MacRetro chat and rides thread

I know I have said it before but Ben Lomand would be a long hard slog up pushing the bike in the main and not that good going down either, the sections you can ride, prob only about 1/2 (if your me) of the route down, have hunners of large water bars just to riun the flow- but if that floats your boat .....

My wife and I did Mount Keen on our MTBs, we'd expected to maybe push the bikes near top but I managed to pedal all the way to top. We were back at car in less than the time it says in Munro book just to walk to top.
I also MTBd up to top of The Cairnwell at Glenshee when a mate did it as his last Munro. The rest of them walked up under the chairlift but I went via Butcharts then up ridge to top. Lots of effing and other swear words assisted me to push/carry bike up the mostly unridable bits. Managed to bike all the way down though, a bit iffy near top.
Think Ben Chonzie could be biked too, have walked it but there's a track a lot of the way so feasible. Not a fan of carrying a bike up a Munro just to ride down (whatever does it fur ye, though), I initially got into MTBing to make the long walk ins easier for some of the Munros.

I've done Tolmount, Lochnagar, Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Sgurr an Lochan Uaine with bike. All were real hard work, mostly carrying up and not especially worth it on the downs. I was doing them as past of bigger plans though.

kaiser":1zmf2cas said:

In fact it looks a bit like this

MacRetro 2013

Feb: Dunkers ride. 9th Feb at Dunkeld TK

May: National Epic. 25th/26th Venue TBA -> zigzag

June: Glentress ride 8th or 9th

Jun28/29/30 :Fat Tyre weekend Fort William, includes 10UTB and an Enduro downhill Kaiser

July: Pitmedden BBQ Mikee

August: 24th MacRoadRun, 4 Abbeys Velo

All very loose at the moment, anything to add or ideas?

Please feel free to quote and contribute.

Click to expand...

I'll volunteer a ride for mid to late April. Glen Doll/Loch Muick route, return via Capel Mounth. Followed by sticky toffee pudding at Clova Hotel

kaiser":nig8mfk7 said:

BTW I'm making some preliminary investigations into the Munro bagging by bike. I've got Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond and Ben Vorlich on the agenda. These will more than likely(possibly) be done mid week though to avoid walkers. Still a good few months away and I'll probably start a thread nearer the time but it'd be good to hear if theres any interest.

Click to expand...

yip game for some of that, a bit munro biking is definitely on the cards this year...

but may struggle for mid week availability due to work.. although I do get 1 monday per month off..

Lawers has a solid path up it, definitely see this as a possibility.

Ben Lomond seems popular, walked it 3-4 times probably 20yrs years ago. Can only remember it being a mud bath, but assume it has a solid path now from some of the accounts I've read from mountain bikers. The loop described in the singletrack thread returning by the Ptarmigan ridge sounds good. I have walked this years ago and remeber it being very steep to start the decent??

Ben Vorlich (loch lomand), I've walked, climbing from the west (loch sloy) and descending to Ardlui. don't remember any path on the way up, infact it was a steep slog through grass and heather.

Ben Vorlich (loch earn), has a well beaten track, landrover then singletrack and a longer more gradual ascent, and will definitely be a hoot going down

weather & conditions wise, it's all probably 2-3 months away (anyway)

Tinto hill in south lanarkshire, would be a shorter (and lower) day out for earlier in the year. would be good to do in a June evening after work.

Hallo there 2013... Looking good. Very good.

oops

kaiser":1d6z2pgw said:

In fact it looks a bit like this

MacRetro 2013

Feb: Dunkers ride. 9th Feb at Dunkeld TK

May: National Epic. 25th/26th Venue TBA -> zigzag

June: Glentress ride 8th or 9th

Jun28/29/30 :Fat Tyre weekend Fort William, includes 10UTB and an Enduro downhill Kaiser

July: Pitmedden BBQ Mikee

August: 24th MacRoadRun, 4 Abbeys Velo

All very loose at the moment, anything to add or ideas?

Please feel free to quote and contribute.

Click to expand...

how about adding in a night ride at GT or Blairadam for late in the season ?

i'm happy to organise this one.

It would appear that ronnie corbett is now a fat tyre convert


good source of surly pics


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6930 ... b0ac_z.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/enopy/6930 ... 22%7Cenopy

kaiser":or474y4a said:

All sounds good to me I can't make the national either My new work pattern means even though I have more weekends off its harder to get off on the ones that I'm working, moreso than ever I'm at the mercy of my rota. Added to that I'm already struggling for weekend passes, I've already got a couple of things on the cards.

BTW I'm making some preliminary investigations into the Munro bagging by bike. I've got Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond and Ben Vorlich on the agenda. These will more than likely(possibly) be done mid week though to avoid walkers. Still a good few months away and I'll probably start a thread nearer the time but it'd be good to hear if theres any interest.

Click to expand...

found this on u-tube- makes it look like a good laugh, more a night out than a run to bag a munro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyZnEZI3wAA