Cannock Chase build day

Cannock Chase is a place that I've heard lots about but have never got round to visiting. The trails are currently undergoing a £200,000 revamp and this sunday the 'Chase Trail Volunteers' are asking for help to build part of a new eight kilometer trail. 

Anyone wanting to help out should meet at Swinnerton Cycles at 9.45 am on Sunday 1st March. For more information about volunteering, and the trails at Cannock, click here.

Muc-Off

Put simply; Muc-Off is brilliant. It's been a few years since I've used it and I'd forgotten just how good it is. My bike is now so clean that it looks new and is no longer dropping mud on the carpet. It even managed to get my impractical white grips and saddle clean. All for four quid. Bargain.

Cycle promotions

For years I've seen the adverts for cycle promotions one day sales in magazines but I'd never been to one before. A friend pointed out to me that they were going to be at Fenton Manor on Sunday so I decided to give it a go and went along. 

The hall was filled with tables and stands with discounted bits and pieces. However, most of the products available were for road bikes and commuters. There were a few mountain bike products but a lot of these could be purchased online for cheaper. 

I did pick up some cheap Muc-Off and a bike stand, which I'll build up later in the week and post some pictures.

Parkhall Country Park take two

I checked the weather last night and today was meant to be sunny so with very little notice I arranged to go on another bike ride around Parkhall Country Park with Joe. Before my housemates had even got out of bed I'd ridden about 20 miles. 

This time we used the old railway line to get to the park, which meant slightly less uphill riding. There was some sun but it was still pretty cold so I wore my bade layers again. I also wore my thermal gloves only this time I remembered to turn them inside out afterwards to get rid of the sweat. 

There was quite a strong wind today, which was fine in the wooded parts of the trail but meant we got blown about a bit on the open parts of the track. At what we thought was the end of the trail I noticed another blue signpost. It turned out to be the other half of the trail. 

This half had lots more challenging climbs which were especially difficult with my lack of gears. When we got to the actual end of the trail we decided to re-ride the first half. This time there were no dog walkers and we had a better idea of where to go so we were able to ride much faster down the descents. 

Todays ride was just as fun as last weeks although this time I did notice some pain in my wrist and hand. I'd been at home most of the week and hadn't been able to go to the gym so I'm going to blame it on my lack of exercise. 

A quick play with my powerball when I got back soon sorted out my wrist which was a relief as it's exactly one month today to the BUCS mtb race.

Parkhall Country Park, Feb 13th

This morning I went for a bike ride with Joe from Staffordshire University Cycling Club. The plan was to try and find somewhere not too far away from the University that we can ride regularly and show to other members of the club. 

The first few miles was grueling road riding and Joe even had me going up hills. I wore my Helly Hansen base layers and they did a really good job of keeping me warm. After 30 minutes of road riding we stumbled upon Parkhall Country Club. 

We headed into the woods, found a signpost for the blue trail and continued to ride it. The track was great with lots of short climbs and fun descents. We stuck to the trail as we were short on time but there looked to be options to extend the ride.  

A lot of the trail was either water logged or covered in ice. I had a slick tyre on the back so had to keep my speed down and play it safe. At the end of the trail we headed up to the information centre to get a map of all the other tracks. 

As we rode along a fire road leading to the centre I tried to turn on some ice, slipped and fell off. The ice got my base layer top wet but within a few minutes it was dry again which was a relief. 

At the centre we found a much easier route home along an old railway line which meant that I wouldn't have to ride up any more hills. In total I rode just under 12 miles, all on a 24" rear wheel with a slick tyre and no gears. 

The new saddle, with firmer padding and a slimmer profile was much more comfortable than the old one. A few wet wipes got the mud off it so it's remained white. The new grips also performed really well although unlike the saddle they didn't clean up so well. 

I didn't make it to the skate park during the week. It rained on the day that I had set aside to go there and although I plan to ride more in the wet this year I've got scars that prove street riding in the wet is not a good idea. Riding in car parks and skate parks is a great way to practise basic skills but todays ride reminded me just how much fun it is to get your tyres dirty.

New parts Feb 11th

To cheer myself up for riding so badly I decided to buy some new parts for my p1. I put a new tyre on the back wheel, as well as a new saddle and some new grips to match. I doubt they'll affect the performance of the bike at all but a bit of retail therapy might help to improve my riding.

