XC in kent- Any willing volunteers!!!

1…1516182021…139

Comments

  • paul_f
    paul_f Posts: 16
    Blacksmith04 wrote:

    I will email you some routes tonight. MapMyRide seems to be able to import gpx files, so should be the easiest format for you. What sort of distance are you looking at?

    Michael

    Can i have a copy as well Michael, be interesting to see if there is anything that I have missed around the Med!
  • RussAlf
    RussAlf Posts: 706
    Nick is your bike a xtc composite? it will weigh next to nothing soon.

    Cant do even rides ive got no lights :shock: , working this weekend but by the looks of it we could be in for some fun.
  • deadpool2e
    deadpool2e Posts: 625
    Well count me in for Saturdays ride (at Blean) What is the pace like?, Will be intresting if it snows.

    Nick if you need to borrow a torque wrench i have one you can use. how many Nm's do they need?
    http://www.sketchymtb.co.uk/Blah.pl the new XC in Kent


    http://deadpool2e.pinkbike.com/channel/Afan-Vids/

    MOUNTAIN BIKING- The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    RussAlf wrote:
    Nick is your bike a xtc composite? it will weigh next to nothing soon.

    Cant do even rides ive got no lights :shock: , working this weekend but by the looks of it we could be in for some fun.
    Yeah its an XTC Comp. Nice and light for my not so nice commute (when i can be bothered)!
    deadpool2e wrote:
    Well count me in for Saturdays ride (at Blean) What is the pace like?, Will be intresting if it snows.

    Nick if you need to borrow a torque wrench i have one you can use. how many Nm's do they need?
    Its a decent pace but not lightning speed - I believe its the speed of the slowest rider on Saturdays :) You'll be fine though as i pretty much managed to keep up on all but the twistiest singletrack :oops:

    Thanks for the offer of a torque wrench but i think I've found the solution in the form of a Torqkey. Saved about 30 quid on what i was looking at to tighten 4 bolts anyway! :D
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • andyturner28
    andyturner28 Posts: 1,225
    impished wrote:
    Anybody out and about tonight?

    I am riding over there tonight if you still fancy it. I'll be at Blean by about 6:30ish.
    SketchyMTB MTB rides in the South EastIMB_SIGNATURE%28GIF%29_468PX-2.gif
  • BubblinSergeant
    BubblinSergeant Posts: 28
    Blacksmith04,

    Any route up to around 30 Miles would be great, although I think best to start with 15 odd miles to be safe at first.

    Thanks.

    :D



    http://bubblinsergeant.blogspot.com/
  • impished
    impished Posts: 1,092
    AndyTurner28 wrote:
    I am riding over there tonight if you still fancy it. I'll be at Blean by about 6:30ish.
    I'm not gonna make tonight. Only just got in from work, got wet shoes still and the missus decided NOW would be a good time to take the kids to JS :roll: , so I'd be rushing to make Blean by 7.

    Have a nice ride Andy. Maybe see y'all Saturday.

    SketchyMTB
    My Pics
  • andyturner28
    andyturner28 Posts: 1,225
    impished wrote:
    AndyTurner28 wrote:
    I am riding over there tonight if you still fancy it. I'll be at Blean by about 6:30ish.
    I'm not gonna make tonight. Only just got in from work, got wet shoes still and the missus decided NOW would be a good time to take the kids to JS :roll: , so I'd be rushing to make Blean by 7.

    Have a nice ride Andy. Maybe see y'all Saturday.

    No worries mate. Are you riding with Kent Trails Saturday, or doing your own thing? I am riding with them on Sunday but i might be up for an easy ride on Saturday as well. Don't want to overdo it too much.

    Andy.
    SketchyMTB MTB rides in the South EastIMB_SIGNATURE%28GIF%29_468PX-2.gif
  • Blacksmith04
    Blacksmith04 Posts: 36
    BubblinSergeant wrote:
    Blacksmith04,

    Any route up to around 30 Miles would be great, although I think best to start with 15 odd miles to be safe at first.

    :D

    BubblinSergeant, Paul, you've got mail: A selection of routes starting from Blue Bell Hill and Aylesford.
    _______________________________________________
    www.kent-trails.co.uk
  • lost-time
    lost-time Posts: 549
    andyturner28 wrote:
    Should be able to give you a lift in a cramped VW Beetle (new shape) if you are riding sunday. Just remove wheels and seatpost![/quote]

    That would be sweet, thanks mate :D

    Reguarding evening rides the rest of the week- pick a day, any day :) I am aiming to ride every week day now whatever the weather, even if it's windy! Might even get up early and ride to Reculver and back before work, although it's anyones guess wheather i actually get up in time :roll:

    Andy.[/quote]

    No worries on the lift front. We'll sort it out nearer the time. I'll be riding thursday night with Kent-Trails at 18:00 up at the uni sports ground.
    Maybe see you there.

    Reculver BEFORE work....!? Should be nice if this weather holds. You go for it!

