I’ll be there with Steve and maybe a another. Bucky woods sounds good 🙂

I’m at 90%. Eldest has chicken pox but seems to be mild so should be ok.

Is there going to be gravy with the chips?

Northern boys love gravy.

I’m out sorry

I’m in unless my toes drop off in the intervening time.

Chips you say? I’m in.

Chloe and Rick will most likely be there as well – the power of a chip butty!

I’m in.

Snot monster here, deffo out.

Me and xherbivorex have just been out to reccie a route for tomorrow night. Things wot we learnt on our very enjoyable ride/hike? Well theres good news and bad news…..

Lets start with the bad news:

1. The Rake is as horrible as ever. With or without gears
2. The hardpack we were banking on sticking too is a really, really really bad idea! its rivers of melted snow that have now frozen like glass!
3. Robin Hoods Well – you can forget that! Its sheet ice!
4. The chutes off the front of the tower? Well… not unless you want to die! You will definitely die!
5. I’ve got a hurty knee. It really doesn’t like being below zero fro any length of time

However, the good news is

1. Everything we were going to stay off, on the moors, is actually frozen solid, so is now fair game
2. Intersteller is bloody brilliant in these conditions! It now has a grin factor of eleven!
3. Riding in the snow is a right old laugh. Though there will be pushing through snowdrifts involved.
4. Bucky Woods is probably a goer if you want to risk it, but Grant Woods are definitely rideable, and this has the advantage of kicking us out by the pub, where chip butties and beer await our return.
5. My knee isn’t hurty now I’m back indoors

So all in all, a complete change of plan. but it’ll be bloody good fun, if very, very cold. Get yourself wrapped up. Buffs for the baldies!

Heres some pretty pictures of our jaunt…..

Cheers! See you tomorrow

Belly and heart wants to go, but common sense and shoulder say, not yet, sorry can’t make it even for a chip butty

We went out for a bit of a recce as well. Deliberately stayed off the tops and on the low paths. Having spoken with a few others that were out they all said the tops were frozen and great. The low level stuff we were on were very wet and not that great.

Highlight was probably slipping down the side of Reddisher Woods in a fashion that demanded a video camera to claim my £250 from You’ve Been framed.

I was a bit surprised how much snow and ice is still up there but looking forward to getting out again tomorrow night!

After a weekend at work I can’t bloody wait!

up on the tops is definitely the way to go, tons of fun to be had with none of the sheet ice insanity.
the main things i learnt today were:

1. i can ride uphill a lot faster than i realised (can’t say the rake was easy, but i got up it at least twice as fast as i ever have before).
2. getting out on a bike in the hills in the winter makes me not hate the winter as much. for a bit.
3. coming home to an empty flat (or house, as the case will soon be), even after a great ride like today, is actually very depressing.

not sure i can make it tomorrow night, work getting in the way.

i can ride uphill a lot faster than i realised (can’t say the rake was easy, but i got up it at least twice as fast as i ever have before).

Turbo paying dividends then? 😀

And – will the newly illuminated hora be joining us? or is it the wrong type of snow? / not enough tree coverage? / too susceptible to light pollution? / lacking in Czechoslovakian craft beers at the pub? (Delete as appropriate)

I’d imagine that when it comes to the likelihood of Hora ever turning up for a night ride, the purchase of a set of lights will have about as much bearing on the outcome as the purchase of a Kenwood Chef 😉

the turbo’s definitely helping Russ, yes!
i need it too, seeing as I entered the Grizedale Forest round of the PMBA enduro series. gotta get a lot fitter by the end of april!

I’m in unless my toes drop off in the intervening time.

Wishful thinking. Knackered my knee today in a hilarious display of CX over the bars acrobatics into a pond at Gisburn. The jury’s out til tomorrow when I see what effect ice and ibuprofen has. I’d say I’m about 50% at this point in time.

Three of us for chip buttes. Plus the knee squirrel 😀

Binners.
Just spotted your deliberate mistake to keep the group smaller. The postcode you gave might have some people waiting at the wrong Rose & Crown in Ainsworth. The correct postcode is BL0 9EG.
Good try at hogging all the chip butties.

Good spot Horridge. The Mods have changed it now.

Curses! My plan was foiled! No chip mountain for me!

*shakes fist at Horridge*

Sorry about that. I am an idiot. The correct address is Rose and Crown, 96 Carr St, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9EG,

HERE

I’ve finally succumbed to the kids and Mrs Binners colds. Its been a healthy household of late. I intend to kill it with Lemsip, the Rake, snow, Interstellar, beer and chips. It can’t fail!

Which one is Interstellar?

Spelling mistake, Binners? Shouldn’t that be “Inter Cellar” ?

It might actually be Into Stella 😉

I’ve not taken you down Interstellar before Harry. I think you may have ridden up it. It goes from Pilgrims Cross, and traverses the hill back down towards the shoulder. Its ace! I thought it’d be a bog of melted snow. But its frozen solid and covered in crunchy snow. Result! 😀

I’m in. Bike is good to go.

still undecided here. after yesterday, i want to get out. but it may not be possible. grrr!

My best friend ibuprofen has done the job and I can bend my knee again so I’m in. Got space for 1, maybe 2 if anyone needs a lift from Tod.

OK I’m in too, put me down for a chip butty as well please. 🙂

Looks like I’m now not going to make it.

INTERSELLAR?

And we have a winner! I actually didi it on purpose, as I’ve been slacking of late.

6 HOURS?!!!! 6 bloody hours its taken you to spot it! Sort it out! 😀

I suspect everyone else was just being polite binners.

Nice photies by the way.

You’re probably right. It sometimes overwhelms me. The courtesy and deference I generally get off you lot 😉

Yeah was awesome fun up there at weekend. These were my fat tracks on Interstellar…

It takes a real friend to point out anothers failings binners 🙂

Then I’m truly blessed! Having so many real friends! 😀

When was that jaffejoffer? Saturday? Looked like fat bike heaven up there yesterday!

INTERSELLAR?

“A movie about a guy who is receiving a strange message seemingly telling him to strap himself to a giant bottle of Champaign and fire himself into orbit around a series of implausible breweries with a strange gravitational attraction.”

I’d say Binners wrote that on purpose.

i’m trying to convince myself to head out tonight.
so far, it’s 50/50…