MTB Nomads

New mtb Site based in Brighton

2008-04-22T09:40:00.001+01:00

Check this site for future posts and ride information.

http://brightonmtb.org/

Cheers

It Looks Rideable!

2008-01-27T16:43:00.001Z

You know how it is, just off the main trail there seems to be a tasty and inviting section of sinlgetrack that only requires a little push through the undergrowth. The lovely warm feeling of riding a new section that no one else appears to have discovered and it's all yours to pick the line. I tend to look for awkward bits and get stuck in while my buddy goes for more meandering twisty stuff.

A recent exploration in a local woodland resulted in a whole new area laid out before our eyes, we were spoilt for choice. After clearing a way through some dense conifer trees I spotted it, a hole made by the upturned root ball of a fallen tree, a brief look and kick of the tree and I was on my way. Big mistake, I had failed to check the depth of the leaf mulch or anything else in the bottom of the hole. Straight in and over the top! A more detailed look revealed the mulch to be approximately 12 inches deep covering a tangle of roots on the 'out' side of the hole. No chance.

Tip of the day, always check out what you are about to ride before going for it, better safe then sorry.

MTB'ers Best Friend

2008-01-19T19:49:00.001Z

We often ponder what is the best thing an MTB'er can get, after much deliberation my vote goes not to expensive components, clothing or evening a new bike, the best thing an MTB'er can get is himself/herself to the end of a deer-track.

A deer-track is a ready made ribbon of singletrack taking the best line along the hillside and through the undergrowth. Roots to negotiate, logs to cross and stumps to miss are all part of a deers fun and we can take advantage of their excellent trail building skills. Cracking singletrack that some else has already taken the trouble to clear what more could we ask for.

Heaven!

Whiteways: Recce & Ride 8th Dec

2007-12-10T20:31:00.001Z

We met in the car park to see water streaming down the tarmac surface, only a few other hardy souls were there, all dressed like trawler men. The lure of breakfast baps & coffee was too great to ignore so we didn’t start riding till about 10.30. If you think you know Whiteways – think again! There are masses of constantly evolving single-track with deer tracks guiding the way for some great trailblazing.

Heading north the slippery uphill trail was a brutal leg-warmer! It wasn’t long before we sought to “improve” upon nature, creating a small section designed to test your slow-speed agility & control – think Kick Start without the engines! From here, we continued down through the trees and opened up two different ways around a huge mass of a fallen tree; the second of which takes you almost through the middle of it with a very tight left-hander in the middle; another opportunity to see how much control you have at slow speed. These additions offer a definite change of pace to an otherwise fairly free-flowing section.

We linked to some of the more established single-track before heading deeper into the woodland undergrowth to visit the recently established Nomad sections including a chicane that starts with a small drop-off and weaves through a nice S-shaped gulley. At this point we spent some time weighing up the possible lines through a series of humps. Once again, some improvements on what nature had provided, soon gave us “natural high” A few refusals, a hump-crest stall, many wobbles and one total-off (yep – that’ll be me) resulted in a nice little section that needs a little more thought than brute force. Concentration is required to get the rolling speed right (not as fast as you’d think).

A lovely descent followed which rewarded us with huge smiles, muddy faces and general relief that the 4ft sideways both-wheel slides didn’t throw us off (kudos to Mike for surviving on his hard-tail – I don’t think I would have stayed upright on my old Dirttrax4). A short push up a steep slope leads to yet more lovely wooded single-track eventually taking us to THE DROP which most people will know from the previous Muddy@rse rides to this area, this should be done without too much thinking to get the full benefit – let those expensive machines do what they do best I say and let gravity pull you down.

Back at the car park – the group of ramblers huddled round the café gave us hope that it was still open. Unfortunately for us, they were just using it as a shelter from the rain so we’d have to wait till we got home for a well-earned hot drink. The Dirtworker served all 3 bikes very well and we headed home at about 3.30.

It was my first time trail building and I can’t recommend it enough. It was very rewarding and a real insight into the efforts required to create interesting & varied trails. Speaking of which – this route is approaching 90% complete so I reckon Spring 2008 could see a group ride to Whiteways that’ll have you riding in ever decreasing circles!

Devils Dyke Ride 1st Dec 07

2007-12-02T17:33:00.000Z

We left Devils Dyke at 10-30 for a head-clearing ride that with careful planning we hoped would avoid the worst of the mud.

The first climb of the day witnessed the first mechanical resulting in one of the gang losing all his lower gears which made the subsequent hills increasingly difficult, mildly amusing to begin with but torture at the end. A meandering route dropped us into the top of Stanmer Woods where we repeated the Muddy@rse Halloween ride but with a couple of added a detours. Neil and Mark tried to outdo each other playing on the jumps and ramps ending in a couple of 'bike-vs-tree' near misses and the 'Missing in Action' section claimed yet another lost victim. A grassy climb and we were straight into the more established Stanmer singletrack where the wet roots were covered by a layer of wet leaf mulch, it was like riding on soap! A couple of tumbles and close-thing slips and we were out. At this stage we decided that coffee was in order so we dropped into Stanmer Tea Rooms via an off-piste descent down a steep wet-leaf covered slope - control and commitment in equal measure - a couple of rear wheel leaf ploughing demonstrations caused much ammusement. Refreshed we set out on the return leg back to the Dyke. Another meandering route and we popped out onto the A23. As a parting shot we decided to take in a flowing section of contour hugging chalk singletrack ending in a very steep and badly rutted descent. In the sunshine this is a cracking ride. We hit it at 4-30pm in the dark and in drizzling rain which turned it into a very slippery heart-in-mouth singletrack interspersed with the odd muddy section that made things really interesting. The second mechanical - my chain slipped off the cassette went over the spoke ends and got jammed against the hub - much tugging and levering before it was free.

We returned to Devils Dyke at approximately 5pm to be greeted by more drizzle and a cold wind. No cleaning, straight into the car and home. It was a cracking ride, about 35 miles on a mixture of terrain, great company and lots of laughter.

Whiteways More Trail Building

2007-11-26T19:46:00.000Z

Our efforts of the last two weekends have resulted in another 80% completed section of singletrack at Whiteways, this one is about 200 meters long and twisty with some great natural obstacles to negotiate. We have opened the whole length of the trail but in some parts the route is difficult to follow, another couple of days work and it should be sorted.

After riding it a couple of times we then spent some time exploring the options to link it to our trail making efforts of earlier this summer. Once we have a route sorted these new sections will offer a nice contrast to the fast flowing established trails in this area.

A new ride is coming...

Trail Building at Whiteways

2007-11-19T10:52:00.000Z

Saturday morning brought the usual downpour resulting in much discussion as to where we should: 1) avoid the wind and rain of the ridges by riding in a woodland or 2) avoid the mud of a woodland by riding on the ridges? We recently opened some new trails in Whiteways so we decided to return there with the objective of linking them together to make an extended singletrack loop and to hell with the mud.

We navigated a new 200 yard section through the trees that included some belting natural features including 2 steep tree root-ball holes, as the rear wheel is coming out of the first the front wheel is already going down the second. There is also a very large fallen tree and I reckon riding over the root-ball where the tree emerges would be a great challenge but good fun; however the approach needs much more clearing before it can be attempted - another job on the list. I had a major tumble resulting from one end of a log passing between the seat-stay and chain-stay and enbedding itself in the cassette while the other end was rammed into the ground. The resulting bike polevaluting demonstration dumped me into a pile of wood and twigs - not too much damage I only managed to impale my right knee on a stick!

This coming winter we hope to clear all the new sections so that a return group ride in 2008 will be on new trails with new challenges.

Buying a Bike

2007-11-14T09:08:00.000Z

You find yourself sitting in a well known large bike retailer trying on the shoes that are out of stock everywhere else. The Saturday staff is offering help on bike choice to another ‘sunset rider’.

A casual weekend rider wants to buy a replacement for a ten-year-old hardtail and wants to spend about £500. Well, £700 perhaps, but only if it provides something worth the extra cost e.g. shiny or carbon or something, and an absolute maximum of £1000 for something really impressive. If you were that staff member you would ask about the type of riding. Not here, the potential buyer is immediately shown a discounted race bike at £1200. Not sure? how about an even more expensive downhill bike that weighs about a tonne. Looks too heavy? Perhaps a discounted Freeride model of last year, which you could wind uphill before throwing down an Alp and may just cope with a bridleway trundle across the South Downs but at double your maximum budget figure. Want to buy it immediately? No? Oh…

The staff disappear and you smile reassuringly at the disappointed face under the greying hair. The day started so promisingly. Look for a new shiny bike that rides a bit better and makes you feel good every time you go to get on it. Without wishing to spoil all his hopes, you look towards the downhill monster and smile as you say;

“ride a lot?”
“Not really”
“Have you done any research?”
“None actually”
“There is loads of information available either in any of the magazines or online and at this time of the year there are lots of discounts available you know.”
“Yeah, I need to look up some stuff I think.”

Pass on the names of a magazine and a website to start him off and hope he remembers them. The staffer returns full of facts - XT, LX, dual control, float, bling this, techno that - the customers expression glazes over.

The mountain bike market is driven by product differentiation rather than product cost. For a manufacturer this means their aim is to offer a wider range of niche products that they hope will maximize their profit rather than offer the buyer better value. Therefore spending some time looking at the internet, reading a magazine and talking to a knowledgeable friend could help you find a bike that is suitable for you.

There are good bike shops staffed by well-informed people with good product to sell but they are not all like that so try visiting a few. There could be a good deal on the internet too but it is easy to choose cheap and end up disappointed with the wrong bike. If you are less experienced, the back up of a good shop or just the free advice may be worth a premium. If you work in a bike shop try remembering that you are there to serve and not offload inappropriate sale stock; find out someone’s requirements then suggest a few reasonable choices. And please do not try to pretend you are an expert if you only jump your BMX in the street. Go get the staffer who knows a bit and hand over to them. Then get me the right size of shoes from the stockroom because I do not need any advice just someone to go and get them before I die of old age waiting.

Pitch Hill

2007-11-10T20:03:00.000Z

Today we returned to Pitch Hill in the North Downs. It is 9 months since I was last here so a lot of it felt new even if it wasn't. The ground was almost bone dry and we had a blast on some of the real gnarly stuff and did all the usual trails and steep drops together with a couple that we had previously only looked at - success.

It is best not to get too carried away my buddy regularly brings his 12 year old son here who is a bit of a BMX demon, he can do everything we can and whole lot more on an 80mm travel hardtail. It is times like these that make us realise we are no longer in the prime of youth - still we had a hell of a lot of fun!

Angmering Park

2007-10-20T19:35:00.000+01:00

Angmering Park, just north of Worthing used to be one of our regular playgrounds and from experience we know that it turns into the 'Somme' after rain and during the winter months. Hoping to take advantage before mud-onset we headed there for the first ride in almost two years. The drop down from the carparks above Storrington was suprisingly mud free but we didn't want to put a curse on the ride by suggesting that this may be a good omen. As it turned out our luck was in and there was virtually no mud and what there was we could easily navigate around.

We picked up the usual singletrack that starts near the gate and turn sharp left across the stream before working its way through the trees. Plenty of tree cutting left the route blocked so we cut out to link up with the trail where it crosses a fireroad. This was much better a barely visible trail with a couple of fallen trees and branches to muscle over we blattered it. Then it was straight into the old bomb-hole, over the rooty drop-in and pedal hard to make it out of the otherside into yet more singletrack. We headed south to the trail with the horse jumps that were the cause of much merriment as we rode over them with varying degrees of finnesse. We had so much fun from the fireroad onwards that we did it a couple of times before making our way back towards Storrington with careful balancing to ride along a small ridge in order to avoid both the mud and the bar-grabbing trees.

Highlights included me with a section of sawn tree-trunk that rolled as I tried to ride over it, in a seperate incident I rode confidently up a mound of dug earth while chatting only to be faced with a trench two feet wide and two feet deep, I got the front wheel over but that was it - dirt eating time!

Muddy@rse Recce Ride: Queen Elizabeth Park

2007-10-14T11:25:00.001+01:00

Today was spent putting together an upcoming Muddy@rse ride for 2008 beginning at QEP in Hampshire. A healthy dose of the newly built singletrack followed by a tour of the South Downs returning for a final whiz along the older established singletrack. Following the recent rain the chalky ground was very slippery and we all had a couple of dodgy moments.

Highlights included the new singletrack switchbacks in QEP - the berms were great fun but the bare chalk sections were deadly- followed by a serious rooty climb when we were defeated HelsBells told us that she cleaned it the previous day! The steep rocky descent into a sheltered and muddy valley was a challenge, we do this section a couple of times each year and it is steep and loose but today it was particularly treacherous and on the verge of too dangerous. There were also the usual step-ups and rooty sections. The lemon drizzle cake in the shop needs a mention - almost worth the drive on it own.

One thing we all agreed - a Muddy@rse ride for when the ground is dry.

Whiteway's New/Old Singletrack

2007-10-08T14:41:00.001+01:00

Saturday 6th October saw a couple of us make an impromptu return to Whiteway's. Despite not having any sort of gameplan we ended up having a great day exploring a couple of little used areas and riding some trails that we first built about 3 years ago but that are now in danger of being lost to the undergrowth. My buddy had made the sensible choice in wearing trousers I was in shorts and my legs were mottled red with the nettle stings. After the first couple of hundered stings you would think that any additional ones wouldn't be felt - not so.

A couple of the trails are in the woodland in the area of the iron age hill fort where we met and upset a gaggle of ramblers, it takes more than a few winges to spoil our day and there were whoops of laughter as we dropped into the hidden glade followed by a push uphill to the start of one section of singletrack that has a couple of technical challenges thrown in. Those who have ridden with us on the Muddy@rse rides will know the sort of thing - off camber, rooty, and a couple of fallen trees to negotiate - basically technical rather than fast and flowing. The final challenge is a hole left by the rootball of a fallen tree, no real problem however this one has a 6 inch diameter root across the bottom of the hole - lovely! Then it was across to the masts at Bignor Hill for a short but very sweet singletrack section that runs slightly downhill south of the Monarchs way. More fun here with tricky log piles and tree stumps to ride over, so good I did it a couple of times while my buddy made phone calls and finished off an energy bar.

Now it was time to rediscover a playground to the north of the main fireroad drag. Yet more nettles to get through - by now my legs were mottled and the pain as the hem of my shorts touched the skin was almost unbearable. Undeterred we built a couple of log jumps and cleared the route of fallen tree debris - we were particularly proud of the 'out' as we managed to redirect the trail 15 yards east to include a short but very steep drop - total @rse on the backwheel moment.

We headed back to the carpark by re-riding all the trails we had taken on the outward journey, in this direction they were even better as after a couple of short climbs gravity was on our side for the majority of the singletrack.

