Pic of the Day

[The Hodge]

Kielder again yesterday ..( cant ride at the weekend ) ..
Deadwater from Sky Dive on The Lonesome Pine trail ( red )

Primrose Hill on the Deadwater trail ( red )

After doing 3 dog climb when you get to this junction just carry straight on up the hill to Into The Valley..the Three Dog descent just isnt worth doing ..and you have already done 3dog climb and Kerseyclough once already to get to this point

An " interesting " feature on Into The Valley is this little section ..when it was first built all of the stonework joined up ..but flooding & erosion had two large boulders falling off to the side ..and it has remained like this ever since ..
Above ..

Below

Some of the lovely flowing singletrack on The Osprey Trail ( full route section ..blue) the climb up to Hill 375..

There are a few large rocks at the top which form a "bench seat" ..10 years ago there was a great view across the valley to the Lonesome Pine trail..now only this ..that tree needs to go ..

..straight into Rikki's run then ..a nice narrow singletrack ( blue ) descent ..

Further on one of my favourite sections in the entire forest ..Squirrel Nut Pines ( blue)

This where the Osprey trail links into the Lakeside Way ..didnt see one though

A nice surprise when I got back to the car ..flying ants ..I think I packed the bike and kit away in record time..
Nice little ride out for a Friday afternoon ..

Tracking on 20 Aug 2021 12:24:25

www.outdooractive.com

 

[Tonybro]

I'm going to have to join you for a Kielder day at some point...

 

[Tonybro]

So I think you have the e-Bike that feels and rides like an analog?

I do indeed, Orbea Rise M10, EP8 RS with 60NM, about 18Kg/41lbs or so. Used 45% battery for the 16 miles, trail mode coming back to beat the rain I could see falling in the distance...

 

[The Hodge]

I'm going to have to join you for a Kielder day at some point...

Just let me know when ...?

 

[KSL]

I do indeed, Orbea Rise M10, EP8 RS with 60NM, about 18Kg/41lbs or so. Used 45% battery for the 16 miles, trail mode coming back to beat the rain I could see falling in the distance...

Nice...I was wondering if you ever feel it's under spec'd at all to keep it light and nimble or it works well as is? Been curious to ask someone that owns one.

I use about 40% battery on a 5-6 mile journey thru my trails.

 

[Coolcmsc]

Kielder again yesterday ..
Some of the lovely flowing singletrack on The Osprey Trail ( full route section ..blue) the climb up to Hill 375..
..straight into Rikki's run then ..a nice narrow singletrack ( blue ) descent ..
Further on one of my favourite sections in the entire forest ..Squirrel Nut Pines ( blue)

Flowing blues can be well worth the climb. I did the Llandegla blue for the first time recently because my EP8 had packed up in the rain after it got me to the big berm where it splits rod or blue — good timing ? Feeling sorry for myself as I set off chasing down the son and daughter who’re fit and riding analogue, I was expecting to bust a blood vessel on the Bullit and feel I’d wasted a trip.
But it was a blast and as much fun in its own way ragging down after them trying not to wash out on the flat wet turns. Big smiles all the way ?
And especially pleased to be able to take the p*** when the lad ripped a hole in his new Maxxis…. When the EP8 crapped out, he’d made the mistake of reminding me real bikers ride analogue ?

 

[steve_sordy]

Please @etoni give a warning at the start of those shots!
My fear of heights kicked in just looking at them. I could not even walk some of those.

 

[The Hodge]

Flowing blues can be well worth the climb. I did the Llandegla blue for the first time recently because my EP8 had packed up in the rain after it got me to the big berm where it splits rod or blue — good timing ? Feeling sorry for myself as I set off chasing down the son and daughter who’re fit and riding analogue, I was expecting to bust a blood vessel on the Bullit and feel I’d wasted a trip.
But it was a blast and as much fun in its own way ragging down after them trying not to wash out on the flat wet turns. Big smiles all the way ?
And especially pleased to be able to take the p*** when the lad ripped a hole in his new Maxxis…. When the EP8 crapped out, he’d made the mistake of reminding me real bikers ride analogue ? View attachment 69483 View attachment 69484 View attachment 69486

Couldnt agree more about riding blues..ok so you arent going to get the big thrills you get from blacks or red trails ..but as a flow trail with little bits of tech thrown in they are great ..certainly the Osprey Trail at Kielder has some of the skinniest singletrack anywhere in the forest ..
I do feel sorry for the guys who rock up thinking that a " blue " is not worthy of their time ..you are missing a trick ( and a whole lot of fun ) ..?

