Singlespeeds coming to Rotorua

The Singlespeed Mountain Bike World Championships return to Rotorua in November. Photo/Gary Sullivan, Nzo

Where would mountain biking be without great design - from trails to bikes to helmets, shoes and clothing?

Which brings me very quickly to Nzo, a local clothing company making well-engineered and great looking gear.

When Gary Sullivan and his business and life partner, Glen Anderson moved to Rotorua nearly 20 years ago to launch the company and pursue a dream, they came well-tooled up after long careers in graphic and clothing design.

They've recently taken that to a whole new level letting you customise your own riding clothing: www.nzoactive.com

Gaz is always generous with his time, working on some of the major events that have elevated Rotorua to the world mountain bike stage. That includes the game changer, the 2006 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships and New Zealand and World Singlespeed Championships.

The first time the Rotorua Singlespeed Society hosted the World Champs was in 2010.

"We built the graphic around a monolithic numeral '1', one ring to rule them all, which had some simple koru patterns incorporated into it to cement the event in Rotorua and Aotearoa," says Gaz.

The Singlespeed Worlds returns to Rotorua in November. This time Gaz took his design inspiration from Te Ika a Maui.

"Using the same graphic device, but with a mythic singlespeeder hauling the '1' out of the Pacific, seemed like a good way to connect the event to the Aotearoa creation story," he continues.

"And it'll also remind our visitors that they're in a place that is fresh and new, compared to almost anywhere they may have come from or visited."

The Rotorua Singlespeed Society is New Zealand's smallest mountain bike club, maybe the noisiest, with worldwide coverage of all their events.

Since the first New Zealand Singlespeed Championships in 2008, there's always been a financial surplus.

A total of $30,000 has been donated to rider travel, CanTeen, Cancer Society New Zealand, Kidney Health New Zealand, RSA Welfare Fund and the Rotorua Trails Trust. This year's beneficiary is still to be confirmed. Enter anyway. One speed your bike just for the day.

For $111, you'll get a classic collector's T-shirt with Gaz's beautiful design, beverages on course and at the after-race party at the Pig and Whistle and a Big Kiwi Brekkie back at the Pig the following morning.

Enter by September 1 and you'll be in the draw for one of five seats on a Helibike Rotorua trip to ride the Moerangi Trail, Whirinaki. There are also two bike frames up for grabs - real steel by Jeffson Bikes and bamboo by Freddy Salgado from Bikey's.

There's terrific Rotorua swag from Agroventures, Dancing Moose Cycling Adventure Supplies, Holiday Inn, QE Health Wellness and Spa, Raceline Karting at Off Road and Rotorua Canopy Tours.

Keeping it even more local, Rotorua Lakes Council has supported most Singlespeed Society events with hugely appreciated contributions, with millions of dollars of coverage and economic benefit returned on every dollar invested.

Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust and First Sovereign have always made a big difference to the success of singlespeed events. Nduro Events are the race directors, again. Kevin Martin, from Albero Websites, is based in Tauranga and built the site for free: www.rotoruasinglespeed.com

He's contributed to a whole range of MTB enterprises over the past 15 years, so he's an honorary local.