A couple more run throughs and we should have a route that is 100% natural and a mix of technical singletrack with gentle fireroad climbs. But best of all it is all ours - it was obvious no-one had taken advantage of our previous work 3 years ago.

Lost Time

2007-10-08T14:27:00.000+01:00

Everyone loses time and the key thing about lost time is that once lost you never find it again. During everyone’s day, there is a period where you could do something useful like mending a fuse, cleaning the car or baking some scones. Instead we all waste that time and it is lost. It can occur It could be at any time It could be in the morning if you work nights or even in the dark for a commuter. If you are neither a lark or an owl the gap between afternoon and evening is ideal for fresh scones, or for pedaling. If truth were told, many of us prefer the scones.

My real problem is like everyone else I do not seem to have enough time, so it becomes another exercise in balance. Work, family, friends, cars, gardens and even other people’s bikes seem to come ahead of my own bike, which despite my best efforts need lots of extra care. I ride a lot so it always needs cleaning, I tried to jump that log and now it needs repairing. It is making a tiny noise so it obviously needs absolutely everything adjusting. It has worn something out and needs replacing. Riding conditions have changed so something needs swapping. There is a new improved widget just launched that I want to get. And you have something on your bike that I like, really like, and do not need but it feels necessary somehow. Therefore, I do not have enough time to ride further, to ride more often, to ride more places or even to ride an extra local loop. I have a solution for this that does not include winning the lottery. I need to improve my time planning. How long will this take? An hour. No, it will not! By the time, I am organised and ready to start that hour has slipped away. By the time I have finished and cleared away - half a day. A meeting scheduled for an hour with everyone prepared and a fixed agenda can eat up a day and achieve nothing. Hence, the result is that the time left is never enough to go for a ride with the only exception of when it has just started to pour down of course. Therefore, I will try to be more realistic about the time for everything but plan in some rides, ideally with someone else, so I cannot change it and also to try, just try mind, to take advantage of some of my lost time.

Need to go now, almost teatime and I have arranged a ride. Make mental note - Buy ticket just in case…

Back to Leith Hill

2007-09-22T22:55:00.001+01:00

A couple of the gang had recently visited Leith Hill and reported that it was 'bone dry' and that we should take advantage before the winter misery sets in.

We had a great time - playing around and exploring some new areas for an hour and then setting off for a ride. The trails were dry and dusty and we hammered around our regular loop. There were the inevitable 'offs', I went over a steep drop into hole that was a perfect match for the front wheel radius - straight over the bars, while one of the gang was really on form and managed a couple of slow motion washouts followed by a high speed wrestle with the bike after a nasty short but very steep drop. We ended with coffee and grub at the tower.

A great day out - we didn't even have to clean the bikes afterwards.

Back to the Playground

2007-09-17T21:04:00.000+01:00

Return visit to the 'New Playground'.

Today we explored the northern area following an animal track into a section of conifer plantation - lots of obstacles here. We came across an area full of tame trails but they were everywhere criss-crossing and weaving in and out of the trees, hours of fun. Relying on memory from our previous visit naturally enough we got hopelessly lost. We ended up following a roller-coaster singletrack that gently descended towards a stream - yep before we knew it we were in mud hell. At this point I had the first 'off' of the day jumping off a rooty lip between two trees I hurtled straight into the back of my buddy and then into the upturned roots of a fallen tree.

We found so many trails that it will be a challenge linking the gnarly ones together but we will keep at it - more fun to be had.

New Playground

2007-09-08T20:25:00.001+01:00

Today we headed out to a woodland that we had often talked about but hadn't got round to visiting. My buddy had done a brief exploration last weekend and found what he described as 'technical singletrack that you will just love'. Who could refuse...

We were going exploring and that usually means a lot of time off piste riding over whatever nature puts in our way. It was out with the big bikes and off we went.

Riding past the carpark and into the woodland we were aware of the looks from everyone walking dogs and pushing prams etc. As soon as we saw something that looked like a gap in the nettles in we went and we were soon off the main routes and into the thick of the action. Fallen trees, tree stumps and brushwood. By chance after about 5 metres we came across a line through the trees that looked like disused singletrack, up we went. After about 15 metres it morphed into a ribbon of dry dusty singletrack snaking through the trees, this was more like it - then it split into a two sections - which way to go? We did them both, twisty with dips, logs, stumps, root nests and fallen trees - my favorite riding. One trail led to another and although they appeared to be similar they were all in fact slightly different with varying steepness and type of dominant technical challenge, needless to say we had a great time. As we were trying to navigate our way out of the woods we came across a fairly new barbed wire fence that enclosed a section of trees, we could make out the tell-tale sign of a beaten singetrack - it would be disappointing to miss a good bit - so under it we went. Yep a singletrack playground -and not a soul in sight, we had the place to ourselves. Whoever built these trails thanks - they were great!

It has been too long since we did this type of ride, exploring and discovering new singletrack is one of lifes greatest rewards and we had an absolute blast. The aching muscles and calf's singing from nettle stings and brambles just added to the ambiance of the ride. A great day out - we only touched a small part of the woodland so we will return until we have mapped the whole area and are able to link the singletrack into one long route - watch this space.

Muddy-Hell! A survivours tale

2007-08-25T20:10:00.000+01:00

Today a couple of us went for a blast around some of the singletrack in St Leonards & Tilgate forests. Yes we knew it had rained a fair amount during the last week or so but despite our better judgement we assumed that it wouldn't be too muddy. In fact my buddy opted for semi-slick summer tyres.

St Leonards wasn't too bad, there were a couple of patches of mud but I had expected it to be worse. The problems began as we headed across the bridleways joining the two areas of woodland together. The link across the fields had been recently ploughed and were impassable - then we arrived at Tilgate.

From bitter experience I know how muddy Tilgate can get but undeterred we entered via the sneaky twisty path and dropped over the steep roll onto the fireroad. The first omen appeared when we turned sharp left to drop over the ruts to cross the first plank bridge. At this point the mud was viscous and the ruts were about 2 feet deep - then we saw the tell tale tyre marks of motorbikes. Beyond the bridge the trail was a badly rutted swamp so we detoured along what appeared to be a passable route that took off on the right. The further we went the more muddy and rutted it became. At first we were full of bravado and launched into across the ruts and into the pools of standing water with too much care; however the further went the deeper and wider the ruts were becoming. I had a couple of comedy moment but managed not to fall in!

At the first opportunity we headed for higher ground and away from the mud, eventually we made our way out of Tilgate, we had survived. A whiz along the adjoining road and we were back in St Leonard for the final descent where we managed to get lost!

I think we will leave Tilgate for a while - most probably until next summer.

SDW Recovery

2007-08-22T08:26:00.000+01:00

On the 12th August we rode the 106 miles of the South Downs Way in a day as part of a Muddy@rse effort to raise money for a local charitble event. Check the Muddy@rse link for ride reports.

During the week immediately following the SDW ride I noticed that I was eating significantly more than usual and in particular I was loading up with protien. Also I had no interest in fiddling or cleaning the bike for 5 days - not like me! My knees had been virtually trouble free during the ride but the following days they became increasingly stiff and sore, very noticable when descending stairs. The numbness around the @rse area disappeared after the first nights sleep so luckily no problems there.

The knees stiffness began to ease after 3 days so I figured I would be fine leading the Muddy@rse ride around Whiteways on the 19th August, so I cleaned the bike and was all set to go. After the usual milling about we set off from Whiteways carpark straight into the slippery rooty singletrack. Trails where gravity was on my side were not a problem but as soon as it went up I began to feel an ache and tightness in my knees. When I could spin the hills it was okay but as soon as I needed to put any power through the pedals I could feel the knee discomfort growing significantly. I decided that rather than risk any damage as soon as I felt I was forcing the pedals I would walk the hill. Luckily the ride was ralatively flat and I didn't suffer too much.

Back at the carpark I mentioned the knee issues to Lisa who had also done the SDW with me on 12th August. Yep, she had experienced exactly the same troubles at exactly the same points in the ride. A week and a half after the SDW ride I don't feel sore or tired although I do still have an excessive appetite for protien and I really don't fancy riding the bike.

It seems my aging body is telling me that it is not yet recovered and that I need to slow down and take it easy.

Check photos for before & after pics.

Clothing layers: works for me!

2007-08-22T08:03:00.000+01:00

After years of experimenting with bike clothing and usually ending up way to hot I have arrived at a system that works well for me on 90% of my rides.

I use two base layers, a short sleeved one next to the skin and a long sleeved one over the top. I find the choice of long sleeved shirt is not critical as long as it wicks sweat and provides warmth; however it is essential that the one next to the skin is a fine merino wool version. The merino wool is fantastic at wicking sweat and stays warm even when saturated with either sweat or rain, I use the Howies NBL merino wool shirts, in the summer a light weight one a standard one in the winter. For the top layer I use either a second one of merino wool, a Race Face shirt or a Fox shirt. The long sleeves greatly help the comfort levels when wearing a rain of wind proof jacket.

Funny how after spending money on all types of fancy shirts and jackets the simple 'layering' system is the best for me - a lesson learned here try the simple things first and don't get carried away with the latest bit of gear or advertising.

Muddy@rse Ride 19th August

2007-08-19T20:13:00.000+01:00

Another Muddy@rse ride today. Check the photo section and the Muddy@rse link for a report.

Muddy@rse Ride Whiteways 19th August Recce

2007-08-05T11:16:00.000+01:00

The next Muddy@rse ride is at Whiteways Just north of Arundel on 19th August. The first half of the ride is a repeat of our last ride here in January but this time we have added more singletrack on the return leg. Total distance is approximately 20 miles but we have the option to either cut short or extend it depending how everyone feels on the day. We have cut out the painful slog of the Monarchs Way that caused a few red faces last time. There is nothing 'dodgy' on the ride and all technical sections have an alternative. As always with South Downs rides there a some hills but nothing remotely steep. None of us are racers and no one will get left behind.

As in January we start by dropping into the trees behind the cafe and snake down to the fireroad and through 'The Jungle', a section of little used singletrack that is covered in ferns and general healthy woodland growth. A few comedy moments here as we both ended up with undergrowth grabbing the bars. Up to the top of Rewell wood followed by the long open and smooth downhill to the bridleway cross-roads. At this point we deviate from the January route and head south west along a ribbon of singletrack with drop on the right hand side, for obvious reasons we often refer to this as 'Tony's Ridge'. A quick detour of 20 yards on the road and a cheeky route back into the woodland for a gentle descent ending in an overgrown rutted track. Now ride or push uphill for 20 yards for the 'Rim Ride' followed by the 'Panda Garden'. Through Slindon woods taking in 'The Drop' & 'The Tree' and then a steady climb to Bignor Hill. Return to Whiteways via the usual singletrack in Houghton Woods.

The cafe at Whiteways is well stocked but out on the ride there is nowhere to buy food or drink of any type. Carry plenty of food and drink with you.

Check the photo section for a taster of some of the new sections added to this ride.

Muddy@rse Recce Ride for 29th July

2007-07-23T08:17:00.001+01:00

This weekend we did a recce of the upcoming Muddy@rse ride for 29th July. The last couple of Muddy@rse rides have been long, technical and with some stinker hills, this one is a much more 'group friendly' route taking in Friston Forest and some downland.

A ride of two halfs. Friston Forest was a little muddy but nowhere near as bad as it can get, I got through (with a few comical moments!) most of it on semi-slick summer tyres although if there is more rain this coming week I would recommend something with more grip. Despite the recent rain the trails out on the downs were dry and dusty just as it should be at this time of year, in fact I had to swap to a long sleeve jersey as my arms were getting sunburnt. The summer tyres were perfect for these conditions. The long section of twisty singletrack through Friston had a shallow coating of mud that made the corners interesting and the many logs and dips much more dodgy than usual. We had one incident involving a pedal and a tree stump and I managed to stay upright (just as my life was beginning to flash past me) while sideways on a chalky section.

Our speed was relatively slow with plenty of stops for food and chatting, in total we were out for about 6 hours. We should be in for a cracking ride 29th July if we have similar weather, on the other hand if it rains.....

Friston Forest Hidden Trails

2007-07-18T18:14:00.000+01:00

Shock horror a day off work coincides with warm sunshine and no rain!

It is a while since we visited Friston Forest, in fact last time one of our gang was unlucky enough to get a log through the spokes of his front wheel resulting in a major crash.

With the warm sun in our faces we set off up one of the paths that quickly changes into a ribbon of secret singletrack that gently climbs while twisting and turning around trees and tree stumps. At the end of the well beaten path we dip straight into the partially hidden entrance of one of the secret little trails and continue to climb crossing little dips that require lifting the front wheel to bridge the gap and crossing a multitude of logs both large and small. A couple of trees have fallen very recently blocking the route causing a little off-piste adventure before rejoining the trail. We continue to the very end emerging on a fireroad just below the bomb-holes and dew pond at the north east end of the forest. Inevitably the trail cuts through sections that are overgrown with nettles and brambles, hours later the gentle tingling on the shins is a reminder of the ride.

A quick detour and we are at the beginning of the MTB Technical Trail. There are a couple of singletrack sections but overall the trail is too worn and we are too familiar with it to find any excitement. However the Technical Trail climbs past the bomb-holes and therefore provides a good link back onto our secret singletrack trail. This time made a short de-tour to check out the north shore constructions just off the secret trail, everything has been trashed. With gravity on our side the ride back to the carpark is a lot more enjoyable than the climb earlier in the day.

A day off work and a 4.5 hour ride in the sun with no sign of rain. A day well spent.

'MTB-Nomads on the trail' for more photos.

At last a dry day..

2007-07-14T20:47:00.000+01:00

After almost two months of grotty rain and wind at last we have a dry day.
We decided to stay local this weekend with a ride from Whiteways this was partly due to a mid-day start and partly due to me buggering up my knee a couple of weeks ago and not wanting to stray too far from a ride home.

Suffice to say we explored a couple of new areas with off-piste riding and revisited some trails that we had not ridden for what seemed like years. Some of the trails were completely overgrown resulting in a couple of comedy moments as front wheels landed in hidden animal holes while arms and legs were attacked by brambles. All in all great day capped off by coffee and grub at the cafe.

Check the 'MTB Nomads on the trail' for more photos.

15 minutes of fame...

2007-07-08T17:31:00.000+01:00

I met Paul & Rob at Ditchling Beacon on 8th July, they were on the second day of their South Downs Way ride. The weather was warm but not hot with no sign of rain, perfect.

Congratulations guys I'm sure you made it.

Muddy@rse Ride 24th June

2007-06-25T21:40:00.000+01:00

This was a killer, check the updated photo section and see the Muddy@rse link for a full report.

