How appropriate...

What a crackin' card - brilliant

Cannock- The Monkey Trail

Indulgent, I know, but Dangerous and I decided to have a sneaky weekday trip to sample the recently opened extension to 'Follow the Dog' at Cannock.

Rain had just set in as we loaded up, but we thought this might not be such a bad thing with the surface at Cannock. However, by the time we reached Birches Valley all was dry.

Interesting to see how popular this site is on a weekday, there were plenty of other riders about.

Along with building the new section, Chase Trails has also tweaked the 'Follow the Dog', so even this felt unfamiliar in places. A new steep switchback section takes you down to the railway/road crossing to 'Monkey' - we watched others carefully picking their way down and I must admit being 'challenged' by a stepped hairpin!

Across the road is like another world, quite different in character and with hints of Welsh and Scottish trail centres. A steep switchback climb gets your legs warmed up - we would have cleared this had it not been for a lack of grip and resulting wheel spin. The new trails are brilliant and very much 'Red' graded. Fast, twisty singletrack with the odd rocky surprise thrown in. Lots of potential for being airborne if you are feeling brave! It just got better and better. One section has some optional 'Black' rock gardens - David cleared these - I stayed on the red. Climbs are not too taxing and at the highest point there was a viewpoint and picnic spot for a welcome rest.

The 'new' section is fast swoopy with lots of 'berms' - brilliant!

Back across the road a familiar long 'fire road' climb joins the old trail and leads past the Marquis Drive centre. The original fast downhill trail is closed and after another road crossing you join a new final section which maintains the new standard - fast and testing singletrack, the end of one section is a sheer drop of at least 2', a very nasty surprise for me. Then you are into a fast 'jumpy' section with some very big 'table tops' and 'doubles' - all can be rolled.

A definite thumbs up. Sadly I really felt 'off form' for much of the ride - It is quite a while since I rode the 5-Spot and for some reason I did not feel at all right on it. It felt big after the Duster and the lose surface meant quite a few 'moments' with the front wheel drifting off line :-( I really want to go back and try it all again with the hardtail - interested to know whether it will work better or if it was just a 'Bad day at the office'.

As we sat enjoying a post ride coffee at the Birches Valley Cage we spotted a Porsche Cayman pull in the car park with a bike rack on the back - now we have seen it all!

Posse: Dahnhilla; Commencal. Uphilla: Turner

Weather: Very cool, but dry.

Mechanicals: None

Tracklog

More photos

NANT YR ARIAN - May 2nd 2010

Last year Chas and I visited Nant Yr Arian for the first time. We rode the Summit trail which is a very enjoyable Red graded trail but completed the ride quite quickly and were left feeling that it was somehow too short. Nant Yr Arian is located in mid Wales around an hours drive from Aberystwyth on the coast. It is a very rural and quirt part of Wales and last years family holiday was such a success that we decided to repeat the holiday on the same weekend this year.

This time around we resolved to ride the longest route on offer, the Syfydrin Trail. Its Black graded, 35Km long with over 3000ft accent and encompassed the Summit trail that we rode last year. The trail route map contained the following description:


"We almost don’t want to tell you about Syfydrin because it’s the wild, desolate, lonely beauty of the far loops of this route that create its magic. A unique mix of technical singletrack and ethereal emptiness, this genuine mountain route is one to savour, but certainly not one to underestimate."



I'd say that the above description could not be more accurate. The ride starts from the car park and the initial trail sections are classic trail centre single track..tristy berms and switchbacks...I really great start to the ride. However, its not long before the trail breaks off and using some short road sections quickly develops into remote double track. At first its uphill, then as it plateaued we were subjected to very wet (knee deep puddles!....all I could think of was my bottom bracket and suspension sealed bearings being washed out!) . Finally, it descends. It remains double track but the decent in places is rocky and moderately severe. It's certainly the most technical challenging section of the route and I found it enjoyable but a handful in places. As a result about 50 yards from the bottom I found myself travelling too fast, taking the wrong line and on wet slippery rock drop offs.....WIPEOUT. I'm now the proud owner of a very big black and purple bruised arse!! A bit shacken up...I resolved to ride on in hope that the pain would subside.




