I’d been eyeing up a bigger ride, maybe even a multi-day effort as a bit of peak training for an event later in the month (more on that another time).

I also wanted an excuse to test a new luggage setup: four 10L bags from Tailfin (two fork packs, two mini panniers). That was reason enough to book a return train to Brockenhurst.

It started raining on the short connection from Southampton. Not unexpected as I’d been watching a small front roll in, due to pass within an hour or so. By the time I stepped off at Brockenhurst it had properly set in. I considered waiting it out under the platform shelter, but in the end just got moving, gambling on drying out later.

The plan was to head for Ocknell Campsite, but via a gentle roll east on NCN 2 and then up into Lyndhurst for a wander, coffee, and cake at Woods Cyclery - essentially mandatory if you’re riding in the area.

Afterwards, a quick stop at Tesco for a tinny of cider (hip pack luxury), then out of town via Pikes Hill and Emery Down, tracing part of the next day’s route in reverse up towards camp.

I hadn’t booked. Early season worked in my favour costing £11-something for two nights on a discounted backpacker rate. A bargain. No showers, though. The facilities were clean and quiet, mostly surrounded by well-equipped vans and caravans. There’s a small shop on site selling ice cream, fizzy drinks, Pringles, the essentials.

You do get a low hum from the A31 nearby, but it’s a trade-off: pitch high and you get strong 5G; drop lower into the more wooded tent areas and signal disappears quickly.

It was a cool, damp night and sleep didn’t really happen. First nights out rarely do for me. A couple of fairly grim instant coffees and some breakfast sorted things enough, and before long I was rolling.

The aim: 80–85 miles (around 135 km). A decent training hit ahead of a 200 km event later in the month.

I used the New Forest Gravel Taster as a base, but tweaked it, so cutting out a boggy, vanishing byway on the northern dog-leg, and skipping a muddy bridleway south of Roundhill that involves a stream crossing and a slightly unwelcoming farm. You lose a bit of nature reserve descent and some pseudo-singletrack, but gain a smoother, more consistent ride. Worth it, for me.

I rode the route as a kind of figure-eight, starting with the top loop, dropping through, then finishing by riding that same top loop again. Hence: the “Top Loop Sandwich”.

The New Forest is one of those places that feels wilder than it really is, especially coming from the South Coast. It’s not remote in any true sense, but you can find stretches where it feels like it. No hedges, no fences, no obvious edges, just open space, broken up by gates. Lots of gates.

I rolled out to the start of the top loop at the figure-eight crossover and settled into a steady endurance pace, keeping a close eye on heart rate. The plan was simple: ride easy, stay consistent, expect 8 - 9 hours.

A couple of hours later I was back at the crossover and heading into Lyndhurst again for coffee and food. Woods Bikes and Brews delivered, as always.

Leaving town, things unravelled slightly.

Lyndhurst is hard to ride cleanly through. It's a busy, awkward, a sort of rolling one-way traffic knot. I got flustered trying not to be in the way, or worse, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Heart rate spiked, and once it’s up, it doesn’t come back down quickly.

I spent the next 20 minutes trying to settle again, riding slower than I wanted, but also starting to worry about average speed. That balance—heart rate vs pace—became the background noise for the rest of the ride.

Not entirely pointless. I did need a sense of timing. Ideally, I wanted this ride to come in a little faster than my target pace for the upcoming 200 km. Shorter ride and with fresher legs on paper, it should.

In practice, I was just overthinking it. Still ... that was kind of the point of the ride I guess!?

As an independent bicycle mechanic in the UK, I generally choose not to work on e-bikes.

Many arrive as grey or illegal imports or non-standard builds, often with limited traceable safety certification and inconsistent quality control. Unlike t raditional bicycles, there is little standardisation across motors, batteries, and electrical systems, which makes diagnostics and repairs far less predictable.

In the UK, an e-bike is only legal as a standard electrically assisted pedal cycle (EAPC) if it meets specific requirements. The motor must not exceed 250W continuous rated power, and electrical assistance must cut out at 15.5mph (25km/h). Crucially, the motor must only assist while the rider is pedalling, with no full-power throttle beyond a low-speed walk assist function. Bikes that are modified to exceed these limits, fitted with unrestricted controllers, or imported without proper compliance are classed as motor vehicles in law, meaning they require registration, tax, insurance, and potentially type approval to be used legally on public roads. And yes, that's pretty much why all privately owned e-scooters are illegal too.

Spare parts can also be difficult to source—particularly on more budget-friendly machines commonly found on marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, or AliExpress. In many cases, components are only available through specific manufacturers, and some systems are effectively locked down or require proprietary software access. This can make repairs slow, costly, or impossible to guarantee to a professional standard.

A significant number of issues also stem from DIY modifications or poorly executed conversions, including the use of non-approved components that fall outside safe operating specifications.

For these reasons, I generally recommend that customers return to the original retailer or an authorised dealer, where the correct parts, tools, and warranty support are in place to ensure the bike is serviced safely and correctly.

That said, I’m not opposed to e-bikes in principle—they are a growing and important part of cycling. However, as a start-up workshop, the breadth of systems, tooling requirements, and safety considerations means it isn’t currently the right area for me to specialise in.