Reinstate!

Yeah amazing service from the Downhillracer chaps - my DVD and book arrived today... and whilst watching said DVD imagine my excitement when I saw this...

Ste and Matt at NPS 4X Hamsterley early this year! Must have been the team t-shirts that caught the cameras attention... good work lads.

Shame we've not got anyone representing FO at the NPS 4X in 2007. As mentioned previously, anyone interested should email me (james at thesingingfeet.co.uk)

As for The Manual. One word. Awesome.
Go buy it.

More presents...

Just ordered my copy of 'the manual' 2006 Race DVD and book from www.downhillracer.uk.com - all for the princely sum of £10.95... bargain!

Also spent £80 at Chain Reaction so winging its way to me from Ireland are Goodridge hoses, a bleed kit and some new XT gear mech cables for the Kona.

I can't wait for the first ride of 2007 - bring it on.

Santa came!

Yeah I didn't do too bad! After frenzied present opening on Christmas day I've ended up with a pair of Fox DH Strafer shorts, a Camelbak Chaos and some 661 Chicken Wings (as well as a Fox cap and belt).

Also got some money from Mum and Dad - just got to decide on the best way to waste it now.

Looks like the Tavi lads had a good Boxing Day... I was hungover feeling shite.
Still hope to be out on the bike before Jan 1st 2007.

Boxing day photos...

A few photos to go with Mono's article... the top one is not a team rider but Ash Mullane who was out on boxing day for a ride...

Ash Mullane


Mono


Mono


Milky(me)

Boxing Day RIde - Short Travel Rules

What an awesome day! After I blew up my shock on the Giant I managed to sweet talk a mate to let me ride his Cove Hooker SL out for the day... so much fun! 3 inches of travel meant the thing went bloody quick through flowing sections and jumped like a dream, it also made everything tech that little bit more challenging! Here's a few pictures by Milky to browse through (when I can figure how to upload them)

Tavi Woodlands Christmas Eve ride

Hi guys just got back from a class days ride with Blooooooooooomers , Hatch and a load of other mates from Tavi. Here are a few pics of me (other side of the lends for once) and Bloomers and Hatch.

I am at the bottom!!!

Christmas cheers

Well, Merry Christmas one and all!

I headed north on Saturday morning, and to be honest on Friday night I was more excited about seeing the Cove out and ready to pack than the prospect of presents. Still, I'm no scrooge, especially with most of my CRC wishlist having been bought, cheers santa! I did have a "do i take the stinky instead" moment.....alas I kept the HT faith.

So, less than 24 hours back and I headed to Carron Valley this morning. Short loops and fun in the "Runway" (new name for fun park apparently). Was good chortle, and after some technical issues with my unique chain device set up (copyright awaiting!), I enjoyed the Eas Dubh section, though the rocky drop off was a lot easier with rear inches of travel on the stinky! Still, a good laugh and the HT was feeling very light (for a steel frame!) and very responsive. The difference from the beast to the devil (new name for the Sanchez) is somewhat marked!

Got to the funpark, and hey presto a puncture half way into it. The feeling of Rim on rock isn't good, so I pushed down, sorted it out and then did 3 loops of just fun park. It's great, you can do this loop in 10 minutes, with 8 of those climbing!

That also sums up Carron Valley....a bit wet really. Eas Dubh is good and Cannon ball run suffices, but lets be honest, uphill singletrack suits the halfords mob, but lets get serious about biking in central Scotland..........please!

So, after my runs on the jumps, doubles and berms of the fun park, I was loving the agility and rawness of the HT. A few mods are still awaiting. My dinged rear rim and deore hub are on their last legs, so new 24-7 wheels in january, along with new rubber, the Tioga XC tyres are shocking! Maybe new forks, but we'll see!

All in all, HT's rock. But FS's and HT's can teach you something about the other. Either way, I was buzzing off the doubles, landings felt planted, and some overcooking on some tabletops had the heart in mouth adrenalin running again, gotta love it. And fitness felt good, though middle chain ring and no 1st or 2nd gear makes climbing hard! Still, the devil is a street/4X/jump bike, and she's ace at those! Laters.

Post ride, "The Devil" looking artistic in the fog....

Alex Rankin is a genius

Just finished watching Earthed 4...

First impressions:
+ Awesome
+ Great mix of racing and singletrack and jumps
+ Good choice of music
- Only WC rounds, no local racing
- Samey camera angles by the end of 66 minutes

I'm not sure I have a real favourite, my standout sections were Glentress/Innerleithen, and the Welsh Trail Centres (where the Don is riding a Jackal!).

Its got me itching to ride, anyone fancy something between Chrimbo and New Year?

Xtra article...

Bored this afternoon so I've added another article to the Articles page... take a look or click directly HERE... 'Jack of all trades...'

Death or glory!

My copy of Earthed 4 rocked up this morning!! Just in time for Christmas, not watched it yet, don't know whether to save it for Christmas day? Reading the sections I just know its going to blow me away!

Got out on the Chameleon this morning, and proved that the hardcore hardtail spec is still rideable on forest loops. Smiles for miles, loose and sketchy throwing it about all good. Check out the photos.

Also - changed front image. Pure geniuos - I hadn't even spotted the sun burning through the mist until I downloaded it.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS and see you out soon.

Nostalgia

Check out this - the trailor for Episode 1, Limited Clearance!

The first FO DVD was out in 2003. Watching this brings back some good memories... and reminds me what it used to be all about - the hardtail.
I'm itching to go ride, I can't wait until tomorrow...

Lets make 2007 a blast from the past. Anyone fancy the Wirral in January?

Twoand8 back...

Good news - Adi has got the Twoand8 site back online in time for Christmas.

Blast from the past...

Check out this, I did a Google search on Fearingout to pass some time and found one of the old sites, from when I ran the site at uni!
This is Fearingout Version 4 (circa 2003).

Version 5+6 I think never made it online past my laptop, and straight to Version 7 which was 2003 onwards when I bought server space for the first time... and those around in Macclesfield in 2003 will remember the old Version 7 of the site that lasted until October 2005. Version 8 then lasted until October 2006, and now on Version 9 things have changed less then they did with the old revisions...

As I say change is good, but looking back on our history is important.
I've been watching old FO DVDs this evening, and I'm remembering my old techniques for editing, which make things so much fresher. I can't wait to put my ideas into practice with the re-edit of Episode 6, and then onto filming Episode 7 during 2007.

