LOL Julie’s cycles,,,,,,,,,, Dannyh that is spot on! I had an ex go in there to buy me an xmas prezzy as she thought, humm bike shop, he likes biking etc etc. I got a lg sleeved training top made by speedo.Yes that well known as a cycling brand! Size XXL because im 6,3? The fact i was built like a cyclist (eg 73kg) didnt come into it. Great days,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Thanks Julie’s for keeping us guessing at Christmas

Just read that the England footie team have been stuffed again. Glad I didn’t waste my life watching the crap.

Lived in leic for most of my life,cant say im sorry to have it in the rear view mirror now though, martin shaw woods, trails round mount sorrel and the bomb hole near croft hill are all good sports for a ride.
As for it being rough in the town, it can get bad (match days,jd sports sale,etc) but no worse than anywhere else ive lived, malvern, london and dorset inc, everywhere has chav’s and scum bags these days, just a sad fact,,,, But I wouldnt let the stories posted above put you off altogether

Got an almost brand new mongoose fixer for sale, sorry thats not very PC. Iv’e got a, special-needs-goose fixer for sale, drop me a mail if your interested,,,, light as a feather and goes like the wind………….

After reading about the chap who used an iron bar to fend off the bast##ds, I’m thinking of buying a spear gun and an alarm, im not shi##ng you…. If the alarm goes off and im about then the other may well be going off in the direction of the criminal. I’ve thought long and hard about it this, air guns wont do enough and you need a licence for a shot gun, but i could pick up the spear gun for the price of a U lock….

In hindsight, what i posted was a touch OTT and did have other issues I have, vented through it. I’ve edited it now as it wasnt the time or place. However i see the post above by joker22 and ive gotta say, he is right, we werent there it was a once a year thing, let it go…Its no where near as bad as alley cat races or street racing (cars, not road bikes) though…

In 1976 on the steep and rough Fire Road in Fairfax, Marin County, California a simular thing went down, it was the begining of mountain biking……..

At Leith hill a bunch of guys got back to the pure roots of mountain biking for a night…

There has been simular at puddletown woods and near minehead in north devon, its just a great shame we havent got a big enough hill in the new forest as im sure the locals would totally understand. looks like top fun from the vid,,,,

Quite impressed how quick some of the top guys went, i thought id gone alright on stage one and seven but still got schooled.

Things that can be taken from the event in prep for the next one for me are,
1, try to get there early and look at the stages before hand or practice riding DH courses and single track blind and flat out….(may not end well)
2, ride more tech’y trials type stuff on the enduro bike.(or try doing next one on a hard tail)
3, work on fitness so that i can arrive at the stages in some sort of shape to ride them well, maybe even dare i say it, interval training!!! (or just do it for fun and carry on drinking beer and eating junk and riding when i want too)

anyways, does anyone know if there are any pics online from the event?

Cheers Maccas

Deffo a lot more fun than riding round a field for 12hrs and i would personally say more enjoyable than an off road endurance ride, eg crc 25/50/100km series….
Not sure how to perpare for riding blind into decents, other than going off and riding blind into decents, hummm could end quite badly i think…..

Used to have trouble sleeping after tough swim sets in the evening a few years ago, but started using an SIS product called Nocta or something like that and it worked a treat. Slept like a good un and felt on the ball in the morning……

scottfitz, im keen to go back and ride there free ride club spot. The marshal on stage 7 said once its up and running proper they will put on some push up races….. Mind you it was quite a nasty push up wth a trail bike, never mind a DH bike after a morning of practice…

Thought it was an ok event for the money, good trails for the timed stages, even some of the linking stuff would have made for good timed stages.

Thought the hill climb was abit of a non event and maybe the stage before it could have gone directly into it???

Maybe the details on the website about it being ok for “novice once a week rides” to enter was a touch misleading?

The only other negative that i was alittle cheesed off about was, when I asked the sexy blond at the finish, when the results were going to be posted, she said errr wednesday!!! (i was expecting “oh in half and hour” or something like most events… I think use of a dibber system like sportident or simular would have sorted that problem nicely…

Keen to try one of the Steve Parr enduro’s now and see how they compare.

I decided to take up down hill this year after 21years of riding and racing XC. Although id always found I was quick down hill for an expert level xc racer, I knew it was a massive leap in terms of skill. First thing i did after building a bike was book a DH skills course. It was the best thing ive done in ages, as my confidence on big stuff has increase massively. Since then ive started racing and using what I learned have improved race on race… Skills course worked for me

Thanks guys that a great help, cheers 8)

And if your not in the north/able to get to jedi, other good cycle coaches are about,,, Ben Deacan at the UK bike Park in Dorset, run’s a great one day beginner down hill course covering the stuff you mentioned + the afternoon session inc uplift , well worth £50 or any southerns money

In terms of most riders in the UK look for who arent full-time, to be sponsored up to the point where it becomes free to race, everything is paid for and you can keep any cash you win or ebay any products you win 😉 is the main goal

It depends on the level you are at or event you do…….
Most Sponsorships are very small slices of marketing budgets, so for smaller companys at grass roots level,ie most of the ones in the UK who sponsor people, they give out own product and logo’ed clothing, no cash….eg on-one, hi5, buff, etc this is much the same as shop teams.
Next level companys do the same but add little cash rewards to riders getting mag coverage or big results… but its not much really when a rider has to mostly self fund themself, travel, food, accom, entrys etc each weekend..
The money is in pro deals, but in the real world, a UK pro roadie racing part UK and part smaller UCI stage races will earn less than 20k.
Having said that, they don’t spend much money other than on coffee’s and pool table change, for most of the year,

Its a toss up between being once ranked 5th in the World and going from a pennyless athlete with an injury, to having enough money for a deposit on a house and a great job which i love… Sod it, its the second one for sure!