    Paul
  • andyturner28
    andyturner28 Posts: 1,225
    lost-time wrote:

    Reculver BEFORE work....!? Should be nice if this weather holds. You go for it!

    Paul

    I actually got up in time this morning and it was a realy nice ride. Was just getting light as i left so i got to see the sun come up while riding along the sea front. Don't see that too often! I am going to try to do that every morning depending on the weather. And i still managed to do another 16 miles after work, with the help of High 5 4:1 and a couple of energy gels. Bloody good stuff that, do you know if any of the bike shops around here stock High 5? I know Chain Reaction etc is cheaper but i want it before the weekend. I'v just got some free samples at the moment.

    It is doughtfull i will make the Thursday night ride as i can never get out of work in time. Will try and leave a bit earlyer if i can but i can't guarentee anything.

    Andy.
    SketchyMTB MTB rides in the South EastIMB_SIGNATURE%28GIF%29_468PX-2.gif
  • BubblinSergeant
    BubblinSergeant Posts: 28
    Blacksmith04 wrote:
    BubblinSergeant wrote:
    Blacksmith04,

    Any route up to around 30 Miles would be great, although I think best to start with 15 odd miles to be safe at first.

    :D

    BubblinSergeant, Paul, you've got mail: A selection of routes starting from Blue Bell Hill and Aylesford.

    Thanks for the rides, they map to the gps quite well, I'll try them out soon.

    Cheers



    http://bubblinsergeant.blogspot.com/
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    Hello guys,

    I've just been pointed here by Impished (followed a link from fancyaride.org).

    I'm just getting into MTB'ing and spent a few hours at blean last weekend.

    I'm from sittingbourne and am up for night rides or day rides. I dont have that much stamina so i like to limit myself to about 15-20miles
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    ChrisCUK wrote:
    Hello guys,

    I've just been pointed here by Impished (followed a link from fancyaride.org).

    I'm just getting into MTB'ing and spent a few hours at blean last weekend.

    I'm from sittingbourne and am up for night rides or day rides. I dont have that much stamina so i like to limit myself to about 15-20miles
    Hi Chris,

    Welcome to the friendliest thread on the forum ;) You're very welcome to join us for a ride any time you like (same goes for anyone)! 15-20 miles is about our usual ride length so you'll be ok there. Hope to see you soon :D
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    Cheers Pittpony :)

    I'll be up for coming along whenever. I've got plans at the moment to do bedgebury on saturday but if that falls through i might try and contact you lot for saturday at blean.

    Out of curiosity, what sort of lights do you guys use when you go on your night rides?

    I doubt my Light & Motion Vega (frame mount) and 2 x Silly bright LED lamps hemet mounted would be up to the job
  • andyturner28
    andyturner28 Posts: 1,225
    Hi Chris.

    Don't know if you have noticed olready but this forum sems to have gone mad for Fenix lights www.glowgadgets.co.uk I have an L2D Q5 at £36 which is just as good, maybe better than my helmet mounted Light and Motion Stella 180 at £175! They are both 180 lumens, and Impished has 2 Q5's which are brighter still at 215 lumens i beleave. Your L&M Vega is supposed to be a prety good light. Maybe you could helmet mount that and get a Fenix for the bars, which will be plenty good enough for round here. Alternatiuvely Hope have just released a new single led light for about £75 i think. Have a look on www.chainreactioncycles.com There are also quite a few "which light" threads on here which might be worth a read.

    Hope this helps,

    Andy.
    SketchyMTB MTB rides in the South EastIMB_SIGNATURE%28GIF%29_468PX-2.gif
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    Aah cheers. I'm sure my lights will be able to cut the mustard.

    If needed i've got 3 Ultrafire W606A's - they're all around 160-200 lumens and best of all they're only a tenner. I'll be up for a night ride too then.
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    andyturner28 wrote:
    Hi Chris.

    Don't know if you have noticed olready but this forum sems to have gone mad for Fenix lights www.glowgadgets.co.uk I have an L2D Q5 at £36 which is just as good, maybe better than my helmet mounted Light and Motion Stella 180 at £175! They are both 180 lumens, and Impished has 2 Q5's which are brighter still at 215 lumens i beleave. Your L&M Vega is supposed to be a prety good light. Maybe you could helmet mount that and get a Fenix for the bars, which will be plenty good enough for round here. Alternatiuvely Hope have just released a new single led light for about £75 i think. Have a look on www.chainreactioncycles.com There are also quite a few "which light" threads on here which might be worth a read.

