Obsessive Cycling Disorder from OTT

Anyone interested in a trip to Wales next month? We could do a day trip to Cwm Carn (as before) or an over-nighter to Afan. Let me know your thoughts and the dates you can make.

It was a small gathering today as some of the guys headed off to Wendover.  Rich was out of action and this left only Craig, Kevin & myself to ride out of Batford.

Craig led the way with Kev and I puffing and panting behind. My negative fitness level didn’t help me.  Craig picked a random route and was good with his choices.  The climb up to Chalk Hill was a good ‘find’.  We had close encounters with a deer and also saw several red kites en route.  The going in several locations was pretty gloopy - the mud sticking like toffee.  Our route across a field near Luton Airport was amusing and challenging to say the least.  Kev suffered the only puncture of the day despite having the Slime protector strips fitted - Unluckily for him, the thorn(s) pierced the strip about  2mm from it’s edge.

The last section from Chiltern Green to Bower Heath was a real mega-mudfest.  At one point my back wheel refused to turn due to the huge lumps of mud on my bike.  I swear some farmer is going to wake up and find half his land missing - he can have it back if he cleans my bike!   

Overall, it was a good ride even if it was tough in places.

Thanks to Craig for leading the way.

- Mark (Trance 3)

Click image below for route

Saturday afternoon and a short guided tour by Simon thru his local route - we took the headcam for a test drive and I have posted some examples of videos on the website.(have experimented with diff formats-let me know which is best!). Simon started with a flat tyre and I ended up with no brake pads in the front, apart from that a decent ride on a sunny day!

link to OTT videos

Rich

With  BAFTA’s, EMMY’s & BRIT Awards being given out we felt it was time to dish out our own Award - “The Pink Pedal” - We took a vote amongst some of the original OTT riders and all came to the same conclusion - The winner of the 1st Pink Pedal should have given something unique to the band of mad cyclists who get muddy (apart from one), ride in the rain (apart from one) and keep dirty bikes (guess what!)…

(more…)

Hey

Whilst in deepest/darkest Devon I found a real gem of a bike store - I have placed a link on this blog and Chris at Partridge Cycles is keen to supply mail order to us - Send me a mail if you are after anything on-line as we will get some OTT deals……There is further stuff in their e-bay shop. more details soon……..

Rich

www.partridgecycles.co.uk

Tim, James Mark and I had a good ride tonight. Don’t ask me where, I was just following (at a distance) those who know where they are going. Basically it was a similar route to last week as documented by Simon but done in reverse. Conditions were 100% better than last weeks ice and snow, still muddy in places but nothing too bad. Comedy moment was provided on one of the brief bits of road when an oncoming car was presented with several thousand lumen of our combined lights and pulled off the road to let what he must have thought was an articulated lorry pass by! In contrast to the icy rides of late there weren’t any major ‘offs’ although mark did have an encounter with a barbed wire fence but luckily his jacket was ripped and not his skin! Tim’s slime inner tubes proved to not be £15 well spent as his early puncture was the only one of the evening. Looks like he is warming up to the idea of tubeless. See you all next time.

Hoping to organise a Thursday evening in our local for a few drinks and a bite to eat - If you are up for it I recon the Tapas menu will be around £10 per person max and I am sure our friendly publican Ross (Amble Inn) will make us all welcome

Anyone who has riden with us is welcome to come along - Leave a message on the board so I can arrange! - 7-7.30start

Rich

LATEST NEWS - 19TH FEBRUARY IS THE DATE - NOW CONFIRMED 

After a very promising round of emails and phone calls, it looked like we were gonig to have a good turnout. However due to work and being too cold for some, only James, Rich A and I made the rendezvous at Sandridge. Turns out it was Rich’s first off road night ride - with the conditions the way they were, I hope it’s not put him off too much.
Anyway usual start through Rifle Butt woods, bit wet and muddy but still good, round the field and the top way in Symonshyde woods, which was a mud fest. All the snow combined with the usual mud made it horrible, I’m sure my feet were under water at one point at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Down the “Secret” rather than the “Secret secret” singletrack, again a little slow and muddy, to the road. Decided not to do the route to The John Bunyan, it’s muddy at the best of times, it would have been a push-a-thon through there.
A bit of road work, sees James hit the ground because of the black ice, his unusual preference of wearing full body armour at all times means he is not hurt at all!
Eventually we make it to Nomansland, just starting to enjoy the snow that is still there and Rich gets a puncture. After inflating his tyre with my CO2 inflator I think I have another convert!
Up the road to the bridle way into Sandridge and it’s sheet ice, all three of us end up walking the steep bit due to near face to tarmac situations.
Get to the bridle way and its a nice smooth run down, an absolute horror getting up the other side in the snow / ice track, Rich hitting the ground face first. Across the top is also a ‘mare, with the usual down hill being ice with a stream running through it, making riding it very difficult. We said our goodbyes at the scout hut. Overall an awesome if wet and difficult ride, below is the course.
Simon

