Today's Ride
- Thread starter FairfaxPat
- Start date
MattiThundrrr
Kona Fan
Taking every opportunity that I get.
Planned for an easy pavement/gravel ride with a riverside chillax at the halfway, but I have a navigation problem in my brain. I can't ride past a trail.
Although the bike can handle smooth singletrack, it isn't happy with ruts and mud pits. Gets downright terrifying on roots, rocks, and technical stuff.
^4 or 5 groups at this spot with photographers; couples, families, pets, babies... and one lunatic taking pictures of a battered old bike
Did I mention that it devours gravel? Speeding through this was absolute heaven.
Planned for an easy pavement/gravel ride with a riverside chillax at the halfway, but I have a navigation problem in my brain. I can't ride past a trail.
Although the bike can handle smooth singletrack, it isn't happy with ruts and mud pits. Gets downright terrifying on roots, rocks, and technical stuff.
^4 or 5 groups at this spot with photographers; couples, families, pets, babies... and one lunatic taking pictures of a battered old bike
Did I mention that it devours gravel? Speeding through this was absolute heaven.
Hombre
Retro Guru
a hunting tower*, like this without the roof
(*I assume this is the correct phrase)
today's 15km ride in the woods with mrs. Hombre. it was good, but I was assured (again) that she don't really like riding off-road. also, neither of our daughters like if the wheels don't touch asphalt, which is strange. anyhow, it was her idea to go riding today, which is a big plus!
CassidyAce
Senior Retro Guru
A wet and windy autumn day; few people about; lots of puddles and fallen leaves. Plenty of spiky horse chestnuts to avoid, but I still got a puncture. 
The old Stumpy is approaching its thirtieth birthday (if only I could say the same!) but still rides very well. It was a little ray of sunshine on a grey day.
The old Stumpy is approaching its thirtieth birthday (if only I could say the same!) but still rides very well. It was a little ray of sunshine on a grey day.
2manyoranges
Old School Grand Master
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a hunting tower*, like this without the roof
(*I assume this is the correct phrase)
today's 15km ride in the woods with mrs. Hombre. it was good, but I was assured (again) that she don't really like riding off-road. also, neither of our daughters like if the wheels don't touch asphalt, which is strange. anyhow, it was her idea to go riding today, which is a big plus!
Regarding 'not liking riding off road'...
I have had two attempts to interest my partner - experienced urban cyclist - in riding mountain bikes off road.
Attempt 1
2001
Gentle ride on an Orange C16R on the mixed surface road out of Brighton past Alpha-Beta cottages. The gravel had gathered in some of the dips and on one of these sections she decided to brake hard. Not injured, didn't fall but shaken by the lack of control.
She announced 'bikes are not designed to go off-road.
It did not go down well when I said 'actually that's exactly what these bikes are designed to do...'
That was the end of that...my images of off road companionship evaporated and I have built all my riding in gaps in the family diary.
Attempt 2
2020
I was just going crazy with all the restrictions during COVID, and the Grom and I were limited to fast thrashes around the local - very flat - fields. Some of the thrashes were VERY fast. And a little digging in a local wood which gave us a couple of jumps.
One afternoon I said to my partner 'why don't you come with us and we'll do a couple of ambling laps of the path by the river?'
'OK - can I take one of your bikes' (I was a bit taken aback)
'Yes...but remember that your bike has the brakes on the other way around, since you insist on that...if you take one of my or the Grom's bikes I will just swap the brakes over on the one which has Sram Guides...'
'Don't bother I will be fine...'
'No...it's important to swap them over....'
'(irritated tone) NO I WILL BE FINE....'
'Er....'
'JUST GET THE BIKE OUT AND I WILL RIDE IT....'
'Sigh...'
So off we go, nice ride down the road to the wood, past the wood and up the bank of the river. The Grom suddenly veers left, loads up the suspension and jumps bigly off the six foot drop to the field on the left. Before I can shout 'Noooooooo.......' my partner follows him down the bank, touches the brakes, locks up the front, and goes OTB hard....
Broken collar bone.
Maybe for some it's not the bikes that aren't designed to go off road......
