Author: Cris Bloomfield

Wednesday’s breakfast ride went well and the rain kept at bay, so dusty trails prevailed once again. Six made the 5am start this week. The forecast rain did arrive later in the day, but by the time the evening ride in Calderdale came around, the weather was back to a finer state.

Some pretty good riding around there (increasingly one of my favourite places to head out to), but it’s meant riding stuff that’s made me realise that whilst the rigid singlespeed has been fine for most stuff so far, it does have it’s limits.

It’s been good going back to a rigid set up, it was a change that I used to make for each winter race series, only putting suspension forks on for summer. I guess I just crumbled at the prospect of being beaten down the descents I’d earned on the ups. So the Singlespeed now looks quite a bit different to the original photos and spec listed. It’s a work in progress. Update soon.

The Saab Salomon Mountain Mayhem (SSMM) is this weekend. After two years of it, it seems weird not to be there this year. I guess new things are pretty much across the board this year. Good luck to all those riding. Hope you avoid mechanicals and that your lights don’t pack up midway through.

Jed and I have put an entry in to ride as a pair at Sleepless in the Saddle (SITS) in August. This should be an interesting experience that’s for sure. I’m just hoping that we get in. There’s also the possibility following a phone call from an old friend that I’ll be revisiting my old trail stomping grounds. Fingers crossed on that one.

Next years Shimano stuff looms closer, not too impressed by the looks of Dura Ace, but the new XT still looks pretty fine. That and more here. Robbie Bourdon’s had a nasty prang. And then there’s Tara Llanes, mmm, mmm, mmm. Finally I’ve been meaning to link Trailbreak for a while so here’s that too.

Riding Sunday. Somewhere.

rothar.com: mountain bike shenanigans. I think I might run with that for a bit until something better comes along.

Finally swapped the controls on the FSR over, it’s taken an age to get the kit together. Gone shorter, but higher rise and I’m pretty pleased with results. The bike is more chuckable, the steering more responsive and it’s still comfy for all day rides. I’m sure that the rapid steering response saved me from at least two nasty skin/dirt & rock interfaces on yesterday’s rides.

Headed over to North Wales and headed for Betws-Y-Coed. Didn’t really look at the (crap) directions I downloaded of the mbwales site, so ended up driving around looking for something which wasn’t there for half an hour. Eventually parked up and popped into the bike hire centre in the Tourist information centre to get some directions – thanks again for the help.

Rode up and out of BYC up to waymarker 59. That’s one hell of a warm up. Must be 1:4 in places. Hooked onto the trail and was soon laying the hammer down. Trying to keep up with some guy on a fully sprung Marin at one point led to near miss number one, two wheel slide to nothing saved only by a quick foot plant and a stroke of luck. The section down to the trail head where the Marin demo was taking place was probably the best bit of loop, some nice rollers which launched you nicely of you hit them right.

Managed to take a wrong turn and ended riding pointlessly up the tarmacked road from the carpark for far too far before I realised my mistake. Then had to turn around and traipse all the way back down. Soon back on track and nailing some good lines on technical sections. The whole thing was over far too soon and I seemed to be back where I started in no time at all. The choice was to stay and ride the loop again or head off to Coed-Y-Brenin.

As there was unfinished business at the latter it was decided to leave BYC for the day and head south. Just over an hour later, full of home cooked cakes, I set off on the MBR route. This was good because I’m not a great fan of the Karrimor/Red Bull long fireroad climb up and I knew I’d be doing that bad boy later anyway.

Enjoyed the MBR, quite a lot of technical singletrack climbing, which is something that none of the other routes I’ve ridden have tended to have. All was going well until about just over half way round where you are contouring round a wooded hill section and enter a really thickly wooded section that plunges you into darkness. About 20 metres in with my eyes still adjusting to the light I just make out something.

Turns out to be a small conifer that has been laid right across the trail. Seems CYB has it’s own stickman. Surely there’s no need. That really annoyed me. Climbing up the bridleway section not long after I had to stop and cool down, it was just too damn hot out there yesterday.

