# Yesterday I bailed....



## GrumpyGregry (15 Jul 2012)

iirc since I first swung a leg over an mtb in the mid-90's I've never voluntarily quit on a ride, come rain or shine, snow, hail, mechanical failures. Yep, broken bones, unconsciousness/concussion and wrecked bikes have put me in the broom wagon but otherwise once we set off from A to B we get to B.

But yesterday, dear God, the simple matter of riding from Devil's Dyke to Eastbourne on the South Downs Way, as piece a cake of a ride as you could wish for off road, was beyond me. Utterly, completely. Sussex has become a saturated sponge, the ground conditions were awful, far far worse than any winter I've ridden in down here, and the downhills simply locked back wheel drags which were churning the trail. The highlight was having to go through a gate which was situated in the middle of an impormptu pond which, as one of my riding companions found out, was quite deep.

'kin awful and we bailed at 25km and hit the tarmac back to the pub....

How is your summer mtb'ing going folks?


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## Norm (15 Jul 2012)

GregCollins said:


> How is your summer mtb'ing going folks?


Can I get back to you when summer arrives?


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## subaqua (15 Jul 2012)

GregCollins said:


> How is your summer mtb'ing going folks?


 

I bought a tourer. i think that says how i feel about MTBing at the moment. had a little blast round the hollow ponds earlier but thats hardly Mountains.


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## GrumpyGregry (15 Jul 2012)

subaqua said:


> I bought a tourer. i think that says how i feel about MTBing at the moment. had a little blast round the hollow ponds earlier but thats hardly Mountains.


y'day was first time out on the mtb, apart from 'down the woods' in about 10 weeks. blimey those mud tyres feel sluggish on tarmac compared with 700c x 28's!


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## Andrew_Culture (15 Jul 2012)

After six months getting fit on a tourer I thought 20 miles across the Purbeck ridge on an MTB would be no trouble. I swear that's the nearest I've come to death without falling out of, into or onto something in all my life. You have my full sympathy!


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## Kizibu (18 Jul 2012)

GregCollins said:


> .... yesterday, dear God, the simple matter of riding from Devil's Dyke to Eastbourne on the South Downs Way, as piece a cake of a ride as you could wish for off road, was beyond me. Utterly, completely. Sussex has become a saturated sponge, the ground conditions were awful, far far worse than any winter I've ridden in down here, and the downhills simply locked back wheel drags which were churning the trail. The highlight was having to go through a gate which was situated in the middle of an impormptu pond which, as one of my riding companions found out, was quite deep.
> 
> 'kin awful and we bailed at 25km and hit the tarmac back to the pub....
> 
> How is your summer mtb'ing going folks?


 
I have ridden some of the aforementioned bits of the SDW in recent weeks and as you say Greg in some flat places its a lake, while some steep downhills are lethal chalk slurry. Given that most of it is the natural Downland surface that makes it an attractive off-road route in normal times, abandoning your ride was probably the best action. It is probably best to stay off some of it at the moment until it dries a bit or we will only churn it up more. Otherwise even more of it will be hardened with gravel and hardcore which does not make it more pleasant to ride on imho.


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## VamP (19 Jul 2012)

Hah!

I have been off the bike for a couple of months and last night ventured out onto my local common. What has been going on!!!?? It was intended as a really gentle pootle so as not to put too much strain on the recovering leg. Only two hopes of achieving that - Bob Hope and No Hope. Axle deep most of the way


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## Kizibu (19 Jul 2012)

VamP said:


> Hah!
> 
> I have been off the bike for a couple of months and last night ventured out onto my local common. What has been going on!!!?? It was intended as a really gentle pootle so as not to put too much strain on the recovering leg. Only two hopes of achieving that - Bob Hope and No Hope. Axle deep most of the way


 
Don't you know....? The forces of evil have been at work


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## Globalti (19 Jul 2012)

Hmmmm.... went out last Sunday on the mountain bike and although the boggy bits were extra wet and boggy, most of the trails were firm and dryish, being composed mostly of gritstone gravel and well drained.

That said, on a trail called Limer's Gate, an ancient packhorse road, we did come across some potholes eroded in the clayey subsoil that were big enough to hide a man inside. Truly spectacular and it will be a long time before they get filled in by natural gravel runoff.


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## Ticktockmy (19 Jul 2012)

The North downs have not been so bad the last few weeks, some of the bridleways around the Ockley area have been a tad moist though


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## GrumpyGregry (20 Jul 2012)

Ticktockmy said:


> The North downs have not been so bad the last few weeks, some of the bridleways around the Ockley area have been a tad moist though


will be heading north this sunday, in the hope that the greensand ridges will be better drained.....


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## Peteaud (20 Jul 2012)

Was at Haldon Forest yesterday (on the off road segways) and no problems with the trails.


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## Ticktockmy (20 Jul 2012)

GregCollins said:


> will be heading north this sunday, in the hope that the greensand ridges will be better drained.....


The higher tracks on Leith Hill,were OK, but heading down to Broadmoor the track was very wet in places, likewise Holmbury Hill was OK again some of the tracks were wet in places, but towards Peaslake some of the Tracks were quite Claggy.


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## GrumpyGregry (20 Jul 2012)

Ticktockmy said:


> The higher tracks on Leith Hill,were OK, but heading down to Broadmoor the track was very wet in places, likewise Holmbury Hill was OK again some of the tracks were wet in places, but towards Peaslake some of the Tracks were quite Claggy.


really. Hmmm, that's depressing. I'm taking my beginner mate with me and he ain't a huge fan of claggy.


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## Ticktockmy (20 Jul 2012)

GregCollins said:


> really. Hmmm, that's depressing. I'm taking my beginner mate with me and he ain't a huge fan of claggy.


I think most of the Single track stuff is not too bad, it was just i wanted to get down to Peaslake and was using the firebreaks, and found them somewhat sticky.


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