Charlotte Kays hb916
I was lucky enough to demo a HB916 whilst on the hunt for a new bike for the 2025 season, and as soon as I sat on the bike I knew it was perfect!
In March of this year, with thanks to Hope, I got my very own HB916. At first glance it is a beautiful piece of engineering. The raw carbon frame has a perfect weave which I know Hope is very proud of - as they should be!
I chose to have silver hardware and components for a classy looking build, and I love it!
I have raced downhill and enduro, pedalled and hike-a-biked up mountains, done cross country rides, huge jumps, flow trails, tricks and gnarly descents to name a few of the challenges I have thrown at this bike, and I can confirm that it does it all with ease.
A few weeks ago, I raced the first round of the Scottish enduro in Innerleithen. One of the most technically challenging and physically demanding races I have completed. My bike did not skip a beat all weekend and I managed to ride it to first place in Senior! For such a long travel enduro bike it pedals incredibly well. It is the nicest bike I have ever pedalled up a hill, and the most fun bike for the descents!
Recently, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the Gnomes Edition Backyard Battle event at Vero Sandler and Sam Hodgson's house in Wales. It was a very intense event, huge jumps, lots of gnarly tricks and heaps of style shown off by all the pro riders. I increased the pressure in my fork and shock, so I didn't bottom out going up any take offs and pumped up my tires. But other than that, the setup on my Hb916 enduro racing machine was exactly the same and it felt incredible to jump! Such a stable setup allowed me to feel confident enough to hit Vero’s jumps, but the bike is also very light and playful enough to throw some tricks!
I’ve been really enjoying racing my bike, and I’ve had some good results to kick off the season so I’m very stoked! Next up for me is the third round of the British National enduro series on the Isle of Man. I’m really excited for this race as I’ve never been to the island before, and it’s a two day race so it’s gonna be physical but fun!
The HB916 is my dream bike, and I feel very lucky to be riding the perfect setup!
Photos: JWDT