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!

Share your Ride Experience!

Whether you ride with the shop group or just ride the North Downs/Surrey Hills.....

If you have bought a bike, frame, forks or component from our shop and want to tell us all about it.... 

We want our customers and local riders to tell us what they think of the routes, share ideas, techniques or antics.

We want you to share your feedback on the equipment you ride with- how does it ride? What's it good for? Would you recommend it to other blog readers? Why do you drink that funny blue stuff- does it help?

Then click on the right to follow our blog or email us your email address and we'll add you so you can publish your thoughts here.

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!

Traveling the World? Ride here first!

I'm gonna start right off the bat and apologise for my lack of camera battery management skills, so today's photos come from my iPhone and clearly I'm just learning the timing for action pics on that! I came home and found the charged battery sitting on the side- oops!

Luckily I was bailed out by newcomer Christine from San Francisco who took loads of pics and even got me on video doing intrepid stuff- read on for that. So keep watching this space as I'll add her pics/vids later.

Lots of new faces today with an international flavour and not so many regulars. 13 of us headed out (and all 13 came back together!). I'll take a stab at some names but as usual you know I missed some... Sasha over from NZ for an extended holiday met Melanie (from Vancouver) and Christine (US) on the train and decided to join us to find the "best stuff"- good decision. Now we all know Vancouver is home of the North Shore and Marin in SF is the reputed birthplace of mountain biking so we had some terrain to live up to.

As we headed up the first climb I was admiring Ronan's mud guard from THE industries- it looked robust but after "selling" me on it, it promptly fell off at the first sign of mud and he wore it as an aerofoil on his backpack for the rest of the ride. In fact it has worn away at the bolt so I'll still consider it as a possibility for my fat seatpost!

Chris' bike had suffered months of neglect at the back of the garage and was creeking from every corner in pain but incredibly survived the whole ride despite the most amazingly worn jockey wheels, a sticky freewheel and chainsuck meaning he had to keep pedaling even downhill! (Some TLC please before my next ride!) Tim was the lucky rider on the demo Lapierre and he rode off everything we threw at him and stormed past me on the stony descent off high ashes throwing me into a wheel eating rut! Well I can't blame him- you gotta ride that bike hard.

Our first taste of the fun trails to come was rollercoaster on Leith- with a few bombholes to roll down and up and enjoy the g-force. Then we headed up past the tower but no tea stop yet....

Rollercoaster & Agony Aunt (click to enlarge):

Click here for more photos from Christine

Steve got a swift lesson in jumping after hitting Agony Aunt (noisily as usual) and pretty much pogoing from his front wheel to back and almost over the bars. Simon gave some good advice and demos of how to compress into the transition and then throw your bike forward through your legs to land so his weight was not so far over the front wheel as he landed. The tip here is to practice your manuals on the flat in a similar way kicking the pedals away and extending your arms. 

So we headed towards the quarry to practice the technique. On the way Simon took us to "A Jab in the Eye" a steep drop off that you could just about roll down but is better to throw your bike off and clear the 'HUGE' root to land on a nice verticalish tranny. Calvin watched him do it and to prove he had his Mojo with him he rode up to it nice and slow, threw his bike forward and landed sooo smoothly- text book! At that point I announced that "you made it look so easy I might do it." (Did I say that out loud in front of a dozen people?) 

So there I was riding up to it..... push the bike thru.... I'm airborne.... wow I've landed... a wobble.... no I'm still upright- yeehaaa that feels great. By now my knees were wobbling with that adrenalin hit. And what a great gang- all cheering me on!

Melanie proved that Canadian girls have gumption and she rolled over the steep drop in on the left as if she does it everyday (although that's not what her face said!)

Sessioning the quarry everyone tried at least the small jump, with Steve practicing his new technique, and Simon had Calvin and I going off the big one. I did it but I have a way to go before I clear smoothly to the tranny.

A rapid descent down High Ashes heading for the Peaslake tea stop via a great run down Golden Birdies (as usual) by all  although the exit onto the road proved an over the bar experience for one who shall remain nameless. Then we pretty much headed back the lowland way via Friday Street to the shop taking in some steep descents and rollovers and one steep leafy climb to keep it interesting.

Always great to see our local trails through the eyes of newcomers and see them acheive new skills. So Thanks for joining us.

Oh yeah and did I mention how dry the trails were and how sunny and warm it is? (That's for all you poor regulars who couldn't make it this week- sorry!)

Riders: - Simon, Calvin, Melanie, Christine, Sasha, Ronan, Chris, Tim, Mark, Steve, John, Claire, OK I know there's one name that eludes me- who is it?- please leave a comment!

Stats: - 31km, 4.5hrs

Lapierre Zesty Review

Many of you may have read our Rowan's review of the Zesty way back in January 2008,  it seems the bike mags have caught wind of this wonder of a bike and are loving it as a longtermer test bike.

Here's the latest review from MBR's Andy Waterman: -

Want to test ride one yourself?

We have a Zesty 514 medium demo bike available for test rides from the shop- just give us a call.

But if you've already ridden one then leave us your comments below...

Lapierre Spicy hits the headlines

You may have noticed in the bike mags this month quite a lot of reverance for the Lapierre Spicy that MBR and MBUK have both had on test.

Check out the reviews here and if you don't believe them or you want to try them out for yourselves we have a Lapierre Spicy 316 medium available for demo rides at the shop. Why not take one out and write your review or comments on this blog. (and if you already had a demo or bought one add your comments below)

What brings you here today?

