Bike Check: Aneela McKenna and her Juliana Wilder

Aneela McKenna - A quick introduction

A well known face in the Scottish women's riding scene and the Tweed Valley generally, Aneela McKenna is a person with a presence that extends far beyond her physical size. With an infectious laugh and endless enthusiasm for every part of life, she’s always been as driven by the community aspects of the sport as the riding itself. 

As a Scottish Asian woman finding a love of what were very white and male dominated sports, she developed a focus on inclusion and diversity, co-founding of a number of well known initiatives including the Tweed Valley Trails Association, MissAdventures, MTB Colour Collective and FNY Collective. Working tirelessly to help others discover the simple freedom and happiness that riding bikes in the outdoors can bring, while encouraging participation from women and minority groups, she has slowly transformed her hobby into a career.

From working as a leader taking girls on their first ever bikepacking experiences, to coaching and helping hundreds of women through the FNY collective, MissAdventures and  Women on Wheels events, she’s become something of a champion for inclusion and participation.

Over the years she’s ridden everything from enduro trails to bikepacking missions and gravel epics, with a special fondness for wild rides in the Scottish Highlands. Her new Wilder then should be perfectly suited to her riding life, able to cover huge distances, while still being an absolute hoot to ride on technical trails. Her first modern full suspension XC bike, we think she’s going to be in for a real treat with it.

Having built the bike up for her a couple of weeks ago, we caught up with her to see what she has in her plans for the year ahead and what she’s making of the Wilder so far.

Nice to catch you Aneela! Where to start, maybe just run us through the bike?

The Wilder is an exciting prospect as my first true XC bike! This sleek machine is built for speed and efficiency, which feels like I’m opening up a whole new chapter compared to my trusty Joplin (TVB - Aneelas Joplin is the Juliana version of the Tallboy - it’s quick for a trailbike but the XC machines are a whole different world).

With WTB tyres and saddle, Shimano XTR drivetrain and 4-pot brakes, and Reserve wheels, the Wilder is absolutely amazing on climbs, descents, and everything in between. It climbs like a dream—super light, nimble, and forgiving—and descends with surprising confidence for such a lightweight, short travel rig, making it perfect for both local XC loops and bike packing adventures.

With the Wilder, I am setting my sights on new challenges and I'm especially eager to test it on longer, multi-day bikepacking trips. Living in the Tweed Valley, I'm spoiled for choice with the trails we have on the doorstep, but I am keen to go further and explore some of the long distance routes not too far away. I’d love to have a go at the 344km Southern Upland Way. It’s a coast to coast route from Portpatrick on the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea at Cove and one that’s been on my bucket list for years.

I’ve already got lots of riding projects lined up working with some amazing folks in the community. I'll be working across the UK training up folks as qualified mountain biking leaders, running MTB taster programmes for newbies, and I’m really excited to be taking more teenage girls from schools across Scotland on their first ever bikepacking experience. Closer to home, I've got a two day women's MTB festival to organise with the FNY Collective, a women's mountain bike charity in the Tweed Valley, so there's not going to be much time off the bike!

Off the bike, my goal is to keep up with the strength work! As I'm going through the peri-menopause it's even more essential for me to improve muscle strength if I want to keep riding for longer. It's been a gamechanger and I have openly been sharing my journey with others and the positive impact it has had on my cycling performance. I only started strengthening work in 2024 (better late than never!) and so I plan to build on my progress for 2025.

Tell us about the FNY Collective. It’s super well known locally but there will still be loads of folk who’ve never heard of it.

The FNY Collective is one of my proudest achievements—a vibrant, supportive community where women can build skills, challenge themselves, and feel at home on the trails. It’s a place where I get to connect with so many amazing people - volunteers, leaders, riders and FNY supporters. This year’s calendar is packed with rides, skill-building sessions, and community events, designed for everyone from seasoned riders to those just starting their mountain biking journey. The highlight for 2025, is set to be a two-day festival on 14-15th June where up to 200 women will come together to celebrate mountain biking and community. Stay tuned for more on the FNY socials.

For sure, I've got loads to look forward to, for me it's all about joy, connection and pushing my limits —both on the Wilder and beyond. Whether it’s bringing others along for the adventure, or chasing my own big goals, this is shaping up to be an awesome year. Bring on 2025!

Full Bike Spec

Frameset: Juliana Wilder CC, Size Small, 115mm travel

Fork: Fox 34 SC Factory 120mm travel

Shock: Fox Float SL

Wheelset: Reserve XC 28 29’ rims on DT Swiss 350 hubs

Tires: WTB Vigilante 2.3 Front, Trail Boss 2.3 rear

Chainset: Shimano XTR 165mm, Shimano XTR Bottom Bracket

Cassette: Shimano XTR 

Chain: Shimano XTR

Brakes: Shimano XTR 4 pot

Rotors: Shimano XTR 180mm

Seatpost: One Up V3 Dropper 125mm

Stem: SRAM Atmos 60mm

Bar: Santa Cruz XC Carbon 760mm

Grips: Burgtec Bartender Pro Super Soft