Forget the flu let's ride

Me and Mark had been planning a trip to ride Chicksands and Woburn Sands in the same day but last night we both watched the BBC news and weather and got the impression that by morning we'd be dead from swine flu and living underwater from all the rain. 

So we were pretty relieved to be alive in the morning and find that the sun was shining. Unfortunately though, due to me waking up late we were only able to ride at one park and we chose Woburn. 

Dust masks stopped us from catching the flu and the predicted foot of rain didn't turn up. For a couple of hours we were the only riders there so we were able to get some really good riding footage. Rather than just throwing it all together I'm going to take some time and put together a good edit. 

As ever with Woburn there were new features, this time a different line into the hip that jumps over the old track and sends you towards the hip with way more speed than before. I soon found out that ore speed isn't always good. Luckily Mark caught it on camera so keep your eyes peeled once the video's uploaded. 

Solid Bikes Mission 9

Today Peter returned from a holiday to Herrenberg, Germany. Whilst out there he went to a beerfest but more importantly hired out a Solid Bikes Mission 9 and rode the small, but fun little bike park at Bad Wildbad. 

 

The bike park at Bad Wildbad is hidden away in the hills above the quiet little German town. Riders are carried to the park by a funicular, then a T-bar ski lift. There's a choice of two downhill tracks, two freeride tracks, a dual slalom track, a mountain cross track and there's probably some xc loops too. 

When asked about the Mission 9 Pete replied: "Yeah it's really good. I didn't notice riding over any rocks or anything". Luckily a picture paints a 1,000 words so here's 4,000 words worth of photo's. 

Morzine 2009

I've literally just finished booking my Summer riding holiday. I'll be spending two weeks out in Morzine in July, staying with Riders Retreat. 

I've used one of their Chalet's before and they're brilliant. The chalet's got a secure garage for the bikes, a drying room, shoe driers, a sauna and a hot tub! Plus it's about a minutes walk from the Super Morzine uplift. Perfect. This year I'm going with my brother Pete, and hopefully I'll see the Smedley brothers out there too.

Chicksands Video

There was a bit of a theme with yesterday's ride. I forgot to pack any allen keys and Michael forgot to pack spare batteries. I was able to borrow a multi-tool off some riders but no spare batteries means a very short video. Enjoy.

 

Chicksands

Last week I spent an afternoon reliving my teenage years with local boy Michael. We rode around the village doing wheelies and messed around on an Argos kicker ramp for all of five minutes before I got bored and gave up.

So I agreed to take Michael on his first off road experience at Chicksands, Bedfordshire. Chicksands is the perfect place for beginners. All the jumps on the 4x and dual track can be rolled and they're all tabletops so you if you come up short you won't damage yourself or your bike.

We warmed up on the dual track then moved onto the 4x, which Michael preferred. After a while we moved over to the freeride area. It's been about seven months since I last rode Chicksands and a lot of the freeride stuff has changed.

A lot of the original 'chickshore' has been removed. Apparently it's going to be replaced with some new ladder sections. The wooded berm is still there so we both had a go at riding it.

Pushing up from the ski jump I felt something in my back click and I was in agony. Walking, let alone riding was painful and I spent the rest of the afternoon moaning like an OAP.

After lunch we went back to riding the 4x track. Michael had a brilliant attitude towards riding. At the start of the day he was rolling the jumps, maybe catching just a little bit of air, but by the time we went home he was having a great time clearing everything.

Even if he made a mistake and had a near crash he still had a smile on his face and wanted to push back up to the top for another try. Once my backs stopped giving me grief I'm packing him up and bringing him to Aston Hill with me.

Severe weather what?

Last night the MET Office released a sever weather warning for South Wales. To be honest if I hadn't prepaid my £24 for the uplift service at Cwmcarn then I probably would have just stayed in bed.

Looking back most of the bad weather and drama happened in England. Whilst driving down the motorway in the foulest of foul weather a bird flew into my windscreen wipers and completely mangled them.

I floored it onto the hard shoulder and bent them back into place before they broke my windscreen. My temporary fix didn't last long and after another three mends I gave up and called the RAC. Whilst waiting for them to arrive my two favourite blonde brothers the Smedley's arrived to poke fun and keep me company.

Once it was fixed we set off again and convoyed it the rest of the way. As we pulled into the trail centre car park the rain eased up and we began building our bikes up and getting changed.

This was the first time myself and Mark had ridden at Cwmcarn but Alex had raced here at last years student champs race. The black run is the best downhill track I have ever ridden in the UK.

Even in the wet the ground still had plenty of grip and you could really fly down the course. The speeds you get in some of the corners are unbelievable. It was almost impossible not to ride the track without a constant grin.

Unfortunately I was the first one to crash. Riding through the wooded black section I caught a pedal on a tree stump and was sent flying shin first into my handlebars before hitting the ground.

At the time Mark was riding the quicker and truth be told, more fun red route and caught up just as I was rolling on the floor in pain. I moved my bike onto the red route, watched mark fall over and pick himself up then followed him down the rest of the course.

We didn't get any riding shots or film but for anyone who's never been to Cwmcarn here's a video of the track's builder Rowan Sorrell, who I met whilst working for Singletrack, pinning it down his creation. Enjoy.

O'Neal Generator shorts

Being just over six foot tall means that getting a decent pair of riding shorts that fit has always been a bit tricky, but the generator's from O'neal are the perfect length. Unfortunately they don't have any waist adjustments so instead of flashing some leg I'm now flashing some bum. 

Luckily though a mistake at Chain Reaction Cycles meant that I only paid around £30 for them rather than the £64.99 RRP. For my full review check out issue 49 of Singletrack, out next month.

Wellgo MG1 Pedals

Weighing only 377 grams for a pair, the MG1'a are some of the lightest pedals available. With a retail price of only £39.99, and featuring sealed bearings, they are also extremely good value for money. 

I'm a big fan of slim pedals and the Wellgo's didn't disappoint as they feature a very thin profile. Before I tried the pedals out I was thinking about ordering some longer pins, but the standard replaceable ones provide more than enough grip.   

These are the nicest pedals that I've ever ridden and are seriously good value for money. If you're looking for a new set of pedals or trying to shed some of your bikes weight then the MG1's should be at the top of your list. 

Outland Freeride Upgrade Kit

Forty pounds for handlebars, stem and grips is dirt cheap. And they're good pieces of kit as well. Made by Outland this short stem, wide bar combination is brilliant. The grips are lock ons which makes the asking price even better. For more details and my full review check out issue 49 of Singletrack, out next month.

Polaris Outlaw jersey

The Outlaw Jersey from Polaris is a three quarter length offering made from a clever breathable fabrics. It features subtle styling but is a little bit too slim for me. For my full review check out Issue 49 of Singletrack, available next month.