Penmachno

With the 1st ride of the day behind us, a brief lunch and popping around the corner (from the tourist center that is Betws Y Coed) we arrived at Penmachno. This trail differs from the majority in that it's not Forestry Commission developed but a private enterprise affair. Consequently it doesn't have a visitors center ...oh and it's quiet, really quiet with not another soul in sight.

From the teeny car park you crank up a gentle fire road until diving into the woods for a more entertaining climb. In contrast to the Marin trail it's much more flowing with less large rocks to negotiate. This type of trail encourages speed and commitment but these two riders appeared to have left their legs under the lunch table back in Betws! :p We were both really struggling to get the legs into any gear other than "reserve" and I recall the first 4 miles being really, really tough on the pins. I don't think that the trails were that severe, just that ride#1 had taken it's toll. At one point I even thought we'd be pushing up the fireroads let alone on the more demanding techy climbs. I have to admit that I walked a few of the steeper sections but even walking was painful...

This trail has some really long sections, which seem to be more and more common now :thumbu One exposed portion just seemed to go on and on and on, steadily up and up and up :x When it eventually pointed down, my mind and body had almost forgotten what to do ;-) I'm not jesting my reactions were slow and I nearly rode straight into the first big boulder.

The final three sections were by far the best, not least as they now allowed us to flow down rather than endlessly crank upwards. I tend to agree with Uphilla that knowing these trails would really allow you to build up some great speeds. Not on a par with the steep downs at CwmCarn but excellent xc trails none the less.

At the end, we were both glad to see our solitary transport and even more grateful that satnav cut the usual time to our b&b in half. Boy was that road narrow twisty and with excellent views over the range.

Pic's
Route; waymarked private enterprise trail starting just outside the village of Penmachno (a few miles out of Betws Y Coed), Tracklog.
Weather; Dry, mild and mostly sunny
Posse; Farqui(5Spot), Uphilla(5Spot)
Mechanicals; Uphilla's relatively new Shimano LX brakes weren't performing as expected.

Betws Y Coed, Marin

After an early start Farqui and Uphilla cruised effortlessly along quiet roads to the trail head of the Marin trail in north Wales. Thankfully the forecasters got it wrong (again) and with blue skies and warming sunlight, two "sneaky" riders began their assault on yet another welsh trail.

Immediately we were confronted with an entertaining techy climb which quickly raised our heart rates. My pin's weren't quite ready and the resulting "dabs" caused Uphilla to pull out of view :x As with all decent trails there's always a big chunk of climbing to open your lungs and get you fully warmed up and from what little recollection we now have, much of this was on steady fire road.

It's been a few years since I tackled this route and I noted a few subtle alterations that have improved the experience. One section was a particularly nasty rough, steep muddy cross camber drop that had no run-out, which has now been armour'd and is now much more rideable but none the less challenging. Shortly after being built, the Dragon's Back's section was a picture and clearly visible but now the wilderness has taken over and hidden the slumbering giant.

Uphilla was pleasantly surprised to see the glorious, massive views on offer after exiting numerous sections and whilst cranking along most of the fire roads. He quite rightly tagged this as the "most scenic" of the Welsh trails he's ridden and I'd tend to place it alongside Cwm Carm for dramatic views. The numerous little Llyn's looked idyllic in the sunshine.

The Marin trail wouldn't look out of place down at Coed Y Brenin as it too has lots of rocks to negotiate. A few downed trees provided the occasional short diversion and I'm glad to report that all the sections were open and rideable. I'm glad I wasn't riding alone on this one as without Uphilla's help I might still be wedged under a fallen tree :o I mistakenly thought I could slither under a felled tree that was propped up at one side. However, as I ducked under my backpack/shoulders hooked onto the downed trunk and to my horror the chunky vertical support toppled slowly to the ground. Now I was firmly pressed into the saddle and perfectly balanced by a substantial mrDouglasFir. Thankfully Uphilla was close behind and swiftly upended the surprisingly effective log that was previously supporting my new friend. Boy was I glad to get the weight off, I even think my 5Spot groaned a sight of relief too :p

