[Closed] Weekend riding thread 1st - 3rd November: Gales and downpour edition

We have been on holiday all week. Yesterday was Bike Park Wales. Drove up to North Wales today but decided against riding as it was wet and windy. Went for a walk on the beach instead.

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Yeah, I'm most likely to be in the garage on the turbo (if anything) this weekend.

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I'll be fitting some super flared bars to the gravel bike after the rugby on Saturday, and maybe also replacing the 42t chainset to a 40t one. If Sunday's weather is as currently forecast I'll hopefully be trying the new bits out on a saturated track somewhere in Wilts...(drinks with neighbours Sat night, so may still hangover dependent...)

I probably won't be riding up Butser Hill tomorrow, last time I checked, Met Office were predicting 71mph gusts! 😮

Even the commute is going to be fun, gusts of ~40mph, headwind on way in.

Must resist heading up Watton Lane after work...

Some Mountain Bike Orienteering at Cannock might be on the cards.

I went for a ride on Tuesday. Rugby final, gym, domestic duties (shower sealant and maybe painting) and some sailing club admin is what's in store for me.

Stock up on jobs and save the bike for a less filthy weekend!

Currently in a static at Barmouth Bay - heading for Cyb 2mo 😳 Send out a search party if I’ve not checked in by teatime 😀

Tracey, That airborne picture is awesome. Thats a framed one for the wall for sure.

I’m going to head up to Hopton woods tomorrow after the rugby.  FOD looks like a wash out and all my riding mates have bailed on me now.  So it looks like a solo ride.  🙁

Quick spin round the woods earlier. First dark start, dark end night ride of the season. Fun and slightly disconcerting as always.

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Fun little blast around Bredon Hill today. Stupidly muddy but nice to get out though.

I may also do Cannock Orienteering. Unless its horrible weather, then it will be Watt biking indoors.

Out with the dog this afternoon between weather fronts.

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It's pissing down up here in the north HIghlands.

I'm just back from North Queensland, 3 dry months and temps in the 30ºs, and fed up of sunshine, UV, and dust.

So saddle up and go for a 20km ride in the rain.

It's still fun. 🙂

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Oh, and the waterproof trousers question? Craghoppers Aquadry.

I eventually dragged myself out for a short local XC. To avoid approaching a horse rider from behind I did my route differently than intended & then explored a bit I've had my eye on from the Strava heatmap; it was horse-trodden soft grass & through a few muddy fields, but still enjoyable. I somehow escaped the further rain I was expecting, which was nice, but still got plenty wet & muckit.

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Coaching in the FoD this morning. Thankfully the forecast rain held off but it was still very wet underfoot and the root section on Sheepskull didn't look too inviting...

Fun little blast around Bredon Hill today. Stupidly muddy but nice to get out though.

Hey Kyak, I live in Bredon.  Ride up the hill occasionally and looking to ride up there more.  Been keen to know what route you take?  I got a nice little 7mile loop from my front door, but looking to make it a little longer

Hey RussyH.

I've been working my way through a load of routes I found on Pinkbike, based I think on the Cotswolds mountain bike routes book.

Bredon Hill is probably the nearest to me and I've ridden up and around it from pretty much every direction now.

Today started in Kemerton, and was 13 miles of draggy slop 😂

Have a look at the routes below 👇

https://m.pinkbike.com/u/bubbleless/blog/cotswold-mountain-biking-routes.html

Amazing thank you!  Been getting a little bored of my route!  I’ll give this a go during the week one evening.

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Welcome break from the rain in Derbyshire, although I did pick the wrong place for a mechanical. The ride home will now be far more sedate than the rest of the ride 😊

Why have you got a tiny little bike hanging off your saddle?

love the colour of that green fork. Same colour scheme as my bmx.

Did the Beast at cyb including the top section which was, frankly dull and boring. Generally dry though!

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I got absolutely soaked to the bone at Drumtochty on Friday but thoroughly enjoyed it.
I rode at Aboyne today and minced another XT 12 speed derailleur. That’s 2 in 4 rides 🙄. The previous SRAM XO derailleur took loads of abuse and just kept going, the XT’s seem only to need the faintest of touches to shit themselves.

