MTB Rides - June 2011

[Paul Roberts]

Anyone out tonight?

I'll be at the Uni at 7 - post up if you're coming out!

Paul

[dom]

see you at 7.

[Beagleboy]

Sun is shining in the sky
There ain't a cloud in sight
It's stopped raining everybody's in a play
And don't you know
It's a beautiful new day hey,hey.

......Let's all hear it for Mr Blue Sky folks!

I aim to be at King's Park tonight, at the bus shelter just past the tennis courts for 7pm, to make the most of this wee break in the bad weather. Who's with me?

Beagy 

[Paul Roberts]

Me and Derek and Dom were out last night. Did the usual loop up Yat, down Withces and across Uni, Mine woods and finished off down Kippenrait Glen.  The trails were on the damp side but we avoided any preciptiation.  Still needed to hose both myself and my bike down when I got home - the joys of winter riding!

Beagy - We'll be sneeking off from the Warriors tonight around 6.30 for an hour so might see you in Cambu Woods.  We'll be the ones that are lost.

Cheers - P

[Beagleboy]

Big John and I met up at King's Park and headed over to Dumyat last night. On the way we hooked up with Jeremy and A. Nonymous (name withheld to save him from a tongue lashing  ). Going up was a bit sludgy and heavy going, to the point where I was nearly stopping to see if my newly fitted brake pads had somehow bound to the rotor! Unfortunately no, it was just my chubby wee legs making heavy work of it in the damp conditions. 

With the evening sun shining though and a helpful, drying tailwind blowing  we made it up to the summit in time to enjoy the sun dipping down to the horizon. On the way back down we bumped into Stu Thompson as he climbed up. My joking comments about him climbing to the summit and still having time to pass us on the descent, eventually proved to be scarily accurate. That boy must save a fortune on brake pads! 

By the time we reached the gate, and held it open for Stu to whizz past  , time was running against me. So waving goodbye to Jeremy and E. Nigma, John and I headed back down through Uni woods and into Stirling again, where we parted for our respective destinations. I eventually got home the back of 10pm, mud caked and grinning. Yet another brilliant evening out on the 'Yat.

So who's out tomorrow? The BBC's predicting 18^oC and 'light rain' for tomorrow, whilst MetDoom is claiming it'll be a bit cooler, but sunny. A vast improvement on it's earlier prediction of wind gusts up to 435 mph!  Obviously someone's been forgetting to take their dried frog pills.  Providing the weather doesn't develop into something akin to the surface conditions on Venus, I'l be at Costa Coffee, (across from Graham Tiso in Stirling town centre), tomorrow morning at 9am, ready for a 9.30am kickoff.

Does anyone have any ideas for ride destinations? I'm happy to pack for a longer day out, just a little short on ideas at the moment. 

Beagy 

p.s. I think the hill we were looking at with the big new wind farm in front of it was Tinto Hill in South Lanarkshire. 

[barrymack]

I'll be there, see you about 9am 

[Paul Roberts]

Beinn a'Ghlo/Glen Tilt - CHANGE OF PLAN!

The forecast is a bit iffy for venturing out on a long day in remote country so Bruce and I are planning to ride up Ben Cleuch instead. We'll be meeting up at Flying Fox at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Not sure of the route or the plan from there on but everyone is welcome. Post up or just turn up!

Paul

[Beagleboy]

So what did everyone get up to at the weekend?

Only big John, BarryM and I out from Costas on Saturday. The damp and grey conditions put any plans to head over Ben Cleuch way very much on th back burner, even though John had brought his Boardman 'cheater' hardtail. 

We climbed up onto the shoulder of Dumyat, but as the cloud was still well below the summit we decided to turn and head down towards Witches Craig instead. Taking the wee alternate route (right rather than left) we quickly dropped down to the gap in the wall then climbed back up to the exit of Uni Woods. From there it was familiar stuff as we climbed through Uni woods, descended to the hole in the wall then climbed back up again to Mine woods.

At the top of Mine woods it was a challenge to see how long we could keep in contact with Barry as he floated through the trees. My answer to the challenge? Not very long at all....  Dropping down  beside the first flight of steps we swung right and headed to the steep chute down towards the 2nd flight. My front wheel just snagged a root, slipped off line and everything went into slow motion 'bullet time'. As usual, my saddle being too high compounded matters and as I slammed into the ground my only comfort was that my airbag had deployed, saving me from any damage to my pelvic area.  Unfortunately, I quickly remembered that my bike does not, in fact, come equipped with an airbag and what had actually happened was that in a moment of Jediesque-Ninja-Sumo-synergy, my body had placed my left testicle between me and the rear of my saddle. You may laugh....you may chuckle....but I Lost Skin Down There! 

