The Mafia wheels keep turning

Another night at the mafia trails, more racing the dual track, but generally a really laid back jam. People were hitting all the lines, some people going big on Daddy Bear, some of us hitting up Mummy Bear for the first time, others just rolling through the trails trying to get a feel for it all, and everyone enjoying more BBQ action! Spring has definitely sprung for us, roll on the summer and even lighter nights.

Sending Mummy bear for the first time is a great feeling

Whipping up daddy bear is where its at for others

Ewart, clean lines on Mummy bear

Adam, big lines on Daddy bear

Ollie, insane lines all over!

The Dual track berms were riding really well

Tom K on his super-light 'Mega Rig'

The bike shed lads were loving the dual course

Kicking up the dirt in the setting sun

Adam whipping the table

Mafia dual showdown

After raking out our little dual track, up at the Mafia trails, last week, it's been ridden in really well. So there was only one thing left; Time for a Dual Track Showdown!
So a whole bunch of riders rocked up on Thursday for some elbows out, no holds barred racing, oh and some obligatory BBQ action!
After stuffing our faces on Sausage sarnies, chicken, salad, chili sauce and more it was time for some action. A simple start 'ramp' was positioned and soon two riders were thundering down the course. For Ultimate carnage the dual track features two bottle necks, where both riders are forced through a gap between two trees, it means that riders can change lines at that point, but in a close race it leads to all sorts of problems!
Bikes were crashed, chains were snapped, spokes were popped, new lines were created and lots of fun was had.
Check it out........

The first corner created most of the action

The inside line seemed was faster but it was close

Hmmmmm.......BBQ

Rob H shows a clean pair of heels

Tom K squeezes into the lead

Adam schooled everyone with his DH skills

Mark H tried to create as many short cuts as possible

Is Ewart falling off, or taking the hole-shot?

The setting sun through the trails and trees

Ewart, practicing his manuals through the pump bumps

Ewart on the 'big berm' on the main line

Rob H fast and smooth, as usual!

Ian blasting the Berm

Tom K berming it up

Rob H hitting up Daddy bears gap in the dark!

Combe Sydenham DH Track

This Sunday a whole bunch of Exeter Bikers headed upto Combe Sydenham, on the edge of Exmoor, to ride the Mountain bike Downhill Track. Some of us for fun, others as practice for the forth coming downhill competion.
As you might have noticed, the weather wasn't as its finest on Sunday. The whole day alternated between bright sunshine and snow showers! But when the sun was out it was wonderful and spring like, and even when the snow was falling it was still quite pleasant!

Sunshine and bikes at the carpark

Getting our breath back at the top of the hill

The Track at Combe Sydenham is broken up into roughly three sections. The top section features some great riding. Starting from right at the top of the hill, you cut through some berms in the wood land, before breifly poping out from under the trees over a roller, then you plunge back under the trees, along a rooty and rocky section, before being fired onto the large fire track, there then follows three 'Bus stop' style sections, where you shoot up off of the fire road into the trees breifly, before dropping back onto the fire road.
The second section currently starts badly, a water pipe had burst and water was running down the first few berms turning them into a quagmire, but you could sneek around it, then it was a series of berms to a step down jump, followed by more berms that lead to the 'BIG' jump, a large fire road gap, some 20ft (+?) The big jump fired you out of the woods and into a field that features another load of jumps, two tabletops, a double and then a very close pair of doubles.
The third section started with you being fired back into the trees. The route was a bit vauge at this point, the area having been used recently for a motorbike enduro event. But a series of lumpy turns and steep drops eventually lead you to the bottom of the hill!

Tom K hits the 'BIG' fire road gap

Mark H gets some air on the second tabletop

Ewart clocks some air on the tabletop

We spent more time riding the first top section, the riding was lovely and the push back up wasn't too hard! Although we tried all of the track at some point. The 'BIG' jump was just too much for me, especially on my hardtail, and that then meant you didn't have masses of speed for the tabletop jumps, even going fast they didn't jump that well.

But overall it was a great day out. Hopefully we'll head back there again some time soon. It's a shame I didn't get any more, or better pictures, but I was too busy enjoying riding to get the camera out much!

Back at the mafia.

O, the good old Mafia Trails, it was great to be back up there again today. Hopefully with the clocks changing next week, we'll be up there more often after work in the evenings. I can't wait for it!

Rob H working out a new, fast, line into the tabletop

Ewart, checks out the line

Tom KP boosts one over the table

Rob H gets whippy with it!

Todays mission was build and biking. We set about finishing off a shore line right at the very bottom of the land. The Line had been started by Tom KP, Andy and Ewart, but still didn't go any where. It started with a rising banked corner, before leveling off. The original idea had been to build some kind of step down to finish it, but we decided that you wouldn't be able to generate enough speed to make it work. So after a bit of head scratching we decided on a simple down ramp into a small jump to finish it.
Some time around then, part time Devonian, and (part time!) student Rob H turned up and we got on our bikes and got on with the important job of riding! Rob set about trying a different, and faster line into the table top jump, and the fun began.

Ewart on the opening corners of the dual track

The remains of another expensive chain

Then once that had been ticked off I set about laying out a Dual (duel!) track, some thing we'd all been thinking of for some time. Basically a dual track is two parallel trails, running right next to each other, with two riders riding head to head to get to the bottom. I sketched something out with a rake, and then we started to ride it to see if it worked properly. Within 5 minuets we were racing head to head! The track was a blinder. With limited space between the trees there were two sections where racers are forced into the same space, but also have the opportunity to change which line they're racing on. This caused some carnage, but also some great man-on-man, elbows out, death or glory racing!
Then to round off the day, I broke my chain trying to ride back up the hill to the van. (see it's true, bikes shouldn't be ridden up hill!!!!) and we finished off with a quick jump in the slowly growing foam pit.

Ewart and Tom racing the dual track

Rob, kicking up some dirt

Rob really had this line wired, fast, accurate and with the dirt flying!

Tom Trailing a toe through the dual track berms

Ewart test out the foam pit with a front flip, the outcome; we need more foam!

Oi, Slag!

No no no, not that sort of slag! An industrial slag heap, made of old cinder, slag and crushed rock next to an old mine working, out on the moor. That's where Ewart and I went for a bit of biking today.
There were a couple of flat levels, with a some jumps and some steep slopes that dropped down the side of the hill. The jumps were small and not that great, but we had a lot of fun carving lines down the steep, loose, slag.
We got a bit carried away trying to see how much grit we could spray into the air, but it was a great laugh charging at a loose bank, laying the bike over and trying to carve as tight a turn as possible!

Carving out a line on the biggest, steepest and longest slope

About to change direction, this was a bit daunting at first, but it's actually not hard at all.

Direction changed, let the brakes off and go!!!

Ewart letting the back drift out and throwing some dirt!

Ewart, cresting the skyline and about to drop in

Ewart kicking up some dirt on a smaller bank


Skids are for kids......right?

Foot planted, both wheels drifting, about to fall off!

Ewart silhouetted, dirt flying

Ewart laying it over