Mountain bike guiding news

Demo Bike

Fri, 10 Nov 2017 10:59:00 GMT

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to get the first ride on #nirvanacycles new Evil “The Calling” demo bike. As with all Evils the write ups were very positive as to what this bike can do, so I had high expectations. Conditions weren’t fantastic and I was pooped from a big ride the day earlier, so the climb up to Redlands was ..... steady. However even on tired legs I felt the sense of urgency in this bike, it coerce’s you to dig a little deeper on the climbs cos it knows what’s coming on the downs. What a hoot! The rear suspension platform is the most effective of any full susser I’ve ridden. I kept having to look down to check it was actually active, as it was working so well I literally couldn’t feel any chatter, wallow or bob. Just smooth consistent tracking of all the terrain I encountered. Normally I’d ride a medium however the demo was a size large which to my delight felt perfect for me, not to long not to short. The Calling felt very very capable from what little gnar I pointed it at, jumping as comfortably as my 160mm and cornering way way better even in the slop.
Oh for those halcyon days of dry trails.
Sold the 160mm enduro bike.

Waiting on the new build 🤗😜

Simon

Road Trip

Fri, 22 Sep 2017 16:24:44 GMT

#roadtrip
Off to ride some off-piste locals trails "Afan Masts" in South Wales this weekend followed by a quick blast round the well known and much loved Glyncorrwg Afan trail centre.
Pretty excited to ride somewhere new and gnarly with some good friends.

and then

Well Afan Masts is beyond a doubt the most challenging U.K. Trail network I've ever ridden. Conditions weren't great with some standing water where it was flat enough to hold but mostly very very steep rooty and rocky, so much so that if you were unfortunate enough to have to stop or dab or get off they were absolutely unwalkable in many places! Took a couple of runs to get our eye in then it really became FUN. Beware lots of climbing involved.... nearly 5000ft over 17 miles.

New Guiding Bike

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 11:10:49 GMT

So after much waiting my spangly new Nirvana FatB has arrived!!!!!!
A year and a half ago I took a punt on the rather niche fat biking phenomenon and bought a Cube Nutrail from Nirvana Cycles. The bike was competitively priced and surprise of surprises pretty much replaced my full carbon enduro bike and hardtails as my go to whip. Last year I clocked up nearly 3000 miles on her, raced and roosted all but the gnarliest of the Surrey Hills, many of my mates bought the same bike based on my experiences and .....Strava results. So when my local bike shop mentioned they were getting their own branded blinged up fat carbon frame and wheel set, I was in.

The FatB is a real head turner. Mines a size medium 18inchs,
11-46 gearing, accessorised with a nice bit of Hope and Enve, the carbon FatW wheel set is stunning (and well worth current fat riders looking at as an upgrade to their existing hoops). The frame itself is noticeably longer on the top tube, size medium being an 18inch rather than Cubes 17, but with a slacker head angle. I was expecting her to be stable and fast at almost 4pounds lighter but did wonder how she would handle on tight singletrack.

This weekend I rode Sat and Sunday just over 62 miles over much of Ranmore, Pitch and Holmbury and have fettled tweeked and adjusted (much to my riding buddy's annoyance). The bike rocks!
It is very very fast, carbon wheels giving an immediate power surge when you put the hammer down and direct snappy cornering on committed high speed turns. After the initial "wow this feels different" within half an hour on the first ride I'd forgotten the old and was just busy enjoying the explosive responsiveness of the FatB. Nicely balanced in the air even with a 1600 gram 4.8 Minion up front providing a huge amount of grip and confidence. This bike is not a cumbersome lard arse, Raceable, jumpable and generally leave your mates in the dustable.

Little bit in love
Shagpile

XC Racing

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 10:36:45 GMT

Torq 12-12 2016.
Antony and I have competed in this one a few times over the years and thought it would be fun this weekend to take it less seriously and do it on fat bikes. So along with #nickffoulkes and #richardnewell we had a go at the 4 man vets 12 hr category ......against the usually hardcore xc racers. Our expectations were low (so much so in fact we didn't even bother ditching the baggy shorts until lap 13, when it became clear we were doing so well that a third place podium was well within our grasp). The last hour of the race was tenterhooks with us battling against the mountaintrax team on their carbon race bikes. Finally they picked us with 15 seconds to spare so 4th for us, next year will go fully lycra'd. Note to self, bring a tent as the back of the pickup was far from comfy post race.