As the trails progress they gradually become a little more flowing and slightly less technical. Encouraging you to keep attacking and hammering along. Well I would have but towards the end I'd finally realised that my fork was far from happy. Initially I figured I just need to adapt from my usual flat-lands technique to cope with these more challenging trails. I then thought that I still needed to adjust to the monster powerful new brakes but moving the levers helped ease the pitching. A few miles later, my aching hands/wrists/shoulders and a sore head from the constant pounding had me looking towards my bouncer. It was clear to see that mrNixon was not happy and was only using a 1/3rd of his travel. Some careful analysis over the new few miles confirmed how randomly he was performing being reluctant to move, notchy and very slow to return - thereby often packing down on repeated hits. Drops become quite a gamble and slow speeds made keeping control extremely challenging. Semi smooth and flowing trails were ok but if the speed or rock size increased I felt like a pinball and line choice became something of a lottery.

The last two sections are an absolute blast with plenty of altitude lost to keep the momentum up. On an earlier visit I didn't get an opportunity to complete this renowned finale and although they don't flow like Afan, they're some of the most rewarding and memorable sections I've ridden.

Back at the car park we both knew that we'd cranked out a decent ride with my legs just starting to go a little wobbly on an empty stomach. However, I was confident that a substantial lunch should take care of them before we continue today's road trip...

Pic's
Route; way-marked Forestry Commission trail starting a few miles out of Betws Y Coed, Tracklog.
Weather; Dry, mild and mostly sunny
Posse; Farqui(5Spot), Uphilla(5Spot)
Mechanicals; Farqui's lower jockey wheel locked solid after a couple of miles - easily freed up after stripping down and lubing.

New Hoops – i9’s

Dudes

I’ve purchased some all black i9 Enduro wheels from Chad @ Red Barn.
To go with the new wheels set; I got some new Hope Buzz Floating Rotors, Hutchinson Barracuda MRC MED tyres (i picked these after reading this blog) and SRAM PG990 Red Cassette and 22t/32t Middleburn inner/middle - Hardcoat Slick Shift Chainrings.

If you’ve seen my blog; I had a few maintenance problems recently. It started with a wet weekend in the Lakes and then leaving the bike standing for two months! I’ve had to replace the bb, all the rear suspension bushes and my RP23 air decided to disintegrate, so looking forward to that semi-new bike feel.

Ride report to follow, once I get the DT Swiss RWS 10mm rear axle from CRC

Toons

Woburn is Black

A few of the posse got together last night for some rooty Woburn action which would also be Sicknote's first every venture into his lordships domain.

All but Rob rode to/from the woods and managed to crank out a respectable mileage by the end of the evening. Rob met us up on the heath where we id'd that Sicknote's noisy bike was prob'ly due to a freewheel ravaged by another damp winters riding.

We found the woodland sections to be mostly dry and just a little springy, so hopefully they'll get faster as the year slips by. Although the roots we dry they made from some interesting sounds amongst the posse as we all slithered around.

Unfortunately, Brumster's light failed without any warning and left him fumbling around in total darkness until someone took pity on him to see what the problem was. No amount of fiddlin or butchery got his lamp working so we between us we donated bits to at least give him some vision. After which, the "fix" made his bike look like it was rigged to explode :lol

On our rapid exit and descent of "lights out" (the original!) we found the top half has been resurfaced, passing by mighty quick. In a moments madness I decided to then head back over the railway line but the horse trodden track was extremely muddy - BAD NEWS. Some pressed on, stressing their limbs while others opted to walk. Either way the bikes were now buried in gloop and more than doubled in weight. The next couple of miles (hard pack) was spent pogo'g as much mud off our rigs as possible.

A few delays and a mixed posse meant we had to leave some sections for another time but I for one enjoyed slicing through the trees with some pals.