Formula ORO Brakes

2007-06-15T14:14:00.000+01:00

A couple of months ago a set of my Hope mono M4 disc brakes seized in the 'on' position, a quick scan on e-Bay turned up a set (front & rear) of brand new Formula ORO brakes with 180mm rotors at £150-00 from France. I took the plunge and bought them, they arrived within 1 week pre-bled and ready for fitting, they were in their box with each part sealed in its own plastic bag.

Both the caliper and bar unit are finished in what appears to be a silver powder-coat, so far it has proven very durable. Fitting was similar to Avid, very easy without the need for shimming or spacing. The fixing brace has an oval slot which allows the caliper to be accurately positioned to centre the rotor before tightening the bolts. The hoses fix to the handlebar units using a 'side' fitting, this fits perfectly around the SRAM shifters but I think it could require juggling if Shimano shifters were used. Also included in the box was a sealed plastic bag with spare 'fixing' units and washers etc apparently these are spares in case the hoses need to be cut down. The bar mounts have rotating 'thing' around the piston, this adjusts the pull distance of the lever before the brakes are fully applied. This feature is useful, I have the front brake fully 'off' and the rear fully 'on'. About 1 month after I fitted them the Formula ORO came out top in a UK mtb magazine review of all hydraulic brakes available in the UK and recently they have scored very highly in another UK magazine review.

What are they like in use? Stunning. They have awesome power; however unlike previous brakes we have tried the power is combined with fantastic modulation. One finger braking within 5 metres will bring the bike to a standstill without skidding after hammering at full speed. The braking application never feels like it will fail, with previous brakes I am tempted to increasingly pull the brake harder in order to stop. With the Formula ORO there is never any doubt that the bike will stop. I believe if the levers were pulled fully on then I would be thrown straight over the bars. The combination of power and modulation enable controlled braking down on both very steep sections and technical minefields.

I am not sure if the pads are organic or sintered, I have not had to replace them yet but will buy sintered when I need to. It is not often that a replacement component has a dramatic effect on the way a bike can be ridden but the Formula ORO brakes are one such product. My riding buddies are tired of me praising these brakes every time I stop but they really are streets ahead of all other brakes I have tried.

In summary the Formula ORO brakes are a brilliant piece of kit. I am trying to find an excuse to buy a set for my other bike.

Why

2007-06-10T13:04:00.001+01:00

We spotted this excuse for a car at Devils Dyke carpark.

Can the owner possibly think this looks good ?

Photo Update 6th June

2007-06-06T17:39:00.001+01:00

Updated mtb-Nomads on the Trail 6th June 07

Muddy@rse Recce Ride: Devils Revenge

2007-06-03T09:18:00.000+01:00

Devils Dyke to Ditchling Beacon is a simple straightforward run suitable for anyone with reasonable fitness and a little experience on a mtb. Not this ride, our route does not use the South Downs Way. The usual Muddy@rse Recce crew set off from Devils Dyke carpark just after 11-00am and we did not return to the cars until after 5-00pm.

The route meanders down, up and around the hills between Devils Dyke and Ditchling Beacon. There is a dose of sinewy singletrack that must be ridden with commitment, a couple of downhill sections that can really be blasted, some wooded singletrack and more than one brutal climb. The ride finishes with a gentle singletrack descent leading to a steep grassy bank pock-marked with rabbit holes and grass tufts followed by a final climb up Devils Dyke.

This is a tough ride, see you all in June.

Photo Update 30th May 07

2007-05-30T20:20:00.000+01:00

mtb-Nomads on the trail. A couple of recent additions showing some of the great singletrack around Brighton, join us on the next Muddy@rse outing if you want to ride it!

Captain Hook's Bike Ride!

2007-05-30T12:29:00.000+01:00

As usual the weather over the holiday weekend was pretty miserable yet as soon as it is time to return to work the sunshine comes out. After two days of torrential rain it was back to work on Tuesday accompanied by cloudless sky and warm sun. We met up at Devils Dyke for a run through the first section of the upcoming Muddy@rse ride and combined it with a little trail clearing. We were also keen to have our first attempt at a tasty looking singletrack we had recently spotted.

After the singletrack descent down the side of the Dyke we cleared a fallen tree that had irritated us for a couple of years and continued on our way. A couple of brutal climbs and one long fast downhill later and we became aware of a periodic squeak eminating from the BB area of a guys SC Blur. On we went across a trail that was very badly horse damaged and then down the singletrack descent that was every bit as tasty as it looked. All the while we were serenaded with the increasingly loud squeak that was now clearly audible with every rotation of the Blur's crankset. On inspection the Blur frame was twisting about 1 cm with each push on the driveside pedal, worrying. Our buddy is taking the plunge and buying a new bearing kit together with two new swing links; hopefully this will solve the problem and prevent damage to the frame.

As we were returning to the Dyke a couple of us could judge our buddy's distance together with his pace by the bottom bracket squeak. The immediate thought was of 'Peter Pan' where the crocodile that follows Captain Hook can be heard approaching due to the fact that it has swollowed a ticking clock. Once this fact had been pointed out it was the cause of great merriment and laughter that made the ride back to the car pass very quickly. In fact the story of Peter Pan is more than a little apt to describe us, we are trying to 'ride our bikes as childishly as possible as often as we can' in an effort to slow down the inevitability of advancing years. Big kids trying not to grow old!

'Festive Treat' Trail

2007-05-26T20:56:00.001+01:00

Taking advantage of the fine weather we headed into one of our favourite riding spots close to Brighton, the trails were 90% dry with just enough dampness to provide grip in the loamy soil. We ride here regularly and have adopted the practice of giving the guy who finds the trail the honour of naming it.

First up was the 'Wilderness' trail including the recently built jump over the large fallen tree. The top of the tree had a few old chainring marks where some unlucky soul had tried to get over it; however the pile of logs in front of it now provide a great launch pad for a jump that really allows the flow of the trail to be maintained. 'Wilderness' was followed by the end of 'Teenage Angst' after which we popped out onto a fire-road.

It was here that the fun really began. One of our gang had his eye on a steep tricky descent that included negotiating two fallen trees on the way down, he had previuosly christened this section 'Festive Treat' so the name has stuck. After the descent we climbed slightly and turned sharp right. At this point 3 hours of trail building armed with nothing more than muscle and our imagination produced approximately 400 meters of singletrack including a roll over a log pile, a bridge across a large fallen tree and a very twisty section to finish. After all the building we gave the trail it's christening run, yep you guessed it none of us cleaned it.

A great day out, a new trail and some serious comedy moments. What more could we ask for!

Photo Update 20th May

2007-05-20T11:53:00.000+01:00

Photo's updated with a couple of extra ones from the 3 Rivers Ride in St Leonards Forest.

St Leonards: 3 Rivers Ride

2007-05-20T11:06:00.001+01:00

Saturday 19th May saw us return to St Leonards Forest with the objective of riding the singletrack we already know and also exploring a couple of areas that we have skirted around but not dived into. Both the wide chalky fireroads and the wooded singletrack were surprisingly dry considering the rain of the past couple of weeks and shortsleeved shirts and shorts would have been the ideal riding gear. I was rather hot in trousers and long-sleeved shirts.

We followed the loop from the recent Muddy@rse ride including the first water crossing until we popped out on the main drag 100 metres north of Mick's Cross. From here we headed back into the trees and scanned the left for either route into the trees or a deertrack. We spotted something and went in. We were on an old trail that had been used by bikes as many stumps and logs etc had chainring marks on them. On we went until we found ourselves on a narrow singletrack that followed the contours around side of a hill with a stream below us on our left. We assumed this was the stream we had previously crossed and confidently followed the singletrack to emerge at a log bridge across the stream, over the bridge and uphill to the left. We were back where we started! Puzzling. After scanning the map for ages we realised that this was in fact not the stream we thought it was eg our first stream crossing of the day. Undeterred we headed back up the main chalky fireroad looking keeping our eyes open for signs of trail activity. We were starting to get our bearings and realised that there is much more good riding here than we first thought.

At the fireroad crossroads just north of Mick's Cross we headed into an area that we had not previously explored. We soon found a narrow singletrack, initially through trees but then just kissing numerous gorse bushes as we crossed an area of scrubland, across a fire-road and we continued on another twisty trail through the woods. Following this we emerged above yet another stream, over it we went and turned down an interesting looking twisty trail. After approximately 100 metres an air of recognition came over us and we realised that we were retracing the route of the Muddy@rse ride! At this stage we had been riding for 5 hours so decided to call it a day and headed back to the carpark via our newly discovered contour hugging singletrack.

A great ride, the highlight for me was discovering a new belting bit of singletrack that can easily be added to our usual route to make a trail of singletrack heaven. The highlight for my buddy was following me as I blattered along the newly discovered singletrack straight between two trees that on inspection proved to be 2 inches closer together than the width of my handlebars, my buddy arrived laughing loudly and proclaiming that it was obvious that I would not get through the gap just as I was picking myself up from a bog of leaf mulch and water. At least it was a soft landing!

Photo Up-date

2007-05-18T10:30:00.000+01:00

The photos in the 'On The Trail' section were updated today. We will try to update these on a more regular basis than previously.

Muddy@rse Ride 13th May. St Leonards & Tilgate Forest

2007-05-14T12:37:00.000+01:00

Great day out, fantastic singletrack, rain, thunder, watersplashes and mud. Who could ask for more?

We all made it back to the carpark very wet and muddy but with enormous grins and the unquenched desire to meet up next month to do it all again in the South Downs.

Read the full details of the ride on the Muddy@rse link from this blog.

Sunset Rider

2007-05-12T15:37:00.000+01:00

This is not a time of day it’s a time of life.

As we age we discover a whole new world of wrinkles, glasses, slowed reflexes and aches and pains. At first it takes longer to recover after a long ride then it takes longer to recover after the last hill. We need to pace ourselves better, eat and drink regularly, and harbour our reserves stringently because we will need all of them by the end of the day. Instead of wanting to ride every day it seems nice to have a rest day in between deluding ourselves that we are somewhat like an Olympic athlete peaking for a superhuman effort to reach for gold and all we need to do is keep up with the others or reach the top of the hill with at least one gear left. We could argue that with age comes wisdom and that we can employ our efforts more effectively but you still have less power, less strength and less endurance.

One of our few friends in this new arena is technology and perhaps we can afford lighter and faster kit more easily than the teenager with a restricted budget. Just as well really as they seem to have forgotten to get tired or slow up.Our other friend is bad weather. In the wind and the rain, or in the dark evenings of winter we rarely see a younger face. They don’t need to go out because they are young and there is always tomorrow.

For us though consistency is the key and regular outings seem to make a bigger difference as the years roll by, so with the evenings now light climb on your bike and fight the wind and rain for an hour. You will be tired and perhaps wet but you will have fought Father Time and my Nomad will not be the only bike on the trail.

SRAM X9 Rear Mech & Shifters

2007-05-10T21:11:00.000+01:00

For about 3 years I have fitted my bikes with Shimano XT drivetrain including crankset, front and rear mechs and shifters; however recently I bought a job-lot of SRAM X9 cheap on e-Bay (rear mech and front and rear shifters). I was interested to see how the SRAM compared to my trusted XT.

During my 3 years with XT I have gone through a couple of cranksets, 4 cassettes, 8 sets of chain rings, new bottom bracket bearings every 3-4 months and 5 rear mechs. I’ve always liked XT although I find getting the gears set up to be consistently super smooth is a hassle. When the gears are on-song the shifting is very smooth but I find it requires constant cable adjustments to keep them smooth and I have become used to ‘over-pushing’ the shifters to ensure gear changes. XT is easy to fit, adjusting the rear mech high & low stops is straightforward however I find that the screws need to be adjusted and then the mech physically pushed across to see where it ‘stops’ achieving 100% accuracy is very difficult. Tensioning the cable is the usual fiddle. It was at this stage when the differences between the SRAM X9 and XT started to become apparent.

The SRAM rear mech looks more flimsy than XT but the most obvious difference before fitting is the strength of the spring, boy is it strong making it very difficult to extend the mech prior to fitting to the bike. The rear mech bolts on no problem. The instructions emphasise setting the jockey wheels at the appropriate distance from the cassette and adjusting the high and low stops accurately. Unlike XT as the SRAM rear mech stops are adjusted the whole mech and cage moves a couple of mm with each half turn of the screws, the screws are also labelled hi&lo for the forgetful (handy for me). Setting the stops is a breeze compared to XT. After all this it was time to fit the chain and the gear cables. No problems, I pulled the cables tight and locked them with the allen bolt. The gears were perfect! A revelation. Changing gear requires a slightly firmer push than XT but the change itself is much more positive and definite. 3 weeks later and the gears have not needed a single adjustment. The SRAM Shifters look conventional but operate on a push-push principle using just thumbs, this was very easy to get used to and after 30 minutes it was second nature.

All in all I’m very impressed with the SRAM set up. I’ve read all about the pros and cons of 2:1 (XT) and 1:1 (SRAM) pull ratios but to me it is irrelevant, the most important thing is how they perform when I use them. I fitted the SRAM X9 to my bike basically because I got it cheap on e-Bay; however I think both the setting up and gear changing are much better than XT and I will keep using it on my trail bike. The downside is cost I tend to snap, bend and break rear mechs on my fun/play bike so for this I will stick to XT which is 50% cheaper. On pure practicality and performance the SRAM X9 is streets ahead of XT.

15 minutes of fame... Guildford Gang Riding SDW

2007-05-06T20:43:00.000+01:00

I met this gang from Guildford at Blackcap above Lewes on Sunday morning May 6th. They were riding the South Downs Way, this was their third and final day. They looked fresh as daisies but I'm sure some of the Hills between Lewes and Beachy head will replace their smiles with grimaces through gritted teeth. Riding the SDW is an achievement as the distance is in excess of 100 miles and the hills are relentless.

Hope you made Beachy Head safely and found the ice-cream shop open, you deserve a treat after all that effort.

St Leonards Forest & Tilgate Forest

2007-05-05T17:36:00.000+01:00

We took advantage of the warm sunshine and dry weather to have another Recce of the Muddy@rse ride of 13 th May.

The singletrack is great fun and the bluebells were out in force. We repaired a couple of sections which we hope will enable everyone to avoid the buried barbed wire and clean some of the obstacles such as the forked fallen tree. The downhills were a blast and even the short sharp uphills were dispatched without too much pain. We explored some new sections and generally had a great day out.

If you want to know where we went join us on the Muddy@rse ride at leaving at 10-30 am on Sunday 13th May from Roosthall carpark on Hammerpot Lane on the south side of St. Leonards Forest. Check the Muddy@rse ride link for more details.

Rego: Recovery Drink

2007-05-01T14:55:00.000+01:00

As I get older it seems to take longer to recover from any physical exertion and more worryingly alcohol overindulgence, what was a couple of hours discomfort can now last a day or two. I am usually sceptical of the claims made for 'sports' drinks and used to view them as overpriced flavoured sugar solutions but not anymore. 6 months ago I tried 'Science in Sport' REGO recovery drink on the advice of friends who swore by the stuff, I am now also a convert.

