Draft plans have been considered but the design for the multiple use of the site to allow kids and older to make the best of the area and the funding (£8000)

If you are interested in helping with design, can offer technical knowledge or some media assistance then the link is below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shoreham-BMX-Track/304542906339134

He has an exhibition on at Ropetackle in Shoreham (ropetacklecentre.com) until June.  His website is john-north.com.

I chose this painting as it is titled the Art of Falling which is a subject well known to all of us. I have only reached craft level of falling which is roughly GCSE but with extra practice during summer I expect to improve towards journeyman. This is falling and jumping back on quickly and hoping nobody notices.

Obviously if John falls now we expect full on grace and elegance and he is not allowed to fall on his own as we need to be nearby to appreciate the art.

There are lots of other paintings on the website including more that are bike related but may be quite difficult to spot.

Amazingly we have a rider with talent…

I posted the real lyrics below to help you sing along.

Ash did.

He sang the song to his wife.

She took away his beer.

So if you want to come along and sing tonight be there at 7pm

There’s a reason for the sunshine sky’s
There’s a reason why I’m feeling so high

Must be the season when the trails are dry all around us

So let that feeling grab you deep inside

And send you racing where your fear can’t hide
And then go riding through the moonlit night like no other

Just let your ride flow like a mountain stream

And let your fun grow with the smallest of things

And let the brakes go and you’ll know what I mean it’s the season

Let the bike fly like a bird on a wing

And let it take you past dangerous things

And let your heart sing and you’ll know what I mean that’s the reason.

For night rides you need off-road lights even now as it is darker in the trees and when everyone else turns on their lights it makes it difficult to ride in the group without lights.

You must wear a helmet.

Somebody falls off on every ride. It may be on a fast trail, over an obstacle, hitting a hidden stump or even over a rock at the car park. Some of us have even fallen over when stationary with one foot on the ground (me). Most of the time the only damage is mud on your clothes.

Sometimes you bump your head. That is why you wear a helmet. Please always wear a helmet when you ride.

For our rides you must wear a helmet.

We will use this for rides and late changes if it proves helpful. Rides will still be emailed, on the website and the forum. Obviously you need a twitter account to tweet and my phone may be unsuitable.

Not necessarily – If your diet has a lot of the ‘bad’ stuff and not so much of the good, your insides might not be in as good a shape as you think.

Fats are mobilised predominantly during low to moderate intensity exercise or if you are working so hard you have depleted your glucose stores; they are also used when fasting and if you are suffering from the cold.

The three most well-known types of fat are saturated fat, unsaturated fat and cholesterol. The body naturally makes enough cholesterol sufficient for its needs without adding in additional cholesterol derived from a poor diet.

Additional cholesterol in the diet is derived from saturated fat – LDL cholesterol (big bad thing) and is in your “tasty foods” including crisps, chocolate, fried food, cakes and processed foods. Your LDL level is also increased when you consume too much red meat or dairy products (another bad thing). These all contribute to causing harmful effects on the body, greatly increasing fatty (adipose) tissue in the body and having a particularly negative effect on circulation (lots of bad things).

Circulation includes all of your blood vessels; LDL’s (the bad things) cause damage to the walls of the vessels particularly your arteries. This causes plaques to form which damages the vessel further and causes a narrowing of the vessel; this means less blood is able to flow through at one time making your heart work harder (even more bad things).

These LDL’s (bad things) are essentially “mopped up” by good fats; these are your unsaturated fats- HDL cholesterol (good things at last!). These are commonly found in fruit and vegetables, wholegrain foods, seeds and nuts, lean meat and oily fish and are known to have a positive effect on fat in the blood (good thing). HDL’s are able to reverse the transport of LDL’s to the arteries bringing them away from artery walls and redelivering it back to liver to be digested (another good thing). This helps to prevent narrowing of the arteries which causes untold damage (really bad thing).

Your cholesterol, and your ratio between good and bad bits can be checked at your local GP or health service and it is completely free. A healthy balanced diet should have no more than 10% of daily energy intake from saturated fats with a total consumption of fat (so including the good stuff) of 20-30%. Fat numbers are on every packet and 90g is your limit for the day.

The negative effects of too much saturated fat consumption are vast (warning! bad thing), including increased risk of cardiovascular disease – heart disease and degeneration of blood vessels. These can lead to heart attacks, angina, strokes as well as high blood pressure and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (terrible things). There are ways to combat this though (good thing). A healthy balanced diet is key to reducing your risk factors- that doesn’t mean you can’t eat any of the bad stuff it just means only eat them in moderation- and make sure you get enough of the good stuff to combat it. Riding your bike regularly will also help (good thing of course), not only will it mean you are using the fats that will reduce your risk factor it also means you will have less weight to carry around on the bike letting you go that little bit faster. (good thing for you but bad thing for the rest of us). It is suggested that 150 minutes of at least moderate intensity exercise should be completed every week to help maintain good cardiovascular health- so maybe go out and play on your bike twice this week!

