I am a lifelong mountain biker who rarely lacks motivation. I had always ridden bikes off road like most kids but in 1976 I bought a "scrambler" for 70 pence. This was a bike which was dedicated to off road use. In 1977 I added a homemade suspension fork. I used the front suspension units … Continue reading Why I’m writing this….
I found the limit of 29″ wheels!
My plan for today's ride was to use a road route to the village of Rivington where I'd ride 2 very different downhill sections in the terraced gardens. This would also give a valuable training element with 2 tough climbs to reach the top of each descent. The weather was very still with occasional, hazy … Continue reading I found the limit of 29″ wheels!
Riding Rivington Pike.
After 2 rides of good training value I thought that I'd take it a little easier today on a longer trail ride with no targets. My purpose today was simply to enjoy the trail and get out in the environment on a pleasant enough day. The weather was very still and quite misty as I … Continue reading Riding Rivington Pike.
A trail ride at full speed!
My last ride was good training with 5 full out laps of a circuit. Each lap took just under 10 minutes and I gradually increased the effort on each lap to try to keep the lap time consistent. I needed to increase the effort as I became more tired. Today I wondered what differences I'd … Continue reading A trail ride at full speed!
Time to train.
It's Monday and I haven't ridden my mountain bike since Thursday. In the current muddy conditions I struggled to think of a ride which seemed exciting but I knew what to do. I'd do a harder training ride because I know that working hard on the bike is just about the best tool to motivate … Continue reading Time to train.
A change of bike.
I changed the rear gear cable on the Trek EX8 29" wheel mountain bike yesterday so thought I'd ride it today. I'd thought after my last ride, where I'd enjoyed working hard on 3 laps of the same circuit, that I'd do something similar today. I haven't had many rides on the Trek so changed … Continue reading A change of bike.
A much better ride in muddy conditions.
I've been a little worried after my last few rides that I wasn't going to be having as much fun as I usually have mountain biking. Although I've generally been riding between showers, not whilst it was actually raining, the ground has been muddy. This slows me down throughout my rides and makes corners treacherous. … Continue reading A much better ride in muddy conditions.
Another muddy ride.
We've had plenty of rain in the last week and at this time of year the ground takes a long time to dry up. It was inevitable that my ride yesterday would be on soaking wet surfaces which limits my riding options. Healey Nab, my nearest hill, seemed like the best bet. The man made … Continue reading Another muddy ride.
How did all the mud get here?
I had a plan for today's ride but I just hadn't expected the ground to be so muddy. We have not had much rain this week, as far as I recall, but last night at bedtime we did get a short, heavy shower. This morning the weather was good with a mixture of sunshine and … Continue reading How did all the mud get here?
Falling off twice in one ride is not a problem.
I wouldn't like to fall off a bike on the road but usually when you fall off a mountain bike things are not so bad. I've always enjoyed testing the limits of speed on a bike on the dirt. I love it when the tyres reach the limit of grip and start to shimmy around. … Continue reading Falling off twice in one ride is not a problem.
A glorious autumn ride.
Autumn can be a hard time for mountain bikers. The dry trails give way to mud and temperatures fall. In compensation we may get a fabulous display of rusty shades but this is a short time to fill the soul before the starkness of winter. Today was about as good a day as we can … Continue reading A glorious autumn ride.
