My spin today...

Wailin wrote: »

Headed for Ballinastoe today, packed as to be expected. Only did natural trails so didn't come across anyone. The stage 5 enduro trail from last year is ruined towards the bottom with debris and branches on the trail.

Twice I came to Big Vinny and twice I took the chicken line, just bottled it! Any tips on tackling a high (to me anyway) drop?

Due to covid and the cancellation of the enduro events there's been no work on any off the natural stuff since the 2019 event.

Regarding big vinnie and other features you're not sure of. I find looking beyond the feature and not focusing on the lip helped and still does.
Another thing, and this is silly, but on anything i repeatedly pull up at, to get over the fear i will repeat a word over and over in my head, something like attack attack attack or whatever, once its positive and takes the mind off thinking brake brake brake :pac:

Another thing i will do, if theres something i struggle with, whether its a drop or steep chute, when i finally do succeed, i will immediately repeat it 2 or 3 times so that in my mind i can tick it off as doable and no need to fear it, rather than the mind seconding guessing it as a once off.

Wailin wrote: »

Headed for Ballinastoe today, packed as to be expected. Only did natural trails so didn't come across anyone. The stage 5 enduro trail from last year is ruined towards the bottom with debris and branches on the trail.

Twice I came to Big Vinny and twice I took the chicken line, just bottled it! Any tips on tackling a high (to me anyway) drop?

You can roll it. I was up there about a month ago, it has gotten bigger over the last year. My friend had a flat going into it and it seems to still be rollable.

Wailin wrote:

Twice I came to Big Vinny and twice I took the chicken line, just bottled it! Any tips on tackling a high (to me anyway) drop?

Ah shur I'm still bottling bits and pieces on our own trails, wouldn't worry about it, it takes time to get there, some great advice above, I'd agree with a lot of it, in particular the repeating part

mad turnip wrote: »

You can roll it. I was up there about a month ago, it has gotten bigger over the last year. My friend had a flat going into it and it seems to still be rollable.

I thought about rolling it but no, chickened out last second!

Some good advice though lads, especially the part about repeating it immediately a few times. It's stuff like that that builds the confidence.

The other thing i would say and I'm guilty of not doing it enough is try sessioning a trail over and over.
All to often we get caught up with getting x amount of km done during a ride, or trying to go flat out chasing pr's. Theres a lot to be said for quality over quantity. If you break a given trail down into sections and try and concentrate on improving certain elements, features, line choice etc. Repeating sections in short time frame is great for improving overall riding in the long run. Like i say though, its something I'm often guilty of not practicing what I preach.

prunudo wrote:

The other thing i would say and I'm guilty of not doing it enough is try sessioning a trail over and over. All to often we get caught up with getting x amount of km done during a ride, or trying to go flat out chasing pr's. Theres a lot to be said for quality over quantity. If you break a given trail down into sections and try and concentrate on improving certain elements, features, line choice etc. Repeating sections in short time frame is great for improving overall riding in the long run. Like i say though, its something I'm often guilty of not practicing what I preach.

We never got into the whole timing or distance thing at all, it's an experience more than anything, taking in the environment etc, we regularly stop up for long chats as well, life's too short for the other stuff, but each to their own

Wanderer78 wrote: »

We never got into the whole timing or distance thing at all, it's an experience more than anything, taking in the environment etc, we regularly stop up for long chats as well, life's too short for the other stuff, but each to their own

Absolutely, and when we get weather like yesterday, its all the more important to take it all in and be thankful where our sport takes us. Stunning scenery within a short distance from the house that many people don't know even exist (bar the remains of a camping trip we came across where some scumbags had left their camping rubbish behind :mad: )
I suppose its a tough one though, as you say life is too short but at the same time some people only have a couple of hours to get out on a Sunday morning, so they try to get as much as possible in. From my own point, i use the mtb'ing to keep fit so while its nice to take the beauty of nature in, I also like to return to the car feeling the body has worked for it.

prunudo wrote:

Absolutely, and when we get weather like yesterday, its all the more important to take it all in and be thankful where our sport takes us. Stunning scenery within a short distance from the house that many people don't know even exist (bar the remains of a camping trip we came across where some scumbags had left their camping rubbish behind ) I suppose its a tough one though, as you say life is too short but at the same time some people only have a couple of hours to get out on a Sunday morning, so they try to get as much as possible in. From my own point, i use the mtb'ing to keep fit so while its nice to take the beauty of nature in, I also like to return to the car feeling the body has worked for it.

