Saturday Pleasantly Trolling the Gods

Glourious day, for a good jaunt over the knolls and tumps.  

Up the main road on the Troll to the summit, then around to the cutting and over the fence for the singleteck trach to the aerials.  

As I got to the gate, a Karen said to me , "you know the mountainbike track's closed?"  

I wish I'd said, "thanks, Karen, I did know that." And also wish I'd pointed out how inappropriate the bike and tires were for that track.  

But alas I wasn't fast enough, and just replied, "uhhh, yep, I just wanted to get to the top and back."  

Which I did, fuck her very much.  Nice rest and snack overlooking Lyttelton.  

Onto the gravel for the skittery hoon back down to Broadleaf.  Passing Karen on the way (proving my point) but also nearly losing my front end before the cattlestop...  slightly overcooked.  Down Broadleaf and right turn onto the Summit for a cruisy blast all the way down to Evans Pass.  Seeing Harry from work on the way down ("Gudday Richard!" Me turning back to see..."oh, it's you, hi!").  

Staying on the road, out Godley, nice cruise, to Breeze Col, where I hit the OG trail below road, having a very nice cruise around here, reminiscing back to when it was first made, 25 years ago! and keeping a good pace going.  At a point a couple of walking guys said "stop and enjoy the view!" so I did, and we had a friendly if slightly awkward conversation about poisoning ants, of all things.  Enough of that, I got back on the bike and hooned off down the singletrack from here, nearly losing it in a rut, but not, oops.  Out to the end and off up the 4wdy track above the road, staying on it and riding the 'bike track' rather than the usual narrow overgrown sheeptrack (or indeed Breeze Bay).  Back down to Breeze Col and back on the road for the clamber (then descent) back to Evans.

For the hell of it, from Evans I went over the stile into the old Greenwood exit and started the push up the ridge.  Long push.  Pushing til it levelled off, then riding for a bit, then back to the pushing, little bit more riding, them more pushing up to the stile where the trail up from Urumau (and Chalmers) comes to.  Chatted to an old walker here then rode across the saddle and over the next stile, from whence I carried the bike, head through frame on shoulders, up the steep rocks.  As I crested through the rock formations there were 3 women (30s/early40s maybe), one of whom said, "we were just saying what a bad ass you are." 

To which I replied, "well, the bike gets me from a to b quickly and occasionally I just have to lug it."  

And another one said, "we're pretty impressed, mate." 

Nicely flattering, ego stoked, I got back on and continued riding for a bit, cleaning some good tech within view too.  hehe.  Across gun emplacements and down the 4wd to the OG Greenwood entrance trail, across this, managing some pretty good tech, to the entrance and then fast blast back down via Upper Major, the Ridge- and Clear-views down Longridge and main road to the house.

Was an awesome ride, 26 kms with an over the tonne 1050 m climbed.

Wednesday Night Off the Beaten

Bit of a hoon about the tops tonight.  Nelson came over to 'mine' and we headed up around Belleview, Major Horny through the Ridge/Views to Upper and into Britten.  Trail pretty dry for the climb, so we stayed on it around the front and through to the cutting.  Over the fence and clambered up where I clambered the other week, this time turning right and bombing down to the stile where we stopped for a short break while he scoffed a bit of kai.  From here, down to the Saddle and up the back onto the 360/Crater rim behind the Gondola.  Amazingly, Nelson cleaned all of the climbing and all of the steep bits we'd never cleaned before.  I didn't.  A little greasy on the shady side of the hill, but not too bad.  

Down the steppy bits into the rocky zones, picking our way with usual aplomb across the top to the Bridle top.  Up the road from here towards Castle, peeling up onto the Crater Rim again at the next saddle, turning back down across and then climbing towards Lyttelton around the top.  Nice view down into the harbour.  A fun descent down the singletrack, narrow, flax and broom and cleaning all the techy rocky bits several of which used to be too steep, but somehow no longer are.  

Onto the road again and around under the Gondola, climbing back up to Britten to go around the front but dropping down the main front fast descent, eventually peeling left for the fun rocky bomb down under the pylons and out.  From here, fast sealed descent down Hornbrook to Belleview again.

Irrefutable 12 kms with 526 m upwardly.

Pirate Troll Scrambling

I've decided to officially designate the Troll now as a 'Scrambler'... reminiscing back to my childhood days of going out 'Scrambling' it is a brilliant bike and having done the ride I did today on it, it's more than capable of more.  Upgrades of bottom bracket (/cranks), brakes, eventually 2.5 inch Extra-terrestrials and it would be ready for anything I threw at it...

Up from 'home' around Belleview and dropped down Major Hornbrook, into the park finding a nice singletrack down through this.  Met some likeminded people pushing bikepacky-type rigs (with Moloko or Jones bars on them) up the most tech bit, which I ended up riding, then down onto Cannon Hill for a helluva blast down.  

Around into Ferrymead and past the Golf to the towpath cruise, under the motorway, staying on this (true right) side of the Heathcote River proper all the way around on an off-road Cumnor Tce to Chapmans Rd.  At this point I wasn't fully decided where I was going, with a couple of possibilities in play.  Looking at the sunny hills I decided: Up, steeply. And so off I headed, up Chapmans Rd and crossed into Duncan Park where I proceeded to lose traction but somehow keep moving, mostly, riding and then walking when it was no longer feasible to spin, up to the forest.  The push began.  