Pee stop with a view

https://flic.kr/p/2hEyD2h

Back to the FoD and the sun's out...

Unfortunately I managed to loose yet another stud off the rear Magic Mary and ended up riding a flat tyre back to the Cycle Centre.

No gales or rain in Sheffield, thankfully. Great to get out after a couple of weekends off.

Stunning autumnal sunshine round Matlock bath today. Muddy trails in places but great to be out.

Messing about with the lads by coniston water and then back via some quieter corners of grizedale on the crosser

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3 hours orienteering around Cannock Chase. Tough, wet and great fun.
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Early start for a misty loop of Jacobs ladder today. No rain fell. Lots of people out and about. Including two lads sat in a car on the bridal way up to south head. Think they were lost...

Pisswetthrough in Hertfordshire.
Again. I really need a new rain coat .
If I did Instagram, rocket dog would be on my list. Can’t beat a wee stop with a view.

Went to Ae to find some of the secret trails , one mate broke his bike and my son managed to slice right through his kneecap . So we ended up 80 miles from home in A&E in Dumfries and with an emergency op and overnight stay . A day to forget .

Went for a walk up on the downs with a mate plus dog to chat some stuff through but still great. Even better with some Bonfire Boy on the way home.

This type of thread and the 'look at my bike threads' are why I still come to this site.

A Lewes cheer to all that got out on their bikes this weekend!

Road bike with the club in the post bonfire night fog this morning. Oldham to Holmfirth and back via Marsden.

Didn't fancy the wet clay in the local woods, so thought I'd risk a little 'gravel' ride on my hardtail - bit of exploring local minor roads and byways with the odd bit of bridleway and footpath thrown in. Still found plenty of mud but at least it was wet and thin, rather than full on clag... Finally starting to see some Autumn colour round here.

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Turbo ride of 30 miles yesterday to avoid the soaking as I'd just walked the dog in the downpours. Wish I'd known it would be fairly dry at the beast today as I did consider going there for a maiden voyage on a new bike, instead I resorted to a local bimble of slop on my hardtail. Oh well!

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Bredon Hill not been up there in years pass it most days was going to take Fattie up Malverns but not sure the roads were open Haw Bridge way or Upton-on-Severn went down to Sharpness on the canal towpath very muddy in places good in others nice day though.

Beautiful day for it in Kent today .
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Quick spin round a few lanes only to find out someone had set fire to our lift home.

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49007463123_39cbc8a43b_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49007463123_39cbc8a43b_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2hEC4oK ]2019-11-03_06-30-44[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr

After drinking far too much on Friday night did the Dragons back at CYB met @timbog160 not enjoying the top section then did the extended Minotaur trail in the dark which is great, can't wait bring the kids

Today we did the Mach 2 at Machynlleth which was heavy going as the ground was absolutely saturated. The views were stunning especially with the trees looking amazing.

Unbelievably as the forcast was grim we had only 20 mins rain all weekend when riding, which was a massive bonus

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Like that Cheesy

Times like this I dont miss the UK. Winter is riding season in Honkers, the weather is no longer trying to kill you, just wrap you in a nice fuzzy warm blanket.
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Mui Wo Bike Park down to the Coastal Trail Video
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No riding for me - post-op ban in force, so I pitted for a mate at the cyclocross today.

FILTHY ! sticky mud that took ages to knock, then wash off (what's better than a worx thingy?) and when the mud went we were left with loads of 6-8 inch mowed grass stalks wrapped in & round the drivetrains & pedals.

A lot fewer DNFs than I expected though. I guess modern frame clearance and 1x with NW are good for keeping folk moving.

Training road loop on the cross bike with some new wheels for road! dura ace hubs, Sapim race spokes and Open Pro rims. Running GP4000s and a 11-23 cassette and. 38T NW for rad gearing. Lovely ride. Really handles well and the wheels have made it much better. I run ksyriums off road with 12-32 nine speed.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2838811917

Lols good to meet you @stainypants. That last hour really was purgatory for both of us! Note to self - take some food next time! Still a great day out though...