REGO comes as a powder and is mixed with water, I use an SIS measuring bottle (tip; add the powder first then add 3/4 of the actual amount of water, this gives shaking space in the bottle, when fully shaken top up with water). The finished product has the consistency of a thick milkshake, I find the chocolate flavour is the best as it does a good job of masking any sign of a synthetic taste. I mix it before a ride and leave it in the fridge until I return, alternatively chill it and take it in the car in a thermos flask.

Does it work? yes. After a couple of hours riding drink a pint of REGO. The most obvious effects are: 1) later the same day I have significantly less aches and pains; 2) the following day I don't suffer stiff legs or sore muscles.

Saturday 28th April we did a recconaissance ride of the upcoming May Muddy@rse ride and followed this on Sunday 29th April with the Falmer & Kingston Muddy@rse ride. A pint of REGO after each ride and I'm going out again tonight.

Try it, it does work. Get it from Wiggle.co.uk.

Muddy@rse Ride 29th April 07

2007-04-30T10:06:00.000+01:00

Another great ride. This ride was led by Nick and was a relaxed trundle along the South Downs in fantastic weather. The hills were relentless and got steeper as the ride progressed, there were many punctures which gave us ample time to recover from the climbs and catch our breath.

Check the link to the Muddy@rse link for full details and report.

Nicolai Argon FR & Rohloff Speedhub 6 Month Up-date

2007-04-27T11:32:00.000+01:00

Like many MTB’ers in the UK I have a hardtail for winter use, mine is a Nicolai Argon FR fitted with a Rohloff Speedhub. I have used the hardtail almost exclusively for the last 6 months during the winter of 06/07 and this is a report of the good and bad.

A hardtail is harsh compared to a full suspension bike. The Argon is fitted with Hope M4 brakes, the lever of the front brake became jammed in the ‘off’ position, it needed a full bleed and replacement piston set, not too bad after 3 years use with zero maintenance. The frame is stiff and the force from pedalling causes the bottom bracket bearings to wear out relatively quickly, approximately every 3 months. The chain has become stretched way past the limit where my chain length checker says it should be replaced. The single front cog (middle ring of an LX crankset) is also very badly chewed up and needs replacing this must be due to wear from the chain as the crankset is fitted with a bashguard.

On the upside the hardtail is very easy to keep clean during the muddy winter months, a quick squirt with the hoze, lube the chain and the job is done. The Fox Vanilla forks are great. The Rohloff Speedhub has been a revelation; I love it and would fit one to my other bike if I could afford to. The gear changing has been perfect and it is completely unaffected by all types of mud, snow and slush including the thick chewy mud that is common on the South Downs. I have become practiced in the technique of easing off the pedal pressure for a split second while twisting the grip-shift and never end up in the wrong gear. The ability to change gear while stationary is a fantastic feature that is more useful than I ever imagined.

The question ‘is a hardtail more suitable for winter than a FS bike’? From my experience the answer is a resounding yes if you get one with a Rohloff speedhub. The hardtail with speedhub enables me to ride wherever I want to go whatever the conditions, this is freedom that is worth paying for. Without the speedhub then cleaning would be a longer and much more fiddly job also the front and rear mechs would get clogged with mud.

In summary get a hardtail with Rohloff speedhub don’t worry about the cost it will pay for itself in the time saved cleaning the bike and the freedom to ride wherever you fancy whatever the conditions. Get one.

In My Pack....

2007-04-23T18:57:00.000+01:00

Most of us carry a backpack but what we carry in them seems to vary enormously. I use a Deuter super bike large pack that weighs about 3kg without food or water so on a long day ride with a sandwich, energy bars and 3 litres of water it can easily total 7 kg, approximately half the weight of a lightweight bike! It has a couple of large interior pockets and an elastic helmet strap; however the most useful feature as a reflective rain cover which I use constantly in order to keep everything dry and mud free.

On every ride I carry:-

Paclite Waterproof jacket

Lightweight windproof gilet

Glasses with 3 colour lenses

Spare tube (slime!)

Multitool Alien DX

Chain links, spare pin, sram power link, disc rotor wipe, brake pad spring

Puncture kit and levers

Magnet (or don’t you drop anything)

Co2 inflator with spare cartridge

Zipties

Small cloth

Latex gloves

Emergency lights

Wipes, tissue, giant plaster

Money

Padded phone case

Reading glasses

Occasionally I include a shock pump, mini pump, and spare gps batteries

Summer Evening Trundle

2007-04-20T10:10:00.000+01:00

No photos with this post I'm afraid we were too busy chatting and enjoying the sunshine.

A quick blast with a few deviations up and down the southside on the South Downs and we arrived at Blackcap above Lewes. One of our gang had to 'phone-home' to check the domestic situation would enable him to continue with us, it didn't and he left no doubt to the pleasures of more housework or more accurately housework that meets the standard of his girlfriend!

In the distance we could see the hill of death that climbs from Kingston up onto the South Downs Way. The chalky glint from the bright sunshine was constantly catching our eye, mocking and taunting us to 'come and have a go if you think you're hard enough'. Our ability to resist everything except temptation is well known so biting the bullet we arrived at the base of the hill after the necessary detour through Lewes and Kingston. Off with the extra jersey, eat an energy bar, lighten the weight by having a pee and we were ready. The first steep section didn't seem too bad this evening and the following grind provided time to recover before the final kick. It was a great relief to arrive at the South Downs Way and look across the hills to the ocean. These climbs kill me but my buddy just skipped up despite being in recovery from a torn leg muscle!

At this point the breeze from the ocean had a cutting edge so it was on with the windproof layers before a race home against the clock of the rapidly setting sun. We did not have any lights but fortunately the last mile across the South Downs to the car-park in total darkness passed without incident.

Directions
Join us on the Muddy@rse ride 29th April and all will be revealed.

Howies NBL Merino Wool Base layer

2007-04-16T10:23:00.000+01:00

Excellent piece of kit.

Very warm but not too hot, wicks sweat fantastically and is a great fit. During winter I wear one under a warm fleece and if it is really cold I wear two of them under a jacket. I wash mine at 30deg and have dried them on the radiators and indoor / outdoor driers with no signs of shrinkage.

These are so good I have 3 of them!

Lake District: Whinlatter Forest Park (Missed Opportunity)

2007-04-16T09:41:00.000+01:00

The Lake District is home to some of the best MTB riding to be had in the UK. We have had great fun on the man-made trails at Grizedale Forest so we approached Whinlatter Forest Park with great excitement, big mistake.

Whinlatter Forest is advertised as MTB friendly with many miles of trails and routes to be explored. We bought the map but couldn't find the MTB trails so spoke with the assistants. To paraphrase: there are no dedicated MTB trails in Whinlatter and bikes are restricted to the tarmac access and fire-roads! all other routes are for pedestrian walking only. This was a shock so we quizzed with reference to the leaflets etc we had come across at Tourist Informations outlets, the response was the same MTB's are restriced to the tarmac access and fire-roads. Having come so far we headed out onto the fire-roads, there were some tempting diversions but all had no-cycling signs and to be honest the gravel surface looked tame. We were not alone in our disappointment, we met a couple of groups with MTB's who were equally cheesed off.

In conclusion Whinlatter Forest is a non-starter for MTB riding, unlike other Lake District forests there are no rocky descents, rooty singletrack, raised boardwalk over swamps or banked corners. Save yourself the trouble and spend two days at Grizedale.

Paul from Tunbridge Wells on the South Downs

2007-04-07T10:35:00.000+01:00

We meet Paul on the South Downs above Telscombe Village, like us he was out enjoying the great weather and a relaxed trundle on his bike.

The photo was taken immediately after he climbed out of Balsdean Valley to the top of Pickers Hill, respect if you made this climb in one go.

Good Friday 6th April South Downs Way Trundle.

2007-04-07T09:26:00.000+01:00

Good Friday, a national holiday accompanied by a relaxing ride out on the South Downs. As a break from our usual riding we opted for a steady trundle along the Downs in the bright sunshine. My buddy was on the bike for the first time in two weeks nursing sore knees and suffering jet-lag after skiing in Canada and one day previous I had twisted my ankle. Invalids on bikes. It was a steady / slow pace with enough time to take in the views and do a little exploring of some trails we last visited about 4 years ago!

The weather conditions were perfect 20 deg C, bright sunshine and not a breeze in the air the trails were bone dry even the dreaded SD climbs were not as energy sapping as they can be. As usual when the weather is good the SD immediately around Brighton were a mass of people hang gliding, parascending, flying kites as well as generally shuffling about on the trails. We headed east to some less well know areas in an effort to avoid constantly steering around the throng and braking to avoid toddlers and the elderly.

A couple of highlights were myself thundering down towards Mill Hill Farm from Rodmell Cottage, over a blind lip at 30 mph to be faced with 2 whopping great 'holes', using my skill and dexterity (together with a huge dose of good luck) I negotiated the obstacles but ended up almost tangled in an electric fence reinforced with barbed wire. The descent from Pickers Hill into Balsdean Valley was better than we remembered although we had to be careful not to hit a couple who were walking up the hill in the middle of the trail without any desire to move even slightly in order to let other users have a little bit of the trail. Finally the climb out of Falmer Bottom was longer and tougher than either of us remembered.

Directions. Refer to OS Explorer Map 122
From Ditchling Beacon we headed east on the South Downs Way to Mill Hill farmsouth east of Rodmell. At Mill Hill Farm we took the bridleway directly south through the farm, at the first bridleway junction turn left into Cricketing Bottom and follow the track around and up the side of the hill towards Telscombe Village. When you come out on the road turn south and go through Telscombe Village, at the top of the hill near Cross Dyke take the bridleway west towards Telscombe Tye, Highdole Hill and Pickers Hill. At Pickers Hill the trail forks (the right hand route leads around Pickers Hill to meet the SDW at Swanborough Hill), take the left fork. The trail appears to curve left but in fact turns sharp right after a couple of thorny bushes, go through the gate for the descent into Balsdean Valley. At the bottom of the hill turn right and ride through Falmer Bottom (take care not to go into Standean Bottom). Follow the trail past the disused buildings. The trail ends at a gate and a climb up to Juggs Road (track), this is a drag of a climb that gets steeper and more rocky the further you go. At the top go through the gate and turn right on Juggs Road for about 100 metres, then turn left to take the South Downs Way back to Ditchling Beacon.

Lazy Saturday Ride

2007-03-31T18:30:00.000+01:00

Saturday 31st March 3 of us had a relaxed ride from Whiteways, our intention was to seek some singletrack that we had been told about during the Muddy@rse ride at Leith Hill.

After the climb to Rewell Wood we decided not to seek singletrack but to ride a couple of newly designated 'open access' areas to see if there was anything worth exploring. Low and behold we found singletrack, and one very nice descent through some trees dropping across a large root and into a quite swampy area that thankfully was dry enough to ride through. A tree was newly fallen across the singletrack in Houghton Forest - lift the front wheel- kick the back and we were over.

In total we had covered approximately 18 miles, not too far but we had to cut short to meet wives, girlfriends and children etc. A steady relaxed ride and the search for the singletrack is justification to return another day.

From Whiteways carpark we headed directly into the woods and down across the rooty singletrack followed by the climb up through Rewell Wood to Yew Tree gate. From here we took the singletrack that heads directly south east to the dissused quarry at Slindon. Across Slindon common and into Eartham woods via a detour past 'The Folly'. The slog of a climb up onto the South Downs Way carpark on Bignor Hill was ended with a sudden strong wind straight into our faces. From here it was back to Whiteways carpark taking in the Houghton Forest singletrack and the rooty section that emerges immediately behind the cafe.

Something New Everyday!

2007-03-27T20:06:00.000+01:00

This evening I went for a lonesome ride across the South Downs and ended up at Blackcap just above Lewes. With a little time to spare and the sunshine blasting down I decided to drop off the north side into the weald area, these descents are good fun but they are followed by the inevitable climb back up.

Riding down one of our usual 'up' routes gave me a new perspective on the hillside and I soon spotted a couple of potential routes down that I had not previously come across. A quick detour and I discovered a very steep chalky drop with ruts across it, bum on the back tyre moment followed. A climb of about 10 metres and I was faced with a fantastic descent through some trees around the edge of a shallow chalk pit. Halfway down it looked like it ended in someones back garden and I could hear dogs barking loudly so I turned around and pedaled back to Blackcap.

Amazing, I have been riding this area for years and had never previously found these two trails. I think I will have to vary my descents and climbing routes more often because if tonight is anything to go by there will undoubtedly be more new-to-me trails right on my doorstep!

mtb Spain for Mortals

2007-03-25T21:10:00.000+01:00

Decided to combine some biking with a bit of winter sun in Spain a few months ago.

I checked on the adverts in the usual bike mags, looked at the online reviews and ended up booking a week with Seasonally Unadjusted. Of course the major concern about a group mountain biking holiday is that you just don’t know whom your fellow riders are, which always lends itself to the possibility of humiliation. I was slightly nervous about being pitched in with a group of ‘fit as a whippet’ riders who just insist on riding trails requiring a certain devil-may-care attitude and a high level of skill. Jim, the man behind Seasonally Unadjusted was reassuring on this score. Apparently the only requirement was the ability to ‘have some fun’. That sounded reasonable and Jim was as good as his word.

Seasonally runs out of the Andalucian White Village of Alora, 30 mins inland from Malaga (we were picked up at the airport), and surrounded by some pretty good scenery. Most spectacular and not far from Alora is EL Chorro, a mecca for rock climbers but more importantly, I was to discover, the location for the climatic scene of Von Ryan’s Express. This film will nothing to most of you, except maybe some 40 somethings, with a penchant for World War 11 films of the 1960s (think ‘Where Eagles Dare’; ‘633 Squadron’, ‘Guns of Navarrone’ – I could go on…..). Ah yes, the biking at El Chorro is also excellent.

What about the biking? Well, one prayer was answered. I was pitched in with a bunch of riders of mixed ability and fitness. Granted I was still somewhere close to the bottom of the pile, but nothing embarrassing. A real mixture of bikes – FS and hardtail; I felt a little overdressed with my 5-spot. Also Jim did a good job of satisfying everyone’s needs. The trails were a nice mixture – relaxed singletrack, technical singletrack, big cross-country rides, plenty of switchback descents. Some rides go straight from Alora, and for others we were ferried to the trail of the day. Many of the rides required a fair bit of climbing (usually done a leisurely pace to accommodate everyone) which was fine by me, but sometimes this was rewarded by a fun but short-lived descent. One of the guys had recently experienced a similar holiday in the Alps and commented that it had the advantage of more epic downhill sections. But then you wouldn’t be riding on bone hard trails in short sleeves in October, November etc in the Alps. The other thing is that, despite the great location, we didn’t see any other riders throughout our week there. We had the place to ourselves – slightly different to Chamonix etc. So recommended- good rides, an accommodating host and guide and warm sun.