Thanks to Uphilla for remembering to switch on his GPS and recording the route. Unlike I who hauled it around in his copious rucksack - along with a "silenced" mobile phone :blush

Posse: Brumster (Liquid), Dozer (Endozer), Farqui (5Spot), Rob (Flux), Sicknote (Hardrock), Uphilla (5Spot)
Weather: Mild, dry, clear-ish with a light breeze.
Mechanicals: Brumster - complete light failure/unfixable. Sicknote - noisy freewheel/quietened with lube

Sneaky Rides

If anyone would rather roll on their knobblies rather than sticking their snozzer against the daily grindstone (all?) then we've two "sneaky" mid week, daytime rides lined up in March;

nWales

Wed/Thu 7/8th
Farq's, Uphilla

Cannock
Friday 23th
Dozer, Farq's, Roger (for his first taste of n.Brum singletrack), Uphilla ?

This'll be a great way to chew up your remaining annual leave and I guarantee that it'll be better than any DIY a certain someone has lined up for ya. Your only problem, is figuring out a way of fooling your better half that you actually spent a day at B&Q rather than having a ball razzin' some sweet trails ;-)

Another Steed for the Stable

Dunno what it is, but I had a strange fetish all of a sudden for 'regressing' back to a hardtail. I'm perfectly happy with the old Liquid but - I dunno - I guess I was just bored one long winter night. Unlike Farqui, I don't ride enough on the Trek (plus the components aren't Hope) to induce weekend rituals of fettling and changing bits constantly ;-) I guess I just fancied some tinkering.

I fancied something a bit unusual in the frame department, and while I scanned eBay for the likes of a Pace 200/300 or maybe even a D'Dave Santa Cruz Chameleon two things became apparent. 1 - they were going for daft money. 2 - if I went the latter route, despite the frame being apparently excellent, I'd be labelled Dave's bitch boy forever. So that ruled the SC out.

I stumbled across a Merlin Dual DH/jump frame. Merlin call it a trials frame but that's a little over-generous. It was advertised with BB, chainrings, front der and cranks. And I like Merlins. They're sparkly, spangly, pretty things. So that sold it, really. To hell with whether it actually rode any good.

Frame sorted so the search for all the bits to bolt onto it. Once again, ebay re-enforced the fact that most of the mainstream stuff on there goes for silly money. I mean, why would I want to pay 90% of new price for a Hayes HFX9 front brake from some bloke called DafydBoy2020 in South Glamorgan, who probably hates the English and has rigged it up to fail catastrophically on the first big downhill stretch of Afan that I next come to?

I'm set on using the two sets of wheels from the Trek I already have, which will save a big portion of the build costs, but does mean I need to pick matching brakes so they swap easily. Which sort of ties me to Hayes HFX9's front and rear (8"/6") unless I wanted to spend some time looking into what other callipers were compatible. I couldn't be arsed; I love my Hayes anyway so happy to stay with them.

So between Wiggle, Merlin and good ole' Chad in Montana, I sourced enough spangly bits to make a bike out of it all. A 2007 Rockshox Revelation 426 DualAir goes up front. Deciding factors here were it's light, they have a good reputation for being bomb-proof, and the price was right. Well, the price was the biggest expense of the lot, but I reckon your fork makes or breaks a bike so I was willing to splash out a bit on that one.

Thomson provide an X4 oversize stem and an Elite layback seatpost, and I managed to snatch a Carbon Rizer Ritchey bar "half price" from Merlin at £50, which I was happy with. Selle Italia X0 seat to park the old schnifter on, and good old SRAM X9's all round for the clicky bits.

Merlin also provided the Cane Creek S8 headset, which I went with because of the good reputation the bearings have. Had a CC in the old Marin and it seemed to serve me well there. Would have liked some Hope bling but just too expensive and, if Farqs bikes are anything to go by, it would self-explode at the first sign of mud :-D.

