[Closed] so, who's uptonogood this weekend?

Yup, although as i'm currently struck down with Manflu, i think i might bail on the 45miler after the first 25......... ;-(

Me 😀

There are a few Big Bike Bash regulars based in Upton. Say hello from me!

Should be all being well. Was hoping to be on my fatty but it's still on a boat being rowed here.

Erm, yup. But then you know that!

ps got some special cheeses being delivered from France 😀

There are a few Big Bike Bash regulars based in Upton. Say hello from me!

Will do!

40mpg - Member

Erm, yup. But then you know that!

ps got some special cheeses being delivered from France

Did the 45miler this am before work. The couese is lovely in places and hideois in others having a lot of hard ruts covered in grass, quite a few stingers and quite a few very boggy bits.

The grass ruts had me off twice at trai ing speed so I'm passing tomorrow and have an entry free id anyone wants it.

Out of interest where are the ruts?

I'm not but went for a ride starting from West Isley last night and saw that the signs are out. You will definitely be getting stung by nettles and scratched by brambles, I was!

The ruts are everywhere it's not a track or a bog. Many are covered with grass. At 4hr pace I did a running dimount 2x and properly once. This without doing anything stupid. I don't trust my ability to pace myself so am being a wuss and bottling out.

I will say it's the best signed course I have ever seen.

I'll be out on the 25ml course riding and snapping for the local paper. Some of the route is well nettled.

I'm not but went for a ride starting from West Isley last night and saw that the signs are out. You will definitely be getting stung by nettles and scratched by brambles, I was!

I have a cunning plan!

I'll just let the faster riders crush them out of the way for me 🙂

I shall wear long socks in that case. Possibly even stripey long socks 😀

Long socks and long sleeves for me, the nettles are awesome out there...

I'll be there checking 5 and 12 courses before the start. Currently mega rain storm here (blewbury)

Good luck all!

So what did you lot think? Muddy as a muddy thing on a muddy day with some more mud is a summary for my day.

I also got held up quite badly at the start by people slower than me - I dint think there were any 😉 If only people would look around every now and then rather than riding 3 abreast talking to their mates about Morzine when there are lines of people trying to get past 🙁

All in a good event with a great atmosphere, music and beer always good there.

Saw some of you fat bike blokes, how were the bike in that mud?

Missed this despite being very local am I had to head to Luton to take my mum to the supermarket. Rode several chunks of the route on Friday, more of it is likely today too.

Well, that was fun! A tad muddy in places, but great for practicing balance and line choice! The route could do with a "on foot" diversion around the little descent into Ginge Brook, so that people who want to walk down can do it without holding up the people who want to ride down!

Love to know how the "fatties" got on, and if the win in the mud was worth the pain of not fitting into a lot of the ruts?? 😉

(Great organisation and a terrific family day out though, some of the little wheelers were pinning it 😉

Well I wish I had my fatbike for that route - ideal tool for the job.

Very muddy, lot of sections unrideable on skinny tyres. Rear QR snapped 5 mies from home 🙁 but another rider called it in and a mile later the van was there to take me to the finish.

As maxtorque says a great day out!

Just got home from the event, once again another excellent weekend in Upton. The 4hr thunderstorm on Friday night meant ground conditions varied from damp to swamp like in many places, i saw quite a few withdrawals due to mechanical issues along the route. I thought about abandoning at the 25mile mark but ploughed on to complete the full 45miles. Beer tent / bbq / live bands all very good and helped to create a lovely family atmosphere. Will be back again next year.

See person with camera = Pull big wheelie:

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😉

Took me an hour to clean the bike but a great day. Didn't manage to stay awake for the footie.

Only an Hr?? It took me nearly 4, although i had two bikes to clean as i "lent" one of my bike to a friend for the day

(i also have massive clean-bike OCD to be fair 😉

After the MucOff and rinse I've been using something with a duck on the bottle called muck slip or some such and the dirt does seem to fall off easier the next time round.
Didn't do a full drive chain strip down though.

Yeah, i tend to teflon polish my bike, which means a light wash just drops the mud off easily. But being French, and a bit finicky, i tend to spend a while cleaning and lubing pivots/bearings etc to keep things turning smoothly. Especially after a sustained muddy blast 😉

Right then, how was it you ask?

Ace 😀

The best event I've been to (that I don't organise 😉 )

Riding the fatty was fine! I didn't actually fall off, but staying on wasn't the easiest with the hangover I had!

Not cleaned the bike yet...

