Saturday morning ride on the CX bikes

Tried to get out for a couple of rides this week but failed for one reason or another so wanted to get a few miles in this morning. Me & Angus took the CX bikes out for ride over to Broom Park then up the line to Consett junction, turned right then down the C2C to Byers Green then tracks to Lambton Estate - Lumley then back home via Finchale Priory. The weather was cold & very windy but we did have a tail wind for most of the way from Consett to Byers Green. Only one short rain shower but very little in the way of sun. We covered just under 44 miles in just over 3hrs. Not bad for a saturday morning for us! Back to a few hours of paperwork from Rd1 & sorting Rd2's. More soon. Below are a few pics but my camera has dropped to pieces so didnt get many!  

MBE Autumn Series Rd1 - Results, Photos etc

It was a great night for some action around Hetton Lyons Country Park. Registration is always busy the first week with riders completing the paperwork etc but we got sorted in the end. The first race of the evening was on the shorter 0.40 mile course which still inc singletrack sections and a climb. There was some great battles going on throughout the 10 min race with parents giving them plenty of encouragment. Amila C U10 was 1st, Owen D U12 2nd & Daniel S U10 3rd. Then it was onto the older ones which were on the full course 1.20miles for 25+mins. Again there was some great battles taking place during the race and some were taking it very serisouly. Joseph A U16 led from the start to come in 1st, Anna K U16 2nd & Olivia F U16 3rd. Then it was onto the main race @ 7pm. The sun and gone for the today and clouded over but still dry conditions. Michael H took the led on lap 1 and held onto it until half way around lap 5 when he had a tumble on a corner so Dean P Sen pulled through into 1st place and took the overall in win covering 8 laps in 46.05mins. Close behind in 2nd place John B Sen 46.10 then Mark S Sen 3rd 46.13. Age cat winners - V40 Mark M, V50 Andy M, V60 Colin M, Jun Daniel H, Lady Amelia T. A full set of Results have now been uploaded into the Results Section and a Gallery of photos uploaded as well for you to have a look through and download if you like. Next Wednesday is Rd2 - same time, same place but different course!

ps Apolgies for parts of the tape missing but we had problems with the local youths snapping the tape. We replaced it nearly a dozen times but could not keep up with them! Remeber to keep your eyes out for the white sprayed arrows on the ground and marker tapes in the trees / bushes as well. Regards MBE Crew

MBE AUTUMN SERIES RD1 WED 13th Aug - Rider Info etc

 This Wednesday sees the start of the 2014 Season. Round 1 is on Wednesday 13th Aug @ Hetton Lyons Country Park, Hetton Le Hole. The main tracks and now all the singletracks are in perfect condition - hard & fast going under tyre. The refreshments are now all sorted. The Series will be similar set up to previous years with three races on the night, first U10 & U12 Novice 6.10pm on a shorter course for 10mins - all get some goodies at the end. Second race is the U12 expert/14/16 6.25pm on the main course for approx 20+mins, again all get some goodies after. Main race is at 7pm on the main course for approx 50mins (depending upon weather). It will be your best three from four rounds to count for overall league position and the presentation will take place after the main race @ Rd4 on the 3rd Sept. All riders who complete the series will be presented with a goodie bag regardless of position. All i ask is that you turn up in plenty of time to get signed on and get ready for your start time. We hold a tight schedule on the night due to fading light each week. If you are a member dont forget to bring your current 2014 licence otherwise you will have to pay the day member fee. If you are a non member can you complete the Day membership form (see section to the top right of this web page) and bring along on the day, that will help reduce the waiting time at signing on. The races are open to all ages and abilities from complete novice to expert, you dont have to be a member of any club either. You can enter on any type of bike suitable for offroad use inc mountain bikes etc, all you need is a helmet. Can you hand your numbers in when you help yourself to the free refreshments afterwards. Enjoy and have a good time. There will hoefully be a gallery of photos each week which are free to download. Results for each round and an updated league table. The course will be set of the hill side of the Country Park which has a great mix of all types of terrain from climbs, descents, singletrack, open sections.

