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Well I only made it 2 and a bit laps into the 7 lap 'race'
A combination of a completely seized front mech (oddly, the rear shifting was still flawless) and no brakes (I did still have spare pads, but in those conditions they'd have lasted 5 minutes tops, a nearly new pair of sintered pads, well bedded in (very well bedded in) lasted less than the first lap, and the organics up front weren't doing much better. Going to investigate later why the organics ( not particularly well bedded in, in fact) lasted longer!
Other casualties:
Big stack on the first lap, think I've twisted my knee a bit, came round a sweeping right hander, caught a perpendicular root, and the skill Vs gravity battle ended with me taking a stack into the ground at a fair wack.
Ever watched yourself crash on helmet/bar camera, its quite surreal!
Probably an entire new drivetrain needed, even putoline wax was ground off.
On the plus side, I didn't finish last, It may be costing me an entire new drivetrain, but I climbed 3 places through attrition on the 2nd lap 🙂
Us too, had my rear pads already for most of winter without a problem, and they'd 'gone' by the 5th mile on the first lap...
And my riding buddy was also the same.
We left early...
Soooo glad I didnt go 🙂
Me too Rich! Fair play (/more fool you! 😉 ) to anyone who did ride.
And what was that fireroad to get into Swinley all about... that alone was enough to put me off!
I changed pads F&R at the end of the 2nd lap - they were grinding metal halfway through lap 2 - and at the end of the 3rd lap they'd both gone to the metal again, so I retired. An expensive race - 4 pairs of pads 🙁 Left for an early bath and slid all the way out (only time I've ever wanted a 4x4) - the fireroad was getting nasty so am glad I got out early!
Guy I was talking to at the end said the three leaders (Ian Leitch & Rob Lee included) on the 7 lap race all pulled out at the end of lap 2 with no pads left either. I felt much better knowing that!!!
I love the gorrick 100. Always some drama.
As a thought, are there any brakes out there that won't eat pads in half a lap in conditions like those???
Ditto All of the above. I hadn't pre paid so should have binned it off as soon as I got there. All the way there up the A3 it was dry and I could see bits of blue sky. As soon as I left the M3 the rain started , and didnt stop all day.
Entered the 4 hour , well within my ability , paid my £23 . Started at the back as I have no confidence in myself to do anything other than ride to the paper shop. Lost front brake after 6 miles , and the rear after 8. Far too slip slidey to rely on skill to get you down some of the descents with no stopping power and the levers on the bars. Did 1 lap in 1hr 25min , had my milkshake got changed and drove home.
Cost about £10 per mile ridden all in .Bargain.
I was the one in the MG midget by they way, plenty of single-trackers passing buy recognised it!
Ohh, and also glad I left early, the midget was an 'entertaining' drive up the fire road, spent 90% of it sideways" A load of sand/water seems to have got everywhere in the engine bay causing the throttle to stick as well!
Think it'll be an expensive race, even though I got a free entry! Tim Fisher (ti29er) apparently managed 2 laps at the back of the field before admitting defeat.
Nice to meet you Thisisnotaspoon. Bet people are still trying to get out of Swinley now. My washing machine is doing battle with the mud and my SPD's are in the oven in case i need them tomorrow.
thisisnotaspoon
We followed you out, couldn't resist a picture.
And for those who weren't there, its was pissing down.
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Trails yesterday were great then at 10pm the heavens opened.
When I woke and looked out the window I decided not to bother. A wise decision in retrospect
😆
Kwality pics.
Yes it was tough. Big pat on the back for all who rode.
I managed 4 laps, 2 bikes, 1 brake and no hands or feet. ( the latter two are slowly warming up!)
I won't be pre-paying again....
went for the 5 lapper, my rear pad lasted the first lap, front the second lap.
was suffering horrendous chain suck, then finally got the chain really badly jammed and snapped it which took me 40 odd minutes to sort. I just could not get the facking power link to engage with all the grit everywhere.
Also broke my trusty chain tool trying to fix above mechanical
Limped back to finish the 3rd lap and decided to go home.
