Harry Widdowson: The Ideal Summer Weekend

During the tail‐end of Summer 2020 I had the opportunity to link up with my friend Sam in Scotland and make a short video about riding in Pitlochry. We both really enjoyed the experience and were happy with the outcome as an exhibition of the HB130 in it’s element so, when Claire at Hope offered the opportunity to create some content around the premise of ‘Ideal Summer Weekend’, I knew that I wanted to make another mini‐edit.


As luck would have it, Dave Petts, an accomplished adventure film‐maker and friend through climbing had just moved to the village and was keen on the idea of shooting some mountain biking. I presented the idea of filming some Welsh riding and he signed on!

When we originally sat down to chat strategy for this project, the plan was to spend a weekend down Dyfi forest way riding some of the off‐piste and showcasing the lush woods of mid‐Wales, however, this didn’t work out as I was still struggling with my ankle from a bad sprain at Dyfi bike park in May and Dave was having to fit this project in around a busy schedule.


As Dave was new to the North Wales community, we fell back on a plan of showcasing some of the best local riding. This would allow us both to be efficient with our time and give Dave the chance to scope out some of the trails and locations prior to us riding/filming.

Picking the trails wasn’t difficult. Snowdonia may be super rocky and lacking the thick woodlands of further south but there are plenty of hidden gems around that are an absolute blast to ride. Dave was keen to get the drone involved so the first trail we checked out is a local lockdown classic with some five‐star turns descending through some dense bracken – perfect for an aerial view. A mutual friend and talented photographer Lena Drapella came along to shoot some stills. We were rewarded with some fantastic weather and dry but manageable trail conditions. Everyone killed it until the last clip when I managed to fling myself over the bars on a rocky right hander. Ce la vie! Dave was stoked on the shots and I wasn’t too banged up so we chalked the first day up as a success and begun planning the next. The second trail we filmed at has got to be my favourite local trail. It offers a little bit of everything: steeps, rocks, jumps, berms… All impeccably built, winding it’s way through some of the best woods around.


In case I hadn’t made it clear by now, I’m a big fan of mature woodland for riding in. The ambiance provided by large conifers, spaced naturally to allow for abundant undergrowth, is one of the things I miss most about riding in Canada and I have a particular affinity for trails set in similar landscapes here in the UK. Pitlochry’s groves of larch provided a stunning backdrop last summer and the mature forests surrounding Betws y Coed here in North Wales offer similarly splendid riding vibes!

Unlike day one, the weather wasn’t nearly as cooperative as we rolled up to the trailhead. Threatening a serious downpour, we set to work hoping to film what we needed before the darkening skies ended the fun. It is a good thing that Dave is talented at his craft because we were able to bosh through the shots efficiently.

Filming is a lot different than just going riding and I struggled at times to ride as well as I wanted for the camera. I’ve always thought that pushing up time and again to hit a particular feature would all but guarantee bagging the perfect shot but it turns out that isn’t always the case! Thankfully Dave nailed the all the shots so when I managed to ride to my expectations, he caught it on camera.




We capped off the riding with a short interview and some shots of me working on the HB130. A lot of people have asked why I run the Ohlins coil shock and a Fox 36 up front (as opposed to the Ohlins RXF 36 fork and/or a Fox DPX2 to match the suspension brands) and the answer is that this setup makes the HB130 as capable as possible for my style of riding. The Ohlins coil is incredibly supple and makes the 130mm travel HB130 feel super capable when the trail gets rough or the hits get bigger. I’ve had the DPX2 on the bike a few times before and it does make the bike feel more poppy and playful, but with my ankle still a bit tweaky, it was a no‐brainer to go for the more planted and plush feel of the coil. As for the fork, I’ve used an Ohlins RXF 36 on a previous bike and they’re fantastic, however, the range of adjustment on the Fox 36 is fab. I’m in such a comfortable place with that fork, being able to add/remove a few clicks of compression depending on the day, trail and/or conditions that I don’t see how it could be much better. I think Dave did a great job showcasing my meticulous nature when it comes to bike setup and I hope that comes across in the footage.

All‐in‐all it was a great experience riding for the camera and working with Dave on this little project. A huge thanks to Hope for supporting this and me through the Ambassador Program.


Words: Harry Widdowson
Video: David Petts
Photos: Lena Drapella