Thursday Singlist Usual

High intensity single speed blitz up and back the usual routes tonight.  Roughly an hour (47 minutes ride time).  Grinding away testing the knee, which seemed to enjoy it.  Hard work in the steeps, really struggling with it all, I'm SO unfit - breathing hard and heart racing.  

Down Thomson's #1 then seated climb back up road, popped up to the rock shelter, quick talk with Doug and see if there were any blackberries around (nope), then seat down and bombing, so much flow.  Another log across my favourite so I'll have to get up with the axe this weekend.  Otherwise, lovely descending all the way, especially below the dog park car park, weaving nice and loosely through those curves, and awesome flow over the jumps and through the oaks and beyond.  Popped out on H'Ell and clambered to road and home. 

Short and sharp, 5.8 kms with 205 m gouged out of the acclivity

Sunday Arvo Solo Local Singlist

Up on the BFe for a blow out blast, getting all my blood and air flowing hard. Up the usual way to the top, walking the usual little bit.  Headed straight into Thompson's #1 for a nice wee flow, then back up the road and dropped down around, past the jumps, then down through the rocks and gums all the way out to 19th, below road briefly, then into the Dogpark Carpark trail, jumping all the jumps in here, then grunting up for a second lap of the main bit, finishing with - down all the way through to the bottom, surprising a young woman (or they/them?) peeing on the end of my track just above H'Ell... rolled out to their male friend and said, "I just gave her a fright." 

Minimal 6.3 kms grueled and 217 m wrestled from the hill in 32 minutes.

And then i got Covid...

Thursday Morning Singlesped Power Three-quarter-hour

Up and back blast to get the blood flowing this mild nor'west morning.  Set off about 6.30, up the walking track just above the road, gasping for air in no time.  Onto the road at the first carpark and chuffing still.  Straight in past the 19th and into the grunter for a short walk.  Then up zig and zag out and up to Thompson's #1 for a lovely hoon down to the climb back to road.  Seat down, dropped in, down around the jumps and blast down rabbit into rocks, cleaned, into gums, flow flow flow, out to road, then turned back up towards skidder, and onto the over-19th trail.  Dropping out beside the rangerstation and down around the road.  Into the dogparkcarpark, trail now trimmed tidy-like and flowy as all fuck.  All the way down to H'Ell.  Clamber to road, and home.  7.15.  Sweeat!

Underwrought 6 kms and 200 m climbed

Windy Wednesday Singlespeed.

Limited time blow out needed, so hoofed out on the BFe up through Vic, over 19th, and up the grunter to the top, via Worm (which is good on the SS).  Down Thompson's #1 and back up the road chuffing away, then dropping in, down around, past the jumps, down rabbit paddock, rocks and gums.  Peeled out to Skidder and headed off down Shazza's all the way down it's 'new' extension and then walked back up K2 steeps...  Back over Skidder into the lower gum track back down to road, below road, lovely drift through the forest and then back up to road and coasting into Dogparkcarpark dropping through the overgrowth for a sweet hoon all the way through to the bottom.

Six and one quarter kilometres, and 230 m chuffed.

Tuesday Quick Singlist

A needed single-speed, indeed.

On the BFe - new (to me) 2.5inch tyre up front now, up the road, good chuff, over 19th, the usual push up from Skidder, a group of mtnbikers riding up past me (not that much faster than me walking), rode the rest to the top and into Thompson's for a lovely flowy, bike feeling amazing under me, cranking it through the two hairpins, then cruise up the road.  Questioned where to go here, but decided to just drop on down.  Down around (past) the jumpies and through rabbit into rocks and pines. 

Nice down gums, flowy flowy sweetness, then out to the road, into the track below, flow flow, right, over and up to the road corner, up around, coasting down and into the carpark, straight in, getting a bit overgrown in there (time to do some trimming, might walk the dog up today).  Flowy flow, a little damp in one spot, then (with an audience of a couple of groms) jumping over the jumps and flowing through the oaks and into the lower reaches, bomby flow.  Out onto Ell, clamber to road and home.

6.3 kms and a smidge under 200 m climbed.

Tuesday, post Africa, Singlespeed Hour of Power

Excellent HIT SS (SSHIIT?) spin (29r front again) and walk up through Vic tonight.  Limited time, and really needing a blast after a very-sitting African adventure, riding the ebike to work hadn't pepped me enough.  

