Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

North Downs earlier today:

... its snowed a fair bit since too.

I think the North Downs are pretty bad with regards to snow, i'd be up for going to Epping Forest if someone else knew their way around, I was there yesterday and just had to follow the main trails as I had no idea where anything was.

I can't make it anymore, but Cycling Club Hackney are headed off that way for some off-roading, check their website for the meeting place.

I think the North Downs are pretty bad with regards to snow, i'd be up for going to Epping Forest if someone else knew their way around, I was there yesterday and just had to follow the main trails as I had no idea where anything was.

I can guide you through the forest at High Beech between the tea huts. If we get lost, stuck or die, I take no responsibility.

Anyone in Hackney or near want to off road? I have a GT xc3 which is their budget version. Not great for huge stuff but I think I can cope. I'm fairly new to cycling however.

It does not matter where you live in London really as most people head into central to catch a train out to go ride. Epping is ok if you live close and want to pop up for a few hours but Essex in general is not worth it unless you're local / N.E London IMO.

@JC what where the trail like? Hard work? Did you just ride the bridleways or hit of any of the trails? Worth hitting the trails? Bussy?

I went for a walk today Brasted -> Toyhill and back and it looked like it would be ok but slow to ride. Trying to decide if I mission it all the way over to Dorking or tomorrow or make up a bigger bridleway / byway route around around Toyhill and not bother with the trails if they are not worth it.

wow look at those bar ends and botlecages. retrotastic
do you all use v-brakes too?
:-)

Nowt wrong with Bar end MrSmyth, other than fashion I don't understand why they are so unpopular now.

maybe because you can only buy them with an A4 mapholder and purple bum-bag?

Exactly purely fashion. Strange coming from someone who regularly takes the piss out of hipsters.

Also what wrong with a map holder? I admit it looks shit but if you don't have GPS it's a lot better then getting it in and out of a bag all the time.

Purple bum bags are rubbish though.

Tommy, we were mainly on bridal trails round woldingham and caterham. We were out for over 2 hours and probably only did 10 miles. Really slow going. Where the snow was fresh it was smooth but heavy, then where it was compacted it was pretty rutty. We rode down gangers hill and saw 3 cars that had wiped out and been abandonded. Really icey and steep, they should've shut the road really.

Bar ends are for roadies who can't turn their arms 90 degrees in. Which applies to all but one of the people in the picture!

Tommy, we were mainly on bridal trails round woldingham and caterham. We were out for over 2 hours and probably only did 10 miles. Really slow going. Where the snow was fresh it was smooth but heavy, then where it was compacted it was pretty rutty. We rode down gangers hill and saw 3 cars that had wiped out and been abandonded. Really icey and steep, they should've shut the road really.

Bar ends are for roadies who can't turn their arms 90 degrees in. Which applies to all but one of the people in the picture!

Cool thanks for the info. I think I'll have ago at somewhere in North Kent then to save some of the traveling. Thanks,

Bar end life! (Unless you're a pure free ride / downhill junky)

Did anyone go for an offroad ride in the end?

Yep, I didn't bother with Dorking (takes so long to get to from where I live) so tried a new area that I had only walked around. Trails where hard work but good fun none the less. Did about 16 - 20 miles I think, not sure I don't run a computer, number from quick map calc.

Route approx

Brasted -> Toy's Hill -> French Street -> Crockham hill -> Moor house Bank -> Watts Hill -> Titsey -> White Lane -> Chestnut Ave -> Brasted.

Nope I didn't, was gonna go up to Epping again but figured i'd wait until it thaws out a bit more as I couldn't see any trails up there with the snow, aside from the bits which I presume were snow covered tarmac.

Where do you live mmccarthy? I thought you lived in West London?

Yeah in Ealing, probably try the North Downs next, I think they're a bit closer too.

Yep defiantly much closer and easier to get to from Eailing by car or public transport.

Only 7 miles of a difference, though apparently the North Downs are much much better.

Yep, it can get a bit busy though. I'll lead another group of people round some of the trail that I know, which is far from all of them some time in Feb.

Don't discount Epping too much, I regularly go up there as I can ride all the way up from Whitechapel using less than 1mile of road. Alternatively the overground goes straight from Liverpool st to Chongford in about 25mins.

There is some great of single track and you can easily get a 20k loop together with a tea and cake stop in the middle, man made jumps and a good little section of big bomb holes. Lots of options to for you to make you route as challengign as you want.

Sounds good, i'll definitely be up for that!

I went out again, towards Reigate.Well over a foot of snow in places. Thats my bike just behind the red Cannondale in the foreground. Standing up on its own after being wedged into the hub-deep snow.

Don't discount Epping too much, I regularly go up there as I can ride all the way up from Whitechapel using less than 1mile of road. Alternatively the overground goes straight from Liverpool st to Chongford in about 25mins.

There is some great of single track and you can easily get a 20k loop together with a tea and cake stop in the middle, man made jumps and a good little section of big bomb holes. Lots of options to for you to make you route as challengign as you want.

Speaking of man-made jumps, was going down a pretty big hill only to spot a snow ramp right in front of me, no time to react to it, was pretty awesome.

Anybody up for some off-roading tomorrow?

Still not got the bike, waiting for Evans to deliver.

Still not got the bike, waiting for Evans to deliver.

Bugger, well i'm sure that Scott will be worth it!

Just fitted the new seatpost to mine, just needs the new brakes and it's all set!

Here's a pic of it at the minute: