[Closed] Cannock today

I was there at 7:30am, Did section 8 and the last 2 sections of the Monkey then popped over to stile cop for a few runs. Didn't see many people but I did get very wet and every moving part on the bike was grinding with grit.

As one of the lads with us said, it was the midlands own grinding paste working away at all the moving bits!!

It was much busier than normal today.
There was a "Hell Run" on (which doesn't account for extra on FTD) but did add to traffic elsewhere and also a Retrobike Event.

Still wet and crap then? I was planning on going on Monday but I don't fancy the grinding paste.

ride single speed on the chase = less components to dissolve in winter gritty pooh. Had a lovely ride until I broke my bike 😥
oh and ride the decent stuff not the monkey doggers and you'll hardly see another soul 😉

Or start early ride the man made,the natural & everything inbetween....... 🙂

emac65 +1 that really is the way to do it and you get to see more wildlife early morning as well

Follow your Dad and some cheeky trails today. As said, wet and grinding paste, but plenty of grip as it was largely a thin layer of mud on top of hardpack.

Tazzymtb: Till the uber light chainset dissolved do you mean?

Would chuckle but I know the pain will be extreme tomoz.

Picto......I'll get you for that.........and next time you break a chain I'll leave you in the woods for the panther, werewolves and doggers 😀

see you tomorrow night for a "gentle spin"

Yup [b]badlydrawnbiker[/b] there were around 40 Retrobikers doing the Monkey today, including myself.

It was pretty slippery all the way round and by god those braking bumps are some of the worst I've ever seen at any trail centre, mind you it did add to the fun two wheel drifting whilst being bounced all over the shop on the braking bumps...

I think pretty much every rider had a mud related issue, limited working gears, mud in the gusset, brakes than just ground your rims away rather than stop you any time soon, a right good laugh!

Some of the sections on the Monkey (section 8 is awesome!) are really good they flow so well you hardly have to put a pedal stroke in, but those sections that have been hammered by those who cannot brake properly or take the right lines are in poor shape at the minute.

Picto- you dont know when to stop do you!
Take the pain for the both of us- it was funny though!

Aaaah we saw you lot crossing the main road as we were heading home today, I thought wtf are these boys riding!! Fair play to you all!!

I was pretty busy, but was a good day out despite being very muddy, although I did see someone push his son over the werewolf drop, where he faceplanted. Which was less good.

[b]wrightyson[/b] Cheers! I guess it doesn't really matter what bike you ride, it's a bit of a nutty sport anyway getting lathered in mud, hurtling down trails shoulder barging trees and scaring yourself sh!tless as you do it!

There were all sorts of bikes out today from fully rigid with canti & U brakes to hardtails and retro full sussers

I was on my 1993 KHS Montana Pro with some rather slow rebounding RS Mag 20 forks and a chain that had so many stiff links I gave up trying to loosen them off and just rode the damn thing 😆

Were you on your bike or in your car?

Edit: Some pics here if anyone is interested http://www.flickr.com/photos/59509646@N08/

I too came across the faceplanter lad at the drop. Much to my surpise my 8 yr old lad then nailed the drop and proceeded to goad all other hesitators with 'come on you can do it, I did and I'm 8'. Now that's pressure.
Laddo amazed me today. We did whole of monkey and FTD. Can't remember it being as busy before though!

Fair play to the lad, his Dad wasn't much better at dropping it when I saw him try it so I'm surprised he managed with that coaching.

Glad I spent the day at the cop!

Glad I went on the road !

<did I just say that out loud 😳 >

Has cannock had more than it's fair share of rain? The lower slopes of the NW Alps weren't too bad yesterday even in the usual mud bog black spots, heavy rain forecast for today though

Orangista, we were fannying about with an upside down bike on the far side of the road, mine was lay on the deck which several of your lads had to swerve to avoid 😳
I've rode those trails three times before but always in the week after an early sneak off from work! I'd heard the pa system as we set off so presumed there was other stuff on but i couldn't believe how many cars were up on the top car park!!
I didn't realise that retro events took place by the way, looked a right laugh and I'm now somewhat gutted i binned a Dawes with full old school xt at the tip last yr!!!! 🙁

You'll be even more gutted wrightyson when you realise that some skip monkey will have parted out all that XT for a not insignificant sum.

[b]wrightyson[/b] I think I remember seeing your group, but didn't take too much notice as I was trying not to get run over..

I'd not worry about your bike getting in the way, we probably got in the way of a few riders too 😳

There are a few skip monkeys over at Retrobike, so hopefully someone has made use of your mistake! Yup you cold have flogged pretty much all of the stuff off the bike and possibly the frame & forks too, XT is a favourite of Retrobikers, but it all depends on the model of XT as to what it was worth.

The Retrobike National Event Series is new this year, we've been having quite large single events for a few years and the powers that be at Retrobike Towers decided to make them into a series, the events are great fun.

If anyone on here has a Retrobike sign up to the forum an join in the fun, we even had a celebratory beer at the end as one of the lads is a brewer and brought a mini keg with him!

pop larkin
Take the pain for the both of us- it was funny though!

Luckily rain stopped play. Pain is no doubt waiting round the corner.

I saw the ensemble of retro hardware taking flight, I struggle to imagine the horrific group inertia created by that lot of old tat. 😛