A Great Ride and a Great New Shop.

This was a day we got in some of Surrey Hills finest trails. The weather has been very kind to us over the last few weeks and today was no exception, we headed over to Ranmore unsure of what Simon had in store for us. This hill has some seriously steep and tech trails that leave your heart in your mouth, but a mouth that is grinning from ear to ear by the end.
Today was just one of those great days, greavious angel to start with then back up for abba zabba and numbskull.
This set the tone for the day all the riders were up for what Simon could put in their way, Simon [Kona Dawg] had a little off, so did i but nothing major more down to the dry and dusty conditions, thats our story and were sticking to it...

Straight over to Pitch, Proper Beau, T2, and New Values. All ridden many times before but with conditions like these everything is riding super fast, after some practice we all headed straight into proper beau with the majority of the group doing the main jump. We switched after the second run through to let the first timers lead us in, Ian [lapierre] and a new rider [sorry did not remember your name] both doing the main jump for the first time, nice one. Over to T2 which if you have the legs for it, can be hammered down and hammer we did. New values next, Andy [orange 5] and Andy [meta 5] doing the large drop for the first time [i think] thats some drop, and it just shows how well the confidence and abilities of the group are rising fast, either that or their just plain Mad?

A late tea stop due to the absoultly great day we were all having.



A steady climb up to Holmbury and Leith, a quick blast through the quarry, Jo getting some nice air and showing us men how its done. Down yougurt pots probably the dryest i've ever ridden it, and with the new construction giving you plenty of oppurtunities to get your wheels off the ground. Down Frame braker which nearly broke me, another off. Over to Donnie Darko, Andy [meta 5] blasting through the 3 jumps with Simon [shop] Jo [stealth] and Simon [kona].

All good fun comes to an end, and it was time to head back, but not before getting a last singletrack fix down Windy willow, Valouria, and down Bossanova, to finish what has to be one of the best rides of the year. 11 went out 11 came back, that must be a first? no major issues and most of the group all doing something for the first time, just a shame Giles was not able to make this one, get well soon mate, same goes for Sam who's resting a bad knee.

The start of the video is from Wednesdays ride where Chris was really going for it over all the jumps at Heads Roll, and Gary was attempting to clear the set of 2. A Wednesday with the Bromley Boys for John[chef] a couple of others and myself, Simon was stuck in the shop today sorting out a few New Shop issues but more than made up for it with todays ride. Bromley John had to go back early, not feeling up to it today. at least we got some peace and quite? and Simon profited from a sale of riding shorts. Another great ride.

We're Moving!

... But not far!

As many of you who have been in the shop recently have noticed we have acquired the shop 2 doors down and will be moving into a bigger space in June!

Yes after 14 years in No.3 we have finally outgrown her and it's getting a bit of a squeeze fitting all these luscious bikes and bits in here as well as hosting all you regular customers in the workshop!

We're very excited about the new shop as it has 3 separate display areas and room for a big workshop for Rowan to spread out in as well as office space for Jackie to keep the new stock arrivals coming. (Simon's office will remain outside on the trails of course!)

Work is underway to convert it to display a wider range of bikes, clothing and accesories as well as provide enough room for you guys to wander around (I know actually move around the shop!) as well as somewhere to chill out and grab that post-ride cuppa with us. So watch this space as we post a few pics of progress and let you know when we're moving.

Here's a slideshow of some pics of how it looks now and progress so far but there's a way to go!






And don't worry we're not going all "glossy" - we'll be keeping our trade mark "rugged and ready for dirty mountain bikers" look, after all we don't want you to be too scared to come in aftera ride- (but maybe we'll add a touch of lustre!)

Watch this space!

Missing a french Man.

Claire after just reading your last Blog, it surely looks like your in Biking Paradise but you know what, were not doing to bad in Surrey Hills, we've had some great rides recently and today was no exception.

Many of us headed out today, i will not attempt to name everybody cause i will get it terribly wrong and forget somebody. But one thing is for sure, we were missing a certain french man due to an altercation with a rather unforgiving piece of wood.
Hope your recovery goes well Giles, and hope to see you back on the bike soon.

We started off the ride with an altercation of another kind, and felt the rath of a very highly strung westcott resident, some people just need to chill and relax a little, need i say more?

Leith was our destination today, Simon switching up the configuration which made sure we got a little exploration in, mixed with a few summer classics, and tempting one of us into another First, you are becoming quite persuasive...

Without running through all the trails in order heres a few that we rolled tyre's over today;

Bob Till You Drop was running super good, getting the chance to pop out from some of the compressions.
F and M, mega over grown again.
Fat Jim. Did you clean it?
A New Trail, i won't mention where, but a load of work has gone into that one, with a real mans finish at the end. [don't think we'll be doing that anytime soon].
Well done to the lads that have been building there, you can see the shape that trails may be taking in the near future within this area, defiantly asking new skills from riders.
Countdown to Ecstasy, still needs more work, but the lads were busy putting some more work into that one on Saturday.
Heads Roll, never fails to hit the spot! in fact lets have another go...

A quite cuppa at Leith hill, the sporting events keeping many away today, a few of us enjoying the view on offer today...
This is when we started losing riders in quick succession.

Worth the Mither, now becoming a popular trail by the looks of it.
Jab it in Your Eye, another first for a couple of riders. No bust forks, or knees this time, good.
Down to Donnie Darko, where Simon, Simon, and myself did all 3 jumps, little Simon never doing them in one run, and myself never doing 2 or 3.. [Yes Claire you read it right i did all 3] Buzzing my tits off to say the least. Always good to follow you in for the first time Simon, good judge of speed.
Valouria into ? Can't for the life of me remember the name. Steep dry and dusty.
Windy Willow, This is another favorite of mine, what a trail? if only those natural berms at the start rode better? maybe a little project for the winter? but its got length, flow, and the chance to really get your foot down. it can still be ridden faster though?

Worth a mention is Alex showing us all how to hip a jump with total ease, nice one.

Another sunny Sunday, shame we lose half the group, but we had a great end to the ride.

Until next week.

Whistler - A mountain bikers paradise!

So where did I leave you- Oh yes I was in Utah, Colorado, USA!

Well I've been here in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada for 3 weeks now and you haven't heard much from me because I've just been riding sooo much stuff!