Ride on.

Brendan on Honda for 2007

BIG NEWS just read on the Dirt website... from the press release:

Brendan Fairclough, 18 years old from Hampshire, won the inaugural Junior World Cup Downhill overall in 2006, and has been impressing people since arriving on the international scene in 2005. Apart from his two World Cup podiums as a junior-aged athlete, Brendan has impressed the team with his all round approach to racing and will make a welcome addition to the team as it seeks to retain its 2006 title of Men's Downhill Team of The Year.

Martin Whiteley, Team Director. "We are very excited about the 2007 season. Firstly we have been very fortunate to be able to retain the services of both Greg and Matti who make excellent team mates and have both had great success on the Honda RN01 in recent years. We can now also announce that we have secured one of the most exciting young riders on the world scene in Brendan. He and the other two riders know each other very well and they are all good friends which is important in building team spirit as we hunt our goals for 2007. It should be a very exciting year ahead".

Not sure what I think - great exposure for Brendan but who will take his place at Orange? It seems a shame that one of the up and coming British riders has jumped from the best British bike brands... but I guess things move on and without change we'd all be a bit bored...

So good luck to Brendan in 2007.
And good luck to Orange too - I look forward to see who joins Tracey Hannah on the team for next year, maybe a sneaky email about Team FO might be required!

2007

Have to say, I read this quote today too, and it rang a few bells in my head...."They say that the journey can be more important than the destination. In mountain biking there is no destination, just a bike, a rider and a place to ride" Roam, 2006.

I'd love to be out on Friday, in Glentress on the sanchez in fact. But she will wait as a) I have no leave at work, and b) I'm going home on saturday, likely to be at GT by Wed at least!

But yeah, loving the bike prospects, I'll be there on Friday in spirit dude, just too damn much god damn work to be doin!

Friday fun?

Might have the day off now on Friday - anyone fancy a ride out some place before Christmas?

If not it'll be just me on my bill.

Thanks for all the support over 2006 lads, I hope you all agree its been a fantastic year, and when I get on top of the DVD in 2007 we can look back on some great memories and some big changes!

Lets hope 2007 holds success for all the team riders, and for FO as a t-shirt company, and for Fearingout as the community of like minded individuals that it is.

"They say that the journey can be more important than the destination. In mountain biking there is no destination, just a bike, a rider and a place to ride" - Got to love Roam!

Ashcombe

Well, yesterdays race at Ashcombe was, how can I put it? as expected, it was flat, muddy and as usual, I didn't do great. Never mind though. The course was much as previous years, as were most of the major features in it. Interesting to see how most of the fastest riders were riding xc bikes, their lighter weight and shorter travel being benificial on the peddly course. Props to Mono on his result, he was looking quick all day once a couple of sections were dialled, and Milky did great on photos once again.

So, it begins! Training regimes are being drawn up as we speak, and the xc bike is being derusted. I will regain my fitness. I'm in fair good stead, though, my past 2 results are now placing me in 14th overall!

Ashcombe and Karting

What an amazing weekend, karting and a surprisingly good race at Ashcombe. I finished up 10th in Junior and 30th overall which was my best overall finish yet.

The report will be up tonight hopefully, I've already written the report so it's all down to James and Milky.

Mono

Christmas thoughts...

Apart from too much food, far too much drinking, my current thoughts are firmly fixed on racing in 2007. With pretty much just a full face required to try my hand, Jan and Feb will all be about uplift days, and getting over to Sheffield to try 4x indoor stylee. I might be shite, in fact probably will be, but having spent most of yesterday giving both bikes a bit of TLC, I'm thinking a bit of practice and I'll be good to go.

The Stinky and Cove both look the bomb, just not sure how much longer the current wheelset on the sanchez will last, but hey, I'll get the plastic fantastic out in Jan and do some more investing!

Anyway, "2007, year of the race" I'm thinking (not sure what Chinese new year symbol said year is, but Race year sounds better!). Merry Christmas one and all.

Ashcombe team results

News in brief:

Mono - 10th in Junior
Dave - 27th in Senior

Full ride report as download PDF available tomorrow night... keep your eyes peeled.

Go Karting

Oh my god, what an awesome time!

Check out the mini mag out in the next couple of days for pictures and words from the karting and Ashcombe!

Mono

Sheffield indoor dirt - Winter series Rd 1

Read the full report by Si Paton on the British Cycling website here.

Last weekend when most of us were either out on the lash on Christmas do's or halfway up Snowdon taking on mother nature the sensible rider was over in Sheffield in the dry dusty warehouse riding their socks off :)

Big turnout and riders of all ages and wheel sizes. Check out the link for results. Unfortunately we're not currently sponsoring any 4X riders in England, but if anyone out there reads this then get in touch with me (james at thesingingfeet dot co dot uk) as I'm keen to get someone representing Fearingout at these and the NPS 4X events.

Mind you if Scott's keen then once we go watch the next round in January, he might end up racing....

Phoenix from the flames...

Plans for a new 17" iMac or a new MacBook for 2007 if I can figure out a way of financing it, and the 2006 footage will be re-edited and Pushing the Senses will be out in February before filming for 2007's video begins.

Good things come to those who wait.

Bad bad bad bad bad news...

I want to cry - my external hard drive is goosed - and with it is gone the bloody finished DVD! All set to burn, DVD writing software doing its business, then BAM, it crashes and its all gone.

None of my recovery software is working so lads, unfortunately the premiere is off... and Episode 6 may never be released as right now I don't have the time or inclanation to start from scratch with the two hours of raw footage!!!!!!

Damn.

Pen-fucking-machno

Jesus. Think I can still feel the wet clothes from yesterday! If there was a wetter, windy-er part of the planet than our chosen part of snowdonia, then it must have been in a tsunami! Anyway, wet as a muthafucka, we all headed up the hill with that "I wonder what this place will be like feeling". As well as the "how wet is it today" feeling of course!

Well, the climbs were not too severe, and the first couple of sections were a bit gentle, but a warm up perhaps. I can't remember how far round it was, but there were 3 sections closely together that were fucking awesome. Flowed perfectly, the pace just grew and the tight twists, mini jumps, roots, rocks and puddles, all gave challenge to finding the line, but despite the weather, the grip was there and i was all of a sudden buzzing and forgetting the wet!

