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If
you ain't ridin you ain't nuthin... |
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| 10th April 2002 – Richard
and Keith Belmont_Downs Well, I haven't been out riding since CyB, which is over 3 weeks ago. I have been
putting in some quality family time instead but feel a little rusty. Since I last rode I have replaced my rear tyre
with a Panaracer_Trailblaster – very nice looking,
let's hope it performs okay. Keith is back
from his travels and keen to get fit. He has worked out a 6-mile route and we
take this to familiarise ourselves. Keith suffers from his normal mechanical troubles,
his cassette or jockey wheels causing the chain to keep slipping. Almost at the end of the ride I hear a loud
click and the chain starts spinning. The rear hub obviously needs looking at.
Luckily after a few minutes it rights itself but we call it a night. The idea is to do a time_trial
over the course once we are familiar with it. First attempt takes 40 minutes which
equals 9 miles an hour. Pretty poor but it gives us plenty of scope for improvement. | ||||||||
| 14th April – Richard
and David B Epsom_Downs_normal_route Another new rider has joined me. David B has
a 5 or 6-year old rigid Rockhopper that he rides to work every day but the only
off road it has seen is pretty tame stuff in the local park. I have also fixed
my rear hub thanks to the Bike_Magic maintenance
forum – thanks guys. We do the usual route as an introduction to
MTB’ing on a fantastic morning - it's mild with the sun peering out, no wind and
bone dry trails. We fly around without stopping (which I haven’t managed before)
and are back within 55 minutes. Feeling in the time trial mode, I think I will
repeat the route next weekend. David enjoys the ride, likening the buzz of
the downhills to skiing (which he does a lot). Looks like another regular for
me to call on Sunday mornings. | ||||||||
| 21st April – Richard,
Keef, Paul and
David Epsom_Downs What a day today. The sun is shining and I
haven’t seen Paul and David
out on the trails since our trip to Devil’s_Dyke
on the 23rd February. To top it all, David is on his new
bike. He bought a Merlin_Rock_Lobster
frame to replace the Dave Hinde that suffered the torn derailleur hanger in February
and has finished building it all up. As if that wasn’t enough, Keef
‘rigid and proud of it’ has bought some front forks. They are fairly basic as
they need to fit a 1” tube and cost him £30. However, he also discover that the
canti brake needs replacing and spends another £40 for the add-on’s to make the
fork work including a clever little pulley system so that he doesn’t need to replace
the all-in-one brake and gear lever. David is also recovering from a bout of a rather
uncomfortable infection. We take the same route as last week and despite taking
it easy, actually clock a faster time. Must be the bright sunshine that is spurring
us on. Keef notices my warped rear wheel and offers
to straighten it using his wheel jig. The wheel has had a nasty bend for months
making it very difficult to align my v-brakes. We go back to his gaff and it’s
sorted in about 20 minutes – thanks Keef. | ||||||||
| 25th April – Richard
and Keith Belmont_Downs A quick spin around Belmont following Keith’s
route. We are both feeling pretty good, the sun is out, the trail is dry and we
are pushing to beat our previous time.
The end of the route takes us down Track_40 and
as I am pushing the bike into the turns, the front wheel washes out on an adverse
camber and I end up flat on my back at the side of the trail. No serious injuries
although my thumb is very sore. |
Keith,
lookin ‘ard | |||||||
| The weather has turned a bit miserable but
the trails are still very rideable. Mike is heading back to CyB in 2 weeks time
and has decided he needs to top up his fitness. The ride goes well until I suffer a rear flat
on a road section. After fixing this, David B has 2 punctures less than half a
mile along the same road. The council must have been cutting back the hawthorn
hedges. Still, the sun comes through and I am feeling
so good that I ride straight over to Belmont for a blast down Track_40. Unbelievably,
I get another flat half way down – this time in the front tyre. I fix this and
make my way to the finish, then back home. After a lull in activity, this has been a great
month and I look forward to May with the prospect of Shavey organising
another day out. | ||||||||
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all photos and content copyright of Richard Sear 1999 to 2010 | ||||||||