I picked up my Banshee Scythe downhill bike and spent most of the first week riding up the chairlifts and downhill all day in the sunshine on dusty dry trails with tabletops and drops, berms and ladders, roots and rocks. I worked my way back up from the blue runs, to black diamond runs and soon ventured on to the ultra scary double black diamonds with huge fast steep rock slabs to roll down and steep rocky twisty descents, not to mention some rather high wood work here and there.

I even managed to achieve my dream of dropping off the big GLC drop outside the bar at the bottom of the park where everyone watched you. I've been looking at it for 3 years but only dropping the middle one every year. Well I dropped this 10-12 foot rocky drop 3 times perfectly before I decided to video it and that's when I crashed. I have not been off it since but I will overcome that nemesis- watch the video for that!

I soon yearned for turning my pedals again and ventured up into the black and double diamond black trails in Whistler valley- this means I took my Lapierre Zesty out and pedalled up and up and up to great views. All the while watching for bears and Cougars as there have been a lot of sightings this year. The descents out there are crazy too- dusty, rocky, rooty, steep, twisty singletrack then huge steep fast rock slabs, a ladder over a stream or waterfall gushing with melted snow- it's awesome. Some is not too flowy as I'm on adrenalin the whole time with eyes on stalks looking for what obstacle comes next.

I've also paid some love back to the trails and joined up with Squamish Off Road Cycling Assoc SORCA to do some trail building the Canadian way- I can bring some tips back for our building now!

More recently I decided to go get qualified for leading and instructing mountain biking. So yesterday I passed my "Professional Mountain Bike Instructor" certificate.

As you can see its full on mountain biking around here- so much to do! I'd better get out there now and ride some more!

If you want more details and pics and vids go read my blog.

Free-Country-Ride.

A new Riding type was brought to our attention today Albeit a little tongue in cheek, a mix of XC and freeride, hence the "Free-country-ride" title.
But for me, thats just a Nirvana Ride, and thats what we love about it.

What a fantastic day for a few reasons. Firstly the weather was amazing, the world is a better place when the sun is shining thats for sure, new skills had been learnt, new bikes were being ridden, and everyone was on the money riding wise today.

Andy, Martin, Mario, Adrian, Dave, Nick, Giles, Simon, and myself were the riders out today.

We set off towards Leith. Heading down the first Descent we came across a group of Walkers, luckily they were a little quicker on their feet than many we come across, and let us pass without to much slowing down or grief. But why do they always ask why you don't have a Bell? As if i'm going to fit a bell to a 2.5 grand custom build mountain bike... Get a grip.

Down Soul-mining FAST and over to Golden Birdies, This like many of the trails we rode today was riding Super Good. But with mixed results through the switchbacks, some of the guys need to let it hang out a little more on the singletrack...
From here we rode straight up to Proper Beau. I think Simon wanted to test his new pupils skills on the practice jumps, with a view to hitting the real Gap on Proper [which is not so much of a gap now].

Andy was on fire today, putting to good use all the skills he had learnt with Simon on the Saturday Freeride session, He has gone from doing no Jumps to really attacking any kind of obstacle in his way, Well done Andy and Simon.

Proper Beau like GB is riding so Good now, the work that's been put into those small berms over the winter months are really paying off now the trails are dry, i just love that trail, if only it was 5 times longer... with a see-saw?

So the Gap [was a gap] Andy "on a mission", Martin, and Mario were all having a go and enjoying that jump. Down T2 Flowing and fast just like it should be, and into Peaslake for another type of T.

After an alternative route to going all the way up the Mother, we Hit the Quarry. All were up for having a go on the jumps here, even Nick was hitting the left hand jump with great results. What a surprise, there must have been something in the air today.

This was the day that i finally exercised a demon and did the main jump. After a pretty nasty crash that put me out of action for 4 months, it was very satisfying to finally have done this jump. YEE-HAA for sure.
Mario was really going for it hear, Simon was hitting it faster each time, and Andy was pulling strange faces on take off...

Down Deliverance, always Fun. Then over to Heads Roll for some more jumps, is this meant to be an XC ride??
We sessioned the double jumps for a while, Simon really sending it on the final attempt. Then the door came out to hit the new step down, Mario, Giles and Simon all clearing this one.

A fast ride down the road towards the shop, with a quick rip through the woods to finish what as another great ride.

MBR riding our local Trails

Checkout the MBR boys riding the local North Downs trails. Comments here please to name the trails- I'm pretty sure I can name them all but can you?

Thunderstorms on Thunder Mountain ... and other tall tales!

Now where did I leave you... oh yes... I was enjoying dry trails in Moab and gloating! But then you guys went and got some Un-British Summer in May and now the North Downs sound drier than Utah!

Since my last blog I've been on a group camping/biking tour on the North rim of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to see it so what better way then on my trusty old Lapierre Zesty. What fun hurtling along gently rolling and twisting singletrack and popping out of meadows and woods to a sheer drop of 4000 feet from a Rim with views for hundreds of miles! It's a bit distracting one moment focusing on keeping you wheel on narrow singletrack for fear of puncturing on a locust bush thorn and the next diverting your eyes to these huge rock formations and 2 billion years of rock layers, the realising its best to stop and stare rather than ride where you are looking!

Days were spent riding (nothing too technical or strenusous but fun and scenic) and taking in such immense scenic views and nights were spent round a campfire eating wonderful food, singing along with a guitar (no guitar hero here) and staring at the light show over the Canyon as the sun set. Wow what a trip!

I highly recommend Western Spirit for mountain bike trips out West here!

Since then I've been to Thunder Mountain to ride amongst the Hoodoo rock formations of Bryce Canyon. It lived up to its name as the storm was indeed Thundering above me most of the way and lightning adding to my adrenalin fix. Much more technical black diamond riding too and just as distracting views- riding it alone was rather scary to say the least- but I'm writing this so I survived!

Anyway I've moved on since then and have just completed day 2 in Whistler Mountain Bike park and boy it is so sunny here and quiet early season conditions mean I have many dry trails to myself. Only the bottom half of the mountain is open which is good so I don't over do it week 1!

I have to admit to trading up from the Zesty to a Banshee Scythe freeride bike with 7inch travel back and front as the park demands it for true grin inspiring descents. I'm honing my tabletops on "Crank it up", my berms and switchbacks on "Ninja Cougar" and "Karate Monkey" and my drop offs on the "GLC drop" ready for my favourite black diamond runs to open up top when the snow melts. 

