Events coming up or not as the case may be

First off the www.richmondmeet.co.uk is this weekend. There is the Grass track racing @ the Cricket Club on Mon 27th which is orgainised by the Nutcracker team this year. I have been going every year since Richmond CC took it back life. Go down early and watch the parade, then have a walk around Friary Gardens just off the main roundabout for some entertainment & fun. There has been a real mixed bag or weather over the years from hail, wind, rain to brilliant sunshine. The local Cobble race is always a great laugh even though they take it very serious ! Here's the final event itinerary for the day:

Event 1: National 800m, Heats 1
Event 2: Ladies/Youth Omnium, Round 1, One lap time trial
Event 3: National 800m, 1st Reps
Event4: Ladies/Youth Omnium, Round 2, 3k Scratch Race
Event5: National 800m, Heats 2
Event 6: Ladies/Youth Omnium, Round 3, 10 Lap Points Race (sprint every other lap)
Event 7: National 800m, Consolation Final
Event 8: National 800m, Major Final
Event 9: Ladies/Youth Omnium, Devil Takes the Hindmost
Event 10: Richmond Cobble Team Sprint, Heats 1
Event 11: Open 8km Endurance Race, 22 Laps (National Endurance Series)
Event 12: Freewheel Kids’ Races
Event 13: Open 12 Lap Points Race (sprint every other lap)
Event 14: Richmond Cobble Team Sprint, Final
Event 15: Open Devil Takes the Hindmost
Event 1 will kick off at 1pm, sharp!

There is also another great local event on this weekend but running instead of cycling for a change - Raby Castle 10k & 5k race Sun 26th May. Again this is fantstic morning out and is set within the grounds of the beautiful estate grounds. The route is mainly tarmac with some offroad sections through the wood and has a good mix of terrain from climbs to steep descents. We have been attending this event for well over 10 years now. Info here http://www.teesdaleac.co.uk/page5.htm    

Now this is a real shame and there was always local riders attended but the York Cycle Show 2013 has been cancelled. Again we have been attending this event for many years and was a great weekend away - "This June’s CTC York Cycle Show has been cancelled due to bookings that are “well below expectations” and fears of a repeat of the poor weather that has often affected the event in recent years. It is hoped the event will return in 2014, when Yorkshire hosts the Grand Départ of the Tour de France, with York hosting the start of Stage 2 of the race. This year’s edition, the 69th, was due to have been held on the weekend of 22/23 June and as in previous years would have attracted thousands of cyclists, but unsettled weather and other factors including the effects of the economic climate have led organisers to decide to cancel it." More on the storey here

Finally gave in, no that should be i finally rolled in

Angus has been twisting on for years to get some rollers but he never hardly uses the turbo. There was a good offer on for a cheap set of begineer rollers so he chipped in half and the order was placed. They came straight away and took no setting up and he mounted them. Within five mins he was away without holding on to anything. After Angus had finished i had a go but with less success but i did have my slippers on, well that was my excuss. Lets just hope they dont gather too much dust !

 Nice evening so the second spin was on the patio - 42mins, didnt even need the chair to hold onto

Splashing about in the Dales

Well the rain finally stopped after 8hrs solid down pour in Co Durham with many roads closed due to flooding. Off we headed to Dales Bike Centre just outside Reeth. We were booked in for the 10am session and Angus had a Orange FIVE 29er on demo. He has tried an Orange Alpine 160 26" @ Glentress and it was fantastic fun. Stu took us out as a group for a guided ride around some local tracks. A nice tarmac climb to gain some height and warm the legs up to start with then onto the offroad. The route was wet to say the least but not too muddy. He showed us a fantastic mix off all types of terrain from technical stoney singletrack to downhills and a lovely singletrack following the river back to Fremington. It was very humid and overcast with the sun just shinning through near the end of a 2hr ride. We were soaked, covered in mud but had a big smile. Arran was too little to go on the ride so i took him for a blast back along the road to Richmond to strech his legs out and did 10 miles. Here are some pics of the action

ee is that how you pump up a tyre

just testing, some carpark riding going on

some fine tuning of the forks

and ready to go

nearly 2hrs later and happy as larry

the Orange fleet linned up for some pics

ready for a wash

the FAT held its own but got dropped on some the descents

The Orange rep was spot and knew his stuff, he had a cracking ride and was eyeing up my FAT Bike. I did ask if Orange were thinking of doing one but he said it would take them to long to get one onto the market. But as he said many offer manufacturers are adding them to their 2014 range. Here is more pics here