Our weekend in pictures:

Arrived Friday and helped build the marquees, with some cider, then chilled out till the early hours, with some cider. Had to move indoors when the storm hit.

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Four fatties lined up and ready!
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Mechanical number one: the ashnav's sticky front brake!
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Mechanical number two: the ashnav's puncture!
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Then we found a pub! That made sure we missed the cut off time at 25 miles 😆
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After the ride we drank some more cider, from a saxaphone!
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Pikey was trollied, and fell out of his chair!
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In the evening we went to the pub, 40mpg found it all too much and went to sleep! He blamed the Upton cider we had while all the ace bands were on!
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I think we may have watched the football, but I'm not sure!

Fantastic weekend - going next year for sure!

Nice one guys! 😉 Looks like you had a blast eh!

You guys have great taste in music, everytime i wondered past there was always a fab tune playing 😀

Cleaning the bike did take a while as I had two to do 🙁

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You guys have great taste in music, everytime i wondered past there was always a fab tune playing

Yay another S-club fan! 😉

I'd forgotten the cider-sax and falling asleep at the pub, and mostly everything else after drinking the local stuff from the beer tent. Although I've got a CD from that ska band which I must have either bought or nicked.

Good ride though! The mud really made it (especially for the fat bikes), I was having great fun slithering around all over the place until I fell into the big puddle at the end of the really muddy bit.

Inspired idea putting a pub 3 miles from the end of the 25, luring us in to lurk and miss the cut-off for the 45!

Good effort threading the fat tyres through the ruts!! I don't see any mud on those pics. I spent most of my time slipping and sliding or swimming through mud, when not stumbling out of ruts, oh and getting stung! Still enjoyed it though! So well organised!!!

Yeah, i wondered how a fatty handles narrow ruts too? I guess in someways it might be easier because you don't quite get the same "pinballing" from side to side as you do with narrower tyres in ruts??

I've got a nice set of tiger stipes now on my right forearm, that i got from a comedy dismount into a hedge when passing someone who heard my "coming past on the right" to mean "move right please"......... 😉

it might be easier because you don't quite get the same "pinballing" from side to side

Don't know if its this but it does seem easier on the fatty. Possible the low pressures let the tyres deform a bit when you touch the edges. Or maybe they just don't fit into the rut in the first place!

I guess low pressures could mean that you don't get as much of the pinball effect. It would be fun to try. The water didn't do my Tallboy's pivots much good!

Seems the pictures are up:

http://www.sportsunday.co.uk/up-to-no-good-mtb

I did a section last night, just down from the Bell at Aldworth, wasn't aware it was part of the route until I saw a few signs, jeezuz it was horrifically muddy. Part of the trail is known for mud, but there's a bypass in the trees, but it was ridiculous, 8-10" deep mud everywhere ! I assume due to it's relation to Upton it was part of the long route, not short, it looked like only 15 bikes had taken the route, I bet none of them enjoyed it LOL.

Weeksy, if you think that section is bad then head over to Stanmore woods. By the time I got there some sections were a foot deep in mud and standing water with no way round.

Good fun though, I reached a point where I wasn't going to get much muddier so just cracked on.

Yeah, those super deep muddy bits were actually not to bad, as long as you "went in" with the right speed and gear! You could just plough through them, as the bottom of the muddy puddles was actually hard enough to get some grip and not sink surprisingly!

Rode bits of the course last night, it's drying out nicely! Even Ginge bridge was rideable!

I'll be out on them again today 🙂

drofluf
Even Ginge bridge was rideable!

er, it was rideable last sunday too......... 😉

(in fact, it was a dam sight easier riding down it than trying to skate down it in inappropriate shoes packed with mud, carrying a bike, and trying to avoid a long slip into a massive hedge full of nettles!!)

You could even ride up it last night!

😉 Amzaing what just a couple of days sun does to that chalky surface

If Ginge bridge was the bit with the big queue and people walking/sliding down on the left all four of us "Fatties" rode down it and up the rooty climb the other ride - plenty of grip 😀

That's the place!

People walking down there made me chuckle!

Didn't bother with the brakes once over the lip 😆

theashnav
If Ginge bridge was the bit with the big queue and people walking/sliding down on the left all four of us "Fatties" rode down it and up the rooty climb the other ride - plenty of grip

I rode down/up on my bike, on a pair of well worn Nobby nics pumped up to 45psi, and according to this forum, that alone should have relegated me to an immediate and probably firey, death! 😉

Beer + sun + early start + Kasabian gig = ruin.