New frame!

My new frame has arrived. Decided to avoid full suspension as it would only cost me a fortune in parts so decided on an On One 456 instead. Supposedly they are supposed to handle great and also good for trail centre use so looking forward to building it up. Wont get time to build it up until after the weekend so will prob be out on the old bike still on Monday!

Ampthill MTB Monday Night Ride

Stats for Monday night ride: -

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/18403519

Reply back to this blog as to which course we should do on Monday: -

a. normal loop over to Eversholt

b. Chicksands

c. suggest a new route

see you all on Monday night.

thursday 5th Nov

Well it ceratinly seems like winter is here, thursday night was bonfire night although we didnt see any fireworks we set off like rockets (sorry no more firework puns). we decided to just do the usual route and i think everyone was suprised as to how hard the ride was. the route is so different when its wet and muddy with everyone have a couple of arse twitching moments, personally i prefer the winter, the ride was such a laugh, slipping on wet leaves, skidding through thick mud (which my tractor tyres are loving!!!) and sliding along moss covered roots. Hopefully there will be more out on monday as there was just the 4 of us on thursday, it seems the weather turning has put off the fair weather riders (you know who you are, Fletch!!!!!!).
see you all monday
dave

Monday 2nd Nov

Mondays ride was meant to be a nice easy affair with Paul, Massey and myself all recovering from colds.
We met at the usual spot and decided that we would do the normal ride and even do the short route as we were all feeling the effects of the man flu that has been going around (well that I spread to everyone). First of all the light that Paul donates to Dee would not switch on but with a bit of taking the batteries out and giving them a rub, they eventually worked and we were off.
I was at the front heading to Millbrook and when I got to the top of the hill about to cross the road I looked back to see the other 3 further back. I thought oh perhaps I am not too bad and I had blasted up the hill, I waited for them to catch up, playing with my lights and not taking much notice of what the others were doing. After a few minutes I thought where are they, I realised they hadn’t moved so thought something must be up. It turned out Paul had a puncture, which we pumped up and plodded on. After getting into the woods and blasting down the now not so sandy tracks, half way up the hill the battery on my new light decided to jump off my bike into darkness, so I had to turn back and go hunting for that. I found that and caught the boys up, Paul then decided his tyre was going flat again so decided to turn back and head to the pub. Dee, Massey and myself then plodded on, after possibly the slowest ride I have ever done since I started this mountain biking lark and after coughing up about 5 litres of flem and one of my lungs we made it back to the pub for some well earned food and beers.
Hopefully Thursday will be without as many incidents and marginally quicker!!!!

Dave

Monday night ride with Blox, Neil, Dee

As you'll see from the stats below, Monday's ride was always going to be a challenge! Firstly Dee kept up easily with Neil and myself on his bone shaker of a bike and secondly note to all, always carry two spare inner tubes and gas!!!

We went over the top of Ampthill hill and went over to Milbrook followed by with the extra corner added at the bottom of the sandy downhill out of Milbrook woods (just for good measure) Like I already said Neil and I didn't stop just slowed down on the flats for Dee to draw level (which he did within a few seconds).

We joined up with the normal course through Eversholt and Tingrith and popped out by the Drovers Arms in Stepingley where we decided to go off to Flitwick woods. There lies our error! within half a mile Neil has two flat tyres with 4+ punctures and I had a flat back puncture! Dee on his slicks was fine.

I guess it doesn't always pay to be at the front! The two of us ran along side Dee on his bike to the nearest street light and tried to fix the bikes. With only one inner tube between three tyres we attempted to fix up the punctures with my repair kit. Only one gas canister to boot we tried pumping up the tyres with my crappy pump. Needless to say Neil walk to his sisters for a lift and Dee and I limped home with a slow flat back tyre. We were going great guns until then.

Big bulk order of inner tubes and gas canisters are now on order so this never happens again.

Here's the link for the Profloat CO2 pump (40psi on a MTB or 130 psi on a road bike tube)

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Innovations_Proflate_16_Pump/5360017951/

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/17489111