Hi all,

It’s been a while since we had our monthly Club Social Night.  So, it’s been arranged for the last Friday of this month.  We’re meeting from 7pm and the venue is The Big Blue, on Great Western Road at Kelvinbridge (other end of the bridge from the underground station). 

It’s a chance to get all the club members mingling with folk from the different ride nights,  along with our new members attending the Wednesday Beginner Rides.  It’s a great chance to swap stories, compare scars and a hangover is normally guaranteed.

It’s a casual night, absolutely no cycling tops and if you turn up in lycra, I’m afraid your buying a round for everyone;-) 

There’s good grub available at very reasonable prices and the beer isn’t watered down.  Link to the menu here http://www.bigbluerestaurant.co.uk/lunch-menu

And after we’ve drank the bar dry, there’s usually a hardcore group always up for a boogie. 

I’ll be there and I hope to see you too.

Cheers

Barry

Hello all,

It’s around this time last year that a handful of us took part in the 5 Ferry Road Challenge.  It was my favourite road ride of last year and it turned out to be a fantastic day.  So, with some pressure I’ve organised it to take place on Saturday 3rd of September.  Now, it will be weather permitting.  There is no need to book train & ferry tickets in advance, so pulling out last-minute if the weather is atrocious will be ok.

The plan is to get the train from Central Station to Ardrossan for the first ferry, the last ferry drops us at Wemyss Bay, so we’ll catch the train from there to Central.  It’s an all day event, incorporating 4 cycle sections & as the title suggests – 5 ferry crossings.  We covered around 50 miles & some commuting miles.  It’s not a race, but a good pace is needed especially for the Arran section.  The scenery & views are spectacular.  Last year we even managed to catch earlier ferries towards the end – thus meaning more time in the pub!

The ferry ticket can be purchased at the Ardrossan Harbour (Hopscotch 4 & 5 ticket – £18.95), and the train ticket direct from Central on the day.  I can’t seem to get a fixed price on the rail ticket, but last year it was about £9.

I have tried to attach a map & timetable I’ve created but haven’t quite grasped the workings of WordPress (that’s your cue Ryszard).  So, for now please email me at barry.mears@gtg.co.uk and I’ll forward it on.

Please show your interest by leaving a reply.  I recommend only road bikes are used, as mountain bikes with slicks will be a hell of a slog.

Cheers

Barry

Like the title says, I have a brand new 19 inch 2011 Cove Hummer for sale. It’s a warranty replacement for my old frame and is still in the box. The frame is made by Lynskey and features a replaceable drop out. It’s designed to be run with a 140 mm fork and is ideally suited for everything from tight woodsy singletrack to rocky big mountain descents. The frame comes in a limited edition brushed finish and looks rear smart.

The reason I’m selling it is that I’ve been bitten by the 29er bug and am looking to replace it with a full sus frame.

List price is £1600 but I’m looking for £1,000 reflecting the fact that it is brand new.

If you are interested and fancy a new 19 inch Ti steed, feel free to e mail me.

Cheers

Sanny

The Bike Radar (Future Publishing – MBUK and What Mountain Bike) website has published a top ten best Scottish trail centres article. Thought it might be useful for planning at some point.

Not sure that Arran qualifies as a trail centre, but I’d like to take the ferry over sometime.

Well that really was a cracker….

7 of us assembled at the Wallace Monument Car Park and headed off about 740 – warm and pretty sticky as we weaved up through the University Campus and onto the singletrack.  The usual hikey bikey bits for most of us, although Sanny, Dene and Euan cleared more than the rest of us.  Just before 9 we got to the summit, a brief pit stop, knee pads adornded and let rip down the way.  Totally phenomenal descent – most of us taking different lines and no major stacks.  I had a front wheel wash out and a body surf on some grass, but thankfully it was a soft landing.  Back down and Graham led us off into some new stuff in the adjacent forest that Stirling Bike Club have been building – quite like some of the twisty rooty Mugdock trails, but with timber chutes and ramps, made all the more interesting by the settling dusk.

We eventually arrived back at the cars just before 1030, tired, dusty, hungry and well stoked – it really is a lovely hard and techy ride, and on a warm summers evening the views are spectacular.  Added bonus of the M80 being fully opened brings it within not much more than 30mins of Glasgow too.

The venerable Shimano M525 front brake on the Rockhopper had been getting a bit sketchy, which I put down to the original rotor that was visibly concave after 8 years of continous use over two bikes, so time for a new rotor.  In my usual style of preferring industrial kit, I found that Disco Brakes were knocking out no-frills 160mm rotors for £8. Well, what’s in a rotor? You have to be able to produce a flat metal disc with holes drilled in the right places, if you can’t get that right, go and do something else. Continue reading

An amazing 12 folks turned up, despite rain bouncing inches off the cars that we were huddled in at 7pm (those not in cars pressed hard into any recess by the shops). Continue reading