IT'S NOT AS FAR AS YOU THINK

"One can have a dream , baby,
Two can make the dream so real..."

Good spin today . Myself and Jeff .

I sent a TXT round yesterday announcing the usual rendezvous at 0830 , up Rivington on the Barn Rd .

The almost total lack of replies changed my mind a little bit . Jeff had said he'd pick me up , but seeing as there was nobody to meet , and we didnt have any particular time to adhere to , I suggested riding up . We could go at our own pace , see how far we got , and when we'd had enough , turn round and head back . Old school . Kinda how it used to be before the invention of car-biking.

Car-biking is a modern off shoot of mountainbiking , a bit like uplift assisted downhill mountainbiking ,and it's popularity is growing in direct correlation with the UK population's BMI.

So , Jeff gets to ours around 0800. Already the spanners are out . I'm on my mid-school Gary Fisher Big Sur . I've not been on it for a while and I think the cables have settled in or something , but I couldnt easily get the granny gear , and the big ring was not having it at all . A quick fettle and we were off . That was the faffing out of the way , and it performed without incident for the rest of the ride .

Jeff is on his new- ish Orange Five . We dont sell them , so I wont tell you about it's robust , industrial simplicity . It's a sorted bit of kit , but you should definitely not buy one . Opt instead for a custom built American 5" er , say , a Turner ,(Available now to demo ) or if you prefer ' off the peg ' as I do , you cant knock the Cannondale RZ 140 .

I havent taken any pictures today . No particular reason , apart from it being a little damp / cold early on . Later on I just couldnt be arsed . Here , a picture of an old bike instead...

We headed up through Wigan on the canal to Haigh , nipped into the woods ,not climbing as far as the hall , then back on the canal to Adlington . Out of Adlington into Rivington , then up to the Pigeon Tower and the Pike . Off the back , and then down the boneshaker ( Roynton rd ) to the back of the school in Horwich . Hoofed it to Aspull , and then dropped through Haigh Plantation again to pick up the canal , and home the same .

Here , the canal .....

Good ride , some good ups , a few tough climbs , and some good drops .

I particularly enjoyed bombing down the boneshaker . There's a gate about a quarter way in , that was fortunately open , so no loss of momentum . It's one of my classic downhills that I would do regularly in years past , but havent for a while . It's the kind of fast , wide trail that on a full susser might be seen as a bit tame . It's perfect then for a hardtail .

I know I can bang on all day about the simple joy of an uncomplicated old MTB , but I realise it's not for everybody . There's a place too for the modern bikes . They've without doubt come on leaps and bounds in the last few years , in how they work , how little they now weigh , and how much performance they can bring to the trail for less money , relatively , than ever .

But , I , me , myself , and all my other split personalities get something from my old bikes that you cant buy . An actual ' nostalgia trip ' .

I also realise that I'm a bit weird . If I had more money I could be labelled ' eccentric ' , I suppose , but I prefer being a normal regular working class nutter.

See , in a way , it's exactly like it used to be . Mostly I took up MTBing because I just love riding bikes . But , secretly , it was good to be part of a select little club that other people , ordinary people , didnt get .

Ergo .

Vintage sit up and beg .

dayglo legwarmers .

Polystyrene mushroom helmet .

So , I'm bombing down the boneshaker , and I'm 17 again . You cant buy that . Well , you can, on Ebay , but it takes quite a bit of effort trawling through the detrius. It's better to just keep all your old crap.

The Fisher is'nt exactly old though . It has modern-ish things . Like brakes . Theyre of the ' V' type , so work OK , and it has forks of the suspension type .

" Cold gravel " , I hear you cry .

Compared to the Axis I was on last week , it rides like a Bentley.

I didnt mention this to Jeff , but I had a little moment on the second half of the descent . I was probably going what can only be described as too fast .

A water channel crossing the path turned into a jump , which in turn , turned into a bit of a ' dead sailor ' . On an old ( ish ) bike , at over 20 MPH ( feels like 50 ) , it definitely gets the arsehole winking . I thought I was going down , but didnt .

That's the kind of thing I'm looking for . All the thrills , but leave the spills . Hey , I'm 41 now . It's shaping up to be a classic year.

Here , Map thingy .

