Monday Debrief 106

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Fa la la la la, it’s Monday morning. Parents reading this will no doubt recognise the symptoms of gathering winter sch-oo-el nativity induced earworms. There is nothing quite like a ride to the rhythm of David Essex to take the shine off a glorious winter’s (tale) morning. But Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-r-ia hose Anna in ex-Chelsea be, it was a glorious weekend. Golden leaves, golden light, crunching ice and frosty leaves. The perfect autumn turns to winter weekend.

And so to today, which is definitely Monday, but more of a wet grey slop than a winter wonderland. Let’s not think about now, and instead take a look back at the weekend that was.

Hannah Rake Genesis Moor Cold Blue Sky
Good day, sunshine.

I went back out and up my favourite local climb. Up and up through the frost in the shadow of the hill until you pop out at the top to this. Lovely. And then back down, which proved to be a lot of fun on this rigid Genesis Longitude. Since it feels like a very fun mountain bike, on more than one occasion I had to remind myself that with no front suspension I possibly wanted to dial thing back a bit just before that droooooooop. Oh hey, I cleared it, let’s keep going. Old school mild peril fun at its best.

Beware the onlookers.

Chipps was away for a weekend of fun with big wheels:

This weekend I made the short (a mere 35 miles) but long (90 minutes of traffic and tiny lanes) journey to Appletreewick in the Yorkshire Dales to catch up with friends and to ride some wide-open, frosty landscapes. With the ride uniquely having a majority of 29+ bikes, we enjoyed some great scenery, testing climbs and some big inner tube swapping. Looking forward to heading back there again soon.

Amanda had a weekend of fun on small wheels:

I snapped my brake lever off whilst attempting to bend it back to a reasonable angle so I could ride my trail bike, so I spent the weekend on my jump bike touring all pump & DJ tracks that were ridable (not icy or full of puddles.) This weekend was made possible by Rob Mitchell, who has kindly lent me some forks.

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Anyone got a hacksaw and some glue I can borrow? . . #freakbike #SingletrackMag #giantanthem #scottspark #specializedepic

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Wil was not amused at others having fun on motorised wheels:

In the final lead-up to deadline for Issue #116, I spent my Sunday afternoon finishing off some final testing aboard three full suspension XC bikes that we’re reviewing for the new issue. I took them over to our local trail centre, Lee Quarry, to see how these lightweight carbon whippets would handle on the tough and slatey singletrack. I actually ended up notching up a few PRs on sections that I’d normally ride longer travel trail bikes, which was pretty sweet, but I had to dodge a swarm of trials motorbikes that were there for some kind of competition to see who could ride up really awkward things. Unfortunately, from the look of some of the deep ruts and tyre tracks I spotted, a few had decided they’d ride some of the mountain bike trails too, which is a bummer. I didn’t let it kill my vibes though, and had a stellar afternoon ticking the last few things off the testing checklist.

Tom Nash
Getting fit riding down hill?

 

Further afield, Tom Nash had a weekend of fun on skinny(ish) wheels:

Busy weekend on the bike, coaching on Saturday and first spin out for the new Whyte Friston – a winter fitness and lack-of-faff bike. I learnt a few things after this first ride; smashing forest tracks at a decent speed opens up a wealth of riding and scenery that I wouldn’t bother with on a full MTB, the simplicity is great, the lack of clean up operation was a joy and maximised my time riding, glasses are a must as one goes faster than on an MTB and the cold wind meant tears galore and my legs are not used to turning a 40T chainring! I wore baggies, had a peak on the helmet and road in the hills so must be mountain biking, right…?

As Chipps mentioned, there were a number of 29+ bikes on his ride – here’s the one he was testing.

Ah well. Enough looking back. Time to look forwards to the week ahead. Anyone else having a Midwife Crisis? Or are you all about Lights, Camel, Action? Parents, you know what I’m on about. Shall we shuffle like the sheep in the nativity play, or strut like the the funky camel? Shuffling or strutting, have yourselves a good week!

Now, you were going to get the Funky Camel moves, but Chipps insists we play homage to Malcolm Young. So here we go. Warm your necks up before you let rip with the big moves.

Sub, in a box.

Our Sub In A Box is full of Singletrack goodness –

Within is the latest edition of Singletrack magazine so the lucky recipient can get stuck straight in, reading about and gazing upon all things mountain bike. Also included is a gift card for a year’s subscription to Singletrack Magazine both in print and digital. This super gift box is better than ever, it currently comes with a FREE copy of MOUNTAIN BIKING: The untold British Story (whilst stocks last).

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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