Fort William downhill

Posted by mtbnomad

This is a report from my second visit to Fort William’s World Championship in DH.

Initially we spent some time around Scotland and punished ourselves by walking to the summit of Ben Nevis on Saturday. 2h:07m is certainly not the best time in the world, but I overtook most of the people going up and managed to do it without one single stop – it is shame I can’t pedal up hills with the same enthusiasm. Then we celebrated our existence with a couple of litres of vodka, gin, vine and others….

Sunday – the big day!

Arriving at World Cup village at around 11am, we started cruising around the exhibition stands.
One thing that has caught my eye – an all mountain bike frame machined out of single block of alloy – no welds! (see picture A). The complete bike is around 14kg and the price of the frame is around £2500. The guy told me that it takes 25 hours of machining to make the main part of the frame – what a job!

This year I decided to do it opposite way – walk up the hill and take the gondola down for the descent (saving painful knees from the day before). Good idea it was – no queueing for gondola at the bottom and no sliding down on extremely messy and muddy paths around the course.

Immediately after the race started I realized that racing times were longer (+15secs) than the last year and I wondered why….
The course went through few changes just before the World Cup and those changes made it quite brutal. Seeing the course last year and being riding for the whole year, I was under impression I might be able to do it, but…

NO mate! NO way!

Continue reading →

First ride

Posted by mtbnomad

I recently discovered mountain biking a few weeks ago after me and my friend decided to randomly meet in the middle of nowhere in the country just for fun. After that I started to look into mtb, that’s how I found the Brighton MTB page on the internet.

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

Thursday thoughts

Posted by mtbnomad

“I bought a bike last week and rode straight out the shop to here for my first ride here and my first night ride”

” 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”

Learning to fly

Posted by mtbnomad

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.

Continue reading →

4 days in Wales

Posted by mtbnomad

We arrived at Bryn Bettws Log Cabins situated in the heart of the Afan forest late on Thursday night. It was the first full season the cabins had been open and we quickly made ourselves at home celebrating St Patricks day with a few cans of the black stuff.

The next morning we woke early and got stuck into making packed lunches and sorting our bikes out for the days riding. By 10.30am we’d driven over to Glyncorrwg MTB centre only to discover that a few of the Afan trails were closed due to winter damage and the Japanese Larch virus that was forcing the Forestry Commission to fell 13% of the trees in the area.

Luckily White’s Level was fully open and had also had received it’s post winter maintenance, so we set off along past the ponds to the start point. Ronnie and Mike had warned me that the 6km sheep-track climb was quite a challenge, but thankfully it wasn’t too bad once we got past the technical rocky lower sections of y Trwyn and into the hardpacked forest trails in Dastardly and Mutley. One hour later we’d ground our way up through Two Tombstones and broke out of the trees onto the top of the mountain. From here we could see the berms that opened up the new Black Run, but we opted for a quick snack and a run down the Red to open our singletrack account for the weekend.

The first section Windy Point is a fast rocky trail with a few small hits and switchbacks that took us quickly back down into the forest. The first thing that hit me was how fast these trails were. In order to keep up with the others who’d ridden there before I had to put my faith in the trail designer and put my foot down. I was soon grinning from ear to ear, hammering down the rocky singletrack and taking the hits and riding berms like a pro. Next up was Energy which provided some bigger jumps, tabletops and more climbing until it dropped down a very fast trail sporting more excellent hits and a couple of baby rock gardens. Here it dropped into Goodwood where boardwalk sections lead us through a forest clearing and back down into the trees. Darkside is the final section and in my opinion the best section with a very fast trail that had lots more well placed hits and drop-offs, eventually bringing us back down to the MTB centre. With time for snacks and a bit of bike tweaking we’d completed Whites in just over two hours – not bad for our first run!

After lunch we headed back to the Cabin where to ride Y Wall. We rode up a fire-road near our cabin past the new 4x course to Piccadilly. Piccadilly starts with a bit of a climb, but quickly transforms into a hardpacked fast rolling track not dissimilar to some of the runs we have in Stanmer. As quickly as I was enjoying the tree-lined decent it suddenly broke into the sunshine and through a fast rocky decent that cut into a big switchback that then traverses quickly down the side of the hill. Next up was Graveyard which is a spectacular section of tree-lined singletrack that beguiled us into believing we we’re Brian Lopes attempting a record breaking run down Whistler. As we flew down the rocky hardpack trail the terrifying clattering sound of our bikes was augmented by the whoosh of tyres pumping through corners and the whoops of delight from my fellow riders. Again breaking out of the trees we climbed up to the top of Zig Zag which was the finale of Y Wall. Again this is a stupidly fast trail that just taunted us to ride faster than we should have. It’s difficult to find words to describe how good Zig Zag is, so it’s probably best if you just go there and ride it!