Leith Hill Rough & Tumble

2007-03-17T19:12:00.000Z

Today we had a quicker than expected wizz around some of the trails at Leith Hill. We had planned a whole days riding taking in both Leith Hill and Holmbury Hill. Our intention was to hit some of our favourite singletrack trails and then explore a couple of new-to-us areas.

To cut the story short we managed an incident packed 3 miles!

Highlights included: one of our gang attempting to climb a hill so steep that he tumbled over backwards rotating over the rear wheel and landing on his back; I went down a short but very steep drop that required me to lean way-over the rear wheel and when I tried to straighten up the waistband of my shorts got caught on the back of the saddle and I ended up stopping with very little dignity; and finally, my rear mech snapped in half as we explored off the beaten track. A comical ride/push back to the car-park and we were on our way home. A new rear mech, £39-00 from my account straight into the pockets of CRC!

WTB Pure Saddle: New Trail Friend

2007-03-17T19:08:00.000Z

I have a new riding buddy to accompany me up hill and down dale. My old riding buddy was typically Italian, striking and fast. My new friend is an American; more laid back and easily swaps between one thing and another without fuss. I have had a WTB saddle before, but this PureV Team is meant to be a high-end trail saddle and hopefully suitable for the mixed single track and bridleway riding that I do.

I could not find it available in the UK so we imported this one from the USA (at less than £50 including shipping, those of you who have not considered purchasing from the New World might find it worth a try).

After a few rides of varying lengths and types, I am surprised at the comfort as it is extremely light. It has a shorter nose than my old Koobi, which makes it easier to move off the front on extremely steep climbs and more of a scooped shape that holds me in one position. This might mean less adjustment room on long hot summer rides but it feels easier to find the right pedalling position on long uphills when efficiency reaps its rewards.

Overall, it was surprisingly easy to change so if you do not have a saddle that is ideal for you perhaps it is time to find a new friend.

Importing Bikes and Parts from USA

2007-03-17T18:50:00.000Z

There are a number of reviews on this site of high-end bikes that are pretty rare in the UK. All of these bikes were personally imported by us from the USA, in fact our regular group all ride bikes we have imported from USA. The purpose of this article is to describe what we have done and pass on our experience of the process. We do not work in the bike trade or import/export trades. I used to live in the USA and have a lot of experience of moving my belongings between the two countries.

Why Import from the USA, cost. The exchange rate is almost U$2.00 = £1.0 and has been for the past couple of years, saving money is the only reason. Importing for personal use is 100% legal and with the explosion of e-Bay during the last few years I believe that it will become increasingly common. Do not buy and import the whole bike as this has significant tax and duty consequences (see below for details). There are horror stories of warranties etc but we have never experienced a problem and have had shocks in Santa Cruz frames replaced under warranty in the UK for items imported from the US. With the cost savings we can afford to send the frame back to the US dealer if anything serious needs done under warranty eg one of us sent a cracked frame back to the US dealer and had it replaced under warranty.

What to do?
You need to know exactly what you want, make, model, size and colour. It is best to go to a UK dealer to check out the options and see if you like your favourite option in the flesh. Make the dealer an offer that you think is reasonable, ie on a full bike offer to pay 50% of the list price of the frame on top of any inducements he may suggest. It is likely he will refuse, don’t be deterred come home and get on the internet. E-mail all the dealers in the US that you can find for the item you want. Go to the manufacturers website and search the ‘Dealers’ section and also check e-bay for US sellers advertising bikes as these guys will ship to the UK. In the E-mail be very specific: will they invoice you and ship a frame to the UK or will they invoice to the US and ship to the UK. Many will say no as doing so will invalidate their dealer status in US if the manufacturer finds out. All the major dealers (Jensen, Supergo etc) will say no. Someone somewhere (usually a small one-man shop) will say yes. Alternatively if you have friends or relatives in the USA ask the shop to invoice and ship to them (all shops in US will do this) and they can post it on to you. If you visit the US you can carry the item back and pay excess baggage. I would recommend declaring it at UK customs, each time I have declared an item I have paid the minimum import tax and duty they could charge.

Ordering and Paying for it.
Get a brand new credit card. Call the shop and get the price (note US price quotes do not include state tax so ask if this will be charged) for exactly what you want, (US made headset, stem & seatpost stuff is silly cheap) and pay a deposit for the goods on the credit card. You will have to use U$ as all prices quoted to you will be in the currency. Tell the shop to e-mail you when everything is ready and pay for it (together with shipping cost) with the credit card. Destroy the card, call the credit card company and tell them not to authorise anymore payments on the card.

Shipping, Taxes and Import Duty
The cost to ship a frame is approximately U$70 or about £35-00, a fork is about U$ 50 or £25-30. These costs are for regular priority airmail, this is 5 day delivery to the UK, this is delivery to UK not delivery to your door. It can take around another 5-10 days for it to either be delivered to your door or notification for you to collect it from the post office. Get the shop to fax or scan and e-mail a copy of the shipping documentation as this numbers that can be traced. Items sold out of the US do not usually have a US state sales tax applied, if they charge you tax they will send you a form to claim it back, bin the form as the process is so long and complex it is not worth the hassle. Do not import a complete bike as this is subject to 17.5% VAT. A frame with headset, seatpost and stem is classed as bike components and these have only 3% VAT duty not the 17.5 % for a full bike, import duty in total is about 10% of the value written on the ticket. We have imported three bike frames during the last two years and have not been charged either VAT or import duty on any of them. I understand that the law was changed 18 months ago and anything with a value of £1000-00 or less is not subject to import taxes and duty. I would budget to pay the tax and duty and hope you don’t get charged for it.

Get out and ride your pride and joy.

During the past years we have bought a brand new Intense 5.5 EVP for £800-00, two Santa Cruz Blur frames for approximately £800-00 each, three Santa Cruz Nomad Frames for approximately £850-00 each, Avid Juicy 7 brakes for £150-00 the pair, 10 watt nickel-metal-halide lights with lithium ion batteries for approximately £150-00, FOX talas and vanilla 36 forks for approximately £300-00 each, a pair of Chris King hubs for £250-00 etc etc. These are massive discounts on the UK prices you just need a little patience to wait for it them to arrive.

New posts on the way!!!

2007-03-17T18:46:00.000Z

We've been a bit slack during the past couple of weeks, we have been out riding and generally fiddling around on our bikes but other priorities have got in the way of writing reports. Everything is back on track and more posts are on the way.

Spring is here ?

2007-03-04T18:49:00.000Z

A lone Nomad writes:

Or at least the daffodils and crocuses (or is that croccii?) have appeared so therefore it is time for daylight evening rides.

Flying solo and making the use of the late afternoon light I headed for the Dyke on Wednesday night. The howling winds were an unpleasant surprise upon my arrival but it was dry so I pushed off heading west. Normally a brisk starting point being slightly downhill unless you run over the drop at the brick ruin I had to pedal hard downhill into the wind. It was too hard so at the Fulking escarpment sign I went south east over the field looking for shelter. Less mud than I expected helped but the wind was a killer. It was not until Cockroost Hill on the way to Mile Oak farm that I found cover from the wind and peace from the noise. Climbing up the bridleway to Southwick Hill is easier now the track has been repaired and the deep mud of yesteryear has been subdued. The run north up the hill with a heavy crosswind was a task and a half. A summer sprint is normally a winter slog but I was completely blown off the track a dozen times including the barbed wire twice and a bush once. I tried tacking into the wind and zigzagging across the track but that only accomplished fouling the derailleur until it jammed. It took an age to reach the gate and the cover of the bushes. Pushing hard through the mud I could not actually get onto the track despite all my efforts as the wind was just too strong. It took me almost 300 metres to force my way onto it and I was trying.

The run up to Freshcombe farm became easier with every extra inch covered but it seemed a long way when you are constantly buffeted by the wind but when I turned back east on the SDW it became a friend.

Without pedalling, I hurtled along the top and flew down the first hill. The climbs were awkward in the crosswind but progress was fast which was important as light was fading fast. I had lights with me but I pressed on hoping to make the first run in months without illumination. It was probably a little foolhardy but I made it back just as the night closed its grasp. Wind is a bigger enemy than rain or snow to the mountain biker making hills steeper and tracks more difficult. I think that Mother Nature must be conspiring with Father Time against me.

If this is spring then roll on summer.

Quest Adventure Ride 3rd March

2007-03-04T18:31:00.000Z

A couple of us went along to the monthly ride organised by the Questadventure shop in Worthing, as usual it was led by Jimbo of Sussex-mtb and included some downs some ups and lots of cake.

I suffered on the first climb due the two bottles of wine washed down with cherry brandy the night before, but after a couple of miles the urge to throw-up left and I could enjoy the day out.

The ride was a steady to slow pace with lots of stops so no-one got left behind. From Worthing we headed up onto the South Downs past Cissbury and Chanctonbury hill-forts and down into Steyning. After a stop for cake we climbed back up onto the South Downs via a pig of a hill, no-one cleaned the hill as the chalkwas very slippery and mud was really sticky, I think is will become a 'summer challenge'.

Good fun, go along to the next one if you fancy a social ride with lively chat.

15 minutes of Fame...

2007-02-26T13:50:00.000Z

We met Jenny, Martin and John on Saturday 24th February in Charlton as they were preparing for a ride to Whiteways via Goodwood and the South Downs Way. Hopefully they didn't end up ploughing through too much mud.

Muddy@rse Ride 25th February

2007-02-26T13:38:00.000Z

Another great ride with loads of hills, mud and plenty of coffee and cake and to cap it all the rain held off. The climbs were relentless and the mud was very muddy. A couple of guys who cycled to the start point from Eastbourne were already demuding from their bikes with sticks before we had even set off. The first climb from Jevington up to the top of Friston Forest had the field strung out and this pattern was repeated all the way through. The ride down from Friston to Folkington manor was a blast, runny mud that got progressively thicker and deeper as we descended. The final part used to have a deep rut with a number of steps and drops but this has now been levelled with gravel. A blast down the South Downs Way was topped off with coffee and cake together with puncture repairs at the Badger tea rooms in Alfriston, very bike friendly in the back garden.

At this stage everyone was feeling the effects of the mud and climbs so the route back was changed and we climbed the SDW up to the top of Wilmington Long Man. A couple of the more hardy guys put an extra loop on through Friston Forest while the rest of us headed back to the car-park to more coffee and cake.

Thanks to Mick for putting the loop together and leading the way both up and down the hills and Lisa for cake and coffee.

Saturday 24th Feb

2007-02-26T13:35:00.000Z

Saturday 24^th Feb we returned to the woodland Malcom woods directly north of Bognor Regis. Last week we spotted what looked like interesting singletrack disappearing through the bushes and into woodland, today we were on mission to find and ride it. Forest Hanger and Eastdean woods had a lot of deer tracks and these always make good riding, narrow and twisty through the trees with lots of stumps, logs and brushwood to get over. We had a great time playing around. I think this area could become a regular stop for us.

Selling a Bike on E-Bay

2007-02-23T16:51:00.000Z

This may be old hat to some of you but I have now sold a couple of high end bikes (Intense 5.5 evp and Santa Cruz Nomad frame) on e-Bay with great results. This article is a summary of my experience selling the Intense 5.5. (The photo's are of the Nomad).

1
Open an E-Bay Sellers account. My partner has bought things on E-Bay so we converted her account into both seller and buyer, a straightforward and painless exercise.

2
Decide the price. I considered: the rarity of the bikes and the retail cost, the up-charge cost of the custom finishes, the finishing kit on the bike and replacement costs at both retail and bargain shopping, the price that previous 5.5’s had gone for and finally how common they were on E-Bay. I could find only two previous 5.5 sales: one in the UK which had gone for £2800.00 but it had never been ridden and another in Canada with a dented frame. I decided on both a ‘Buy it Now’ with a bidding price £150.00 below. I put these figures close together as I assumed that bidding would soon bridge £150.00.

4
Decide on the method of delivery. A bike is a different proposition to anything I have previously sent through the post so I needed to check it out. The Royal Mail web-site was pretty useful and directed me to the Parcel Force web-site which was excellent. I followed the on-line guide and used the calculator to get an estimate price for the delivery and details of how it should be packed etc. Luckily I had the original box that the frame had arrived in.

5
Decide on payment terms. Pay-Pal the E-Bay ‘bank’ is straightforward to use; however as a seller it takes 3.5% of the selling price in commission. This doesn’t seem much but soon mounts up on an expensive item. In order to keep the price reasonable I opted to accept payment by personal cheque or bank draft only. This does limit the payment options for the buyer as they cannot use a credit card, this in turn is likely limit the number of people who will be in a position to bid or buy the item.

6
Placing the advert was a very simple process, I used a couple of photo’s of the clean bike and one of it in action on Holmbury Hill. I gave a brief description of the bike together with a summary of the kit, I listed major service dates and was specific in pointing out cosmetic flaws. I deliberately chose to be understated rather than talk up the components or frame. I thought if people know what it is they will read on, those who don’t know what it is will think it expensive for a bike and move on. I placed the advert to run for 7 days midweek to midweek therefore including a weekend.

7
I opted to ‘track’ the item which basically enabled me to see the number of bids, number of people watching it (not who they are) and how many questions I had received and answered. The first day nothing happened (was my scepticism justified?), the second day 4 people were watching this rose to 12 people on the 3rd day. Saturday brought a flood of questions covering everything possible on a bike from services to tyre choice(?). I answered as best and accurately as I could. I was pleased and relieved that people were interested. I went to the pub. The next day I was notified of a bid, it had been bought at the ‘Buy it Now’ price, a success.

8
Doing the deal. I received a personal cheque and used a priority clearing service at the bank to ensure it would not bounce. The bike was thoroughly wrapped in masses of bubble wrap and packed into the box. I rotated the handle bars 90 degrees, took the pedals off, wrapped them and taped them to the crossbar. I covered the box with sticky tape and took the bike-in-box to the main Post Office in Brighton and off it went. The new owner received it and let me know all was well. In fact we are still in touch, he loves the bike and 18 months later he has no intention of selling it.

All in all a painless exercise, in fact a very effective and efficient process. I doubt I will ever become an ‘E-Bay millionaire’ but it is an excellent way of moving things on that are still serviceable but no longer used.

Winter Tyres, Rubber Side Down

2007-02-23T15:23:00.000Z

Over the years, many of us have sought to find the perfect winter tyre. So far, I have been unsuccessful but after some recent tyre experimentation, I have remained with Trailrakers. Initially I presumed that the relative difference between tyres was small however after a few swaps the difference was obvious. The main choice for mud seems to be fat and float or thin and sink.

