Middle Pack

Will I ever go back to running as much? Have to say probably not. A great bike and I wish I could give a decent review of it but as I have so little experience owning decent bikes I feel it unfair. Suffice to say it is damned fast and great fun to ride although the back end does kick a fair bit.

Done just shy of 200 miles in the first two weeks that I have owned it, however I have now decided to take off the computer as I am only checking total miles. I am experiencing a different type of tired than from running as you can really notice the difference between a battered impact tired from running to the general dull ache of biking.

Also managed to get myself to Dalby on Sunday and have another go at the Red route that I did a couple of months ago. Set off from the bottom car park and the first section up to Dixons hollow I was bouncing and pinging off rocks all over the place. A quick stop to deflate tyres and then I was setting off with a bit more speed.  I managed to get stuck in a pack of 4 lightweight full suss bikes for the next section. Bit of banter and I tried to hang on downhill whilst not running into the back of them on uphills. As most of it was sharp downhills then I was probably going as fast as I dare.  As soon as the flat ground re-appeared I was off then up the adders back climb, with them just a distant memory.

I had my first major bail soon after as well. A head over the bars moment, a bit of blood but the most important thing was the bike wasn’t scratched! Really my own fault for hesitating on a drop and ending up going too slow. From there it took a good 5 minutes to get any decent speed up without hanging on the brakes but I soon got most of my confidence back on all apart from the steeper stuff.

Dalby is surprisingly a lot bumpier than I initially remember (I was on a full suss). Not very tricky or rocky, just loads of little bumps and roots that can shake you around a bit. Once the tyre pressures was sorted I was good to go though. Finally managing the whole route in 2 hours 11 minutes.

Enjoyed that as a good workout, pretty annoying timing that the physio has told me to start running again. So I supopse I need to put my bike down for a day and give it a go?

This weekend I had the chance to get up to Dalby Forest and play on a real bike! Thanks Dave for lending me your full suss trek bike! It was a real revelation to have working brakes, suspension and gears. An eye opener of the difference between a cheap bike and a good bike and the confidence it installs in your riding. Note that the video is not me.

The day didn’t start off well! I had been to an ABBA themed party the night before and managed to get in apparently around 4.30am. Slept through my alarm and the subsequent 7 phone calls from Dave telling me he is outside and I need to get up. Eventually roused from my slumber (all 4 hours of it) I was still pissed but that wasn’t going to stop me. I was looking forward to this.

So we finally arrived at Dalby and got the bikes fettled (well I went for a bacon sandwich and caffine, thanks again Dave!) and we were off round the red route.

Last time I came to Dalby it was for the Open 5 Adventure race. I have to admit I just didn’t quite get the attraction over the natural trails of Calderdale and the Dales. I now understand we didn’t even scratch the surface of what Dalby has to offer. Great singletrack for mile upon mile of twisty turning terrain. All the hills are short and sharp on the way up and loads of long swooping downhills. The red route was not that technical, which encourages you to really give it a blast (well as much as you can with a stinking hangover and 4 hours sleep) and it was fun to rag the bike around a bit.

One of the main attractions is the all weather riding. After a few night rides during the week on local trails I knew that there was a lot of mud but Dalby didn’t seem to suffer such problems. There was a lot of mud but not he sticky soul destroying stuff that stops you in your tracks. More just loads of puddles and the odd soft patch. I managed to come back from my ride, tired, aching very muddy but grinning and with no hangover!

Cannot wait to get out again, who knows I may even go twice round? But I think I have my eye on the Mary Townley Loop next.

show on map