Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 139 total)
  • Pentlands amble thread follow-up: Sunday 11th Oct. (not 10th!)
  • Kit
    Free Member

    Right, so far the tally is:

    Kit
    robgarrioch
    PaulGillespie
    Garry_Lager
    yetidave
    13thfloormonk
    couldashouldawoulda
    Northwind(?)

    "Excuses" for not coming – working, living in Balerno, holidaying in San Fran, painting… 😉 😉

    10am, Bonaly Scout Camp:
    http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=321132&Y=667455&A=Y&Z=115

    Looks like we'll have to organise a nightride in the next few weeks too for those that expressed an interest.

    I'll keep an eye on this until tomorrow night. If you want to join us but haven't posted up, drop me an email. Anyone who wants my number, likewise.

    Cheers, Kit.

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    Maybe I'll just scoot over early and get the video camera set-up near the top of puke hill.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Kit, sorry to mislead you, I would like to come, but have g/f duties to fit into the weekend somewhere. Don't wait for me is all I'm saying 😕

    Some Pentlands night ride shots here:

    http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/lets-have-a-nightride-photo-thread-from-tonight-only-though

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    druidh
    Free Member

    Cannae do it either I'm afraid – I'm being the dutiful son this weekend and doing some DIY for my folks.

    Can't believe anyone from Balerno is calling off because of the start point though. It's a simple enough ride round to Bonaly past Harlaw & the Kinleith farms.

    gecko76
    Full Member

    Another one possibly. I'll recognise robgarrioch, anyone else look out for a white hardtail.

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Apologies, minor hi-jack – my racing-snake buddy has pulled out of our Gypsy Glen (revisited) ride tomorrow, if anyone fancies hooking up for some (undoubtedly) peaty, muddy mayhem (on my birthday :-)). Space for 1 more on the roof, e.t.departure 08.30-09.00.

    stevenmenmuir
    Free Member

    Would love to do tomorrow but got to be home by eleven. Definately up for a Wednesday nighter. Re Balerno, have I missed something, has it moved to West Lothian.

    westkipper
    Free Member

    Hullo! New member here, I'd love to mosey along to this, but at the moment my purist-style MTB is off the road. Would I be unwelcome if I turned up on my 'Special Requirements 29er-style Velocipede?*'

    (*awright, I admit it, Its a fat tyred cyclocross bike)

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Could give it a try – presuming smooth strata is more suited to a drop barred rigid, it wont be too bad. There will be some rough patches but many line choices – personally I've no idea how a cx bike rides..?
    Sounds, from your alias, you're familiar with the Pentlands already??

    westkipper
    Free Member

    Thanks, Robgarrioch, I've been riding in the Pentlands since before there were proper mountainbikes, I think the route that you have in mind sounds perfectly do-able. Pretty much the only thing thats not so great is deep gravel mixed with housebrick-sized boulders such as you find on the more eroded bits of The Yellow brick road.Steep gradients like right to the top of Allermuir are a bit of a nightmare on 34-32.

    Offroading
    Free Member

    Speaking of which how dull is yellow brick road! Even the climbs aren't difficult. Makes me wonder why they bothered.

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Mmm, new trailraker on the back, might be tempted to see how much resistance Allermuir puts up now!!
    Don't know YB Road by name, which part's that?

    Offroading
    Free Member

    Don't really know more names, it runs East/West along the Pentlands. If you ride East along it you come out at the top of the steep road after the car park at the top of Balerno.

    If you ride West along it you come out near East Kairn.

    westkipper
    Free Member

    YB road is an access road that was cut into the hills a few years back.If you go to the top of the Beech Avenue above Theipmuir and turn right, it leads directly west and joins up with Xylaphone street/ Carlops route.

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Ah, I'm (vaguely) with you, think we'll be descending a little of that on Sunday… Remember doing xylophone st. last year, good feature!

    westkipper
    Free Member

    An interesting nature type thread aside- I was riding over to Carlops a few months back, and as I was about half way up the hill I noticed that the wooden sections were covered with beautiful little viviparous lizards,sunning themselves on the planks.I felt pretty guilty about scaring them off by riding past.

    Kit
    Free Member

    Hi west kipper – more the merrier! Interesting to see an (to me anyway) unusual bike and how its ridden 🙂

    I was wondering about the descent down to Glencourse – instead of the (now smooth) track straight down, I'd thought that the singletrack round Castlelaw would be a bit different and a laugh. Only ever climbed it from Glencourse and its a bugger!

    westkipper
    Free Member

    Actually, a lot of castlelaw has been sanitized ( not that i'd be complaining on the cx! )although some of it is breaking down with water runoff.Still a nice wee climb as you round the hill.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    The singletrack around the west side of castlelaw is my fave descent in the pentlands – well worth doing IMO

    Offroading
    Free Member

    See this Xylaphone street/ Carlops route does that actually go anywhere ? If im thinking it's the same place it has loads of logs across the track etc. The last time i went to the top of it you passed a wall and went further into the hills but i didn't know where i was then. Is there a route up there etc to something ?

