Mountain Biking

^^ Nice

In the spirit of increasing confidence I hit some bits I usually miss at QE today - that was fine.

I then took a small jump I've done loads of times before, went OTB and think I've sprained my wrist. :(

I picked up a few Strava PRs before that point so I was clearly doing well - two steps forward, one step back…
 
Got out around Delamere Forest earlier :

464862f102924f9e911b2b67381a1e4f.png


NVczD1s.jpg

https://www.relive.cc/view/840137931
 
Am hopefully of to Cannock next Saturday...will find out just how unfit I am!

Went for a very quick ride yesterday morning, my god it was cold in shorts lol!
 
I don't mind shorts / bare legs in the cold so long as my upper body, hands and feet are warm.

Was hovering just above freezing this morning, even had a bluster of snow at one point, glad I took a selection of gloves :p

mlCN4cd.jpg
 
I don't normally mind the cold to much myself, but only had on a t-shirt and a gore-tex light weight jacket on my top half and shorts on the bottom half...my own fault for feeling cold really lol.
 
I don't mind cold legs but I've started wearing a pair of thermal long johns and it makes a big difference. Doesn't make me too hot but stops the icy mud splash on bare skin which can be a PITA.

My camelbak reservoir had two small holes in it when I filled it yesterday, smack bang in the centre on either side. Only used it a handful of times and it was fine last time. Can only assume her indoors has caught it on something when putting it away in a drawer :( :o
 
Skillmister said:
My camelbak reservoir had two small holes in it when I filled it yesterday, smack bang in the centre on either side. Only used it a handful of times and it was fine last time. Can only assume her indoors has caught it on something when putting it away in a drawer :( :o
Click to expand...

That sucks buddy, I feel your pain :( I try and keep all my mountain bike gear away from "she who must be obeyed" and the kids. Can only blame myself then if something gets damaged/ broken.
 
Irish_Tom said:
^^ Nice

In the spirit of increasing confidence I hit some bits I usually miss at QE today - that was fine.

I then took a small jump I've done loads of times before, went OTB and think I've sprained my wrist. :(

I picked up a few Strava PRs before that point so I was clearly doing well - two steps forward, one step back…
Click to expand...

Not ridden qecp yet, which is daft considering its about 30 mins away. Do you just do the main trail? How's it running too? The south downs I've been on recently have been pretty slick :D
 
QECP is good.

There's two main trails, red and blue. I tend to do the both, starting with the red. It's just over 9 miles and takes about an hour and a half.

The red had steep rooty climbs with some fun descents, berms, a few drop offs and jumps but nothing massive - no gap jumps or tabletops or anything like that.

They've just added a new section which is quite cool. The biggest issue is that the bigger, more technical berms are exposed chalk so they're bumpy, errode quite badly and are lethal when wet. The rest of the red trail is rooty and muddy, so slippery when wet but good in the dry.

The blue has a longer but easier ascent. The first bit is rooty but the majority is packed hardcore. It's less technical but you can get some serious speed on the decents and there are some cool linked berms.

There's a section in the middle that has a little jump (where I crashed yesterday) and a few rollers which is usually great (if you don't crash).

A lot of people climb the blue and come down the red which is a good way of getting into it, but the red climb has some nice little down sections that you'll miss if you do it that way.

I went nearly every week last year and it's a bit of a mixed bag. In the winter it's muddy and slippery and usually wet. In the summer it's usually dry but if it's too dry the mud-dust reduces grip. In the summer the tree canopy also makes it hard to see in places. In the autumn all the leaves fall and the trail is hard to find and also slippery... the best time is really spring when it's dry and sunny but before the trees are in full leaf. However, I don't want to put you off - it's always good fun!

If you want more downhill challenges there's always Stoughton downhill which isn't far away.
 
Irish_Tom said:
The biggest issue is that the bigger, more technical berms are exposed chalk so they're bumpy, errode quite badly and are lethal when wet. The rest of the red trail is rooty and muddy, so slippery when wet but good in the dry.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I went there towards the end of last year when it was quite damp out and foggy. I had quite a few slips on the chalk with Racing Ralphs on. Definitely less than ideal for that surface.
 
Might be a long shot but worth a shot regardless.

Can anyone recommend a roof-mounted rack for a 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI 3-door that doesn't cost over £200? I've just been sticking the bike in the back of the car before/after rides but I've noticed that some of the paint has been damaged on the rear bumper getting the bike in and out. Not really a fan of the rear-mounted racks as I've heard/seen plenty of cases where it has damaged the paint on the boot lid!

Also, has anyone been up to Wolftrax in the north of Scotland? Fancy a wee trip up there!
 
Get the 598.

My bike slipped out of a 591 the other week. Fortunately the straps held it up and we were only going about 3-5mph at the time but a bit scary. The 591 has a better design but even so I think I'll be adding straps on to ensure it doesn't slip out. (Yes it was tight)
 
Irish_Tom said:
QECP is good.
Click to expand...

Cheers for the wrote up, yeah that Damn sd chalk is a deathtrap..

Superpatsy said:
Might be a long shot but worth a shot regardless.

Can anyone recommend a roof-mounted rack for a 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI 3-door that doesn't cost over £200? I've just been sticking the bike in the back of the car before/after rides but I've noticed that some of the paint has been damaged on the rear bumper getting the bike in and out. Not really a fan of the rear-mounted racks as I've heard/seen plenty of cases where it has damaged the paint on the boot lid!

Also, has anyone been up to Wolftrax in the north of Scotland? Fancy a wee trip up there!
Click to expand...

Have a look on ebay for the original vw bars
think they're still called "city crash". Then a thule holder, I got a 591 and holds the Patrol nicely even on the motorway.

My only gripe about that style is the down tube gripper, it can wear the paint especially if you have dirt / grit between it and the bike.
 
Lethal` said:
Get the 598.

My bike slipped out of a 591 the other week. Fortunately the straps held it up and we were only going about 3-5mph at the time but a bit scary. The 591 has a better design but even so I think I'll be adding straps on to ensure it doesn't slip out. (Yes it was tight)
Click to expand...

That's scary - did the 'grabber' release as if you'd pulled the trigger or did it slip out sideways?

The 598 does look good, I like the ratchet for the wheel straps as well.
 
im not even sure how it could slip out as long as the grip was engaged properly, bike in the V and locked.
 
Last edited:
On a different note, I just got back from the Minor Injuries Unit and I've broken my wrist in two places!

Going to be in plaster for about six weeks so I'll be on Zwift a lot more for the foreseable future...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom