Here’s a crazy idea…

Despite national saftey protocols, Uncle Wozzer has had an idea!!!!1!!

However, it’s not too bad - like suggesting we ride to scotland for no apparent reason - this idea, in comparison, is quite sane.

Sholud we recruit and expand the group?

Gain some more members, or do we struggle on as our little “smallest cycling group in the world”?

What do you think? Both Malvern Red Riders, and anyone else reading this blog!

 

Sunday ride?

Sunday, 11th, may - ride

Our brilliant record of constant rides has gone down the drain a little. Red Rides now seem like they’re endangered, and personally i think this is definatley not good. I understand that members have their own lives, like work or riding a grasstrack bike round yet another feild, but an hour or two on a sunday moning isn’t too much to ask - and i’m perfectly willing to go on a shorter route if my fellow riders don’t feel up to much.

Anyway, please contact me to let me know if your comming on sunday,

The Red Riders will be on the hills this weekend, even if it’s just one.

 

Ideas for a cycle on monday

check out thre map ive made here, tis only short (just like this post,lol)

 

An eventful journey home

Today i had a very eventful journey home.

It all started as soon as we left school and started home.

Smatt, who i cycle with (usually at quite a pace), dropped back almost immediately. I took it that he was tired or having gear problems, and that he would catch me up at the following junction. So i looked ahead, got across the zebra croosing that links the two parts of school, then noticed some kids ( i say this meaning people in year 10 or below) on mountain bikes and BMX’s on the pavement. One of them, on a mountain bike which is too big for him and who smatt has had problems with before, drops down onto the road and starts going around a parked car. I say starts because it took him ages as he was going at pedestrian pace (Literally the same speed as the pedestrians). I stop to almost a hault, deliberatly putting my back brake which ,id tweaked the night before , on heavily causing a bit of noise. This was deliberat as i dont have a horn and as it has worked in the past. ANYWAY, this prat didnt hear it and slowed down even more as he turned back in towards the pavement at almost 45 degrees. I go to go around him, but mis judge his slowness and rm his back wheel, with my front wheel riding up and over his back. Some how i managed to fall of either the side or back of my bike, landing on my feet. Took two steps, then was back on the bike and powering tomards the upcoming junction, which i went straight throught, as there was no traffic, then kept going till i got to a turning by a pub where smatt and i usually stop for a quick break.

This is where the second, more longer and tiring event started.

I waited for a couple of minuets, and saw no sign of smatt, so decided to go back.

I got to by the afore mentioned junction and smatt appeared carrying his bike.

So i pulled in and we went onto a piece of grass near by.He had come off his bike right by school. I know you are probably thinking, hes only come off his bike, however the reason why i am blogging about it, uther than the fact that i need something to blog about , is the way that he came off and the repurcussions.

To start with when we got to school this morning his wheel was a bit soft. However before we left for home this afternoon we both fogot to check it. (here comes the bit i was told by smatt) When we left school his bike felt strange, the back end kept going up and down.so he decided to pull in, however before he could do so he was almost throwen off his bike. This was because he was ridding it on the rim and the inner tube had come out and had jammed in his brakes.

So we pulled the innertube out of his brake and put it back into the rubber, put the rubber back into the rim and tryed to pump it up, however the valve was at an angle and we could sort it out. So we spent 10 minuets trying to get the valve so i could pump it up. With no succes. As smatt had a dentist appointment in 45 minuets we decided that he would ride my bike, the apollo, home and i would wheel his home.

However 1 minuet after smatt had set off on my bike the back wheel on his bike, which i was pushing as it was still flat decided to make the journey even harder. The rubber decided to come away from the rim, this i couldnt sort out as it kept coming back out. So i had to carry it. This would have been fine with my Yukon or even my apollo, but smatts shockwave weighs a ton and a half.

Luckily when i was half way home i managed i got a lift home. I then spent the following hour taking the tire on and off several times, fiddeling with brakes and fixing a puncture.

At the end of this my hands were as black as coal, and i know which that i had the stuff that mechanics use to get the oil and general creasy much off of them.

Plus i know think that i might find that i have a puncture tomorrow morning, in the words of Uncle Wozzer, fun fun fun!!

Thats all for today, maybe more soon.

Benni

 

Mayhem coming our way update

I have found today Giants, new looking, website for the event which starts on the 20th of june at Eastnor.

http://www.mountainmayhem.org.uk/

I believe that MRR should go along one day, and maybe camp over as well as camping is free, we just need the equipment.

One main draw for going is that they is plenty of bikes and other new things to try out. Including some of the Anthem and Trance range.

I was wondering what people were thinking, either let me know or comment ure thoughts, thanks Benni

 

It’s taken 2 weeks, but the Malvern Red Riders have ridden!

Finnaly, after two weekend in a row, there has been a Red ride.