An all year tyre, e.g. Continental Vertical struggles in the chalk and the mud and although it copes well I always was stuck. A great spring/autumn tyre like a Michelin Hot S floats a bit but spins and slides much too easily. A Fire Mud cuts through anything and mud does not stick but it slides under power and tends towards the nervous rather than the surefooted. In a comparison with the Michelin on identical bikes (Nomads), it slid less on chalk and mud but spun out easily in ruts and under power.

Refitting a Trailraker made a noticeable difference in traction in mud, slimy chalk and improved the safety margin. One small point in sizing is that the 2.1 when fitted to a Mavic 717 at 35-psi measures only 1.8 inches. When magazines review tyres they sometimes allude to a variance in the carcass size from the stated nominal size and it would seem that this may be the case with the Trailrakers and although it may improve the tyre clearance, it reduces the tyre contact patch. Over rocks and roots my contact patch is small enough already therefore, I would always plump for the larger sizes and if your frame does not block with mud perhaps you can run a bigger tyre too. More grip, less impact, better traction uphill and improved braking all for the asking. For the lightweight rider speed may be king but for most of us, a little more tyre in winter conditions helps us keep it rubber side down.

Making the Most of it..

2007-02-22T15:41:00.000Z

A quick weather check showed Wednesday 21st as the only gap in what seems like weeks of interminable rain this was handy as it coincided with a ‘working at home’ day. All in all, an opportunity for a ride that could not be spurned.

The ground remains waterlogged so we chose to stay on the high South Downs Way (SDW) ridge in order to try and avoid the deep sticky mud. In the main this plan was successful however the section immediately east of Ditchling Beacon was an absolute mud bath. For almost 100 yards there was 4 inch deep mud mixed with cow poo and pools of standing water, it was no use trying to go around this as it covered the full width of the ridge so there was nothing else for it other than full speed ahead.

Inevitably the ride lasted way longer than we had planned but we did have a blast with the wind behind us on the outward leg and then straight into our faces on the return. On the return journey I managed to get stuck in a deep narrow rut and ended up jack-knifing in the wet mud and narrowly (and comically) avoided going down sideways. The large deep puddles provided plenty of opportunity for play with the added benefit of washing the wettest runny mud off the bike.

We returned covered in mud to the first ‘undress on the doorstep’ instruction of 2007.

Whiteways 17th Feb, Dry Suprise!

2007-02-18T18:33:00.000Z

The heavy rainfall of the past week has turned many trails into impassable swamps, so our plan for this ride was to stay on high ground and avoid the mud.

We began on the South Downs Way and headed from Whiteways to Cocking; however at this point our curiosity and nose for singletrack overcame our best intentions. The fire-roads were relatively dry but surprisingly so were the twisty sections of singletrack. Due to the winter die-back of greenery we were able to spot a number of singletrack trails disappearing through the trees. We marked them on GPS and continued on our way. In fact we found so many new trails that we have already planned the return visit to ride and link them together into what will be a great singletrack blast. A little off-piste riding through Eartham Wood and we were then heading back. We arrived just as it began to rain and slurped down hot coffee from the cafe while relating to each other our trail heroics.

A couple of my personal highlights: 1) the drop down from Tegleaze wood into the Droke carpark which was very greasy and I had a couple of heart in mouth moments on the wet chalk, although it must be said that the others had no problems at all!, and 2) the climb up through Selhurstpark woods which was steeper and longer than we remembered, we were all panting by the time we reached the top.

A great 22 miles that has set us up for a return trip to link the narrow twisty bits together.

Tony from Muddy@rse Rides

2007-02-16T21:29:00.000Z

Tony who we met on a couple of Muddy@rse Rides joined us for a spin at Whiteways on the 27th Jan. We rode the singletrack, did a little exploring and off-piste riding.

Tony successfully completed a couple of drops that he didn't think he could attempt, well done, and we returned wet and tired from a good days ride.

Koobi Saddle

2007-02-16T21:27:00.000Z

All of us go through good and bad patches in almost every ride and sometimes a supportive ally can help considerably in a bad section, but times change and we all have to move on to pastures new. So I am saying goodbye to an old friend that has supported me for many a mile all over the South East and occasionally further a field.

We do not all look the same but I have noticed many a questioning glance at me and my friend Koobi. It may be the split long nose or the thin gel padding but looks can be deceiving and after a few thousand miles, I can strongly recommend it as a great long day saddle especially on a hot summer day over the Downs. Previously I had used both Specialized and WTB saddles and this was a better long ride choice for me.

It is very lightweight but it does not flex and has been very hardwearing despite continuous summer and winter use. The slim profile allows free spinning without any thigh rub, which you might not feel, but notice the wear on your shorts. The gel is still soft and the saddle cover almost perfect but the leather at the nose has worn through probably due to less XC miles and more singletrack use. On and off the front, even with the saddle dropped, has caused the soft nose to wear through completely. However, after three years and thousand of miles I cannot complain about the sterling service given.

So if you ride mainly on bridleways and are looking for long day comfort with room to move about maybe try a split saddle and you could be surprised at the benefits.

Rim Tape

2007-02-16T21:25:00.000Z

I remember the cloth tape and metal closures on the bikes of my childhood when drop handlebars and five gears were uber-cool, or groovy as no one used to say.

Elasticated rubber rim tape seems to be the ubiquitous choice today but in France, I found hard, yellow, plastic rim tape on a Michelin rack. I was unaware of this in the UK but I thought it could be worth an investment of a few euros.

It was a fairly tight fit as it had very little stretch but it seemed to grip better than rubber and hold itself in position firmly. It also seemed a slightly neater fit around the fat Schrader valve of a slime-filled tube, which might prevent water seepage.

Dry tubes seem to move easier in the tyre giving a supple feeling to the ride and if there is any water ingress the talcum sticks losing the benefit.

Occasional removal of the tyre and cleaning of the rim and the tube is needed to keep everything dry so anything that helps reduce maintenance is worth a try.

If anyone else has tried this type of rim tape it would be helpful to receive their use feedback.

Michelin Hot-S Tyres

2007-02-13T16:02:00.000Z

Although these Michelin Hot S tyres in red have been widely publicised I have never come across anyone else using them on the trail. A strong carcass, good grip and excellent longevity make them a strong contender in the tyre choice stakes but everyone else chooses black.

The first version of these I tried were the C24 downhill version bought in France at a discounted £7. The Hot S had not been launched in the UK so they attracted a lot of trailside attention especially on an early silver Marin quad. Eventually Coed Y Brenin killed a sidewall but the tread had lasted well for months in all conditions.

The Hot S were lighter due in the main to the lighter sidewalls and a Kevlar bead and felt easier uphill. The tread stood up to all sorts of use and abuse and the change in the rubber compound improved the wet grip noticeably over the C24 but wet roots were still tricky.

The tread has spread to the new Michelin mountain range but with improved grip due to the dual compound application. They do not come in red but that clashes with an orange frame anyway. I read elsewhere that the reason for the colour was the request of the US market so perhaps the new American frame colours are too muted for a bright red tyre.

Overall, an excellent tyre that could be used as an all year round tyre and one that I would purchase again but only if it comes in orange.

15 minutes of fame...

2007-02-11T18:40:00.000Z

Tony who we met on a couple of Muddy@rse rides joined us for a spin at Whiteways on 27th Jan 07.

Tony started mountain biking for the same reason as us, the desire to hold back the sands of time. We blasted the singletrack and Tony had a go at a couple of drops and chutes that he would previously have considered too dodgy. Well done, the big chute next time!

2007-02-05T20:49:00.000Z

For our regular Saturday ride this week we headed for Cocking just north of Chichester on the South Downs Way (SDW).

As part of our never ending search for single-track we set off to explore the woods immediately south west of Cocking. We made our way through tree lined avenues across the hillsides and found a couple of trails to play on for an hour or so.

One of our gang has entered the 24 hour SDW ride for the British Heart Foundation in June and was itching for a longer training ride, with plenty of time left we decided on an impromptu extended run. At the pub at Hooksway we put together a route of approximately 25 miles including a couple of choice single-track runs that we have previously enjoyed. 25 miles didn’t seem too long; however our training athlete had planned the food in / energy expended equation and was armed with 2 Ginsters pasties and 2 packets of crisps in place of nutrient balanced energy bars or electrolyte drink that the rest of us carried. Our athlete began to feel fatigued during the gravel bridleway climb past West Marden Hall and subsequent muddy trek through Robin Wood; however the climb across the three ploughed fields that link West Marden to Little Down Copse was the real energy drainer. Sustained by a pastie and some crisps the athlete adopted the ‘no gain without pain’ attitude and continued through The Harrows woodland and up the steep push to Ditcham woods where the second pastie was consumed, no doubt releasing it’s mix of both fast and slow release sugars, perfect cycling food. The ride through Oakham woods whizzed past and we emerged on the SDW at Coulters Dean Farm. A few more crisps and we were on our way east on the SDW. During the climb to Harting Down car park our colleague was rapidly wilting and completed the climb around the south side of Beacon by pushing. Just north of Buriton Farm we found an old energy bar that our athlete devoured and partially recharged he completed the steep SDW climb through Philliswood Down. From here it was a gentle trundle along the ridgeline followed by a downhill blast to the car.

A good day out, we returned home a little wiser. Our athlete has redoubled his commitment to train for the SDW 100 mile ride in June and has decided not to rely on pasties and crisps as his energy food. Good Luck to him.

What's that coming over the hill....

2007-02-01T12:57:00.000Z

Tuesday and Thursday of this week saw us make the most of the dry, warm and windless evenings with a couple of 3 hour rides. We rode at a slow pace enjoying the views and the calm warm evening. The weather was truly perfect and even the South Downs mud was drying out surprisingly quickly resulting in a very relaxed ride without the need to spend ages cleaning the bike afterwards. We included a healthy dose of singletrack leading to and around Offham quarries. The trail leading directly to the quarry edge was a little scary as a wheel 2 feet out of line would mean a fall over the edge into the inky blackness of a 50 foot vertical drop. My buddy was trying out his new helmet mounted HID light and it was very effective, he didn't fall off!

Riding at night with a set of lights is great fun but we would recommend sticking with trails you know and take a buddy with you just in case!

We left the carpark at Jack & Jill Windmills and headed east on the South Downs Way (SDW) turning off to continue directly east to the trig-point at Black Cap. From the Trig-point we headed for the beacon burner holder on Mt Harry passing it 10 metres on our right. This trail leads to a gate through a field and stay on the trail straight through the gorse bush patch, when you emerge from the gorse bushes turn sharp right through some trees to another gate. At this point take the trail on the left which points towards the corner of a fence protruding into the field and follow it around the edge of the fence. Where the trail meets the tree line turn immediate left to drop down over roots and fallen branches onto a singletrack bridleway and follow this east to a gate at the end. Go through the gate and turn right, pedal uphill for about 50 metres and turn left into the obvious singletrack, follow this all the way to the quarry edge. Take great care along here as this trail emerges perpendicular to and about 3 feet from the unfenced quarry edge. At the quarry edge turn right and go through the gates as you come to them, after the last gate you are at the top of a field, go diagonally across the field to emerge in Lewes on the Offham road. From here pedal up the bridleway that runs parallel to the tarmac road leading to the riding school at the Training Gallop. Keep on this trail to the riding school and turn right to head back towards Black Cap and an easy ride back to the carpark on the SDW.

Technical Fun and a Little Mud Bashing

2007-01-27T18:51:00.000Z

Today we had a blast down some old trails in Rewell wood just south of Whiteways that we had not ridden for at least a couple of years. We were joined by Tony who we met on the last couple of Muddy@rse rides.

A couple of highlights were the ride down into Screens Wood which was sheltered from the wind and open to the sunshine, lovely; and the ride along the rooty singletrack ridge at the top of Danes Wood parallel to the 4x4 play area. On the other hand the climb up to the Monarchs Way past Warren Barn was tough as it had recently been chewed into a mud/grit mix by farm vehicles.

All in all a good ride with plently of challenges and enough of a push to get the legs working and the heart rate climbing.

Nomad Build: Fitting the Fork

2007-01-26T16:12:00.000Z

As well as the fork and frame you will need a plastic or rubber mallet, a pipe cutter, pencil, coarse silicon carbide sandpaper and a high quality bicycle grease preferably in a grease gun.

Make sure the headset is pressed squarely into the frame, we recommend getting a shop to do this as without the specific tools it is not only difficult but can very easily go wrong resulting in irreparable damage to the frame.

Tap the bottom ring of the headset onto the fork steerer tube with the plastic mallet. Do this gently working your way around the ring with constant tapping. The steerer tubes are often flared near the fork brace so will need additional tapping at this point. It is essential to ensure that the ring sits squarely against the fork brace. Apply a bead of grease around both the ring on the steerer and inside the headset lower bearing race. Insert the steerer tube into the bottom headset race and slide it home applying grease to the steerer tube will make it slide through the headset more easily. Rest the front wheel on the ground and tap the upper headset ring down the steerer tube with the plastic mallet, go gently and keep taping all the way round, it is essential that the race sits squarely against the upper bearing race of the headset.

Fit both wheels, seatpost and saddle to the bike and then stem/handlebar, use the appropriate number of spacers to get a comfortable height. We recommend changing the height a couple of times and even going for a couple of short rides to make sure you get a comfortable stem/handlebar height, the next step involves cutting the steerer tube to length.

After the getting a comfortable stem/handlebar height use a pencil to mark the steerer tube 1cm above where you think it needs to be cut (this will provide height adjustment after the steerer tube is cut). Remove the fork from the frame. It is essential not to get any dirt or metal swarf into the headset during the cutting process. Turn the fork upside down and either clamp the steerer in a bike stand, rest the steerer upside down on the floor or get a friend to hold it upside down. Attach the pipe cutter to the steerer and tighten it very gently onto the tube, rotate it slowly and it will begin to score and then cut the steerer. As it cuts it will feel loose, again tighten gently and keep rotating. When it has almost cut through the tube tighten it very very gently until it cuts all the way through. Use a clean rag a wipe the steerer tube thoroughly with degreaser and make sure there are no pieces of metal debris left on either the outside or inside of the tube. Use the sandpaper to remove all traces of burr on both the outside and inside of the tube. Cut the steerer very slowly and carefully and don't be tempted to crank the cutter tight against the tube, care at this stage means less de-burring in the next step!

Refit the fork, headset top ring, appropriate spacers, stem/handlebar and the front wheel, hammer the star-fangled nut about 25- 30 mm into the steerer tube and screw down the headset cap ensuring the front wheel is square with the handlebar.

New Nomad First Ride

2007-01-25T17:48:00.000Z

The evening of Tuesday 23rd saw the christening ride of the new Nomad. When swopping the shock from the older blue Nomad I changed the setting to add a little less 'platform' the result was a truely awesome ride. Super soft and yet still digging in on the climbs.

