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Well that’s a good start to the year!

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  • January 5, 2017 at 12:27 pm #26624
    sergius

    I managed to crash on Monday while out for an early morning ride; perfectly straight piece of road, what must have been some black ice caused the front of the bike to go sideways at 20mph unceremoniously dumping me on the tarmac.

     

    Managed to knacker both my wrists and make a mess of my chin, but could have been much worse.  Did wreck my helmet, gloves, Gabba and glasses though – bike seemed ok after I bent the RD back into position and crawled home – but I’ve not done a proper post-crash inspection yet with the state of my wrists.

     

    Anyway, after I’m recovered I think I’m going to have to sack off the (road) rides when the temperature is that low.  That’s the first (and last!) time I go out when it’s icy like that, if I can loose the front wheel like that on the straight with no warning, then it’s clearly not sensible.

    As I’ve no turbo trainer (and my wife won’t let me have bikes in the house), I’m a little limited in my options when it’s proper cold.

    All I can see is:

    – go for a jog (I hate running though)

    – exercise bike (no strava! boo)

    – dig out my MTB and go offroad…

     

    I’ve not done any offroad riding for a few years TBH, though I have a reasonable bike I bought a while back.  I live about 13 miles north of Box Hill, with the amount of MTB’ers I see around the place I assume there is a lot of reasonable trails out there, so onto the questions:

    1) Anyone able to recommend any routes or websites with offroad routes for the Dorking area?

    2) Would riding 10+ miles on road on an MTB to get to the trails really be any better on icy roads than my road bike? In my head it would be; flats, generally slower speeds, fatter tyres at lower pressures.  I’m not a fan of driving somewhere to go on a bike ride.

    3) Any reason I can’t use my road gear while riding offroad (leggings/jackets etc) I’m worried about thorns etc tearing what can be some fairly expensive gear.  But I don’t want to spring for more gear that I’ll probably only use a few times a year.

     

    Anything else I should consider?

     

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  • January 6, 2017 at 6:46 pm #884481
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    kev-s

    [/quote]

    [/quote]

     

    Problem with those trails is that you can never find them. 

    Any where I can find some kind of maps or direction to all those trails?  I know Berry Knows best but thats  it. 

     

    [/quote]

     

    As already said check out Strava, map my ride etc…

    Sometimes its best just to head to the area and ask people for directions or to tag along if there going to a specific trail etc..

     

    Took me a good few months of going up there and asking people for directions before i had a good knowledge of the area

     

     

    January 6, 2017 at 6:43 pm #884479
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    mxmill25

    Bummer allthe way round!

    Bummer allthe way round!  Accidents are no fun, but sounds like you have plenty of company…I agree MTB – nice change of pace if nothing else…

    January 6, 2017 at 4:48 pm #884477
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    sergius
    Nixster wrote:
    Could be worse mate, I did the same on Monday and have a 3 part fracture of the right proximal humerus. Gabba was nearly unscathed though and bike okay except for scuffed shifters.

    Turbo in the garage is my way forwards, 6 weeks plus until I’m back on the roads indecision

    Good luck with the MTB!

     

    Boo, get well soon!

    January 6, 2017 at 4:18 pm #884475
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    Nixster

    Could be worse mate, I did

    Could be worse mate, I did the same on Monday and have a 3 part fracture of the right proximal humerus. Gabba was nearly unscathed though and bike okay except for scuffed shifters.

    Turbo in the garage is my way forwards, 6 weeks plus until I’m back on the roads indecision

    Good luck with the MTB!

    January 6, 2017 at 2:46 pm #884473
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    hsiaolc

    Many thanks. 

    Many thanks. 

    January 6, 2017 at 1:53 pm #884471
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    arfa

    Hsialoc
    Hsialoc
    Try ride with GPS as well, here’s one loop
    https://ridewithgps.com/trips/9883440

    January 6, 2017 at 1:48 pm #884469
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    arfa

    You can find the trails on
    You can find the trails on strava or an open source map downloaded on to a GPS.
    Alternatively, head up there and just ask, mtb’ers are generally friendly folk !

    January 6, 2017 at 12:52 pm #884467
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    Daveyraveygravey

    Was in the same boat as you a

    Was in the same boat as you a couple of years ago; my first crash was at about 18 mph I just slid along the deck and then got up.  The second was at about 2 mph trying to turn across a road, went down hard on both wrists and broke one.  I won’t risk the road bike if it is 3 degrees or less now, 5-6 weeks off is no fun, never mind anything else that could have gone wrong.  I blather on to all my roadie mates who have all ignored me, and now one of them has gone down and broken his arm.

    I ride MTB as well as road anyway, so just increase the number of rides on that.  Down on the south coast there aren’t THAT many days when it is 3 degrees or under, so not a huge issue but I like riding over the Downs anyway.  My MTB has 2 inch knobblies, which aren’t great off road but I’ve yet to have any kind of issue on road with them.  Like someone else posted, don’t wear your best road gear on your mtb, it will get covered in mud and shite and look old and grubby very quickly.  

    I haven’t ridden “up north” but I know there are loads of trails around Peaslake and Pitch Hill.  There’s the Downslink from Guildford which would get you close to the South Downs at Steyning, but the ‘link is quite dull once you have ridden it a couple of times.  

    I now prefer it when it is -3 to +3, the trails make a great sound when you ride over them and you don’t have to worry about how deep that muddy puddle is, or what might be at the bottom of it.