Azores Holiday Aug.16

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 10:33:06 GMT

A few pics from my latest hols, 2 weeks in the Azores off the coast of Portugal. San Miguel part of an archipelago, volcanic, plenty of current seismic activity and caldera's, hot springs etc to marvel at. Lush vegetation, and some pretty sweet trails to ride. We spent a few days being guided by locals #azoresadventureislands Andre's 1&2 showed us all the best unspoilt trails to ride as well as some of the more popular although still niche DH tracks still provided plenty of hairy moments with drops and gaps aplenty, one of the young guns Ed Duffy riding them all blind! I'm to old and wise and had to check out the lines before hurling myself into oblivion. Thoroughly recommend the place for a chilled out escape

"Ard Rock Enduro" race

Fri, 02 Sep 2016 10:27:10 GMT

The Ard Rock Enduro in Swaledale North Yorkshire an excellently organised event in stunning back country terrain. I finished 79th out of 226 in my category but returned home unscathed apart from the hangover from hell. Top weekends racing with good friends old and new.

Molini di Triora Liguria Italia

Fri, 27 May 2016 12:51:00 GMT

On the 18-23rd May seven of us had a long weekend riding the steeps in Molini. Its been 5 years since my last visit and the place didn't disappoint. With a mixed group of riders (3 of our number having never ridden alpine) we had four full on days of uplifted riding that could have separated the men from the boys.....pleased to report we all came home men....... albeit with a few bruises, cuts and scrapes. Its trips like this that strengthen friendships and give you memories that last a lifetime.

Morning guiding session with Ayman and Rich 14/5/2016

Fri, 27 May 2016 12:42:29 GMT

Ayman and Richard came all the way from Bournmouth for a mornings guided riding on Leith Hill. They had visited the area once before, having read that the Surrey Hills had some great spots and spent their time fruitlessly searching for the best riding. Its amazing how many undiscovered (for them) trails we rode in the 3 hours. Looking forward to seeing them in June for some skills riding.

Absolute Beginners

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 13:16:00 GMT

Jo's 2nd mtb ride Ever! Jo contacted us as she'd been given a fat bike as a pressie and had never ridden off road before and wanted to learn without the pressure of keeping up with a shop or club ride. Jo is an experienced road cyclist, snowboard guide and GB formation sky dive champion; so she's no stranger to adrenalin or sports.

On Wednesday we took advantage of the dry trails and took her on an afternoon loop of Leith Hill to give her some pointers and showcase an easy route, with some manmade and some secret single track for her to practise her techniques and work on her off road fitness.

After a brief cockpit alteration and set up we were off and soon had her tackling some pretty steep tech climbs and some reasonable intimidating roll ins. Great fun to have a beginner with the mindset of a champion out with us. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing her again as her bike handling and confidence grew...almost as quickly as her energy left.

Kids Birthday Party Ride 13/4/2016

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 13:36:12 GMT

Wednesday morning we had Flynn just turned 8 with his Dad Mark and his friend Ricky along for a mornings guided ride. Starting from the top of Holmbury Hill, we rode Surferosa, Yoghurt Pots, Telegraph, Jesse's Trail before the boys starting to show signs of tiring, goaded along with a few jelly bean breaks we made it to Barry Knows Best, the guys laughed all the way down and had such a blast we had to do it again, so to save little legs from the long drag back up to the top of the hill, Antony stayed at Peaslake with them to get the cheese straws in while I zipped back up the climb to Holmbury Hill to fetch the pick-up, drove down and uplifted them all to the trail head so we got to nail it again. Gorgeous weather, the trails are drying nicely and fun was had by all. Very impressed with eight year olds enthuisiasm, tenacity and level of biking! Oh and well done Mark, hope to see you again for a "dads ride". Happy Birthday Flynn

Simon

Bikers Accommodation in the Surrey Hills

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 14:01:00 GMT

Friends of mine have recently opened a mountain biker specific self-catering cabin right in the heart of our trail networks, literally a 2 minute ride from some of the best riding the Surrey Hills have to offer. So now when your're out on a guided ride with us you can make a night of it in a secure, secluded and peaceful setting www.surreyhillsby.bike

