Follow the dog

R34PER

hi, i normally commute on my cheap mtb and now and again take it for a blast round local woods. i have always enjoyed it so i decided to buy my friends orange P7 off him last week (£200, bargain). i am planning on taking the P7 and myself out for my first "proper" ride on friday to cannock chase for the "folow the dog" trails. i had planned for a couple of mates to come too who are getting back into mtb but they have both just let me down (w@nkers). so what i was wondering was, any tips for solo trail riding and will i kill myself at cannock. also mp3 or no mp3 when riding trails. i pretty much always use my mp3 player normally when i commute but just on a low volume so i can still hear things that need to be heard. sorry if the post is a bit all over the place...i'm tired now. :shock: cheers.

Stoo61

I do a lot of my cycling by myself, just not that many people I know do it and I enjoy it anyway. You can go at your own pace etc.

Ive often wondered about MP3's as well, never tried it....dont think I would like it.

R34PER

i find its great with a little music on my commute, it takes the old winter chill away too
tends to make me ride harder too then. but i was wondering if it could be a little dodgy in the woods as walkers and other riders are a little quieter than cars and general road traffic. last thing i want to do is take someone out. :? i suppose riding solo will be a bit better for me so i dont have to push it too hard to keep up with better riders or wait too much for slower riders. another quick question, water bottles or hydration pack? my bike came with two cages but i'm thinking i'm better off using a pack as i can throw a tube and multitool in there and then i dont have any bottles bouncing out of the frame.

Schobiedoo

Follow the dog is fine for a beginner, just let the faster riders overtake if they catch you up. I've ridden it and had a blast and count myself as a beginner. Riding solo should not be a problem if you ride at the weekend as there are many riders there so if you come off there should be help somewhere close by. It's well marked and very obvious so you shouldn't get lost.

As for MP3's, for me it's OK on a road/path but get anything technical where you have to concentrate then it distracts me to a point where it would annoy me.

Muddy.Bail

when im on the cliff paths i dont really concentrate on the music so it just ends up giving me a headache and putting me of the riding some people are different and enjoy listening to music whilst riding guess it just depends on yourself

mtbikerboy

I wouldn't listen to music while riding. I think its too risky.

One needs to be aware of whats going on in the environment and the bike itself.
Music can easily distract you or cause you to loose concentration without even realising it.

I especially wouldnt recommend it when commuting on roads...too much risk involved beceause of fast moving traffic. Some times drivers (including myself) Just dont see cyclists

If you must have em, i would say have one ear unplugged.

But as said above people are different...but be reasonable.

littleandy0410

I did Follow the dog for the 1st time a few weeks ago. It should be fine for beginners, but I don't reccommend listening to your MP3 player, as you will no doubt get overtaken by some of the regular racing snakes that ride there. You may not hear them coming, and they may not realise you've got earphones in, and think you're just being rude! :roll:

We got passed by a small group on one of the uphills that seem to have not been told about gravity! It's supposed to slow you down on the climbs!

.blitz

R34PER wrote:

...and will i kill myself at cannock.

The Dog is a blast at the moment, I went round on Fri and again on Sat it was so good. I like section 8 the best - after section 7 there's a fork at the top of the hill and if you go straight on you will miss all the fun. You might need to lop a few cm off your bars tho' it's a bit narrow in places.

Give the MP3 player a miss and watch out for the XC jeyboys trying to do a 30 minute 'lap'

BorisSpencer

Do both 8s, do the bit on the right, then when you get back to the fire road turn left and come back up for the long 8.
The switch back climb on the new section even makes ascending fun.

Cps

BorisSpencer wrote:

Do both 8s, do the bit on the right, then when you get back to the fire road turn left and come back up for the long 8.

Good Call !

thebluefox

BorisSpencer wrote:

The switch back climb on the new section even makes ascending fun.

That switchback climb was a right ball ache on my bike.

R34PER

well 'twas a good day out although i wasnt really sure which section was which. also had a bit of a problem with my brakes after the first narrow section and they decided to only barely work for the rest of the day. also found that my front mech cable had jammed up so i had to spend the day in the middle ring and i really felt i could do with the inner ring on the climbs. worst part of the day was deciding to go on the train as i ended up pushed for time and had to head back a little earlier than i hoped for. all in all a good day out.

thebluefox

Glad you enjoyed it mate