    I also think I get a better work out off road; the bike is heavier and takes a lot more effort to keep moving.  Average speeds are pitiful but you have to forget about that.

    I also run, as others have said your heart rate will be higher and you can get a good work out in half an hour.  I probably take 15 minutes to get ready before a bike ride in winter and 10 to get un-ready after, so it is much easier to get a work out if you only have a short time frame.  Afterr the first 5 or so runs, it gets a bit easier and you can start to enjoy some aspects of it.

    January 6, 2017 at 12:51 pm #884465
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    hsiaolc
    kev-s wrote:
    Leave the road bike at home and get out on the Mtb

     

    When the roads get icy its just not worth the risk, chances are you may end up hurting yourself and damaging your bike, even worse if you come off in traffic and get hit (seen this happen on a icy country road)

     

    You have some great trails right on your doorstep in the Surrey hills

    Peaslake is the best place to start from, plenty of parking on the hills and by the village (good pub food)

    There are so many trails to choose from, ranging from pure xc to full on downhill and everything in between

    main ones to look out for are Barry’s knows best (Holmebury hill) Evian (Pitch hill) Summer Lightening (Leith hill) but there are many more

    I tend to travel up there every other weekend, its an hour drive and i get a good few hours of great fun, it gets real busy on weekends and by 11am the main carparks are full (there are smaller ones dotted around on the hills) but once your out on the trails its surprisingly quiet

     

    As for off road gear just buy a cheap waterproof jacket (£13 decathlon is what i use) this keeps me warm and  is inexpensive to replace if damaged

     

     

     

    Problem with those trails is that you can never find them. 

    Any where I can find some kind of maps or direction to all those trails?  I know Berry Knows best but thats  it. 

     

    January 6, 2017 at 12:44 pm #884463
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    arfa

    As others have said mtb is
    As others have said mtb is the way forward and peaslake is the place to head.
    If you are just getting back into it, I would start with Holmbury hill as the trails are a bit more gentle there and build up to pitch/winterfold hill trails where they can be very steep (ie an off can mean you’re falling all the way down the hill). Search for yoghurt pots, telegraph trail, waggy, I should coco and Barry knows best (which is a bit faster/steeper). If those are too easy, head to pitch hill, look for proper Bo, t1, bullet head, proflex forever twat.
    If that’s too basic head to winterfold, and look for evian, secret santa, Northern monkey, Charles Bronson and flytipper (if you have a screwide loose).
    I use my mtb to commute when snowy/icy so you’ll be fine as long as you take it easy. That said 10 miles there on an mtb is quite hard work and don’t underestimate the effort required on the trails. Last weekend a 2 hour mtb ride produced a similar strava suffer score for me to 50 mile hilly road rides. If the conditions are wet it can be very hard work.
    If you really want to bike there, there is the London Brighton off road route which could take you out there but you will be tired on arrival.
    Good luck

    January 6, 2017 at 10:46 am #884461
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    LastBoyScout

    Get mountain bike out and go

    Get mountain bike out and go exploring.

    I wouldn’t use most of my road kit on my mountain bike – as you correctly state, it could get snagged and ripped, but also because the mud can stain like mad.

    Use the same base layers, but get a cheap set of tights, top and gloves that you don’t mind trashing.

    January 6, 2017 at 10:19 am #884459
    0
    sergius

    Thanks,

    Thanks,

     

    Some great info there, I’ll do some experimentation once my wrists are strong enough to ride again.  I used to race XC MTB when I was (much) younger, so hopefully my technical skills aren’t too rusty 🙂

    January 6, 2017 at 9:29 am #884457
    0
    iso2000

    When I was getting back into

    When I was getting back into cycling a few years ago I cycled up the bridleway on Box Hill that runs from the bottom of the zig-zag to the top on a cheap MTB. It was bloddy hard work. Not only is the gardient steeper in parts than the zig-zag half of your energy is lost trying to get traction on the loose surface.

    There is also the trail that runs along Juniper Bottom which is nice and a less steep alternative.

    Seems to me that riding an MTB would be a great way stay fit in the winter as shorter rides would suffice for the same effort as riding on the road. However a certain degree of technical ability and nerve is required (neither of which I have). 

    Personally I’m going to stick to an indoor trainer and Trainerroad.

     

     

    January 6, 2017 at 8:59 am #884455
    0
    kev-s

    Leave the road bike at home

    Leave the road bike at home and get out on the Mtb

     

    When the roads get icy its just not worth the risk, chances are you may end up hurting yourself and damaging your bike, even worse if you come off in traffic and get hit (seen this happen on a icy country road)

     

    You have some great trails right on your doorstep in the Surrey hills

    Peaslake is the best place to start from, plenty of parking on the hills and by the village (good pub food)

    There are so many trails to choose from, ranging from pure xc to full on downhill and everything in between

    main ones to look out for are Barry’s knows best (Holmebury hill) Evian (Pitch hill) Summer Lightening (Leith hill) but there are many more

    I tend to travel up there every other weekend, its an hour drive and i get a good few hours of great fun, it gets real busy on weekends and by 11am the main carparks are full (there are smaller ones dotted around on the hills) but once your out on the trails its surprisingly quiet

     

    As for off road gear just buy a cheap waterproof jacket (£13 decathlon is what i use) this keeps me warm and  is inexpensive to replace if damaged

     

     

    January 5, 2017 at 10:41 pm #884453
    0
    drosco

    Bad luck. I crashed recently
    Bad luck. I crashed recently and wrote a bike off so feel your pain. Get well soon.

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