Forum menu
First time out on my new build today so we set off out early up onto Cutgate from Langsett and then back via North America. Loads of people out, never seen as many bikes in a long time up there and the trails were near on perfect. Pleased with the build just needed to spin the gear leaver a bit towards me.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Out for a pootle today with Mrs C, but a great day out yesterday including Gowk Hill
[img][url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2828/33119530063_b2d324c15f_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2828/33119530063_b2d324c15f_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/SsEfqp ]IMG_20170408_122157835[/url]
Did a "social" road ride with a local Facebook group. The actual ride was just over 50 miles at 17mph. Probably the fastest ride I've done in years. And this was the slow group.
68 miles in all having ridden there and back. Longest ride for a couple of years as well. Planning on some serious recovery for the rest of the day!
injured my leg being taken out by a dog so I am on crutches for the nicest weather this year and on leave the following week and housebound
The gods mock me once more
No pictures, but wasn't far from you Tracey, I went up Lantern Pike, down to Sett Valley trail and up towards Kinder.
Nowhere. Spending the morning with my wife and the little man before they bugger off for a few days, then working this afternoon. I have a CCTV camera outside so I can see that it's sunny....
Just a local loop around Ashton Court and Leigh Woods. I've averaged one ride a month so far this year so having ridden yesterday and today I'm pretty shattered 😆
Just a local bimble around Rivi for me. Was lovely.
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3935/33800518921_fc8dc24eb1_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3935/33800518921_fc8dc24eb1_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/TuQuFB ]20170409_112539[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/simondbarnes/ ]Simon Barnes[/url], on Flickr
Not riding today, yesterday was braw though!
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3929/33873929636_2e12d7b18a_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3929/33873929636_2e12d7b18a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/TBjK8A ]IMG_20170408_122507541_HDR[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/135286303@N05/ ]howson.andy[/url], on Flickr
[img] 
[/img]
out for 3 and a half hours in the sunshine, local loop mini picnic watching the sailing, a couple of beers on the way home. Steak chips chianti in a very warm garden, watch the pros thrash it in the heat 🙂 what a day !
I officially became a MAMIL for the first time in years, leaving the Endura baggy shorts behind and going with the nicely padded Funkier baggy shorts liner! 😯
It started out as a run of the mill, hill climb route on the 29er wheel Wazoo, but I ended up in Marwell Zoo carpark.
Turned into my longest ride this year, just over 23 miles, with a short breather in the carpark when I discovered there was a BT wifi hotspot. Managed to get myself lost for a few minutes, but I was relieved to get back at ~1200, it was scorchio out there and I had no water with me!
I must order up a water bottle cage ASAP, thinking one of those Topeak Modula ones, that can take a 1-1.5l soft drinks bottle (had an old model on my better half's bikes that got nicked a while back)!!
Fantastic weather in Hebden Bridge too. Went up Ragley and over to Gorple then back into Hardcastle Craggs. Climbed out of the Craggs and then backwards along the same route. Saw loads of bikes and walkers, people were making the most of the good weather.
Stopped at the top of Hardcastle Craggs for a cereal bar. Nice to not have to wash mud off the bike after the ride as well!
[img][url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3929/33118566553_e042e7db4d_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3929/33118566553_e042e7db4d_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Sszj1a ]IMG_1928[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/136285034@N02/ ]Paul Harrison[/url], on Flickr[/img]
Yesterday was Ballater riding bone dry trails in glorious sunshine with this view (if you ignore my mate)
[img] 
[/img]
Today was fettling
[img] 
[/img]
Lovely today, found some brutal rocky climb from Lisvane up to the Ridgeway, over to Rudry, back to Caerphilly, over the top of the Mounatain, drop to Forrest Fawr and into Ton, cyclepath but to my place.
Strava quit on me half way and I lost half my ride, didn't care - that good!
[img] 
[/img]
Pissing down in Inverness
No riding for me today, as i was under my 335 changing a boost hose:
[img] 
:large[/img]
Bit of a PITA to get to the quick release clips securing it in place, i say quick release, but without the knack, they are more like downright-obstreperous release clips........
Don't know how to post pics but I took one or two ok ones for a change. Got out yesterday with my endurotastic mate around Win Hill while I was all over the place with no grip on my newly fitted Slaughter tyre. Today I pootled around Ashover with my wife, absolutely gorgeous weather and Spring trails, perfect flower sniffimg
Rode the train down to Bristol for the Bespoke bicycle show, bought some swrve shorts, marvelled at lugs, welds, paint jobs and funky bike stuff and then sat in a park nearby while waiting for the return train. Was nice.
Nice loop in the Chilterns around Wendover / Dunsmore / Great Missenden /Hyde Heath. Really good to see the mud starting to dry out on Coombe Hill - I nearly lost a shoe sucked into the bottomless depths a couple of weeks before.
Sprint 50 min ride this morning. picked up a KOM and a 3rd overall.
Ben Macdui to Hutchinson hut, fords of Avon and up on to Bynack Mor, returning to Glenmore. Long day with plenty of carrying but the weather and views easily cancelled that out. No finer place when the weather is good.
Then blasting round Inshriach today on super dry trails.
No riding but was out trail building at Gisburn, was glorious for most of the day but has clouded over now and a bit chilly. Great weather to be outside in. Did get a very pleasant hour on the road bike on Friday afternoon though, brilliant riding conditions.
Minimal riding this weekend, been a couple of days of life admin & DIY. No fun.
