cwmcarn

We are in Wales for Jane and the lco's 5km run in Barry tomorrow, so me and Jane went for a ride over to Cwmcarn. We decided to get the old bikes from lco's shed. Jane has a lovely 1996 Kona Cindercone with P2's and I borrowed her father's old GT outpost trail, a present for christmas 97, also a fully rigid.

We headed out across the canal from the 14 locks, and turned of to climb up to Twmbarlwm via the Darren. I was immediately in the granny/granny and out of the saddle and Jane rode away from me. I found out later that both the little chain ring and the biggest sprocket at the rear are 28t! How did we used to manage or did we just walk? I huffed and grunted my way to the top with only one split second dab, well more of a scoot than a dab :-) We headed over to see the new downhill course which I have to come and practise on for the Megavalanche at some point :o
I did a couple of drops into the first section of the black run and the we set off back down.

Part way down we picked up the old Twrch trail and I decided to ride that whilst Jane rode down the road to meet me at the visitors centre. Just as I was about to set off a guy came up behind me on one of the new Marins. So I gestured him through and dropped in behind him. The first section was a set of rocky steps, I hit the first one and the bike just bounced up in the air and I'm still not sure if my wheels touched any of the other rocks! The next section was undulating and singletrack and i was able to sit on Marin guys wheel. I think it must have unsettled him a bit to me yelling with shock each time I hit a rock or drop off, because at the next motorbike gate he waved me through. He was breathing very hard, so I don't think he was very fit. I said to him as I passed give me a yell on the down hill section and I'll pull over. More undulating singletrack followed and it was into the berms that I noticed the difference in the braking power. I once thought a set of decent canti's was all you needed!! With discs a quick, one finger dab scrubs off all the speed you need. I had to grab the canti's with three fingers at times and then my hands were in danger of bouncing off the bars. The downhill section was a blur, my eyes were shaking so much that I could barely see. I passed three people with punctures here. I began to wonder about now. Which would be more useful, front shocks or disc brakes? As I entered the last couple of hairpins I noticed that I had to brake earlier and earlier to slow enough. So, on the course I go for the brakes over suspension. Just as I got to the bottom Marin guy came through the last hairpin. I waited to say hi but he rode past!

Great fun!

I met jane in the carpark and we rode the 8km back across the canal, where she jumped me for the sprint at fourteen locks... :-)