However I could not resist day 1 and rode Schleyer a double diamond black run built by Richie Schley- cool! Also rode Whistler DH course another double diamond black which has some huge steep rock rolls and drops.

If you are really dedicated and want more tall tales you can read them at my blog.

A Great End to May.

Fruita and Moab Trip Update

Today's forecast is mainly sunny, dry trails at all times, plenty of singletrack, in fact more than your legs can cope with. Am I in the North Downs? Sorry guys no way- I'm in the arid desert terrain of Fruita Colorado and Moab, Utah. I've had 4 days riding so far and if you want to hear it in detail then better check out my blog as there is really to much grin factor and verbosity to clutter up Nirvana Cycles blog.

However i knew you all wanted me to gloat on about how dry and hot it is - over 30 degress most days. The singletrack is so flowy and fast as its packed hard, but as you pick up speed beware of trail obstacles- rock steps, ledges, cacti, snakes and sheer drops off cliffs if you look at the veiws too long! 

The scenery is awesome and soon I'll be boring you with it but there is so much to take in.

Some recommended riding in case you come out here:-

• Joes Ridge and Zippety Do Da at Book Cliffs area in Fruita where I camped day 1- sweet!
  
• Horsetheif Bench at Fruita- snaky singletrack, fun rock ledges, incredible views!
  
• Slickrock- the famous trail- so much traction you can stand on pedals in granny gear with your weight over thr front wheel and never lose traction up the steep steep climbs.
  
• Hazzards trail into Kokopelli and Porcupine rim- the most amazing 30 miles of downhill singletrack I've ever experienced from 9500 feet (3000m altitude), imagine singletrack without a break all day! Wow!
  

Well that is a taste of life so far- beware more tall tales will be forthcoming.

Hope you guys aren't missing me too much yet- wish you were here!

Playground Riding

With Simon away it was my turn to lead the Sunny ride today (albeit from the back)- much shouting was heard from there to redirect Gilles who was inadvertently leading from the front! 9 riders started out and I was determined to lose a few and beat Simon's record!  

Up to Ranmore we headed along the North Downs Way at a good early speed then played on the big log ride before making everyone ride Abba Zabba with a few wipeouts on the 90 degree tree turn. Down blind terror where Chris had a few refusals concerned his height would lead to a man versus tree incident. He saved that for a later occasion. 

Shooting down numb skull fast and rooty was a great thrill for all and we met up with Jonathan and John so in fact my numbers were gained - 11! (hmmm must try harder to lose riders)  

We climbed over Holmbury for a great run down Golden Birdies - so fast and sweet singletrack in these conditions (that trail never fails to bring a grin factor). Group decision was not to stop for tea yet and just as well as the shop was packed with bikers!  

So we rode up to the top of Proper Beau, at a blistering pace, to session the first jumps. There I was hiding behind a tree for protection when Chris in true RAF fashion took flight off the take off ramp, but decided to tweak a front wheel and land nose heavy on (get this) Locked out forks! I could see him in mid-air deciding "Hmmm man v tree or man v Claire" and as if frozen in the headlights I saw his bike and him hit my bike as I backed away and then bang- my leg was trapped and in receipt of a dent the shape of a Lapierre top tube. Wow injured whilst standing still!!  

A few silent swear words later we rode off to find Dave's see saw. (I managed to lose Andy and Howie on the way there!) After a good look at Dave's woodwork and some doubt whether to ride it by all we decided to have spotters either side and one by one we all rode it. This one was grin factor 10 and we played on it again and again like little kids in the playground- Dave's handiwork is excellent! Kudos!  

Peaslake was calling for Tea and cake in the sunshine and I managed to regain Howie and Andy, then up we ploughed back to the reservoir for more playtime. Some wooden strips of logs were laid out on stumps to balance along- some with rounded bark on and some flat planks. There is much footage at the repeated attempts to complete the run and some of the frustration along the way- mainly as we were not allowed to leave until Gilles got it! Here's who I think made it the whole length: Sam, Howie, Stef, Chris, Gilles, Claire, John C, Simon, Andy. Proving everyones skills and talents differ- but its just as much fun watchin the frustration of "Why can't I get this" attempts (Jonathan, George)!  

Then Sam, Gilles, Simon and Chris rode over the wood stack which I've never seen done before. See the video for entertaining footage of Gilles determined attempts!  

OK play time over we rode Parklife, Telegraph and Mutiny but at that point I managed to beat the record and lost 10 riders as I turned back to find George and Stef who had a flat, (I never found them) and everyone else rode back to the shop. (Howie and Andy following my verbal directions and therefore separated from the others).  

So until that last lapse there were shouts of "move over Simon" -what a great ride we had- but as I broke the rider loss record maybe we need him back!  

It's a long blog entry partially 'cos the great riding and partially as its my last Sunday ride for a few months- keep the blog going guys so I can see how your rides go while I'm away. And look out I may drop in with a few tales from my travels! Have a great Summer and thanks for being a fun gang to ride with!

F&M Acrobats

Great ride today in the best sunshine to date (have I said that before?)- but honestly today was a lovely day!

We shot up to Countdown to Ecstasy that has really taken shape thanks to Jonathan's hard work and vision on Friday, we added a post jump trail clear up too. Then we took Sweet sweet bulbs which has bedded in so well and is really flowing now. Up to F&M and the tough bits at the start were so dry everyone made those without issue but on the Singletrack exit John decided to play up to the camera and try some acrobatics- watch the video.

Then we flew over heads roll which was really running well and from Coldharbour down the Summer Lighhtning DH and then up to and down Lust for Life and up to Leith Tower in hope of cake. Starvation changed to frustration that after last week's promise the tower kiosk was not open and no cake and tea were on hand to resuscitate us.

Energy bars and water were a poor substitute before we headed on to ride the winding challenge of Worth the Mither and a great run down Windy Willows that is enjoying the dry conditions and really flowing well right now- I love that trail!

The finishing flourish down Bossanova (Skids is for ids John) and then GSW to Rookery are as always a grin factor at the end of the ride.

Leith Hill Downhill

Take a look at Nat from the shop playing on the DH tracks around Leith Hill.