After another slice of cake, a can of Red Bull and a bit of a breather it was time to slog up the hill for the Red Bull run. Those rock garden sections of singletrack you hit after the climb are pretty testing. Rode around the rest of loop, only to have near miss number 2 on a relatively straight, fast section. Not exactly sure what happened, but the front wheel just washed out, and I only just caught the bastard. The top section of the last descend down to the carpark had me off and walking a bit for the first time all day. Just didn’t feel strong or alert enough to try and ride it but regretted it as soon as I was back to the car. Next time. So that’s BYC and CYB dusted so far this year. Machynlleth is next and I’m going to have to combine that with a trip to the Centre for Alternative Technology.

This is pretty interesting reading, I’m hoping that IMBA UK will have the same good effect here too. Chilly has been busy and has a new site that I didn’t know about until Saturday night, the sneaky bugger.

Nice new road wheels from Mavic, but not many of them. An epic Oregon bike adventure. About time some one pointed out the obvious and a comment from someone who should know better.

Well not a disastrous day by any means. Lots of fiddling with bikes however. As much as I love the looks of my old Cook Bros RSR cranks, I just don’t think they’re up to carting my lardy arse round on a singlespeed that I’m increasingly thrashing around. So I’ve bought a new XT chainset for the FSR and swapped the old XT cranks onto the SSer. About the same weight I reckon, possibly a bit lighter now I’ve ditched the stainless steel 36t onZa buzzsaw, but with a nice stiff octalink setup. Now running 32:16, whilst waiting for some new four bolt chainrings to turn up.

Very impressed at how much lighter the new hollowform XT cranks are over the old (not impressed by the 10mm allen key crank bolts). Also not so happy that the day after I install them the 2004 XT versions are unveiled.

Heard from an old friend today after what seems like an age. It’s always cool to catch up with people and find out what they’ve been up to.

Possibly off to Wales this weekend for some riding. Have to see how things go…

European Singlespeed Championship results are now up and there’s a link to them from the event page.

At ten past four this morning my alarm went off. Reality slowly clicked into place as I remembered that the reason I was awake was because I needed to get up to go riding. Following on from the example set my MacPuppy and company up in Edinburgh, Steve M had organised a Manchester alternative to the now infamous Breakfast Ride and it was starting at 5am.

The whole thing was made a lot easier by having prepared all my kit the night before, all I had to do was get dressed grab some food to eat on the way and go. Still it took about ten or fifteen minutes. The ride along car free roads was a bit surreal, but within no time at all I was rolling up to Sale Water Park to find STW forum dwellers Bruce and IJH already there.

Once Steve M and 360 turned up we were off riding down to the Co-op Pyramid in Stockport and back in the early morning sun. For some reason I keep thinking about the way in which the low-light caught the pollen from the riverside plants exploding into the air as they were brushed past. It was a good way to start the day, but not so much of a breakfast ride – I think stopping and eating somewhere needs to figure in the equation.

Most of us were riding one geared bikes. This singlespeed thing is quite addictive really. I might actually be beginning to like it. That’s something that I’m finding hard to come to terms with given my original scepticism. I do need to sort out the current seatpost slippage issue as a priority though.

On a different note I hope that by tomorrow night the FSR will be in a rideable state once more, with the shock fresh back from TF Tuned and with some handlebars on it again. That way a trip somewhere at the weekend with said beast might be a possibility. Not much happening other than that.

Finally finished the write up for the cross France trip again. Read about it here. I’ve been meaning to hook up a link to the NSMB e’zine since Ben showed it to me. Its on here now, so check it out to read about lots of new stuff (like the ’04 Big Hit). I’ve been reading Mountain Bike Review on and off for the last fives years or so. It has its fans and its critics, but I think it deserves a link either way.

2003 European Singlespeed Championships

_ _

Two photos from digitography.co.uk and one from Jed

this dark and dingy corner. Well I’m glad the Germans were there it made things rather entertaining at the finish. This weeks link is for Phaty and the crew.

It was cool to catch up with Biker this weekend, we reminisced over our road trip across France a bit and it reminded me of the first couple of days which were a bit boring by comparison with the latter half of the journey. I did start writing up a bit of an account of things last year, but then my computer hard disk crashed and I lost a load of stuff including that. I’m trying to recollect things again and it’ll be appearing in the Epic Rides section soon. Talking of Europe, I booked my tickets out to Switzerland today. It’s going to be a good to take a bike back out there and ride the slopes that are usually covered in snow.

We’re not ready for the Euro. Apparently. What a shock result.