The trail continued and we then lost Tez, got blown up then down the side of a mountain, found Tez again and then the last few sections were awesome too. An experience I'd never repeat, but once dry (or dry-er with less gale force winds) this place will be my fave place outside of Scotland. Llandegla pay attention, this is what track design is all about. Gwydwr, pay attention, your little brother down the road has got way more potential (though you'll always be our 'first'!).

So, in summary, as James says, great flow, never ending singletrack, awesome scenery, some damn scary close calls on singletrack with sheer drops either side, all good.

We shall return (in March, April or May, bbc weather report dependant!). Also a quick mention for the pub in Llanrwst, great log fire, great food, and a bit of eye candy behind the bar :)

Triscombe

I am knackered... Just got back from Triscombe in north Devon where I went riding with Kris Rogers, Ash Mullane and Haby - Blu Cann. I'd never been to this place before but I'm glad I went, an amazing first jump and hip section into a high speed rooty straight which then dived into the woods into a series of tight but fast switchbacks with a high speed bottom section with some pumps and jumps.

To be fair I wasn't really on it today for some reason so I spent most of the time sessioning the stepdown into hips and trying to go as quick as I could down the straight, was awesome fun!

When I did my first full run of the track my front wheel washed out over a berm and I got sent into some stumps face first... I've now got some nice scratches on the mouthguard!

Oh well, good fun was had by all and I'll definitely be back for more!

Mono

Deliverance

Oh my god.

Penmachno - a place I'll never forget!

Today we headed south of our usual hunting ground of Gwydwr to Penmachno, a newish trail thats half way through being built so lacks a few amenities hence not publicised anywhere... anyway... enough intro on to the good stuff.

One word - FLOW!!!

Where Llandegla certainly doesn't have it Penmachno has it by the bucket load. The singletrack seemed to last forever and the climbs weren't all that bad. Unfortunately for us we had 'severe weather warning' weather that perhaps a sensible head would have said, 'nah' we set off thinking things would ease off. Well the rain only got worse and at the top, bloody hell, I thought we'd be on 999 with Michael whats his face reporting on our near death experience. Gale force wind and open singletrack near the top of a mountain don't mix... Once through that though it was all smiles, and we made surprisingly good progress.

TBH its hard to pick out a favourite section, it was all so good, and I can't wait to go back in the dry... I reckon it'd be slower but a lot of fun on the Chameleon... hmmm... we'll have to see!

Thats it for 2006 from the FO regulars, although the team is in action next week so fingers crossed for some more good results. See you all in the New Year!

Episode 6 teaser...

I know I go on about how I hate blogs where video is posted into them but I'm making an exception here to show off the intro section to this years video, Pushing the Senses.

The finished DVD is going to be 25 minutes long and widescreen!

Sections include:

• The Wirral
• Innerleithen
• Glentress fun park
• National Champs
• Gwydwr
• Ae
• Glentress fun park
• Mabie
• Llandegla
• Gwydwr
• Penmachno

Will be available to just regular FO members for a fiver. Should be ready for the premiere mid next week and DVDs ready to take home by Friday.

Busy Weekend coming up soon...

Well we are coming up to a very busy weekend for myself and the Tavistock crew. Just one week until Ashcombe, Go Karting and random partying!

Go Karting on the Saturday for the Woodland Riders club down here in Devon, we've organised a GP which should be good fun!

Saturday night is a party for one of my mates 18th and then come Sunday morning it's up at 6 in order to get to Ashcombe for the OnaBike cup and Round 2 of the Winter Series...

I wasn't actually going to race this, being my least favourite track in the series but money has been kind to me this month and I have a spare 22 quid so I'm going to race it anyway and try and complete the whole series. I just hope it's dry for once because Ashcombe mud + Downhill bike + not much hill = very difficult to go fast!

Well anyway, hopefully I can go for a podium this race, it's my mission to get a podium in the Juniors before I move up to Seniors next year. I'll be up at Tavi Woods this Sunday as ever, showing around a new guy and trying not to kill myself for next weekend.

Are you ready Mr Bloomers? :)

Mono

Let's raise the bar...

Well, final ride of 2006 beckons, time for a bit of re-in-fucking-statement! I'll be rough as fuck (i'm going to try the stop boozing at midnight trick that never works/i forget to do once wrecked), but hey-ho, i'll be beans-ing it down the hills, not mincing it along the tight singletrack on the side of that snowdonian muthafucka.

So, everyone get their fingers out and lets get some top footage, a good moan at the climbs (i've heard its less severe than the marin, phew!) and some crashes! And some speed demon-ing!

Thats my motivational best effort, it may become a bit more depleted by Sunday a.m., but it's all good :)

Homegrown's back!!!!

CLICKY!!

And about bloody time!

Since a web problem about 2 months ago Homegrown's been down... back just in time for those long winter nights and crap days in work.

Penmachno beckons...

Looking forward to the last ride of 2006 - Penmachno beckons on Sunday... and 8 of us are down to make the trek over to the relatively unknown forest south of Betwsycoed.

Unknown for a reason. Only loop 1 of the 2 trail centre is complete, and as such the Snowdonia national park people won't let the builders advertise or host a website... trail 1 is open though, and about 12 miles in length.

The difference to other North Wales trails is the amount of singletrack and tight twisting singletrack at that... not sure how Scott's stinky will get on - especially with his stinking hangover but no doubt it'll be a laugh and a great end to 2006 for the FO regulars... as well as an atmospheric, arty and dare I say cheesy end to Episode 6 (provisionally titled - Pushing the Senses).

Until Sunday...

Tavi Woodlands

HI , just got back from a class day at tavi woodlands. there was me , mono and bloomers out keeping the fearing out team represented. was showers and sunny spells all day so keeping the tracks nice and muddy and slidey. here are a few pics from the day.

Onabike cup - CC Winter Series Round 2

Ashcombe on the 17th December (not 16th as on front cover currently!) sees Round 2 of the Cloud Cover Winter Series round 2, traditionally known as the Onabike cup - said to be the longest running DH race in the UK.

Ash Mullane has won it the last two years - will someone else take his place this year?
Read the history and more details on the NACC website by clicking here...

New product arrived...

The new batch of products turned up and I've sold out of it all already!

