires - @vittoriatires Mezcal XC Race 2.4⁠ Seatpost - @oneupcomponents v3 ⁠ Saddle - @fabriccycling ALM Ultimate ⁠ Handlebar - @trekbikes RSL one-piece ⁠ Grips - @rockshox Twistloc 3P⁠