Download Leaflet

Peak District Roadtrip 29/1/2016

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:30:45 GMT

This weekend began earlier for me and few good buddies Team Cube when we took the day off work on Friday and headed for Castletown in the Peak District for 3 days epic back country riding, with weather forecasts of 48mph winds, leaden skies and rain, sleet and snow on the way we knew it was going to be memorable. Day 1 saw us on a 20mile loop 3600 ft climbs courtesy of Ade and his trusty Garmin, Day 2 after a heavy night sampling way to many beers and single malts we met up with my Trans Savoie pals Stu and Jon aka "Berks on Bikes B.O.B. They both have an extensive knowledge of the area having ridden there many times before and took us out on the mother of wild big rides 36miles with over 5000ft of climbing......it ain't called the Peak District for nothin. Crazy changes of weather throughout the day, some of the most spectacular scenery in the UK and culminating in a final high speed night descent down a sketchy, muddy, rock, strewn chute with 40mph sleet and snow blinding us, left me with memories that'll last forever. Day 3 on tired legs we managed another 18.6miles and another 3500ft of climbing and stumbling hikeabike. After a reasonable snow fall the night before conditions were "interesting" making me wish for my fat bike until we starting hitting the rock gardens of "Jacob's Ladder" and my decision to take my 6 inch full susser was confirmed again. Our last run to us through a really really really muddy gullied field which had all of the 6 of us skidding slipping crashing our way down, I haven't laughed so much since I don't know when. What and awesome weekend. Might have to go again when the temperature reaches double figures???. Pics Courtesy of Russ and Jon, Thanks for organising this one Pete getting mountain bikers to all agree is like herding cats!

Flowtastic Clothing products 2015

Wed, 28 Oct 2015 07:35:00 GMT

Look what has just arrived in the Flowtastic HQ our brand new selection of T shirts, Beanies and Baseball caps. All in lovely limited edition colours.

T shirts are just £14.99
Beanies brilliant value at £15.99
Baseball Caps a snip at just £14.99
Plus a small Postage and packing fee.

Just let us know what you want and we will Paypal invoice you (we just need your Paypal email address)and send them out first class post.
All T shirts are large 41-44inch except pink and grey ones which are come in Medium 38-41 inch. All beanies one size fits all and Baseball caps are adjustable to fit all.

Get them while stocks last. Coolest looking design in town !! That's Flowtastic!

And remember to send us a flowtastic selfie of you wearing your new item and best ones will make it to our gallery. dont forget to Twitter it and facebook it hashtag it flowtastic.

Testimonial

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 08:11:17 GMT

Saturday 26th Sept I bumped into a guy at my local bike shop who was down from Hemel for the day and asking for some directions to the local trails, I was planning on a short ride and bit of trail maintenence. Andrew asked if he could tag along so armed with my secateurs and entrenching tool, off we set. He was 14 years younger than me an ex racer and a very good rider. My original plan soon turned into a pretty full on 2.5 hrs loop taking in some fairly technical trails on Ranmore and Leith Hill, with Andrew hot on my heals and at times flying past me ......off gap jumps. He admitted that he often rides with enduro and downhill racers and has rubbed shoulders with Manon Carpenter. I did manage to get over to our newly reopened trail on Leith Hill which Andrew was impressed with; he does a bit of trail building up at Woburn Sands from time to time. Couple of days later I spot this compliment on Single Track World Forum

Flowtastic bikes guiding in the Surrey hills. Excellent

7 posts & 6 voices | Started 1 day ago by iridebikes | Latest reply from mark88
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iridebikes - Member

Hi,so on Saturday I had a last minute guided ride round the Dorking area with Si from flowtastic guiding company.

I should add here that I don't know Si except for from this ride.

I had ridden a little bit in the area before, but it was great having a guide! He showed me so many new trails. I think 90 percent of what we rode I had never ridden.

There was a real mix of riding from steep, techy trails, to jumps and just good old xc singletrack.

Si is a great guy, a good guide and a great rider.

I'd thoroughly recommend the services they offer, I now feel like there is a lot more riding for me to explore.