Read about this the other day. Thought it was pretty interesting stuff, not sure if it’ll take off but I like the ethics involved and the idea of living in something that’s self-sufficient in terms of energy and built out of recycled materials.

Today at work the label printer ran out of labels. One of two people can be blamed for this oversight. Thanks. It was really good fun having to hand write labels for all the goods I received. Please don’t let it happen again. I think I’d rather be bending Huffy’s back into shape if it did…

The FSR has been pillaged and is slumped next to the desk. I have finally managed to get the new riser bars ordered today (it’s taken about two months), so the old ones are off and onto the Singlespeed. The shock is also missing currently waiting to be despatched to Mr Flooks for a spring upgrade and replacement lower bushings. I want a 5th Element shock, but the bike and I are going to have to wait for that. At some point I will have to clean it.

The Singlespeed is cleaned (in the living room tonight) and ready for this weekends action (should that be carnage?). It is now sporting some riser bars (no wider than the fat boy flats I’ve just taken off) so has some rise to the front end and a bit more sweep. I just hope it handles okay, as I haven’t left much time to test it out. I’ve also chucked on some new bigger tyres in the hope that this will aid the gearing a tad, and it certainly did seem to be a bit faster on the flat on the way home, so maybe it’ll do the trick.

Off on the long drive to Suffolk tomorrow night, race news when I get back. There might even be something of a Team Jelly reunion.

It’s summer and I’m still looking for new places to go and ride. The South and North Downs look quite appealing and this is a classy little site – check it out. The MTB-Freeride site is a sign of just how a shop can get involved with local riders to develop the sport, get some free promotion and advertising amongst a growing number of riders who are checking out things online. Full cred to the team at Offcamber cycles for getting such a good site up and running and dedicating the staff and resources to maintain it to such a high standard.

More nice photos can be found through this weeks recommended link – check out Endless Ride’s rather stunning alpine photo galleries. I really do want to go and experience more real mountain riding when I look at stuff like that. That said I think the Pyrenees will offer some rather amazing riding too so I have this urge to attempt Pyractif’s Pyrenees coast to coast ride. Maybe some time soon.

From: Katie A
Subject: Big Kids Nursery Rhymes

Mary had a little skirt with splits right up the sides
And every time that Mary walked the boys could see her thighs
Mary had another skirt twas split right up the front …
but she didn’t wear that one very often

Mary had a little lamb. Her father shot it dead.
Now it goes to school with her, between two chunks of bread.

Jack and Jill Went up the hill to have some hanky panky.
Silly Jill forgot her pill And now there’s little Franky.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, her clothes all tattered and torn.
It wasn’t the spider that crept beside her, But Little Boy Blue and his horn.

Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard to fetch her poor dog a bone.
When she bent over Rover took over and gave her a bone of his own.

Mary had a little lamb – It ran into a pylon.
10,000 volts went up it’s arse and turned it’s wool to nylon

Simple Simon met a Pieman, going to the fair.
Said Simple Simon to the Pieman, What have you got there?
Said the Pieman unto Simon, Pies, you dickhead.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings horses and all the kings men,
Said “F*ck him, He’s only an egg.

Georgie Porgy pudding and pie.
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play,
He kissed them too, cause he was gay.

Mary Mary quite contrary, Trim your minge – it’s far too hairy!

‘Pies, you dickhead‘. The Pieman obviously had a northern sense of humour. This was posted on the singletrackworld forum today and seemed quite appropriate given current fears over the spread of a contagious virus:

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has just issued an urgent warning about BARS (Beer Alcohol Requirement Syndrome). A newly identified problem has spread rapidly throughout the world. The disease, identified as BARS (Beer Alcohol Requirement Syndrome) affects people of many different ages. Believed to have started in Ireland in 1500 BC, the disease seems to affect people who congregate in Pubs and Taverns or who just congregate. It is not known how the disease is transmitted but approximately three billion people world-wide are affected, with thousands of new cases appearing every day.

Early symptoms of the disease include an uncontrollable urge at 5:00pm to consume a beer or alcoholic beverage. This urge is most keenly felt on Fridays. More advanced symptoms of the disease include talking loudly, singing off-key, aggression, heightened sexual attraction/confidence (even towards fuglies), uncalled for laughter, uncontrollable dancing and unprovoked arguing.