    Hope this helps,

    Andy.
    Hi Andy,

    Do you just use one Fenix light on your handlebars to go with your helmet light? I was going to get 3 L2D Q5s but am wondering now if i can get away with just 2 as funds are a little tight :(
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • impished
    impished Posts: 1,092
    CHRISCUK wrote:
    Hello guys,
    I've just been pointed here by Impished (followed a link from fancyaride.org).
    I'm just getting into MTB'ing and spent a few hours at blean last weekend.
    I'm from sittingbourne and am up for night rides or day rides. I dont have that much stamina so i like to limit myself to about 15-20miles

    Good to see you here Chris. Sorry I took so long to respond to the Fancyaride post :roll:
    As PittPony said, we're a friendly bunch with a good range of fitness/ability (read: I'm always playing catch up :wink: )
    Have a look at my gallery, here so you can recognise some of us when we eventually meet. 8)

    See you covered in mud/sheep poo soon :twisted:

    SketchyMTB
    My Pics
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    Guys, before you go spending a load of money on Fenix gear I would thoroughly recommend you look at some Ultrafire W606A's.

    They're either 2AA or 1XCR123 (i think). They make my light and motion vega look like a toy.

    Depending on requirements I do have 3 that i can mount to the helmet. They've got a silly long throw and quite a nice spread too.

    If I get to a night ride when you lot are there you can see how bright they are.

    They available from www.dealextreme.com and the best thing is they're only £11 ($20) including postage. The only downside is they take ~2 weeks to get here. They come from china but they are well worth it.

    If i get a bit of notice i'll happily tag along on one of your night rides so you can see the lights in the flesh. or if one of the sittingbourne lot wants to see them i'm often out and about on the roads at night so could whizz by someone to demo.

    :)
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    ChrisCUK wrote:
    Aah cheers. I'm sure my lights will be able to cut the mustard.

    If needed i've got 3 Ultrafire W606A's - they're all around 160-200 lumens and best of all they're only a tenner. I'll be up for a night ride too then.
    Hey Chris - thanks for the tip with tthose lights, I'll check them out. Where did you find the lumen rating for them? Also how long do they last with rechargeable batteries? At about £10 each i'm very tempted...
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • paul_f
    paul_f Posts: 16
    A collegue has both the Fenix and the Ultrafire. The fenix is significantly brighter than the ultrafire. I have a fenix for a head light, and have a 3 x cree R2 bin Cateye lamp I made for my handlebars - that is superbright!
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    Thanks Paul :)

    Decisions decisions... Think i might go in with the Fenix in that case
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    pittpony wrote:
    Thanks Paul :)

    Decisions decisions... Think i might go in with the Fenix in that case

    If you want to see what the Ultrafires are capable of have a look at this link.

    Close range
    http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/showpost ... ostcount=1

    Distance beams
    http://www.talkaudio.co.uk/vbb/showpost ... ostcount=2

    I'm seriously tempted to just buy a fenix anyway as i do like torches. I still think buying 3 of the ultrafires instead of one fenix would be a much better way of getting light on the path.
  • paul_f
    paul_f Posts: 16
    Whichever one you use you should use rechargeables with them, they can supply more current to the driver board so the lights are brighter.

    I just wanted the brightest single torch for my head lamp, which is why I went for the Fenix. If you want to put a couple on your bars as well then I would go for the 3 ultrafires.
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    I don't want to come along and be an argumentative noob but the fact that using rechargables to give more current isnt always the key to things.

    If you are using a cheaper light without a voltage control circuit (like the ultrafires) then the rechargabels (1.2v) would give a dimmer beam than using non-rechargables (1.5v). It does mean that you can run the ultrafires after a bit of tweaking with 3AA rechargables - 3.6V instead of 2AA non rechargables - 3V. They are considerabley brighter then.

    This doesnt matter with the fenix's though as they all will give the same output from any voltage.

    Saying this I do use 2800mAh rechargables in mine as i've got 24 of them (batts not torches) and to use duracells it'd cost a packet
  • paul_f
    paul_f Posts: 16
    Surely the ultrafire with AA batteries still has to use a boost circuit to meet the forward voltage required for the Cree LEDs. Especially considering you can use the ultrafire with a single AA battery.

    We measured the current of the ultrafire driver board with 2 AA batteries, and it was supplying 700mA to the LED. My collegue has bought another driver circuit from deal extreme so is modifying the light to supply 1A to the LED

    Paul
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    :lol: My head hurts just thinking about this. I guess for the price of 2 Fenix I could get 8 Ultrafires and light up half of Kent ;) But then there's the extra weight to carry... :shock: I guess if 3 Ultrafires will fit on my bars i could give it a go - its only £30 after all. Well that's my mind made up for the next 30 minutes at least...
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • pittpony
    pittpony Posts: 1,057
    By the way Chris - how are you attaching your Ultrafires to your bike?
    Giant Trance & XTC Composite
    South East MTB
  • ChrisCUK
    ChrisCUK Posts: 14
    Currently the ultrafires are set up in a VERY naff fashion on my helmet. They give 3 very bright spots wherever i'm looking. When i say naff i mean that they are secured via tie wraps. They're good enough but i'm sure i could make it better

    Tonight I'm going to have a go at bodging a few old light mounts so i can fix one or two to the handlebars.

    fenixstore.co.uk sell handlebar mounts but i think they're about £6. I reckon i can get them secure enough with cable ties to be honest.

Categories