Lady of the Night...

Here she is boys!

Rides like a dream, so much more fun and generally so much better than the Giant in so many different ways!!

Only bad side is that I am now known as Glyn O Brien... Haha!

Pinned first session at Tavi doing timed runs, got 52 seconds and 13th place out of 20 odd, just behind all the guys on dh bikes. Not a totally pinned run though, I reckon I can get it under 50 and probably down to 45 in the dry. Was a bit sketchy in the wet on the roots!

Fun fun fun!

This is forever preview

As promised here are the promo images of the DVD box and T-shirt for the forthcoming Episode 7.
If you're a regular you should have an email in your inbox about it.
News on the premiere in a few weeks :)

Help out a good cause... 5 mins of your time

Message from former Homegrownpushbikes owner and Wideopen Associate Editor Jamie...

We're competing for £50 MILLION to build walking and cycling routes all over the UK... Routes that are specifically designed to help people walk and cycle everyday without getting run over by lorries or choked by fumes. Good for people's health and good for the environment.

We're competing for the money and need people to go to http://www.thepeoples50million.org.uk/home today, sign up and then vote for **'Sustrans' Connect2'.**

It takes about 5 minutes and is really easy to do.

If we win, there will be 11 schemes built in the North West and 79 all over the UK - 6 MILLION people will live within a mile of the routes.

There's even a few routes that will improve access to mountainbike trails (like Afan).

I've voted. I think it's definitely one to support and only took 3 minutes!

This is forever...

Fearingout Episode 7 is due out towards the end of December featuring the best of the riding from the team in 2007 and I for one am dead excited.

Quality footage from Glentress, Ae, Inners, Penmachno and for the first time Macclesfield! With one trip left this year to Gwydwr on the 9th its your last chance for fame and glory with an appearance!

Titled 'This is forever' it'll be available on DVD in widescreen, approximately 20minutes with all the photos from the year on the DVDrom.

It'll be £5 for just the DVD or £15 for the DVD and limited edition T-shirt!

Cover shot and tee-design to follow later in the week. For now bang your orders in to my email inbox.

bedding things in nicely

Well, i was at Glentress and doing runs before 9am this morning. Excited is the word!
The new forks, brakes, stem and headset all make the Cove feel more capable and planted. Played around with rebound but didnt touch the air preload as it feels bang on out of the box. I run my stinky's forks pretty hard, but these are a tad softer but they are still supa stiff. Anyways, the bike performed all day, and off the big drops i felt a lot more confident with the new kit on. Sometimes it felt like the psylos may have imploded at any time doing the drops! Got the wall rides going hiiiiiiigh, got preps from the kids for the "cool bike man", so it was all going well. Until i bailed going off the top doubles. Part wind, part me, i was over the bars like an arse, but hey. Got back on it and continued all day, loving the wall ride in particular. Some of the locals were throwing down some nice style, as was I, but i'll be pushing it for new tricks again soon. Bar spins and no footers MUST be mastered!

Ended the day with a short red route through spooky woods. Pinnnnnnnnned it down there, bullied some gimps who quickly moved aside with "RIDER" coming from behind. Also saw Helen Gaskell training on a Giant XC machine. Good to see the DH pros getting their fitness in on these shores, not just jetting off to the sun! Just goes to show, if its good enough for the world cup pros, its good enough for me. I swear she was eyeing me up too...lol!

Anyway, billy no mates, so no riding shots, but just to prove i was there...

It's finished!

Here ya go folks, my new Cove Sanchez set up is all done.
New 2008 DJ1s, 2008 Avid Juicy 5s, new FSA dh pig pro headset, new Deity stem and a new headset spacer from halfords (!) cos the stack height is different with the Deity...LOL!

Looks mint, added some FO/WO badging, and had a play round the street. The forks are supa stiffffff, and i'll set 'em up proper tomorrow at GT FR park, on the jumps and all, piiiiiiiiiiiiiing. Brakes feel much better, need to bed 'em in, but def a nice upgrade in parts for her. Might be getting a custom FO/WO paint job for crimbo....we'll see!
Piece of pi$$ to fit it all, so I'm off to ride it tomorrow, woohoo :)

What's winter all about to you?

