Wellington mountain biking legend Rod Bardsley loves bikes.
Riding bikes, fixing bikes, writing about bikes, and testing bikes and “bike stuff”.
He’s pretty excited that bikes keep getting better – increasingly able to handle steeper grades and more challenging terrain – and that he gets to regularly ride exciting new tracks.
Lucky for us he also likes ships – especially ships that sail to cool places to ride – and that’s why he’s come on board as our Bluebridge Bike Club ambassador.
Rod, who first began riding as a 20-year-old and says he has been on a mountain bike almost every day since, has been a professional firefighter and competitive downhill racer (as part of the New Zealand
Downhill Racing team), as well as a bike mechanic. After a stint in London and the French Alps (mountain bike guide in summer, snowboard guide in winter) Rod returned to the
capital - and bike repairs - in 2006.
Alongside his cycle repair business Rod writes a regular column and reviews bikes and gear for Spoke Magazine.
He still rides nearly every day and races Enduro whenever he gets the chance.
Married to Rhiannon and with two daughters (Elodie and Willow who have recently started riding) when Rod’s not riding bikes, or repairing bikes he’s, well, thinking about bikes. Or planning his next sail
and ride adventure at the very least.