BIGMOUTH STRIKES AGAIN

NOT A SANTA CRUZ IN SIGHT

"Take me out tonight ,
where there's music and there's people ,
and they're young and alive " *





First outing with the Scott demo bikes .
Night ride . Meeting at the Bob Smithy Pub ,on the road to Bolton out of Horwich.
Jeff has kindly loaned me his night riding lights ,thanks Jeff. I’m meeting Rick and a bunch of his mates for their regular Wed night MTB ride. We’re setting out from what is for me the other side of the hill ,but heading over towards my regular trails . Should be a few surprises,it's not my home ,it's their home .
Some guys are keenly waiting when I arrive in the team van , loaded with bikes ,and few more arrive a bit later on .About 10 of us in total . I’m struggling with all the names ,so this is the bit where I text Rick to fill in the blanks.

If you are one of our legion of fans who waits with baited breath for each and every blog post ,you will have missed this bit ,as Rick has only texted me the following day ,but via the magic of web ,I have inserted names,thus...
Big Trev, Ian , XC Whippet John , DH Lawrence , Simon , Mike the hat, Graham, and Dickie.I think there was one or two more ,Rick ?

Speaking to Rick earlier on ,he was convinced the bikes would be out of the van and away ,Tommy Cooper style. Leaving at 7 ,a 2 hr ride ,back to the pub for 9 o’clock. ,i.e. no lights req’d . Hmm. After 45 mins of faffing ,setting rear shocks and fitting pedals etc ,what can I say ? Thanks again Jeff . Lights definitely req’d.
Being the altruistic kind of guy that I am ,I’m slumming it on the £3k+,lime green Cannondale. All the Scott bikes are taken. First impressions from the guys are good . Hoofing it up the road before we turn off onto the moors ,everyone seems pleased with them . Good then.
We take ,for me ,an unfamiliar climb . Starting fairly innocuously ,it turns a bit nasty . Luckily I’m slumming it on the not unfamiliar Rize .Don’t feel bad for me . At the trailhead ,properly warmed up now on a balmy evening, we regroup ,and evaluate. It’s early days ,but everyone seems pretty stoked on them . Guys are talking about not getting on with the Shimano after their Sram kit ,and obvious peripheral tyre talk abounds. Groupset choice is a funny thing . Same as tyres . Personally I prefer Shimano, I also prefer to have tyres . I’ve experienced some ,shall we say , less than perfect results with Sram kit . High end stuff too . Maybe it wasn’t set up correctly ,I don’t know ,but you have to base your opinions on something concrete . It’s not Catholicism. This gang seem to prefer Sram kit ,but luckily aren’t raving mad Groupset Fundamentalists ,and are prepared to accept the differences ,and move on ,in a kind of quasi mutual Groupset harmony.Shimano is a superior system. I believe it as a matter of faith. How can they hear me say those words ,and still they dont believe me ? And if they dont believe me now ,will they ever believe me ?



On more familiar trails now we head across Walker Fold towards the bottom of Smithills ,and the ‘Two Lads’, a local geological ‘lump’. Before we get there ,however , the Groupset tension is almost irrevocably shattered. Stay tuned.
Ian , a fairly ‘well built gentleman’ finishes the climb portaging his bike, the Scott Spark . It transpires the rear hub freewheel arrangement has completely failed, giving him no forward drive. This could tip the balance of mutual acceptance ,but luckily ,ironically even ,the rear hub is DT SWISS . Which of course ,luckily and ironically can only be neutral. Phew. Ian takes it most sportingly , run/walks up the Two Lads ,and freewheels the downhill to the Dog Kennels and then heads back with Graham for an early bath.
At this point it doesn’t look very good for the Scott ,but something daft like a busted freewheel is virtually impossible to predict. Still ill , I wonder ,could life ever be sane again?
So we carry on . Around the back of the Pike ,and down the Ice Cream Run, getting darkish now. Going good . The energy of a night ride is hard to beat . My dusk vision is terrible ,which gives a certain added buzz to things. The young lad is buzzing too , XC whippet style on the Scale. Youth is wasted on the young .How we laughed as he jumped off the path on to Sheep House Lane ,at an angle ,and decked it on the slippy steel of the cattle grid. Not as much as the late night roadie whose path he crossed at high speed though. That was close.
We head around the trees and the waters edge ,Return of the Jedi stylee ,on narrow trails , more darkish now. More buzzing. Mosquitoes ,probably.
Some climbs to tick off on the return leg . The concrete climb up to Wilderswood is a good one . Lungs tight in the moist night air . My only weakness ,well ,never mind, never mind. At the top the general consensus is that the Scotts are pretty good, doing all that is asked ,and maybe a bit more . “Efficient “ ,and “ direct “ are words that may have been used ,along with “ possible future maintenance issues “.The Genius ,that seems to be well received ,is certainly a little ‘techno’ looking with a 400psi rear shock . I suppose that that is how it is these days with multi pivot suspension bikes ,and if you’re in the market ,it goes with the territory. I have been assured that the rear shock can be serviced very quickly ,by Scott ,competitively priced, within a week turnaround .
And so ,on and up ,and away. For one night at least the relative merits of one God or another can be put aside.
Momentarily ,it seems ,we are ensconced within the pub discussing club T-shirts. I wondered why they should want to assimilate so ,but then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldnt ask.
Good night ,good lads ,good crack.
We are all ,of course ,just riding bikes.