Counting down to Ecstasy

Started out with some trail maintenance on Countdown to Ecstasy- this has promise and more will come on this in future posts no doubt. Some of the guys had a go at riding the gap on it, so first efforts can be seen on the video. Much to do still though.

Then we headed over to Summer Lightning DH and went over to walk up and find the trailhead to trails coming off Moonlight in Vermont that we had not ridden before. It was a fast direct DH to a pretty flat landing kicker jump- yuk! But a good option off Windy Willows.

Up to Leith Hill for tea and cake- open on a Wednesday! What a treat. It was sunny out but pretty chilly at the Tower so we ranged from those in short sleeved T-shirts to me in waterproof and thermals!

We wound round the Leith Hill singletrack to the quarry for some jumps, where Ken showed off his flying abilities on his new Specialized Enduro bargain 2nd hand acquisition! We finally got him on a Full Sus and he is making the most of it. Meanwhile Gary graduated to the big jump- gradually!

We singletracked it back to the shop through fast and twisty dry trails and a great run down the Greensand way to Rookery- as always.

Old Girls Ride!

Jackie may not forgive me for the title of this blog entry (we're not old!) but that's nothing compared to what she'll say about the video!

I've been riding with the old blokes ride on Wednesdays for a while now, so today was time for us old birds to get out. Jackie and I headed up to Ranmore amongst fantastic views over the Downs in all their glorious colours in the brightest Sunshine we've had yet, luscious green fields, interspersed with swathes of yellow rapeseed, and the swelling blue oceans of bluebells-the best of what England has to offer this St.Georges week!

You'll witness from the video that we attempted the big tree trunk roll on the way to Abba Zabba, several times! Unfortunately I only got the 1st attempt on video and not the final successful runs as my hands were needed elsewhere. This was because after the swearing died down after the 1st attempt Jackie had the gumption to keep going back for another try while I spotted her.

The issue was however that I stood to catch her at the place she fell last time and each time she got a stage further and fell further from my reach. At one point she could not get out of her SPDs and was falling into the horrible hole between the logs from the highest point and she was only saved from an almighty fall by the fact I caught her camelbak straps and pulled her upwards as she fell to lessen the impact. (Not very graceful but it did the job- good old camelbak!)



I could not believe that she kept trying til she got it and indeed she did it! Hey this was the first time I've ever cleared the whole thing in one so it was a great achievement for us both.

After that adrenalin rush we mellowed out amongst the bluebells that are really sprouting up everywhere now. Such a sight! And we hurtled down a trail called "Coitus Interruptus" (don't ask where that name came from, I can only imagine!) at such speed that I realise Jackie's in it for the downhills if not the ups.

I carried on up to Leith as it was so dry and I wanted to check out Windy Willows. The trail is in good condition but still has some mud patches on the usual corners and dips enough to suck your speed back, but its certainly faster than recent times and I do enjoy the easy tree trunk jump at the end so I sessioned that a few times. Reluctant to come home out of this Sun!

Great to have a girls ride out at last!

Titus El Guapo Bike Review

Spanish for “The Handsome One”, The El Guapo is a 6” all mountain steed from Titus Bikes. Having spent many a Saturday gawping at it, it was time to take the bike out on demo.

Sitting in the same category as the Lapierre Spicy, the El Guapo has tough competition, but with trips to the Alps, Wales and the Lakes becoming increasingly common, a 6inch travel “do-it-all” bike is topping many peoples to-buy list. The Frame continues the Titus tradition by using the horst link, which over the years has been perfected by Titus under the license of Specialized.

 New for 2009, the front end has been completely reworked with Kylie like curves and a 1.5” head tube. The oversized head tube opens doors to 1.5” steerer tubes which means a stiffer front and stronger bearings, although step-down headsets can be bought to run a conventional 1 1/8” steerer. Kept supple by 4 oversized sealed bearings, the frame also has ISCG mounts meaning that a chain guide can be fitted to keep the chain in check on those rocky descents. With a trusty Fox RP23 coming as standard, the El Guapo can also take a Fox DHX coil shock to give a more freeride and rock eating feel to the bike. With 155mm (6.1”) of rear wheel travel, I wasn’t expecting the all mountain Titus to fly up the hills, and its by no means a cross country race bike. But considering there is the potential to eat singletrack, make mincemeat of downhill’s, glide over roots and inspire confidences to new levels, the El Guapo behaved remarkably on the inclines. 

The placement of the linkage (directly behind the BB) means that when you do apply pressure through the cranks on the uphill, pedal bob is kept to a minimum, and help is at aid with the 3 position pro pedal feature on the custom RP23 rear shock. The full build weight of around 30lbs (Spec. Below) also helped to get the 6” all mountain rig up the hill. A noticeable feature on the El Guapo, Is the super low bottom bracket. Sitting at 13.80” the bottom bracket is a fraction under an inch lower than the Spicy. This results in a much better handling bike, and a lowered centre of gravity, which in essence, is going to provide a more fun nippy, trail bike. The head angle is slack enough to allow the bike to feel at home on the steeper trails, yet avoids narrow boat like characteristics when turning. 

When riding the El Guapo down the steeper rooted sections, I couldn’t help but compare its handling with that of my Giant Glory DH. The frame felt fully at home on the rough, and could no doubt hold its own against bigger downhill specific bikes. 

Conclusion – with the aesthetic appeal of a half dressed Beyonce, the burliness of the Mitchell brothers, and the speed of that Jamaican bloke from the Olympics, the El Guapo ticks all the right boxes on a 6” bike checklist. Not only does it climb like a cross country bike, it comes back down like a downhill bike, and will eat jumps and drops alike without breaking a sweat. The El Guapo is a serious benchmark in the category. NB

Sun shines on the right Trails

As quick as the mud came it disappeared. Wow the last few days have been glorious sunshine and today was the best of the lot. So sorry to all you guys stuck in the office!

9 of us started and finished today. Although after the 1st climb we lost Gary to 2 punctures. While he returned to the shop for first aid we rode Grievous Angel. Scott from Oz had come down from Essex to ride and was in at the deepend with a bad landing, good attempted recovery and then a comedy crash off the first log. (see video) Gilles was back on form although he did have a refusal on the 2nd.

Chris had a laying down moment on the 3rd, right in front of me but fortunately I did not land on him.

We lunched on the green outside the shop while Gary got tubed up again and rejoined the ride.

