Queen Elizabeth Country Park...with rigid forks!

boogercj

Went to QE Park (nr Petersfield in Hants for those who don't know it) for the first time in the 7 years i've been living in Portsmouth. What an absolutely cracking place! It's pretty much got everything you'd ever want for a natural set of trails (including some meaty climbs that nigh on killed me before i'd even started).

Anyways, this was the second outing on my newly built SS, rigid One-One Inbred and I'm really regretting going rigid now! Orginially it was to save a bit of money and try it out, thinking "well how bad can it be?"....Well, when you can hardly hold onto the bars because you can't feel your hands it's pretty bad! Some sections up there are REALLY rooty; amazing, kamikaze fun but sketchy as hell on a fully rigid bike!

So I'll be getting some Toras I think when my birthday arrives in October, but in the meatime I'll be hitting up QE park twice a week, because it's sooo good!

Eranu

Which route did you do? The advanced has the best downhill bits but it's worth doing the beginners too as it has a really nice long piece of singletrack now, which isn't rooty

It's not sign posted yet so to find it come out of the car park and follow the purple route up the SDW and keep following the purple signs, you'll really enjoy the climb as you turn left at the bottom of the switchbacks When you get to the top of the hill where it opens out into the grassy area you'll cross a bridal path about 20 metres after that there's a trail which as i say isn't sign posted which is the single track. What I do is do that right to the end then cross the road and pick up the advanced from there.

Anonymous

boogercj wrote:

Well, when you can hardly hold onto the bars because you can't feel your hands it's pretty bad!

I remember that feeling from riding Coed y Brenin on rigids way way back, but I didn;t have the option of suspension back then. I used to describe it like having your hand put across the top of a vice, then having someone smash your knuckles with a lump hammer.

Anyway if you're mad keen on saving money, persevere with it, and your hands will get used to it in time, which means when you go back to suspension, you'll be far less likely of getting aching hands. Especially if you go somewhere that has bad braking bumps like Morzine.

Regardless - I still think you're an idiot for going for a rigid singlespeed

boogercj

Cool, cheers for the advice both of you. I'm going up there after work again tomorrow night so I'll try and find that unsigned bit. It's really nice after work up there at the moment as you getthe sun goign down through teh trees, throwing awesome shadows and stuff.


Yeah, I kinda though tgoing SS, rigid was jumping in at the deep end but I kinda wanted to try out singlepeeding whilst I was building a new bike and to get fitter from grinding up the climbs. I wasnt quite prepared for a rigid bike to feel so harsh though! :oops:

I think I'll be changing to some nice Toras by October and see how the SS thing pans out. Should be pretty easy to sling a derailleur and 8spd cassette on the back and leave a single chainring on the front.