Was out with Mrs Kilo on the cx bikes on Sunday morning around Epsom and Box Hill sunny and mild but muddy as anything on some of the bridle ways. Quite pleased to almost garrotte myself after a thorn bush wrapped around my neck and then avoided all the mud to crash on a solid chalk track. Mrs K also got a big nail through her back tyre which wouldn’t seal and it was one of those where it was easier to just walk the last bit home than fanny around fixing it.

robowns

Member
Like that Cheesy

Seems like there was 3 of us on Bredon yesterday

Quick, dead feeling, 18 mile road ride Saturday morning before the rain and rugby. Then a cracking ride in the Peak yesterday, started off pretty dank, brightened up and then clouded over toward the end.
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Saturday, finally put the wall back up on the garrage and hung the doors, its (and the bikes) been open to the elements for over 4 years!

Sunday, missed the 9am clubrun so headed off in the generall direction on a longer route to meet them at the cafe. Navigated by sense of direction for the first hour, then got stung by google maps sending me down a muddy track that passes for a sustrans route in the last bit. Still managed a 15mph average to the cafe, should have been more like 18 if it wasnt for that! Did just long enough on the front of the group and a few missed directions meant a few big efforts to catch up after doing laps of roundabouts on the way back to completely empty the tank!

Still havent managed to get the Scandal to Swinley but apparently the forrestry work is blocking the clubhouse trails and 15 through 25 anyway?

Still havent managed to get the Scandal to Swinley but apparently the forrestry work is blocking the clubhouse trails and 15 through 25 anyway?

pretty much

[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49006695962_b9f9e36e73_4k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49006695962_b9f9e36e73_4k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2hEy8kQ ]20191102_103351[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/dave-lowe/ ]Dave Lowe[/url], on Flickr
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Loop around Skipton on Saturday. Drenched. Fields were waterlogged making pedalling 3 times harder.

Just strava-stalked your route Dave 🙂 Some 'interesting' route selections! Is the towpath to Gargrave still shut? You appear to have finished off with four miles along the A65, which can't have been fun..

No riding for me this weekend - climbing club reunion and heavy cold, and by the looks of it, didn't miss out on stellar conditions.

Thornilee looking spooky on Friday...

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Inversion at Golfie Saturday...

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Mucky bike at Inners yesterday...
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4afnHHH7-o/

Some ‘interesting’ route selections! Is the towpath to Gargrave still shut? You appear to have finished off with four miles along the A65, which can’t have been fun..

Was staying at Eshton and originally intended to finish off with Sharp Haw but by the time I got to Skipton I was drenched to the bollocks, covered in shit and knackered from trying to pedal through waterlogged fields. Looked like I'd be dredged out of the canal. So took the path of least resistance back to the Van.

Last rode the Middle Hare Head BW about 11 years ago. My god it was awful. Waterlogged and totally trashed with cows walking along it.

shame we didn't see you lowey.
we rode back from malham yesterday. plan was a offroad route back to leeds (60 mile). but after Saturdays 60 mile offroad/onroad death march from Kirkby Stephan to malham, we too took the path least resistance back to leeds, via the leeds/Liverpool canal.
110 miles for the weekend is ok though.

Good effort Ton. KS to Malham will have taken some fortitude in those conditions.

PS - is the towpath open from Gargrave to Skipton? They don't bother putting signage out until you've covered half the distance, and unlike Dave, I'm not riding on the A65!

Your route was certainly a shit-fest, Dave. I think I've ridden the section from the A59 to Draughton once. I remember pedalling along a sludgey disused railway line then pushing up a tussocky field.

Come back in the summer and I'll show you some better stuff!

PS – is the towpath open from Gargrave to Skipton?

no, but will ignored the signs and climbed a fence. no reason it should be closed to be honest.

Cheers. They seem to be stretching a two-month job into a year, by the looks of it.