Anyway, with John hovering over me with a "If you need 1st aid down there, you're on your own mate" look on his face, I slowly regained some form of composure and we continued onwards. Just before the bombhole, I stopped and dropped my saddle. 'Closing the barn door after the horse has bolted'? What does that mean? You speak in riddles man!  As it turned out this was a clever move on my part as dropping into the bombhole with John close behind, disaster was only averted by a bushy tails breadth!  Yep, a flinkin' Squirrel lay in ambush and shot out between my tyres at the very bottom of the hole when you're completely committed to the maneuver. Furry little gits. 

Onwards and reunited with Barry we climbed up to the Sherrifmuir monument, where we stopped to be bitten by midges. Then we hurried over to the Gathering stone to stop and be bitten by different midges....I think.  From there it was downhill all the way to Bridge of Allan via Kippenrait (what a superb blast that was) and Darn Walk, before heading homewards.

Brilliant company and an excellent ride, even though I'm still having to sit very carefully and am starting to regret my choice of Batman pants this morning. They're kinda figure hugging and putting pressure on me sore bits.  :'(

Beagy 

[Richard Barton]

Car was in for it's MOT and I managed to somehow miss the fact that car in for a 10:30 MOT meant I wouldn't be home at 10:30 to get a pedal...Jess's birthday party yesterday and typically as we have guests arriving, Ang decides to get very house proud so most of my day were spent cleaning the house - it isn't a complete Steptoe's Yard and dirty, just needs putting stuff away, but 4 floor moppings and 3 hoovering's later and she still wasn't impressed!

Anyway, I went to collect Jess early and took the biek for a play round Torwood...found some more trails (actually knew about them when they first appeared 20 years ago but they are now 'proper' trails now) and had a good play about. Need more biking as after my 75 miles last weekend and no biking during the week, my legs were proper heavy...

My suspension keeps working loose - I'm guessing it is that as there is a knocking through the frame, so I'm going to strip it down and try to work out what the cracking noise and knocking sensation is once and for all...locktite will not afect bearings will it??? 

[Paul Roberts]

Me and Bruce braved the summer weather and visited the summit of Ben Cleuch on Sunday. At least I think that's where we were.  We definatley left Alva and rode/pushed up 100 miles of steep landy track into the mist, squelched over boggy graasy tracks and then sat and shivered behind a trig point in the mist and wind.  The decent was good - mostly because the weather 'improved' with the loss of altitude and the narrow single track (is there such as thing as 0.5 track?) was good fun. Unfortunatley it was a bit too wet and slippery to really let go and accelerate downhill so I plan is to return when the weather's better.  We parted company at Tillicoultry and I returned to Dunblane via Menstire glen, Sheriffmuir and lots of mud - which was okay because is rained so heavily on the last leg home it was all washed off!

Thanks for showing me the route Bruce!
Paul

[Beagleboy]

Hey Folks

I plan is to return when the weather's better

Hmmm, I'm still planning to organise a trip up Ben Cleuch, down to Upper Glen Devon, over to Glen Bee then down to Blackford. In Blackford the plan will then be to tour the Tullibardine whisky distillery before climbing back up to the Sherrifmuir Inn. After refreshing ourselves there, it's a quick downhill all the way back to the Bridge of Allan Brewery for a post ride aperitif. 

Just need to get a weekend sorted for it.

Weekend of the 9th out as it's the Kirroughtree weekend. Think I'm away on holiday to the Lakes the weekend of the 16th (Might be scope for a SBC awayday / weekend if you want to come down and meet up) so earliest for me would possibly be the weekend starting 23rd July! 

If you're interested in either the Ochils trip or coming down to the Lakes for a loop around some of my favourite trails let me know and we'll get some separate threads started!

 

[Bazz]

We had a dry day with even some blinks of sunshine and blue sky on Saturday up in Aviemore. I spent most of the day tootling around the tracks in the Rothiemurchus estate with my son - stopping only for ice cream wherever a strategically placed bothie/cottage was to be found.

Now starting to notice that the phrase "C'Mon Dad - hurry up" is beginning to be used on a way too frequent basis. Maybe SteveB could share some tactics to haul the young whippersnapper back a bit while I catch up. 

First time back on the bike since 10UTB - the mental scars are just about healed.....

[Steve_B]

Ha HA

Maybe SteveB could share some tactics to haul the young whippersnapper back a bit while I catch up. 

no way back once you've reached that point - tho superior mass can still be effective going downhill.

Saturday I was van driver for Mark as he emptied his flat. Yesterday I got up with a view to joining the Ben Cleuch ride - took one look out the window and went pack to bed 

Richard - cleaning the house never takes priority over riding the bike 

[Jo]

I was recovering at the weekend... having spent last week mainly riding up this:



And back down this:



 

[Richard Barton]

Richard - cleaning the house never takes priority over riding the bike 

I know...it didn't but the wrath unleashed meant I had to do it twice..what age can you stop kid birthday parties?