After a few quick hellos, we’re off!! Great

Nice gentle climb up onto the downs with all manner of lights beaming around like something out of close encounters

Can’t remember if the sky was clear but air was really nice and fresh, bit of wind to cool us down as we went.

First mini loop to get a quick hit of action. A short section of twisty single track before we carry on up.

Right out in the middle of nowhere now, the guys know all routes. Some bigger loops with longer runs. Man this place is rooty! Sus is doing overtime as we bomb along with some more technical woodpiles to navigate and drops to make.

Somewhere up high we all stop and Ronnie breaks out the sweets, nice! and we get a little rest before hitting a fast decent taking us round to some seriously off camber tracks with, yep, lots of roots. Bike was struggling to find the grip and after a number of near fun misses we’re through.

Quick climb up and we’re on the home leg, few sections of trail yet to hit. One quite quick one with a wall on one side and some nice challenging drops. Groups spread out a bit now and everyone hass found their space, big smiles when everyone re groups

Before i know it, we’re back having riden 10 miles and ascended some 1700ft acording to googles mytracks. A good Thursday night!

Southdowns has loads to offer and a really friendly riding group. I’ll be back whenever i can

Piers

I quickly found out that Brighton MTB (http://brightonmtb.org/) seemed a friendly bunch, and after exchanging a few emails had arranged to meet at Sussex University on a Thursday evening for a spot of night-riding.
Lacking suitable lights I was also offered the chance to borrow some impressive Exposure lights (courtesy of Freedom Bikes), and so on that Thursday evening I set off into Stanmer Park woods with 10-15 other bike nuts!

The biking itself was superb – a combination of challenging singletracks, obstacles to jump/ride over/avoid, and even some Northshore thrown in for good measure.
The group seems to be led by different people each week, with someone also at the back to ensure that no-one gets left behind, and the guys have excellent knowledge of the local routes available!

Based on my experience with Brighton MTB, the warm welcome I received & the quality of biking I’ve done so far, I would highly recommend this club to anyone who wants to get off-road again!

Ben

The day started badly with me getting lost on the way despite using sat nav and everyone waiting around until I eventually found the car park. Within a minute of arriving we were off and instantly into the first trail. With less elevation that our home ground everything was flat and twisty and ideally suited for a short thrash bike. My Mojo was over kill but some locals had brought out bigger rigs for riding and wheelies and balancing and even the odd fall in front of watching motorcyclists.

We rode trail after trail with friendly folk keen to show us the best of their area which felt generous every time you turned into another new trail. Dry conditions showed it well but flat ground meant pedal all the way.

Carl had to stop to fix his saddle then Carl had to stop to fix his saddle then Carl sheared the bolt. Amazingly a spare bolt was carried so the saddle was refitted but only a temporary repair. Several more stops, some playing with zipties and Carl headed off to find a shop with a seatpost never to be seen again. Joplin is being replaced under warranty.

Lots and lots more trails and a stop for a puncture. Usual problem but Ashley does not have usual tyres. Several attempts to refit the tyres on to tight rims and loads of volume of the giant tyres eventually got us going. He needed to top up the volume a little but when fixed it rode like a short suspension bike with the combination of the Jones fork and giant tyre. It did not seem to lumber as the mary bars helped the steering quicken and it is lighter than it looks. It was interesting to ride alongside and realise that less suspension will definitely improve your riding skills.

The locals had all started at a brisk pace but when we found a rhythm Brighton’s hills paid off in the endurance stakes and the last section of the ride included the odd slope up and down to vary the workload.

A couple of stops were included for drinks and lunch but with the mechanicals we did not cover the ride as planned but what we rode was delightful. Finishing at the end of the afternoon in the carpark it felt a shorter ride due to the number of stops but all of the visitors seemed to have enjoyed it thoroughly.