The next day we drove to Brechfa Forest which was about 45 minutes drive from Afan. Here we rode the Gorlech Red run. As usual for Wales the ride started off with a reasonably punishing, but beautiful climb up fireroads and tree-lined singletrack. After 1/2 hour we hit the first downhill section which provided fast berms and plenty of small jumps which I managed to take with varying degrees of elegance. After another huge climb which took us to 3000 ft we hit the downhill sections. It was generally quite a fast flowing ride that was lots of fun, punctuated with moments of brilliance. I loved the berm that quickly dropped us into 30ft chute that had to be taken at full speed in order to make the 40ft near vertical assent that directly followed it! There was some extremely well designed climbs that broke into more grin inducing fast flowing singletrack that we pumped through working hard to keep our tyres on the ground. The run ended with a sublime downhill section with switchbacks, tabletops and berms back down to the car park.

In the afternoon we decided to have a leisurely ride around the green/blue trail and enjoy a bit of sunshine. We left our pads in the van and headed off on the ‘family’ route. Amazingly on this beautiful sunny Saturday the trail was completely empty and we quickly discovered that the trail had a split personality as we took the manicured trails at what felt like an illegal speed. The highlight of this run was on what I expected to the a boring run back to the car park, which in fact turned out to be one of the gems of the trip as we carved and pumped our way down an incredibly well designed and thankfully deserted trail, once again at eye watering speed.

The next day we’d hoped to ride Skyline, but with the few decent sections closed we decided to have another go at Whites to see if we could complete it in the magic 90 minutes. This time the run was rather special. We quickly climbed to the summit in 45 minutes and hammered down the descents without stopping in another 45 minutes and then spent another 45 minutes trying wiping the stupid grins off our faces whilst we drank tea in the car park. We drove back to the Y Wall and rode that again to make sure we could do Zig Zag another couple of times.

Our last ride in Wales was at Cwncarn where we rode the Twirch trail, a 15k red run around the mountain. We’d heard from all the locals that the ascent was a nightmare and it didn’t disappoint. It had rained overnight and the mountain was shrouded in low cloud which made the roots and oily stones that criss-crossed the relentless climb very unenjoyable. The ride down wasn’t much better as the poor visibility and slippery singletrack caused some near misses and a rather spectacular wipe out. When we got to the bottom our plan of riding the black run was thankfully scuppered by a bowl of hot veggie stew in the back of the van and the relaxing and warm prospect of a relaxing drive back to Brighton.

Two weeks later, I’m still buzzing from my first riding trip to Wales and I can’t wait to get back there for more. A couple of tips from the locals we met for next time include, when riding Brechfa, visit the nearby Cydcoed, to check out some local trails near the wind turbines that can be found from an unmarked carpark between the Afan trail centre and Glyncorrwg. And when riding the Black run at Brechfa, when you get to the bottom rather than take the fireroad back to the car park, move onto the family trail and enjoy the sublime high speed decent back to the car-park (as long as there’s no families on it!)

Carl

Spring Clean

Posted by mtbnomad

The snow and mud of winter always takes a toll on a bike so the change of clocks should be seen as a prompt to clean your bike. As Easter has now been and gone you need to do your spring clean before it becomes a summer clean.

A full strip down makes this much easier so I clamped it in my bike stand and started taking off bits. If you are going to do the same then make sure you have all the spare bits needed before you take the old bits off. Small items like cable patches, gear cable ends, zip ties even, need to be replaced. I left some stuff grouped together to save a little time and removed the handlebars with the brakes and shifters still attached. This meant removing brake calipers and all the inner and outer cables but it leaves the frame clean. Wheels off, split the chain and remove the pedals, cranks and bottom bracket took only a few minutes.

This would have been enough but I also removed the fork,shock, rear mech and the suspension links allowing me to split the frame as well.

Protective tape does a great job of protecting the frame but it discolours around the edges where the mud is forced in so I removed all the tape, removed the residue and finally removed the cleaning agent.

I washed everything using a small electric parts washer, several trays for various rinsing and most well known brands of cleaners but only those with an orange citrus label.

My ibis came with some touch up paint which was applied where the odd flint had been fired through the tape. I am always surprised at the thickness of the carbon around the bottom bracket but I think a bash guard is a must.

