posted 4 Dec 2011 12:46 by Alan Bowker
With the new winter skills courses starting in mid December I took the chance to check out part of the route i have planned for the course. The course started with an easy ride through Healey Dell nature reserve then a long climb up to the moorland tops and a circuit around Brown Wardle Hill. This area is an ideal winter (and summer) skills training venue, with varied terrain, multiple line choices and rutted descents all lead to a fun few hours in the saddle.
Heading up there for the last two hours of daylight with some friends, it was a good way to test the route out and take in a spectacular sunset. Check out Winter Skills page to find out more and if you fancy braving the cold this December to push your riding skills, drop me an e-mail to book a session.
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posted 4 Sep 2011 07:15 by Alan Bowker
Last Saturday I was back in Hayfield again to run an intermediate skills course for Reuben and Milton from the Rossendale Valley. They lads are members of the Rossendale Rocky Riders, a mountain bike club who ride each weekend at Lee Quarry and on the fantastic natural trails in and around the valley. The day was split into two halves, the morning ride was a loop focused on honing the skills followed by an afternoon concerntrating on flow and pump.
The first loop began with a long but gradual hill which had everyone warmed up for the first session...manualling, Milton and Reuben did really well and were soon timing their manuals to perfection. After a great session on line choice and technical climbing we came to the steep climb up to Chinley Churn. Heading up the rutted bridleway we focused on multiple line choice and how to ride rutts smoothly and effectively. Once at the top it was time for a rest and a refuel before we headed down an excellent rutted trail and out and down the fast sweeping descent to Peep 'o Day farm. Over the road we climbed up to the top of the descent to Coldwell Clough, this descent is twisty and rocky...the perfect place to learn technical descending and flow. Teaching the lads where to ride and how to use the WHOLE trail to keep speed up proved to be a lot of fun and a much needed skill for the afternoon session.
With time a ticking we headed back to Hayfield for lunch at Rosies Cafe and filled up on cake and sandwiches.
The afternoon session was to be a real test, after a recap on rear whell lifts and bunnyhops we headed up the killer climb towards Kinder Reservoir, this climb proved to be hard work to keep momentum up but we were soon at the top and looking out over the clear views over to Lantern Pike and Glossop in the distance. Now came the best bit, the ride over and down Middle Moor, this bridleway is laced with rutted paths and offers multiple line optons to cross the moor. Making our way across the moors we got to the start of the fast descent where I ran a session on flow and skill choice over a deeply rutted section with drop offs and rocks. With this new skill still fresh in their minds we raced down the trails hopping between rocks and rutts to eventually pop out onto the road back to Hayfield just as it started to rain. Jackets on now all that remained was some fast singletrack and a final easy ride back into Hayfield Village.
 The day proved to be very popular and Reuben and Milton really progressed and pushed their riding abilities. All they have to do now is keep practising and expeimenting with different line choices and flow and they'll be on their way!
Reuben and Miltons' mum, Christine is a great photographer, she can snap everything from classic landscape photography to all action shots. Christine will be taking some photos very soon for the Dale Trails website, watch this space!
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posted 6 Aug 2011 14:39 by Alan Bowker
Well, something had to give on my new Specialized Crux after finding very little to complain about on the bike the freewheel gave up the ghost. It started with a rumbling from the rear hub and developed into a noisy grind, a strip of the hub found that the bearings were fine but the freewheel had seen better days....after only 4 weeks! I rang specialized and they immediately posted me a new one. All is fine so far but a good point to remember when buying a "from the box" bike is that the first cost cutting on a bike is usually done on the wheelset, this is why most people upgrade their wheels and hubs to a stronger and higher quality pair.
I have a good pair of Shimano 105 hubs that have been lying around doing nothing but are now being built up onto some super strong cross rims ready for some cross riding action this summer and autumn. Watch this space for a review on the wheels very soon.
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posted 26 Jul 2011 13:16 by Alan Bowker
A couple of weekends back I rode the coast to coast route from Whitehaven to Sunderland over 2 days to test my new Specialized Crux cross bike The 140 mile route takes in some fantastic scenery as you wind up and over the mountainous North Lake District passing Whinlatter Forest (home to Whinlatter MTB trail centre) past Keswick before it's time to head North East to Penrith and the short push on to Langwathby before a short off road section that leads to the start of the very steep climb to Hartside Moor (and a closed Cafe at the top!!). Luckily, once at the summit you are rewarded with a long descent to Alston village and a welcome shower and feed at the B&B!