*Pint O' Smiths. there is a light that never goes out. Thanks Jeff.

TIM

The New Uzzi

The Uzzi is out and we have one in the shop right now for you to drool over. We'll be getting a demo bike for a weekend soon, register your interest with Tim...

Info here.

BITE ME

"How I love
all of the complicating things of life.
Such a little thing
a fumbling politeness.
The difference it saved me
wielding a bicycle chain
"I WILL NOT CHANGE AND I WILL NOT BE NICE"
Most people keep their brains between their legs..." *

Looking forward to todays little tootle. Cant manage much more than a quick spin though,it being father's day ,an' all.


Met Stu on the usual Barn Rd . Quiet today. Probably in no small part due to the less than mid-summer conditions. Woke up this morning to what can only be described as rain. Drying out though. Driving up through Horwich to no fantastic panoramas. The upper part of the hill obscured in a heavy veil of mist and murk. Still warmish though. Crap weather for biking. If it's hot and nice ,or equally ,cold and not so nice ,one can dress appropriately ,however when it's both damp and muggy ,there's not a technical fabric alive that can deal with the resulting microclimate under your armpits.


But we do it anyway.


Stu's riding his homegrown Specialized singlespeed. I'm on the demo 'dale Rize. The dead good carbon lime green GDP of a small African country one. I gave Alan a few of the bikes back when I was ill the other week ,but I'm not totally daft. It's a flyer.

We head up ,through the murkiness to the foot of the Ice Cream Run,fairly tanking it. My bad leg I dont like to mention is a bit twingy again ,and i could feel it . It serves as a good indicator of when the pace is a bit up.
We stop at the top of the gardens near the Pidgeon Tower for a blow ,and a pump of air in Stu's back tyre. Glad of the rest. And then away.

Passing the Pike,its profile shrouded in doom, I ask if it's on the menu,but dont push too hard when Stu says it's 'off '. Couldnt see much of it ,up there somewhere in the ether.

So we carry on .

Just as the main bridleway starts to drop down in front of the pike ,you know ( ? ) ,it goes just ever so slightly bumpy. Not a great lot ,and there's a definite 'line ' through it ,but I'm reminded of last weeks run out with the kids . We came down this exact bit ,but last week I was on my old(ish) Fisher Big Sur,a type of hardtail bicycle with little in the way of comfort. The Cannondale was markedly different . You can see where this is going.
So we carry on.Regardless.

Past the 'Dog Kennels' and on to the start of Wilders Moor. A slog of a climb in the damp. A couple of guys bring up the rear and enquire as to where we're heading and a brief interlude ensues. As soon as we stop ,in fact every time we have stopped so far , we have been under attack from the terror in the sky. I'm sure there is a point to them in the food chain and all that ,but ,really ,would mozzers be missed? Really ?

Climbing up here ,perversely,I enjoy. Again ,dullness notwithstanding ,the Rize just shines. It kinda bites down and digs in . I didnt fiddle with any shock settings ,front or rear ,just rode it.About a quarter way up ,before the ditch, there's this little funny rutty bit that has had me flailing in the wet before now. OK ,it's not proper wet ,as such , but the Rize just inspires confidence . I just unweight the saddle a little ,not a full out of the saddle burst ,but a burst nonetheless,and it goes on through with not one iota of fuss. On to the the Humphrey's Ditch I dont even miss a beat ,no pre-rest ,just dive in . And fluff it . Hmm . My fault . I clipped a pedal and pinged off something . The bike just feels tooo good . Can you see now where this is going?

At the top on the road we have another little stop to feed the wildlife . My lock-on grips are not quite locked-on . Quick fix .Thankfully. We briefly ride on with the two aforementioned lads before we turn off to drop down across to the Dog Kennels. First kinda proper downhill. Again, I did this a few weeks back on my 'comeback' ride on the Fisher ,skinny tyres etc etc. Again ,Rize ,different. It's supremely talented and in its element here . Initially not too steep, the trail snakes across the moorland,a few boggy ditches here and there ,and some good scalextric sections . In the groove. The Rize feels ace here . Weighting the pedals one way or the other feels super secure ,and farther down into the bigger drops it's like theyre not even there. Flying now ,pushing it ,into the last few big drops ,sketchy landing and then the final chute to the bottom,anchors on , Avid Elixir CRs,mega. They actually slow down the world underneath your tyres. Some poor chinaman has been flung over the bars of his rickshaw on the other side of the globe.