Some great posts and honest feeling coming out, thanks its all really greatly recived.

We’ve both done heaps of stuff with our lives already and still there so much more we are doing and want to do..
If we had kids and waited to do it “when they leave home” (as so many of our mates say they will)we would be too bloody old..
Also a few people tell use how they “just give the kids to the folks for the weekend if theres something they really want to do” which strikes me as abit odd, why did you have them if you dont want them full time?

As with most things i guess its horses for courses and everyones different, but one thing does strike me from all this, we are not alone, so thankyou singletrackers.

Case closed……………

DezB it means it went from one place(A)into another place begining with the letter M, give it a google if your still struggling 😯

I nearly didnt post, but im so glad i did….

totally worth it.

hummm, soooooooooooooooooo moving onward,,, anyone else got a big disappointment?????????????????? 😳

ha ha no, it was more the fact that her boob job, up close looked like it had been done on the cheap and she went atm without batting an eyelid, kind of off putting tbh. Not the Ron Jerry moment i was hoping for…

Having sex with a girl who had been in a porno. Lets just say, its not all its cracked up to be……….

+1 for Jens Voigt, an animal on a bike,,,,,,

As for who the F is Rob Lee, for the record he is someone who did a few long distance things to an ok level a few years back when the standards/expectations were low. (eg west highland way at running speed on a bike.)Then wrote a book on it. He’s not shown his face in recent years probably due to the standard improving at solo 24hr and endurance events/challenges, and if he did he would get his ticket in a massive way these days……..

Its a shame there isnt a stash of them nearer to watchmoor as ive built a short downhill run near there and a rock garden would have finished it off nicely 😉

No its looking pretty good these days, its had a revamp recently, in time for all the young rippers to use it during half term… TBH the kids that ride down there are quite well behaved and do pick up a shovel and help build and maintain the trails most of the time. As with eveything there is one of two nob heads, but genrally its a top place to ride and progress your skills

Agreed,,,,,,,
its only a 10min ride from my house so i tend to pull in sections of it most rides, its just a shame walkers and muppet tandems cant read the one way signs and no entrys as it really spoils your flow when you hit someone head on a blind bend (but thats the attitude and respect towards mtb’er in the new forest area, for you)…
Next time check out the mini bike park and trails at watchmoor too

Nice guys,

Think i will go with the h/tail then. “456ss” 8)

Another great way to wear Buff under the lid and a personal fave,

1,Turn it inside out and place on your head (going front to back)
2,Put your hand inside the opening at the front, pressing into your forehead.
3, Pull the top section towards the back of your head, exposing your hand fully.

Now you have a legionnaire style covering, stopping sweat running down the front and back, plus it will protect your neck from getting burnt in the sun….. High UV protection buffs are avalible for a £1 more than original buff…

Regards Buff man of the south

Personally, it was always tubeless when racing xc, because its lighter/faster/grippyer/no snake bites. But always had a tube, gas can and tire boot,taped to the stem just in case of a torn side wall…
Now a try to race down hill and use tubes because they came with the wheels and are super thick….

Cheers supersessions9-2 looks just the ticket

Nice job on catching the little scum bag, probably good that you didnt get hold of him as alot of them sort carry needles etc

I worked in a health club once where we cought a simular type, who was walking into the club bold as brass and breaking into peoples lockers. We did choose to give him a fairly light going over while waiting for the law to show up.As rewarding as it was in the moment, when they arrived and told us that he was a know user and would have most likely being carrying, we did think that next time we wouldnt be so hasty (and not get so close, use sticks or something)
Sadly he didnt go down for it as he was better use “long term” in helpping catch a “bigger fish” etc etc

If charity muggers are know as chuggers, then surely you are a Bunt

deanfbm, i’m very much the latter, so therefore will heed the advice of you and the others, by waiting until pay day comes around again and check myself before I wreak myself…

thanks indeed

Thankyou Jamie

gurrr, bloody links. If you’ve already seen it, then ok. just thought it was quite funny…

Quick update,

Bike arrived, stripped and serviced most of it, shocks-brakes-wheel bearings-pivots, 10hrs in the sun…… cost 3x beers.

Switched drive over. Tired old sram and bent double chain set went into the bits box for a rainny day. XT shifting and SLX single ring came out of the bits box and onto the bike.
Switched worn tires for maxis 2.35’s out of the bits box… Cost zero (bits box from the shed don’t really count as £’s spent does it?)

Ordered chain device and brake pads…. Cost £70

Total cost so far £345. + 4xbeers (1 more when i saw the price of chain devices)

Aim is now to build a race-able DH bike and race 5 events, covering all costs for under a grand…. Project £1000’s Privateer, is go!!!

@Scottfitz, Sadly I cant make the Honey DH next weekend due to wedding commitments gurrrr, looks like may6th will be first event unless theres anything like it for a first one in April?

xiphon, up the budget bike massive…

Starter bike incoming,

yeah, i hear you folks. A fork upgrade/chain device etc, will get on it and maybe keep you posted on what becomes of the bike and i as we step off the edge into the DH world………

Cheers for now