The first round course's - MAIN and LITTLE ONES , best viewed in Satellite mode, click on map button and select. You can also down load to your Garmin / GPS etc. Please note there may be small changes on night due to weather etc. Below a few pics from the venue inspection. I have been organising / racing @ Hetton Lyons Country Park for many many years and this is the best condition it has been in for along time. Nearly all of the over hanging trees/bushes have been cut back, the grass has been cut, singletrack sections cleared out, new singletrack sections added

MBE Autumn CX/MTB Series - FLYER

Fresh Goods Sunday - Part 2 - 1001 Bikes to dream of riding before you die book

This is Part 2 of my Book based Fresh Goods Sunday Reports - again cyling based book called 1001 Bikes to dream of riding before you die. I dont like the title of the book and not into this 'bucket list' thing but the contents of the book do appeal to me. Again i havent to start to read it properley but had a good flick through. There are alot of bikes i can remember from a very early age and right the way through to modern bikes. I have owned several of the bikes that are also listed in the book - Grifter, Proflex, Skyway bmx, Muddy Fox Courier etc and ones that i currently own Cannondale Super X, Salsa Carbon Beargrease etc. Here the book description -  

Never before have so many bicycles been profiled within one beautifully illustrated volume. 1001 Bikes to Dream of Riding Before You Die explores in detail the greatest bikes of all time and from across the globe: from the early historic velocipedes of the 1890s to the arrival of today's standard upright bikes that dominate the marketplace.

This comprehensive book brings together models from every cycling discipline, from road to mountain biking and BMX to track racing. Key brands are also represented, from the Italian maestros Colnago, Bianchi, De Rosa, and Pinarello to the American ambassadors, Trek and Specialized. Also included are many of the smaller but equally influential designers, such as BMC, Scott, LeMond, and Cervélo.
1001 Bikes to Dream of Riding Before You Die celebrates the designs and individual stories behind the world's most influential, groundbreaking, and high-profile bicycles. A detailed photograph of each bike-whether it is a racing shot or stock manufacturing image-is accompanied by illuminating and insightful text revealing the history, development, and importance of each of the 1001 bikes featured.
Each entry details every bike's specifications and manufacturing history, as well as the impact it has had on the bicycle industry. A visually stunning compendium, the book allows readers to trace the evolution of the bicycle, from its early incarnations in wood, all the way through to the record-breaking race bikes of the contemporary world. It promises to be an intriguing read for all bicycle enthusiasts and experts.

Again if you shop around you will be able to purchase it alot less than the £20 rrp, i paid just over £13 inc p&p. This is a smaller sized book but its very thick and heavy.  

New Scott Contessa Scale build for 'her in doors'

During our Summer break to Scotland Jane was complaining about her hybrid commuter bike tyres and the bumpy stones on the trails. To be honest the trails were alot rougher in places than normal and will have been hard work on her commuter so come up with a plan to build her own mtb. The Scott Scale frame was Angus's old one, my old forks from my Kona Ti Hei Hei and groupset from the Cannondale Carbon Rush (full sus) which i have not used in over a year. A few parts from the my stock pile and the bike was nearly complete. I was missing an e type front mech, 34.9mm seatpost & 160mm splined rotor. In a couple of days the parts had landed and we finished off the bike and its ready to rock & roll. Not a bad weight either, rear wheel sounds a little rough and needs some bearings renewed apart from that it rides well.  

Nearly finished just waiting for the a few parts

Sell off f mech, just over £6 brand new inc next day delivery!

Had a few spare 31.6mm seatpost so decided to go with the shim option

USE are very good quality and this one is the alu version not the plastic model

Last but no least i was 1no 160mm splined rotor short

and its finished, apart from a few tweaks & fine tuning