Bar Tape, Feb 7th

I should probably apologise to Claire again. Today I decided that as there wasn't any snow I would have  a go at riding my bike. I wasn't doing any serious riding, but it was definitely an eye opener.  

Before I headed out on my bike I remembered that in 2006 professional downhill racer Steve Peat broke his knuckle. With his knuckle still broken Peat managed to finish fourth at the Fort William World Cup race held barely a week later. 

In order to be able to still grip the bar with his broken knuckle Peat taped up the edge of his grip with handlebar tape. I thought this might help me with my recovering hand and so brought some handlebar tape ad put a few ayers on my right grip. 

Put simply it didn't work. If anything the tape made it more uncomfortable so I rode up to a bin and took it off. Straight away things felt better but soon I had the depressing realisation that I'm not as good as I was before I broke my hand. 

Even more annoying was that it was my wrist that was giving me grief. It's been two years since I broke it and still certain movements and actions send jolts of pain up my arm. 

There's still six weeks till the BUCS race so I'm going to try and ride as much as possible, which means a trip to the local skate park later in the week. As long as it isn't snowing.

Spring Clean, Jan 24th

The last time I got to ride my Kona was in September. It was freshers week and a friend from Liverpool drove to Stoke, picked me up, drove to my house, packed up my bike and riding gear and took me to ride Woburn Sands with him. 

Everything on my bike was running smoothly and it was happily taking all the abuse I threw at it. After lunch we packed up and headed over to ride Chicksands. Sprinting towards the first jump on the duel track I heard a horrible crunch sound and saw a chunk of plastic fly past.

I'd somehow bent my mech hanger and mangled my rear derailleur beyond repair, which stopped me from riding for the rest of the afternoon. Once I was back at uni I brought a new mech hanger and a new derailleur with the intention of fitting them when I returned home at Christmas. 

Having my hand in a cast over the Christmas holidays put a stop to my plans but as I was home to get my hand fixed I decided to sort out my bike as well. I washed both my Kona and GT outside and then turned the kitchen into a workshop to fit everything and give my Kona a quick service. 

Everything went on fine and both bikes are now pretty much race ready. I've just got to sort myself out now.

Broken hand is healed, Jan 23rd

Back in December in a non-bike related incident I broke a bone in my hand. A few hospital trips later and I was in a cast with some metal wires holding my hand together. Today the cast finally came off and the wires came out. 

The wires came out pain free and I was able to see a physiotherapist straight away who told me that although I'll get full movement and strength back, I shouldn't ride a bike for another eight weeks.  

Two years ago I fell off my bike and broke my wrist and to help re-build grip strength I brought a powerball, some handgrips, a grip master and most recently a motogrip forearm trainer. At the moment I'm just letting my hand rest and doing my physio exercises, but in a week or two I'll get them out and see if they help speed up the recovery.

New Year Resolutions, Jan 3rd

I've never made any New Year Resolutions before. I don't smoke and I don't need to lose weight so I've never had anything to aim for. Or maybe I've just never wanted to set myself up to fail. 

This year is different. This year I'm going to ride my bike even if it's raining. This might not sound like much to most people but anyone who has ever ridden with me will know how much I hate riding in the rain. 

I'm perfectly happy to go biking in the cold; I've done it countless times, but riding in the wet s completely different. In the past if I saw so much as a puddle outside I would give up on riding and go back to bed. 

To help me keep my resolution I've brought some new kit. A pair of waterproof socks were essential, as were a a pair of decent waterproof trousers. A Rapid Racer Product (RRP) Neoguard should keep the mud and water out my eyes and can easily come off if the weather improves. 

Apparently the key to keeping warm when riding in the cold and wet is to wear lots of layers. So I brought a set of Helly Hansen base layers. These are designed to keep you warm when it's cold and cool when it's warm so they should be perfect for biking. 

I'd been planning on getting my old riding shoes re-soled with five ten rubber for quite some time, but then I saw the new Shimano AM 40s. Like five tens they have a sticky rubber compound sole but feature a lace guard, which should help to keep my feet dry. They ended up costing a little more than a resole but look much better than the worn out vans I'm currently using. 

All that's left now is for my hand to heal and the heavens to open and I'll put everything to test. So long as I can drag myself out of bed.