I clambered up the road getting the breathing going and up over 19th through the skidder and the requisite walk up the grunter.  Onwards up with another short walk in the pines and over into upper Thompson's.  Sweet wee blast down here then seated climbing up the road.  Dropped down around past the jumps and see-saw then trundled alongside the fenceline up to the top of Pedalfine etc.  A grom was just heading down over a new jump on this.  I headed down Upper Fence line, interesting but entirely doable on the SS.  Down around, one close call handllebar clip with post.  As I rolled past the top of Cool Runnings and was heading up I hung a left up a steep track and zigged back up to the jump on Pedalfine then up to the fence to see-saw, a bit of brakefree and down the rabbit paddock, rocks, gums, funtimes, all the way through out, then below the road from 19th, road coast to dogparkcarpark, straight into the bliss trail flying humming bombing, both jumps excellently cleaned and flying through the oaks, twisty groove all the way to bottom.  Clamber to road, and home.

A diminutive 6.4 kms and only 242 m escalated, but still a good hour of power.

Tuesday After the Rain Singlist

Running H's front wheel, and using all the gears of the BFe: sitting, standing and walking, I hoofed up thru the park, over 19th, Skidder, walked up the grunter, grabbed a drink then up a bit of Worm and then walking track to cross the road and up to the stone shelter where I took this:  

Then it was time for the bomb back down - all the single-track I could muster.  Around past the jumpies, down the rabbit into the rocks and gums for a nice cruise, then out to the Skidder and up over 19th again, road briefly and into the 235 for some slickness to start.  Took the left lower line down and if not for one stupidly placed jump it's riding pretty good.  The lower reaches have been cleared out a bit more, but the little fuckers have built themselves a mansion in there, with corrugated iron and wood...  Doubt the rangers will let that lie for long.  Across the oaks, mucky in there, and then out all the way down to H'Ell.  Climb to road and home. 

The 27.5+ x 2.8inch rolled pretty good, I must say. And there wasn't all that much grease around, either - considering we'd had 19mm of rain up til this morning. 

Marginalia, 5.4 km with only 166 m of upness

Quick Father's Day Trail Maint Singlist

Late afternoon hoon on the singlist up to take out the log across the gum track.  Pushed from Skidder, diagonally up across Sesame and dropped into where the log needed removing.  

Before (kinda, during, you'll see it's already started)

Hacked away at it with my tomahawk and then shunted it out of the way.

Then pushed up through the rock garden from here, across the paddock to my sunset seat where I enjoyed the last of my August, call it the 32nd of August.

From here, a blast back down through where I'd fixed, barely needing to duck under the high log, and blitzed through all the good trails, singlespeed performing beautifully.  Down 235, really flying, even jumping the jumps on the rigid, then out down through to the very end, giving quite the fright to a young guy as I appeared out of the bushes.  Clambered up onto the road (nice light weight) and home.  

Exquisite 4.6 kms with 145 m escalated

Sunday Explore and SS spin

Tray and me out for a spin, both a little worn from yesterdays' big circuit, her on her E bike and me on the Troll this time.  

Bombed down Dyers, into Hackthorne, hauling up and hard left into Lady Polson, down and around the dirt/gravel bit into Chittagong, left up the rest of Bengal and down through the greasy wee path to the top end of Shalamar driveways.  Bomb down this, through the Stone House, out to Holmcroft, right on Worsleys, left into Hurunui, down here, right into Opihi and out onto Cashmere Rd.  I took her on a wee detour through the park and along the creek, across Penruddock, along the creek again out into Croftfield Pl, into Willowdell Reserve for a steep climb we both failed on out to Happy Home Rd.  Easy coast down here and I spotted an entrance to the new Te Kuru wetlands reserves across the road.  Big old meander around in here on the nicely chip-gravelled paths, eventually finding out way out onto Sutherlands Rd.  Up here to Milnes, through exploring new slobdivisionings when T said to me, "can we go home now?" 

So off we headed, more direct return, Sparks for a bit, into the Sparks Rd wetlands, bumping into a fellow LA-er, Geoff, walking his dogs, then slipstream time, me tucked in behind Tra'y setting the pace back along Cashmere Rd, around and hard right into Bengal for a steeeep climb for me, back up the way we'd come down except Hackthorne the rest of the way.