New tape is a fiddle but worth the time to make it neat, the suspension links checked and seemed fine but I will change these again shortly. I found on my previous Nomad new bearings never seemed necessary but always made a huge difference so I will continue the practice. I did remove the seals and add a little grease in places.

All the other bits were checked and cleaned before re-assembly but close inspection finds lots of tiny things. I re-used the pads and cables but they both need more checking when the trails run brisker. The front mech HL stops were reset and the alignment checked several times. The chainset gap is often overlooked but this can be the cause of chain ache. This normally happens in the rain at night though. Brakes back on, seatpost cleaned and Michael Bubled as you need special Bubles in a carbon frame grease to stop it creaking and crooning.

You could rush through a good clean in a couple of hours including a little dismantling or you could allocate a sunny afternoon and do some of the little jobs that get missed. Clean and grease the quick release on your wheels or your seatpost clamp perhaps grease the screws on the cleats of your shoes rather than wait and drill them off.

Overall without servicing any major parts like the forks the whole bike feels better and runs quieter. The source of one creak turned out to be the freewheel which just needed a strip and clean to run silent once more.

The only negative comment was that the removal of my motocross mudguards made it seem less orange so one more job to do.

Chris has been racing

Posted by mtbnomad

Thought I’d give you a quick update on my riding, did the 3rd round of the Gorrick series today, decided to race open as I’m never sure what level I am. The pack started slower than I expected so I made my best effort to push through, but its tricky in a big group, so I was held up in the singletrack which saw the leaders disappear as I found it difficult to overtake in the twisty singletrack and I try to be as polite as possible. Continue reading →

Review: Fizik Gobi Xm Wingflex

Posted by badunclang

Fizik Gobi Xm Wingflex

To change or not to change: that is the question. Whether t’is easier on the behind to suffer the dings and harrows of outrageous log and dune or to catch limbs amongst a sea of timber and by avoiding, miss them ? Choosing a saddle is difficult.

Some are loyal to the one seat moving it from from post to post, others may discount it as completely unimportant but a good saddle makes a difference.

Some Spesh ones I find look good but are less comfortable on a long ride but WTB may look less sleek but last a full day. On primarily longer rides the old Koobi PRS with a split nose was great especially on hard summer tracks and coped with the Surrey Hills.

Playing technical, a change to a short saddle made moving on and off easier and encouraged more body english generally. A longer ride on a bridleway felt harder but orange detailing justifies any choice!

Gobi seems to be the consistent comparison review winner but a custom orange microtex costs €130…..so standard black had to replace the worn through one, orange details and all. A researched choice for me but still a buy and try.

Ronnie’s Shooting Stick

It feels a little concave like a shooting stick but sliding off front and rear seems easy but you need to be deliberate. The centralised position improves power transfer as you can level your hips and drive to a full leg extension. Even if you are trying to emphasise circles a full leg position is more efficient. Less experienced riders tend to notice this more on a longer ride and several new faces have gained an instant gear by raising the seatpost.

A Joplin allows me to rise and fall but the Gobi still feels stronger in a heavier gear. It does not give a free gear out but it helps on a long climb. A fast cadence and the benefit disappears.

Overall the weight is great, it fits neat to the seatpost clamps as it is easy fit and easy removal, the slip versus grip seems good and it cleans easily. It does not shed water like its vinylette cousins but it does not get soggy either. Mud still sticks underneath despite a mudguard but rinses off.

Early days yet but seemingly the reviews were accurate.

Waterproof bag

Posted by badunclang

Ronnie in non-orange bag shocker

If your bike lives in the garage all winter then summer gear will probably suffice for spring and autumn too. If you venture further out into the cold and the rain then a waterproof shell, long trousers and a base layer may need to be added to your wardrobe. Eventually when you have added lights, hats, full finger gloves, winter jerseys, mudguards, winter tyres and supermarket bags to waterproof your feet you might think the list was complete however even your favourite backpack may need a little help.

A rain guard which can be either water resistant or waterproof is hung over the whole backpack but it needs removing for access and occasionally falls down to be trapped between your rear mudguard and the rear wheel where it rapidly fills with mud. An alternative is to use an internal dry bag but exterior pockets and the sack itself get soaked. The solution is a backpack where the material is waterproof and the zips are water resistant as a minimum specification.

A trawl through the internet found a number of bags available. Gourdon, Overboard, Exped, Kappa, Caribee, Ortlieb, Boblbee, Aquapac and Dakine all made my list but they all had different advantages and, of course, the ideal was a mix of the better elements of all the bags.