Not long after this section the ride began a gradual but long accent across wild open countryside and on route back to the shelter of woodland and the Summit trail. This isolated section of the ride was fantastic. I real feeling of wilderness and towards the top of the climb fantastic views of the sea and Welsh coastline (I wasn't expecting that!). On a wet and windy day, I can imagine that this section of the ride would be quite gruelling. Fortunately, just like last year...we had great weather!



Once back in the forest we picked up the Summit trail and set about making the most of the single track sections. However, the best of these (towards the end of the ride) are interrupted by a climb referred to as 'the log burner'. It's around 3 miles continuous uphill and I was very pleased when it was finally over and I could enjoy the last two single track woodland sections back to the car park.



Great ride. I will ride again and would recommend.



To add to the feeling of wilderness....we arrived at Nant Yr Arian on a Bank Holiday Sunday. We rode a great trail and for 3 1/2 hours only saw 5 other riders!!



Trail: Syfydrin - Nant Yr Arian

Riders: Chas, R2

Rigs: 2x canyon's

Mechanicals: none

Incidents: R2 Wipeout....ouch

Chicksands XC

Although Chicksands is not that far from home I had never visited. It is known for its jump areas, 4X tracks and various other ways of doing serious damage to yourself :-)

A trip to Bedford left me with some time to kill and a look at the map found a bridelway route down to the woods, fairly easy going, but on a bright spring day it was good to be rolling on dry trails.

The Chicksands website says that the XC trail is in a poor state, but actually it was not that bad compared with the churned up bridleways we often ride.

Red and yellow arrows painted on trees guide you round and in such a compact area it is easy to find a few variations. Although surrounding countryside is flat, the terrain here has some steep, if short, climbs - in fact when I came to the first 'up' I thought the arrows must be pointing me the wrong way! This was my first proper 'off-road' outing on the Duster and the phrase 'climbs like a goat' came to mind - I would not previously have though I could clear such slopes on a bike.
Not worth a long journey, but well worth a visit if you are in the area. Also fun to try the 4X track and other stuff if you are feeling brave. There is a charge of £5, this is supposed to apply in the week now too.

Posse: Uphilla. - Charge Duster

Weather: Bright and sunny

Mechanicals: None

Tracklog

HONC - 100KM 11th April 2010

Hell Of The North Cotswolds 100km

It's been over a week now but I reckon a ride of this magnitute deserves a blog. 

I completed a 50 mile charity ride last year with relative ease, and during a discussion about the various endurance events throughout the year, I foolishly questioned how hard can it be? It's only another 12 miles?

How it is is something I found out, the hard and painful way, as the day crept  up on me before I had chance to get fit...  

The route starts of in Winchcombe, were a school playing field became a giant carpark and the scene of the mass start. A complete contrast to XC races I've taken part in before, everyone patiently filed out onto the road. I guess with another 50 or 100 km ahead, nobody's is in any hurry... The 'ride on the left' rule kinda went out the window, though. 

The route takes you through picturesc villages down country lanes, rutted bridleways and rocky tracks. I'd describe the route as 'relentless'. The combination of hard climbs and rutted off road sections sapped the life out of you and at 60km, I began to feel faint and completely bottomed out. 

From then on in, I was running on empty, carrying on through sheer stubbornness and the stuffing of lucozade gels down my throat.

The final climb took you up an open, grassy hill which was just the final straw - especially when it promised a downhill only to climb again! 

The weather was perfect and conditions were mostly dry with only the odd puddle. The bike performed well, but further fettling of the rebas as they lacked sensitivity to anything less than a large rut or boulder. 

Respect should also be given to Alex, who completed the ride with me, but on a singlespeed!!!

It was a great day and I'm proud to be able to say I've done it but, I won't be attempting it again without any significant volume of training. 

Dangerous Dave Returns!