The new hoodies are awesome too, really nice quality. All those that pre-ordered one - I'm posting them on Saturday.

In 2007 I intend to make Fearingout a customizable brand.
You will be able to pick your garment, its colour and the print colour and I'll get them printed up and delivered within 28 days... all for the bargain price of £15 a tee and £35 a hooded top.

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks.

Full report to download...

Thanks to Mono and Milky for the content! First of many race reports in downloadable PDF format for 2006/7!
Click the image to download it.

Click here for full race results.

Avill Hill

Well, i better bring up the rear! good a great day at Avill yesterday. Practice went really well, despite the daunting look at some of the course on the walk up in the morning. by my runs, i felt i had it pretty much dialled. First run came, and i really felt good, hitting the corners with a sort of vigour i have missed since may! than came the killer.....
.... I hit the berm on the lower section of the course a little too hard and popped out the top, gash up my thigh in the process. Gutted is not the word. With that playing on my mind, the second run was never gonna be an improvement, hitting corners too hard and missing the high lines, leading to no proper flow.
All in, i was not overly impressed with my performance, but it has spurred me on now to place better in the next race at ashcombe. my only consolation is, if i had entered the novice catagory like i had toyed with, i would of place 4th!

well done to mono on the 7th, and of course matt, on the overall win. If your at the next race i will say hello, i didn't even know what you look like to introduce my self this time!

Avill Hill

Hi guys, sorry I haven't wrote earlier but I've been as tired as Aaron by the sounds off it.
Yeah what a great weekends racing - the sun was out for sunday and with the sun so low late in the day it was hard to see anything in the last part of the woods. What a great track from the start there where five seconds of pedaling then into steep turns, of camber, rocky and rooty corners... this went on for most of the track until you hit the finish field where there was a bit more pedaling to the finish.
I raced onboard a mates bike as mine was with my mechanic who wanted to do an uplift at Hopton. I wasn't going to race but seeing as I was down that way visiting a mate I thought why not.
In me first run I was really enjoying riding because I havent ridden downhill for a while.
My first run time of 2 mins wasn't quite good enough for the lead but second run gettin more and more used to me mates bike I posted a time of 1:57 - good enough to take the win. I was stoked to have won on me mates bike and on such a good track.

Well thats all from me until the first round of the Midlands Winter series where we shall see if the training over Christmas and new year will pay off!

thanks Matt

Avill Hill

I would have posted last night but due to being absolutely totally and utterly knackered, I decided to wait till this morning to share the news on the race!
This was Round 1 of the Winter Series down in the south west and Dave Morgan (the organiser) really did do a damn good job. The course was amazing and the uplift ran smooooooooth! I didn't encounter one que!
First run for me was sketchy and really quite out of control, Mr Bloomfield cheered me on near the top and I ended up crashing and running down the hill a bit further down! Not too much time lost here as t was a slow section anyway and I managed to keep hold of my bike and get back on quickly!
Crossed the line with a 2:36, not brill but enough to put me 6th in Junior as a load of quick guys had crashed in their runs aswell.
Run 2 came and so did the tiredness, me and Dave were shattered when we got to the top of the track ready for our second runs. Luckily I had a handy Red Bull to drink which meant I was buzzing on the way down. I was really feeling it on this run and everything went amazingly well, i got to the roty off camber straight and powered through there and overtook someone for the first time EVER (props to the rider, he crashed in front of me and yanked his bike out of the way and cheered me on, LEGEND!).
Unfortunately I hit a tree on the fastest part of the course and lost a few seconds but I still took 9 seconds off my first run with a 2:27. I'm so pleased and in the end I came 7th in Junior.
After the race I went and talked to Matt for the first time, he seems like a sound bloke and I reckon he's going to be a good asset to the team. Well done on the overall win my son!

Anyway, I'm going to write a full race report in the next couple of days, look out for it on the site.

Aaron "Mono" Bartlett

Gwydwr and more

Good to see an excellent start to the 2007 team. I have to say I'm buzzing with the prospect of (total) amateur racing (having never done it), but just to be at a race and "get amongst it" as a mate of mine says (about going drinking!) will be great. Good results yesterday for the boys and we had a top ride at Gwydwr. There were 5 of us, but Mr Cubbin has returned from Egypt with a bout of bad luck. His Fox RP3 had a "bit of an epi fit". Apparently the nitrogen cylinder has gone.....sounds expensive! So then it was down to 3 - James, Phil and myself.

As usual the first climb sucked, and all day James blasted up the climbs, with an unfit Phil and a not-fit-enough-to-power-a-stinky-up-a-hill me behind. Still, good on the legs! I started the day badly, getting a random puncture on an invisible something! Nevermind, with it fixed the rest of the day was awesome. Great crisp air and blue skies, we filmed sections that we haven't before, and from a quick review at the end we got some good footage for the DVD. Filming the second section, James caught me flying down, nearly losing it on entry to the "chicane", but I masterfully rescued myself, and continued! After a freeride stop at the quarry (or smelting house), i.e. me fucking about as usual, James kept the pace up to get us to the last 2 sections and some good filming.

The whole ride felt great, and a surprise for me as i've felt Gwydwr has been a bit shit lately. So well done you! The bike flowed brilliantly, and I can really feel a race in me soon! The bike feels great at the moment and I'm loving finding my lines, trying not to lose speed. Even got some drifitng going on and the look on the faces of the lads in the car park after the final descent said a lot (plus it was dark and we were all still giving it some)! Anyway, we shall see about the racing bit...!

Avill hill photos

Hi the full repo will be up in a few days but until then here are 3 photos to keep you going. The bottom one is team rider Dave Bloomfield!

South West Winter Series - Round 1 results...

An unexpected but fantastic result for the team this weekend at Avill hill, 3 team riders in attendance!

Dave had a right laugh getting back into it but crashed in his 1st run and got a puncture 2nd run.

Aaron blasted Juniors coming 7th in class - good lad.

Matt (or a borrowed Orange) won Elite and came 1st overall!

Photos and a full report to follow once I've spoken to Milky. I don't think we could have hoped for a better result 1st event out!! Cheers guys.


In somewhat different news - the regular FO riders had fun in Gwydwr. I'll post up a report and photos for that later too.