Down, about and back up.  17.2 kms with 265 m climbed.

Sunset Singlespeed Spin

After a bit of an afternoon nap had ensued, at 5 I decided I really needed more, so I headed out and up for a bit of a burn on the Singlespeed.  Clamber clamber, over 19th to Skidder then cut right across into the firs for the descent back down to road, across from skidder below for a bit then back up onto road to drop into Dog Park Car Park into the greasy fun, feeling good, singlespeed a perfect wee hack, both jumps in the oaks, even had an audience on the lower, then cut through and all the way down to Harry Ell.  Clambered back up onto road, fast bomb home.  - a proper groove.  Less than 4 kms, but an additional 100 m added to the day's total.

Saturday Midday Singlistic Hits

Good aerobic singlespeed blast, hoofing it up out of the hood through Vic, Thompsons #1, then eastwards across the Summit Rd to the top of Huntsbury Track.  Onto the Traverse and all the trails, Rabbit, Rocks, Gums out, Vic Park Rd into sweet singletrack all the way down to the actual H'Ell,, clamber up and home again. 

A well-worked 11 kms with an ascetic 372 m hard wrought

Sunday Single Sojourn

High intensity singlespeed, up thru Vic, over 19th, through skidder to walk a bit, then breather at the brakefree water fountain, and on up to Thompsons #1, back up the road and up to the stone shelter where I caught up with Doug and had a breather.  MMR uselessly stopped here.  Clambered up to the Sugarloaf carpark, and onto Cedricks Track, across the front, boffed down through the rocky bits in the bush and then out to the road and down onto the Traverse.  Across this back to Vic Park, then blitzed down thru Gums, Lower, out to 19th, below road through usual byways to road corner, then coasting down to 235, dropping in and even jumping the treebranch.  Ballbearings (acorns) are in full effect through here now, be warned! and then clambered back up to the road, and up over below the Dog Park dropping down the singletrack to Harry Ell Drive, fast coast down here, then a brief walk up to our gate. 

MMR crapped out, looks like before I even got to the stone shelter, where it finished, so it was probably about 7 or so kms, with maybe 250 m climbed?

Friday Night Single Speedy

Up and back in 50 minutes from 5, on the frankenlunker.  High-intensity, skills-testing blast on the rigid singlespeed kruiser beater bruiser BFe.  Up the usual, over 19th, and a brief walk up from skidder.  Up through Brakef, nearly to top of Vic and down the Thomson number 1.  Back up the road, and the short climb up to the stone covered seat, scoffed a few blackberries and chilled a bit, hot and puffing.  Then into the descent.  around by passing the jumps and seesaw, compliment from a climbing biker ("nice bike," "yah! fun!" replied) bomb down to rockgarden, through the gums, blazing, through the lower reaches out to 19th, below the road, through to Tawhairanui intersection back onto road and coasting down to 235, into this for the groooviness, all the way to H'Ell and onto the road down around past Takahe and clambering back up to home.

Beefy; just under 6 kms and 224 m of climbing grind.

Thursday Super Short Sunset Singlespeed Resurrection

Fixed a flat on the BFe earlier in the week and so finally got out to try the new Velo Orange Seine bars iu'c chucked on it months ago.  Just over 2 years (!) since I last pushed this sucker up the hill!  

Headed up the road and instantly decided the stem was way too short so bombed back down, hunted around and found a longer Charge one that'd come off the fatty originally. Chucked that on, having to raw-dog the top-bearing, which seems to work (tho leaves it wide open for dirt), and got riding.  High intensity climbing ensued, riding hard up to the level, but it felt great!  Through skidder and almost immediately walking the climb, took a diagonal right hander, up crossing Brake Free at the jump below the wallride and on up into the gums.  Clambered up through the rocks and across the rabbit paddock to my sunset seat.  Had a beer.  

Watched the sun sink behind the horizon and got riding again, back down the rock garden and into the trees, back and forth across, bike so light and nimble, bars comfy and wide.  All the way down through to the gate (at 19th) then across below the road for a nice glide through the trees and popping up the usual onto the wheelchair trail back to the road corner.  Brief clamber and coasting down the road into 235 for a very cruisy flow session down through, over jumping the treebranch and all the way down to lower Harry Ell.  Carried up to road and nice glide to home.