Newbie Darren left this on our message board - so as it was interesting I have moved it to the blog for more to read - Admin

Conditions were interesting today I rode out from home to meet a friend up at ashridge. Most was unrideable in ashridge thick crusty snow I was ok when I was in the tracks that someone made on their cross country skis. The trouble is they went a different was to what I wanted to go so it was fresh tracks for me.
It was going ok with pushing and riding where I could then I think something got a bit jammed up at the back end CRUNCH as the deraillier parted company with the frame as the hanger snapped. I always carry a spare hanger, for the other bike! I haven’t had chance to get one for this bike yet. It was single speed time nightmare at the best of times let alone in the snow and ice. I finally made it to monument only took me 2 hours todo about 10 miles 6 of that was onroad. Down through Aldbury to Tring and the bike shop(with a flat tyre on the way) but things looking up I managed to get a new hanger.
Rebuild the gears outside the bike shop I now have 3 sram links in the chain now.
Over to Wendover woods help someone dig their car out on the way over. Theres a big sign saying Cafe open everyday of the year at Wendover woods it wasn’t open today!
We rode round some of the trails well used so it was compacted snow in most places made even the fire road interesting. We took what would of been a cheeky trail out of the woods along a footpath across a field if we have been able to ride the snow was about 12 inches deep with no other tracks except ours. We had a quick look at aston hill which was all closed up then joinned up with ridgeway path back to Wigginton for a cup of tea, a bacon sarnie and best of all a lift home! I think it was about 40 ish km in 6 hrs

Darren

A cold and snowy spin in the dark.

Another good turn out with James, Tim, first timer John over from Knebworth and I.  After the usual fawning over each of our bikes, with James and I extolling the virtues of Singlespeed in this sort of weather, we set off proper.

Over the top towards Harpenden,  the snow was still quite deep, but well trodden and was not too difficult, briefly on to the road for some icey moments, and eventually down Mudd lane, which was very icy, and quite an experience!

Going towards Nomansland, John got a puncture, the temperature was getting very cold, fixed that, and off again.

Through the snow on Nomansland, and the geared bikes started to freeze up, John trying singlespeed not of his own choosing, and a considerably higher gear than the 32:16 James and I were running.  Tim’s rear mech started to malfunction, the “new” SRAM lower jockey wheel completely solid.

My Camelback drinking tube was frozen, but like true heroes we carried on.  More road work and James hit the ground with a crash, black ice, however with his usual leg and arm downhill armour (rad duuuuude!) in place, didn’t hurt himself. Some more “almost” offs for us all, and then back through Rifle Butt woods, which was the muddiest I’d seen it, with the snow melt, hadn’t frozen at the time, I assume the tree cover slowing the freeze down.  Into Sandridge for the goodbyes.

Overall a really good evening ride, very COLD……

Simon

Didn’t make it in to work today, never ridden in “proper” snow before, so James and I went for a quick spin.   What an awesome experience, see pic.

Simon

Most of our rides appear as links on the Rides Blog - but to give to give a taste of where we go why not click on one of the links below, these are only picture files as the animated routes can be seen on the rides blog - when I have worked out how to create thumbnails these will replace the text…. Rich

St Pauls Ride - double click to view full screen

Ayott St Lawrence Ride - double click here to view full screen

Bendish Ride - double click here to view full screen

TEST ONLY

Swapped out those cheap Kenda 829’s for my old Schwalbe Mountaineer II’s again in time for 1st Feb ride.  Real pig to get on the rims. The steel beads are so tight. It’s now 8 or 9 days since I swapped ‘em over and my thumbs are still really aching from trying to get them on the rims. 

In the muddy conditions of the ride, they coped really well - the thin dimensions cutting through the mud to find traction underneath.  Probably a bit easier to pedal and they shed the mud pretty well avoiding most of the sideways antics of other tyres I’ve had.  Another ‘full marks’ to the Schwalbe crew - all of their tyres I’ve used have impressed me with price and performance so far.

EDIT:6/2/09

Wednesday night, used another set of wheels and stuck the Schwalbe Space D/H tyres on my Giant. Heavy going but went through the mud like a tractor in Bramfield forest at night. Whoooa! 

Great ride and I’m sure everyone enjoyed it as much as I did.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/7555989

This turned out to be a 17 mile cross country mud marathon, with a bit of tarmac thrown in. Craig led the way with Rich A,The 2 Marks and me (Rich). The camera on its second outing was fun, but I still think there’s room for improvement (low res video here) . Keep visiting as both Marks used the Garmin and we should have some maps here soon. Wildlife spotting we had a Buzzard of some type and a Hawk (James would have been able to id them). We ended up in the Amble Inn and I promise I will buy the next round guys,

Rich