Boardman Pro HT and Chaseskills
roughjaw
Posts: 22
Hi all. Incase it was of any help for fellow newbies, I thought I'd post to say that I bought a Boardman HT last Thursday and christened it last weekend at Cannock Chase with the aid of Chaseskills,
I was delighted with the bike. I'm 5'11", inside leg 32" and the Medium frame seemed right after the initial, 'this isn't how I sit on a road bike'. Light, nice and responsive and enough cushioning for what I rode (a few easy drops, bits of Follow the Dog, and the start of the Monkey to the railway) and will probably ever want to ride. Though this is coming from a roadie whose only real previous offroad experience was on his boss's wife's rigid bike, so anything would seem more comfortable than either of those
A FS at some point would probably be nice - one of the reasons why I bought a hardtail first was so I would have an excuse to buy a FS at some point (I didn't think the other half would understand buying a bike with less suspension!).
I booked onto the 'Introduction to Mountain Biking' and 'Technique and Skills' courses with Chaseskills on Saturday and Sunday. Both Craig and Alex were top blokes. Craig took the morning session on Saturday, covered the basics like manuals, uphills, an impromptu chain repair, cornering, small drops before going on the Follow the Dog and tackling the Werewolf on the way home. Managed to get down it 3 times after a couple of goes, though I think everyone was more impressed with my last minute bailout resulting in my bike over the drop and me hugging the tree.
The Sunday with Alex was pretty much the same content, but in more locations, bigger drops (nothing too big but you could keep to the smallest one (probably about 1') if you wanted) and a short ride on the start of the Monkey before returning back to finish on the Dog and some more Werewolf tree hugging. I did get down it first time - I wasn't looking that far ahead and didn't notice it coming so the trees didn't put put me off. Went back to give it a second go and I just knew those trees were there.... I did succeed again on my fourth go.
I'm sure I would have enjoyed riding around the Chase without the course, but not as much. Craig and Alex were very helpful and with them I learnt theory/techniques to give me confidence in my riding = more fun! Everyone else in the group felt more confident, and one more experienced rider felt much improved for his new smoother cornering style. So, I would definitely recommend going on one of their courses.
The only negative about Chaseskills is that they don't cover somersaults.... :oops:
I was delighted with the bike. I'm 5'11", inside leg 32" and the Medium frame seemed right after the initial, 'this isn't how I sit on a road bike'. Light, nice and responsive and enough cushioning for what I rode (a few easy drops, bits of Follow the Dog, and the start of the Monkey to the railway) and will probably ever want to ride. Though this is coming from a roadie whose only real previous offroad experience was on his boss's wife's rigid bike, so anything would seem more comfortable than either of those
A FS at some point would probably be nice - one of the reasons why I bought a hardtail first was so I would have an excuse to buy a FS at some point (I didn't think the other half would understand buying a bike with less suspension!).I booked onto the 'Introduction to Mountain Biking' and 'Technique and Skills' courses with Chaseskills on Saturday and Sunday. Both Craig and Alex were top blokes. Craig took the morning session on Saturday, covered the basics like manuals, uphills, an impromptu chain repair, cornering, small drops before going on the Follow the Dog and tackling the Werewolf on the way home. Managed to get down it 3 times after a couple of goes, though I think everyone was more impressed with my last minute bailout resulting in my bike over the drop and me hugging the tree.
The Sunday with Alex was pretty much the same content, but in more locations, bigger drops (nothing too big but you could keep to the smallest one (probably about 1') if you wanted) and a short ride on the start of the Monkey before returning back to finish on the Dog and some more Werewolf tree hugging. I did get down it first time - I wasn't looking that far ahead and didn't notice it coming so the trees didn't put put me off. Went back to give it a second go and I just knew those trees were there.... I did succeed again on my fourth go.
I'm sure I would have enjoyed riding around the Chase without the course, but not as much. Craig and Alex were very helpful and with them I learnt theory/techniques to give me confidence in my riding = more fun! Everyone else in the group felt more confident, and one more experienced rider felt much improved for his new smoother cornering style. So, I would definitely recommend going on one of their courses.
The only negative about Chaseskills is that they don't cover somersaults.... :oops:
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Comments
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Nice one, sounds like a great weekend! I'd like to have a go at something like that too if it was a bit nearer.2011 Cannondale Trail SL 29er HERE0
