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?”
A new tyre and a case of vandalism.
Tyres wear out and have to be replaced but the choice of tyres for mountain bikes is overwhelming. In Formula 1 motor racing all drivers have the same choice of 5 types of tyre. Hard, medium, soft, intermediate and rain which are all made by Pirelli. You might imagine that the situation would be simplerContinue reading “A new tyre and a case of vandalism.”
Making adjustments.
I fiddled around with my bike before today’s ride. The gear change had lost it’s crispness and the mech. which changes gear was a little bit loose. At first I thought that the bush it rotates on was worn but in fact it just needed tightening. I also tightened the 2 screws which hold theContinue reading “Making adjustments.”
All year round riding.
In England we tend to ride all year round. I’m sure plenty of riders only go out when it’s dry but if you’re dedicated you’ll find you have little choice but to ride in wet, cold and muddy conditions. Years ago I soon found that you need to be a lot more selective about whereContinue reading “All year round riding.”
Should I be doing this?
Today I rode a natural trail from home to Rivington Pike but realised at one point that I was taking a big risk. I wondered afterwards if I should be giving safety more thought and stop riding some of the things which were routine for me 20 years ago. I started today’s ride on aContinue reading “Should I be doing this?”
Great Hill in the sunshine.
England can experience all four seasons in one day. Today, though, it’s been summer. Warm, dry and sunny. We haven’t had a period of good weather since June in Lancashire and I’ve started to hope that it lasts long enough to dry the trails so I can have a go at a sub 11 minuteContinue reading “Great Hill in the sunshine.”
Mountainbiker 