 

[Tubby G]

Kielder again yesterday ..( cant ride at the weekend ) ..
Deadwater from Sky Dive on The Lonesome Pine trail ( red )
View attachment 69456
Primrose Hill on the Deadwater trail ( red )
View attachment 69457
After doing 3 dog climb when you get to this junction just carry straight on up the hill to Into The Valley..the Three Dog descent just isnt worth doing ..and you have already done 3dog climb and Kerseyclough once already to get to this point View attachment 69461
An " interesting " feature on Into The Valley is this little section ..when it was first built all of the stonework joined up ..but flooding & erosion had two large boulders falling off to the side ..and it has remained like this ever since ..
Above ..
View attachment 69462
Below
View attachment 69464
Some of the lovely flowing singletrack on The Osprey Trail ( full route section ..blue) the climb up to Hill 375.. View attachment 69466
There are a few large rocks at the top which form a "bench seat" ..10 years ago there was a great view across the valley to the Lonesome Pine trail..now only this ..that tree needs to go ..
View attachment 69468
..straight into Rikki's run then ..a nice narrow singletrack ( blue ) descent .. View attachment 69469
Further on one of my favourite sections in the entire forest ..Squirrel Nut Pines ( blue)
View attachment 69471
This where the Osprey trail links into the Lakeside Way ..didnt see one though
View attachment 69474 View attachment 69475
A nice surprise when I got back to the car ..flying ants ..I think I packed the bike and kit away in record time..
Nice little ride out for a Friday afternoon .. View attachment 69476

Tracking on 20 Aug 2021 12:24:25

www.outdooractive.com

Looks great. Saturday 4th September we could head up to kielder if you’re offer of a guided tour still stands and you’re available?

 

[steve_sordy]

I thought I'd stay close to home yesterday and did the Belvoir Loop. It is 17 miles of bridleway, single track and a bit of tarmac in a loop around Belvoir Castle. Belvoir, pronounce "Beaver" by the locals, but was originally French "Belle Voir" or beautiful view.
I was particularly looking forward to downhill section of the Viking Way, commencing at Brewer's Grave. Look what I found!

So I asked the digger driver if the whole trail was closed. He said i could ride through but watch out for workers further up. What I was expecting was narrow singletrack, infested with roots and ruts, hemmed in by brambles and overgrown bushes. What I saw was this:

The undergrowth had been cut right back and the trail filled in! It has been ruined! Fine for walkers and horsey folk I suppose. More of the same followed, it was like a biking motorway. Then I came across the aforementioned group of workers. They had a dump truck full of gravel, a digger like the one in the 1st pic that was spreading the gravel, and one of those one metre diameter vibrating road rollers!! The roller was producing a surface that looked like freshly laid tarmac. As I pushed past, the roller driver said "this will be perfect for you guys!" Just after them was a section where they had already widened the trail but not yet filled it in.

Believe it or not that is not level but downhill. It continues getting steeper and rougher until it gets to the old railway bridge and the canal that runs parallel.

Speaking of the canal.

That pub is the Mucky Duck and the canal goes from Grantham (behind me) to Nottingham. If you zoom in you can see the canal disappearing into the distance.

I mentioned Belvoir Castle, here it is:

Overall, it is a nice loop, worth doing once per year, but that section of the Viking Way from Brewer's Grave to the canal has been ruined.

 

[Tonybro]

Nice...I was wondering if you ever feel it's under spec'd at all to keep it light and nimble or it works well as is? Been curious to ask someone that owns one.

I use about 40% battery on a 5-6 mile journey thru my trails.

If you look at the little Relive video, it shows the route. Because the rain was coming I came back via the road (2 miles but its a climb then a blast (41mph). I can happily do 25-30 miles on a battery, mainly off-road, with about 2500-3500ft of climbing. I mainly use Profile 2 and have detuned it slightly. Profile 1 is lower still if you want to eke out more miles.

