Approved · How we decide
Would we tell a friend?
That's the whole test. No panel, no form, no fee. Two riders, a list of hard questions, and a lot of places, bikes and kit that don't make it.
Two kinds of sticker
Only six of them mean Approved.
Approved stickers
Rare, and hard to get.
Each one passes every question below for its sticker, and goes on the Approved list with its own write-up.
Ride-out stickers
Notes as we go.
A gravel car park, good bike parking, a ride that suits a 125, a stop worth going back to. You'll see these on every ride out. Handy to know, and none of them puts anything on the Approved list.
The rules
Every sticker, every time.
- We use it ourselves. Ridden, eaten, worn, more than once where we can. If we only had one visit or one sit, the write-up says so.
- Both of us say yes. One no is a no. Mel can veto a tall sticker and Glyn can veto a short one.
- You can't apply for one. There's no form, no fee and no panel. We find things, and things find us on Your say.
- Nobody pays. Not for a sticker, not for a nicer write-up. Anything we're sent, we declare, and the bar stays exactly where it is.
- It can come off. If a place goes downhill or kit changes for the worse, we take the sticker back and say why.
Biker Friendly Approved
Is it a bike place, or a place with bike photos on the wall?
Tested by Both of us, more than once
The car park
- Is the ground firm and level, so a side stand won't sink into gravel, grass or hot tarmac?
- Can you ride out forwards, without paddling backwards down a slope?
- Can you see your bike from where you sit?
- Is there room on a busy Sunday, or are bikes squeezed in between cars?
- Is pulling out safe, or is it onto a fast road on a blind bend?
- Could a new rider park away from the crowd, with nobody watching?
Truly bike focused
- Do the owners or the staff ride?
- Is there somewhere for your helmet, and somewhere to dry soaked gloves?
- Are you welcome dripping wet in full kit, without a look?
- Is there a bike night, a meet or a charity run?
- Is it open when riders ride: early at the weekend, and through the winter?
Culture and history
- Is there a culture? Regulars, other clubs, people who wander over to talk about your bike.
- Is there a history? Not every great place has one, and nobody can fake it. Old photos on a new wall don't count.
The people and the food
- Can you turn up alone and get the same welcome as the car crowd?
- Do they treat everyone the same: the learner in hi-vis, the woman on a 125, the bloke on a Harley?
- Are the staff friendly every visit, or only on a good day?
- Is the food the same every time, at a fair price? Nobody rides an hour for a £3 cup of weak tea.
Fails on the spot
- A "Bikers welcome" sign and a frosty look at the counter.
- Bikes sent round the back so they don't spoil the view.
- A gravel slope you have to paddle backwards down.
- Opening hours moved to see off the bike night.
- Shut half the times you turn up.
Short-Arse Approved
Could a 5ft rider live with it, not only sit on it?
Tested by Mel, at 5ft
What we ask
- Bikes: can she get enough foot down to hold it on a camber, not a tiptoe?
- Can she paddle it backwards out of a space and lift it off the side stand without a lean of faith?
- Can she reach the bars and levers without locked arms?
- Places: parking that short legs can manage, with no steep slope in or out.
- Kit: fits short arms and legs without being a child's size.
- We judge by Mel, never by the seat height on a spec sheet. If all we did was sit on it in a showroom, we say so.
Fails on the spot
- Flat-footing it, but unable to wheel it.
- A "low seat option" that costs extra and ruins the ride.
Great Food Approved
Would we ride there for the food alone?
Tested by Both of us, and Glyn's stomach
What we ask
- Is it as good the second time as the first? One great plate is luck.
- Is it proper food, or a microwaved panini with a nice photo online?
- Is the price fair for what lands on the plate?
- Does it work for riders: served in decent time, fine to eat in kit, and nothing that sends you to sleep for the ride home?
Fails on the spot
- Brilliant once, average the next time.
- A menu that looks better on the website than on the plate.
Twisty Roads Approved
Would we ride it again for its own sake?
Tested by Both of us, on the bikes we filmed on
The road
- Do the bends link up and flow, with sightlines that let you read them?
- What state is it in? We say where the gravel, potholes and farm muck are.
- Is the view worth slowing down for?
- Is there somewhere to stop, breathe and grin along the way?
Who else is on it
- Is it full of cars, caravans and lorries at the weekend?
- Is it full of bikes, and are they the good kind?
- Is it full of idiots treating it as a racetrack?
- How many speed cameras are there? We tell you where they are.
Who it suits
- Would a new rider on a 125 enjoy it at their own pace, or feel hounded and intimidated?
- Can a short rider get a foot down at the junctions and stops, or is every one on a camber?
- Who should wait until they have more miles in? We say so.
Fails on the spot
- A great road you can never ride because of weekend traffic.
- A surface so broken you spend the whole road looking down.
- A road the idiots have made their own.
Tall-Arse Approved
Is a 6ft 2 rider still comfortable after an hour?
Tested by Glyn, at 6ft 2
What we ask
- Bikes: do his knees clear the tank, and do his hips forgive him after an hour?
- Does the screen send clean air over his helmet, or buffeting straight into it?
- Can he stand on the pegs without the bars at his knees?
- Kit: are the sleeves and legs long enough in the riding position, not only standing up?
Fails on the spot
- Comfy for twenty minutes, then a cramp.
- A screen top sitting right in his eyeline.
Designed for Women Approved
Was it made for a woman, or shrunk and pinked?
Tested by Mel, on real rides, in real weather
What we ask
- Was it cut for a woman's body, or is it the men's range in a smaller size with a purple trim?
- Was it tested on women? Does the brand say who tested it, and does that show when you wear it?
- Does the armour land on her knees, hips and elbows in the riding position, not only in the mirror?
- Is the protection rating the same as the men's version?
- Is there a real size range, in shops where you can try it on?
Fails on the spot
- A lower protection rating than the men's version.
- Knee armour that sits on her shins once she's on the bike.
- Looks first, fit and protection second.
Hard to get. On purpose.