Hold it and they will come. Tandem Weekender Mk II

It’s been 18 months since Chipps organised the MTB Dales Tandem Weekend, so I think we’re due another one later this year. Maybe somewhere else this time, though, spread things out a little?

I’d be happy to try organising something on this side of the pennines and I can put together some nice routes – I’m in Marple on the very fringes of the Manchester conurbation just outside the Peak District National Park and we can get some cracking rides out towards Hayfield or Lyme Park / Macclesfield. There’s not much in the way of accommodation round here though, just a couple of B&Bs and a few CLs

Anyone got any useful suggestions as to a location with good riding, reasonable access and availability of accomodation? Is there enough interest to do it again?

Yey!

Would be ace – happy to go wherever if we can find a free weekend.

I’m in.

Signed: nbt’s stoker.

And then there were 50+ 😀

We’d be interested. It’s about 100 miles for us from Worcestershire, so not too far for a weekend away.

In fact, if there’s enough interest, I’d be prepared to put on something similar round here. Maybe Clee Hill or Wenlock Edge.
I’ve recently volunteered to become West Midlands Regional Officer for the Tandem Club, so I’ll see if I can get it in the club magazine and website if you want.

We may be interested, although its a fair distance for us from the south coast. Would there be any singletrack / trail riding?

Whilst here and for anyone interested this a short video from our trip to the Surrey Hills over the bank holiday weekend – it does stop the solo boys in there tracks! ha ha!

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od9SK2NlfZ0

Interested but main MTB tandem in hospital (Ventana rear triangle borked). Should be able to get something cobbled together though, especially later in the year.

I’ve put a link to this thread on the Tandem Club Facebook group.

This would be proper off road MTB, maybe not quite singletrack as you don’t get much of that in these parts, but certainly stuff that will have some people thinking twice. There’s one section that Bunnyhop sometimes walks down on a solo, though I’ve taken her down it on the tandem (not that she had much choice!)

edit – see chest cam video of the section in question here, aka THe Thirty Nine Steps or the Last Drop To Rowarth

http://lyxus.net/jjhw

MTG, I’d be as happy to head down your way if you think it might be better – as I said, the issue round here is that accomodation is a bit scarce

I didn’t mean down here instead, I meant as well.
100 miles is OK for us for a weekend away, I was thinking of those further South who might want something a bit nearer.
Either way really. We’ll come to yours, then put on another one if there’s demand for two in one year, or we can just do the one here.
Whatever everyone wants, I’ll go with the flow.

As a spur of the moment, not looked in to it yet, idea; the camping pods near the Long Mynd could be a good place to hold it.

Homepage

I’d love to but schmiken junior is due at the end of June so it’s really date dependent.

I was thinking September 🙂

nbt – the link to the chest cam video doesn’t work for me; it comes up with ‘Server Error’? Is that me or the link please?

NOt sure. It should link this this video

but it should start at 5′ 04″, as it’s only the last descent that I was talking about

[Puts hands up]
we were gutted we couldn’t make the last one. Although we’re now in Argyll we spent our early tandem years in the Peaks, so would love to go back.

Rob & Sandy

Spoke to my partner and she was pretty keen if it comes together. As we have a long distance to come we would probable make a ‘long’ weekend. We have a small camper van so really just need somewhere to park-up and join in. We can’t get the tandem on the roof like our solo bikes so a place to store the tandem overnight would be handy, otherwise we have to strip it down to get it across the cab.

Hello NBT,

Sorry but due to injury we’ll not be able make to the tandem weekend, we have injuries that prevent bike rides full stop. It’s a good place to ride where you live with loads of tandem-able off road between you and the Peaks, its used to be my old stomping ground.

Given the above injury comment, we have a rather nice MT2000 Cannondale tandem for sale if you know anyone interested.

Hope it all goes well and there plenty of attendees.

Sorry to hear that 🙁 Was hoping to see you again. Will drop you a line when next we get up to Swaledale

I do know someone who was muttering about a tandem, will pass the word around

Nail, I’m sure we can sort out storage for a tandem. If you’re looking for “proper” camping then there’s a CL (Caravan Club 5 van site) just down the road, or if you are a “car park camper” then there might be other options – I do recall someone setting up a 10 foot CI Sprite in the car park of the Ring o’Bells pub round the corner from our house for a few days last year!

Another “maybe” here, depending on dates. Will have to travel from East Anglia so location doesn’t matter too much………..might even have an ECDM by then. Anyone want to buy a Lapierre MTB tandem? Having a go on a demo ECDM next week from JD Tandems.

Given the above injury comment, we have a rather nice MT2000 Cannondale tandem for sale if you know anyone interested.

Very sorry to hear about the injury.
I’d like to join in but don’t have a tandem 🙂
What size is your MT2000 and what price range will it be in?

nbt – Our Van is small but fully equipped (shower toilet etc.) so just a place to park up and join in with any socials etc.