Expensive ride
It would have been such a stunning and quick race in the dry 🙁
Rear brake was back to the bar and having no effect by the end of lap one! The front was metal on metal and having little effect! Some serious speedway action saw me get through 4 laps, and finish 2nd, which was nice! So cold on the last lap I just couldn't get the power down, bit of a shame, as I'd been leading for the first 3 laps!
Can't see at all well at the moment either, so much crap in my eyes!
Daren't look at my bike either, sure the chain and cassette are trashed! Plus two sets of pads and probably rotors. Humbug!
Was it raining then?! nearly went but due to my mate who lives close by being stuck in America still due to the volcano I decided to ride Enduro6, bone dry all weekend, ground just damp enough to provided lots of traction rather than dust. perfect!
I wasn't half miserable driving home, didn't help that something was amis under the bonnet and the revs were stuck at 2500 rather than idle.
I was gutted I couldn't make it but given the weather in Kent this morning I'm glad I didn't go. Will do the next one on Chi though.
I did 2 out of 3. My brakes totally died just into the 2nd lap, I managed to mince my way down all the descents but hadn't brought any spare pads with me so called it a day at the end of the lap.
The fireroad was interesting on the way out - RWD and mud is always a good mix. I managed a few sideways moments on the way up the steepest hill. As well as cleaning the bike the car needs a decent wash as I seemed to get mud all over that too...
[url= http://timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EventReport.aspx?eventID=120SurreyHill02/05/2010 ]Results[/url] are up. No women did more than 4, and no men finished the 7-lapper, that has to be a first!
I did 5 out of 7, not even the lure of a prize would have sent me round for a 6th or even 7th lap. Nearly packed after lap 4 and started heading back to the start, but had a word with myself and after a few mins got going again. My body started to lose it a bit on lap 4, wasting too many calories trying to keep myself warm and I started going backwards.
Pads wore a bit but still had plenty left. Servowave Shimano SLX, the extra gap between rotor and pad made the difference.
Shame really as the course was riding well at 8:30! Really enjoyed the first lap.
To be fair Rob wasn't at the front today, it was Steve Webb, Ant White and Ian Leitch who were just ahead of me on lap 3. My visions of grandeur after that never quite happened though!Guy I was talking to at the end said the three leaders (Ian Leitch & Rob Lee included) on the 7 lap race all pulled out at the end of lap 2 with no pads left either. I felt much better knowing that!!!
Sometimes you gotta be thankful for family responsibilities!! 🙂
thisisnotaspoon - fair play to you for going there in an MG midget in this weather. Respect!!!!
willsimmons - interesting point on the servowave brakes. I was on xtr m975 which are fine in the dry but they were simply crap in the conditions - worked well but made a rubbing noise ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I have servowave xt on the other bike though - do you really think that they made a big difference with the adjustment? THX!
GC, in my experience and opinion they do. I changed to them for the exact reason you have stated that I used to find with my 975s and Formula Oros. The 'noise' = 2.5 h riding in the Peak District. Since changing I've not experienced the same problem and I can't remember the last time I changed my pads now.
Aha - thisisnotaspoon, I saw you yesterday! In fact, there was a lady at the visitor centre as I bought my permit on Saturday morning who said there was a green MG with its lights on. She didn't think it was a mountainbiker, she said... but I saw it leaving with the bike in the passenger seat.
So that's why you wanted the maps, eh? 😉
Saturday morning, btw, was lovely at Swinley; there were clearly a few people out checking things out - a few shot past me in lycra looking very serious. It was nice tho, first time I've been out since November, and I even saw a couple of deer 🙂
willsimmons - many thanks for that. I really like the M975's but want a brake that will work in the wet. I'll try the servowaves in mud and see what they're like in comparison.
That Tim Fisher - what a guy! 😉
Ying & yang.
Free ride (ying) but the payment in bike bits and wet car (yang).
I on the other hand, watched MotoGp from my sofa.
You guys riding in that were mad. I bailed - saw the four lap start and the state of the trail down to the lake and didn't bother getting changed. Went back this morning and its still a mudfest. The trails are completely wrecked with so many riders. Respect to anyone who rode yesterday!