Merlin had rear HFX9's on offer, so I nabbed one of them for the back, but no luck finding a sensibly-priced 8" Hayes for the front... until I spoke to good old Chaddyboy at Red Barn, who's turning up an 8" HFX9 for the front for me (actually a 7" rear as far as he was concerned, as levers are swapped over in the 'States compared to here).

A Woodman QR seat clamp, some Lizard Skins for the bars and a spare new hollow-pin SRAM chain I have kicking about complete the build, and I'll naturally keep my pedals from the other bike and swap 'em over. I was hoping the bottom bracket, chainrings, crank and front mech that came with the frame would see me through but it turned out the chainrings and square-splined BB in there were knackered, the cranks were old bits of pig-iron and the der was some old Shimano Alivo thing that had seen better days. Sod it if I didn't go and blow another £100 but, heck, I now have some brand new LX chainrings and hollowtech cranks, a decent outboard BB and a new X.9 SRAM front mech.

Built up she weighs in at a trim 26lb 6oz with pedals. The cockpit is compact and forward-biased (as per the frame's original jump/DH tendencies I guess). With a long seatpost she fits better but the riser bar isn't quite riser-enough so it might need swapping in the future. It'll do for now, but it's taxing on the back at the moment. First ride shows she's spritely compared to the Trek (well, duuh) and the relaxed head angle makes her a confident, sure-footed steerer. She feels like she'd fly well, too, but I've not got used to the lightness yet! She's surprisingly comfortable too provided you get your bum off the seat at the appropriate point. Still some fettling of gears and brakes to do to get her bang-on, but she'll get there.

Welsh mid week action

With an excessive amount of surplus annual leave that needs consuming before the eoMarch, I figured it'll be fun using it on a blat around some Welsh trails.

With many of the posse expressing an interest in repeating our (now) annual trip to Afan in September, it seems sensible to roll elsewhere this time. Although I wouldn't mind cranking around those lovely southern trails again sometime soon. Uphilla's keen to get more familiar with 'em again so stay tuned for another mini-trip plan. Further north, the routes at Mach are ok if you want open wilderness but I need to dose up on tasty single-track after a winter away from sinuous trails. Right in north Wales we now have a great choice of centers that aren't more than an hours drive apart so we should be able to knit together quite a number of trails for a short (2 day visit).

"Ooop north" we have;

• Marin trail at Betws y Coed (25km) with which I have some unfinished business. My one and only ride there was cut short as we needed to return pals hire bikes. I've been told numerous times since, that i missed the best bit :-(
• Little known, Penmachno trail, 20km which Uphilla blitz'd last year.
• Private enterprise of Coed Llandegla appears to have a good variety of trails, red 18km, black 21km along with a couple of tamer, shorter routes.
• Or the recently revamped trails at Coed y Brenin and try either; Temtiwr 9km, Afon 11km and the Tarw 20km.

I can appreciate that during the working week, most peeps won't be able to escape the daily grind. But rest assured folks, Farqui intends to get more than his belly full and will flow from turn to heavenly turn on your behalf ;-)

Don't fret Chipmunk I won't be alone as fellow fanatics Uphilla and Rob look like they're up for a dose of top notch singletrack. So someone will be close by to reign in my enthusiasm ;-) Oh and the painful memory of a busted shoulder will probably haunt me and slow me down...for a little while :-D

When? Wed/Thu 7/8th March are when Uphilla and I are aiming to sneak away for a dose of north Wales style singletrack. If anyone else fancies dodging a few days graft in exchange for some knobbly action, then feel free to tag along.

Deuter Cross Air

After 3yrs use my old Scott back pack was looking a little tired, although it's still got plenty of life left in it and hasn't totally given up the fight. However a heavy fall at CwmCarn put a small tear in the body of the pack, complimenting a long term scissor nick acquired whilst removing a stubborn label :O Over the years I've found the Scott's 15 litre capacity to be marginal, especially when on a day ride, or with pals and sometimes 2 litres of fluid isn't sufficient in the heat of summer. But I like the thin, vented straps and clever system it uses to lift the bulk of the pack of your back - meaning no damp patches...