It sounds terrible finding fault with a 3 grand bike. There are no faults . And that's it's biggest fault . It is utterly superb. About an hour later when Stu catches up I mention the 'different reference point ' that I have regarding the bikes. Way way back the bikes were utterly rubbish ,by comparison . But it was all we had ,so we ran with it . They required tons more 'input' ( I said ), and rewarded the skillful over the brave ( I didnt say). I must be one miserable old bastard. The Rize is fantastic. If you 're new to MTBing ,or have only been riding for ,say ,15 years ,get one,you'll love it.

If I had to nitpick ,I'd prefer Shimano over the SRAM ,but....

And ( I said ) for a 40 yr old guy with a bad back it fairly rocks.

So ,we head back ,up past the Pike,avoiding it's call once more. At the top of the gardens we stop again . Stu needs some more air in his back tyre again.hearing a clattery clat, I look up. Just coming to a halt at the gate is another cannondale that's just taken his owner for a ride too. Same lime green ,incredible hulk , 'Moto'.

As we discuss relative merits/carbon weave patterns, another cloud descends on us . We're being eaten alive. Any more and I'll need a transfusion. It's the humidity ,Carruthers. One of his mates turns out to be Scott Williams.Alan's buddy. The world famous BMXer from the 1980s.


We head on our seperate ways,they opting for the gardens ,us the Ice Cream,and the following picture sequence.






The Ice Cream Run is a local legend. Story goes ,back in the day two local bikers ,descending off the Pike would be then presented with the option of the technical trialsy Japanese gardens,or the rocky cutting 'Cresta Run' to the carpark ,with Mr Fredericks selling ice cream at the bottom. Over time this was diluted to the simple call of " Gardens ? " , Or , " Ice Cream Run ?"


Time was you could have an ice cream at the top AND the bottom ,but that's another story.

A promising young I.T. nerd ,with delusions of journalistic grandeur ,sealed it's fate by naming it in a magazine article he contributed on ,and the rest is .....

So ,the bike's a peach . I enter high into the first turn ,almost treating it as a berm . It's even more in its element now . Bigger bangs swallowed up ,no problem . When it gets like this these modern bikes still need to be worked . It's not the full on assault on the senses ,and joints ,and everything else that you get on the old bikes ,but you still know about it . I hit the slabby bit ,probably just pushing it that bit too much,hop off the edge and land ever so wrong hoofed on the loose xylophonic limestone. I a heartbeat I'm pinged offline and ,at speed ,I am ever so definitely heading where I dont want to. 5 or 6 good sized stones ,loosely assembled ,points up.Waiting to pounce on a victim.

Freezeframe.

Slowmo.

If you dont know the feeling you've never lived . That twitch of the arse. You know it's going to hurt ,and you're scared ,elated ,orgasmic ,terrified . It's like just before a fight,and it's out of your hands,and in the lap of Newton.

I'm going down and I know it. Go go gadget bike. I just lean back ,just a bit,really ,all my weight is still 'fore' after the huck. " I've got you ,Dont worry " .


See ,that's the point . I'm 40. I have 4 kids and a mortgage. I need this bike . Ok ,arguably I might not have hucked off quite the same on the MuddyFox Courier ,but I might have .

And you wouldnt be reading this and I'd be eating through a straw for the forseeable future.

And then we wouldnt have found the next bit......



OH YES.

* Such a little Thing Makes Such A Big Difference. Morrissey.

Fathers day Epilogue:


I arrive home ,early as promised ,no cafe today. I've already been treated to my father's day stuff first thing this morning . The kids are milling about ,buzzing and fussing ,swatting them away. I had'nt seen Adam's new tee shirt ,but when I did I had to smile. My legs are covered.



'til next time.

INAUGURATION

"A celebration

Of your teenage station

This Inexperience, sweet, delirious.

Supernatural, superserious.

Inexperience, sweet, delirious.