The second day is a little shorter and more undulating but it features two quality off road trails, the first heads out from Rookhope village and climbs over a long steep and rocky bridleway to the highest point at Bolts Law, a good place to rest before the long section that links up to the second and best off road trail along the Waskerley Way. This trail is on a fast gradual descent that sweeps you along a super fast trail with steep and rolling corners all the way to the town of Consett, definately ride this trail, it's great fun!. The route then meanders along disused railway lines and linking trails to finally end the ride on the Sunderland coastline. The Crux performed superbly over the weekend and handled all the routes off road sections with ease (although not as easy as an MTB). The Crux felt very fast and responsive on and off the road with it's confidence inspiring geometry, strong and durable groupset and super cool looks, top marks all round.
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posted 11 Jul 2011 13:41 by Alan Bowker
Today I finished building my Specialized Crux Elite cyclo cross bike. This bike is the replacement for my broken road bike which decided to snap its fork steerer and temporarily rearranged my face for a week or so!! Anyway, the Crux is a full on Cyclo Cross bike with all tough and durable components as standard, weight saving on a bike has never been top of the pops when it comes to my personal bike build preference as I much prefer good old durability. Cyclo Cross bikes may look very similar to road bikes but they have stronger frames, burlier wheels with off road tread patterned tyres and share some mountain bike drive componentry.
Cross races are similar in many ways to an old school XC race which sees some of the riders shouldering their bikes up rocky or slippery sections (hence the flattened top tube). Check out the link to the three peaks cross race which takes in all the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks (Pen-y-Ghent,Ingleborough and Whernside).
I will be testing the bike out this weekend when I do the coast to coast route from Whitehaven to Sunderland , this route takes in some fire roads and bridleways along the way so it''s a perfect test for the Crux...roll on the weekend!
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posted 5 Jul 2011 13:14 by Alan Bowker
This weekend sees the return of the Singletrack Weekender mountain bike event at Lee Quarry trails in Rossendale. The event is in it's third year and is organised by Singletrack Magazine who this year Shimano as their main sponsor! The race takes place over the weekend with three MTB disciplines that are to be ridden on one bike, the disciplines are Downhill, Trials (old skool) and Cross Country. The Saturday will see the Downhill and Trials events followed by the Cross Country race on the Sunday.
Unfortunately, I will not be at the event this year due to work commitments but look out for my friends Matt and Elaine from Marmalades Bed & Breakfast based in Stackstead (just minutes from the trails!). Matt will be competing in the event while Elaine will be dishing out some cake samples that are all available at their guest house. I had the chance to call in to see how the guest house was looking earlier this week and it looks fantastic, the rooms are spacious with all the mod cons as well as a really cool guest chill out lounge where you can tell all your tall riding tales around an open fireplace.
If you are planning on a visit to the Lee Quarry trails or just fancy a weeekend away give Elaine or Matt a call and get yourself booked in for a weekend of riding, relaxing and eating cake!
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posted 12 Jun 2011 11:56 by Alan Bowker
As I mentioned in my last post, BMX tracks are a great way to imrove your mountain bike riding techniques and boost your confidence out on the trail. The super smooth tracks and big flowing berms are perfect to practise an active body position, master your manualing and of course jump start your jumping technique! The lack of trees, rocks and sketchy landing areas enable you to practise and practise each technique till you have the skill dialled.
I rode my newly built GT Power Series 24 at the track this morning, the bike is extremely stiff and accelerates from the start gate faster than anything I have ridden previously. The 24" wheels and longer frame suit the taller rider than a standard 20" BMX which can feel a little cramped. I plan on racing this Summer, and then applying the skills learnt on the track to the trails and of course you.
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posted 3 May 2011 10:39 by Alan Bowker
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updated 3 May 2011 11:12
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A great way to greatly improve your fitness, stamina and brush up on your bike skills is to visit your local BMX track. This Sunday I went to the track to concentrate on improving a friend of mine's bike handling skills, particularly bermed cornering and getting a more active body position on the bike.
We started with cornering and slowly built speed up on the long right hand berm till he was confident at riding the berm, we then moved onto linked bermed corners and sessioned these looking at where to ride and more importantly, where to look. Happy with cornering it was over to the rythmn section which is a series of 8 rollersin close succession. The idea is to pump your way through the rollers without pedalling, using timing, weight transfer and a lot of practise. After many attempts he was looking a lot smoother so we headed for the starting grid to get some laps in and put it all into practise.
With clearly a big improvement in his confidence and bike handling skills, it really goes to show just how good a focused session at the BMX track get your riding back on track.
I ride at the Queens Park BMX track near Heywood, Lancashire, it has recently had a make over and a re-design and there is a local club (Heywood BMX Club) who run club sessions on a Saturday morning from 9am till 12pm. Click on the link to The Roch Valley Raiders website and find out more.
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posted 12 Apr 2011 14:54 by Alan Bowker
This Sunday 17th April there will be a dig day at Lee Quarry with the Pennine Mountain Bike Association to repair some of the new trail sections and jmprove on other features. The dig will start around 10am till 2pm, luckily it's not all work and no play as there will be a ride after the tools have been put away...yay! See the PMBA website for details:
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