Your letters and photos, including a pedalrelated problem that brought out some team spirit, one rider’s uphill struggle and a whole bunch of your best riding shots
NO THREAD, NO SHRED
Soon to turn 30, I decided to retire my old hardtail and treat myself to a new bike – a well-kitted-out Vitus Escarpe. My two friends and I planned a trip to Llandegla, and I picked up my new bike the night before. All I had to do was put my pedals on. Being all tuckered out from the roadtrip to get it, I didn’t really question why the pedals weren’t quite sitting straight…
Next morning, we headed o early and cracked on with the trail as soon as we arrived. I still hadn’t clicked there was a problem. For 85 per cent of the trail, everything was fine – until I noticed my pedals getting worse. It turned out that I’d put them on the wrong sides and they’d slowly ripped the threads to bits! By the time we realised, limping back was our only option. Being new to mountain biking, what happened next was a real eye-opener – riders began stopping to check if I was OK, reassuring me that there wasn’t far to go. They were genuinely gutted for me!
We made it back eventually, and one of the guys from the centre was really helpful in trying to remedy the problem. In fact, every single person we spoke to that day was so friendly and helpful! It really kept me going, when I realised the trip was going to be cut short. My friends Phil and Jase took it pretty well, although I earned myself the nickname of ‘Freddy’ (thready) and they told me to stop being cranky!
As I sat down at home that Sunday evening, my thoughts were of how much of an ‘in it together’ attitude there is among mountain bikers and how glad I am that I’ve found this hobby that I can share with my mates. Big shout out to everyone on the trail that day, Oneplanet Adventure and the lads at Tweeks Cycles, but most of all to Phil and Jase for a great weekend at Llandegla – we’ll be back and my pedals are going to be on properly next time! Sam ‘Freddy’ Spilsbury, viaemail Well, that’ s a mistake you’ ll never make again, Sam! But maybe if it’ s helped you discover how awesome bikes and the biking community are, then it was worth it?
UPHILL STRUGGLE
There’s no better way to enjoy a sunny day than with a ride in the Scottish Highlands. The trail centre at Glenlivet had just reopened after tree felling and my plan was to warm up on the blue trail, followed by a rip down the red. The blue run was fine and, after a quick bite to eat, I began the red climb in earnest, ready to reward myself with a rapid descent. The reality was more a contemplation of life, fitness and ‘maybe e-bikes are the future’ – my ride was plagued with quad cramp, squatting at the side of the trail and embarrassing walks uphill. I’ll seriously look at the e-bike revolution – can I justify it as a kind of bus pass for those of us in our 40s?
Dominic Hirst, viaemail We feel your pain! Pre-ride stretching and staying hydrated might help with the cramps, butane-bike definitely makes things easier. Don’ t think yourself into old age too soon, though! Have area do four Star Letter last month–those old boys are pedal ling themselves well into their retirement.