Supernatural, superserious,Wow." *

Superb ride today.
Decent turnout. I picked Jeff up with a bike full of cars, our Daniel went round for his mate ,Wig and we drove up to the top barn road to meet Gareth and Andy . The fun and games started early . Dan and I left ours in separate cars at the same time . We both went roughly the same distance to pick-up ,and then set off for Rivington. Logic dictates we would be at our meeting spot at around the same time . If anything ,Dan would be there before me. When I got up there and there was no sign I thought “ Here we go”.
As it happened Dan had gone to our old usual meet at the Yew Tree. Doh . Kinda my fault .
A bit more of a faff than usual then .
All present and accounted for we set off. I’m on the new carbon Cannondale Rize and keen to give it a proper go . I took it out a few weeks ago on my own ,but to be honest didn’t really flog it. I’d hoofed it up on my own and wasn’t wanting to get too far from civilisation.
Instead of going straight up balls out up the hill ,we headed down and away towards the waters edge of Rivington Resi and to Liverpool Castle beyond . A good warm up before the slog.
Wig is on his first ever MTB outing and riding the Carbon Moto. The incredible hulk. Last week at Delamere it seemed a bit too big of a bike ,so it’ll be interesting to see if it’s OK for a typical Rivi spin. A few long climbs ,and some good downhill blasts. Our Daniel is on my regular demo the Commencal Super 4. It’s the perfect ish bike for round here . If you want a 4”er that is. Tight and flicky . Like a big BMX with a bit of boing.
The climbing starts at the back of the school at Horwich and on behind the houses past the field of llamas ( honest )and on towards Wilders wood. A fairly relentless climb . We stop to disrobe before the final assault. I’m ‘in training’ for the cyclo-X thing in a few weeks so after a bit of a spin to the bottom edge of the woods I open up the Rize for the last killer climb up to Georges Lane. It’s a phenomenal result . Obviously you still have to pedal the damned thing ,but it responds so well . Like the Rush from a few weeks back ,but with more bounce you’d be forgiven for thinking it’d be less ,er , efficient . It’s not. I’m blowing hard on the very last bit ,my arms and chest are caving in with the effort,my heart is ready to ring for a taxi . I remind myself that this is what I need. No I don’t. I’m definitely over 100% of what is a sensible heart rate for a 40 year old as I get off at the top, legs jellified ,basking in self inflicted pain and glory at the top of my own personal K2. The cyclo-X race is only 2 hrs + 1 lap at close to max. I’ve just done about 4 mins.

Props to Wig for getting back on and honking up the last bit.

We next take the 'obvious' uphill across Wilders Moor to Humphreys Ditch. I'm just spinning now . Athletes would call this the recovery phase ,or something. We all have a crack at the now heavily eroded ditch and all fail miserably ,hanging our heads in shame.Big pointy rock excuse features heavily.

Our Dan and Jeff set off up the second part of the climb getting the drop on the rest of us. Dan's a good 50m or so up ahead when I set off.Time for another 'go' on the Rize. I up the pace just a smidge again and once again it doesnt disappoint.It's a bit squishy,the trail that is,but the tyres seem to be OK. I've had a bit of an issue with them though.Yesterday the back tyre was flat.I thought it'd picked up a puncture at Delamere so I grabbed a tube to bang in . As I squeezed the tyre to get it off the rim it 'parped'.I then realised it was full on UST tubeless. Doh . I pumped it straight back up and it held ,but I cant help thinking it needs some sealant squirting in. It's a matter of time before it gets 'parped' again on a blunt edge. I think. Theyre gripping/cleaning well though.Good.

Dan's conducting his own tyre test up ahead on the Super4. The verti' on the back needed replacing ,so I've fitted some 2.4 Conti folders . 'Mountain Kings'. He reckons theyre ace.They look aggresive and up the sticky climb are shedding mud very admirably.

Just as it's hurting I give it that little bit extra . 110% again. I'll pay tomorrow. As I close on Dan he fluffs the last off camber bit ,just as I planned. Bwa hah ha .Like I said though ,you still have to pedal the damned thing.

Time for a breather. We regroup on the tarmac road that leads to the mast.Jeff's feeling a bit under the weather,but there's still no stopping him. Upward to the mast .

Just shy of the TV mast we take a right turn onto the slabs towards Smithills Moor.A fierce crosswind is hitting us,trying to push us into the mire. Cold too. Wigs doing well on the Moto . It's a lot of bike to lug up here.Mind you ,considering the complete absence of gears on their singlespeeds ,Gareth and Andy are doing OK too. I can see the simplistic logic of a singlespeed ,I just cant see me on one. If you excuse the pun.

At the end of the slabs we turn right and into the wind,making the downhill a bit harder than usual. Seats down . Atomic batteries to power. I want to get out of my comfort zone again so with a bit of big-ring action I wind it up again. It's gloopy and rutty and windy.Hard work. It's easy to make a mistake when your tired,and I nearly do. A deep steep sided water filled trench across the trail nearly grabs the front wheel. But doesnt. You can get away with murder on a bike like this. I cane it down to the steps,going a bit faster than really makes sense,just holding on.Turbines to speed.Turn and ride down the steps .Thwup thwup. This bike's something else.