Since the crash that killed the Gemini frame, I’ve suffered from a severe lack of confidence in anything that involves getting my wheels off the ground. Sure I’ll pop a little hop or jump over a root or log jump on an XC loop but as soon as the full face goes on, my entire mindset changes and I spend my entire time thinking “what if?” even before hitting things I’ve mastered previously.

A lot of this was down to me and my Judge being utterly incompatible, no matter how hard I tried it just felt wrong… however, I now have a new DH frame (blog to follow in due course when it’s finished!) which has put the fun back into riding and in addition increased my confidence…

To help with this I’ve been paying some visits to Chicksands on a Sunday morning with some mates. This Sunday was my second visit so far, and I am happy to report that the Dangerous Dave of old is resurfacing! Racing down the dual I found myself enjoying the air time and pushing harder and harder to clear jumps or go higher rather than shying away and s****ing myself. There’s still a good way to go and I hope I can get there before I head out to France this year but I’m starting to remember I can jump and drop off things without concussing myself and as a result I’m starting to enjoy riding again rather than kicking myself for being such a wus!
This Sunday I was also lucky enough to get a good shot of me “styling” it up over one of the jumps on the dual!

Conditions were good with some slush on parts from the recent rain fall but overall, both the dual and 4x track were running nice and fast.

It’s also been the first time I’ve ridden the Meta since the last time it came out on a Knobblies ride, it had been decommissioned to bring the Chameleon back from retirement for Afan. Eagle eyed viewers will note the absence of the Pikes; those that were with me at Afan will remember me spending the entire time cursing them and on returning home I looked into converting them to coil and getting the PUSH rebound damper fitted. Given the cost involved and that the coil kit is incompatible with the UTURN Air chassis, I binned this idea, deciding not to polish a turd and plumped for some Marz 55 customised with RC3 and air cartridges. I must say it was a good decision, although the weight is up the performance gains are massive and that big 35mm stanchion chassis makes light work of badly landed jumps and rock sections.

Precious Metal - Duster Ti

It has been a while since I indulged my addiction to bike building, but when I spotted a Charge Duster Ti frame on Singletrack Classifieds some weeks back it all kicked off again!

The long cold winter had made me think about rationalising my choice of bikes. The 5-Spot is now refined to the point I am completely happy with it for the rougher stuff. The other bike that I use most is the S-Works hardtail, but with only 80mm of travel I had been thinking of a longer travel hardtail. The Duster is about the same weight as the S-Works, but a more comfortable ride in theory.

Although I did carry over some bits from other bikes, the classifieds provided some quality bits to add to match my 'niche' frame - you will notice a red theme, (not sure what came over me here). Brakes are Avid Elixir, shifters SRAM X-9 with matching front mech and X-0 rear. Cranks came from On-One sale -FSA MegaExo Carbon 170mm. I did a deal with a guy on Ebay for the Fox F100RL forks. Wheels are Bontranger Rhythm tubeless ready off a Trek - came new with tyres, but I have added a pair of Racing Ralphs.

The 'build' did stretch out over more weeks than I had hoped and provided one or two challenges - the biggest puzzle was that the rear mech mounting fouled the chain as the hanger is quite thin and I ended up making a washer to solve this conflict.

Last Friday it all came together and I was able to get out for the first ride. The geometry and set-up is very different to the S-Works, which is now really set up as a road bike, so it felt like much harder work in places. I think the 2.25 tyres may be a bit OTT, but do offer a good ride. Trying a Fizik Gobi saddle again and this feel good, but realised that the seatpost is slipping down, which partially explained why it felt like hard work at times.

Sunday saw a longer ride with some nice off road sections - pleased to say that it felt very comfy and agile, so feel I am getting used to it. I had tried and given up on SRAM shifters before, but this time I am completely sold they work perfectly and I love the space-saver mounts on the Avids. Some will remember that i had 170mm cranks once before, (without knowing it), hopefully I wont regret this choice...certainly smaller tyres might just make it all a bit easier on the legs.

