I’m just happy for him. I was a bit confused by the commentary as I thought he was left for dead.

Almost as shouty as the Danny Hart clip 🙂

Personally I carry a shop-standard bike stand on my back when I bike for fear of even scratching the saddle. Couldn’t bear the thought of my bike being anything other than mint 🙂

I’ll jump in without having read the full thread.

I have seen UFOs and am inclined to believe they may be some sort of secret weapons system as opposed to anything from distant planets. I have a great video called “The Secret Nasa Transmissions” which show a lot of these from the actual shuttles.

In terms of do alien life forms exist in other worlds, yes I do believe that is the case, but then from a shamanic perspective you can go into this in terms of other dimensions of reality which is a little off topic.

One thing I am looking out for is a faked alien attack, possibly during the Olympics so that the powers that be can really lock us down. But hey, who knows what is going to happen during these Olympics ay?

Thanks for all your help offered. I’ll check out Audacity.

My album was number 34 in the Amazon global world music dance charts yesterday so I am thinking about recording two more albums 😀

Cheers folks

I am in the UK and I think the disk is in Brazil but I should be reunited with it next month 😀

Hi – I am using Mac OS X.

I did have Garageband but I then deleted it thinking that I wouldn’t use it. However, if I buy it again it costs around a tenner so that does not seem too bad. Will I be able to work using WAV files using it?

Cheers

Simon

Some controversial statements on this thread ay? 🙂

People who are rude about Mabie in general have not ridden half of what is there 🙂

If you are after a red route, I would look at Drumlanrig and do the red/black combo, especially if you have a problem with the extra hour’s drive to Glentress. But yes, Glentress overall is much better than Ae, Ae is more a locals centre really, although I now add in The Shredder to the red.

No hate in my life. I’m too busy having fun on my bike 🙂

I am clearing out some stuff and have a board which was bought in 1978. It is wooden that is all I can tell you. Would it be worth much, in scraped condition?

Definitely Michel Thomas for the core grammar and then maybe a Learn French in 3 Months for basic vocabulary. Then try and read a newspaper every day and subscribe to the many word a day email services.

Hi Fotherington – how was your ride yesterday? Did you do it no dabbing?

Have they not sanitised a lot of that in recent times though?

Maybe there is some confusion here? They have smoothed out the bit in the woods, but not the descent down to the bridge. What you lose in terms of fun for expert riders, you gain in terms of making it more popular for the masses.

Excellent jumping Pook!

Grannies green love down to the river and back up must be one of the best sections of singletrack in any trail center.

I don’t know. It seems most riding gods of STW can do this one handed while eating a sandwich 🙂

I sometimes feel I live in an alternative reality to some people here. If they do not enjoy the centres, well that is absolutely fine! All I ever meet when out there is people enjoying getting out on their bikes. These centres are designed for the majority of people, and that includes me where it’s all about the peddling and finding drops and things that have yet to be conquered 🙂

Ae will get better again of course when the cafe reopens, and also I guess people do not know that it makes a great place to base yourself for some wild riding and peaceful road riding once you are out the other side of the forest if that is your bag.

Just a few words on Dalbeattie.

It has one of the best skills loops with plenty of tough granite slabs to mess around on. These can be easily missed if you have not been before and are thinking the skills loops is just for kids to get going on.

Yes, it maybe flat (ish) but it’s lovely 🙂

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31st March[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

It has a lot of secrets which more than make up for any closures

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IMG_3864[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

And the other thing that people can miss is the loop you can add on at the bottom for a much longer and scenic ride along some ace coastal singletrack. Those of you who are fit will do this loop in around an hour, hour and half, but for me there are some brilliant places to stop for sandwiches and cake etc.

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August 16th[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_0017[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

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But obviously, it’s horses for courses and not for everyone!

I really like Ae, but then I do understand those who find it a little dull. Maybe it is more of a red route but for me there is still a lot of singletrack to enjoy, and it has an “out there” feel to it. Like Dalbeattie, Ae Forest has much to explore for some big day’s riding.

It’s very simple. After the zig zag berms on Omega Man, before the very last bit, you carry on up the fire road for just a few metres, There is a map on a post to show you how to ride to the top. You then come down the Shredder, which is very ridable on a hard tail and awesome fun, and that throws you out at the same point where you left the red, so you can treat the second half of Omega Man as a continuation of the Shredder, which is more of a continual downhill really, compared to the first half of the Omega Man which also includes riding uphill.

After all those new berms on Omega Man, I am sure there is a dip and then the singletrack turns into a wider forest road. You just take that up. The bit I am talking about is the bit where the push up path from the bottom of the Omega Man ends, if that makes sense. When you look at it all on a map, you should see what I mean.

I love the Shredder. It’s really steep but you can roll the jumps. I am not saying you will, but if you are a wheels on the floor type rider it is still awesome!

Ah cool – say Hi if you see me again – I always have time for a chat on my rides.

Ah right didn’t realise. Not as far as I remember. He was waiting for his mate near the end of the DH section and told me which lines to take to get down.

Potts

I am talking about lots of bits!

On Sunday one of the trail builders was there, and he said just lay off the front brake and just use the back for the final section.

The other problem is that a lot of the slopes end in sharp corners and trees which you don’t see on the video.

Buzz – poor old Martin – at least he seemed to go for it on that plank bit 🙂 Great video – just you riding along laughing 😀

I forgot to say, on that final bit of mine, there is a jump which seems to me crazy in that bikes would land on the flat if they went too far. It would be great to see how the actual proper riders jump it.

