A Simple Life of Luxury

Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means

Category: MTB

How I got a Longer, Stiffer Front End 0

MTB

How I got a Longer, Stiffer Front End

<A HREF=”http://ws.amazon.co.uk/widgets/q?rt=tf_cw&ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=GB&ID=V20070822%2FGB%2Falslikklworls%2F8010%2F8e48128e-6f13-46f7-8493-d2256c1fa4b9&Operation=NoScript”>Amazon.co.uk Widgets</A> No, no, no, it’s not what you think, I haven’t been buying little blue pills from the internet! I’m talking about my bike. The Fox TALAS forks on my Commencal Meta 5.5 have seen better days. Despite looking after them and keeping them well serviced, one of the stanchions was badly worn...

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MTB

Mountain Biking in Myherin Forest

I got to ride a new location last night, starting from the Arch on the way towards the Hafod estate. I met Dave, Pete, John and Matt and we all set off as dark storm clouds loomed overhead. There was a bit of a ride around on Fireroads and then the first descent which was...

Kask C-50 0

MTB / Triathlon

Kask C-50 Vertigo Helmet Review

Cycling helmets all look fairly similar and their primary job is to protect your head in the event of a crash. Thanks to British Standard safety regulations they all therefore provide at least a certain level of protection so you can be assured that safety levels are fairly similar from the cheapest £25 helmets right through to...

Mountain Biking in the Dyfi Forest 1

MTB / Trail Guides

Mountain Biking in the Dyfi Forest

My brother Brad was staying with us for the weekend and wanted to do some mountain biking. So, rather than take him out onto the waymarked trails of the nearby trail centres I thought I’d take him for a ride through the Dyfi Forest to give him a taste of the Dyfi Enduro. Saturday was a pretty...

MTB Video from Brechfa 0

MTB / Trail Guides / Wales

MTB Video from Brechfa

Rather than working today, Dave, Pete and myself met at Abergorlech near Brechfa for a ride around both the Gorlech and Raven Trails. It turned out to be a great day out with some really good riding. The trails there have matured well and were riding fast. They weren’t too wet or muddy either which...

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MTB

Bontrager 24/12 Video 2011

I’m still waiting for the official Bontrager 24/12 video to come out as they were filming all weekend and usually produce something quite slick, but I took  my GoPro HD around with me and got some footage of the first lap or so. I’ve already written a race report from the Bontrager 24/12 which has...

Tents 4

Family / MTB

Bontrager 24/12 Race Report

We’ve just got back from a week away which all started with the Bontrager 24/12 MTB race in Newnham Park, near Plymouth. We had a good drive down from here, although the weather wasn’t great and as we got nearer to the campsite the weather actually became atrocious with driving rain loads of spray on the motorway...

Getting Ready for the Bontrager 24/12 0

MTB

Getting Ready for the Bontrager 24/12

This seems to be becoming something of a recurring theme for me… I sign up for a race, prepare badly, get injured and always have plenty of excuses before the big day. This time it’s no different but everything is a little more exaggerated than normal. First up, for some reason at the end of last year I decided...

Blueberry Picking 0

Family / MTB

There’s Blueberries in them there Hills

It was a pretty miserable weekend here, cold, wet and very windy. Usually not a problem for me as that would make for perfect windsurfing weather, especially during the summer when the water is warm. I was therefore pretty grumpy as I couldn’t get out to play thanks to the torn ligaments in my ankle....