Wig's enjoying the other bigger 'dale too. I guess on one hand it's still too much of a bike for this terrain. There's so much in reserve it's unreal. But on the other it's not so stupid heavy that you need a ski lift.

Gareth also rides the steps on his baby singlespeed which I dont think the kids can believe.How dare such old men be so death defying.

Dad and lad copped for the demo ride/cannondale schpeel.He started it. Kid was on a Orange 'Crush '. Cool.Theres a song in there.

Doubletrack bridleways now ,for a short while.Comfort zone is OK too.A few ups ,but well surfaced trails are deffo easier than 6" deep angel delight. We spin along and head towards Horwich quarry .And 'El Scorpioni'.

Up a short rise we take the turn marked 'Georges Ln' and after a fe minutes to scope a 'bivvy' location we set off down the Scorpion. I've not been don this for a hile ,and the last time didnt feel too hot. I think I was on the courier.Or the Axis.Either way I seem to remember being pinged around like a pinball.

The sting in the tail comes up quick.Weight back.The Rize loves it . Too easy . Being masochistic/ old school ,to me, this is a negative.Gareth comes pinging down ,closely followed by the Wigster on the big boy. That was "Proper good",apparently. Andy Rudd nails it on his teeny tiny ickle Soma thingy .Our Danny closely follows him ,walking down.He's punctured.A classic snakebite. Jeff brings up the rear,also walking . He doesnt wish to be stung ,it seems.

Theres a few minutes to kill now as I set about fixing Dan's flat. He takes the Rize up for a go on the last bit ,and Gareth regresses back to childhood for a few goes on the Moto.Going stupid fast ,and vocal with it.It and he is in its/his element.

All sorted we turn onto Georges Lane heading for the Pike. Back to front this week. The climb up the back gives me another chance to flaggelate myself with bike.I'm not really on the limit,but spinning well nonetheless.I've kinda had enough now to be honest.I've 'turned down' the forks for the first time ,dropping the front end.It's the key thing ( I think ) that all these 5" bikes need.It really does plant down the front end and does away with that floaty steering thing.Andy puts in a late charge and crests the top just on my heel. Singlespeed.

Busy today on top . A few more bikers , more than a few walky types. I warn all the kids to be mindful of other trail users as we set off down the front like a herd of marauding mongols.

Ice cream anyone?

Ritualistic saddle dropping ensues near the tower ( pig-e-on ,oink oink),Dan and I heading off on point.A few walkers choose my line for me ,plenty of room .And rocks.No slab for me ,as theyre stood right on the huck. For the first time today the Rize feels on the limit. I'm fairly caning it though. Right down the middle all the way,tummy rumbling.

Cafe . Earl Grey.Got the slab after all. Chocolate sponge .6" thick walloped with cream.Explain to Wig the true meaning of MTB.He's loved it.

Back to car. I can hear music. Mobile phone in the grass. Drove to Coppull to return. Good deed for day.

Bloody capital ride old bean.

Gareth's altogether better pix link here.

* REM. 'Supernatural superserious '.

DELAMERE DEMO

"you know that bonzo's always scheming
he'd like you to be scheming too,
oohhhe'd like you to be scheming too
bad time " *





Big group ride today . Took the van down to Delamere Forest .Me ,Jeff ,our Daniel and Danny .Van was rammed with tasty kit.
We were meeting a group of Jeffs buddies from work,a mate of mine from work was bringing some of his mates ,and Stu was coming down with our Matthew. In the region of 20 riders .Mostly beginners. Shouldve done a head count really.



Very lucky with the weather . Forecast gales came to nought.Nice day . Bit chilly . Delamere's always a bit slimey ,and today was no exception. Fun for all . Everyone seemed to be 'mucking in ' ,as it where.
It's not often that I'm genuinely concerned on a ride . Obviously people can get the odd knock ,but there's rarely a potentially life threatening event . Not on my watch ,anyway.
About an hour into the ride ,the group was spread out . Stu and I were 'sweeping up ' the back markers . One of the lads ,Anthony , suffered a mechanical . His chain threw a wobbly . We got separated from the rest in the minute or two it took to fettle . We ended up taking a wrong turn which took us even farther away from the group . I rang Jeff and he directed me to where they were waiting . Down the hill ,turn left ,then up the long climb . Halfway up the long climb I saw one of the gang , Mark , who it would be fair to say is a 'big guy ' at 6'4" and 20 st. He's prostrate at the side of the trail . Having a nap in the style of a little baby . This doesnt look good . We ask him if he's OK ,and to be honest it's a rhetorical question. He looks like shit . White as a sheet and a bit babbly saying he just wants " 10 minutes rest ".
He tells us that halfway up the hill he felt faint and kinda keeled over onto the verge.
After a few minutes and a good drink with a flapjack ( or similar ) we walk up to the top with him . He seemed better later on ,but it just goes to show that if youre not used to MTBing it can be quite an effort . Build up slow.