There was a final trick in the day when most of the two groups of the day ( around 50) trundle into the nearby pub. Literally into the pub bikes and all. Park your bike at a table on the carpet and order a drink. Final flourish is that the pub provides free food – locally called beige – to all the riders. Chicken, sausages and chips were laid out in large platters so everyone stayed. And stayed. And stayed.

A great day out with super friendly locals and hundreds of twisty trails. I look forward to another visit when I will arrive on time due to my NEW sat nav.

Many, many thanks to Miles and co.

Ronnie

I had spent the day looking out of the window of my meeting at Brighton Town Hall, watching the skies empty themselves and wondering if I would make it. My last ride in the rain had been on my brand new Genesis Core 40 which had come equipped with Continental Mountain King tyres. These are without doubt the worst wet weather tyres I have ever used and I had come off quite badly ending up in A&E… nothing to do whatsoever with my general lack of skill on a bike and entirely the fault of the rubber! My ego was bruised and my legs were cut up but by late afternoon the rain had stopped and so there were no excuses. I got on my bike with its lovely new grippy Maxxis High Rollers and headed for the University car park.

Having failed to regain all of my confidence since I came off I was pleased that the ride got underway at quite a relaxed pace and that I wasn’t the only one taking on the slippery ground with at least a modicum of apprehension. We started by doing a portion of the Big Dog course and I can now be confident of a top 5 finishing position I am sure. (Actually I am only doing the One Dog and was not far off last place in 2010 so I might need to revise my goals somewhat nearer the time.)

The rest of the ride combined some trails that I am familiar with and some that I am not, but all of which are great fun. One of the things I really enjoy about the Thursday night ride is that the uphill bits are treated in the way that uphill bits should be… they are a necessary evil which are only tolerated because they inevitably lead to going downhill fast afterwards. As the evening progressed and the light faded my lights went on and I was particularly impressed by the riders who had forgotten, or not bothered, to bring theirs but who continued regardless. At risk of being accused of having rather traditional views I have always been firmly in the camp of riders who prefer to be able to see where they are going when riding fast over slippery roots and unexpected obstacles.

Nonetheless, everyone made it back and there were no serious injuries. Once in the car park Ronnie approached me with a friendly question; ’You’ve been a couple of times now haven’t you?’ What a nice chap I thought, enquiring as to whether I had enjoyed the ride and whether I will be back. ‘Yeah, great ride’ I answered innocently. Then, without missing a beat, he pounced; ‘Good, you can write the ride report then’.

Oh well, a small price to pay for some fine riding.

Martin Edelman

After quick introductions some typical mountain bike action saw us avoiding the trails and riding the black stuff up hill with cold legs for some, especially me. On the flat the lack of a big ring showed up really quickly and reaching the high point was more effort than I had hoped.

perfect framing

A downhill track offered chance of a photographic moment so the first instance of a snapper hurtling past with huge pack, stopping, snapping and then catching up effortlessly in double quick time left us impressed with early zeal. Obviously he would slow up and struggle to keep up under the weight of all that gear and then we could complain about pack weights of our own.

Some more up, then a tiny down, followed by more up. The flavour of the day was established as lots of up and every time a photographer with a pack the size of a small shed hurtled out of view seeking another vantage point. Sometimes Rob the Record trundled easily alongside at a pace that found me checking gears constantly seeking just one more. Conversation turned to riding with a slower rider which in terms of the South Downs Way is absolutely everyone else. Training alone means he prefers a conversational pace, which is ours not his, as his would be eyeballs out for most of us. He chatted easily to everyone and only wobbled slightly at my fastest uphill pace. His point had been well made however so I slowed some more.

Steve

Steve from Stowaway Bikes was testing a Mondraker which looked very competent up hill and down dale and really stable over the more gnarly stuff. A quick heft proved it to be lighter than I had guessed and worth a test ride for me on another ride. He explained some of the joys of running a bike shop including long hours, hard work and limited time to ride dashing the hopes of anyone who thinks starting a shop and riding every day for fun is realistic. He does ride though as the pace throughout the day was well within the capability of his engine.

