June 5th, 2006
SSUK 2006
What a fantastic weekend at SSUK 2006 up in Hamsterley Forest. Pizza, beer, great mates, and a cracking course.
I got a lot of good-humoured ribbing about hating 29ers, which just goes to show that no matter how many times I say I can see some benefits of the concept people find it easier to remember the bad stuff I’ve written about them.
They forget the kind words I wrote back in January about dRj0n’s Kelly Ro Sham Bo. Well, I cadged a ride on it this weekend, and I was right. It is very very nice. Big, but light wheels, and perfectly normal steering. In fact I cadged a ride on a few of the buggers that steered properly. And it’s made me even more mad at the, frankly, piss-poor 29er I have been trying out. Get on a 29er with proper geometry and it’s a whole different ball-game. I even rode some modded versions of the piss-poor one, mostly versions with shorter rigid forks and skinnier tyres and they were a whole lot better. Somewhere there is a 29er designer with so many years experience that he really should know better by now. I’m still not convinced that they have anything to offer me though.
But enough of the negativity. My dark maw can spew forth more than bile and hate.
I took Kirsty’s Spot to race seeing as it’s slightly higher geared than mine, which I figured I’d need for an XC race rather than an endurance event. To help on the climbs she has bar-ends, and on the downhills her forks are also way better behaved than mine. Judith from Sideways caught me taking photos of it and was laughing at how much I love it. Damn right. When/if mine dies I’m replacing it with direct copy!
I really appreciated the bar ends, and I’m torn about fitting a pair of Woodman Chupa bar ends, some Ergon grips, or some Jones H-Bars to my own Spot for SSMM. Biff was using his bike as a mobile demo-bike to have a go on them at the weekend. Me likey, especially in their straight version. The control advantages on the descents are obvious, and I just happen to have a long stem floating round that would set them up perfectly.
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Photo Courtesy
KennyL |
The course itself was a brutal 2 mile uphill, followed by some mental descending, some more so-steep I walked it climbing, and yet more crazy singletrack. Tom Levell, the UK National Fixed champion, has GPS mapped the course profile and posted it on flickr. I caught and passed Tom just before the finish line - bear in mind that he had stopped at various points on the three laps to take photos though, where I’d just been busting a gut. To even contemplate riding the aforementioned singletrack on fixed fills me with dread.
Remarkably I finished my three laps without being lapped by the winners. For some reason I was rewarded with a bottle of whisky at the prize giving. Yum. I have already had several people telling me that Springbank 10 Year Old Single Malt is likely not to my tastes and kindly offering to take it off my hands. Thanks lads for your offers, but I think I’ll risk it.
Update I’ve now posted pictures on flickr, they can be found amongst the rest of ‘em - more than 400 all told:
Simon Barnes Set 1
Simon Barnes Set 2
Deano
Flickr photos tagged ssuk2006 - this will include mine.
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June 5th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
No no I hadn’t stopped once.
Well only to get off my bike a few times to start pushing.
Bec was marshalling at the stream crossing so she took the pictures.
Oh and Git. There was no way I could keep a fast enough spin up at the end to keep ahead of you and push the advantage of my 55″ gear.
Believe me it was no advantage up the main climb. Helped on the downhill and flat though.
Tom
June 5th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
I think Bill was disappointed not to catch me on his gayer as well. It’s almost as if you lot have a point to prove :-o
June 5th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Hi Nick,
All I said was “hello” on one of the climbs and didn’t even mention 29ers! :)
Tom, congratulations on your well deserved win….I was a poor 2nd there (being unfit and crap!)
Alex
June 5th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
[…] Nick also has a write-up and links to a course profile and more photos. […]
June 5th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Having seen Alex riding some of the course on his fixie, I’m well impressed that you managed 3 laps, Tom.
June 5th, 2006 at 4:16 pm
I always forget that I have an off-road fixie. One pedal strike on a drop-off was one too many for me.
June 5th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
The first singletrack downhill was ace and steep. I found the second one harder due to arm pump from braking and concentrating. Especially at the end of it where Simon was.
You could just slither down the first one rounf that steep corner and through the wall.
Having never ridden fixed offroad in the summer before due to equipment swaps after the last 2 winters I’m going to have a play for a while and if I’m annoying the other riders by being slow down big downhills I can flip over the the freewheel anyway.