Sweet sweet bulbs ws calling and we sessioned that which is really in great condition now, then down F&M. Climbing up to Coldharbour we rode the Summer Lightning DH trail then over to Valorian to find Ken's shades (apparently he went OTB last night and left them there).

At that point having mentioned everyone elses crashes and mishaps I dropped into the Valorian bombhole, and trying to go fast to make it up the other side I sank my front wheel in the mud, went OTB and shoulder checked the other bank. Ow! 1st crash in ages and no armour- that hurt and I went quiet. (Shoulder and knee are now rather swollen and black and blue already! Watch out there may be photos later!)

I was not alone in questionable technique as everyone after me had an off moment trying to get out the climb and some tree hugging was attempted.

Descending damn fast down Bassanova (is there any other way?) we finished down to Rookery so fast and dry- fun! Another great ride in the bag!

Riders: Simon, Roger, Scott, John, Chris, Gary, Matt, Gilles, Claire

Super Sunday Singletrack

Wow! After such a quiet Wednesday ride we had a huge turn out today- 15! And we were not the only ones- Peaslake stores were packed with hungry bikers out to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather even though the trails still had a few splashes of mud hanging around. (Especially at the bottom of big bomb hole drop ins!)

We climbed up around Leith taking in some time to practice drops off at"Jab it in the Eye" and the quarry before dropping down and up over to Holmbury, then dropped into Peaslake via Surfer Rosa and Golden Bridies which is in great condition. After a crowded snack stop we carried on up to Leith Tower again and then down via Windy Willows which was very muddy.

Stopping to video the jump on Windy Willows I was precariously positioned in the crash landing zone once again but had a narrow escape from a tangle with a Lapierre Spicy!

Miles and miles today at a mellow sunny pace- but clearly some technique practice still required by many preparing for their Alpine and Canadian holidays- no doubt a good turn out at next Saturday's skills ride I hope!

Riders: Simon, Simon, Mike, Martin, Andy, Jason, Nick, Richard, Giorgio, Mike, Matt, Laura, Claire, Dave

Dorking Holiday Destination

Officially the quietest ride I've ever known! Simon had to man the shop, so Claire led the ride but only John Chef turned up from our "regulars" and a newbie- Tim who was on holiday in Dorking for the 3rd year running!



As a local and regular I never think of Dorking/North Downs as a holiday destination but when Tim got us talking about it, it makes a lot of sense. They hired a cottage in Broadmoor which was very cheap, had a whole gang of them staying there. They can walk and mountain bike the seemingly endless trails locally from their door. They don't even need to know the trails - just come riding with the Nirvana shop rides and its easy. It's only the weather that's a gamble and it seems that gamble payed off this week.

Plus down the A24 for the kids there's Bocketts farm and for the adults Denbies wine tasting tours! I'm sure the tourist info has lots more you can do but I never put myself in the shoes of a tourist here before.



Anyway we rode and rode and hardly stopped today lots of mileage. Over to Holmbury where I managed to lose John briefly (yes I know there were only 3 of us how did I lose one!) We whizzed down sweet sweet Golden Birdies to Peaslake to regroup with him. Then we climbed up Pitch, initiated Tim on 2 headed dog (see vids) and got ourselves lost on the Perimeter trail in Winterfold.

Muddling our way back on track to take in the bombholes, switchback trail and Orange Clawhammer whilst fixing Tim's 2 punctures delayed us a little but the weather was soooo good we stopped and had tea and cake at Peaslake before winding our way back to the shop by the usual tracks.

Such a great weather day and trails were so so dry and fast. Where were you all my usual Wed crowd? You missed out!

Riders: John C, Tim, Claire (Capt from the back!)

Return to Mud!

Ah well we have had a pretty good stretch of dry trails and after all we probably needed some April showers but isn't it amazing how mother nature knows that it's a British bank holiday! 

After 2 days of solid rain and clearly quite a few mountain bikers who desperate to ride had ridden anyway- the trails today were back to a layer of mud in most areas and plenty of evidence of mountain bike tyres. Nevertheless we were 8 riders - the BH trains delaying Jonathan and Richards start and a lost brake pad pin scuppering Simon's efforts to start with us (Tip: NEVER throw away your old brake pads and parts til you buy the new ones!)  

Anyway we rode up to Redlands and the Deja Vu trail- off camber in the mud is a wake up challenge! Then over to Summer Lightning and Richard (who is new to jumping) hit the first rooty jump on the DH trail and landed it a little wobbly before hitting the deck hard! He jumped back up but clearly this 4th crash of the week had taken its toll a bloody knee, elbow and a shiner meant that he was taking it easy for the rest of the ride- but he still managed to stick with it all the way. (Next stop is the Saturday skills ride for him!)  

It was foggy all day and sitting up at Leith Tower for tea and cake there were no views to be had in any direction! I just found a photo from last Easter up here and there was snow so just a typical Easter again! We rode a lot of twisty singletrack in the area to let Adrian get a proper test ride out of the Lapierre Zesty and the new skills he acquired by riding such a great bike.

Then Simon made us ride delieverance/roller coaster in the mud! Now I only ever just about ride it in the dry so this seemed like a dumb idea but after filming Jonathan and Andy making it down in good control I decided to go for it but as I went over the edge and the bike picked up speed I started to doubt the decision but it was too late I let go off the brakes as the tyres squirled around on the muddy off camber diagonal roots and picked up lots of speed then just about managed to stop before I hit the metal debris at the bottom- phew!  

Well we headed out doubting we could get such a great ride in such muddy conditions but ended up with big muddy smiles on our faces. In fact Adrian loved it so much he bought that Lapierre Zesty as soon as we got back to the shop- proof of a great ride!  

Riders: Simon, Adrian, Andy, Claire, Jonathan, Richard, Jason, Simon(DNS)

Something a little different!

7.5 riders today heading out from the shop. The half was Gilles who returning from his knee injury (read down a few blog entries) managed to ride half of the first half and half of the 2nd half of the ride!

We rode something a little different today as from the shop we turned right along the road turning left into Unum and climbing up to Ranmore on a very steep climb. Descending down through Denbies and up through Mickleham to a trail called "Pete's Path" a very off camber narrow singletrack with exposure on your right meaning you need to stay on the trail and not slip off, plus a few diagonal roots along the way just for a further challenge. Finishing with a chicane steeply descending around a fallen tree. Thankfully it was dry even after all last night's rain or there may have been a few casualties.