Glad I couldn't make it as well, though yesterday morning's Epping ride wasn't exactly a picnic either.
Was Sunday's race worse than the first Brass Monkey winter one?
National shortage of brake pads coming this week then! Same bike destroying conditions at Eastern XC race at Tunstall, finished 7 lap race using the trees to brake.
Have to laugh hearing that people racing at the Enduro6, the most slated track in the UK (by some)had fun, and those at the Southern more weather friendly course, had a mare.
I thought the course held up well. The mud didn't make any of it unrideable. So not as bad as some Mayhems/SITSs. And the descents were great even without working brakes. What I found hard was the cold (I didn't wear enough) and being of marginal fitness anyway for 100kms' racing, so I wasn't fit enough to slog round continuously with no rest on the flat bits.
"The trails are completely wrecked with so many riders. Respect to anyone who rode yesterday!"
I find it hard to find much respect in my heart for the organisers and competitors for wrecking the trails. 😕
Those same people that re-invest a lot of the time and money made back into the trails?
It was a May event, middle of winter maybe, but no one could've expected conditions to be that bad, you can't call an event off because of potential trail damage. Swinley's big, the trails to have suffered aren't the ones that'd normally get ridden, and we didn't touch Crowthorne, so there's plenty of 'untrashed' trail for you!
Joolze's photos are up:
[url= http://joolzedymond.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=90616&q=411 ]First lap[/url]
[url= http://joolzedymond.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=90622&zoom=yes&q=411 ]4th lap[/url]
[url= http://joolzedymond.com/photocart/index.php?do=photocart&viewImage=91077 ]Aftermath[/url]
I find it hard to find much respect in my heart for the organisers and competitors for wrecking the trails. 😕
+1
Do you think they should've cancelled it on the morning then?
Or do you think there's no place for events which attract a lot of riders? (serious questions)
I would have understood if they had pulled the race but considering that in here in the UK we dont seem to exercise any degree of restraint when it comes to giving trails time off when the weather is crap - I think the response they would have got would not have been pretty..
ps cheers for the link njee
Do you think they should've cancelled it on the morning then?
No.
Or do you think there's no place for events which attract a lot of riders? (serious questions)
In the past my views on racing have been misunderstood. I am NOT anti-racing but feel that the number of entrants should be lowered. Seems unfair to me that folk who have paid £20 for an annual permit should pretty much be restricted as to where they can ride.
The entry includes a day permit though, whether you have an annual one or not though IIRC?
The trails weren't that wrecked by the racing. They were either armoured (tank traps, labyrinth etc and didn't seem to be suffering) or bits I wouldn't bother riding anyway (what was with that off camber mud slide 2/3 the way round? was that cut especially for the event?)
And plenty of riders without number boards coming in both directions along the trails.
That off camber mud bit was to practice your "cross" skills! I couldnt help but laugh everytime I did it..Massive **** factor & highly amusing 😈
In a past life I used to be an orienteerer, til I worked out it was nuts, and there were often similar discussions there about the sheer number of people causing erosion that takes ages to recover.
The difference is that Swinley is used year round, so it doesn't really get any time to recover until other riders are through there. If you look at some of the busier parts of Peaslake you can see how over the year the rain and too many riders just wreck the trails.
With somewhere as large as Swinley, there's an argument for closing some of the trails for a couple of weeks after something like the Gorrick to give them time to dry up a bit.
On a mostly unrelated topic, can someone expand on this servowave discussion for me? Is the story basically that the Shimano lever pushes more piston through the level pull, and so the pads are slightly clearer of the mud build-up on the rotor? What's the tradeoff?
basicly..............
The pad moves a lot further relative to the lever on SW brakes in the first part of the travel. After this there's a step and the pads don't move as far but the lever keeps pulling. Thus you can build a brake with big pad clearance which would normally be very underpowered, but still have lots of power.
Years ago, trails were routinely closed off to allow recovery. New trails were cut to replace them.