Ah no, I respect the reasons why people do it, even if they differ to my own, but I personally love our own philosophy why we do it, it's just good to get out, connect with the nature, yourself and your friends, tis all about having the fun, fantastic day in the saddle yesterday, higher level of confidence than of late

steamsey

Was in Ballinastoe yesterday too. Beautiful day. Did the full official loop then a few unofficial trails. Trails riding very well and really enjoyed the new expressway which is leaning more towards a bike park trail and a good sign of things to come I hope.

Was looking for, but couldn't fine Big Vinnie this time. Without being exact, can anyone let me know where abouts it is?

My tip with bigger features is not to hang around staring at them - don't turn them into a bigger thing than they are. Have a look, see if you fancy it and if not - move on and come back to it another time - full of rage and self loathing to fuel the attempt.

steamsey wrote: »

Was in Ballinastoe yesterday too. Beautiful day. Did the full official loop then a few unofficial trails. Trails riding very well and really enjoyed the new expressway which is leaning more towards a bike park trail and a good sign of things to come I hope.

Was looking for, but couldn't fine Big Vinnie this time. Without being exact, can anyone let me know where abouts it is?

My tip with bigger features is not to hang around staring at them - don't turn them into a bigger thing than they are. Have a look, see if you fancy it and if not - move on and come back to it another time - full of rage and self loathing to fuel the attempt.

unfortunately, im always at this, way overthinking things

steamsey wrote: »

Was in Ballinastoe yesterday too. Beautiful day. Did the full official loop then a few unofficial trails. Trails riding very well and really enjoyed the new expressway which is leaning more towards a bike park trail and a good sign of things to come I hope.

Was looking for, but couldn't fine Big Vinnie this time. Without being exact, can anyone let me know where abouts it is?

My tip with bigger features is not to hang around staring at them - don't turn them into a bigger thing than they are. Have a look, see if you fancy it and if not - move on and come back to it another time - full of rage and self loathing to fuel the attempt.

https://www.trailforks.com/trails/flatliner/
Theres a right hander about halfway down this segment of the trail.

Edit: might have been too exact....
It's just a short loop back round to the coilte track but big vinny is surprisingly 'big' when you're not expecting it!

Hit Ticknock today before the madness ensues over the weekend. Was there for about 10:30 and v busy with walkers and schoolkids on days out. The tracks weren't too bad though. Wet roots were very sketchy alright. Did the usual loops (twice) and did a few black routes (first ever) inc highline and homegrown. Deep chutes on homegrown caught be by surprise but managed to stumble through them without incident.

Really love the flowiness of skyline though.

On another note can someone recommend me a decent pair of gloves? Bought a pair of enduro mtb gloves from cyclesuperstore 6 weeks ago and falling apart at the seams already after only 10 outings...

Wailin wrote: »

Hit Ticknock today before the madness ensues over the weekend. Was there for about 10:30 and v busy with walkers and schoolkids on days out. The tracks weren't too bad though. Wet roots were very sketchy alright. Did the usual loops (twice) and did a few black routes (first ever) inc highline and homegrown. Deep chutes on homegrown caught be by surprise but managed to stumble through them without incident.

Fair play on homegrown I only did it the once a few months back and the final chute is quite steep for a beginner. Highline should really be a blue with the optional drop into that awkward gap jump.
Dickies has a similar style to homegrown and if you didn't have too much trouble comitting to the rolls it may be worth checking out, like homegrown though it does get harder the further you go down with an optional bomb hole.

If you've been falling and landing on your hands / gloves they won't last particularly long they are somewhat designed to rip to save your skin.

mad turnip wrote: »

If you've been falling and landing on your hands / gloves they won't last particularly long they are somewhat designed to rip to save your skin.