It will be sad to see the Specialized hardtail go, it has been with me a long time now and has covered more miles than any other bike, but hopefully the Duster will serve just as well and be a bit more versatile.

Harelstone Firs - Spring is here!!

If you live in Northamptonshire and enjoy Mountain Biking it is going to hard to find anything exciting locally. Harlestone Firs is one of the only places where you can find anything vaguely like singletrack. It has been used for off-road riding for years - though you have to share it with dog walkers, horse riders and (illegal) dirt-bikes.

Dahnhilla has been suggesting we have a look at his local patch again as some new bits of singletrack have appeared - mysterious trail fairies inhabit these woods ;-)

It was great to be out on the 5-Spot again, the sun was shining and the trails were relatively dry. We enjoyed some tight and twisty sections through the trees that reminded me a bit of Cannock and then cranked along some wide paths until my local guide dived off into the trees again.

Quite a compact area, but worth a couple of circuits and some exploring - if you look at the map you will see that a longer ride could be made up from bridleways that lead away from the woods. For those that way inclined there are some jumps amongst the trees too. Watch out for the ants in the summer !

Thanks Dahnhilla, a great kick start to 2010 trail riding and now I am keen to get some more miles in before long.

Posse: dahnhilla; SC Chameleon; uphilla: Turner

Weather: Clear and Sunny, but cold

Mechanicals: None.

Tracklog

WINTER SHED PROJECTS - EYE CANDY

It's been a wet, cold and snowy winter in the Chilterns and for the first year in many, by mid December I'd lost the will to continually churn mud on my local trails! When it did final freeze and firm up, it was quickly followed by snow and ice. As a result, I abandoned the trail and headed for the shed! Here is the result

Project 1) Wifees Bike: I wanted her frame for 'project 3' and as a consequence had to find a low cost frame or leave my wife without a bike....I chose the first option.. I took a flyer on a 'BeOne' frame from CRC for £95.00. It's Aluminium, very light weight, surprisingly well finished for the money and most importantly, she thinks it looks good! I've had a little ride and although its too small for me, it rides really well.


Project 2) Cotic Soul: Umm..I've been wittering on about getting one of these for ages. In the end I had to wait for Cotic's first delivery of 2010 frames and I was lucky enough to get the last orange frame before they sold out. The rest of the parts are reasonably high spec and have been assembled over the last year from a variety of places incl, ebay and repaired/upgraded parts.
Guess I will have to report back on how it rides. Watch this space.....


Project 3) Retro: I resurrected my original 1998 Specialized Rockhopper and even managed to find the original steel fork. I decided to build a 'cross bike', something to handle gravel tracks and country roads. I need to get some miles in while I wait for Spring!! Oh, I hope I don't get excommunicated from the blog for posting a bike with road tyres fitted! It does look 'kind of cool'...........


Still in the shed.....stripping down the Canyon's rear suspension and replacing seized bearings!! I'll post a few pictures of the reapir when I'm done!
R2

They finally stole my bike

Well, after a total of two years of them failing to steal my bike at the station, my Rockhopper finally disappeared on Monday. In the past they have attempted on a number of occasions to cut through the lock and have taken my front wheel and saddle. A few months ago I fitted some locking nuts (pinheads - actually quite good I think) to the front wheel and seatpost but they still bent my back wheel out of (I think) vindictiveness.

This time, they actually cut through the frame and rear wheel after having tried without success to smash the lock. So what have they ended up with? Well the forks are pretty good (but you will have to get the front wheel off first), the front wheel was Hope (but again they will have to detach without damaging) the seatpost is Thomson (again locked though) and they may get smtg for the brakes (a mismatch Hope and Deore set). Perhaps £200 value - keeping an eye on e-bay...

I don't hold out much hope from the police - generally the cameras are either not working or pointing in the wrong direction.

What's next? I will not leave another bike there so I will have to resort to a folding thingy and take it on the train in future. Do not want a small wheeled one so looking at Dahon - anyone have any experience of these or anything else similar?

Yours, in mourning

Willy