Articles written during March 2009


Ride Report: Epsom Downs Loop, 29 March
Sunday’s ride involves punctures, latex rubber, Stane Street and a tour of Headley and Box Hill in the spring sunshine

Shedfire brand is Tweak
Matt probably has too much time on his hands or has a very good RSS search running. Anyway, he spotted a comment on a blog about being a “development rider for Tweak, the new bike brand from Calderdale.” This fits with the partial logo shown on the Shedfire site.

Shedfire Ragley meets the media
Shedfire’s Ragley sees some real world testing but we’re guessing we’ll have to wait for the verdict. And is that a logo on the horizon?

Ride report: Wednesday 26 March – Ranmore, Horsley and Effingham
Our weekly night ride throws up a new route that’s fun, fast and flowing.

What’s your bogey trail?
Holmbury, Leith and Pitch Hills are full of great trails as is much of the Surrey Hills in general. But which ones mess with your head?

Lance Armstrong breaks his collarbone; Mark Cavendish wins
Lance Armstrong breaks his collarbone in a crash while Britain’s Mark Cavendish wins the Milan – San Remo classic.

Friday night ride? Friday night curry!
No way is Dave going to give up his Friday night curry for a blast round the Surrey Hills. That’s what Saturdays are for…

Ride report: Friday 20 March – Holmbury and Pitch Hill night ride
With Mother’s Day looming, we attempt to earn Brownie points by getting a ride in on Friday to leave the Sunday free. So of course we head to Holmbury!

Pre-Ride Report: Fri 20 March – Holmbury and Pitch Hills
What’s this, a ride report before the ride! Have I taken leave of my senses? No, but the sun is shining, the trails are sublime and I’m like a dog with two dicks in anticipation of another blast tonight, along with a nice pint afterwards. What a nice change from a post ride energy bar!

Ride report: Wed 18 March – Pottering Around the North Downs
A night ride round the Norbury Park area gets the pulses racing with lovely grippy trails giving a taste of summer.

Oil and Gas exploration at Leith Hill – a follow up
A response to the common arguments put forward that the Leith Hill Planning protest is just selfish protectionsim.

Mountain biking and Back Pain
If you suffer back pain while mountain biking you could try an osteopath. What can you expect if you’ve not been to an osteopath before?

Ride report: Sunday 15 March – Bookham to Leith Hill
A long, physically tiring 25 miles from Bookham to Leith Hill, covering some great trails today. 12 riders, a couple of people met along the way and perfect sunny weather.

The most useless piece of plastic in mountain biking?
Shimano SPD plastic pedal adaptors are possibly the most pointless bit of mountain bike kit around.

AY Up ends UK distribution agreement
Ay Up LED lighting systems have announced they are ending their UK distribution agreement and will now be supplying direct from Australia

Ride report: Wednesday 11 Mar – Ranmore and Box Hill
Another evening ride in mild weather takes the Moles over toward Ranmore and Box Hill, including China Pig.

Brant at Shedfire appears to have been busy
Brant Richards appears to have been busy since leaving On-one and setting up Shedfire. Here’s news of his first efforts, the Ragley Ti hardtail and a weird set of handlebars.

SRAM X0 goes super-pimp with anodised colours
SRAM release details of their special edition coloured X0 groupset, including anodised X0 rear mech, cassette, trigger shifters and Truvativ Noir crankset in a range of colours.

Trek Fuel EX 8 2009 review
A detailed review of the Trek Fuel EX 8 mountain bike with pictures. Overall, a great bike with carefully judged components.

Ride report: Sunday 8 March – Ranmore and Abinger Roughs loop
A joint Muddymoles/DoMTB ride across Ranmore and down the other side to the Abinger Roughs, then back via Dorking.

Them and us; or now and then
Thoughts on the differences in exercise levels between the generations.

Ride report: Wednesday 4 March – Norbury loop
Our regular winter night ride route round Norbury Park, taking in the Mickkleham Gallops and Alsation.

Lamping – are we at risk?
Lamping – the act of using bright lights to stun wildlife for poaching comes to the Surrey Hills.

My retro bike project
It may be a bit old in the tooth but a good bike like the 1998 Marin Muirwoods never truly dies. It just gets used in different ways.

Cycleworks Demo Day 2009
Cycleworks have their 2009 Demo Day this weekend, Sunday March 8th.

Oil and Gas exploration on Leith Hill?
The deadline for protesting against the prospect of oil and gas exploration in Waterden Wood on Leith Hill has been extended.

Ride report: Sunday 1 March – Holmbury and Pitch Hill
Holmbury and Pitch Hills hosted todays ride which featured lovely dry trails, comfortable riding temperatures, good company and someone who knew a route!