The Exped was simple, less expensive and a good colour, may be suitable for many riders but the Overboard floats, and could be used in the summer on the water. A pre-Christmas discount had finished so it seemed poorer value for money. Ortlieb was more expensive but it had looked bulkier and more rigid but a good colour again.

Eventually I settled on the Aquapac, which is one of the more expensive backpacks, but it had exterior mesh pockets for tubes, latex gloves and drinks, and divided insides for separation of layers from food, tools and camera. A transparent pocket for money, house keys and phone seemed very useful and a hook for a car key to avoid fumbling in the dark another good idea. An unusual feature is that the internal pocket is yellow with a white interior to improve visibility when scrambling for items in a darkened wood. There are hooks for attaching things like rear lights and an exterior pocket that you can squeeze in a half full bladder if you remove the support pad/seat.

After a few rides it has proven waterproof, comfortable on short fast and long slow rides, access is easy enough through the roll top closure and the side mesh pockets are secure. The poorer elements are the waist belt missing a central buckle, now added, and the mesh pockets being so deep that you need to take the pack off to pull out a bottle of drink, hence the need for changing the waist belt.

So if you need a bag tested under a waterfall on Youtube to ensure it meets the rigours of Stanmer then buy one quick before the trails turn dusty.

Swaning around Stanmer

Posted by mtbnomad

It was a chilly night as I raced down the hill to the new meeting point outside the Swan Inn. A little bit late again. I’ve been coming out for the Thursday night ride for the last six months or so and therefore still see myself as bit of a rookie, especially in the wet. The variety of the rides according to the differing conditions, the complex web of trails and the knowledgeable company means there’s plenty of scope for entertainment.

There was a slightly smaller group of riders than usual that night, but all were ready and raring to go. Our relatively modest number was possibly due to the prospect of a muddy ride because of the considerable amount of rain that had fallen in the preceding days. Definitely a change to the hard ice and soft snow back in December.

“Right, it’s one minute past seven!” I heard someone cry only seconds after my arrival. And we were off – everyone keen to get moving and keep the cold at bay. We headed down to our former meeting point at the university car park to pick up any one who hadn’t heard of the new arrangements or had chosen to go there anyway. With the stragglers rounded up we set off with a group of eight or so riders.

As normal we started with a bit of uphill to get the blood moving and headed towards, and then up into, the Great Wood, forsaking our more normal climbing start past the dew pond. It was clear that the mud, the leaves and the general muckiness were going to make it slower going than usual. My mind was wandering at this point and, as I lagging behind slightly, a couple of friendly voices made a check to see if I was ok. Nice to know there is always someone around to make sure you’re not lost in the blackness of the night!

We rose to try a couple of higher trail sections in the hope of dryer ground but found nothing but sludge and ankle-deep brown puddles. Not that it stopped us trying to rip through the trails and didn’t meant they were any less fun; admittedly at a rather slower pace than usual. Then after a while we moved on to do what is affectionately called ‘tea and cake’ by the regulars. It’s a nice stretch of flowy singletrack where I presume, at the end of it, there is normally an opportunity to stop off to sample the refreshments at the village teashop (but not at that time of night unfortunately!). Through that section I’ve been told it’s best to always try to keep on the ‘high road’, though more often than not I still manage to end up clambering past some overgrown spiky bushes at one point or another. Further down the trail a small queue had backed up and one of us, whilst waiting, attempted to stay propped up by leaning on a small tree. However, the tree had quite been unexpectedly been cut off at the root and very nearly caused a slapstick situation; falling to the floor with tree still in hand. Despite the fact it didn’t quite happen, the thought of it was still found to be quite amusing by those of nearby.

The gravel track uphill faced us next and provided the opportunity for a more relaxed chat, until approaching the top when the need to catch your breath takes over. After that, as usual, we did a load of great trails including that initial steep off camber section that felt just that little bit too dangerous in the slippy, rooty muddiness (and, for me, involved rather too much putting foot to the floor), sweeping berms (that didn’t provide quite the same satisfying flick-through as they do in the dry), plus numerous obstacles that seemed at least twice as intimidating in the wet. On one pointy topped pile of logs, where a steady speed is needed to get over, I bottled it at the last minute, braking harshly. Fortunately I found myself elegantly perched on top of the pile and had come to no harm – though I did manage to disrupt a couple of logs in the process, which I duly replaced.

As we headed on down back to the car park the tiredness and frustration was getting the better of some of us. Bike back ends continually flipped out in the mud and even slight inclines seemed too much to handle except by trudging up them off the bike. My lesson for the ride is that I should perhaps try and get hold of some tyres that can cope with the mud a little bit better. A great ride all in all.

David B