Only things I've changed are the saddle (I have an Ergon that I've put on) and the grips. Other than that it is stock. Put it through some punishment and its taking it all in its stride. Depending on what you can get the bike with tyre-wise in SoCal, the Rekon and Disektor mine came with are built for dry trails, not our stinking, muddy, wet summer trails! I've put a Maxxis DHF on the rear for more grip in the mud...

Other than that, I also tend to keep the wheels on the ground (or not far off it) so I haven't 'sent' it so can't comment how it would stand up to that punishment but a mile of cobbled, loose, muddy, rutted down hill trail it just laps up and is so light to switch around and move about.

 

[The Hodge]

If you look at the little Relive video, it shows the route. Because the rain was coming I came back via the road (2 miles but its a climb then a blast (41mph). I can happily do 25-30 miles on a battery, mainly off-road, with about 2500-3500ft of climbing. I mainly use Profile 2 and have detuned it slightly. Profile 1 is lower still if you want to eke out more miles.

Only things I've changed are the saddle (I have an Ergon that I've put on) and the grips. Other than that it is stock. Put it through some punishment and its taking it all in its stride. Depending on what you can get the bike with tyre-wise in SoCal, the Rekon and Disektor mine came with are built for dry trails, not our stinking, muddy, wet summer trails! I've put a Maxxis DHF on the rear for more grip in the mud...

Other than that, I also tend to keep the wheels on the ground (or not far off it) so I haven't 'sent' it so can't comment how it would stand up to that punishment but a mile of cobbled, loose, muddy, rutted down hill trail it just laps up and is so light to switch around and move about.

Thats interesting Tony ..a DHF on the rear ..as opposed to a DHR....I was just asking the question about this in the "What Tyre thread " ..after ordering one by mistake ..
How is that working out ?

 

[Tonybro]

Coped with the muddy, wet tracks last night. I was wondering to go one on the front too and have DHF front and rear. The DHF is a front meant to track and dig in, I need that on the rear, the Rekon had a couple of slides so I swapped it. The DHF is only a 2.3 and not draggy on the flatter sections...

 

[The Hodge]

Looks great. Saturday 4th September we could head up to kielder if you’re offer of a guided tour still stands and you’re available?

I would normally say yes to this straight away ..but Im going to have to check a couple of things first ..( my boy starts Uni around that time ..) ..but its a provisional Yes..and I will let you know later in the day once the missus gets back from her shopping trip ..

 

[The Hodge]

Coped with the muddy, wet tracks last night. I was wondering to go one on the front too and have DHF front and rear. The DHF is a front meant to track and dig in, I need that on the rear, the Rekon had a couple of slides so I swapped it. The DHF is only a 2.3 and not draggy on the flatter sections...

Ive got a 2.5 WT ..how do you think that will fare..?

 

[The Hodge]

I thought I'd stay close to home yesterday and did the Belvoir Loop. It is 17 miles of bridleway, single track and a bit of tarmac in a loop around Belvoir Castle. Belvoir, pronounce "Beaver" by the locals, but was originally French "Belle Voir" or beautiful view.
I was particularly looking forward to downhill section of the Viking Way, commencing at Brewer's Grave. Look what I found!
View attachment 69488

So I asked the digger driver if the whole trail was closed. He said i could ride through but watch out for workers further up. What I was expecting was narrow singletrack, infested with roots and ruts, hemmed in by brambles and overgrown bushes. What I saw was this:

View attachment 69489

The undergrowth had been cut right back and the trail filled in! It has been ruined! Fine for walkers and horsey folk I suppose. More of the same followed, it was like a biking motorway. Then I came across the aforementioned group of workers. They had a dump truck full of gravel, a digger like the one in the 1st pic that was spreading the gravel, and one of those one metre diameter vibrating road rollers!! The roller was producing a surface that looked like freshly laid tarmac. As I pushed past, the roller driver said "this will be perfect for you guys!" Just after them was a section where they had already widened the trail but not yet filled it in.

View attachment 69490

Believe it or not that is not level but downhill. It continues getting steeper and rougher until it gets to the old railway bridge and the canal that runs parallel.

Speaking of the canal.

View attachment 69491

That pub is the Mucky Duck and the canal goes from Grantham (behind me) to Nottingham. If you zoom in you can see the canal disappearing into the distance.