Ok now we’ve got that sorted, here goes………

Concept – A fully rigid bike with some built in ‘give’. To keep things simple and create an enjoyable involving ride that will test your skill and reward your efforts.

The Design – The frame set is designed as complete unit with the fork and handlebars, so the geometry of the frame and fork complement one another. Perhaps its most unique feature is the truss fork. This is designed to be super rigid and precise in its handling with 55mm offset to quicken up the steering. The frame is designed to be laterally stiff but with some vertical compliance, a video on the Jones website shows this, with the chain stays flexing up and down and the seat post moving back and forth. This, combined with a long flexible 27.5mm seat tube takes some of the sting out if riding a rigid bike. It’s designed as a 29er, so the larger wheels roll better than 26″ wheels. The frame set sets out to solve the challenges of 29″ wheels. The wheelbase is kept very short, with a bent seat tube to allow for short chain stays. It’s wheelbase is actually shorter than my 26″ full suspension bike. A short wheelbase equates with nimbler handling. Another issue with 29″ wheels is flex, with the Jones, the front fork is designed to take a 135mm front hub, this allows for a dish-less wheel that is stiffer and stronger than normal. A specially modified 6 speed cassette is available to fit on a single speed hub to allow for a similarly stiff dish-less rear wheel. The wheels are built from 35 or now 50mm wide rims  (the frame is designed to take 2.5″ tyres) – this spreads out the profile of the tyres and allows for lower than normal pressures  - typically 18psi for the front and 20psi (somewhat less with 50mm rims), with tubes, increasing grip and comfort.

The accumulation of all these design choices, (29er, stiff direct fork, large volume tyres at low pressure, wide rims, vertically compliant frame, short wheelbase) is a bike that dances through twisty singletrack with aplomb and is simply a joy to ride.

Fat – Another option is to run a FAT tyre up front, a 26″ rim, (typically 50mm to 72mm wide rims are used) and tyres up to 4.8″ will fit. The fat tyre on a 26″ rim adds up to the same diameter as a 29er wheel. I usually run a 4.8 Big Fat Larry tyre at 7.5psi with a wide 72mm rim which allows for low pressures whilst maintaining stability. These tyres are great fun to ride – trail buzz is nicely absorbed and it has the feeling of being able to roll over just about anything – it’s pretty confidence inspiring. The downside of these tyres is weight and rolling resistance – this feeds back as a somewhat slower steering feel, it takes some adjusting to but once dialled in, it’s grin inducing. The tyres offer bucket loads of grip in winter slop too.

The latest option is the 3″ 29er+ Knard tyre by Surly – which manages to combine the best of both fat and normal tyres – it’s a real blast to ride, fast responsive handling, plenty of grip and some of the cush offered by fat tyres – it’s a winning combination.

The final feature is the “H” bar, which is designed for a natural hand position (unlike normal handlebars!) – I find them great, but they’re marmite – that’s for sure!

I thinks that’s about it.

Ashley

Coming from having only ridden hardtails (mainly due to the high cost of full sus frames) I decided to take the plunge into my wallet and buy a new frame. The hardtail I had was a Yeti Arc, although fast light and great for Stanmer trails, was aimed at the more xc end of riding.

I wanted a stronger frame I could take most places and not worry about breaking it, or myself, in the process, plus the 100mm of travel up front limited me to what I rode and how fast I rode it.

The check list for the new frame was as follows:
Tapered headtube
Dropper post compatible
142mm x 12mm rear end
Good looks
Fairly light but strong.
The Dexter met all these things and more. Only having 110mm at the rear it can have 100mm all the way to 140mm up front and comes with a lifetime warranty. I’m currently running 120mm fox float forks. These slack the head angle a tad and due to the adjustable geometry, via a simple swap out chip design, I have a 68 degree head angle making it nice and stable at speed and manual a treat, yet fast and agile round the tight singletrack.

Compared to a hardtail the obvious benefits are comfort and a lot more grip, especially over rocks and roots and around corners. I have gained more confidence and speed whilst having more fun on the bike.
With careful kit choice the bike weighs a respectable 25.5lbs.
Spec:
Devinci Dexter frame
Fox rp23 shock
Fox float 120 tapered 15qr fork
Hope 70mm stem
Easton haven carbon bars
Reverb dropper post
Formula RO brakes
Xtr trail mech/shifter
Xt chain xt 34 11 cassette
Raceface turbine cranks
Hope 36t single ring
Spank spike flat pedals
E thirteen xcx guide
E thirteen xcx+ wheelset
Schwable dirty dan tyres tubeless.