It was bitterly cold, all the puddles were frozen and the mud was frosted and hard so we didn't go far. No surprise that it snowed during the night and Wednesday saw a couple of inches of snow even on the Brighton coast!

A nice ride on my new toy but it was hellishly cold!

Muddy@rse Ride 21st January

2007-01-21T19:21:00.001Z

Today saw the 4th Muddy@rse ride hit an attendance of 34 for a ride through Whitesways singletrack. As well as the usual Muddy@rse crew we were joined by many new faces and a contingent from Sussex MTB. Due to the number we split into 2 groups which inveitably meant a little waiting at strategic points. Despite this everyone had a great time and the varied terrain resulted in both easy and challanging sections for the individual riders.

The ride began with a couple of sections of gnarly singletrack through trees and over stumps and logs followed by a traditional Muddy@rse South Downs climb. The woodland bridleway was a couple of inches deep in viscous mud which was an effort. The climb along the Monarch's way was as tough as usual with a couple of energy sapping stinker little hills. We ended on a high with a blast through woodland singletrack which was a great medicine to take everyone's mind off the climb up the Monarch's way. Back to the carpark for Malt loaf and coffee.

Thanks to everyone who turned up and especially Ronnie from MTB Nomads and Jimbo from Sussex MTB who led the groups at various stages.

We hope to see you on the next Muddy@rse ride, details will follow.

Seeking New Trails

2007-01-19T14:58:00.000Z

Riding familier trails is good fun however before a trail becomes familier you first have to find it.

Autmn and winter are the best trail finding seasons for us as we ride predominatly in deciduous woodland (it is much easier to find trails in pine woods as there tends to be less foliage). Our approach is to set out with the objective of discovering new trails and ride slowly along established routes scanning the sides for signs of a trail. Animal tracks are a good bet, just follow them. Also it is much easier to see 'outs' than entrances, if you find something that looks like an animal 'in' or 'out' follow it. Many hours can be spent but at the end you will know the area very well and be able to link trail together. Wherever there is in 'out' look directly opposite for an 'in'.

Mark all 'ins' and 'outs' on a map or mark as a way-point if you have a GPS. After a couple of navigating runs you can return for ride linking trails that no-one else has used. There is something special and challanging about riding along a narrow trail (often over woodland detritus, fallen trees and under low hanging branches) that has no sign of human interference.

Shimano XT & LX Hollowtech Cranksets

2007-01-19T14:53:00.000Z

There are many cranksets available but the Shimano Hollowtech are our favourites due to: ease of fitting, ease of servicing, ease of bottom bracket bearing replacement together with widespread availability at approximately 1/3 off the recommended retail prices.

I have used XT version on full suspension bikes since March 2004 and the LX on my hardtail winter bike since June 2006. In my opinion there is zero difference in the ‘feel’ of the XT and LT cranksets when pedalling, both are very stiff and the fitting procedure and replacement bearings are the same for each. In each case the original Shimano chainrings last approximately 3 months of my riding while the bearings last 6 months in the summer and 3 months in the winter. We strongly recommend replacing worn chainrings with Middleburn Hardcote as soon as there is any sign of wear. Hardcote chainrings change almost as smoothly as Shimano but they last approximately 9-12 months. Both XT and LX use the same bearing replacement kit and the tools and procedure is the same for each. The printing on the crank arms wears off each pretty quickly but this doesn’t bother us. Both XT and LX are suited to our riding (nothing too extreme nor pottering along bridleways).

In our experience the main difference is a practical one, the XT rings have less metal and therefore it is easier to clean the mud from between the rings with a stick or narrow brush. This is very handy after muddy winter rides. XT is a few grams lighter in weight than LX but this is irrelevant to us when we weigh in at 13 stones and our lightest bike is 28 lbs.

So which is our favourite? I like the look of XT while my buddy prefers the look of LX, both are widely available at approximately £100.0 and £70.0 respectively. Our advice would be to go for LX (and put the £30.0 towards a bearing replacement kit) unless you really like the look of XT. Whichever you prefer we recommend removing the crankset from the frame and taking the chainrings off for thorough cleaning every couple of weeks. Always re-grease the bolts every couple of weeks to prevent them seizing.

The photos show my XT and LX Cranksets with a bash guard replacing the outer chainring.

Muddy@rse Reconnaissance: Whiteways

2007-01-16T15:30:00.000Z

My buddy riding over one of the trees at Whiteways. He made it!

A quick blast around our intended route for the Muddy@rse Ride 21st Jan.

The singletrack was dry and a blast, the leaf cover made it a little slippery in places especially on the corners but apart from that no problems.

The far end of the ride was muddy so we may use a detour that will not detract too much. The route is approximately 12 miles but the last couple of climbs on the Monarch's Way drain the legs!

Fox Vanilla Forks 130mm

2007-01-09T17:12:00.000Z

After trashing 4 separate sets of air forks between us we now use coil forks, they seem to be much more reliable and also are very supple on both large and small bumps. These Fox Vanilla forks are 130 mm travel and are used on a hard-tail bike for general trail riding. They are disc specific and have a neat little brake hose retaining clip on the left leg. I tend to buy forks etc with minimal adjustment as I like to ride the bike and not spend excessive time fiddling to get things feeling right.

These forks are 130mm of travel and have the ‘green’ fox spring fitted which was recommended for my 13 stone weight. I have the rebound set 2 clicks off the fastest setting. The forks are very stiff and confidence inspiring and with the appropriate spring fitted for your riding weight they hoover up small bumps as if they don’t exist and yet they still take a pounding on drops of a couple of feet without bottoming or making any worrying noise!

Coil forks are no doubt heavier than the equivalent air versions; however the additional weight compared to me and the bike combined is a fraction of a %. I will stick to coil forks for my bikes for both performance and reliability.

Excellent fit and forget forks.

7th January 07: Character Building Ride

2007-01-08T19:58:00.000Z

My buddy stayed up until 2am on Sunday 7^th January to finish rebuilding his bike with new wheels, brakes and gears. All that was required was a ride to christen the baby.

We headed up to the South Downs Way from Sussex University sports centre via Waterpit Hill (the name should have given us a clue) and Buckland Bank. Within 20 yards we were covered in mud and ploughing through thick viscous mud 4 inches deep, these conditions prevailed until we reached Blackcap on the SDW, the section through the trees just south west of Blackcap was most memorable as it was a pond about 12 inches deep from trees to fence. The first casualty was my buddy’s gears with the rear mech giving up the will to live and the ability to change gear. We stopped a couple of times to clean the mud off the bike but this was a futile exercise as within 5 yards it was as if we had not bothered. The next disaster was when my buddy’s chain snapped; we repaired it with an SRAM speed-link but got covered in mud. As we were repairing the chain on the windswept ridge the rain started. Determinedly we continued along the SDW to Ditchling Beacon and wanting to get back we cut short down the road to Stanmer woods. Neither of us had the desire for the single-track so we just headed straight back to the car.

The bike was well and truly christened and we returned a lot wiser. On the up-side my Nicolai with Rohloff Speedhub never missed a beat and changed gear perfectly the whole way round. Money well spent.

Altura Humvee Trousers

2007-01-08T19:54:00.000Z

These are great trousers at an excellent price. They are tough, hard wearing, mud proof, shower proof, relatively breathable and cost £45-00. The legs are adjustable for width with velcro straps around the calf and they have a couple of deep front pockets with a zip fastening. These are more than enough features for me, anything else would just get in the way.

For me the best thing about the trousers is the fit, they are perfect. The waist is held by very slack elastic and a clip-lock belt. They are very easily adjusted to accommodate fluctuating waist size (handy after Christmas excesses). A bargain at the price.

First Ride of 2007: Pitch Hill & Holmbury Hill

2007-01-02T19:34:00.000Z

As a perfect start to 2007 a couple of us headed up to Pitch Hill in the North Downs for a wizz around some of our favourite trails.

Pitch Hill was very muddy, the peaty soil was holding water like a sponge making the trails pretty hard going in many places. The trails above Ewhurst were not too bad but the one with the split tree was tough going as was the subsequent dash through the pine trees. It seemed to us as if some of the trails had been deliberately blocked with fallen trees and branches, this didn't spoil the fun but someone had gone to a degree of trouble.

The sandstone of Holmbury Hill always drains well and despite all the recent rain the trails were fantastic, just damp enough to give loads of grip but not too dry to coat the moving parts with the usual abrasive paste. The reservoir trail is a favourite especially if you stay on it to the steep downhill at the end. From here it was up to the viewpoint above Holmbury St Mary to drop down via the trail on the right with all the bombholes and then straight into the Telegraph trail to the carpark. The climb back to reservoir included a couple of little gems that were very tough. A descent into Peaslake via the Golden Birdies trail was followed by the climb across Pitch hill to the carpark. We covered about 20 miles but it felt much more due mainly to the chewy mud on Pitch Hill.

All in all a fantastic day, my buddy had the first 'off' of 2007, the out the rain held back and it was not too cold or windy. If the rest of the riding in 2007 is as rewarding as today we are looking forward to a great year.

Muddy@rse Ride 30th Dec 2006

2006-12-30T15:12:00.000Z

Today witnessed another 'Muddy@rse' ride. We started at Bo Peep carpar on the South Downs Way and took in the South Downs just north of Seaford. As usual the ride was a sociable event rather than a race (either formal or informal) there were plenty of rest times for both faster and slower riders and no one was left behind.

The ground was very muddy and wet in some places which added to the sense of adventure. Highlights included the singletrack descent between 'The Comp' and 'Blackstone Bottom' which was muddy, slippery, rooty and next to a barbed wire fence, the following climb up to 'Cross Dyke' will live in the memory due to the slippery mud, rocks and gusting sidewinds. The rain held off until the final 100 metres back to the carpark although we suspect that the Ollie and Sally got a little damp on their ride back to Newhaven.

As with previous Muddy@rse rides this was a great day out riding at a relaxed pace with likeminded people. If you fancy a relaxed ride with a group of friendly people come along to the next ride which will be 21st January 2007 at Whiteways carpark, West Sussex. Thanks to Lisa for organising and Rick for leading.

Dry Trails at Whiteways

2006-12-27T20:45:00.000Z

Today saw us ride from Whiteways carpark (just north of Arundel) through Houghton Forest and Rewell Wood to Slindon returning via the Monarch’s way. Despite the recent heavy rainfall the trails were at worst slightly damp and in the most part were bone dry, excellent. Riding over the fallen trees on the singletrack across the top of Rewell Wood was great fun as was the descent down to Slindon which was blasted and jumped at every opportunity. We did a little exploring but nothing that disturbed the rhythm of the ride.

Directions. OS Explorer Map 121

From Whiteways carpark take the gap in the trees just to the left of the main track into the woods. Follow this as it twists a little bit and turn left down a rooty trial for 30 yards until it meets a trail running east west and turn right (west). Turn south where the trail crosses a narrow north/south route (difficult to see) and continues in more or less a straight line through the trees across loads of half buried roots and out onto a fireroad via a small but steep drop-off. Head uphill on a fire road and take a hidden left turn into some very narrow and twisty singletrack, follow this to where it rejoins the fireroad and then turn right onto more single track that eventually crosses the A29 running from Whiteways down to Slindon. Climb through the trees up into Rewell Wood and turn right at the top (this is a tough climb in winter). At the Gate take the singletrack on the right then immediate left (this is very twisty and rooty with a couple of fallen trees that are ride-able as well as alternatives via a couple of small but steep drop-offs). Follow this all the way down and where it comes out take the right again to cut back towards West Stubbs copse just east of Slindon (this is a great singletrack descent for about 800 yards). Where the bridleways meet stop and turn right for 20 yards and then left down another narrow bridleway descent with a couple of drops and jumpy bits. At the bottom turn sharpe right to head through Madehurst Wood and on to Chichester Lodge. Up this point there is a lot of singletrack and even the bridleways are single-file and a real blast.

Cross the A29 and go straight across the road and turn left uphill for approximately 50 yards to a bridleway sign on the right pointing through Baycombe Wood and climbs up to the Monarch’s Way via Northwood cottages and through The Plain to meet the Monarch’s Way at the large trail intersection with the big signpost. Turn right (signposted Bignor Hill) to take the Monarch’s Way south east and back to Whiteways taking in the singletrack in Houghton Forest.

15 minutes of fame ...

2006-12-24T11:31:00.000Z

A couple guys we met at Devil's Dyke carpark on 22nd Dec 06. They were heading over to Truleigh Hill on the SDW as we headed off on our Devil's Dyke, Newtimber Hill and Wolstonbury Hill ride.

Hope you both had a good time and enjoyed the hard SDW surface. Our ride turned into a character building struggle against the elements.

Devil's Dyke , Newtimber Hill and Wolstonbury Hill

2006-12-22T18:57:00.000Z

Today was our first ride since the end of November. We decided on a local loop from Devil's Dyke around the bottom of Newtimber Hill and then over Wolstonbury Hill. Every year we do the same thing, a local ride following one of our summer routes that inevitably turns into a mud hell during the winter. Yet again the familier pattern was repeated, the memories of dry dusty single track tempting us onto trails that at this time of year are miles of uninterrupted mud of the worst kind. The deep chewy mud and fine slurry are not too bad; however the South Downs produces a viscous mud made from chalk with just a touch of clay and leaf detritus. This stuff is a killer. At the point the photo was taken the wheels of the bike would no longer rotate due to the tyre width 'growing' to approximately 4.5 inches with the extra mud. The Rohloff hub was fautless and was changing gear smoothly bang on the button everytime long after my buddie's LX/XT set-up had been strangled to death by the mud.

Directions: (OS Explorer Map 122)
From Devil's Dyke carpark we headed down the dyke itself using the narrow twisty bridleway that clings to the southside of the hill. The deep mud made this more than a little scary and caution over speed saw us get down without any mishaps. From the bottom of the dyke we headed to Saddlescombe farm. At Saddlescombe Farm take the gate immediately on the left where the South Downs Way heads up hill through the trees. Stay on this for a slog of a climb across and to the top of Newtimber Hill. At the top of Newtimber Hill find the bridleway that runs east/west, turn left to head west through a gate a down a belter of a descent to emerge on the A281 just west of Pyecombe. Turn right towards Pycombe and cross the A23 via the footbridge. Over the A23 keep going east past houses on your left to climb the chalky track and take the first bridleway on the left. Continue along here until you reach the first gate on the right, go through the gate to come out onto the north side of Wolstonbury Hill. This section is narrow, very muddy and badly rutted, get stuck in. Turn right to go straight over Wolstonbury Hill (hellishly muddy) to the bridleway intersection just west of Rockrose riding school. Take the brildeway on the right for a excellent blast down to Pycombe. Turn right in front of the church and go down the tarmac descent to cross the A23 on the fly-over bridge. Follow the bridleway that runs down the side of the A23 towards Brighton. After crossing the railway line on the old bridge climb to the tarmaced road and turn left to loop around the edge of the playing fields and rugby club at Waterhall. At the small carpark close to the clubhouse take the trail around the edge of the gate and climb up through the golf course. At the road turn left for 400 metres and then right to take the bridleway parallel to the road all the way back to Devil's Dyke.