Up through the forest past the newly sculpted jumpzones, out the top and through the gate, over the next gate an up under the pylons.  Steep. As. Fuck.  After the pylon, I put the bike on the shoulders and walked, slowly, until it was no longer as steep as it is.  Started pushing again, up through the steep techy rock zones, re-discovering the act of wheelying the bike along on the back wheel working well.  Then, onto the sidling part (that we tend to bypass in favour or the ridgeline), it flattened out enough to ride below the rocky knob, and then part way up the ridge from there, until it was too steep, whereupon I got to wheelying again.  

Onto the ridge and over the fence, riding and avoiding as much as possible disturbing sheep and lambs (and poo), eventually bombing and a restrained full-noise down to the Summit Rd and over the gate.  Left onto the Summit Rd and ended up behind a roadie couple, possibly annoyingly for them, tailing them all the way up to Castle Rock.  Fast bomb, tucked, to Bridle Path saddle, and onwards around catching them up again under the gondola, then climbing up through to the cutting and cruising round to Mt Pleasant Rd for a sweeet tucked speed down to Upper Major, the Ridge/Clear/Long/view combo, onto the path to Hornbrook booking back down to Belleview and around 'home.'  A couple hours all told.

Carries well and wheelies up the hill wheelie wheelie well.  17 kms with 685 m climbed.

Troll from Bridge to Planting return

TFC planting at South Shore today, errands run prior, I parked on Bridge St and rode the estuary edge to the planting, planted lots of plants and rode back the same way afterwards.

A very flat 9.5 kms 

Tuesday night Boulder Gods, Breezily De-scaped

Met Nelson in Taylor's a bit after 6 pm.  We hit the gaspy climb of the Snake's tail, along which I remembered to start the MMR (at 6.30).  Trails were gonna be wet so we were poaching walking tracks, and found pretty much everything to be pretty firm.  

Boulder Bay track out to the end was fun.  I really like the exposure of the cliffs and sea surging and smashing on the rocks below.  Grunty wee climb up from the bay and we hung a left at the Asbestos signs, heading all the way to the gun emplacements, which are all barricaded off.  Snuck over the fence and over the Head onto the zig zag down the other side, a lot of water on the track in places, but nothing soggy.  Up the steps and the buildings are all fenced off (pretty half-arsedly I might add).  We navigated up around them then back on the main track back up to the Godley Head carpark.  

Up the ridge from here to the Breeze Bay track around the back.  Spectacular lights of Lyttelton shining in our eyes on this fun section around and back down to the col.  On the road from here, no cars met, all the way to Livingston Col and onto the Taylor's Escape.  This was in pretty good nick.  Most sections were sweet as, but some very soggy boggy bits wherever gully streams encountered it, and we walked all of these.  One at the top, then a couple of bits down in the bottom gulch.  Sweet sweet riding, tho under lights is not something we've been used to this winter at all...

A laudable 11.something kms with (I assume) just over 400 m climbed. (given I started MMR late).     

Sunday On a Roll on the Troll

And another good blast out on the Troll again, venturing a little further from 'home' this time.

Off up the hill again, up the main road to Summit, left down here for a nice blast to the Richmond Hill pines.  Over the fence and down the trail to the lone pine, over the stile and down to Frog Pond, around this, only a couple of soggy bits I walked over, then down the root infested fenceline to the first stile and onto Clifton Tce, left into Panorama, around this then back onto Clifton and ducking into The Zig Zag for the descent.  Hard on the brakes, few steps at the bottom.  Then on the Main Rd around to Augusta, up this, Taupata, Egnot Heights, fucking steep, then up Challenger Lane, also fucking steep, then up the zig zag walking, to Daring Lane.  Up Glenstrae from here and onto Moncks Spur Rd, taking a call from dad, chatting while riding slow, then blast down back to thee house.

Rather good 12.5 kms this time, with 570 m climbed.

Pleasant Saturday a.m. Troll Trawl

Temp housing at J,J&E's, headed on the Troll up the main Mt Pleasant Rd to the Summit, around here, enjoying the views around to the cattlestop and over the fence up some dirt, walking a bit to avoid the damaging of the trail where it was soggy (not too much), then hit the gravel blast down to Broadleaf, then speedsville down into Upper Major Horny, Ridgeview etc, down the footpath to top of the Major actual, to blast down this to the park and hung a right into Muritai to find the alleyway, steeeep down to Mt Pleasant.  Up this for a couple corners then just to add to the pain down Soleares to Santa Maria, up Selleck (explored to the end) then up Assisi and Drayton back to 'home'.

Enthralled 9.64 kms, with 367 m clambered

Sunday Troll Dog Spin

 Short'n sweet, but test riding the Troll after putting a smaller front ring on it (38? from 40), and having to shorten the chain.  Took Jet for a spin down the hill around up the school alleyway (which I managed to ride a most of) then back up the hill.  Was good to ride that nice light bike again, and I'll be riding it to work occasionally now cos it's low enough geared to not kill me riding home.

Only 2.44 kms, with a measly 80 m climbed.

Rode it to work on Wednesday.  Man it felt good.  So responsive and light in traffic, and really comfortable!  Slightly shorter stem needed (might poach off singlespeed), but otherwise good. 

On way up hill in the afternoon, it was long, hard and exhausting, but still good, and much betterer than previous gearing.  Need to adjust seat forward and tilted slightly for more climbing comfort, and to compensate for the longer stem it's running.