And another thing I forgot to say is that I now know how to stitch all the various secret bits together now into a whole loop – before I ended up at the bottom of Descender Bender but now realise that there is in fact a loop in the shape of an 8 you can do.

I tried the plank 3 times – I failed once on Sunday then managed it the second time around as the lines take you to the bottom of Descender Bender then you just go back up again for different lines.

I did as you see crash at the top of the final slope. Nearly bottled it then decided to try it anyway!

Those roots look very slippy; try dropping your tire pressure a bit.

They certainly were! Cheers for the tip. My tyres are pretty high pressure as I don’t have a car and I rode to Mabie from Dumfries.

Cheers Buzz – I know momentum is your friend and all that I guess I just need more of it, also on the downhill bits too.

To be honest I thought people may be more interested in seeing the trails which was the main reason for posting it. I have been watching Ride Guide recently and thought I could make a similar video, but when you watch yourself you realise just how slow you are going around the berms.

The annoying thing with the final fall was that I cleared it at the weekend, but when there were no cameras. This time I think I panicked on the drop, and you can see the bike veer to the right which was my downfall.

The tune is Georges Moustaki – J’Ai Vu Des Rois Serviles.

I think this is the mtb equivalent of watching your dad dance at a wedding

I think there was a tv advert for a drink, forget which, maybe Bacardi, and the soundtrack was Bohemian like you, and the line at the end was “there is no such thing as bad dancing” 🙂

Great video default slipper – you have some good angles there!

Right, just to answer a few questions!

Yes, I know I am a dire rider but only people who I have ridden with know just how much fun I have on a bike.

I really do want to have proper lessons, but they will have to wait until I find myself a proper job. I have an amazing life you know, can’t complain at all, it’s just that I don’t have much cash right now for a number of reasons, but that’s fine.

I am impervious to criticisms of my riding, but I also do listen to constructive comments, and also Trekster and Davy-G always help out when I ride with them.

I did actually notice my wrong gears when editing the video. That section was the start of the woods, and so I must have been in a low gear for the climb to get there. There was no “logic” to the choice of gear, I tend to look around at the trees and things and look out for places to film, rather than focus on the gears and stuff like that 🙂

Thye secret stuff has been amazing for building up confidence to tackle steep stuff. I know you are probably asking where the steep stuff was on this video, but yeah, it was steep for me and a few of these places I was out of my comfort zone believe it or not. But it is a soft forest and so as you can see by the offs, I was fine!

I am happy to show people around, but I am off to Brazil soon so you will probably need some other locals. After saying that, these trails are pretty soft, and can’t cope with hundreds of riders, although there are many many lines to choose, and some jumps and things too.

And in case anyone is wondering how to react to the video, those were genuine offs, I was trying really hard to nail the sections. That last one is very steep, and there is a drop off at the end just before I fall which you can’t see. I really do not take myself seriously as a rider. I just like being out with friends, or out on my own in nature, whizzing around, falling off, having fun, and eating cake.

If you need help deciding then tune in tonight as I will be premiering my new Mabie video 🙂

Mabie and Dalbeattie definitely improve when you add in all the secret natural stuff, and also Dalbeattie’s skills area has plenty of black stuff too to enjoy. With Ae the trick is to add in the Shredder!

Thing is most of these bits are well away from walkers and some are on what was the old red, so it is not exactly that secret. Mabie does not get a huge amount of bike traffic, not like Glentress. These secret bits are great fun for locals but I can’t see people travelling just for them – I think people will not come for the big berms and that kind of thing. “Elite” riders seem to poo poo Mabie and that is fine – they are missing out on some stuff that is just really good fun.

In Dalbeattie I also saw this sign for one of the secret trails there!

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IMG_3864[/url] by simon ralli[/url], on Flickr

I did actually meet a lad there who claimed to be one of the builders. Didn’t ask his name though. You can tell there are still plenty of locals riding these trails – loads of tracks in the mud.

There was also a new little bit of shore which I messed up the first time then nailed the second.

I’ll definitely have to make a little video of me shonking around these trails.

Well now you do – there are various areas all over the forest 🙂

Here are some of the bits

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonralli/sets/72157624841022240/

Yes, little earthy ones in the woods to get round trees more quickly 🙂 And there are secret jumps too.

Well the trail pixies in the secret parts have been putting in a few secret berms as well 🙂

I know we talk a lot about going down slabs, but I seem to be able to go down much steeper slops when they are soily. My bum was hanging right over the back of the rear tyre and it still felt I would go over the handle bars!

I don’t know if I am a bit late but just wanted to say that is a really fantastic looking bike PP.

The track may be good but the visitor centre and cafe looks a bit, shall we say, flimsy?

What a great piece of trail. Where is it?

Tamworth is one of those towns you would not really know where to place on a map if asked. However, assuming you live in Tamworth, wherever it is in the UK, then that looks great fun!

I do wonder about people on STW. I never seem to meet the people who others on here complain about. I have never had anyone look disapprovingly at my bike, my gear, tell me I am uncool, nothing.

Am I doing something wrong? I just always seem to have lots of fun, and absolutely everyone I meet, every single one thinks mountain biking is pretty cool, not in the fashionable sense, just like, yeah, that’s cool that you had a good time.

I think these bogey men and women are figments of the collective STW mind who need bogeymen to feel superior against!

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Love the first vid, especially the greenery too as well as the biking. I am sure a lot of that is much harder than it looks, but it is my kind of trail.

I am reading “The Quark and the Jaguar” about quantum mechanics and complexity theory but it’s not really floating my boat to be honest.