Last year, whilst killing a few minutes in Evans, I stumbled across Deuter packs which offered an abundant array of features and had the same "lifted off your back" system that I like so much on my Scott. Anyhow, Santa's little helper was listening and over the holidays the geezer in red left me a nice new blue pack for me to use. It's now been on a good few miles and I'm pleased to report that it's a significant improvement over my old pack. The padded straps are more comfortable although I suspect they'll get a little more sweaty in the summer. The lower pack padding definitely works, which is a good thing 'cos you can really load the puppy up. It's sooo much bigger and doesn't take any arranging to carry copious amounts of tat. Although I initially thought the helmet slot wouldn't be useful, I've started using it more and more - it stops you dropping/bashing your brain bucket, or forgetting it when loading up the car (Ben and Rob take note).

As the pack didn't include a Deuter bladder I can't report on German system, so I'm still a big fan of the reliable Camelbak hydration units - which slots right in :thumbu

So if you're getting fed up with a damp squidgy patch out back (ooher misses) then I can highly recommend the Germanian alternative to the common as muck "humped" in the desert packs ;-)

...from the Deuter website; Put an end to the sweaty back syndrome! This system keeps the backpack from coming in direct contact with the wearer's back. Moist air can freely escape through the three-sided ventilated system preventing heat build-up. Test results from Germany's Hohenstein Research Institute show that the Aircomfort system reduces perspiration up to 25%. Additional padding at the shoulder blades and hip increase the carrying comfort.

MBR recently give the Cross Air 5/5 for performance; A multi-functional backpack in new design with Deuter Advanced Aircomfort back. Details; a new helmet or jacket holder, front pocket, side mesh pockets, internal separation pocket, interior valuables pocket, 3M reflectors, attachment loop for the LED, hydration system compatible.

• 1,120g
• 22 litre capacity
• 48 x 32 x 20cm
• Ballistic/Super Polytex material
• Practical front mesh pocket with top strap
• 2 front pockets for small items
• 2 mesh side pockets
• Internal seperation pocket
• Interior valuables pocket
• 3M reflectors
• LED loop
• Integrated rain cover
• Superb ventilation with Air Comfort back system
• Hydration system compatible, will easily accommodate a 3ltr reservoir
• Hydro hose clip
• Elasticated sternum stra

Endura eVENT Jacket

Since I started MTBing I've used an Altura Dolomite jacket during the winter but it's now thoroughly non-waterproof and although it has pit-zips I tend to get very hot and sweaty inside it. After browsing the mag's and t'interweb I found that Endura were getting good reviews, especially with their clever new eVENT fabric. As clothes aren't something I'd directly order over the web without trying 'em on first, we checked out a range of light weight winter jackets in our lbs's. Outfits from Fox fitted me quite well, Gore-tex were silly tight and too expensive, Altura's generally lacked features and we eventually found the eVENT. It had a good range of features and it even looked sensible for wearing off the bike - in black at least ;-) Another bonus is that the arms aren't overly long but as medium was a tag snug I opted for a large - something to note if you're looking. Chris (aka Checkov) had been raving out his so a conservative black/anthracite was duly ordered.

I like having a good wind proof top during the darker months and this doesn't disappoint. The sleeves and neck can be tailored from tight to loose very quickly. It doesn't chafe, isn't bulky either on or off the bike and wraps up to a pleasantly small parcel for loosing in your rucksack.

Breathability was high on my list and I'm pleased to report that even with a couple of heavy layers underneath this jacket doesn't give you a 'boil in the bag' feeling. I've not yet worn it on a full bore training ride but I suspect that it'll work out brilliantly, just needing a slight revision of base layers to remain sweat free.

This is the most I've ever paid for a jacket but I'm not too concerned as it offers features available from other manufacturers, at a fraction of the cost. Have you seen how much Gore-tex sells for !