Santa Cruz Nomad

2006-12-22T17:55:00.000Z

My new Santa Cruz Nomad in it's virgin state, it looks absolutely stunning.

It is not a lightweight bike and would probably tip the scales at 32-35 pounds. The bike has a blend of components that over the years I have settled on as providing the features and functions that I want. For example: 1) I use a coil shock instead of a lighter weight air one basically because it is very easy to set up, has never died on me and is very supple in swollowing both large and small bumps; 2) the brakes are Hope Mono M4 with 180 mm rotors front and rear these are reliable, always stop me and are therefore used on all my bikes; 3) the fork is coil sprung and is not lightweight but it is very reliable and is capable of more than I will dish out; 4) I use an XT Hollowtech crankset with Middleburn Hardcote inner and middle rings; 5) I replace the outer chain ring of the crankset with a simple low cost aluminium bashguard and finally, 6) I use wide (28 inch) high rise handlebars.

We assembled the bike in my buddies shed and during the next couple of weeks we will publish the complete build process including what went smoothly and what gave us a headache.

15 minutes of fame...

2006-12-07T16:53:00.000Z

We meet these guys from University College London at Bedgebury in Kent on 25th November. They had the same idea as us, ride an 'all weather' track to avoid the mud.

Lots of mud and deep standing water. Everyone we saw was totally plastered in mud including the brave UCL contingent. Better luck next time, hopefully the quagmire will have subsided!

Winter Trousers

2006-12-07T16:47:00.000Z

Although many people ride with shorts throughout the winter, extra protection on cold days is usually welcome, especially when riding after dark. There are different options and anything is better than nothing.

Ordinary tights.
Good for warmth, especially wind chill and perfect clearance from the crankset but rain soaks through and then you get cold muscles. They tend to pull threads easily on brambles but keep the mud off and the reflective strips show up in headlights on dark roads. Normally worn with Lycra shorts or padded undershorts but can be worn underneath baggy shorts if you are very fashionable.The fact that your ten-year-old son laughs like a drain when you put them on should not prevent you from wearing them.Water resistant tights - a looser fit but much warmer and are water resistant. Son still laughs.

Trousers. These can be either the waterproof over-trouser carried along with your rain jacket or a riding trouser worn instead of tights. They can be dry weather (or water resistant) designs, jump trousers or heavier weight waterproof trousers.

Altura Dryline.

An excellent design of good quality construction using a tough material and with lots of nice touches. Double poppers on the waistband, reflective strips, elastic and Velcro waist straps, stretch knees, adjustable length and both zips and Velcro at the ankles. Lots of pockets and son does not laugh.Robust, excellent value, waterproof and long lasting but a little sweaty - 8/10

Gore Profi

A comfortable cut of a warm very breathable material but water resistant rather than waterproof. Elastic and toggles at the waist, single button waist, lots of pockets including clever doubled cargoes and double Velcro ankle straps. Two different versions with either ¾ length zip off legs or knee length short option. After lots of rides, they are surprisingly useable instead of tights, waterproof trousers or even shorts. I have not used them in full rain but they seem preferable to tights. They do not catch, they do not carry mud and the zip off leg option makes them a flexible piece of kit. Buy the correct size for riding and not the neat fit for standing up at the bar.

Excellent value if discounted too - 9/10 (Not waterproof)

Gore delta xcr

Single hook fly with elastic and Velcro waist adjustment. Reflective strips but only a single rear zipped pocket, stretch leg panels, zip and Velcro ankle closure. Comfortable, waterproof and truly breathable - 10/10

The Profi is the best for the cold and dry, the XCR when it is actually raining, even when warm, and the Dryline on rough trails in rough conditions especially in the cold.

Fox Epic Shorts

2006-11-22T18:42:00.000Z

These are fantastically comfortable shorts.

The inner liner/pad has 3d moulding and the edges are very smooth, adding up to ultra comfort. The shorts are perfect for long days out or rides of 3 hours or more. The outer shorts are a tough but very soft and tactile material (not sure what it is but it feels nice) with a band of ventilation mesh across each leg and substantial reinforcement in the seat area. There are two side pockets and the lower right leg has a securely zipped waterproof pocket that is large enough for an iPod type of thing or a small camera. The waist is elasticated and fastened by a velcro area and a pull cord which means they are never too tight.

The only downside for me is that the legs are too long, they easily reach my knees. This is personal preference and others may actually like the long legs but I think they look a bit silly on me.

They are exceptionally comfortable, hardwearing, have all the features I need, accommodate my waist fluctuations but are just a bit too long for my taste. In view of this I tend to reserve them for all day rides when the comfort overcomes my lack of fashion sense.

Muddy@rse Ride 18th November 06

2006-11-19T18:35:00.000Z

Today saw the second Muddy@rse MTB ride, this one taking place in Friston Forest and the surrounding South Downs hills. Great fun was had by all on a very relaxed and sociable event.

We started from the main carpark near the visitor centre and headed north along the main track parallel to the road towards Alfriston, this was an ideal muscle-warmer. The road turns right into the forest, we regrouped at the bottom of the large chute and turned left for the slog of a climb up to the bomb holes. This climb was a taster of what was to come, thick gloppy mud that stuck to all bike parts and covered everyone in a veneer of trail. From the bomb hole we followed the 'Technical Trail' back down the hill via a short section of sweet slippery singletrack. Emerging on the main track we turned right and then left to drop down, cross the gravel road and climb up the other side. It was during this section we 'lost' half the group, a couple of scouts were dispatched and after a short delay we all linked up further down the gravel road. The climb through the forest to the A259 above East Dean was very muddy and slippery; however instead of worried looks and tentative riding everyone was enjoying the relaxed pace and sliding off the trail into the undergrowth held no fear just a source of more laughs. A quick zip past the carpark on the road to Crowlink and then over Went Hill brought us to the Tea Rooms at Birling Gap, the perfect setting for replenishing food and drink. At this point we had to cut short due to 'home' commitments and headed back through the forest. No doubt the others enjoyed their extened run.

An excellent day out riding with a group of people who were sociable and relaxed. The riding was steady but in no way too fast, and there were no heros out to impress. If you fancy a ride (not a race) at a steady pace where no-one will get left behind and eveyone is relaxed and friendly we highly recommend the next Muddy@arse Ride. Many thanks to Lisa for arranging and Grant for leading.

Winter Boots

2006-11-14T08:43:00.000Z

Winter boots initially seem to be very expensive for something that you think you will not use very much, this is a totally wrong perception once you have them they will be used for 4 months of the year.

Why buy a pair of winter boots, they are warm, waterproof, provide ankle protection and with trousers overtop pervent your legs getting covered in mud and other such stuff. Between us we have Shimano W101, Gearne Eskimo and Lake versions and they are an essential part of our riding wardrobe. Which is best? Lake or Gearne, the Shimano boots tend to be a shoe with a wrap around neoprene collar which water can and does get under. Our experience of footwear is to try before you buy, this is not too much of a problem as most mail order outlets let you return the items and get a refund if they don't fit.

Don't put off any longer, buy a pair you will not regret it.

Friston Forest: Twist & Shout

2006-11-11T19:28:00.000Z

Today saw an eventful ride at Friston Forest. We did our usual route following the marked ‘Technical Trail’ from the visitor centre over the south side of the forest, dropping down the chute to the road followed by the uphill slog to the two bomb holes. The going was tough as the mixture of slippery mud and leaf mulch made every pedal turn an effort.

We rode the route over the tree stump half way up the edge of the first bomb hole and headed for the second where after multiple slips and falls the climb around the tree was conquered. After this we had the straight run back to the car-park on the sneaky singletrack section that leads down from the dew pond. This is my favourite type of riding, singletrack with roots and lots of logs and deep depressions and all the while we were trying to ignore the nettles that were caressing our legs. Before picking up the final blast down the stump strewn section we visited the North Shore area where unfortunately most of it had been knocked down and broken up.

It was on this final section that two events occurred 1) our leading rider had a glorious ‘off’ and 2) we laughed ourselves silly. The tumble was a marvellous gymnastic display, those of us in the following group heard a shout and looked up to see the victim going over the bars while turning the front wheel perpendicular to the bike frame. The rider was undamaged but then we looked at the bike. The front wheel was so badly buckled and twisted that it was jammed against the fork leg and would not rotate at all, in addition a number of the spokes were badly bent and broken. A log 2 inches in diameter was freshly broken into 4 pieces. We deduced that the log had passed through the spokes of the front wheel, hitting the fork and instantly locking the wheel thus sending the rider over the bars. How lucky is that?

We were able to straighten the wheel sufficiently (by standing on the rim) so that it would rotate through the fork legs and the bike could be slowly ridden (without front brakes) back to the car.

Santa Cruz: New Nomad Frame

2006-11-09T15:26:00.000Z

My new Santa Cruz Nomad frame arrived this week. It looks very slinky in bare polished metal and I think it will build into a very striking bike.

Santa Cruz Blur

2006-11-04T20:33:00.000Z

The Santa Cruz Blur is one of the best trail bikes there is. The current range is split into the XC (cross country racing), the LT (long travel) and the 4x (4X racing). This is one of the previous models when there was just the one Blur.

This Blur has cross country geometry; however the riding position is very neutral in the frame which means that by changing body position the bike is able to tackle most things. The VPP suspension design is fantastic but it is very sensitive to set up so you really do need to be prepared to 'fiddle' until it feels 'just right'. The suspension is so effective that the Blur really does feel like it has double the 4.25 inches of rear wheel travel. It swollows roots, rocks and drops with ease. The geometry makes the bike very flickable in singletrack and the light weight results in very fast accelaration. The owner of this bike hammers it around the trails, uphill and downhill and it comes back looking for more.

The Blur, a fantastic bike with a 'special' feel about it. For general trail work the Blur is difficult to beat especially for the lighter weight rider who prioritises speed uphill.

Hill Climbing

2006-11-04T19:55:00.000Z

Climbing hills that have roots, rocks and step ups requires an element of luck; however the old adage 'the harder I practice the luckier I get' could have been written for this very activity. Climbing these types of hills requires strength, balance and the appropriate technique.

Our method of tackling these hills is summarised here: 1) look up the hill to where you want to go; 2) remain relaxed at the bottom of the climb and ensure that you are in the correct gear (do not try to change gear on the hill) as you transition into the base of the hill; 3) do not rely on momentum to get you up the hill; 4) use your upper body too provide both balance and control of the bike to ensure you are not pushed off line; and finally 5) if you don't make it have another go and do not worry about pushing the bike up the hill it will still be there next week.

Get into the appropriate gear (one that both gives you momentum and also allows your legs to spin), and ride into the transition of the hill. Look up the hill and spot a smooth line, never look down. Remain seated (FS or hardtail) and pedal smoothly into the hill, position your body so that some weight is over the back wheel but your head and shoulders are forward. If the hill is steep the steering can become very light, if this happens twist your wrists down on the handlebars (imagine revving a motorbike) this will force your arms and torso down towards the crossbar and your head over the stem. Sliding forward to the tip of the saddle will also help if the hill is very steep. Keep pedalling smoothly while using your upper body to balance and keep the front wheel on the ground. Keep this up for as long as you can, there is no substitute for strong legs. Smooth pedalling will take you over most obstacles; however if there is a root or rocky area throw your hips forward aggresively as you reach it, this provides a burst of momentum that will help in most situations.

Have fun and remember hills of this type are hard and were difficult for everyone when they first started to ride them. Here we are riding a pig of a hill at Leith Hill Surrey 4th November 06. This hill is not very long or very steep, but as you can see by the faces, it is hard!

Gore Delta Waterproof Trousers

2006-11-02T18:49:00.000Z

The trousers in the photo are coming up for their 3^rd winter of trail riding and although they are showing signs of wear & tear I reckon there is at least another two winters of use. The trousers are Goretex XCR fabric that is 100% waterproof, windproof and very breathable. The bum and outer thighs are reinforced with rip-stop material in the XCR and they have proved to be surprisingly tough. The reflective strips are hanging off and look a bit tatty, but apart from that everything else is going strong. They fold into a rear waist pocket but I tend to roll them up and carry them in my Camelbak.

I tried on 3 or 4 pairs of trousers from all the usual apparel manufacturers and rode a test bike around the carpark. These were by far the most comfortable and best fitting although they have only basic features when compared to the alternatives. The waist is fastened with a clip and adjustable velcro side strips. The ankles also have velcro straps to tighten them around the leg (over a pair of winter boots for dry warm feet) and a hidden zip that enables the trousers to be put on and taken off without removing boots or shoes. That is about it in terms of features. Too be honest I don’t need anything else.

An essential piece of winter riding gear. I can’t believe that I used to wear shorts and leggings in the deep Sussex mud.

Intense 5.5 evp

2006-10-31T10:17:00.000Z

I owned and rode an Intense 5.5 throughout the period March 2004 to February 2006, this review can be classed as a long term ownership experience of the bike.

Firstly, the 5.5 is a hell of a lot of fun, it has the geometry of a XC trail bike with 5.5 inches of rear wheel travel combined into a pretty lightweight package. On the trail this means that the bike is very responsive in singletrack, accelerates easily and rapidly and can swollow any kind of rough ground that the general rider will encounter. It absolutely flies around the north and south downs and totally levelled all the trails we have visited in Wales. However the 'racy' indestructible feel does have a downside, the bike has to to be ridden hard and concentration is required; therefore as a cruising bike for south downs way type of rides it becomes tiring after approximately 3 hours.

The rear suspension is the VPP design licensed from Santa Cruz and it is fantastic with super smooth bump absorbance together with a real 'dig-in' when climbing. The bearings lasted pretty well and only required one change after riding through a south downs winter. The frame is very solid with zero lateral flex when riding. I built mine with Fox Talas 125mm forks, Hope m4 (180mm rotors) disc brakes and Mavic 717 rims. This build suited both the frame and my riding, it was light enough to accelerate hard yet it is burly enough to take my weight and riding style, large brakes were essential as it is very easy to get out of control at high speeds.

The 5.5 is a fantastic trail bike if you want to hammer the trails (no matter how rough) for a couple of hours, it demands and encourages hooligan behaviour which in turn requires and rewards maximum concentration. However it does get tiring after 30 miles of gentle riding as basically it is very difficult to relax when riding it. If these descriptions match your riding style then you will either love or hate this bike, make no mistake, if you love it you will fall head over heels for it and nothing else will come close.