On 21st October 1976 a bunch of riders in Marin County CA raced against the clock down the Pine Mountain fire road towards Fairfax. The route had been christened “Repack” because all the braking evaporated the grease from their coaster brakes, which then had to be repacked. This day is regarded as day one ofContinue reading “Happy birthday mountain bikers!”
Category Archives: MTB
Busy trails at Rivington.
A sunny Sunday at this time of year was bound to see a lot of people enjoying a bit of relaxation. I left home mid morning and rode the 4 miles to Rivington. After that I had a big area of off road riding to explore and today chose a loop of just over 4Continue reading “Busy trails at Rivington.”
A little ride and a new project.
Today I took the Boardman to ride 3 laps of Healey Nab. It was sunny when I set off but rather chilly. We must have been close to a frost early this morning and the leaves have started to fall. We haven’t had a cold snap to kick the autumn off but I just thinkContinue reading “A little ride and a new project.”
Wet weather trail riding.
It didn’t rain today but trail conditions are very wet. It’s just, for me, a question of accepting that fact then thinking of a ride that will still be enjoyable. Too many rocks and roots could be dangerous and too much mud is unlikely to be much fun, so today I decided to ride aContinue reading “Wet weather trail riding.”
Creating a monster……
…..or, more precisely, a Beast. Stick with it, all will become clear. I thought that today was stupidly wet for an off road ride, though I admit this doesn’t usually deter me. My wife had told me after breakfast that she expected the certain demise of the washing machine if I went off road today,Continue reading “Creating a monster……”
Third time lucky.
I believe the saying goes “Third time lucky, third time unlucky” and I’m hoping it’s true. You see, after almost three years without a puncture on the Boardman bike I’ve just had a third in quick succession and hope my minor steak of bad luck is at an end. This time I found the front tyre flatContinue reading “Third time lucky.”
Rain of biblical proportions!
The rain has continued to be very heavy but not heavy enough to deter a determined rider! Since my last ride on the newly acquired but 23 year old Proflex, I’ve given the forks a service, cleaning the internals and lubricating them. They feel much smoother and have lost a lot of the notchiness whichContinue reading “Rain of biblical proportions!”
Nostalgia. Is it worthwhile?
I bought a 1996 vintage mountain bike on Ebay. It was cheap. Although there is a growing classic MTB scene prices for most older bikes are still low so if you can’t afford £100,000 for a classic motorcycle you can still afford to treat yourself. My newly acquired Proflex Attack LE cost me a mereContinue reading “Nostalgia. Is it worthwhile?”
The calm before the storm.
After a dry week last week the weather changed on Sunday and is predicted to be wet for the rest of the week. It hasn’t stopped our garden from still looking good, pictured above with my bike after the ride. This morning the rain held off so, although I felt a bit tired, I decidedContinue reading “The calm before the storm.”
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
My title is the opening line of John Keats’ poem “To Autumn”. It was written on 19th September 1819, 200 years almost to the day! I’ve always been curious as to why the bicycle took so long to invent and coincidentally the first “Dandy Horses” were appearing at around this time. Dandy horses were propelledContinue reading “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.”
Mountainbiker 