Ha, that could be it alright! I haven't fallen too much though, maybe two or three times. I watched a gopro video of dickies and it looks like a really fantastic track. The bomb holes look pretty scary alright. Is it tougher than homegrown

Wailin wrote: »

Ha, that could be it alright! I haven't fallen too much though, maybe two or three times. I watched a gopro video of dickies and it looks like a really fantastic track. The bomb holes look pretty scary alright. Is it tougher than homegrown

I'd say its all easier than that final chute on homegrown besides the bomb hole which there is a chicken line around.

steamsey

Wailin wrote: »

On another note can someone recommend me a decent pair of gloves? Bought a pair of enduro mtb gloves from cyclesuperstore 6 weeks ago and falling apart at the seams already after only 10 outings...

Good experiences with Fox Rangers which last about 18-24 months, for about 40EUR and do the job if it's not too cold.

Or anything on this list:
https://www.mbr.co.uk/buyers_guide/best-mountain-bike-gloves-350681

Thanks steamsey.

Just checked the reviews for my current gloves on CRC (Endura humvee) and a lot of 1 star saying the stitching comes undone after 2 months so nothing to do with falling. Apparently it's a common issue with most endura gloves so I'll be keeping away from that brand.

Lemming

steamsey wrote: »

Good experiences with Fox Rangers which last about 18-24 months, for about 40EUR and do the job if it's not too cold.

I've got a pair of Fox Dirt paws (I think that's what they're called) and they're good, although the two fore finger tips are starting to go; one of them is already split. They've lasted about the 18-24 month range and were in and around the £30 if I recall. I did have a pair of Alpinestars MOAB gloves that were awesome and well suited to rougher riding but Alpinestars just seem to have backed out of that market bar a couple of token light glove offerings.

Neither glove mentioned is going to keep you toasty in ice-cold weather but they'll do up to that point and without getting too sweaty at the other end of the temperature scale either, the MOABs less so than the Dirt paws of course.

Another good day at Ticknock yesterday trying out the new bike. Noticeably heavier and slower on the ascents as expected but nice and smooth coming down. Getting a bit more bold with the natural trails and did a number of them including red tractor, dickies, husqy(?) and others. The big bomb hole end of dickies frightened the bejaysus out of me. Made two attempts but pulled up each time. I'll do it next time!

Going by that map I need to do a lot more exploring in Ticknock, really only know the Coillte stuff up there, not very familiar with the natural stuff.

ianobrien

Went to the Ballyhoura's today. First time there in a while. Did the Brown and then the Green (Ya, I don't know why I did them that way and didn't just do the purple!).

The rocky section before the log is gone and replaced with smooth rolling stuff. I almost preferred the old rocky section there (despite me coming off there before). However, the trail work at the start of the descent is now class. I loved it! It was smooth so plenty speed was gathered, nearly a bit too much for my capabilities

I do prefer that type of trail to the rock garden type trail

Edit, I did encounter a bit of an idiot going the wrong way on the trail on the way down. Luckily I met him at a junction rather than on the narrow single-track when I had a bit of speed up.

Never been to The Gap yet lads so was wondering is there an entrance fee to use the trails there (pedalling, no uplifts) and is it open Mondays? Would like to practice jumps and I believe witches cauldron is supposed to be great for that.

Wailin wrote: »

Never been to The Gap yet lads so was wondering is there an entrance fee to use the trails there (pedalling, no uplifts) and is it open Mondays? Would like to practice jumps and I believe witches cauldron is supposed to be great for that.

Its a fiver in you sign up at the big shed.
parking is 2e I think.

mad turnip wrote:

Its a fiver in you sign up at the big shed. parking is 2e I think.

Don't think they're open on Mondays

Ballinastoe today, mix of natural and coillte trails. Natural trails in these conditions were fairly lethal with wet roots! Some really nice ones though coming off boardwalk. I really like the one that brings you all the way down to that gully and exits on the road down from the entrance.

Lough Tay

Manky!

steamsey

Wailin wrote: »

I really like the one that brings you all the way down to that gully and exits on the road down from the entrance.

That's a great trail. Stage 3 at the Enduro there a few times. Really burns the legs on the final section pedalling towards the gully. Then you have to hold on for dear life in that gully (which is a bit washed out now) and try not to endo.

Yeah the natural trails at ballinastoe are a great introduction for beginners compared to the ones at ticknock and djouce in particular. Not too steep, lots of stone rather than wet roots which I'm finding treacherous in the wet! Any tips steamsey on the wet roots?