Inners and 07 Team

Had a good days riding at Inners again yesterday. First time I've actually ridden a full sus there and although it was forcast for really bad weather the rain held off all day and everyone had a good ride. The tracks at Inners seam to hold up pretty well in the bad weather however they've not sean as much use as they normally might due to the whole uplift situation. I really like the place because you can get quite a lot of riding in for the amount of pushing you do and there is such a variety of tracks you can spend the whole day there and not ride the same one twice.

I probably won't get much riding done in the lead up to Xmas due to exams but I cant wait to get riding and racing again in the new year, and I'd just like to say a quick hello to all the new team members and hopefully I'll see you at some races over the season. It'll be interesting to see how I get on racing DH next year and I'm also moving up from junior into the big boys category.

Sunday...

Riding at Gwydwr forest (Marin) on Sunday. 4 of us down so far, Phil, Warnock and myself travelling from Macclesfield and the wanderer returns, Mr Cubbin is joining us from the Wirral after a month working in Egypt!

Will be the penultimate section of this years DVD.

We'll be there in the first carpark about 11am.

Mono!

Alrite guys, it's Mono here (I have one eyebrow you see, in case there was any confusion ((Monobrow))...) Yea anyway, chuffed to get my first sponsorship deal with the site, it's cool to have some properly talented riders on the team. I will update the site after Sunday with a race report from Winter Series Round 1. The bike is all stickered up and i got new t shirts this morning, awesome!

Can't wait to get to some Fearing Out rides soon!

Mono

Team 07

Hi it's Matt Simmonds here - I'm happy to be on the team for 07 and really looking forward to meeting everyone and getting out and doing some riding.
I'm really happy to be helping out with the blog, updating it with race reports etc.

hope to see you all soon.

thanks Matt

Hi I'm Milky

Hi I am new to the team for 07 and have been given the role of official photographer for the 07 season.
I live and ride at Tavi woodlands where existing team rider Dave Bloomfeild and new team rider Mono ride a lot, I will also be getting to as many races as I can this year to take lots of looooovly photos for race reports on here. To see more of the photos i have taken go on my website www.dhphotography.co.nr - there is a link on the home page to a gallery that is updated all the time.

I will probobly see most of the team at races in the coming season I'm sure, so see you then.

2006 Team summary...

I've just added a 2006 Team summary to the site, with a writeup of the year and results for all team members

CLICKY

I'd like to say a big thankyou to everyone involved during the 2006 season (both team riders, friends and family). I really appreciate all your hard work, input and feedback - and I hope you've enjoyed being part of Fearingout.

2007 is going to be a good one - team lineup to be announced at the end of the week... watch this space!

Llandegla....or do I mean Llan-dung-la?

Report:
Well, as cutting as I can be, I'll hold back slightly (seriously, I have!). Ok, Llandegla is still shite. Mr Rennie has been hard at it designing the new black trail section (is it really 2km long?), and as good as it is, it is neither black grade nor worth the trip round the rest of Llandegla to get to it.

Unfortunately, Llandegla is fundamentally flawed. An easy going climb to start sets you up good, warmed and ready to start. The 200 yard first jump section is poor at best, with the 3rd and 4th table tops dangerously close together. And from here, with the exception of the two "Black sections", there isn't anything to get excited about. Only annoyingly up/down, no-flow trails.

The annoying factor is the flow. All of the purpose built trails in North Wales (that I've ridden) have flow. All of the 7 Stanes (that I've ridden) have flow. Even natural trails in the lakes have flow. Somehow, Llandegla has this annoying habbit of feeling ready to get going, then it'll have a single jump going uphill, which epitomises it really.

The new "Black" 2km DH singletrack section is excellent, very flowing (sticks out like a sore thumb), and some awesome lines to get your speed up. However, it doesn't even approach what Black Grade is all about. To be honest, the Red-Black Trail mixture combined loop is Blue-Red at best in my opinion. Nothing technical in sight.

I'd love to say I like Llandegla, but having ridden elsewhere in the region, I'm not sure why anyone would go back. Apart from the new black section and the Cafe. Great food, yum!

And as for the majority lycra-clad crowd, it sums up what the place is about.

I'm afraid I'd still give it a D, up from a failing F!

The day:
As ever FO had a good day out, and it was good to feel fresh on the bike after only 2 weeks of post holiday exercise. Loving the bike as usual, no slight play from the rear end with my "serviced" bike. Have the front and rear ends set up to perfection, just need a bit more TLC on the gearing. Preps to the new lads, it was a long day and good effort all round. I'm sure secretly the foundations have been laid for 2 more addicted FO-ers!

Dunkeld

After hearing all week from various people about the rocks and roots at Dunkeld I didn't really know what to expect. Well lets just say it lived up to its reputation. We went up pretty early and managed to avoid most of the bad weather. After having not ridden the big bike for quite some time I was a little off the pace to begin with, but a few times through the middle rock garden had me hitting the right lines 9 out of ten times. The track has its fair share of nasty rock drops and chutes to test the nerves and the new track that's there is uber steep. I felt that I was riding really well today which is something I've not felt for a while. I scared myself a few times with a bit of off piste action, but I think this has just made me want to ride more. The other guys I was with also seamed to have a good time, and thankfully there was no major incidents.
I was having such a good ride that I didnt really stop to take many photos, and the ones I did weren't very good so I leave you with this offering from the top of the track.

Let down again?

Just back from Llandegla (read more in the photo page on the right) and had a great day riding...

The new black singletrack descent is fantastic but I just don't get why they've still not done anything about the bad flow on some of the old existing sections... anyway 12 months on and its improved a little but still dissappointing considering what a fantastic trail centre it could be.

Pete and Ross enjoyed themselves, although found the going sketchy I think. One good thing about Llandegla is the awesome cafe!

Bring on Gwydwr next weekend... should be fun.

It is NOT a XC bike

Never again shall I fool myself into thinking that XC is possible on a bike with 8 inches of travel and 2.8" tyres. Well.. it is possible but not all that fun. The Uni bike club head off to the Pentllands just outside Edinburgh twice a week and I decided to join them on the big bike today. I was ready to give up after riding the 10miles across the city to get there but then it seamed like such a wasted trip! Reluctantly I followed up fireroads and single track but it was worth it for some of the really techy downhill single track sections. That was all forgotten on the way back through town though. Fat tyres dont roll well on tarmac. (What did I expect...muppet!) Anyway should I recover by tomorow morning I'll be heading off to either Dunkeld or Inners with the camera, so I'll finally post some pics of what we get up to north of the boarder. Untill tomorow guys.....

