[Closed] Steel City DH

I was thinking about it.

I entered in 2011 but broke my hand practicing! Being a pootling non DHer I'd love to give it a go but am slightly intimidated! :-S

Same here tbf, especially watching all the videos of people launching the double / drop into the bomb hole. I reckon I need some practice...

If I remember, and my clicky-finger is fast enough, I'll probably have a go this year. If I don't get a place I reckon I'll still head over to [s]abuse[/s] gently encourage people.

I'll definitely be there whatever, camera in hand to document the carnage... A few of my riding mates are considering it, if we all get in it should be a good laugh

Well, I'd be a lot happier entering knowing that there are some other s?u?c?k?e?r?s? entrants that I will (vaguely at least) know!

You're more than welcome to come and [s]laugh at[/s] hang out with us on the day.

Greno woods is only 5 mins from my house so I'll definitely be there as a spectator. Like flyingmonkeys I think I'd be safer with a camera in my hand than on the bike...

Cheers

Danny B

Luckily for me, I always have the "well, I WAS on a hardtail" excuse ready to stave off excess embarrassment 8)

Great day even to watch. Good food/drink/stars mingling etc etc

I might be on a hardtail, depends what's built up at the time! I don't need an excuse to be last 😉

This might be daft question but assuming I did decide to enter - itmight be a bit of a laugh and given that all my riding at the moment is in Greno woods I have no excuse not to practice my (complete lack of) skillz - what category would an overweight, slow and slightly nervous 36 yr old rider enter?

I think that whilst I'd still lose entering in the junior categories I wouldn't pass for under 12 but don't see Masters, Pro-Am etc being remotely descriptive of me either.

Cheers

Danny B

Abigale wants to do it again this year. I'll be out due to shoulder reconstruction.

Categories are age related, not ability. So you'd be in Masters, same as me. Which I find hilarious, as I'm pretty sure EVERYONE there will be more masterful than me.

I've not even managed to hit the big double yet 🙁

I've had my bike about weeks - trust me I out-unskill you. I'll even enter just to prove it! 😛

The only thing I've managed to hit is the deck!

Cheers

Danny B

I'm planning on racing this year, in the Master(of avoiding doing any of the jumps)s category.

I think the thing is not to get scared by all the videos of people doing big jumps and stuff - there are some really fast, good folk in there, but there actually seems to be a pretty wide spread of abilities entering. I've not raced the SCDH before, but the racing I have done has taught me that you WILL get the red mist, pedal like a nutter and overcook the first corner, crap yourself, mince for a couple of corners then pedal like a nutter again, overcook the next corner... And repeat.

You ride Greno a lot then? Not been since back end of last year, kinda waiting for the Wharny side to dry up to make a day of it (it's a fair trek for us).

That last bit - is it rollable? 😳

Into the bombhole arena? Yup, it's an easy roll. I've not managed to jump it yet 😳

Only Greno really - not ventured to the Wharncliffe side yet. As I say, I can ride there in 15 mins or so - pretty lucky really.

Been very soggy and slippy though so not ideal to learn but good fun none the less.

Cheers

Danny B

Jealous! The Wharncliffe side is a lot different, much steeper but awesome fun. Slippy probably helps, if you can ride it in bad conditions it should be easy when it's good... Right?

What's worrying me is that I can't ride in the slippy stuff - scares the living daylights out of me!!

Cheers

Danny B

Keep trying, you'll get there (I can't do it particularly well either, but perseverance definitely helps).

Drop me a PM when you're next heading out this way if you like - could do with the company.

My only MTB companion works weekends and I work weeks so usually ride alone...

Cheers

Danny B

It was all rollable the first year and I managed to break my hand practicing without successfully getting any air at all!

It's not really a DH track of any sorts and a world apart from Wharncliffe (fun though).

I've ridden about twice this year but may enter if I can... I have unfinished business with the tree I bounced off >:-(

I'm pretty sure it's all rollable still, there's a chicken run round the big (for me!) double, and the drop into the arena is definitely rollable.

I'll let you know next time we're out Danny, Looking at my calendar it'll be a few weeks before I'm out on a weekend though.

Nice one - gives me plenty of time to practice falling off some more 🙂

Cheers

Danny B

Hahaha. It's good riding with other people, there's three of us that often ride together that egg each other on to go faster and try stuff... I'm usually the voice of sanity, when I'm not there it has been known to result in cracked frames!

Determined to clear that double (though I clearly never will).

Determined to clear that double (though I clearly never will).

quote from a text my mate sent last week is 'you have to pedal like bugger and hope you're going fast enough' after he managed to clear it for the first time. Hopefully it will have dried out by the time May comes but given how wet the Wharncliffe side was on Sunday(and that's usually drier than Greno') I wouldn't hold my breath.

I might actually give this a go ,do they have a 'fat old blokes over 40' class?

I think I'll be waiting for it to dry up before even thinking about attempting it!

Is this Carlosg that once did a UKMTB (or MTBUK, or something like that) forum ride round Kirroughtree on a steel Orange?

Is this Carlosg that once did a UKMTB (or MTBUK, or something like that) forum ride round Kirroughtree on a steel Orange?

Yep , I still look in there now and again but not much happens on there nowadays. The steel Orange is still on the go and has now been joined by a steel DH bike , I seem to remember you and I stuggling up the climbs at Mabie? the day after Kirroughtree.

Aye I seem to remember seeing a picture of a Keewee somewhere, is that right? I think I was struggling on the climbs rather more than you were to be fair, I've improved my fitness and skills a bit since then (though probably not that much ;))

FMC, Duane from uk-mtb here. You'll have to let me tag along on a Wharny/Greno ride with you lot soon! I'm in Derby for a few months..

Went to watch it last year - great atmosphere all the way down the track. Wide range of riding abilities but everyone looked to be having a great time - even the chap who got off his bike and slid down into the bomb hole at the bottom!
Very tempted to have a go this year ....

Aye I know Duane, will let you know as soon as I actually manage a weekend ride out there! Gonna be midweek for the next couple of weeks.

FMC , yeah got a Keewee DH frame to build my old parts onto , loving it too. I only did 5 XC rides all last year so gained all my fitness on pushups 😀

And shouldn't that be Duane from Pinkbike pic of the day!

Don't forget all the videos of the day too!

ooh does this mean i can post these pics?

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Wait, FMC, who are you on uk-mtb?

It's Will isn't it?

@ Pook

I always find the spectators/folk in the backgound of DH race pics a chuckle - expressions on faces are sometimes priceless!

Looks like a great event - hats off to the chaps who ride DH 🙂

There's a STW 2012 course preview vid for those who see mountain biking as "rambling with wheels".

Doh, need to stop bugging the same person on different forums haha

The last drop was rollable, but better to jump

[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/6953927350_01fcd07b6c_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5329/6953927350_01fcd07b6c_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

Yup, Will on UKMTB! Feel free to bug me Duane, I have the worse memory in history!

Jumping the bombhole is on the same to do list as the double 😉