Oh yeah, on my first ride I ended up bouncing hard off a wall :blush with my forearm and the tough fabric shrugged it off without a mark, phew ! Rip stop ? I should say so :thumbu

Features

• Lightweight, fully waterproof and exceptionally breathable (very close to Goretex standards)
• Laser-cut pockets and welded-in waterproof zips (with ‘snap-down’ pullers) give the garment a slick appearance and reduced bulk
• Anatomic cycling design: articulated elbows, extended sleeves and back, single-hand pull cords
• Reflective prints through 360º
• Rear shoulder vents
• Back pocket fits standard OS map

Technical Specification

• Lightweight mini-ripstop eVENT 3-layer fabric
• Waterproof to 30,000mm, breathable to 22,000g/m²/24hrs
• Fully seam-sealed to eVENT approved standard
• All zips are waterproof YKK with snap-down pullers
• Double-front storm flap with gutter
• Storm closures on collar, wrists and waist
• Laser-cut pockets

Thetford - Bomb Holes & Singletrack!!

I was glad when Dozer suggested a ride at Thetford as I had heard some good reports.

It was by coincidence that I had contact with a local guy, Nick (Tubbs on STW), who initially gave some useful updates on the local conditions and then agreed to guide us.

One big bonus of his guidance that would please the Yorkshire men amongst us was that he suggested parking at Brandon Country Park rather than the forest centre and promptly saved us a fiver per car! Another local and STW gal, Caroline (Caro) from Ipswich, also joined us.

The journey over from Northampton was quicker than expected at around 1½ hours. Brandon was heaving with cyclists when I arrived – apparently it was some sort of training day for the Thetford Winter series – even so, I have never seen so many MTB’s in one place before.

The morning ride took as around the area of the way-marked trails, but on sections that were dry and not affected by fallen trees and debris from the high winds of the previous week. (Nick had kindly done a recce during the week). We also took in a couple of the bomb holes that Thetford is famous for, nothing too extreme, but fun. On the first Dozer came to grief when he hit a muddy patch in the bottom and grabbed a tree. Caro promised us she would be slow and she did not disappoint, which was handy giving the rest of us time to get our breath back. It was a mixture of fire roads and singletrack, nothing very steep, but constant peddling needed.

After about 8 miles we headed for the Forest centre Café for a lunch stop – once again heaving with MTBs – some that would be more at home on downhill courses. Caro left us at this point and Nick headed us for the ‘private’ area used for Dusk ‘til Dawn and past signs warning of shooting taking place. Quite a bit of fire road cranking, but then some long twisty sections of single-track with berms, (apparently built by our motorised cousins). I really enjoyed these sections, though it was not natural territory for Dozer and Sicknote did a spectacular dismount coming out of one section when his rear wheel hit a slippy root. The only downside was riding across the seemingly endless furrows, I couldn't quite work out how to tackle these. Nick’s local knowledge gave him a big edge here and he was soon out of sight – I had fun chasing him at one point and could just about stay with him. We found another bomb hole – this time with a small lip built into the exit to give some air – Les managed this well the first time then lost it on attempt number two, ending in a heap on the ground.

Total run was around 20 miles and toward the end the legs were very tired. As Dozer said – there was no coasting here, you were always cranking away. If you know the area this is a good winter outing as there was very little mud on the trails we rode. The mystery of the day was the fact that Nick and his bike were as clean and shiny at the end of the ride as at the start, obviously he knows the right lines to take, nice bloke too!

There was some talk of getting teams together for the Dusk ‘til dawn race later this year :o ...time to start training??

Posse: Dozer - Specialized Enduro; Sicknote - Specialized HT; Les - Specialized HT; Nick - Cove Handjob; Caroline - Specialized HT; Uphilla - Turner 5Spot.

Weather: Cool and dry :thumbu

Crashes: Dozer skidded on a mud patch at the bottom of a a bomb hole; Sicknote "dismounted" after hitting a tree root; Les - wiped-out after tackling jump out of Bomb Hole; Caroline - too many to mention ;-)

Mechanicals; None

Tracklog; Here