Be Excellent To Each Other

Legs are a little stiff, but otherwise OK. Will try and go out again tomorrow.

A different view of a familiar track

https://p.twimg.com/AvHPFqCCQAIn9R3.jpg:large

Oh, my! Awesome!

Went out after work today. My friend and I went to Stainburn and did the red descent a couple of times. Bits I struggled with on the old bike are now ride able and I'm only taking the chicken route on a couple of things there now. It's quite the boneshaker of a downhill.

Took mine out for a 5 mile run, both knee and bike were fine..

I will try a longer run next time

If the holes measure up straight and the weight's comparable, and assuming re-tapping the Dawes bottom bracket hole doesn't work, does this look alright?

Check the steerer tube size, the seatpost size and the bottom bracket size. Ensure it has mountings for the brakes you have, and your front mech is compatible (size and pull). Your biggest headache will be getting the headset cups in. To do this, stick them in the freezer for 2 hours or so, then take one out, put it over the steerer tube with a block of wood over it, and bang it in with a hammer. Repeat the other side. bottom brackets are fairly straightforward, but you might fuck up the threadings on the cranks removing them from the dawes. I've got an "improvise tools' guide in a magazine somewhere that I'll try to remember on saturday for you.

The cranks I can do, all the measurements I need to take worry me (not the BB one though, I know that). That and "will a £100 frame be comparable to the Dawes one, also WHAT A FUCKING WASTE."

The Dawes measurements should be on the internet somewhere.

I'd offer you my RTS, but you'd hate me forever after.

I'd offer you the Kona frame, but if you're just using it to zoom around on the flat you'd hate it too.

I'd offer you my Kona frame, but it is slightly bent and somewhere in Bicester.

Finally had a play with that Strava thing every bugger's going on about. It's no telling me anything I don't already know, I'm shite at climbing & no bad at descending, but it's cemented in my head that I need to do more endurance & climbing drills to get quicker. The downside is that I've nae idea if any of the others on the leaderboards are any good or not

...but I'm still gonna enjoy smashing them into the dirt anyway



Also, I'm struggling to resist winding up roadies by uploading climbs done in the van

This is a genius idea.

35km XC red route in Dalby Forest today. The last 3km were very, very hard going. It was opening the pain jar and drinking the contents for me. My back aches, I've had cramps in my legs since getting home, and my wrists are quite painful, too. It was an excellent route, really, really good fun, and quite the challenge.

Here'swhere we went.

Slightly terrifying picture from Crankworx version of the Megaavalanche.



Video & more pics here.
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Crankworx- ... -Hell.html

Crikey, Anne Caroline Chausson hasn't aged well.

Nah, although she never really did much for me in the first place.


In other news... I went out for a wee bimble/explore this afternoon. On the way back I decide to chase one of the lycra brigade's times for the lolz. 14/44... on nobblys

"Binning it" in style

I finally got round (with added haranguing) to shifting the bits from my ruined frame to the Kona Mali so kindly gave me. Unfortunately, the crank that's still on it had a near-totally stripped thread which quickly became totally stripped without shifting a millimetre. And I'm not in the mood to get the HSS bits out.

Sure you want me to bin it, Mali? Also, when I've got the chain on the new frame (I've just ordered that cheapy Brand-X one from Chain Reaction after matching all the numbers I could find) do you want the splitter back?

Blimey, this frame is really light, easily half Mali's Kona one. Nowhere near as robust-looking as the Dawes one though.

Excellent. yeah, bin it.

I have bought one of these : http://www.tredz.co.uk/blog/cube-acid-2012-mountain-bike-review/

I am going to spend a week with my sister who lives here

I forsee larks, jaunts and hi-jinks!

Fancy looking machine that. I like the writing all over everything especially. But whats this? No shenanigans or capers?

That looks fantastic.



Although, the reviewer clearly knows not a great deal.

Well, sister and her chap are top laughs, so the probability of capers is high. However, their three daughters under the age of nine, and the fact I'll be sleeping in a tent in their garden probably limits my chances of shenanigans.

new frame is starting to look like a bike! just need to figure out how to make the chain splitter work and I can finish it off this weekend, possibly excepting adjustments.

I only needed a hammer once.

Cock it, there's no derailleur hanger like there's supposed to be, and the Dawes one is a slightly funky shape.

That's progress stopped til at least Tuesday then.

http://www.hitthehills.com/blog/index.p ... to-settle/

doing that tomorrow.

Currently pissed and Voodoo still has flat pedals on it. COck. Early up tomorrow then to fight with rts and fuckiti'llbuysomenewones.

