shorter rides

28
Jun
2016
Get into Mountain Biking: Twyford

Get into Mountain Biking: Twyford

Join us for a delicious taste of what mountain biking is all about. This ride is an absolute hoot that will definitely leave you enthused and wanting more.

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What’s it like?

The ride is built around two cracking descents that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. If that’s not enough, the views over Winchester and the South Downs from the top are stunning.

The climbs that link the climbs are within everyone’s grasp with plenty of opportunity to ride at your own pace and chat with the other people on the ride. The views more than make up for any effort you’ve put into getting there.

But it’s the downs that are the heart of this ride.

The first is sweeping woodland singletrack that will have you grinning no matter how fast you choose to go. It’s steep enough to roll the whole way down without pedalling but never intimidating. The dirt is lovely and grippy while the corners are the perfect width to really enjoy.

The second descent is a perennial favourite of mountain bikers in the area because it’s so much fun. It’s a sunken lane that drops from the top of the down threading its way between tall hedges. It strikes just the right balance of steepness. It can be ridden as a flat-out bomb from the top, but it’s just as much fun taken at a gentler pace.

Did I mention the views? They’re lovely too. This is maximum fun for the minimum of effort.

At the end there’s always the opportunity to stop for a drink in Twyford village.

Who’s it for?

This is ideal for people who want to try mountain biking for the first time. It’s also perfect for anyone who has tried it and wants another taste.

The climbs on the route are all achievable by anyone. None of them are too big or steep and there are no real technical obstacles on any of them.

The descents are fun and engaging but neither steep nor too technical. Everything can be ridden comfortably at walking pace. Take them at your own pace: they’re a lot of fun no matter how fast you are going.

The distance is well within reach of everyone but there are opportunities to tailor the route to the fitness of the group on the day.

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Where are we meeting?

We’ll meet in Hunter Park in Twyford.

The park entrance is on Park Lane which leaves the main road beside the Bugle Inn.

[Google_Maps_WD id=3 map=3]

Posted by BackPedalling Andy in Rides
15
Mar
2016
Sometimes it’s not about the ride, it’s about how you look in the photographs

Sometimes it’s not about the ride, it’s about how you look in the photographs

Ride down for about 20 metres, wham on anchors, get off, push back up.

Is this my good side?

Is this my good side?

Ride down again for about 20 metres, avoid lady in undergrowth, wham on anchors, get off, push back up.

Ride down again for about 20 metres, try not to gurn or stick thinking tongue out as I go past the lady lying on the floor, wham on anchors, get off, push back up.

Load bike into car, drive to next spot, repeat.

It’s a lovely, sunny, warm, early spring day and I’m out for a ride. What could be better? Well, maybe riding more than 20 metres at a go for a start. Why on earth am I doing this? More importantly, why is there a lady lying in the undergrowth?

I promise, there’s nothing nefarious going on.

When I first put the website together I went through all the photos I’d accumulated over the years and found they were all taken by me. Thus I appeared in none of them, barring selfies of my face covered in mud. In order to get photos of me riding I needed a photographer to take them. Now, where to find one? Actually, that bit was easy: my mother is a photographer looking to turn professional. It was a perfect match.

I had a good long think about where to go, which trails might create interesting shapes and dynamic-looking riding. I had loads of ideas so I went out and scoped them, taking photos of the bits that looked best and put together an itinerary.

Thus I found myself out in some of my local haunts sessioning incredibly short sections of trail. We walked around looking for those places where interesting trail met useful light for photographs. Suddenly, my long list of spots became much shorter as I discarded the ones that were too deep in shade, and the ones where the light was coming from the wrong angle, and the ones where there was nowhere to sit to get the shots. The list came down to a small handful. I can see now why magazine shots all seem to be in similar places: they know where they can reliably get good photos of riding.

Not only that but riding for a photographer is very different from riding for fun. It really is a case of riding just far enough to get up to speed, blasting past the camera and then stopping. Not only that but I found I really needed to exaggerate the forms I was making on the bike or it looked like I was standing still. I also discovered that riding repeatedly about six inches from someone’s very expensive camera is quite stressful: there’s no margin for error. Not only that but, as she was lying on the floor for the best angle, I couldn’t even look at her as her head was at axle height: a bad place to be looking when you’re riding. Just ride the right line and assume you’re not going to clobber her lens. Looking back up the path I could see endless tyre tracks and they were all mine.

Dropping In!

Faster than it looks

Faster than it looks

It was not riding as I know it. It was also really, really revealing of bad technique where my weight was in the wrong place or I was looking the wrong way. It was, nonetheless a lot of fun, carving the shapes I’ve seen in magazines and adverts, giving it large if you will. I was also getting something out of riding the same corner over and over again to get the right pose, adjusting my line slightly, adjusting my posture slightly, adjusting my speed slightly rather than just riding it once and heading off to the next trail.

“Why are all the places in the woods?” I’d not really thought about it before but all the good, twisty bits of singletrack were in trees. Individually, they made great shots but, after a while, it all looked a bit the same.

Oh, and one of my favourite riding jerseys is rubbish for the camera.

I’m really pleased with the results. For a first time rider in front of a first time photographer, we got some really good stuff. They’ll be gracing the website and social media before long. I’m under no illusions though: we’ve both got a lot to learn. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

In my case I need to learn not to stick my tongue out when riding!

Flat out, tongue out

Flat out, tongue out

Posted by BackPedalling Andy in Events, Thoughts
24
Feb
2016
Ride with someone better than you

Ride with someone better than you

It’s an old truism of mountain biking that the best way to improve (apart from actual coaching) is to ride with someone faster than you.