OK so we all come for the marvellous mountain biking but inspired by the fact that 2 new riders joined us today because they found us on the blog I thought the theme for today would be what brought you to ride with Nirvana Cycles?

Today Chris joined us as he's on leave from the RAF having just got back from Afghanistan and being a northerner down south he doesn't know how to find the great local mountain bike trails that he has heard of via the grapevine. He chanced upon this blog and here he was riding with us and having a lot of fun just having a go at some of the jumps and singletrack we regularly ride. He'd have never found it without us and now armed with his maps from the shop he has a better chance of finding it again. But I'm sure he'll be back for more group rides.

Guy also found the blog and came along as he wants to train for his holiday tour riding across the highlands of Scotland this Summer. He's here to improve his fitness and had not ridden such technical trails before but hopefully he'll be back for more and will not only improve fitness but gain some more technical skills to beat his buddies on that ride.

Then again there are the long termers- Richard used to play Golf but wanting to lose some weight he started road riding until he bumped into an injured mountain biker in A&E and decided that looks like fun. So he came and joined the Nirvana rides. There was no turning back and I'd guess that his mountain biking love has surpassed his Golf nowadays. The bikes have also gradually upgraded from that £100 secondhand heavy weight clunker to a svelte plush 5" travel Turner 5.5 spot- and wow what a difference the bike makes eh?

John and Chris started out on a guided ride with Nirvana and borrowed some demo bikes, John loved his Lapierre Zesty so much he phoned the shop to reserve one before he even finished the ride, now he's a regular weekly rider. And as for Chris- well just look at him on the video and you just know he has the bug!

As for me well I was a competitive netballer always trying to find time to play on my bike between matches (and not get injured!)- but eventually the netball commitment got beaten down by the freedom and thrill of riding my bike when and where and with whom I liked. I bumped into the Nirvana Group on holiday in Morzine in 2001 and was thrilled to find out they had singletrack trails in my backyard of the North Downs- wow!

Whatever your reason for riding- you're welcome on the ride as I'm sure we'll infect you with this bug and convert you to a regular or as a minimum show you some awesome local trails to ride.

(Free) Ride Sunday

It's valentines weekend and clearly those of us whose first love is really our mountain bike were out for a ride- 8 of us started out. 

The Sunday rides from Nirvana Cycles are advertised as free but this one truly became a FreeRide, unintentionally we ended up not piling on the miles this week but instead finding anything that we could rollover that might trip us up or we could launch off to get 3 inches of air, and there was plenty of material around Leith Hill.

We'd lost Nick off the back in the first climb so we played on the Summer Lightning DH trail jumps getting some good speed and air off the first 5 jumps while we waited for him to find us. Then we let Jason ride his nemesis jump that had ripped his shoulder rotator cuff some months ago, fortunately no repeat of that. 

Heading on up to Leith- Gilles and Simon sessioned Donnie Darko until Nick found us, then we played on Windy willows a little then back up to a packed Leith Tower for tea and cake. We met with Ian, Jo and Vier and picked up a couple of other riders at the Agony Aunt log jump, who tagged on to play on some drop ins and then play on the jumps in the quarry.

There was quite a bit of sessioning the kickers in the quarry until Gilles cleared the big one and hit his high for the day. We started back over to Redlands via Deliverance which we all made it down in a variety of sketchiness and then we watched Simon's build up to the big jump and then his bunny hop technique off the ramp at the bottom (what an anti-climax!)

Over in Redlands there's a fallen tree to ride over and our confident team knew they could ride it no problem but with a camera on them their unanticipated circus antics were entertaining for the cameraman if not the riders!

The trails are pretty muddy but all still ridable and again we were blessed with sunshine and the warmest day we have had in ages.

Finished at the shop for some of Liz's cake and a cuppa with Simon to tell our tales and show videos!

Team Lapierre v Turner (& Orange Squash)

Team Lapierre Zesty

Wednesday's ride saw a rivalry between the Turner riders and the Lapierres, with a Cove Stiffee and a less than Zesty Orange thrown in.

Claire, Matt and John were riding for the Lapierre Zesty team with his and hers blue 514's and Matt's bling top of the range 914 in black. We slightly outnumbered the Turner 5 spots for a change who were down to 2- Gilles and Richard but just to throw in some mix Chris was squeezing his new Orange 5 in there and ex-singlespeed champ Jason was back with the full 27 speed Cove Stiffee.


Team Lapierre v Turner (oh and an Orange boy!)

After 2 days of rain and freezing temps the sun again shone on us and we ventured out into the blue skies and deep mud. Heading over to Holmbury, Pitch and Winterfold where going was pretty good versus the slop on the Leith Hill trails. Again we all took on the adrenalin shot of 2 headed dog and then further into the mud we ended up riding up a river (OK Gilles it was justa stream but its all your fault!).


It's always great to look at the different levels of skills and fitness of each rider. After all we have all been there at some stage. So often a newer rider comes along and feels concerned to be at the back or not able to ride some of the technical routes but are soon regaled with stories from the rest of us- we all started out there too, looking over precipice drops and saying "You ride down that?!" and yet now we just ride over it with hardly a qualm.

Plus we have all had our stint at the back of the group (some of us more than others)- always catching up and breathless as the rested front runner take off again when you get there. BUT we all stuck with it and kept on riding, kept pushing our skills limits and kept on improving so now we can ride with the pack or ride the technical stuff (which gets to be more and more fun).

So the moral of this story is "Stick with it", keep coming out riding with us and you too will see the improvements in your skills and fitness- and boy that sure feels good!