I can't find the hairband. Boo!

that was a tough one.

Spectacular crash fae this! http://vimeo.com/45800352

There was a POV video fae the guy that speared t-boned Joe, but he's removed it from youtube

Found that camera btw. Will post it out the morra.I still say there's nae difference unless you're riding massive rockgardens, but I still have that brand new spare set of spuds if you're interested.

Just took new ShinyBike out. The difference between it and creaky old CrapBike is amazing. Going to take some time getting used to actually having front suspension that works properly, the the brakes work so much better I nearly messed up a couple of times by stopping too quick. Now I have a bike that can actually handle it, I need to be a bit more confident going downhill and let fly a bit more.

Just road up to the top of Baildon Moor and back. My front forks are making a "pfft" sound when they compress. It's crazy warm up here. A man half way up stopped and we chatted for a while, which was a bit odd.

Here's the same trail in the February blackness. It was pretty much unwatchable until I discovered that I could brighten it up with the new Lightroom http://vimeo.com/47771116

Suggested soundtrack; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMV8oVpaBQo

The fuck!?

I think people dressing their kids in identical clothing is wrong, but to do it when they are in their twenties and give them identical bikes as well?

This might be my new after work route, rather than jsut riding up to the trig point on Baildon Moor and back.

Has anyone been on a Mountain Bike Skills Course? My Sunday trek proved to me most conclusively that I'm not very good, and I'll probably learn a load quicker from someone who knows what they're doing. There's a place locally that does small group training for about 60 quid, looks looks a decent amount for a half day. I'm also not fir enough to get to the top of the hills without getting knackered, but that's probably easier to fix myself.

I've not done one, but I've been tempted. What sort of things are yous truggling on? A lot comes with confidence, and trust in the bike.

Confidence is a lot of it - ShinyBike is helping a lot, and I've come a cropper a couple of times with no ill effects, which I think has actually helped, but some training can't possibly hurt there. On the skills front, there have been many times when I've hit sharp corners or steep lumpy bits and have just not known what to do and have ended up just crawling through them. Plus, I want to learn all the lingo so I can talk about RADICAL SHREDS and BODACIOUS AIR without looking like a newb.

<Sticks head above parapet>

Sharp corners (eg a steep hairpin bend) are about anticipation and tunring your head so the bike will follow through. Get braking done in the lead up to the corner, then off the brakes, and look for the line you'll be on when you leave the corner. Have your outside pedal down, and the inside one up, weighting the outside. As ever, the bike will go where you look to. There'll probably be more grip than you initally think. If there's a berm, don't be afraid to use it.

Rocky, steep bits depend on how rocky and steep they are. Once I catch sight of them, I try and quickly work out a preferred line, through the bigger rocks, and use the bike and my arms to absorb the smaller ones. I'd use level pedals, and come off the brakes. The bike will want to remain upright and roll through things, so try not to stop it doing that. Standing on the pedals, as you shold be, move your hips backwards. This will move your centre of gravity back and you'll be less liekly to go over the bars. Have your arms bent and allow the front of the bike to move up and down with the terrain, but remain able to steer. If you're going to quickly, drage the back brake a bit to slow down, but momentum if your friend here. Keep your head up.

There's no shame in walking sections that you don't feel comfortable with, or hang about a bit and watch other people do it (youtube can be good, I'll remember a bloke's name in a bit), and see wehre they go, and how they moe their weight. Getting your weight in the right place is one of the most important things, and knowing where to shift it and when is something that's quite tricky to explain for me, but it's quite a lot about your hips.

Thanks! Although if I try that stuff and die, I'm sueing.

A name for youtube vids would be good - it's hard to tell the excellent from the idiots on youtube when you know very little yourself.

I'll have a look later on for you.

Yup. Easily the most cost effective way to spend money on improving your riding (other than buying a bike obv). There's a world of difference between knowing the right way to do stuff & actually doing it properly. I did my last one alongside a couple of guys that had been racing for years! viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3978&p=663356&hilit=coaching#p663356


As for video instruction you might be able to find a film called "Fluidride like a pro" at your favourite video rental place

In fact there's this skills video on youyatube featuring probably my favourite rider of all time. It's a bit shorter & less American than Fluidride. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxJ3AfSPgj8

FYI:



Quite amusing

Hooray! I now have strava on my phone and might have added it into facebook so everyone can laugh at how slow I am.

Night riding season has officially begun. Out by myself on some local fireroads & only got the fear twice

I have left you some scathing criticism on your profile thingy