Orange Demo Day down in the Dales

Orange Bikes - Demo Day Sunday 19th May

MBE will be attending the demo day down @ Dales Bike Centre. We will try and get a gallery of pics of the event. Full details for the event are below - get yourself down and enjoy some Orange fun


A fantastic opportunity to ride an Orange Mountain Bike on the trails you're looking to ride.
Be sure to book your ride! Guided Demo Rides. Three guided rides each day. There is no cost but you'll need to reserve the size/model of bike you want to ride and which time you'd like to ride. Ordering your new Orange mountain bike from Dales Bike Centre and recieve a free Riding Skills Course voucher*
Ride Times: 10am, 12 noon, 2pm Contact us on:01748 884908 or enquiries@dalesbikecentre.co.uk

Orange Bikes - available to ride -
Five Pro - 14", 16", 17", 18", 20" & 22"

Five Diva - 14"

Gyro - med, large, Xlarge

Clockwork S - med, large, Xlarge

Alpine 160 - 16", 18" & 20"

Patriot - medium & large

Five29 - medium & large

Notes
1. Please bring a helmet, suitable riding gear for all weathers and pedals/shoes if you have a preference
2. Please arrive 40 minutes before the ride starts to ensure you have plenty of time to register and have the bike set up for you
3. You will be required to read and sign a disclaimer and also leave a credit card as a deposit for each bike
4. You will be responsible for the safe return of the demo bike, which must be returned in full working order and original condition. In the event of damage you will be charged for repairs or replacement.
5. Riders aged 16 or under must be accompanied by a riding adult who will be responsible for their safety
*Free riding skills course voucher on bike over £1000

Tour Series hits Durhams streets

What a fantastic nights racing around Durham back streets. Lovely dry warmish weather made for very fast racing. The bloke on mc was the best yet and really had the crowd going. This was the quietest year yet for spectators by along way so you could walk around the full circuit alot easierr and get some pics. More crossing points and better barriered paths this year as well. As normal the cobbled streets / climb sorted out the riders and bikes but didnt see any crashes this year. There is normally quite a few get carted away. Its also a great evening to bump into many old friends / riders of our MBE events and a chance to get some chips from Stantons ! Here is a gallery of here

The Tour Series hit the streets of Durham City tonight. This round sorts the boys from the girls up the cobbled climb. Its normally a great evenings racing. We will post a gallery in a few days of the nights action. There has been no advertising or PR for this years event so might be quieter on the footpaths. All the info is here inc route map http://www.tourseries.co.uk/venues/durham/index.php

 

Alittle Breezy @ Aske Estate

Well thats Nutcacker Rd 3 2013 done @ Aske Estate. The course was in very good condition and very dry and fast under tyre. Several new singletrack sections have been added since 2012. The worst part i think was the long straight out the back in the monster headwind. As soon as you turned left into the woods it was a different world. Nutcracker team did a cracking job today and was a well organised event. Angus did the Juvenilles race covering one full lap and I did the so called Fun cat doing two laps. It was rather competitive at the front for a fun cat! Arran did the Sweat Monster race @ Midday and came 2nd U10. Here are some photos of the event https://picasaweb.google.com/scotbrown1/NutcrackerRd3AskeEstate

MTB XC Events Updates

Its Nutcracker Rd3 tomorrow @ Aske Estate just outside Richmond. We have been every year since they started orgainising events there. Its a cracking venue with a good mix of all types of terrain inc some technical stuff in the second set of woods. There is entry on the day @ £26 and free car parking as well. We will have a gallery up of pics asap after the race. Watch out the FAT BIKE will be racing again.

