The rain has been shocking this week. It's prevented me from riding for 5 days and since my last ride was a road ride it's been 9 days since I've ridden on the dirt. I considered another road ride today since I knew the trails would be exceedingly muddy but I'd watched a Youtube video. … Continue reading Mud Fest.
Today has been a beautiful autumn day. The colours are amazing, the weather was calm and mainly sunny. I was keen to ride the new love of my life, my son's Trek Fuel EX8 29" wheel full suspension bike, and take it on my favourite downhill from the top of Great Hill. Of course I … Continue reading A lovely autumn ride.
For several rides it seems like I’ve only ridden single track and bermed (banked) manmade trails. Of course I enjoy this kind of riding but my favourite trails tend to be natural trails with flat corners. Here I can reach what, to me, is the nirvana of mountain biking. That moment when you reach the … Continue reading Riding flat corners.
I have the privilege, since the summer, of having access to the 3 most common mountain bike wheel sizes, 26”, 27.5” and 29”. My son wasn’t using his Trek Fuel EX8 so I brought it home when we last visited. It has 29” wheels and is a 2014 model. Moving it around, in the garage … Continue reading Riding on big wheels again.
This morning I walked my dog, Freddie, and on the way home I saw a somewhat older gentleman who walks and runs whilst keeping a hula hoop continually twirling around his waist. I thought for a brief moment that I could acquire a hula hoop and try to do the same. Then I saw sense … Continue reading A longer ride and a look to the future.
I’d decided to do some gardening yesterday (Sunday) so I didn’t ride, even though the weather was fabulous. We had crystal clear, blue skies except I noticed something interesting. Even though, due to Covid 19, air traffic is a fraction of the usual level a significant proportion of the sky, at certain times was obscured … Continue reading Riding the best, before the weather changes.
I read in the magazine Mountain Bike Rider (MBR) that on every ride you should have at least one thing you want to work on. I agree that every ride should have a purpose and today I decided to go back to the basics of riding trails, particularly narrow, twisting single track trails. But why … Continue reading Getting back to basics.
Today's ride focused on speed on 2 different occasions for different reasons. My intention was to ride to Brinscall Woods to use the superb downhill which I've only discovered this year and to descend 3 times. I took my usual, mainly off road route to the woods and rode the technical side of the Goit, … Continue reading The need for speed.
Today my ride had only one purpose. To enjoy the long downhill sections of the second half. First I had to reach the high point above Brinscall Woods, where my current favourite downhill begins. It's a mainly off road route but there's little excitement to the ride. It was, however, nice to be out in … Continue reading A great downhill treat.
I've heard the route from the top of Great Hill down to White Coppice described as one of the best downhills in Britain. I like it but wouldn't rate it so highly. It's only a few miles to the hill, though the climb takes some time. Back in the late 1990s I rode the hill … Continue reading The best downhill in Lancashire.
