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oooofffttt, healing vibes, but...If he's not pushing it, he's not progressing. (don't tell him that though!!)
Hey weeksy, healing vibes to your boy. Going to watch the video.....
If you look back this is the exact situation i was referring to when i suggested getting some physio sessions in 'pre injury'. I think you had posted up something about is your kid doing too much? Its not just the healing of the broken bone, its having someone who has spent time with your son and knows what his range of movement etc was like pre injury.
Honestly, everyone i see with sporting kids seems to spend all their time and money thinking about coaching, equipment and performance when the number 1 priority should be their health now and for their future. Even if this comes at the cost of them not being so successful. I pay about £50 every couple of months for an hours session. They discuss any niggles and issues which are usually minor and he gives suggestions for good practice etc. Sometimes it will just be a sports massage. Then they go through the upcoming workload etc and put a little plan in place.
Its no guarantee but i think investing money into your kids future health is worthwhile.
:thumbsupsmileything
Heal up quick, think Wolverine speed.
On a side note I can see the preview of you tube videos, but click on them and it's just grey. Android Google pixel 5 with chrome here.... Anything to reset?
Spent 30 mins this morning swapping the front/rear springs on the blue GT to convert it back to the boys setting. Also took 20mm off the bars overall as they were wider than his purple bike. So even though he can't ride for some weeks, it's all good to roll.
I've bought and paid for a set of Boxxer Select 2021 models which are air sprung so that'll be interesting.
I'm just waiting for confirmation from Upgrade bikes on getting the XFusion forks booked in for replacement lowers (assuming they're straight), seems to come in at a not-insanely expensive £240 fitted with a service too...So that'll be done as a winter project and either kept for spares or sold on. Probably kept for spares so they can be fitted back on when it's eventually sold on as he gets bigger.
That doesn't seem too bad for lowers + a service.
I had a glance at that quad jump yesterday...just nuts as it is long, and you have lost the speed of the hill as it's nearly flat by then. Ie at a normal Main Line speed the new table on the L is perfect...but that is at least half the quad jump. I suppose you have to squash the jumps higher up and just pedal flat out? Crazy stuff!
I had a glance at that quad jump yesterday…just nuts as it is long, and you have lost the speed of the hill as it’s nearly flat by then. Ie at a normal Main Line speed the new table on the L is perfect…but that is at least half the quad jump. I suppose you have to squash the jumps higher up and just pedal flat out? Crazy stuff!
That's pretty much the gist of it matey yeah. You have to try and carry the speed into it as it's not much of a lip/kicker. If it was 50% bigger on the take off, he'd have been golden as he'd just send it to oblivion. But I guess it's the sort of jump you don't know you don't have it, right up until the second you don't have it.
He tried a few run ins trying to jump both to the left of the landing and the right to gauge it, but they're not really appropriate landing areas so again, it left something to the 'maybe' factor. When he gets things in his head though sometimes i just have to have belief in him, i look at it and it's not even a consideration, it's just a random mental jump. But i really did think he'd bottle it again and not go for it.... When he lauched it I was pretty surprised lol.
I feel bad for him of course and even worse for my wallet, but it's hard to knock him for it, you've got to push boundaries, you've got to find out what you can or cannot do. I may have mentioned earlier but we did have a discusion in the car about "will that make you a better/faster racer" type scenarios, but the truth is, kinda, maybe... sorta.. It's a toughie to answer. He's got away with it to a great extent, a couple or 5 weeks of ball-ache and he'll be back out getting muddy and hitting trails again.
What did his mum say?
What did his mum say?
Well lets just say that was challenging, esepcially when he sent her the video... Even more so when asked "how many others did it that day" and the answer of course was 'none' and even more faceplants when asked "how many usually do it" to which, Fairclough, Craik, Kerr, etc apparently wasn't really a good answer.
She doesn't like it obviously, but she accepts this is the life he's chosen and the game he wants to be a part of.
It's a big part of the reason she's only ever watch him race once and not seen him send anything since he was about 9.
We're both very much 'in' with all of this... but as you'll gather, it's got certain aspects that make things a bit tough. I'm still slightly struggling with a broken finger (confirmed 4 days later after x-ray as a small chip) from the MIJ race, he's obviously out of action with the clavicle... so she is quite rightly a bit dubious at some of it.
Fair enough, he did what he could to gauge it, which is the best way to approach things. Good luck with the healing. He'll be back before you know it.
I had a mate like that, blisteringly fast, or crashed.
You're not the only one, an ex team mate of mine used to either finish on the podium (or close) or in an ambulance. and on one memorable weekend, a helicopter (and that wasn't even a race weekend, just larking around on a club ride).
With the idea of 'working on new places' for next season we currently have plenty of stuff lined up once the lad is back from his break.
Bringewood, Hopton, Bucknell, Dyfi, Cwmcarn, Twisted Oaks.