Less than 5 kms with a measly 144 m climbed.  Still good to get out on the SS.

Friday 'Lunch-hour' Singlemindmeldspeed

Bit of a jaunt of a 'lunch break' early afternoon on the 7+6er (13er?) singlespeed to get the mind cleared and lungs worked.  A few short kms of climb and descending at a very sedate pace. 

Up the usual route, 19th, Skidsville and guts, walked a bit, negotiated a nice way on the steep at Brakefree-end.  Breather at the waterspigot and up around to Thompson's #1 fun.  

Back up road to VicTop.  Seat down and off 'round, bypassing the jumps, exploring the roots through to the cattlestop and into rabbit paddock.  Down to rockgarden where I lost the chain.  Rethreaded and re-tensioned the single-ator and got into gumsville, not as greasy as you may've expected.  All the way down through to 19th, off the road for a nice dark coast, around up back onto Rd and coasting no hands to Dogparkcarpark.   Into the woods again, bit of front wheel drift in the first wetspot, more careful after this.  Stopped at the jump to see about drainage, then on again through the oaks and up to finish off on the last descent behind the houses.

Tidy 5.6 kms, with 201 m climbed.

Thursday Single Tops

Up with Tracey and Jet to start with, her riding O's bike (cos I thought she'd need the front suss) and me on the Singlist.  We rode together all the way up to the Skidder site where her and Jet turned back.  

I trundled over to the grunter and proceeded to walk the bit I always walk.  Misty fog was ploughing across the tops, making for minimal visibility once up in it.  Instead of turning right up through Brakefree I continued up the walk track, pushing up the steps, through the two gates then up onto Worm, left, then right, through the trees and around to the top of Vic entrance.  Across the road, up the walk track pushing lots to where I could ride through the Sugarloaf carpark then onto Cedric's Track across the front, all in fog.  Over the stile and carrying up the rocks to the top.  Descent here is steep, tech, rocks - a bit hard on the singlist, marginal on the Rocky (I would think).  

Across the road to the Traverse and a couple of riders hove into view, the second one yelling out.  It was Craig and Nelson (doing the yelling).  We stopped and chatted a bit then they continued on and I headed in the Rapaki direction.  Stayed on Traverse all the way around to the road, then, still in fog, therefore stealth, I headed into Scott's Knob, riding over the top down, then pushing up the next section and riding the fun descent down and onto the next open bit through to the carpark I'd passed through earlier.  Back across the road here and back onto the Traverse, this time heading towards Vic.  

Down through the top of Vic, past the seesaw, down the rabbit into the rocks, picked carefully through, across top of gums, around and down my usual flowy wee way.  Then continued on through, across road below Skidder, around back up to road, coasting then 235, blitzy blitz til grease then down and out the H.Ell shorter version to road, blast down home.

Grand total of 9.38 kms, and 377 m climbed.  Okay for a singlespeeder.

Week of Cruisers to the Wharf, finished with a Singlespeed Quicky

School holidays, so over at Little Ak for the week with H, first half with Steve and Frankie, then quick trip back to town on Wednesday and returned with Jacob.  Riding consisted of running the dog to the wharf and back on the Specialized ghetto Globe, lightweight singlespeed coaster-brake special.  Jet was very happy with it.  I MMRd a few of them, but not all of them.  A couple of kms with sweet FA altitudes total each time.

Home again Sunday and managed to get out for a quick spin up to the top of Vic and back on the BFe before Mark and Marie popped up for a visit.  Climbing on this is getting easier, and I really enjoy the steel sproing it gives me, tho the brakes are definitely shitty.  Four and a half kms, with the usual 150 odd m climbed.

Paparoa this weekend, bikepacking extraordinaire...  hopefully will get a ride in beforehand.

Monday 69r Singlist Short Shred

Quick blip up and back on the singlespeed tonight.  Just needed to get out after not doing so on the weekend.  29r on the front, so back to 69r.  Grunty climbing up standing til the dogparkcarpark then a couple seat adjustments and sitting a bit.  Clambered up into the 19th pines, small detour to explore a future potential (and a quick chat with Doug), then on up and over to Skidder, and up the gutser...  Walking from the usual walking bit, then riding once it levelled off a bit, pushing hard.  Another short walk above the next cattlestop and then riding through Brakefreezone and up into Worm across.  Back across to top of Vic and seat down dropping into Thomson's #1.  Nice blast down here, around the bends at the bottom climbing out, then back up the road to the top again.  