NE MTB XC Series Rd 2 @ Ferryhill . The course was bone dry and running very fast. Cold strong wind all evening with the old current bun only popping out a few times. Arran had a cracking race and got overall 2nd & 1st U10. Angus also had a good race doing the full course finishing overall 4th & 3rd U14. Here is a gallery of pics from the nights first two races https://picasaweb.google.com/scotbrown1/NEXCSeriesRd2Ferryhill

The Dust is flying & updates on some gear

Well finally some nice weather, end of last week was still windy but bone dry trails. Bank hol weekend was the best for a very long time but busy with the County Durham / Parish Elections meant not much riding but got in a few miles in. Got two short local rides in last Thursday on the Beargrease, nowt Friday or Saturday but got a 30 miler in on the Sunday. Me & Angus took to the road bikes and did a loop upto Burnhope / Stanley then down to Chester, over to Hetton and ended up at Dalton Park for some shopping. It was very windy but dry and sunny. Back on the Beargrease yesterday for the last spin before the rain started again. The Garmin was reading 24 degress and was baking hot on the climbs, first time this year in shorts and SS top. 17 miler on around the lines. Here are some crap photos of the pleasure of no mud

As you can see the wheels are still on the Beargrease and going strong. They have covered a few miles now and no probs what so ever thanks to Marks excellent wheel building skills @ Westbrook Cycles. The click on the freehub has become lounder and with the new bell / buzz from the tyres pedestrians can  here me coming, well most of them. Still would need an air horn to get some of them to move an inch over. The Middleburn hardcoat ring and KMC chain are also perfect and not touched them since fitting apart from a squirt of oil now and then. We will see how long the chain lasts compaired to my favourite Sedis chains.

The Pugsley & Krampus of Scooter World has landed

We have had the Pugsley version of the scooter world for a while now and is a head turner just like the bike.

With with Krampus coming out it was time to get the scooter version of this. So we headed to Skate Asylum @ Bishop Auckland http://www.skateasylum.co.uk/ which is tucked behind National Tyres & Howdens kitchens. They are mainly an online dealer but have a small public showroom. Cash in hand a deal was done on a http://www.skateasylum.co.uk/royal-scout-all-terrain-scooter.html 1/2hr later it was built and in use.

Just like the bikes the full on fat version Berg Steppy loves beaches but the 29+ version Royal Scout dosent !

More Blue Bling for the Fat Girl

Just got paid and not much left for bling this month so just a little treat for the FAT BIKE. I was looking for a blue anodised seat clamp collar, nothing special or expensive and come across a company called Mount Zoom http://mtzoom.com/ never tried any of there products before so i ordered a Ultralight 31.8mm blue clamp http://mtzoom.com/clamps/mt-zoom-ultralight-seatpost-clamps-5-5g/ they have a store on ebay and was delivered the next day free of charge. Well packaged with instructions, you could not ask for more. I popped it on my scales and it came out at 5g. The same weight as they advertise and you get a free spare steel bolt as well. Old Salsa one stripped off and new one on - perfect. Not sure if its going to hold the post or if the post is going to slip but i have put some Finish Line Fibre Grip grease on the post. Time will tell so i will report back after a few test rides over bumpy terrain.

After Sundays freezing blast the sun got out again when you go back to work on a Monday but the wind was still very strong. As the Dale Super X was still dirty off the Sunday i gave it a quite blast out along the line from Langley Moor to Bishop & back. Bone dry trails but still hard going in the wind. Yesterday we did the night loop around Durhams river banks and more paths are closed again due to major land slips and there was a notice up stating the path on the opposite side was closing for two weeks as well. So no access to Maiden Castle from the Baths / Cricket ground side unless you go around the road way and that is just boring and busy traffic.