On top of that he's got several days of coaching planned and booked in.
The only real downside is the cancellation of Gawton, Dyfi, along with a coaching day and a 417 race. But can't be helped. He's also missing out on his Circuits/Cardio and strength sessions which was coming along really well. With a bit of luck though he can get on the turbo in about a weeks time to turn the legs over.
It'll be interesting to see where they do next year's National DH with Revolution bike park being no longer, I suspect it'll be Antur Stiniog, so we'll need to get over there.
Still waiting for the fella to organise the new Boxxer selects for the DH bike and the XFusion RV1 forks have been sent off to be hopefully repaired and serviced. Not sure what that means in terms of forks that he'll run next year, I guess we'll spend a few days testing between the two sets to decide and maybe sell a set on.
We're still waiting on a few other bits of crazy to be finalised that I'm hoping to share soon.
1 week in now and recovery is moving along nicely. He can actually move it about a bit, sleep better.. Still in a sling of course for now.
Still a bit of 'wait and see' in terms of what, where, when etc for him, but i think his target is 100% race at FoD on the 11th Dec. Along with the Pearce open day on the 10th to get his eye in.... That'll be 6 weeks since hitting the floor, so not completely impossible that he'll be OK for it.
The Boxxers arrive today and will be chucked in the bike, i can then start giving it a proper check over this evening. I think the rear wheel may need a check from the crash, but it's not too bad.
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We've also sold a set of spare wheels which were the DT Swiss in 150 rear and 110 non-boost, the reason is, they're for the spare BLue bike... So really i'm not seeing much point in keeping them. So they'll be replaced by a spare set for the purple bike which is now standard 148*12 on the back and boost 110*20 on the front.
New wheel day 🙂
With the difference in sizes between both the blue and the purple, making my world a bit more complex i've now sold the spares for the blue bike and bought spares for the purple instead. Yes, they're a bit on the orange side of things. 😀
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Xfusion forks are back... which considering i only sent them on Friday i think, is pretty damn remarkable !
Big shout to Upgrade Bikes. They've got super spangly decals on too... I could almost flog them as completely new... but i won't risk that just in case the lad hates the Boxxers 😀
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52490709218_95d5b3b996_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52490709218_95d5b3b996_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nYqB6U ]2022-11-10_12-49-16[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
I take it you've confirmed that the headset, headtube or frame didn't get mauled by the crash? Was quite a hit the bike took
I take it you’ve confirmed that the headset, headtube or frame didn’t get mauled by the crash? Was quite a hit the bike took
HAd it apart and can't see any damage, it's actually in the LBS currently getting a new headset cup installed which is lower stack.
One part I left out on the Boxxer discussion is that the steerer was a little on the short side.. (but that wasn't justification for me to send back as he didn't claim anything different lol), not really short, but only 3-4mm of clearance before being tightened. But it's got about an 8-9mm stack headset cup, so we're throwing on a 2-3mm one to give some more clearance. But that does mean the headtube etc are now a bit more visible for inspection etc.
I've checked the rest of the frame, chainstays etc and again, all seems OK...
If he snaps a frame, he snaps a frame. The only time i'd get irritated by that is if he snaps it dropping against a wall, a post etc... if he shatters a frame trying to jump, race, ride, that's OK, it's all part of the game. It would potentially change a few things of course and maybe mean we go to a 29er V10/Demo earlier than I'd planned... but at the moment it doesn't seem to be broken, so the Fury stays.
Has the sponsorship deal dropped away now? Just wondering as you’re still buying a fair few items!
Has the sponsorship deal dropped away now?
No idea what you're talking about.... ask me again in 2 weeks 😉
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52494532461_5106dce332_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52494532461_5106dce332_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nYLcBT ]2022-11-12_03-38-14[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
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Forks collected after servicing, fitted to the bike for testing.. But the lad wants to run the XFusion for first day out as he knows them and knows how they feel, handle etc... Bit weird in a way as personally i'd spend time getting the Boxxers sorted, but it's his bike and his racing, so it's not my place.
After some testing outside today he thinks he'll be OK for coaching next weekend. Me, again, i'm not massively convinced lol... but he was admittedly fairly convincing 😀
So we'll see what next weekend brings.
After some testing outside today he thinks he’ll be OK for coaching next weekend. Me, again, i’m not massively convinced lol… but he was admittedly fairly convincing 😀
I've fallen for that one earlier this year, it's not happening again 😆. The next time Missy wrecks herself, she's getting the full rest period and not a week less regardless of which race she may miss.
Has the sponsorship deal dropped away now?
Shhhh. It's sub judice 😉
Bit weird in a way as personally i’d spend time getting the Boxxers sorted
I’m with the boy on this one. Change one variable at a time and evaluate, this time it’s the dodgy shoulder being monitored for performance
I’m with the boy on this one. Change one variable at a time and evaluate, this time it’s the dodgy shoulder being monitored for performance
Yeah no issue with that, he's now got the XFusions fitted and ready to roll.