A brief stop at the Dyke and time required a faster pace. Oh joy! Racing downhill Simon and I lost a little gap due to a friendly pedestrian but surely a quick catch. A tiny traffic delay across a road and the gap seemed much bigger so I chose my biggest gear and my fastest feet to catch the peloton ahead. Needed a bigger gear or faster feet or, as it turned out, a 29er as Simon simply rolled away up the next hill and joined the group without trying. I tried harder and the gap stayed the same so I kept pedalling continuously down the whole hill and easily caught up when everyone had stopped and waited.

there is never a camera around when..

A rooty climb followed with me behind Matt when he took the Torvill and Dean line. My High Rollers may be slow but those tyres and our roots were not a good combination however all credit to him catching big slides time after time on an unfamiliar test bike. Bike seemed good though.

Another long uphill and the group began to tire so a loop of singletrack to finish. More up to start of course. Some  familiar technical trails and then the day was done. We finished with coffee at the café in mud splattered legs.

Surely the best type of dirty week-end in Brighton.

(Read all about this in MBR magazine out Wednesday)- Ronnie

July 7th 2011 marked my first ride with Brightonmtb. I must admit I was pretty nervous, and rightfully so, as when I arrived I was by far the youngest attendee. After a few brief introductions and a casual ‘you’ll pick up names on the way’ from Ronnie, we were off and riding.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with regards to the riding style. I’m used to flowing singletrack and wide bridleways, uphill and down. But this was something quite different.

I would describe it as ‘Technical Singletrack’ as that was pretty much what it was. We worked our way up the hill whilst often looping back on ourselves down various manmade, but not obvious, trails, all of which had their fair share of drops, jumps, logs, corners, and close knit branches you’re sure to clip your bars on constantly. This made it incredibly fun.

The pace we rode it, well, we weren’t hanging about, and I was pushing pretty hard. Riding by myself I wouldn’t have done half the stuff I rode that night, just due to having lots of people behind me I didn’t want to upset by stopping. That said, when you nail something really tricky, it makes you feel pretty good, so I was fairly pleased by the whole affair.

I fell off just twice, which I was fairly pleased with, and, like an idiot, had thought earlier in the day that I probably wouldn’t need knee pads, it won’t be too intense. Well that was regretted the second I fell off onto both my knees!

But falling off just makes it more enjoyable, like you’re putting the effort in to achieve. Mind, lifting a hand off the bars to avoid getting stung by nettles (despite full arm and hand clothing coverage) is a bad idea, and will result in the bike falling off you.

Not been much of a story to these few paragraphs but I just have to get across that until you ride with people that are better than you, you will never get better, as when you ride by yourself there is limited motivation to push yourself, for obvious reasons. With others there it’s hard not to push yourself! Which will always result in improved skills.

On the whole I had a great evening ride and will be sure to return for another helping.

Will

The night began as usual in the car park at Sussex uni, greeting a few new faces and comparing new kit. Time to choose a ride leader, and after a little persuasion Rob was volunteered… I think he realised he wouldn’t have to ride UP as much singletrack if he was leading the group! This was the first night ever I had forgotten my pack, so I was half expecting to get a puncture before even leading the carpark.

Off into Stanmer park we rode, up the usual firetrails until we reached the first group of trails at the top. We warmed up with a couple of old favourites, before riding a trail with some nicely built features, first a nice log pile followed by some nicely shaped doubles and berms. The route out of here was a little narrow and more than one person suffered a “bike, tree interface” as Mike likes to call it.

Next up, my “favourite”, tank traps, a rooty off camber section of trail. Ronnie as ever was doing his best to show the “easy” way in, but few seemed to believe him and took the better trodden path. Ronnie had helped me out a couple of weeks ago with choosing a line through here and it helped a lot tonight, resulting in riding it with much more flow.