Dirt 10 year party and EARTHED 4...

From the Dirt website...

This is a bit rushed, we will try to get a proper flyer out to you some time soon but if you could put this date in your diaries, tell your friends, put it up on your websites, etc, etc.

On Sunday December 3rd Dirt Magazine will be having a bit of a party to celebrate 10 years of the magazine but also to show the BRAND NEW Earthed 4: Death or Glory, and announcing the Dirt Reader Awards winners. The venue is downstairs at the Walkabout in Birmingham (CLICKY CLICKY).
The time is TBC but we are looking at 7pm onwards I think.

Like I say, more info as we get it, but in the meantime tell everyone and get yourself up there.

AWESOME. Who's up for trip down?

CLICK HERE for a trailor of Earthed 4 (doesn't work at work - doh!)

New downloads

If you click on 'Xtra' (logo to the right of this frame) then not only can you download old front page images, but there are a number of articles to download.

I've refreshed this recently so you can now read all about the Nationals and view the brochure.

Anyone who wants to write or submit anything then email me.

And it lives...

Well it lives, conversion of new boy Pete's Saracen Raw into a Trek 4300 is finished.
With my old frame, Scott's old forks and wheels, crankset, gears, bars etc from Pete's Saracen its a bit of an eclectic mix but the main thing is its about half the weight of the Saracen, less bouncy and more reliable off-road.

Thanks to the technicians at work we managed to bodge the front V-brakes on as Scott's old forks didn't come with V-brake bosses due to his old GT being disc equipped.

Roll on (literally) Sunday and Llandegla revisited... lets hope its raised its game and our 3 newbies enjoy themselves.

PS Scott might be on his Cove at this rate :)

Fort Bill 2007, anyone for a race?!

As previously rumoured/mentioned before the Fort Bill (William) trip next September (2007). Yes its a while away, but it is the biggest event in World Biking, and Fort Bill has become the best round of the DH world series, so it is the place to be next September!

So.........to whet the appetite and for me to be able to get numbers for booking, here is a bit of info below on next year's official UCI world cup of mountain biking, hosted in Fort William by my Scottish cousins!

Dates: 3rd-9th Sep 2007 (Mon - Sun)
Website (work in progress):
http://www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk/

FO PLAN!...
Those "invited" have the email! Basically, a week of riding in and around and on the way up to Fort Bill, with lush chalet as base camp.

WHAT I NEED NOW.....
I need to know if you are interested in coming! If so, for how much of the week (all week, just the weekend).
I want to pay a deposit before Christmas. I do not want people saying yes and not paying a deposit, so I will be asking for money.
Be honest and reply with a "YAY" or "NAY" before the end of November.

Its gonna be fun,
Cheers,
Scott

Superior crank technology

Gentlemen,

Hello from the world of flat hills and people who say 'glass' as though there is an 'r' in it. Hope everyones keeping well, and that Scotland was as good as it looked.

As I know you like to keep up to date with the latest technological advances and innovative components for bikes, I thought I'd draw your attention to the article below. It discusses the engineering prowess of their cranks, and state that they are far superior to anything you could possibly be running. A personal favourite of mine; with these cranks "bicycling becomes a pleasure, not a chore."

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Italy/PMP_crk_ad.htm

So now you know what to get each other for Christmas.

Out.

Hoodies - order being placed on Wednesday

Ordering these this week - so if you haven't given me your size and want one for Christmas then email me as soon as possible!

Will also be ordering a few T-shirts for back orders, if anyone wants anything specific from the last 3 designs I'll see what I can do. If anyone is desperate to have a hoody with one of the old designs I should be able to sort that too... EMAIL ME though. I'm not a mind reader.

Some TLC...

Well, it's about 12 months since I spent the best 1100 notes I ever have, so the Stinky is nearly a year old. To that end and to celebrate the 'beasts' year of awesome riding, and the fact I'm a big lad and have given her a bit of a beasting for the last year, she's getting a service! I'll need to tell the guys "forget the slight ding in that wheel, ignore the twisted forks, they're fine, but take at a look at her rear end, she's a bit loose". This is a bike I'm talking about here of course.

After that she'll be g2g for the end of year exploits. Rock on, I've missed the bike!

Before he even started...

Ross who's been itching to get back in to riding for the last fortnight started out looking at £300 hardtails - a day later it was £450... I casually joked he'd end up with a full susser!

Well he's gone and done it! Now a proud owner of a 19" 2005 Coiler (6" travel). Good work lad... a baptism of fire awaits at Llandegla on the 19th.

Winter rides

Dates and proposed locations for FO rides until Christmas...

19th November - Llandegla
26th November - Gwydwr
10th December - Penmachno / Coed-y-brenin

These will likely be the last 3 sections on this years DVD - so fingers crossed I can finish the editing in time for a Christmas delivery!

Reinstate Macc Forest Style!

Today myself, James and new boy Pete went for a good blast round Macc forest. After a month off the bike I suspected that it might be tough going. I was right, the first climb was a nightmare and I was pushing as soon as we got to the road section! This unfit feeling was easily surpassed though on sight of Charity Lane, at which point it was as if I had been injected with a dose of adrenaline. I instinctively knew that I just had to reinstate! The ensuing ride down Charity Lane was easily the fastest I've ever done it. The way the bike flowed underneath me and went just where I wanted it to felt amazing. So much mud came up onto my safety specs that I practicaly couldn't see by the end of the run, but I didn't care! Next was the bottom of the oven, which although slower was still a good blast.

James was keen to show me a bridleway section over towards Wildboarclough and I felt enthusiastic to give it a shot. To save a bit of time we decided to push up the bridleway and then ride back down it rather than going on a fairly long winded loop via the Cat and Fiddle Pub. This strategy had the benefit that on the way up we were able to discuss which the best line would be for the descent. It also gave me the confidence to just blast down it with the adrenaline flowing again in copious amounts. I love my bike! The only downside with this new track is that it's a bit out of the way for a regular Macc Forest ride and isn't part of a sensible loop. Oh well, good just to have a bit of a change and I'm sure the boy Warnock would love it if we gave it another go in the near future. Now looking forward to the rest of the rides this year - bring it on!

Riding locally today - Macc forest and some of the knarlier bridleways up towards the Cat and Fiddle...