We'll be monitoring the pain and movement this week to see if he can do anything at all next weekend. But arguably he'll still get lots from being at the coaching session with Katy even if he can't ride, potentially even more so as he can listen, watch and absorb the information without having to practice at the time too.
We did our first ride back... about 2 miles or so around the airfield at Greenham Common. No rad, no gnar, no jumps, no anything other the sunshine and outside..
Oh and cake... there was cake.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52499129930_00fb995d55_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52499129930_00fb995d55_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nZaLhA ]2022-11-14_07-34-26[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
We did our first ride back
Hope his recovery continues going well! And new hubs match spring! 😉
Hope his recovery continues going well! And new hubs match spring!
Well they DID.... by the time we went out he'd decided on the XFusion forks, which means he gets the silver Hope in the front as DH bikes have some weird standards.
XFusion forks are 110x20 non-boost
Boxxers are 110x20 actual boost.
So i can spacer the non-boost wheel to fit the Boxxers.... but i can't obviously spacer the orange wheel down to fit the XFusion. So, he's got mismatched wheels. Both are Pro4 and Fortus30... but different colours lol. This could bring a level of complexity if he hates the Boxxers and we end up selling them on and keeping the XFusion as he'll have an orange Pro4 that won't fit anything.
But thank you 🙂 he's getting there and feeling good, still a bit delicate, but half decent. He's targetting the race on the 27th at 417 as a comeback, with Southern Enduro the weekend after at Twisted Oaks. He's at the stage where it's winter, it's frustrating and he needs to keep sane, so we're having to keep him in check. But he's doing everything he's told and spent the day at Brian Simpsons clinic getting magnet/laser treatments to speed/aid the bone.
Well as much as some are likely to disagree, i've just spent an hour while waiting for a HPe unit to update swapping the boys brakes over on the older blue GT Fury.
Removed : SRAM Code R
Added : SRAM Guide
Now i know the argument is, the Codes are better, but someone commented not long ago about getting things 'the same' so he's got the same grips, the same brakes, the same pedals on the spare bike. There was nothing wrong with the Codes really, but just slightly different of course, so as stated i wanted the same.
It also made me realise i need to order a couple of 203 rotors up for them both as a couple of the rotors i have are center lock and we don't really use the center lock wheel any more.
yeah yeah, i know... but he's 14... he loves the Max Power look 😀
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52504061098_8604a203db_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52504061098_8604a203db_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nZB39J ]2022-11-16_12-38-40[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
Not enough to want to run those Boxxers mind 😝
Not enough to want to run those Boxxers mind
They'll be going on. He just wants first rides back on what he knows. It's highly likely on of his first rides back will be in a race lol. Nothing like doing things a weird way.
We've told him he's not riding his coaching day on Sunday, which he's sad about, but part of him understands the logic.
The weekend after is a 417 race on Sunday, which in many ways would be a good jump back in.
It's hard to gauge though how well he's healing as you can't see the bone of course.
At least 417 is a very easy course to ease back into and it’s not tech rock / root smashing.
When my mate broke his collar bone (he’s done it twice with bike drink/ride injuries 🤦♂️) he’s been off the bike a lot longer than that. First one was a normal single break - the 2nd needed plating as he had a floating bit of bone as 2 seperate breaks.
I hear you. He's back at circuits tonight but only on legs. I don't know the right answer on timescales, some come back in 2-3 some take longer
It wasn't completely split in half, so it's not like it's been flapping about.
I guess if it’s still partially joined it’s generally going to heal quicker. My mate’s was definitely completely seperate on both occasions
I think being what 12/13? sorry if I'm wrong will have a big impact on a quicker recovery time mind.
close enough Joe, 14.
Ahhh so close, although I'm sure at that age I'd have been horrified at that mistake.
Hope his recovery goes well and he does get back riding properly asap.
more new rubber
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52505838741_848ff703a6_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52505838741_848ff703a6_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nZL9zK ]2022-11-17_03-03-59[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
thanks @joe-m very kind....
He'll be at the very least sitting on his bike this weekend and riding 1-2 very tame trails.
yeah yeah, i know
Stickers acceptable. What isn't, however, is the clash with the orange spring and yellow bits on the stickers.
Only one answer...new yellow spring time 😜
Lol orange wheels, spring.
Yellow and purple frame and fork decals
Win win.
We'll see how it all looks when they're fitted.
We’ll see how it all looks when they’re fitted.
Psychedelic!!! 😉 Good to hear he's on the mend enough to get on the bike.
3 weeks today and back out riding.
Was on restricted duties, but still, out there playing
Ahh to be 14…..
I have longer than 3 weeks out without a major injury these days.
Matching tops look good…