I mentioned Belvoir Castle, here it is:

View attachment 69492

Overall, it is a nice loop, worth doing once per year, but that section of the Viking Way from Brewer's Grave to the canal has been ruined.

So all this time it should have been " Nice Belvoir"..
The new bike looks great by the way Steve ..how are you getting on with it ?

 

[Tonybro]

Ive got a 2.5 WT ..how do you think that will fare..?

I thought you'd gone for the 2.5 Minion (according to your post in 'what did you buy...')...

If I am brutally honest, most tyres cope with most conditions for us mere mortals. The Rekon coped but wasn't ideal - it was on when we did Bolt's Law a few weeks back. It coped in those wet and sometimes muddy conditions, just not the same grip as a more suited tyre.

I like the Disektor, DHF/DHR that I've had on my Merida and Orbea. Not impressed with the Rekon overall. Had to put a Butcher on the rear of the Merida after tearing the Minion sidewall on an iron spike hidden in grass. Took that off straight after I could get another Maxxis, not impressed with it at all. Can't even remember which one it was but the LBS know me and wouldn't have fitted something useless or not suited.

 

[The Hodge]

It is the Minion ..WT being the "wide" version

 

[Chris ledger]

Loads of great random pictures of folks bikes leant on stuff or just great scenery.

Is there a place for "Picture of the Day"
Can be your e-bike or the great terrain you have ridden.
Only stipulation, it has to be recent.

Might not be everyones cup of tea, but I love the places I ride.

Can I kick off with this evenings "daily exercise" run in beautiful Bilsdale, North Yorkshire,UK View attachment 28181

Apologies if this has been done before and died.

Edit: Oh and can we keep it to pictures (preferably one or two), and not degenerate into chat about what mudgaurd / tyre/ cable end , or whatever?

Recent visit to cannock chase

 

[The Hodge]

@Tubby G ..
Good to go on 4th September ..at a time to suit your own travel arrangements ..
I will confirm with you nearer the time ..and send parking details for a free location ..( away from the main car park ) .
Fingers crossed for a dry spell prior to you coming so you can sample the woodwork on stairway to heaven ..its 2metre wide but lethal if even moist ..

 

[Ponk]

End of todays ride at Kraftwerk Rupperswil below the Gisliflue, Aare river.

 

[Tubby G]

@Tubby G ..
Good to go on 4th September ..at a time to suit your own travel arrangements ..
I will confirm with you nearer the time ..and send parking details for a free location ..( away from the main car park ) .
Fingers crossed for a dry spell prior to you coming so you can sample the woodwork on stairway to heaven ..its 2metre wide but lethal if even moist ..

Nice one. It’s around 2 1/2 hours for us max so probably aim to be there around 10am ish. I’ll message you closer to the time, thanks Hodge ??

 

[The Hodge]

You"re very welcome ?

 

[Pivot]

Old school tractor and new school MTB

 

[etoni]

sorry… but this is from my first emtb time..
zermatt near monte rosa SAC house..

 

[Pivot]

sorry… but this is from my first emtb time..
zermatt near monte rosa SAC house..

@etoni , can one hire eMTB in Zermatt, or should I lug one for holiday?

I used to go to Zermatt to ski, I damaged my knees on the slopes, so ski is off limit for me, but eMTB is a fantastic alternative!

 

[phutureproof]

The Chilterns. And no, I wasn’t riding upside down.

 

[Moderator]

The Chilterns. And no, I wasn’t riding upside down. View attachment 69545

After much consideration by the moderators, we feel that @etoni's pictures still look better, even upside down.

 

[Slymobi]

After much consideration by the moderators, we feel that @etoni's pictures still look better, even upside down.

View attachment 69546

 

[steve_sordy]

..............
The new bike looks great by the way Steve ..how are you getting on with it ?

I like it a lot, thanks. But I am just as a good/bad a climber on it as I was on the Focus. I had "assumed" (1st mistake) that 22% more torque would get me up that last couple of feet on a climb where I had been stalling. Now I don't stall, I just loop out! If I get my weight any further forward, the rear wheel spins out. If I get my saddle any lower, my knees give out. What makes it worse is that @myapes gets up the same short steep slope most of the time. I haven't got up it once! I used to beat this slope on my MTB, but that was about 7 years ago.
I hate obvious signs of my advancing decrepitude!