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If you ain't hot and sweaty this month you ain't ridin' in the UK

It's official - Diary of a Mountain Biker can announce that this has been the hottest week ever (for cycling, in the UK, in living memory, caveat, caveat etc.) and a better summer than '76 (yes, I do remember it).

Leaving work on Wednesday at about 5-30pm was like riding in a warm bath and I was slick with sweat when I made it home 14 sweaty miles later. (The worst thing about a road bike is that the sweat drips from the edge of your lid right into your eyes).

So anyway, this meant that this morning I was keen to make an early start. I had arranged to meet Mike (dialled bikes) and Mark (Upon the Downs) for a spin. We set off from Coldharbour at just before 9-30 heading for the 'other'_Redlands. This was only my second visit to this 'hidden' part of the North Downs and it didn't disappoint. There are all manner of drop-off's, log roll-overs and hairy drops to keep even the most gnarly rider happy although the dry weather has made the soil very powdery and very sketchy on some of the corners particularly at the bottom of 'collateral damage' and the 'wave of mutilation'.

I was feeling much better today after my last poor attempt out but despite this I still managed to fall off going over the tree trunk. This is a large fallen tree where the trunk forms an integral part of the route. Although it looks hairy the approach is quite smooth. However I didn't lift the front enough as I rode over it and my front wheel got caught in the sharp drop-off on the other side and I fell to the left. Luckily it was funny rather than painful and no damage was done.

On the next section it was Mark's turn to take a tumble. On a fairly innocuous section of trail he got a bit too much feedback from his forks and managed to go right over the bars landing heavily. After a pause to regain his breath we completed the final few sections before heading back to Coldharbour.

Here we spotted some more of our riding buddies - Martin, David and another couple of guys who just happened to be in the area. We hooked up with them to complete the Redlands / Summer_Lighting set of trails before heading up to Leith Hill tower.

The air here was stifling and after a brief rest in the shade of the tower we returned for the final time to Coldharbour. A fairly short but very technical ride, managing to avoid the main heat of the day. Let's all get down on our knees and pray for some rain...

13th August 2003 Richard and Sam - Belmont Downs

A quick spin around Belmont Downs this evening with my 12 year old son so that I can test ride the dialled bikes Kobe Ti that Mike has lent me. I think this is one of the first rides with the new dialled_bikes graphics present.

A full review will follow but first impressions are extremely positive. Now, as you well know, I am a fully converted full suss rider and no-one comes between me and my enduro. However, the Kobe Ti is an attractive lass, giving a lovely smooth ride but also loves it when it starts to get rough (just like her porn star namesake).

The Fox forks up front and the Ti frame and the 2.3 Vertical Conti Pro's on the rear soak up most of the hits letting you concentrate on selecting the best line.

Despite the frame being undersized for me (6' 2") with the seatpost cranked up high it is still eminently rideable. Mike has taken on board the comments we made last time and changed to a longer stem to stop the cockpit feeling so cramped.

But don't listen to me. You ain't gunna invest £699 in a new frame on the basis of MY test ride so why not get in contact with Mike and arrange a test ride for yourself?

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