So far I have had no real issues with the bike. The rear shock needed a look under warranty but was sorted by Mojo within 2 days and by the sounds of things is a fairly common problem.

If your looking for a new frame then take a serious look at Devinci’s line up and read the other reviews. I got mine from Freeborn cycles in Horsham who have a full range with test bikes to try out.

Laurie

The key factor about shorts is the saddle. If the shape, stiffness, condition or set up of the saddle is poor then your shorts will have a lot to contend with in the comfort area and power output, balance and even your centre of weight in a corner may be substantially affected.

Many riders do not experiment with saddle position but less experienced riders tend to start with the saddle at the shop setting. So sort out your saddle position first. Still not comfy then try a different saddle. Good saddles are not necessarily expensive but shape and padding vary considerably so try a few. Even sitting on a bike in a shop could tell you what feels wrong for your shape.

You are trying to balance correctly upon your ischial tuberosities (sitting bones) so the shape has to match you irrespective of whether you are mountain climbing thin or downhill racing muscle. So saddle is sorted and set correctly which is normally level but can be a little offset.

Now go and get out all your shorts and turn them inside out.

new to older

foam removed showing base cover

top cover removed to show foam

The padding should be flat and even. Repeated washing will wrinkle them a little but if your wrinkle turns into a crinkle then time for a new pair. Inside the cover of the padding is a thin piece of foam held flat in place with glue and when this separates the layers move independently. This causes friction which is the source of many comfort problems even on a short ride.  A padded short has four layers in total with three layers making up the pad.

In the past leather chamois pads used to harden with use and repeated washing so cream was used to keep them supple and soft. Now the cream is used mainly as a friction reducer. On very long rides or on riding holidays it could be a benefit but perhaps try it out before a holiday as it could affect the pads in some shorts

Some shorts have removeable liners that can be replaced and some under shorts are designed to be worn underneath baggy shorts (without liner) or underneath trousers. Some baggy shorts have a sewn in liner and the same check applies however you could cut out a worn pad from these and substitute an under short. Some riders prefer longer lycra padded shorts underneath baggies for both looks and the warmth and tension around the thigh muscles. Undershorts are grippy and lycra tends to move freely under the baggy short. This might seem unimportant but check how many riders pull at their waistband and tuck in a jersey to avoid a cold back so choose what suits. From the photo you can see the shape varies too. Again try a few types to find one that suits.

Padded shorts are all meant to be worn without additional underwear underneath as an extra layer can cause more friction and although it can be inconvenient if riding to work you need to ditch the thong and mankini and make room in your backpack. Obviously you need to remember to carefully empty your backpack before a night ride otherwise if you have a puncture……

So although it is NOT you, avoid a PILE of trouble check for crinkles and if you have a question then ask somebody else because I do NOT know.

None of this however will actually help you feel any better past the immediate effects – you will still wake up starving and sore tomorrow wondering why you do it. 

The reason you are craving sugar is because you have lowered your bodies instant stores, your blood glucose are lowered and because you have worked so hard up that hill you were working at a high intensity and therefore anaerobically (a limited oxygen supply) so you have been unable to breakdown the more complex sugars. As you have stopped your body is working at a low intensity ( leaning on the handlebars) and it has started to recover replenishing the muscles with oxygen  allowing aerobic breakdown of energy.

This allows your  body to start burning fats. This is a normal and healthy response; you may think you need the sugar but it is just your body switching over to utilising fats – ideal for those looking to ‘lean up’. The other reason may be because you are dehydrated mistaking needing food instead of water.  You should try and sip water as you ride to maintain your hydration levels throughout helping to avoid getting into a dehydrated state in the first place. If you don’t however you should try to replace the water lost, predominantly through sweating, by drinking approx 1-1.5L following a hard ride; the volume required does vary between people with some needing more, others less. 

OK so you have started to rehydrate, now to ease your muscles you should try to do a 5-10 minutes gentle cycling, even round the car park. This helps flush the lactic acid, among others, from the muscles and aid replenishment of well oxygenated blood. This will help minimise or avoid those dreaded muscle aches and pains the next morning. This is known as delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and its severity can be improved by a simple cool down.

  You are now ready to jump in the car and drive home. 

Once your home you should make a high protein, low in saturated fats, carbohydrate dinner, not your instant microwave meal. Getting the good stuff in within 2hrs following a ride, in particular protein, will aid recovery as this is the window when your body is able to absorb protein etc. at a greater rate, key for repairing muscle fibres. This combined with gentle stretching of the major muscle groups used (quads, calf, back) will help minimise the effects of DOMS the next day. Not only will you feel better but it will mean you are completely recovered for your next ride. 

Now you can get in your warm shower and relax!