I need a new helmet...

Randomly the pics of my trusty Giro Remedy are some of my most popular on my Flickr photostream ( if you are interested the shots are here ), but the lid itself is showing some serious signs of needing replacement. I've tried on various occasions to smarten it up with some serious sticker usage, but not really been happy with it.

Now being an archetypal nerd I have always wanted a kick ass Star Wars helmet...which is why I am really rather interested in this lid.. ( via highsnobiety ) 

Ok, it does look like it is a sprogs helmet ( annoyingly it looks like the whole mash-up is all kids stuff ), but it is the way forward.

So come on Giro, make me a Remedy like this please...

 Or shall I give an old kayaking contact a call...... ( yes Mr Ainsworth made the original )

Sir Jimmy we salute you!

Rest in Peace Jimmy.

Hale Superbole - Suck it and Huck it.

I'm getting a little too used to these dry and dusty conditions and you couldn't get more bone dry then yesterday when Matt and I headed down to an old stomping ground to check out the newly opened 'MTB Pursuits at Hales Superbole'. That is a bit of a mouthfull for what is actually a managed Mountain Bike park.


So what is going on over there? Well it was first set up as a Mountain Board park ( yep the pretend snowboarder types ), but now it is definately more aimed at the 4X and Freeride fraternity.

The hill isn't that big, so a short walk to the top and you have a fair few choices. Look right and you can either jump on the Mini DH run ( nothing too silly here, just one crazy gap which comes out of nowhere ), or walk 20m and you have the ladders, wall ride, dirt jumps ( 2 lines ) and mini-shore section. Looking straight down the hill you have the World Class 4X track ( which splits for a serious PRO line half way down ).

At the bottom of the hill ( and next to the entrance ) is an awesome big jump line with two big tabletops, then a little one into a very smooth Quarterpipe. Of everything in the park, this was the most fun. The sort of jumps you have to hold the bike back from really flying...you could go really big here.

So what else can I tell you? Well it looks like in the wet this place is going to be hard going ( sooo much clay around ), but it does look like it is going to be a dry summer? ( am I tempting fate there? ). The lines here are pretty intense, yes there are some easy pickings which you could build up on, but to get the most out of the day here you really do have to 'Suck it and Huck it'! Think of it as an Alpine Bike Park without the mountain behind it and you will have it spot on.

The only negative point is that to experience this playground you do have to dig out a tenner...yep £10 in new money ( £7 on late nights ). But before you run away crying lottery funding, this is a private enterprise with a passionate set-up who is constantly maintaining the course and developing it ( it has only been open a few weeks ). I would definately give it a try, but pack your armour as you are going to be experiencing some air-time.

Check out the pics by clicking any of the images or clicking here

For more info on the park check out their website here

Also worth noting that my good friends Bob and Ally of Campbell Coaching are some of the instructors on hand here along with the DH legend Neil Donoghue. Check out the details here.

BST..

It's been a while since I made an animated gif. Not really had the need to do it of late, but thought I might have a play in photoshop just to see if I could still remember how to do it.
British Summer Time started today. I got up with Immy, had a nice breakfast and then headed to the new trails at Delamere Forest. The change in clocks must have caught all the gravity bikers out as the trails where empty ( conversely there were loads of roadies wooshing past in their team coloured lycra? ).

And of course with the new BST...comes some new graphics to the trusty helmet.... and this season I am all about the Evel Knievil look ( though in black ).

The Legend himself..

Gisburn Forest - A Polaroid Adventure

Marin Trail Headcam Movie

After 6 or so weeks out of the saddle and enjoying the early hours of most nights with little Immy, I was little nervous putting the biking kit together for this trip out with Wrennie.

A start before the sun came up gave Wrennie the opportunity to convince me to stop for the first time at a McDonalds drive-thru ( yes I may well have had a Maccy-D's a few times before, but I have never used one of this quick-fatty-hit windows ). An Egg McMuffin later and we were kitting up at Gwydyr Forest just outside Betws-Y-Coed in deepest darkest Snowdonia.

As seems to be the norm these days, there was a weather warning, with storms and gales lashing across the UK, ( well this is December, so it is allowed ), so we prepared ourselves for 25km of wet and windy trails.

Welsh Fireroad

After breaking in my legs and realising that my rear mech wasn't going to be my friend this day ( I really should learn how to adjust these things ). The fireroad hill climbs soon became sweet rolling descents.

A couple of hours later after 20 or so km of cracking trail, foggy views and blustery gales, we got to the top of the final three sections of downhill singletrack. By this time the legs were less than fresh, but there was enough left to fly through the woods in a true speederbike stylee.

Headcammed Up

I first rode the Marin Trail ( now called Gwydyr Forest as the sponsorship deal ended a while back ) before it 'officially' opened on my old hardtail bike. It hasn't changed too much in the years that have gone by. It has a nice old-skool varied flavour with most climbs on fireroad and nothing too cheeky to catch you out. However, unlike riding at the trail centres, you do feel like you are actually getting away from it on this ride. Dare I use the old cliche...it's a 'classic'?

If you are keen you can combine it with the trails at Penmachno ( which I haven't ridden, but they are supposed to be pretty good ), but we opted to combine it with a big basket of chips in Betws-Y-Coed which given my time of the bike and the inclement weather was a welcome choice.

Tim & Wrennie - Team Mud!

Click here for the headcam footage ( featuring the final 3 sections of downhill trail ).

Click here for the trail map.

Fixed Gear Bikes - I don't get it?

