It's been more than a year since I threw a leg over a mountain bike and got on the single-track. The single-speed A'ha has been good and the Esatto has eaten up the miles on the road but nothing beats that buzz of conquering a climb, bombing down a hill or making a save to stop you going OTB
Saturday afternoon's weather was distinctly better than the morning and the forecast so I joined Stuart and Rod for a jaunt around the coastal paths. It took in a few new side routes and a few sections that are screaming for some sessioning including steps and drop-offs that are just about doable on a 26" hardtail, ridden by a 40 something wannabe Dario Cioni
It was a case of the 3 ages of MTBing, a 1997 26", a 2021 29" and 20something 27.5" and I'm pleased to report the Hot was more than capable and the 29er Trek was as big and soulless as a lump of coal. I'm also pleased to report that tubes 1, tubeless 0. Poor Stuart got a puncture 60 seconds into the ride and tried 3 different solutions during the ride involving patches and plugs, and none of them held meaning he had to bail just after the top of Carn Brea where this picture was taken.
I carried on for another hour or so skirting up and down the hills, a truly wonderful afternoon that brought back a lot of memories of riding with the author of this thread, the main man Pat. I had the same post-ride feeling I had back in Fairfax in the Gestalt Haus when I sat down with a can of Thatchers, covered in cuts from the over-grown brambles and ferns, thinking to myself,
this is why...