I managed to et out for a blat this morning, only to get too rowdy in a rutted corner & burp the rear tyre off the rim. I had to ride home with a flat & a sulk.
What a day! Worked off a bit of a hangover this morning in the garden, then off and out after lunch for some rad gnarmac. Tracks and trails of Hampshire at their very finest.
[img] 
[/img]
Warm spring days in the UK really are the greatest.
Llangdegla yesterday.
And a steady 25mies around Cheshire's finest B roads this morning.
Now still trying to set my Krampus up tubeless.
And failing miserably.
Spent the morning off-piste at Glentress, 16 miles and 3500ft and a load of PR's - good move swapping out the winter tyres for a HR2 and Minion SS.
And for those who've missed the cracking weather, I also did Friday evening Yair ride 😀
[img] 
[/img]
Photobombed by a bee! South Downs in all their sunny glory.
Did HONC. Man it was hard.
Ride out from Harrogate on a mix of road and BW to stainburn for a play on the new bike on Saturday, revelling in the dryness of the normal perma-bogs...
Garage bikes shop ride round local trails this morning which was equally wonderfully dry, and my legs are feeling as good as they have, pretty much ever so smiles all round from me.
Veging out having watched Paris-Roubaix, watching recorded F1 now.
Good weekend all round say I
Couple of hours hard efforts round a local mini trail centre yesterday, hammering up the hills and working on tech skills on the way back down. Finally got ride of my phobia of wheels leaving the ground 😆 sheet blue sunshine hot and dusty!
Cruisey couple of hours this morning but the mist came in and spoiled the sunshine.
- my old stomping ground. Lovely loop and if it's close to dry in april, that's a bonus!Chilterns around Wendover / Dunsmore / Great Missenden /Hyde Heath.
70km MTB in the FoD/Yat. Lovely conditions. Didn't stop me smacking my toe into a stump but a small price to pay for such amazing riding. Forgot my camera but it was basically warm, dry and occasionally dusty 🙂
All nice n' sunny pics.
Went a pootle up neilsons monument which will mean absolutely ****-all to 99.999% of folk on here but i took a pic anyway.
A tribute to [url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Beaumont_Neilson ]James Beaumont Neilson[/url] who invented the hot blast furnace which kickstarted the industrial revolution
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Great weekend. Pootle in the Lakes from Staveley today, including comedy OTB in front of tourists on Garburn.
[img] 
[/img]
And chuffed dad territory yesterday in the Dales as my lass managed a good loop in great weather. Here showing great determination on some hideous grassy slog. 🙂
[img] 
[/img]
Hamsterley for a local DH/trail bike TT on a hardtail in a sea of FS. I wasn't last 😀
Probwbly should be prep ride for southern enduro champs next week, but family duties call....
Back on the tree house project after a winter hiatus
Then only managed a few km around the local paths, but it was first time in the trailer for these guys
[img] 
[/img]
Whilst chasing the other 2
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
So pretty amazing ride really!
Up high street from Brothers water, down n around edge of Ullswater.
Mate had a slight technical!
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2949/33895400896_fd76214874_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2949/33895400896_fd76214874_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/TDdMMJ ]20170409_100323[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/bolt/ ]bolt_1970[/url], on Flickr
But a great trail bodge and he finished the ride!
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2893/33092938084_fdc9192c83_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2893/33092938084_fdc9192c83_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/SqiXy1 ]20170409_101708[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/bolt/ ]bolt_1970[/url], on Flickr
😯
Not the best advert for Magura
Cracked a Fox 32 (flexiest fork ever) at the top of the stanchion near the bridge. When I took the lowers off it snapped with finger pressure like a twig.
The lower castings are quite brittle and aren't very strong on there own.
Was up on Cut Gate myself, probably took the wrong bike, Surly KM with the stock rigid fork, so had to push a bit more than I'd like, but had fun anyway.
Did a mini-epic from home to Langset then over Cut Gate to Derwent and some food at Ladybower Inn, then back home via Bradfield. Awesome 67km in the sun. B)
Great ride over the South Downs and Friston before a pub stop and blowing up massively on the way home. Mrs M and EVA had to tow me home.
Up and down the Wendove bypass it was 5C when I started this morning. Still got a PB though. Walk in the park with dog and in-laws this afternoon.
[img] 
[/img]
Freshly built slackline's first proper outing yesterday at comrie croft, hanging out with the gmbc crew. Lovely day, but comrie kicks your ass, ...i was knackered after lunch. Spent today fixing all the creaks, groans and shoddy indexing.
*edit...this is actually a fairly inaccurate picture, im a misrable ****
Got in a quick few laps of Richmond Park yesterday including setting a new personal best for the full lap. It was one of those glorious mornings where the sun is out and I had chosen [i]exactly[/i] the right clothes to wear for the temperature.
I also felt like I was floating up the hills on the road bike after spending a lot of last weekend climbing Leith Hill on the mountain bike!
8 miles round Cannock blue with my 6 year old. Think she may have been a bit rusty following the Winter and crashed 5 or 6 times poor girl. One of them ended with her in the stinging nettles 😳 Luckily she was a trooper and didn't let any of it put her off and wants to do a bigger loop next time!
Road biking in the Essex lanes for me again today, although in celebration of Paris-Roubaix I did take my Roubaix off-road for a bit, despite having my best wheels on:
[img] 
[/img]
Stopped for a quite pint on the way back as well, although as I was 50 miles in at that point it might not have been the best of ideas as my legs had siezed up by the time I set off again:
[img] 
[/img]