Climbing up via High Ashgrove Scout camp, and right towards the viewpoint at BoxHill- Jonathon and I got chatting and spinning along we realised Simon souped up on all his energy drink had disappeared with the pack and we were dropped. We descended a hairy wet chalky rutty descent which threw both of us off our bikes before we came out on the A25- not quite where we needed to be! A bit of road riding got us back to Rykas to meet the gang just in time to get over to Gilles house to take tea and cake in the Garden- fabulous!

Full of cake - we climbed up the Denbies fire road, Simon having an energy crash again - (yup he had chocloate cake!) then we dropped into Grievous Angel and tried the three jumps currently rideable through this barely used track that is covered in leaves. The first was a diagonal jump over a fallen tree and a sudden right turn after the landing. Simon demo'ed it, Richard flew over it at speed and landed nicely then bounced off his bike into the foliage beyond but was fairly unscathed. I punched over it and landed a little to the left hitting every possible root on the landing, Jonathon popped off it with a nice controlled manual and John then did a half-pop to land on his front wheel a little squirly but not hitting any trees this week.

On the 2nd jump a little bigger onto an off camber loose landing, you really have to punch out as you cannot get speed. Simon gave us another perfect demo, new Richard full of bottle went for it and completly nose dived off it but survived. (He needs to cut his seat post and lower that saddle- weight back!). Jonathon again made it look sooo easy popping his front wheel up and hanging in the air. Then John went for it and punched out with such gusto that he was still way off the back of his bike as he landed rear wheel first and took another adrenalin shot as he decorated his shorts with mud.  After such demos I wanted to duck out of it but as John said the landing was soft I went for it and was full of my adrenalin filled self talk "ready and - punch out!" and ooh it was a very smooth landing- nice jump!

The next sections were pretty technical too espesh in the off camber leaves which really slide your bike from under you. Down the last drop in steep roll over a fallen tree trunk, new Richard decided to entertain us with one more fall- this time at speed towards a tree- and as we all heald our breath, fortunately he dumped the bike towards the tree and himself to a cushion of softer leaves. After all that we thought this might be his first and last ride but judging by his smile he's coming back for more.

So without my camera today the pics are from iphones and as they are not good for action photos you can enjoy the blurs! (No doubt some iPhone geek will be sending me an upgrade or some tips on how to get better photos on your iPhone).

Riders: Simon, Col, Gilles, Jonathon, John, Richard, Richard, Claire

April Fool's in the Saddle

Now today's Wednesday ride just happened to fall on April fool's day- setting out we all wondered which one of us would be playing the fool. Just 6 of us set out from a very busy shop- sprinting up Ranmore to ride over the tree roll and down into Abba Zabba, Blind Terror and Numb Skull.

Simon hit an energy crisis at Abba Zabba already and was refueled by some Power Gel and water both loaned out. (A busy shop keeper doesn't have time to prepare for his own ride!)  We blame the box of chocolate biscuits from John which was supposed to be a post-ride treat but became a pre-ride snack!

Testing out the new benches and bike stands at Peaslake and of course an excellent cup of tea and cake- Simon was banned from chocolate and pop and stuffed with bananas and energy drink- fully recovered we headed up Pitch at a good pace and played on the jumps at Proper Beau.

In an effort to improve take off technique we were rolling in without pedalling in order to compress and pop off the take off ramp to try and clear to the tranny. This was all going fine and then John mentioned how we should pick him up when he hits the tree. Now its a funny thing but when you pre-empt such things they often come about - so he promptly took off over the jump, landed it, squirled into the tree taking the full force of the impact in the saddle area (body and bike- ow!)

And so our fool of the day had indeed been found- yes the redesigned saddle is a picture that tells a thousand hurts!  And no these are not for sale at the shop in this design. 

John rode back with the saddle just resting on the rails and fastened Blue Peter style by me with some string from the Peaslake shop!

Great weather, good fun, plenty of miles and a few laughs at our fools expense.

Riders: Simon, Phil, Jo, John, Ken, Claire

Lapierre Zesty Video MBR

So Andy Watermand from MBR definitely shares our views of the Lapierre Zesty - what a great ride!

Here's a video of the Zesty in action as part of Andy's testing-

But to really see it in action you can ride with some great Lapierre riders on our group rides - or even take one out on a demo ride yourself- we have a medium 514 demo bike in store.

The day Surrey Stood still!

OK the title is a bit dramatic but... whether it was the change in clocks last night (and the need to stay in bed) or the Boat Race or the Australian Grand Prix, or the fact we broke a rider or 2 recently- there was a surprisingly low turn out for the ride today and not only for us - the trails were dead quiet and even Leith Tower had no queue for its fantastic cake and tea stop!

Well Simon, Simon and I headed out anyway bang on time and played on a jump in the local woods when Matt and Laura caught us up so we were 5!

We rode Sweet sweet bulbs and did some more trail maintenance on the berms which are shaping up nicely, then via Capt Underpants we headed over heads roll and up to Leith Tower for said Cakes- mmm Yummy! Then we weaved around over to the quarry and played on Worth the Myther and once we were pretty dizzy after that we sprinted back via Personal Hygiene down to Summer Lightning where we sessioned the DH trail while some guys borrowed Simons chain tool to get fixed.  This set Shop Simon a new challenge to clear the last double, whilst Happy simon was clearing it smoothly by the end. It appears some compression off the take off is really necessary balanced with a good speed but not too fast. Check the video action and action stills for details!

Trails are still in great condition despite the rain yesterday and Summer Lightening was at its fastest so it was a fun run back. It appears the trees are sucking up all the moisture to make leaves so its nice and dry!

See you on Wednesday- get out and ride!

Riders: Simon, Simon, Claire, Matt, Laura

Ranmore Abba Zabba to Numb Skull

Many have heard of Abba Zabba, some may call it by other names and have ridden it, others ask where and what is it. So today we headed up the North Downs Way near Ranmore and White Down car park to ride a linked up fun piece of Singletrack from Abba Zabba into Blind Terror and down to Numb skull and show the fun to be had here- especially as the conditions are so great up on Ranmore right now.

Above is a video of the whole trail.

