Author: mtbnomad

Just another Saturday

Posted by

0

As this was an extra trundle only four of us pulled on rain jackets and spun out over thee grass. My choice of dry weather tyres seemed challenging as I spun on the very first, tiny slope. Neil was on a borrowed bike and immediately had to cope with two problems. The Suntour fork was somewhat bouncy compared to his usual fare and we could not swap the pedals as despite all our efforts they were well and truly stuck. Neil claimed that they were greased but Hercules would have failed to get them off.

Straight into single-track, then instead of a fire road climb a new trail to try.

Eventually after a few linked trails we arrived at the logroll. It looked a bit slippy and was despatched with ease by some but Neil who rides every obstacle with ease on his Commencal explored the absolute limit of a hardtail and a bouncy fork.

A slip, a slide, a bounce, a rear wheel easily a metre in the air with the forks fully compressed as he managed a virtual handstand.

Anyone who was not either a gymnast or a madman would have bailed off but he landed albeit with less grace than usual. He did not want to ride it again so probably not a gymnast.

More trails, a short climb, a fast run trail, another new trail, some minor repairs and a super twisty trail. We met up at this point with alone rider who joined us for a trail or two. It is always difficult to ride a new trail for the first time but newbie Jim even managed the big log in Sanatorium so hopefully he will join us for a full ride next time.

A bit damp, a bit slippy but fun for all.

I will change tyres now as obviously summer is over.

New Faces

Posted by

0

For those of us with grey in our hair this used to be the name of a talent show, and on Thursday night’s showing the stream of new talent continually joining us is going to make life harder for some of us. Even the ride organisation will need reviewing  if we always get twenty hardy souls on a dark, winter’s night. Continue reading →

Something for the weekend?

Posted by

2

There are several bike tool sets available now and most of them are quite expensive This one form Lidl is cheap  and may contain some tools that are not commonly used but could be ideal for a weekend away in Wales where something will break.

The quality of the tools is much better than I expected with the chain tool straight and strong and coped easily with chain duties. Cassette tool has been used for a few off and on’s with no slips or major wear. This comes with a spanner/lever which is much better than a large spanner and using the quick release or even a ratchet set when I drop the cassette tool onto the floor under the toolbox every time.

Some bits, e.g. puncture outfit, screwdriver, small spanner, are a bit cheap and cheerful and not workshop quality but for emergency use seem fine.

Chain whip does not flex and the cone spanners have an accurate mouth but 17mm is missing so XT rear hub needs another size.

There a couple of other items that will appeal to the old roadie within you but some items have a modern application with one being used last night on a Chris King hub instead of the bespoke tool.

Overall worth buying if they have any left in a store near you and marks out of ten – nine. Now if they had been orange….

hello motec

Posted by

0

goodbye kona

The old grips have served on the old bike and the new one but the rubber is worn out and one of the inner clamps has split. They have lasted well, never slipped and been on and off a few times for cleaning and shifter swap duties. I have soft hands and always prefer softer grips as a general rule but the Kona ones replaced some very soft WTB ones that wore out within a few weeks.

Overall 8/10 as they were a little hard and I prefer the raised shapes to fit my hand rather than spell the manufacturer’s name.

The new grips are on and the plastic clamp seems kinder to carbon handlebars than the Kona metal. Instead of a solid inner tube they have a cut out section which allows the grips to deflect inwards which feel softer.

Curiously there was no orientation diagram on the packaging but the website has full instructions. It seems a simple thing but I wonder how many people would rotate them by 90 degrees to move the clamps forward for easy closure rather than correctly underneath and in the way of my shifter levers.

On the up side though I have a reason for another tool in the bike shed in the form of a computer in order to cross-check manufacturers instructions. On the down side my neatly filed box of all my bike bits instructions has become extinct.

Head on

Posted by

2

A versatile term which might reasonably be used to refer to when Mark has his video camera attached to his helmet, it’s rolling and he’s
getting great trail footage.

Well tonight Mark had his head- on….but the video was nowhere to be seen.  Shame really as it could have been some spectacular footage…….or a spectacularly smashed
camera.