This time of the year is always difficult isn't it! The nights draw in early and the wet and cold weather make you less inclined to get out on the bike.
Some people use this time of year for other activities, some use it for training but I've another suggestion.

It seems every wet spring we say 'yeah lets just get out on the bike and not let the bad weather put us off...' Why not say that now too?

Infact cold dry crisp mornings with blue skies and gentle winter sun are my favourite riding weather. To this end I intend to get out and about on the bike as much as possible, and will be out this weekend in the Peaks with Jon exploring some new trails...

It's also perfect weather for getting the hardtail skills dusted off... can you really be arsed cleaning your complicated full suss after every winter muddy ride? Less to do with the hardtail - just a quick hose down.

2008 will be another good year for the team. Mono is branching out into video and will be working on his project along with greater support of Wideopen. Ste will be continuing in the SDA DH but also tinkering with the XC bike! Matt will be on board to some capacity and Milki will still document the south west for us. Goodridge are on board for the year which is nice, and I'm working on how to integrate the team with Wideopen in some respect. News soon!

Closing news is that with under a year under his back to biking belt, Jon is in the market for a new bike! Yes a full suss... Watch this space!

Update

Just thought I'd update seeing as I've been a bit dormant recently. The Giant is now up for sale, I'm buying a Cove Hooker off someone for this year seeing as I'm going to be filming for a lot of it. Means I can get out and learn to ride trails and all sorts of different stuff I've never been able to do. Should be awesome.

Just got to sell the DH bike first! Then next year in time for France I'll have a lovely new spanking Downhill bike ready for the new season! Woohoo!

Well done to the rest of the FO team on their results this year.

Winter Training?

Spent 4 hours today out on the XC bike (its sooo much nicer to ride up hills than a jump bike I tell you) seeing if I could keep up with the seasoned XC riders in the Uni club. Answer... I can't. But this has inspired me to start seriously working on my fitness over the winter. For anyone thinking the same you may want to keep an eye on wideopenmag for Elbry's Method articles. He'll be giving plently of advise in the coming issues on how to improve your fitness, and stay ahead of the game.
I will get a shot of my new steed up soon, however I keep forgetting to take a camera out with me (plus she's not stickered up yet!).

New Cove set up

Got the headset fitted today with some bodged tools in the garden, lol, then got the forks on. Then got my 24Seven wheels QR conversion off dead easy (these wheels are AMAZING!) and then the thru axle cups ready for the Maxle connection on the DJ1s. It's looking and feeling all good and stifffffff up front now. Am looking fwd to riding her and getting the forks set up as I want them. Just deciding on new brakes at the moment, so complete build should be done ready for my days off next week, on weds-sat. Prob hitting GT on Sat and maybe another of my days off. Check her out.....

Halloween Ride

Wednesday night me and a couple of others headed out to Glentress for a spot of night riding, as seams to be the tradition on Halloween. After spending the afternoon getting to know my new XC machine I opted to session the freeride park rather than head out round the red route.

One makeshift headlight and a fistful of glowsticks made riding a little easier but I wouldnt recomend jumping, dropping etc at night unless you've got some proper lights! Much fun was had though and we managed to get some decent riding in with only a few minor incidents on the way.

My first attemp saw me go head first into the wood... it's hard to judge distances in the dark.

Drop-FLASH=blind!-land....

What next..

Well, as James says, 2007 was a big year for FO. Lots of "stuff" going on, but on a personal note, thought I'd bore you with my current tales...

As I hinted of late...out with the Psylo's on the Cove and in with...
2008 Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1's. Will help the Cove at the front end big time, and stop me bricking it on landings! Might also get me doing front end manuals over the tables and fun box at GT :) Also got a new headset and new knee gear!

Immediate plan is to get the forks/headset done this weekend, shortly followed by new brakes, giving me a proper hardcore hardtail :)
Also in the plan is a set of 66s for the stinky, lighten her up and give her higher spec kit at the front. Also in line is a full DH rig for me. Probably going to enter some of the SDA rounds next year, so need to make that call soon, tho I'll prob rag the Stinky on it if I can't finance it from my house move!

Full pics of the new Cove to follow soon...