Two Red riders hit the hills, Wozzer and Benni. Setting off from the Clocktower (well my house first, but hey) up through the car park, round the easier way to get up the really hillly bit, then a hard plod up the zig-zag path. Upon arriving at the top of the zig-zag, we then continued along north hill, round past sugarloaf and to the dias in the dingle. Then, going left on the path up the Beacon, we crawled up the path until we found the right branch, up further and over some quite fun rocks (Ben stopped and couldn’t get going again, better luck next time!) then a quick dog leg up to the very top of the Beacon!

After talking about missiles and guns mounted on top of the hills as an anti aircraft defense (don’t ask, i can’t remember why we started talking about it) we decided to decend the hill to St Anns. Down the back of the Beacon ridge, round onto the malvern side, hard braking, pull down a little path, back round onto horseshoe bend, and thus we decended down at high (and i mean HIGH) speed, with me singing all the way (to warn people that we be comming) Stopping on the Knoll to uncramp fingers, and let brakes cool down before they melted, with ben leading we decended round to St Anns, then down the hairpin road (brilliant fun BTW) Ben then turned back on himself to follow Foaly terrace to get home, and i dropped into town, and whizzed back along the Worcester Road and home.

It’s a good route, not really THAT long, but its a hard up rewarded by a big down! And while on top of the Beacon, i waved in the rough direction of Fromes hill because Adam was driving his grasstrack bike round a feild there somewhere. And the Red Riders are definatly going up the hills next week too!

Untill then; your aurthor of bloggy flavoured posts;

Uncle Austin Wozzer

 

1000 Veiws!!!

Oh YEAH!

Today, 21st April 2008, at 5:00 the blog stats sed we had 1,000 veiws!!

Just to let you know

Uncle Austin Wozzer

 

Come on Red Riders…

This is quite dissappointing, the Malvern Red Riders is slipping,

Not in slick mud like we normally would, rather the opposite. As a Red Rider, the olny bit of mud i’ve crossed in the last fortnight is the puddle by the gate on the alley.

Last weekend, we didn’t go as Bens bike was playing up and Adam went to drive round a feild. The weekend just gone was deviod of the normal ride, Adam in B’ham looking at trailers and Ben unable to come because of work. So, thats at least two weeks on the go we’ve not cycled!

C’mon MRR! We need to get our act together methinks! The Red Riders are hittng the Hills this weekend, even if it’s only one!

 

General stuff…

This is just a post to keep interest going,

Lately, the Red Riders haven’t done a lot. the Easter holidays were a perfect opertunity, and we didn’t seizie it. And so, with term time back underway, we’ll hopefully keep going regularily. Although, we didn’t go this week. Probably because Ben’s Yukon is having pedal problems again, and Adams gone off to a feild somewhere to throw a 250cc grasstrack bike around (he calls it a grasstack meeting).

So, hey, that’s that for the moment! hopefully next week will bring a nice eventful ride to blog about!

untill the next time, this is me signing off; <insert picture here>

Uncle Austin Wozzer

 

A loose pedal?? no more

I was cycling up and down the road i live on Friday evening, for exercise as MRR havent been out and about for a week or two. I noticed that as i pedalled the left pedal felt weird. I was worried that i had bent the cranck shaft, as i had been mucking about doing hops and the occasional jump on the common. I continued cycling up and down whilst thinking about what could be wrong. I stopped a couple of times, spun the pedal round by hand and couldnt see anything.

Then after doing about a mile/ mile and a half up and down the road i stopped and knocked the left pedal and it moved. Not backarwds or Forwards but side to side. I had a look at it and realised to my relief that it wasnt a bent crank shaft but a loose pedal.

So, i got out my allen keys, and low and behold they were all miles too small. At this point i was forced to go into diner, and then was out all evening.

Next day brings a 2.6 mile cycle with bag of Carpentry tools to my job at period Joinery and Furniture making, which is half way between 3 Counties and hanley swan, on my old Apollo. After 2 hours painting a Window frame, (which was ok ,even thought i ended up with paint all over my hands and even in my hair,lol) there was 2.6 miles back home, all up hill.

I then decided to phone Back on Track, at about 4.30pm (too late to cycle there before they close).I explained what was wrong and the guy asked, “have u riden it at all”, too which i replied, “not much”. He then went on too say “thats good, as thats when the damage happens”, too which i thought ‘fuew, glad i didnt ride it too work’.

I booked too take my bike there for 3.30 today (monday), and realised that was imposible as i would have to walk it just under 3 miles in 15 minuites. So i called back and they said that they were very busy, but i managed too book it in again at 3.30 on tuesday. This would have been fine as i finish sixth form at 2 on tuesdays.

That evening i went to a friends party and talked to uncle Wozzer (Austin to those who are not regular readers), who said he might have an allen key, and hed bring it in on Monday. This he did.

I used it too undo the bolt, i then took the pedal off and had a look at the hole, there was no damage (lukily) and i then put the pedal back on and did it up. Problem solved.

All i need to do know is phone Back on Track again, this time to cancel for good.

Benmatt912