Try to stay with them, watch their line, their body position, where they brake, where they don’t, all those kinds of things.

Over the years, this informal has been a lot of fun. I remember playing ducks and rakes down some of our favourite local descents. Nothing makes you go faster than your mates right behind you. Very little is scarier than only being able to see your mate’s rucksack in front of you. Tip: don’t get too close. It works though.

Those rides seem a long time ago. These days my riding buddies are of more of a cross country persuasion. We’re pretty quick, with a bunch of Strava Kings of the Mountains between us. Great for setting a target going up hill but, when the trail points down, the story is often the same: “Andy, why don’t you go in front? You’ll only get held up.” It means I can see the trail ahead but doesn’t really improve my skills particularly.

I’m always looking for ways to improve my riding. I read magazine articles and try to put it into practice. I watch videos of the trail gods throwing shapes and try to do the same thing when I’m out. None of this is a substitute for seeing the real thing in action.

Which is why I was excited to be heading off to see my old friend Phil for a day’s riding around his local haunts in Kent. Phil and his mates are much more gravity oriented than my riding chums. At least one of them has successfully completed the Megavalanche which is a bit extreme for me. So I was looking forward to learning something new.

Here’s the Strava profile of the ride for your entertainment.

The ride was sold as “more cross country than sessioning descents” but I’d been out with Phil before and wasn’t fooled. Actually, I was. It really was more of an XC ride, but that didn’t matter. There were a few chances to watch these fellas in action. They were all quicker than me when gravity beckoned. They were definitely more skilled than me. But there I was, as close to their back wheel as I could manage (which was often not that close if I’m honest). I managed to see how they went about things, how they set themselves up, when they were fast and when they were slow, what line they took. A thousand tiny lessons. All of which will be added to my skills bank and used when I’m out here.

So what did I learn from them? What the line into a steep bend looks like. That my tyres will hold on round those bends. That brakes are sometimes my friend and sometimes my enemy.

Did they learn anything from me? Carry a spare banana. What persistence up loose hills looks like. That Hampshire riders can ride steep chalk slopes well.

Did I learn anything from the ride as a whole? No one uses Strava in Kent or I wouldn’t have got a top ten placing on a road climb riding a mountain bike. That loam is a lovely surface to ride. That a mid ride pub stop can be fraught if you’re covered in mud.

Most of all though, none of this matters if you’re having fun. So just get out and ride.

Thanks to Phil, Tom and Griz for showing me round their local woods. I’ll come back and ride them again when they’re dry.

Posted by BackPedalling Andy in Thoughts
09
Feb
2016
26 ain’t dead?

26 ain’t dead?

Not having the latest bike is not an obstacle to getting out and having a blast is the real lesson of the day.

Really? You’re going to open that can of worms?

Apparently so.

DSC_0247DSC_0338

Spot the difference?

In the summer of 2014, after years as a hardtail abuser, I upgraded my bike to the highly rated Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Evo (henceforth just called “Stumpy”) . I loved it. It is better than my old hardtail in almost every way, with the possible exception of the Formula brakes. It makes me a better rider, a more adventurous rider and a faster rider. It’s brilliant. My old hardtail sat in the bike shed unloved. No amount of telling my wife “I’ll use it in the winter” or “I’ll ride it to the pub” actually got it off the rack.

In December I found myself with time to ride but with the stumpy temporarily off the road. With a certain amount of trepidation, I got the hardtail off the rack, dusted it down, tuned it up and went for a ride. It’s an old Specialized Rockhopper, though the frame and the shifters are the only original components now. It’s a completely different bike: no rear suspension, 3×9 gearing, 100mm fork, no dropper seatpost and smaller wheels. How would it compare? Could I still ride it or would it end up in the hedge in frustration?

In its defence the trails were mucky as hell though, in the interests of fairness, it did have the same Storm Control tyres on so this was never going to be a fair test.

It was interesting. Initially, I found myself fuming every time I reached for the shift levers in the wrong place. When I got used to that, my attention turned to not being able to drop the seatpost without stopping (so I didn’t), which made a difference to how I rode. That dialled in, my attention was turned to the difference the wheels made.

That’s when it got really interesting. A lot is made of how much nippier 26” wheels are compared to 29ers. I’m not sure how much I noticed it going down a size, I suppose I’m used to using more energy to lean the bike over but it may have contributed to the second phenomenon. The grip, or lack of it. I lost count of the number of times I loaded the bike into a corner only for it to begin to slide away from me which took some getting used to. Was it the smaller contact patch or me using too much energy to lean the bike over? I’m not sure I could say for definite. But the difference was significant.

However the real question is: did it end up in the hedge? No. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to ride. It was like meeting a friend I’d not seen for years and picking up the conversation where we left off. It was great fun. It goes to show: actually the joy comes from getting out and riding, not from riding the best bike there is. It also shows that, certainly in the woods round here, any bike is a good bike if you ride it with the right attitude.

So, what’s the difference between 26 & 29? Not nearly as much as the difference between riding and not riding. Not having the latest bike is not an obstacle to getting out and having a blast, which is the real lesson of the day.

So, for a fun ride, so long as it’s in working order, whatever bike you have is good for a ride. Check out Backpedalling’s shorter rides for a fun introduction to the local trails.

I should admit, for the record, that I haven’t ridden the Rockhopper since I got the Stumpy back up and running: it is just more capable. I am, though, looking for a dropper seatpost for it. They really do make a difference.

 

Posted by BackPedalling Andy in kit, Thoughts