To infinity and beyond, or just to Buzz Lightyear trail, with a couple of new features to roll over. As flowy as ever this was a great trail, with Mike and Ronnie noticing a couple of features at the end that would be improved during their Saturday trail maintenance sessions.

We now headed to the other side of the park via a nice fast section of downhill fireroad. Nerves were tested to see who would brake first, a couple of walkers making interesting trail features. A choice of routes uphill followed either the singletrack or the easy fireroad. Sadly I have to report that I was slower on the fireroad than the guys riding up the rooty singletrack. Next time hey…

The next trail led us to the “Sting in the tail” feature. This has been built up over a large fallen tree and recently smoothed out by Mike. After a few tales of somersaults over it, about half the guys hit the feature nicely including it’s shaper. Queue much goading of Ronnie who didn’t fancy it tonight. I didn’t either of course, but have since sneaked back on my own and conquered it, and indeed it is now nice and smooth.

“Lights are gay…”, Ali was chastised by the northern contingent for having the cheek to turn on his lights before 9pm. I mean, why would he, we could see at least 5m in front of ourselves by that point!? Ali wasn’t “so gay” though when he brought out the traditional sours sweets a couple of trails later…

A couple more trails, losing and regaining Ronnie in the process, led us down to the bottom of the Park and back to the cars. After putting the bike in the car I saw Ronnie approaching me, hopefully to complement me on a great ride… “Have you ever written a ride report Chris?!”.

I enquired and received a very friendly response from Ronnie, who would kindly explain to me how to overcome the obstacles and would wait for me, he told me to “look for the orange bike” and so I did. I investigated a bit more about bikes and changed my old bike for a new one on a Thursday, the very same day I headed to the night ride straight from the shop, somehow the group found that quite funny.

I am reasonably fit, I go to the gym regularly and ride a couple of times a week mainly off road, I had even cycled 50 Km two weeks ago so I though it would be fairly easy, just a bunch of guys leisure riding in the downs maybe… I was wrong, and I was not fit!

The trails and the obstacles we went over in the forest were just amazing, the terrain, the obstacles, every little detail was the product of years of dedication of a man with a passion for mountain biking. Despite of being left behind most of the time and falling off my bike twice, I had a whale of a time, I just can’t stop thinking about it, I just want to go back.

I would highly recommend anyone to join any ride but be careful, it’s highly addictive!

Best, 

Alberto

” I have been persuaded to lead tonight, glad it is only twenty seven”

” I am new tonight so that is why I am hiding”

“Don’t look, he has no head”

“Does my bum look big in this?”

” whistle – check, wristguards – check!”

“now you see me, now you see me”

” Are you ready Mike?”

” I hope this headset is back the right way round”

” How hard can it be?”

” I don’t want to turn around, what is he doing?”

“I can’t see from here”

“I can”

“I feel like a doppleganger”

“why is everyone else’s bike the wrong way up?”

“do you like that lycra feel?”

“not the feel, just the look”

It lies in wait, hidden in the undergrowth and waits to catch you unawares. Daunting, dangerous, defeatable. Many of the obstacles on a mountain bike trail are challenging; narrow gaps, steep drops or a log structure that makes you girdle your loins and race to certain doom on the hidden side but the most fearsome for some is the natural jump.

Some people never jump but everyone can learn to jump, at least a little. Everyone who has tried has learned to jump within the hour irrespective of talent or bike. To become expert requires re-birth as a child, a skatepark nearby and long summer days filled with grazed knees. For the rest of us a basic proficiency allows us to ride most trails and occasionally experience the thrill of hanging effortless in the air.

The first jump is smaller than your shoe and requires the skill. Ten to twenty attempts and usually the skill is fixed in place.

The second jump requires no more skill but a little courage to learn the confidence trick. Ten of these and hope is building.

The third jump only needs dismissal of the little knot in your stomach. It allows you to fly if you just pedal.

Any bike, any rider, just an hour.