P.S For anyone interested we have a full suspension tandem frame for sale; and an almost complete set of everything to build up a tandem – (although the parts are not hi-spec). It is currently with a 26er swing-arm but comes with a 29er also; so it sets up how you want. There are a couple of pics of it fully built (ps. not with the parts mentioned above). The frame is a 19″/15″ (although it would be possible to lose an inch on the front down to 18″ if necessary)

Frame picture here:- https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112598676564367425025/albums/5992862165572031457

I’d be up for this and could guide around the Elan Valley/Mid wales area.
Some great tandem friendly routes and loads of accomadation/campsite round there.

I’d just like to be the first to say.. Fnarr fnarr.. at the thread title..
I knew you tandemers were a funny lot..

@mt – have you got any details about the MT2000 – we’re looking for a mtb tandem.

Might even get us to come to the weekend if we have the right wheels!

This thread’s gone a bit quiet.

I’ve just taken on organising a second BMBO[/url] event in my area this year, as another organiser has dropped out, so I’ll withdraw my offer of organising something on The Long Mynd, as I’m not familiar with the area and would need to drive over there on a few weekends to work out routes.
There didn’t seem to be much interest anyway.
I could still do something in the Wyre Forest and Severn Valley if there’s a demand, as I know this area well and could easily make up a couple of routes and find a camp site for everyone.

Peak District sounds good to me though.

We might be interested, depending upon quite how far “up-country” it is going to be.
In the meantime, if anyone in the south-east would be interested in meeting up one Saturday or Sunday to go ride Surrey Hills?

mt – sorry to hear of your injuries. I hope you and the missus mend soon.

I’ve had a think about this. There’s one hotel in my area, and one B&B close by that gets mixed reviews. I think one of the was on telly – was it “Four in a bed” where they tried out each others hotels? Didn’t see it myself. Anyway:

Hotel website : http://www.springfieldhotelmarple.co.uk/
Hotel reviews : http://lyxus.net/jjif
B&B website : http://www.oakfieldlodge.co.uk/
B&B reviews : http://lyxus.net/jjie

I’ve got several route options – even these are just “base” routes which can be cut short or extended to suit. I’ve no idea why MapMyRide thinks I live in Victoria…

http://www.mapmyride.com/sc/victoria-english-river/stw-northern-meet-marple-ride-route-11537800
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/edit/12632484/
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/390402808
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/415784754
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/415786754
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/415788302

Current plan would be to “organise” two rides – a longer on on Saturday and a shorter one on Sunday so people aren’t setting off homewards late in the day. This allows people to travel up on Friday evening if they so wish. If anyone wants to make a longer trip of it, the railway station (v close to the hotel) allows easy access to both Manchester and the Peak District

I’d probably speak to my local pub about organising a group meal on the Saturday evening. We eat there regularly and the food is quite good. I realise that we’ll have some specific dietary requirements (MTG is vegan) so will check if that’s going to cause any issues

http://www.ringobellsmarple.co.uk/
http://lyxus.net/jjig

I’m thinking first weekend in September. Does that suit folks?

Unfortunately I’m racing that weekend.

It’s only a suggestion, we’ll be away for a couple of weeks in september though according to current plans. Anyone else got date they’d prefer/ prefer to avoid?

Looks good to me, no promises though…

Marple – yes
Early Sept – no
Willing wife/stocker for a hilly ride – questionable

What sort of climbing are we talking about?
Could you email me the suggest GPX and I could ride it first please?
email in profile

you should be able to download GPX from the links above John, I don’t have a GPS myself so don’t do that kind of stuff. Mapmyride reckons that the suggested routes above vary from 1100 to 1800 feet of climbing

Is mid-october better for people?

We’ve got nothing planned as yet for September, but we’re doing Tide to Tide[/url] on October 4th.
Neither of us likes pub or restaurant meals, we’d rather just sit outside with a bag of chips, so don’t make special arrangements for us.

I like aP’s offer above.
We wouldn’t drive all the way to Surrey just for a tandem ride, but I like the idea of small informal meet ups with tandem teams from a different area in addition to this big event.
We can do the same for anyone wanting to visit the Wyre Forest.

Off topic, but I put it here to get the attention of any MTB tandem teams reading this thread;

We were thinking of having a go at the three hour event at Bristol Bike Fest on June 8th on the tandem.
Paul, the organiser, mentioned the possibility of a celebrity team also entering, although he gave no clue as to who it might be.

Does anyone else fancy this?
Ashton Court is a fairly tame route and should all be rideable, apart from maybe a couple of smallish rock drops.

It’s closing day for submissions to the next Tandem Club magazine tomorrow. I’ll put something in there, but it would be good to say there are already x teams entered.

We’re still in the “researching what to buy” stage – but wondering if I should show my stoker (wife) this video of the ROC tandem race http://youtu.be/h6jB4gGLxnY – awesome. Scary bit at 7:13
Next one is 11th October 🙂

Late joiners but is this definitely planned for the first weekend in september, we’d love to join you all then but we are away in the northern california and oregon for the first two weeks in september (hopefully with a tandem rented from Alex). If its late september or early august we’d be up for it.

Date not fixed at all. If august is better we could do for that, might just have to think about bank holidays as we might be away.

Currently riding c2c2c on the tandem (set up for road touring), will return to this thread next week

Not forgotten this, we’ve not yet fixed plans for our holidays and we need to sort that out then I can work out what’s bet for this tandem weekender