What is it with Fixed Gear Bikes? Whether it is a new Charge Plug ( which seems to be the media's bike of choice ), or a 1970's Track bike, the whole concept of whipping around the streets with no brakes, no freewheeling and no gears just doesn't work in my head.

Even walking around the Cycle Show at Earls Court, everywhere I looked there was either a dodgy hybrid race/mtb/ugly/no gear commuter bike or some strange distrubutor selling an uber cool imported 'Fixie' from the Far East ( apart from Ninjas, has anything really cool ever come out of Japan? ).

It's not that I don't like razzing around the streets on a bike. I spent years communting on a bike from Harrow to Watford ( the 'Basement' years ) and I have a wicked little fully rigid dirt/street jump bike to keep me entertained when we need something from the local shop. It's just that the original couriers who went back to Fixies ( after for a while all being seen on mountain bikes with slicks ) are proper mental and kudos to them, but now every cool kid is adding one of these steel status symbols to their corridors and that just bugs me.

Now we all know what happens when the cool kids buy something....yep, they create a nice little bandwagon which the rest of us can jump on. Just check out this Kidrobot collaboration

The Kidrobot Fixie - Who was let lose with a paintbrush?

And Kidrobot are not the only collaborators, check out the other bikes on Highsnobiety here. Now there are some very pretty Fixie bikes, the SE Racing Lager looks very slick ( but still doesn't compete with their OM Flyer ),but where will this end?

'The' craze for 2009 - The Clown Bike

So what am I trying to say? Not really sure to be honest. Something inside me tells me these bikes are cool ( but then again all most bikes are cool ), they are the ultimate in simple engineering ( you try bleeding 2008 XT hydraulic brakes ) and they do promote urban madness ( and we all love that ). But then again there is another subculture of Fixie riders who not only have to have the best looking bike, but they also insist on doing tricks....that is what has killed it for me.

This movie pretty much says it all...

Llandegla - The Dark Episode

The South Wales Mountain Biking Triple Crown

Mud was the order of the day

Just back from an awesome road trip to South Wales with Darren, Mark, Matt, Nik and Guest star Ben.

Taking in the 'Triple Crown' of South Wales Mountain biking, we kicked off with an uplift day run by Cwmdown on the Cwmcarn Y Mynydd Downhill course. Battling with the rather tricky wet and muddy conditions, the first damage was done to Ben's brake lever, but this was soon followed on the next run when Darren decided to become a tree hugger and in the process ripped out his brake hose, twisted his handlebars round and give himself an impressive bruise. Mark then decided to go one better and show off his combat roll bending his forks and buckling his wheel in the process. There were other spills and some hero moves on show, but all in all this is a definate must for any biker!

After a night drinking the local ale at Glyncorrwig Rugby club we had a leisurely start as we waited for the bike shop to open ( for repairs ) and the cafe to get the brews on. Five healthy breakfasts later we headed out on Whites Level trail ( which starts right next to the campsite ). Unfortunately Mark was a little battered from his combat roll and headed off to the local hospital to get an x-ray, so it was down to 4 of us to do ourselves proud. On some of the best singletrack in the world we held our own, even when it got tight and testing. The sun also started to win the battle against the rain which given that it is July was rather nice.

Glyncorrwig Valley seen from the Whites Level Trail

Meeting Mark back at the campsite ( he hadn't broken his wrist, just a little sprain ), we decided not to head out on the bikes again ( muscles were a little sore at this point ) and instead cleaned down the bikes and cracked open the beers and run around trying to keep away from the midges.

Glyncorrwig Campsite

Saturday morning was a little drier and we broke the camp down before filling our bellies with another healthy breakfast at the famous Dropoff cafe. A short drive back down the road is the Afan Forest centre and home of the famous 'Wall' trail. This turned out to be a very long fireroad ascent followed by a rather tasty continuous downhill trail back to the centre. It was a little bit of a let down after the constant hits of the White Level trail, but still a classic run nonetheless. I would have probably enjoyed it more if my forks hadn't lost all their travel ( 160mm forks running at 20mm doesn't really help the shoulders on a rocky descent ), but these things happen.

The tally of broken parts over the three days for the crew were as follows:

• 2 bent brake levers
• 1 ripped brake hose
• 1 pair of bent forks
• 1 pair of forks with internal failure
• 1 buckled wheel
• 3 punctures ( all Darren's )
• 2 warped discs
• 1 trip to Hospital

So all in all a classic 3 days biking with a solid crew of holligans!

Check all the Images here

Commencal Meta 666 - Hell hath no fury like this baby

Commencal 08 Medium Meta 666 Frameset ( with Fox RP23 )
Full XT 08 Groupset
• XT cranks 175mm
• XT Front Mech
• XT Reach Mech (Shadow short cage)
• XTR Chain
• XT Cassette 11-32
• XT Shifters
• XT Brake Levers
• XT Callipers (post mount)
• XT 180mm Rotors
DT 540 Enduro Wheelset
Manitou Nixon Instrinsic 160mm
Chris King Headset
Thomson X4 Stem
Un-branded Carbon Bar
ODI Ruffian Lock-ons
Charge Seat
Thomson Post
e13 DRS Chain guide ( with Supercharger )
WTB Timberwolf 2.35

Good for a 1st build, but will swap out the forks and hubs early next year for something a bit more heavy duty. Also the DRS needs some modification for tyre clearance ( but dont all chain guides! )

Don't ask about the weight, I don't have any scales...but it is light.

And no comments on the brown seat, I think it looks awesome!!

First ride tomorrow morning at Delamere or Cannock Chase..report to follow!