Below is us playing just on Abba Zabba a fun bomb hole with a left hand turn around a tree.

If you want to know where it is- come ride with us or pop into the shop for directions, but beware the big gap jump at the end of  the trail- a big hole that could catch out anyone who is flowing with the trail and unaware of what's ahead.

Have fun!

Wednesday ride

We had a big crowd for Wednesday's ride despite the fact clouds were gathering and rain threatening- but there is some fear that the trails won't be dry for much longer.

Heading up to Sweet sweet bulbs for some trail maintenance we shot a couple of jump videos- Nick showing us how we should be styling it up over the jumps. Then over to Heads Roll where inspiration spread and Gilles was in form and loving his highs before a kick up off the new jump which led to a bad front wheel landing and an over the bars landing on his bad knee- and his ride was done. Pleasure and pain Gilles- hope you recovered well.

Next up the agony climb from the Plough to the cricket green, across Bop til you Drop and over the tower down to Donnie Darko where Nat was doing dog squashing sessions. A few drops were hit then we were pedalling again and  weaving through Worth the Myther, losing Nick who wacked his shoulder on a tree. It looked like the rain was on its way and we rode back via a speedy speedy Summer Lightning and into the shop for tea just in time for the rain to chuck it down.

Riders: Simon, Nick, Jo, Claire, Gilles, Chris, Gary, Gavin, John, Chris,

Sunday Group Ride

Weather was still holding out today but when the wind blew it was arctic, forecast is a return to wintry conditions next week so we rode lots of dry trails from Ranmore to Newlands and around to make the most of it.

Watch the video of us riding Abba Zabba- I missed Steve's crash and breakage of trees. Fortunately he was bruised but not broken.

The rest of the ride we just rode and rode at a mellow but costant pace- some beautiful views over St. Martha's Hill where many mothers were being treated to Mothers day picnics. 

Nick decided to scare some young ladies by riding through the fords and getting wet as is his habit, the rest of us keeping dry crossing the bridge instead. We carried on until Simon hit the wall after lunching in Shere on chocolate and had to pootle home on zero energy- we rode on a little via Peaslake led by Gilles and then we did the usual ride like mad back to the shop, beating Simon back.

Riders: - Simon, Gilles, Nick, Matt, Dave, John, Steve, Michael, Claire.

Saturday Freeride skills session

Once again the sunshine brought a good turn out, 8 of us went up to session heads roll.

Some (like me) stuck to the existing jumps where skills still need to be honed while Florian created something new and the brave amongst us rode it in a varied range of styles, slow fast, sketchy, smooth.... Matt had a close encounter with his top tube which raised his voice a few notches for a while. 

Gilles arrived without his Mojo- at least it was still riding up the hill some 2 miles behind him- and after a quick practice he reluctanly got dragged along with us over to Donnie Darko where we played on No. 1 drop with a few spectators and then most moved on to No 2 which needed a good approach speed to clear it. Florain, Hugh, Tom, Matt, Gilles and Simon all made that one but Chris and I decided it was not for us ...yet.

As that was going well and the trails were dry and fast a decision was made to go for No. 3 which Simon, Matt, Florian and Hugh all cleared. You have to ride with speed and pump the take off to clear the 14-15 foot gap here. We all looked on in awe as another young rider overcooked it a little but had no worries continuing on to absolutely fly off the No.4 gap so high in the air and easily clearing the 20foot gap between take off and landing. (Thankfully no-one went for it- although Hugh was tempted I feared!)

We scooted down Windy Willows and headed home. I might not hit the big gaps but I actually love the 3 log rolls/jumps at the end of Windy Willows- even better in the dry right now. 

So lots more acheivements for many from today's session. (Keep these dry trails coming)

Old Blokes Ride Wed 18th March

The sun is shining on Surrey so there was a great turnout on Wednesday to ride some dry dry trails.

We headed up to Sweet sweet bulbs for some trail maintenance and after testing out the good work done by all there we rode via Heads Roll on up to Leith Tower, over to the quarry jumps for a few sessions and then back on Worth the Mither into Windy Willows finishing down the Rookery which has a new tarmac top to it recently.

John quiet as ever provides some good commentary as to everyone's skills or attitude - check the video footage.

The trails out there are so so dry- ride 'em while it lasts (oh long may it last p-lease!). A great chance to make use of those technical skills acquired all winter without fear of slipping in mud pools or slick roots for a change.

Sunday Ride - 8th March

So I disappeared off to Spain to ride in the sunshine (more on that later) and did not join this ride so I've no idea what went on but luckily Christine subbed for me on the videos and pictures so here they are.

Photos click here

Return to New Values

No I'm not going to get all political and talk about the "new values" of society today. Rather- this is the sequel to the blog video below from Wednesday 25th Feb (scroll down) about "Will she, Won't she ride the New Values drop off?"

A group of 9 of us headed out from the shop at 11 and today was really about getting some good mileage and playing on singletrack taking in some challenges along the way. Alex in the shop told us that Ranmore was in good condition, usually so muddy at this time of year, it is pretty dry after this fine weather spell. So up we climbed to the North Downs Way (NDW).

We practiced our log hopping technique then headed down Abba Zabba- a challenging huge fast bomb hole descent with a sudden up and turn left around the tree down again into another hole and back up the other side. Then sweet singletrack to another technical rollover called "Blind Terror"-- mmm yes I can see why? Not as bad as it looks just go in slow and stay off the brakes over the roots. Everyone managed it down- Dave riding it fast and smooth and Melanie with a grimace of doubt on her face just went for it and despite a squirly finish stayed attached to the bike! We figure she just proves that Vancouverites are born with a need to ride this stuff.

Along NDW and down to Shere for a picture postcard setting for a lunch stop next to the river. Up to Pitch Hill and play on Proper Beau for a few videos of the jump. Matt from Oz rode off it behind Gilles, me and Simon landing it and then almost exiting over the bars as he ran into simon. Then Michael from Slovakia rode off it a little off line and landed it with one foot on the pedal one foot on the jump- we all gasped, but he controlled it fine.

Then Simon said "Let's go to "New Values"". Well at that point my heart rate went up as I refused it on Wednesday but said "I'll be back" (in my best Arnie impression). Can I do it today? Am I switched on?