Things started to go bad after that difficult follow-up hit to "Happy talking talking happy talk"









The ride was very 'stop/starty' ,which suited the group . Everyone seemed to enjoy it . Not as fast a pace as we would normally go at ,but I enjoyed the change of pace . A chillout .
A few jumps , a few bumps . We didnt have to call the helicopter . Result .
We'll try to get a few more in like that .
A quick word on the demo bikes. We took a Cannondale Moto. Not silly heavy at all ,but way too much of a bike for a pootle around the woods . Would've been good on the road gap had anyone stepped up to the plate. My son , Daniel, rode the carbon Rize and declared it to be 'proper good'.
Also loaned out were the other Rize and the Carbon Rush lefty thing. I'd hoped the two guys would have a swap and a jig about ,but once they got their hands on them they didnt want to let go.




Capt Sensible in happier times.

*Bad Time for Bonzo . The Damned.

THE GREEN OPAL AFFAIR

"Looking back what I have done
There's lots more life to live.
At times I feel overwhelmed
I question what I can give.
But I don't let it get me down
Or cause me too much sorrow
There's no doubt about who I am
I always have tomorrow" *




CANNONDALE RIZE CARBON3. IN THE SHOP .



We've been riding Cannondale's quite a bit lately. It has to be said theyre pretty good. Got a phone call off Alan on Saturday morning that the new 'keeper' Rize Carbon3 was in. Would I be OK to pick it up . I said I'd have to check my schedule .....



Pictures of these bikes dont really do them justice. They are so nicely put together.They always were. I wanted a Cannondale when I first started out MTBing. They were a funny quirky 'east coast ' thing back then. High bottom brackets and slacker head angles . Funny that . Kinda how modern bikes are now. Apart from the fact they basically didnt exist over here back then ,if you could find one , you couldnt afford it. I couldnt afford one then ,and I cant afford one now. This particular model featured here retails for over £3k.So it'd better be good.



It's probably fair to say 3 grand is just outside what most people can justify spending on a bike. ( A deposit secures and easy payment terms are available . Ahem ). Now , i've ridden some decent kit over the last 18 months or so . A wide selection of Demos. The Commencal meta ( just over £2k) was a blinder , I loved the Fisher HiFi ( under £2k),and the latest commencal super 4 is tight too, if 4" is your thing. Just recently we've had some demos off Cannondale. 3 to be precise. A big ol' Moto , a Rush carbon ,and a Rize ali. Straight out the van you can see/feel theyre something else . I realise i'm gushing praise on them ,but theyre that good . And it's one thing to finish a bike to the nth degree and bling it up ,polish the weld out ( as Cannondale do ) etc ,but these work dead good too. Hard to find fault,really.
I've not really had a proper ride on the big Moto ,so , no comment . Looks the biz . Last week I took out the carbon Rush and was amazed at how good it was . When you first see it it looks to be on the lighter end of things . Certainly it weighs nowt ,and romps up the hills . You'd think there'd be a compromise going downhill ,but razzing down the rocky middle of the Ice Cream Run it didnt feel like it only had 4" of bounce.Super plush . With that mad fork too.
I've had a few goes on the Rize Ali. Mostly local woods-y stuff. ( what Cannondale were famous for ). Again ,hard to fault. Similar in it's 'target demograph' to the Commencal meta ,but definitely a better finished thing. Surprisingly good up and down ,climbing a stupid steep slippery slope with aplomb.Whatever that means.
Andy rode it when we went to Landegla the other week and seemed to like it .Jeff took it up Rivi' and over to Darwen and thought it was great.