Sorted out my buckled rear wheel yesterday - wasn't that bad in the end, only about 4 mm out if that, so managed to true her up and all the spokes are tight now. Legend.

Almost back

Alrighty from the smog of Bangkok! We fly home today, just killing time before we head for the airport.

Had a fucking great holiday, all to be revealed, but i have had 'the bikes' on my mind recently. scoped out some great terrain on a hill trek the other day, thailand would make an awesome DH track, rocky as fuck though!

Got some TLC to give out and kit to buy on return, new cranks for the stinky and a new 24-7 rear wheel for the cove, then it'll be all good for cold winter riding. I will have a cold soon no doubt, from 35 DegC for 3 weeks to the not so tropical climate of cheshire can mean only one thing.

Wont be out on sunday, bikes nor i will be in suitable state! Looks like the FO site is keeping it live, good reading to catch up on there. Good to see Dave is loving his new beast, muchos jealous!

"Sawadee-kap" as they say here.

Rebranded?

Hell yeah, with the shitty weather and lack of commitment from both myself and the other locals not been out on the bike for a week or so now... however plenty of tinkering time on the Chameleon.

Fitted the new chain and cassette, a job that I should have done a long time ago - what a transformation. Instant snap now, I hadn't realised just how worn the old one was!

To finish things off I splashed out on some old school Psylo stickers (off the original SLs from 2002ish I believe - correct me if I'm wrong) which I think look sorted on the maroon respray.

Click the close up above to see the whole shebang!

Will be out riding it on Sunday, as the Coiler's suffering from a slightly buckled rear wheel which I intend to attempt to straighten - not before the weekend though...

So SUNDAY - Macclesfield in all likelihood - currently myself and Leo, possibly Ben, maybe Scott if he's back - and even maybe a newcomer... we'll see!

Well I turned up at Tavi woodlands sunday morning to an eerie site... an empty car park! A quick call to Ashley Mullane came up with the answer, that everyone was still in bed! damn!

but once the slackers had turned up we set down the to the task at hand and although I hadn't ridden there since January, it was like I was a local. Everything flows so well that you feel like you have ridden the trails all your life.
Milky got some great photos which I will put up here, for more of his great pics, go to http://www.dhphotography.4t.com/



By the end of the day, we ended up at 'rich's track', very technical, off camber course hidden deep in the woods. It's filled with roots, rock gardens and drops. The v10 proved what a machine it is, never faltering through any of it, nor the whole day in fact.

Howies photo comp shortlist...

Well the Fearingout submissions I sent in didn't get into the final 50 (which is a shame, because personally - I thought they were better than some of the ones that did)...

Click here to see the finalists. Winner announced in Dirt sometime soon.

Scots Street

Had a bit of a street mission today on the little wheels. There's so much street to ride in Edinburgh. Theres alsorts of stuff, wallrides, rails, massive stair sets, drops, curved wall rides... and its all just a short ride from where I live. Really need to take a camera out with me to get some good pics of all this stuff. I've just been meeting up with some of the local bmxers who seam to know all the good spots to ride. I didnt try any of the stairs on my bmx though, I'll wait 'till I go out on the bigger wheels....

Its an organic thing?

So my brain works in funny ways and whilst sat on the sofa recovering from a hangover obtained from drinking an embarrassingly small amount of alcohol a fantastic idea popped into my head...

20 minutes later we have this - a development of the Hoody design of a few days ago... I feel its a bit more FO then the previous attempt.

Likelihood is either black hoody (with the design like this in green and white) or Navy hoody, with the green bits in cyan. Oh and contrasting hood strings!

From the darkness came a light?

Who's up for some night riding over the winter, to keep the fitness up and have a right laugh?
Problem is systems cost minimum £100 for a decent(ish) off road set of lights.

I'm going to contact a few internet based suppliers (including my current faves Lumicycle) to see if they'll do us some sort of group discount if we buy a couple of sets together. Worth a try...

And no, Phil, you can't just go and spend £15 in Halfords ;)

English DH Champs results at BC...

CLICK HERE
Results over on the British Cycling website - looks like they had the weather for it down in Somerset ;)

getting the feel back

Went out on the V10 to Haldon on Saturday. Its so nice to be back on a DH bike again, i didn't relise how much i had missed it. didn't get many photos as Ben can't take them for toffee.


I bike feel really supple and i'm hammering sections that i would normally look for a smoother line for on the 222. i definately need some setup tips for the fifth if any of the other guys have any, i seems a bit too soft on the rear for my liking, although i haven't bottomed it out yet.

I'm gonna sort out membership with Tavistock woodland riders this weekend, so i shall be getting some practice in before the Cloud Cover winter series, just to get my self back into it.
cheers for now
Happy trails
Dave

Oooh Fort Bill world champs 2007!

As previously mentioned on here we're off to Fort Bill next September to watch the world championships. Scott and I have 'aquired' a villa (if you can call it a villa in Scotland) up in Fort Bill for the duration of the champs - and its bloody cheap - those who want a space better email me fast! (sleeps 6 I believe).

Well even though its 11 months away the chaps in charge of the course construction have been working hard. Check out the blog over on the Dirt website by clicking here.

The website (www.fortwilliamworldchamps.co.uk) should be working pretty soon. Check it out!

Transition bikes back in the UK!

Fantastic news (and about bloody time) - the brill Transition bikes are available again in the UK.
Hardcore bikes from the 'shore, Transition have a clean design and from what I can gather the build quality and just as importantly ride quality is excellent!

From their website:

Transition Bikes is back in the UK!
Date 10/16/06
After a long absence from the UK, we're very stoked to announce that Projectleeds will be the new exclusive Transition Bikes UK distributor. If you're in the UK and are interested in Transition Bikes product then get in touch with Projectleeds. You can find their info on our distributor page.

Click here to go to the Projectleeds website.

Something for the time of year?

So this time of year calls for something warmer as the nights close in - and what better than a Fearingout hoody?

Don't get too excited - its still just a design at the moment - I'm looking at having them printed in November for a Christmas delivery... so let me know what you think of the design and the colour options - open to suggestions?

Close up of the design here!

