Friday 26 April 2013

BIKES OF THE WEEK: Schwinn Coffee & Cream



Scott Scale 740 (650b) IN STORE NOW!


In store now, less than 50 bikes for the UK!

650b or Scale 700 as Scott like to call it is a new hotly anticipated XC concept for SCOTT. 650b was ridden to Olympic Silver and World Champ XC Gold in 2012 by Swisspower SCOTT Nino Shurter.

As in 2011 when we had the Foil launch with a small quantity of bikes available to the UK, we will have an Alloy & Carbon models. SCALE 700 will be the first genuine production XC hardtail in the UK market and follows on the heels of the Genius 700 line.


Sunday 14 April 2013

SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC

UTTERLY EPIC MTB RIDE LAST WEEKEND. I WAS ' EVALUATING ' THE 650b WHEELED SCOTT GENIUS. WHICH WAS GREAT .
I'LL DO ONE OF MY MAGNUS BLOGGUS WRITE UPS WHEN I GET A MINUTE , BUT TO BE GOING ON WITH HERE'S A SHORT VID THAT STU DID ON THE DAY.
FAIRLY CAPTURES THE DAY .....

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Tuesday 2 April 2013

EOSTRE MONDAY

Like most fully functioning , cosmically aware adults , I like to spend my Eostre festival weekend of fertility , getting up to all kinds of grown up shenanigans at my local pagan worship site .
Imagine my horror when I got there , and that Johnny come lately bearded zombie lot had beaten me too it .
 
Anyway .....
Totally bonkers ride . I set off from my house into a snowstorm . Albeit a fairly gentle dusting , but it was pretty damn parky.
Met up with Chris on the way near his , and then we rode up to meet Stu and Andy .
This week I'm on my other Gary Fisher . The Big Sur .

Trails were superb !!!!

"Crispy" , someone once said .

We rode up the industry standard climb through the gardens . Bit slippy under the bridge . Expected .
And then we turned the corner for the last hoof to the Pigeon Tower . Insane . 3 - 4 ft  ( 0.9 - 1.2m )* high frozen rock hard drifted snow . A bit like a bordercross track . ACE . Bit uphill though , so it was sketchy . Fairly nailed it though .

Same on the top bridleway under the Rivi ' Pike . All good fun . Flat here , so more do-able .

Climbed up to the Pike . Again , a bit of snow, easily avoided on that ' Tricky Corner ' , and then up the final ramp . Easy . Except it's , like , a force 10 headwind .  Superb .
 If only I had'nt forgot my hairshirt , it could have been so much more painful .

Off the back . Bone dry . Brill . Baked Alaska .

A brief parlez vous at the bottom resulted in me being outvoted 3: 1. Unanimously , then . I was thinking we'd tick off the ' Two Lads ' , but , to be fair , it was looking brutal up there . The wind was whipping snow-bits in sideways , for the full experience .
So we ' kept it low ' and dropped through Wilderswood .
Nice little run .

Not many options from the bottom of the woods . As we've lost elevation , we either ... A) Go back up , or B) Go home . So we go back up . Unanimously . Didnt even really take any convincing .
A middlin' stiff climb ,tough though, and a few minutes later , we're back on the main bridleway .
More of the same , but now we have a bit of a tailwind as we retrace our route back past the Pike  .

Lots of fun again on the moguls . I was thinking we'd drop back through the gardens , but the guys fancy the Ice Cream Run , and democracy seems to be the order of the day.
At this juncture , I'm going to indulge myself with some digression .
Years ago , when Alan used to come out , I gave the Ice cream Run it's name . I'd say to Alan ," Shall we go through the gardens , or do you fancy the Ice Cream Run ? "
I probably only said it once or twice , but it kinda stuck . Most importantly , in my mind.
See , there was often an ice cream van at the bottom . Hence the ' Ice cream ' bit . The ' Run ' bit came about because a portion of the downhill is in a cutting, of sorts . Fairly wide , but definitely a cutting . As it twists and turns down the hill , as a young mountainbiker , on my trusty pearl white Muddyfox , with the wind in my eyes, I'd imagine it was the famous bobsleigh course , The Cresta Run .
So there it is . And 26 some years later , it now looks a bit like it too .

And here we are . Loads of fun . There's some dry bits , but lots of snow too . Either an MX bike , or a landrover has maybe had a go in places , and theres a nice channel cut in . Just about wide enough for your pedals , and just a bit slippy too , but not too slippy . Just right .

I was kinda gutted the Frederick's Ice Cream van had decided to stay at home .

So , we went to the caff .

 And then the road was closed .
I saw a pic of the road last week , but in real life , it's pretty mental . Shaded too , so I cant see the snow shifting soon . Much the same as up on top of the hills , apart from the roadies pushing their bikes up in their dancing shoes . Hmm .

I'd noticed my front tyre was a bit soft . Pinch flat , I think . So after a quick brew I swapped that out , and we headed off .
Andy and Stu back to their cars around the corner , and myself and Chris hoofing it .
Overall a superb ride out . I dropped Chris off at his , and then spun it home , and just nicely tired as I climbed the last bit to our house .

I did'nt take a single pic , so here's a short video that Stu did with his new camera . It's a bit like a Go-Pro . Lo-Pro ? It was the first outing , so he needs to fettle its position . Should be sorted for next weekend's EPIC in the Lake District . ....

* metric system

TIM