Right ,this weeks thing.
Same as the above ,but carbon ,and with better bits. No shrinking violet. Violet was so '90s anyway. Is that lime green? It's pretty close to a lime green Grifter my mate sprayed in the 80's . It was shocking then and it's shocking today . I like it though. Set off with the white bits dangling on it, it's definitely bling bling . Blat blat .
I'm off to Rivi to see what it can do. Maybe everyone's seen the weather report . It's not looking too good as I step out of the door at 0715 ,known in the trade as doing a 'Wyatt',(although technically a bit late to be the full 'Jay Dubya') and judging by the distinct lack of interest in last nights Email it looks like I'm the only mad bugger out . Jeff's away so he has an excuse . What's yours? See me after class .
Anyway , I'm out on a 3 grand lime green Cannondale . It'd be rude not to.
First impressions riding up the road with the shocks 'off' ,like the Rush of last week,it's a fairly good mile muncher. The schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres are making a racket as I blast down the first hill which bodes well for their off-road ability . We'll see . I'm fussy about tyres ,me.
I take the same route as last week. Out of Wigan on the long climb it doesnt feel as eager ,maybe , as the Rush but when I get up to Rivi barn I'm surprised to find I'm something like 10 mins earlier than last week . How did that happen then ?
As I'm early I do a few extra laps around the top end of the top barn ,looping back to where we usually park on the off chance someone shows . I make a few phone calls. Who am I kidding ? Everyone's in bed. It's a few degrees colder up here . Who can blame them? There are still a few pockets of melting dead slippy sheet ice about. Tasty . I was thinking of heading over to the TV mast and over the back but as I am now on my own ,and a sensible 40 yr old ,I decide against it.
Climbing up through the gardens the Rize feels good . Unlike the other Rize that has a simple lock-out fork ,this one is of the Rockshox 'U-turn' variety and is coming into it's own. These longer forked bikes are all very good, but even though they can be made very light in weight (and it feels light ) I reckon the biggest factor limiting ,or aiding climbing, is a bike's geometry .When the going gets overly steep the front end unweights and it's tricky to steer,sometimes even lifting. I have an ETA marzocchi on my Fisher hardtail that by rights is too long for the bike. I knock it down for the climbs and pop it back out for the downhills . It works well . Just remember to wind it back out when you need to ,eh ? The number of times I've forgot that one .
Still climbing ,up to the top of the Pike, still wound down ,it feels ace . Tricky corner ,etc etc.

It's quite cold on top .Bit of a stiff breeze too. I dont intend hanging around, but end up bumping into an old workmate,so you can guess the rest.

Dropping off the back is becoming a bit of a formality ,but it's a good benchmark descent.At least I remembered to turn out the fork. The top rocky bit is ticked off . Onto the rutted bottom bit . Muddy/slippy this week . A good test for the tyres. They feel OK . That's a first . Me getting on with some tyres on a demo bike.Still a tiny bit of ice near the bottom. Twitchy twitchy . Take it easy.

I turn left and head over to Wilders wood,ice sheets melting on the bridleway. Into the woods more muddy /slippy ,but with roots. Also slippy.

The bike feels tight dropping through the trees. It's a brand new bike ,so it should.

Wilderwood spits you out on a rocky doubletrack 'road'. A good fast downhill with some nice sweepers and one particularly tight right hander that I've overshot more than once.

As the track drops out of the trees I'm aware it's now raining,but I'm not bothered as I'm flying. The brakes ( Avid ) have bedded in and are working well. Just as I'm getting the flow I round the corner before that aforementioned righthander and am greeted,for the want of a better word, by a glacier. Time for some evasive action . I all but deck-it into the trees. This seemed like a good idea until I was tiptoeing across the ice in my ballet shoes. The most difficult part, I find , is maintaining ones dignity when presented with such a problem. I'm thinking "Any minute now , Wrightington Hospital , Hip".

Just dont drop the bike.

And that's basically it ,thank God. I dropped down into Horwich and cold rain, and hoofed it home into a headwind . So that's the ten minutes on the way up then . Hmm.

Bike filthy . Me ,moreso. It transpires that after all this cold weather gritting we've had, the subsequent rain has cuased the roads to have a nice strong coating of salty soup. Yummy. Dont get me going . Salt's vitally important .

DIRTY RIZE CARBON

DIRTY CHAINSET

DIRTY FORKS

DIRTY DERAILLEUR

I was home before 11 and truly filthy. On the long hoof home the Rize does it's thing as expected. As first rides go it's been good. Arguably I've not really opened it up ,but the conditions werent the best.We've a few good rides planned for the coming weeks . I'll keep you posted.This Cannondale is a 'keeper' so it's available throughout the year to try. Is it the perfect bike?

If you'd like to give it a whirl Email Mr Waverly in the shop .

For more info clickenzi here

MUDDYFOX COURIER. Broken collarbone by me.Photo by Amy . Nose by Dad.

* Greenday. 'I was there' . I really was .The bus driver's social club . They threw beans.

Signing off ,Napoleon Solo.