Pushing the senses

Hard day editing today and Episode 6 is coming on nicely - so far we've got:-

The Wirral
Innerleithen
Glentress fun park
Nationals
Gwydwr
Ae
Glentress fun park 2
Mabie

and with Coed-y-brenin again, Penmachno/Gwydwr, Llandegla, Sheffield indoor dirt and Macclesfield as all possibles we should be looking at another quality DVD this year :)

The beginning of the end

Tonight was the penultimate Thursday night ride of 2006... and after poor shows over the past few weeks we managed 3 0f us, Ben, Phil and myself.

Sometime off the bike for Phil who stuck to his own pace but seemed to be free of the back problems at last. Ben rocketed ahead as usual, no doubt his road biking has paid off in the fitness stakes!

So the ride - well the usual Charity Lane blast, if it ain't broke, don't fit it. Found things quite easy going if a little slippy, and took Charity Lane carefully as 1) it was going dark 2) worried about the wrist 3) couldn't see for shit due to spray and glasses! Bike felt predictable though so I was happy to take it at a reduced pace. Then down Chris's trail and the dampness combined with slippery mud and reducing light led to two spills - one for Mr Woolrich and one for myself. Nothing serious, no injuries, we made the way back down to the Leather Smithy where Phil and I packed up the cars and talked about the possibility of night rides with some light investment and Ben headed for home before it went totally dark.

Same time same place next week. Lets make the last one a big finale.

Its not the end of the 2006 season though.

We've 3 feature rides planned before year end, and no doubt some impromptu Macclesfield Forest weekend rides. There are also plans afoot to make it over to the indoor dirt/4X park in Sheffield.

As ever, watch this space!

English National Championships - 22nd October

The last high scoring BC ranking event of the year. The English Championships will take place at Headon Plantation, Bratton. Bratton is situated in North Somerset only a couple of miles from Minehead town centre. The venue is accessed directly from the A39 Minehead to Porlock road.

NB No licence required to compete; just to pick up ranking points! ie open to all!

First contested in 2005 the English Downhill Championships was cancelled last year so the only previous winner of the "Elan Cup" for English Downhill Champion is Dan Stanbridge.

More information here...

2007 Dragon dates

From the Dragon Downhill website:

Tentative 2007 dates: Format may change to Sat. practice with a late afternoon seeding run how about running a scheduled chainless race on Saturday afternoon instead of a seeding run) and two timed runs on Sunday. You'd still be able to do either day or both, whatever (you are welcome to email me with comments on the change, what do you think?)

Rd1 - 7/8 April
Rd2 - 5/6 May
Rd3 - 2/3 June
Rd4 - 23/24 June
BC National DH Champs - 13/14/15 July (Two day format or Three day? What do you think?)
Rd5 - 25/26 August
Rd6 - 29/30 September
Rd7 - 27/28 October

Bridgnorth street downhill results

Looks like fun was had on the streets of the Shropshire town last weekend as the Twentyfourseven downhill race took to the streets.

Full write up by Si Paton on the British Cycling website.

With just a 30 second length course Gee walked away with first, over Matt Symonds and Scott Beaumont.

New Arrivals

On Saturday, i gave birth to a beautiful, 49 pound baby girl!






























She's VERY different from the 222. its ridiculously plush, and sits in the travel a lot more. combined with the extra 7 pounds or so, its definiately hard work moving her about. just been up to the local wood s to throw her around and she how she reacts and i am very pleased. once the boxxers free up i can tell it will be very planted. Where the 222 would have a tendency of blowing out corners at speed, this thing just keeps gripping.

I am definately gonna have to adjust my riding style!
i'm off for a proper ride somewhere tomorrow, i will try and get some pics

Friday 13th - unlucky for some?

Received a reply from Jason Carpenter (DragonDownhill) who's arranging next years DH national champs...

"Nope, this year they have split it all up. We are just running the DH Natioanl champs

J"

Looks like my fears have been realised - we'll have to see how it pans out, I hope some of the atmosphere isn't lost.

Anyone up for a ride on Saturday?

2007 National Champs News

Well with the running of the NPS DH changing hands in 2007 it looks like the Nationals may well have a different format unfortunately.

Rather than the big 'festival' feel of having all mountainbike disciplines together it sounds as it each category will have its own event.

This in my opinion could be a big mistake for the success of next years event.

Find out more on the BRITISH CYCLING site and the DRAGON DOWNHILL site.

My view:
Having all 4 disciplines together (XC, DH, 4X and trials) brings a wide spread of people together in one place for a long weekend. Although tricky for organisers to keep on top of the festival atmosphere (especially in the evenings) was great fun. If XC wants its own venue then every effort should be made to keep DH and 4X together if at all possible.

We'll see what happens I guess!

New Begginings

Well, Autuum is upon us and true to my word, i will be swinging my leg over a downhill bike again this weekend. After selling my 222 and Boxxers just after the accident, i used the cash to pick up a mk1 Santa Cruz V10 for a very good sum. i'm now waiting on the arrival of my 2007 Boxxers and Avid juicys, then i will be freeing up my rusty joints once more.

The current state of play with the arm is that are taking out the plate in a years time, then i should be all good again. they feel there is an added risk with riding, but i am taking that intom consideration and will be taking it easy for the time being.
i will chuck up some photos tomorrow, hopefully of my new steeds first ride

Park Tools sponsor 2007 NPS DH

PRESS RELEASE

The National Down Hill Points Series is proud to announce the worlds number one bike tool company PARK TOOL will be kitting out the two fully trained NPS mechanics at the "Park Tool Service Station" at the Nationals in 2007.

In an exclusive deal signed at Excel in London with Matt Rushton from Madison, racers competing in the National Series will have on hand the Park PK57 Professional Tool Kit. The NPS mechanics will free of charge, ensure to their best endeavours your bike is track and race worthy by using the quality Park Tools provided. Just keep them in cups of tea and slices of cake!

To compliment this excellent tooling service, the NPS mechanics will also stock the full range of Shimano mechs shifters, chains, brake and gear cables to fit to your ride.

Si Paton from NPSDH.com said, "Many thanks to Matt Rushton at Madison for stepping upto the plate, the Park Tool is every mechanics dream and will be well utilised at the brand new National Series."

This is the Park PK57 Professional Tool Kit that you will see at the Park Tool Service Station along with some sexy Park Tool aprons, bar stool and a couple of pint glasses!

For further information on Park Tool click here

Park Tools are distributed exclusively in the UK by Madison Cycles, click here