In the final stages of the disease, victims are often cross-eyed, and speak incoherently. Vomiting, loss of memory, loss of balance, loss of clothing and loss of virginity can also occur. Sometimes death ensues, usually accompanied by the victim shouting, “Hey Fred, bet you can’t do this!” or “Wanna see how fast it goes??”

If you develop any of these symptoms, it is important that you quarantine yourself in a pub with fellow victims until last call or all the symptoms have passed. Sadly, it is reported that the disease can reappear at very short notice or at the latest, on the following Friday.

Side effects for survivors include bruising, broken limbs, lost property, killer headaches and divorce.

I’m back and I did it: Peddars Way, both ways, in a day. Full report and pictures now up here. Next up the European Singlespeed Championships this coming weekend. I’ll be there for the main event on Sunday and catching up with Biker who’s over from Switzerland. Meanwhile I’ve updated the M5 bike page too. Found a link to this today, must admit my only trip to the Granite City was a miserable, cold and windy one, so I imagine it’s a perfect climate to breed a hardier type of mountain biker.

Well I’ve finally made it into the pages of Cycling Weekly, unfortuantely not because of my fantastic race results. BY chance there’s a picture of me in the 31st May edition in an article called Hardest of Them All. Thanks to Jed and everyone else who spotted it and let me know:

BMXers are known for the abuse they dish out to kit so when this came in we were ready for the standard issue, “Well I was just riding along…”. The story wasn’t quite so simple though.Off back to Norfolk tomorrow night for an epic along Peddars Way on Sunday. More about that when I get back.

Read about Project Bike Hot Rod here. The clunker classic race is coming, but I won’t be back from Switzerland in time for it. I had been thinking that I might have to dredge something out of a canal to take down there, supermarker trolleys can be found in abundance but a bike might be a bit harder to find, but I’ve just checked the dates and its a no-go. Anyway here’s the info:

From: Charlie
Subject: Clunker classic update

Hi there clunkers.

Final preparations are being made for the second annual clunker classic (beer and a rotten old bike), and everything is looking cool.

We still have a bunch on world champs attending, we still have a kick arse 4 mile downhill course. I rode up it last weekend on a 32:16 proper mtb and it took almost an hour to get up it – and its looking meaner than ever, good levels of errosion over the winter. We have “atheletes” coming from Spain and the US of god damn A, and even Sussex., Who knows how many will race, but we have 40 something on the email list, and many of them represent whole bike gangs.

Steedwise: Man it’s all going on, we have drawn every cycling deviant out of the woodwork, you name it, its being raced: choppers, shoppers, postie, lowriders, bedsteds, BMX, tall bikes, longbikes, bedsteds, and a load of scrounged crap gaffer taped together.

The camping is NOT at springfields, as that campsite turned out to be a figment of my ale stained imagination, but at Sparkhayes campsite (turn right down a narrow lane before you get to the church – if approaching from the east).
Many folk will be arriving on Friday night, but the race proper starts at lunchtime (ish) at the Ship Inn, which is down the other end of the village. We’ll start gathering early and no doubt have lunch there, before setting off up the big hill (not racing), and then a picnic (bring a picnic), and then we race back to the pub for the prize giving.

Its all in Porlork, and more info on the area can be found at www.porlock.co.uk

Remember guys, this is not a proper legit event, so look after yourself, wear a helmet and don’t die, There are no marshals, officials, paperwork, indemnities, insurance or medics. Just a bunch of folk on bikes.

E me with any issues or questions, or tent/lift share requests, I’m surfing for two weeks, but will get back to you soon.
All the best, and get rummaging in those skips.

Spread the word

Charlie

CCII
Sat 12th July
Ship Inn
Porlock
Somerset
UK

Just back from tonight’s little sortie. It was too nice not to go out, so I hauled the mud covered FSR out, popped into work to scrounge some Cross Country lube and headed out of town. Good ride complete with step descents, steep climbs, a drop-in, two stream crossings, muddy bits, dry bits, sand, gravel, grass and a bit of street. The FSR is unfortunately poorly – the lower shock bushes have developed a lot of play. I also managed to bottom out the whole bike doing an 18″ drop-off to flat landing, so that’ll be a case for new heavier weight fork and shock springs then. I’ll be phoning Mr. Flooks tomorrow from the bike shop.