It’s good to ride somewhere new but I also love the familiarity of a quality local trail. Today I rode 4 laps of Healey Nab but used different climbs and descents each time. This makes it seem like a longer, varied trail ride without venturing far from home. Last night we had friends round forContinue reading “Riding Healey Nab.”
Classic rides.
I’d love to ride some of the legendary classic mountain bike trails. What could be better than riding the “Repack”, the scene of the first downhill, off road time trial of the sport which was to evolve into the mountain biking we know now? The date was 21st October 1976, which, curiously, is about theContinue reading “Classic rides.”
Explore, then explore some more.
The weather hasn’t been kind in May. We’ve had temperatures way below seasonal norms and quite a lot of rain. This is undoubtedly one of those “expected anomalies” which enthusiasts of Global Warming Theory use to “prove” their hypothesis. Still, it will never stop a determined mountain biker so I took the mainly off roadContinue reading “Explore, then explore some more.”
Making an everyday ride more interesting.
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with regular rides in the same area. I have a firm favourite trail but the shine might go off it if I ride nothing else. Today I decided instead of my favourite to ride Healey Nab but again this is somewhere I ride a lot. So muchContinue reading “Making an everyday ride more interesting.”
What’s so great about Great Hill?
Great Hill is the northernmost high point at 1,251 feet of the West Pennine Moors, a chain of hills stretching for around 12 miles north of Bolton and east of my hometown of Chorley. The Highest point is Winter Hill, a little higher at 1,498 feet. The mountain biking is good from top to bottomContinue reading “What’s so great about Great Hill?”
Strava likes me!
On my last ride I felt full of energy but today I was rather tired. In the morning I’d had a cooked breakfast prior to walking the dog before my ride. It could simply have been that I was still digesting my food and wasn’t ready to ride, I’ll never know. Had I felt moreContinue reading “Strava likes me!”
More boat testing.
My home made boat used a flapping foil (fishtail) for propulsion and although it did propel the boat forwards it had too many difficulties which I considered insurmountable. It didn’t move me nearly quickly enough and caused the boat to bob up and down. I decided to completely change the way in which the boatContinue reading “More boat testing.”
Feeling far fitter.
Recently I’ve dug a pond by hand and paved around it. We had no access to use a mini digger and getting the heavy clay soil to a skip in the road meant using a wheelbarrow to cart it through the garage. Initially I thought the project wouldn’t affect my mountain biking since I expectedContinue reading “Feeling far fitter.”
An exciting new prospect.
Today I had the exciting prospect of riding my Boardman FS Pro mountain bike. I bought it new in November 2016 so riding it wasn’t truly a new prospect but I haven’t been able to ride it since 14th February. It was on that day that a small spring on the freewheel broke, leaving meContinue reading “An exciting new prospect.”
Returning to Great Hill.
It’s my favourite ride. Go to the top of Great Hill at 1,251 feet and ride the exquisite downhill through Brinscall Woods. It’s a long and varied ride with some flat and undulating sections, lots of gravity assisted parts and a bit of everything that we mountain bikers love. The climb is valuable exercise andContinue reading “Returning to Great Hill.”
Mountainbiker 