    SandyThePig
    Free Member

    Meh. I'd kinda like to come along but:
    a) I have cracked my handlebars
    b) My girlfriend is making me do a day of DIY

    Admittedly, I do have some old risers I could chuck on – but will have to see.

    DrT
    Free Member

    Dont look in here too often, just an occasional lurker 🙂 Ill be in the Pentlands tomorrow morning so will pop over and join you guys.

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Offroading – the last (& only)time I did it, we continued on, down to the rhs of North Esk reservoir, & finally down to Carlops (more by luck than judgement). Then along the A702 to NineMileBurn & a hard climbing path back up to West Kip. Not a hugely enjoyable route, but definitely a good workout.

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    That Carlops route is better in reverse.

    househusband
    Free Member

    Will probably be along tomorrow – will send you (Kit) a text if I don't think I'll make it!

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Think that makes 10 of us so far, will re-tread this thread in't morning for a final (?) count 🙂

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I'm not going to make it, I'll be out and about but no chance I can make the start time so, I might see you- if you see a slow sweaty longhair on a blue Idrive, or more likely standing beside a blue Idrive reattaching a bit that's just fallen off, that'll be me :mrgreen:

    I can certainly understand the Balerno comments, after all it takes nearly 5 whole minutes to get from my house to the middle of Balerno :mrgreen:

    yetidave
    Free Member

    Hi,

    not sure if i am going to make tomorrow so please don't wait on me, kinda over did it today in Drumlangrig, great to be back on the bike though after injury.

    Kit
    Free Member

    Cheers HH, see you tomorrow hopefully.

    I'm not going to remember you all by the way – I might have to write this down and do a register, but not like Rowan Atkinson 😉 (poss NSFW http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG56g-rqS8M)

    Kit
    robgarrioch
    PaulGillespie
    Garry_Lager
    yetidave
    couldashouldawoulda
    gecko76
    west kipper
    DrT
    househusband

    and we might bump into epicsteve and Northwind.

    See you tomorrow, gents!

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Ahem, I'll be there now, but will make a point of getting there early just to save confusion!

    Thomohawk
    Free Member

    Another lurker here…

    Quite interested in coming along with GF if that's cool. Prob gonna take a view on the weather in the morning – will be there for 10 if coming.

    Cheers,

    Thomo.

    westkipper
    Free Member

    I'm gutted to say that I dont think I'm going to make it. Was riding in Blackness woods yesterday and a piece of branch through the 'bars has ripped out my rear gear cable.
    There's an outside chance I might be able to bodge the mountainbike back together in time, but as I'm also having to ride to Bonaly from Bo'ness, its looking a bit tight- If I'm not obviously there please don't wait.
    I hope I've not burnt any bridges for the next time.
    Anyway-Back to the workstand…

    Kit
    Free Member

    That's some cycle out! Don't worry about burning bridges – these things happen and we'll maybe see you next time (if not today…).

    13thfloormonk, Thomohawk + lady friend = see you there!

    househusband
    Free Member

    I'm hoping for a slightly more leisurely pace than the STW ride last weekend… on that one there were lots of people with zero body fat and very low (single digit..?) BMI's…!

    Thomohawk
    Free Member

    Househusband…. It's cool, I'm a bit fat and suffering after a stack at GT yesterday, so defo taking it easy! 😆

    Kit, we're leaving Stenhouse in 10! 😀

    Thomo.

    epicsteve
    Free Member

    I headed out early this morning as I reckon my end of the Pentlands is going to get fairly busy later on, given then lovely weather.

    Clear blue skies and only a little bit breezy at the moment so should be good for your ride.

    robgarrioch
    Full Member

    Indeed, surprisingly fine weather, even the wind couldn't bring us down. Thanks to all who turned up, apologies to those who missed it. A couple of lo-quality phone photos for the collective – I'm confident Kits usual standard will put them in the shade;

    Dunno why, but this makes me think of a squadron of Lancasters, on the final run to the dams!??

    & mr 13floormonk about to catch some serious air (man)!

    A few more here

    Just off out again, so look forward to reading the post-ride comments later. Well done all.

    kennyp
    Free Member

    The singletrack around the west side of castlelaw is my fave descent in the pentlands – well worth doing IMO

    Hard to disagree there. For me it's a toss up between that one and the drop from the bottom of West Kip down into Green Cleugh. Or the Black Hill descent if it's dry. Or the descent off White Hill. Or the Nail Trail.

    househusband
    Free Member

    Just over 28km – and slightly more climbing than descending!

    Saw some bits of the Pentlands that I'd never seen before – good ride and good company. Thanks, all.

    druidh
    Free Member

    C'mon guys – it's a well known fact that there's nothing worth riding in the Pentlands.

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 139 total)

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