I have to admit I have been "mentally rehearsing" it in bed. A technique I learnt in my netball days where you play the set plays in your mind before matches until you can do them without even thinking. In my dreams I can see myself riding up to the edge and punching the bike forward, enjoying the view from the air and landing buttery smooth on the transition slope- so I hoped I was ready!

As usual Simon and Gilles popped off it and made it look easy. So with my heart racing I threw the camera at Matt to video me (although I did not stop to check it was actually set up right). I was quickly starting my slow slow run in, I stopped thinking about the drop and just crouched my arms in tight to the handlebars, let go of the brakes and punched the bike forward off the edge. In the air for ages, landed, yeehaaa that felt just like I dreamt it- high fives- Job done! (Phew!)

From there we raced back at a good pace to Westcott off road. Another array of smiley faces- great weather, great trails, great company.

Riders:  Simon, Gilles, Richard, Melanie, Matt, Dave, Michael, Claire, (oh no- whose name did I forget? Well I did warn you about my recall for names!)

Stats: 36km, at least 1 huge ego boost (me!), 9 smiley faces

Why we wear helmets....

Today's freeride group ride had surprises for each and everyone of us. Everyone surprised themselves with how far and high they jumped but some were also surprised by that thing called gravity and how quick the ground can rise up to meet you sometimes! There was definitely some helmet product testing going on.

We set out with 8 and decided given our skills levels we should do a gradual warm-up and build up before we tackled the bigger challenges ahead at Donnie Darko. So we had a go at the gap jump, Captain Underpants, and then over to Heads roll where we sessioned and sessioned the 2 gap jumps in the middle. The first one kind of throws you up a small kicker to a natural tranny into a dip but the 2nd one you really have to have speed and a good take off technique to clear a horizontal gap of around 10+ foot (maybe 3-4m).

At first everyone was landing on the flat landing on the 2nd or landing rear wheel first but you can see from the video analysis that gradually speed and technique were pieced together until we were all landing on the transition with 2 wheels together of front then back. And the smiles said it all- each rider was stoked to have nailed a gap jump!

Matt and Simon then impressed us by tackling the "stupid" 21 foot gap where there is no option but to clear it, no nice flat landing to save you mid way you MUST commit and you MUST make the transition. They both went for it and heart in my mouth they both landed it- spot on! Phew!

Next stop was Rollercoaster really just en route to Donnie Darko but Luka riding it blind got into a fast flow and flew over the last big bomb hole, taking air and landing in a rut to go over the bars or rather into the bars, winding himself badly and crumbling on the ground, gasping for air. We decided once he got his breath back that he should finish riding for the day and we called "Thunderbird 2 to the rescue" (Jackie) to chauffeur  him and his bike off to get checked out- just in case. 

Meanwhile some hairy descents down deliverance were had and the group then had to split off. 5 of us carried on to Donnie Darko. Now without Simon our chief jump demo guy with us, I took the lead and expertly described the technique (in theory) for dropping off the stone ledge and I got Matt to demo it (well I have not done it for 2 years!) Then I did a demo and clearly it was good enough for Anthony to try it too. Ed decided "maybe not", but while Gareth was videoing we all did it again and this time we did it better and it looked and felt smooth. 

Clearly it was impressive as Ed decided to go for it so I clicked record on the video and ... "oh boy" he decided not to jump it but rather to try a front flip off of it! Unfortunately that turned into a somersault landing on his head and folding in 2- all on video- watch to the end for the entertainment!  (My reaction in words says it all!)

Amazingly he was soon up and walking away, a little dazed and confused! Imagine if he did not have a helmet on! Which reminds me- I can't believe it when I see people riding the trails round here without a helmet, even if you don't ride off the technical stuff like this- you never know when a branch will catch you or a root grabs your front wheel and over you go. Protect your bonces guys!

So well done Luka and Ed for wearing helmets- anyway we would not ride with you without them. (By the way there's a special on Giro Xen's on the Nirvana online shop (best helmet ever) - especially there for people like you).

Riders: - Simon, Claire, Matt, Chris, Ed, Anthony, Luka, Gareth

Stats: - 4 jumps mastered, 5 raised egos, 2 broken helmets, 2 broken egos, 8 new friends- ahhh!

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I feel like a Proper Beau

Not a big turn out for today's ride, probably because of a forecast of slight rain, although that failed to emerge. Just 5 of us, Chris back for more after his baptism last week, Ken, Gilles, Simon and Claire the regulars.

So as I'm just one of the boys when it comes to riding, Simon decided I needed to become a "Proper Beau" master. So we sprinted on up to Peaslake and up Pitch and turned onto the "Warm-up" jumps on Proper Beau- the first is a slight downhill onto a small ramp and a tiny gap jump that if you don't clear it you won't get into trouble, the 2nd is a bigger ramp and a bigger gap to clear, the gap is filled with logs so its not too nasty if you land on them but its not that comfy either.

After a few fast and faster sessions over these playing with our speed and technique we were clearing them enough to be ready for the big gap jump no.3. Well all except Tree magnet Chris who despite never trying this stuff before was valiantly leaping off everything but frightening us with his wish to hug trees after each jump!

As we are still learning this stuff I've tried to show some freeze frames in the video to help everyone with their technique analysis.

Next Simon and Gilles demo'ed the bigger gap jump on Proper Beau - it's about an 8 foot gap but the ramp up looks huge as you roll in fast to it. However if you miss the landing tranny, again, you won't hurt too much but you'll get a jolt.

There were far too many trees around for Chris to attempt it and Ken was preserving life for his holiday but I gave it a go and landed pretty well on my first attempt, so next we rolled in as a 3 rider sequence and this time I was faster and flew of the ramp and landed perfectly on 2 wheels on the great tranny- it felt sweet!

We were just getting ready to move on when Ken went back to get his bike and after a long pause and thinking about it he rolled in fast and cleared it first time- I just got the video on him in time! Sweet!

We carried on down T2 to the car park and then watched Simon and Gilles drop off "New Values" - a DH roll in to a large drop over roots and a nice steep smooth transition. As usual they made it look easy.... so I rode up to it twice but decided to leave on a high note and save that adrenalin shot for another day. Watch this space....

Sounds like we only play but after that we got some fast miles in and fixed 2 punctures in a row for Chris. Fortunately he saw fit to invest in new tyres back at the shop, ready for his next tree seeking expedition!