…..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……”
Back after a mad weekend.
When ten middle aged men go away for a weekend, staying in wooden huts, riding ancient scooters only suited to a short trip into town and tackle the steepest passes in Europe, something’s bound to go wrong. It’s perhaps surprising that only one scooter returned in a truck and only one rider found himself grazedContinue reading “Back after a mad weekend.”
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.”
A trail ride for fitness.
Today I thought it would be a good idea to do a continuous trail ride with no targets for any particular section. By gradually increasing the effort during the ride it would help my fitness, especially in terms of stamina. So why should this matter? Well, miraculously the weather has turned dry and sunny. CouldContinue reading “A trail ride for fitness.”
Summer ending is not a problem.
In many countries mountain biking is a dry weather sport. Fortunately in Britain we ride year round. We just need to make adjustments for the wetter weather. I have a few choices locally which still offer good riding in almost any weather. I’ve been riding at Birkacre and Coppull mill on my last 2 rides,Continue reading “Summer ending is not a problem.”
Do you always need a reason to ride?
I’ll also be featuring a picture of weed growing at the side of the trail! Today I had time to ride but where and for what purpose? The rain early in the morning was biblical but by midday the roads were dry, due, I’m sure to the strong breeze. I knew the trail would stillContinue reading “Do you always need a reason to ride?”
Mountainbiker 