Down and around, past the first jump, brief pop off the second, down through the gate, down Rabbit into Rocks, Gums, back and forth...  Lack of shocks in here a bit jarring (I think bigger front tire/rim combo, or back to T's 27.5+ on the front might assist in here... or a shock fork?).  Not a bad blast down through here, tho as I say, a little jarring a couple of times.  Onwards down through to the gate then a cruise down the road around and down and into the Dog Park Carpark, flying into the singletrack and bombing down here.  Wetspot dry enough now, then the jump. I rolled up on it, checked out the landing, dry, so walked back up and hooned on in.  Next *new!* jump, nice gappy number, again, rolled in, checked it, walked back, rolled in popped it, sweet as, then on down through the oaks and out all the way to juuust about the bottom of all the new stuff, before bush-bashing back up to the road, and riding home.

5.63 kms with 209 m of altitudinal gainage..

Thursday quick Single 7+6r, or is that 67+r...?

A quick short up and back on the BFe after work.  Running the new 180 disc set up, and trying out T's Cooker's front 27.5+ wheel, third wheelsize in as many rides on the single. Standing to the dogpark carpark, then raised the seat and sat for a bit then around up over top of 19th, nice sunset views, then over to Skidder.  Pushed as hard as I could til stopping and walking up the steep track (the 'road gap' below the wooden wall-ride on Sesame St) into the gums, then zig and zag up through there.  Here's from the top of the pines:

Rode up the rabbit paddock, noticing sheets of rain over in the CAP.  Into the trees and as I headed across Worm it started.  

Quickly turned tail and bombed, down through rabbit, into rocks, gums back and forth, just starting to get slick in places, then down through and below road below 19th, kicked up onto wheelchair track then onto road around to 235, bomb through here, seeing they've rebuilt the tree jump, but avoided mud across oaks, then new continuance through to H.Ell extension back up to road, bomb down and up drive, home.

My kinda HIT, less than 5kms, with 160m gained. 

Monday Super-short Quick Single69

Commiserating the end of Lock Down (ish) with T by bunking off work (a little) and taking a nice walk in the afternoon.  

Then later, after chucking the 29r wheel on the front of the singlespeed BFe Cotic I got out and went for a quick short blat with Go-go on O's bike.  He struggles with asthma so was a wheeze'n'cough on the way up, but it was only to the dogparkcarpark to come back down all the not-so- and new singletrack.  Sweet wee blast.  Riding up the hill on the singlist was sweet, and the 29r front end sure felt nice.  

Looks enormous here! MOdeRn gEoMEtRy!

Geometry is better with that, but - next step is get a 180 disc (or two) and then I can run the 27.5+ wheel off T's bike in there and have some 'squish'.

Not even 2 kms, and 61 metres elevated.

Thursday Locked Down Up and Back Rigid Single Quickster

Quick blast up to top of Vic on the BFe SS. 

Good climbing, standing and chuffing, getting the rhythm going nicely, finally taking a seat around the dog park car park, and riding with a guy on a Marin Pine Mountain (new 29r steel hardtail) who I'd been slowly winding in.  I peeled off to head up to Skidder and up the guts.  Got a wee way up then off to walk.  Just for the fun of it I decided to take the diagonal path to the right, crossing Sesame St and taking me up into the middle of the Gums where I found a way up (that could be marginally rideable?) climbing above where I hatchetted the tree and up that dh bit in the pines out the top.  Through the cattlestop to rabbitsville, climbing up this, finding it not as wet as when I got sideways on the fatty the other day.  A lot of people about, how many live local? I wondered...  

Into the pines (nice late afternoon lighting) 

and across the Worm, then turning back, across and down, over the See Saw, pumped through first BrakeFrees and out, down the soggy Rabbit paddock, rock garden and across back and funtimes down the gummies.  On down the trail below here, greasy, then out 19th, coasting down the road, into the 235/UpperDogParkNewby, good to start then mucky suck hole down below.  Last climb out and tire-clearing down the road, home.

Four and three quarter kilometres, with 166 m climbed.