Six of us set off from the car park roughly on time having not let
Ronnie’s new toy distract us too long.  Well it doesn’t take long at
all to realise you can’t just hop on a unicycle and get going.  I look
forward to seeing Ronnie juggling firesticks while slaloming round

our parked cars at the start of a ride in perhaps a few weeks (I mean years don’t I?). natural ability

Our route took us through upper and lower Stanmer trails with every
last one of them proving bone dry and fast rolling.  It was a mix of
increasingly familiar single-track but laced together in a different
order.  Add in the ever extending daylight and it seemed like a fresh
new ride.  Maybe this is what got the adrenaline flowing but one way
or another we were in attack mode and eating up the tracks.

Tucking into the ‘nadgery’ section that Mark has called T&C he commented that he’d been using this trail a lot recently and was getting very familiar with it.  He then missed a turn enabling me to take the lead.  Congratulating ourselves at our
speed we continued on aggressively, Mark back in front and flying, literally
flying……..a major front flip over the bars, between two trees and
slapping down on his back, the bike pivoting around the front wheel
which appeared to have stopped dead on the trail for no apparent
reason.  It was pretty high speed and violent so the fact that man and
machine were ok was lucky (actually I’ll bet he’s feeling it a few
hours later).  Turns out he’d got just a few inches off line and hit
a stump hidden in the undergrowth head-on.  It might as well have
been a brick wall.

Later on we discussed disgruntled walkers attempts to booby-trap the
woods, dogs that bite cyclists and how tonight an eerie quiet had and
stillness to it…..oh and madmen with axes.  The fact that only 3
out of 6 starters arrived back at the cars wasn’t due to any of the
aforementioned thankfully, the others just peeling off early.

To reassure any newbie’s nervously considering night riding don’t worry,
a ‘madman with an axe in a wood at night’ is more likely these days
to just be an ardent trail builder, rather than a good old fashioned
‘madman with an axe……….’

MD

Night ride blues

Posted by

2

Last Thursday I missed you all

I ordered an aperitif whilst sitting in the hollow restaurant of a standard euro hotel in Avignon. The contrast with the warm coloured ancient city wall outside the window was stark.
(I should be in the car park turning on my lights)
I ordered terrine as a starter followed by a forest chicken supposedly.
(First climb so I hope the pace makes for an easy warm up)
The Kir is nice so it makes for compensation but the pate looks uninviting.
(Warmed up now but the pace has made my glasses fog so I wipe the lenses and shed the gilet.)
The crunchy bread is tasty but the pate is bland and the pickled onion skins look stomach challenging.
(First trail, first obstacles, obviously a clean run in perfect balance with no slips or dabs and showing effortless grace.)
Leave the starter and try a glass of Chablis. Warm? No, just tepid. Tepid white wine in France just marvellous.
(Second trail is slippery and I need to time the lifting of my front wheel much better so I force myself to be braver, carry more momentum and it gets easier. My Trailrakers slip again. I need to try Bontragers soon.)
My forest chicken hops in front and happily it tastes like chicken. I have several phone calls breaking the loneliness of eating alone.
(At the top of Stanmer now warm and ready for a longer run down. I make skip a bigger obstacle if it looks particularly slippery or if a log is moved by the rider in front, but onwards and downwards.)
I select the ‘today special’ chocolate tart cautiously and order a coffee.
(Part way down now and I need to pedal briskly to link to a new trail which is really an old trail. My legs feel great at this point and have benefited from a day off the bike due to the lashing rain the day before.)
The tart is dry and unappetising but the coffee has been made carefully with love in an automatic machine.
(We need a quick breather to gather everyone back together for the next trail. All together? Allons-y!
I leave the tart and finish the coffee.
(Some extra bits now that is twisty but soft. This trail is tight and will be difficult to ride fast and clean when it is dry and hard in the summer. There is an obvious obstacle at the side of the trail that we should incorporate into the route. Make a mental note to do this on Saturday.)
I have not slept well since arriving in Euro land on Tuesday and I feel lethargic and have no appetite for food or even the demon drink. Without food I will, of course, have gained weight everywhere except my legs which will have atrophied as if I have been marooned on a desert island for months.
(Last trail, a whoop from behind, a slip immediately in front followed by a great recovery, someone makes it over an obstacle confidently for the first time with a small shout of delight. So a slightly muddy group of riders emerge from the dark and roll back into the car park with a few tired faces cracked by a smile.)
I amble up the empty corridor to my empty box but at least I enjoyed MY ride.