Thinking of joining a Thursday ride?

Posted by mtbnomad

Happy New Year!

2014 is welcomed in with strong winds, torrential rain and a slight hangover! The dry, fast rolling trails of summer 2013 are now just a distant memory. Instead, this seasonal weather has blessed Brighton with saturated ground and fallen trees.

All this does not sound particularly enticing, but the first rides back after Christmas have proved to be most entertaining. The slick ground conditions have truly tested the cornering ability of even the cockiest riders. In fact, the slick ground conditions have tested most people’s ability to keep the bike upright in a straight line. But not to worry; the mud provides a soft landing. Fallen trees have diverted trials or provided new obstacles to tackle. Strong tailwinds have led to some record times on the climbs, while strong headwinds have surprised us all with unusually exhausting descents.

The empty promise of the next trail been dry has amused some, but the genuine promise of jelly babies has been well received by all. As fun as these first rides of 2014 have been, as one Brighton MTB member put it, things can only get better from here!

Steve A

riding in sympathy

Posted by mtbnomad

When you have been off the bike for a while getting back to any level of fitness is a considerable effort. A holiday or a a short break is normally a couple of weeks of struggling towards the back of the pack and then slowly getting faster and fitter.

A longer time off due to injury seems to take twice as long to regain lost pace as the time off so will-power seems to be the key. A planned program can help or even returning to old habits may be enough but if you are trying to re-gain Tuesday pace then life can be a little harder. Continue reading →

Trail pixies and trail gremlins

Posted by mtbnomad

If you have stored your bike safely on the garage wall for the duration of the winter you may not be familiar with the current trail conditions. You may have opted for the black stuff and lycra or even joined a gym but if you still are out riding the non-quiche stuff then you know the dry trails of summer and autumn have been lost to memory. Continue reading →

night riding

Posted by mtbnomad

First Thursday Night Ride – 26/09/2013, latest night ride 28/11/13

I’d been away from Mountain Biking for about ten years. I gave my self a kick up the derrière and got back into the saddle and after some solo time (that sounds a little wrong!) and a new bike, I thought it would be a good idea to see if there was anyone else I could ride with.

Thanks to the power of Google I discovered Brighton MTB and joined them on one of their Thursday night rides. It was great to be led around Stamner Park through some of the great trails. The sight of 15 illuminated bikes cutting through the trees was amazing.

I will be back for more.

Toby

True to his word Toby has out again last night hurtling through the dark, holding pace with the pack on the singletrack and coping with all the uphill stuff without complaint. He did slip at one point and I was forced to stop otherwise I would have coped with a greasy, muddy stump easily of course but to make him feel better I waddled like a duck astride the bike over the next two to save his feelings but obviously could have managed this easily – easily.

I did slide into a tree at a later point and he did not repay the favour and made it seem easy as he casually waited and rode around it as if it was not difficult at all. My feelings were hurt at at that point.

So if you have been away for a while, e.g. ten years like Toby, then you could take a chance and return to the saddle. You also receive the cast iron guarantee that a full winter’s riding will bring you up to our gold standard of “barely mediocre” like the rest of us.

Ronnie

Off the bike

Posted by mtbnomad

It’s really about motivation. This year several riders have had a fall that has forced time off the bike but most are back in the saddle – except me. Collapsed lungs, broken ribs, broken wrists and Alex and his famous attempt of head landing are all much more serious than me hurting a little finger but it takes ages to heal, even a little.

I have sat about a bit, looked at some bike bits and sort of waited. I have become an expert at dropping things including phones, lights, tools, cups and sugar jars. I am rubbish with a set of tyre levers. Rubbish at removing tyres that is but brilliant at random firings in all directions so you have been warned. Continue reading →

Dog Bite

Posted by mtbnomad

A backward course, a long spell of dry weather, less singletrack and an early climb – a change for better or worse?

Tuesday prior Tom was lead on a rough guide to the course. Dry, slippery in places due to the dust and riding up nice downhills raised a few complaints. Thursday night ran part of the course again with different faces, a slower pace and the lack of fun seemed apparent. Friday was a trundle with Chris Noble in greasy conditions on Michelin Dry 2 tyres. Flick and slip and slide and trouble. Down Coldean some damp roots and a tree produced a bad dislocation. Adding to all the other injured riders this year I could not even claim a speed or bravery badge as compensation. Continue reading →

Lady of the evening

Posted by mtbnomad

Having only ever joined Brighton MTB on weekend rides I thought it was about time I made the effort to get out on one of their weekday evening rides. I decided to join their Thursday night ride as it was billed as a more relaxed pace and not being the quickest on climbs this suited me fine. Continue reading →

UK bike park

Posted by mtbnomad

There is a myth whispered quietly between mountain bikers of a prize often looked for but rarely found. What it is isn’t entirely clear, the biggest rush, the smoothest jump, the longest – maybe never ending – trail, no one really knows. You don’t win the prize by entering a lottery or answering a question. To win you must first search for and find a thing esoteric and known only in a mountain bikers heart; all that is known is that it can be ridden and once found you must ride it like the world is ending behind you. The thing has a name, it’s called the Gnarr, and to ride it like the world is ending just behind your back wheel? That’s less complicated, you shred it. (apparently). Continue reading →

bionics

Posted by mtbnomad

Mark M has help to set off alarms at airports due to riding much too fast and dropping nearly everyone behind.

Luckily it is not as if he has to go through airports every day or anything like that………..

Culture for mountain bikers

Posted by mtbnomad

Art for Art’s sake and money for God’s sake goes the tune but this art is free. John rides Tuesday and Thursday and finds time to be creative in between cleaning the mud from the bike.

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…