POSTED 1 DAY AGO # REPORT-POST

Thanks Andrew see you again

Trans Savoie Video

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 18:03:00 GMT

Abridged footage from 6 days Racing in the Alps August 2015. NB Adult Language

Trans Savoie 2015 Short Version from Flowtastic Bike on Vimeo.

Trans Savoie in retrospect

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 12:36:00 GMT

Trans Savoie 2015 Digested

So after getting back into the swing of normal life for 2-3 weeks, it's time to reflect on the 6 day stage race Antony and I participated in at the end of August. Months of training were realised in the toughest physical and mentally draining challenge I can remember being a part of.

The flight to Geneva was fun taking full advantage of the business class lounge at Heathrow (first time I’ve been caught drinking Whiskey at 7.45am in a few years). When gathering with all the other competitors at Geneva airport it was noticed how certain brands were present in a big way with everyones kit; Evoc bike bags, Bell Super 2R lids and Mavic shoes, we obviously all shop in the same place and read the same articles. We both noticed as well how uber cool lots of the folk were and how young they looked (straight out of mtb magazines). I’m nearly 45 and Ants pushing 50, amongst our usual riding gang, we are around the top of the pack, but amongst this “it” crowd I felt slightly less complacent (a feeling that would become common place over the next few days). So after a few intro’s and a chaotic packing/bun fight into the coaches we sat back for a 3hour transfer to the first camp site.

Base Camp, was pretty cool with all our tents laid out in neat little rows (these would be packed up by the camp crew and moved to a new site each day following the racers as we headed to our final destination Chamonix). After unpacking and building bikes there followed a quick meal of pasta pots and bolognaise then the riders briefing. Serious stuff with big warnings of taking it easy for the first day or 2 as the terrain and trails were very technically demanding and in previous years 70% of the injuries had occurred in the first 48hours! There followed an early night and sleep didn’t come easily.

Day 1
Up at 6, get in the toilet queue, prep bike and equipment (again) breakfast at 7 and away by 8, this was pretty much how every day began throughout the race. Conditions were ok, dryish and cloudy. Our first staged section was very tentative as nobody was sure quite what to expect, although it turned out to be pretty bike parky and mellow compared to what was to follow. Ant and I opted to ride together as opposed to being released at 30 second intervals as most of the competitors. We both noticed how hard it was to catch your breath due to the altitude. Stage 2 was a wake up call, very steep exposed switchbacks in multiples of 10 plus. I’ve ridden trails like these in Italy, Spain and Switzerland, however always in a group of holidaying friends, never blind and never with a race clock ticking and far better riders overtaking on seemingly impossible race lines. PRESSURE. Generally at 6 timed descending stages totalling 5000metres per day, the transition stages 1000metres per day are supposed to be a more relaxed affair, however rarely were, as both coming from an XC background, we often found ourselves getting to the top and beginning of the stages along with the pro’s after a furious uphill pedal…….downside….. less people for us to over take and more people wanting to get past us. The rest of the day passed in a blur, one of the highlights being Ant and I were 2nd and 3rd overall back to camp after the first days racing, a day in which there had been 1 broken leg (in 2 places) and one broken ankle for a couple of unlucky racers, the warnings were to be believed.

Day 2
Wet wet wet. Proof of this being how few pro pics were taken, the trails were carnage with many of the rootier or gnarlier steeps being unrideable for us, slithering was the order of the day, delays on some of the assisted chairlift transitions caused such a backlog of riders at the end of stage 5, that we were told stage 6 had been cancelled (I was quietly relieved as secretly I was shattered, soaked to the skin, had had a big off tumbling down a cliff 20ft whilst boulders rained down around me, one actually smashing 2 spokes and flatting my rear tyre), tragically when we got back down the bottom we discovered the train still running so stage 6 was back on! I felt a bit like a prisoner walking to his execution on the ride back up to stage 6. As it turned out what a result... it was the best trail (for us Surrey Hills boys) so far, fast swooping single track, we got to the bottom yipping and whooping like kids, very glad to have made the train and got the chance to ride it. Major grumbles back at camp from those riders who hadn’t dug deep on the climbs and hence missed the last train to stage 6. a few more ligament damage (get well soon Paddy) and muscle pulls and hundreds of cuts bruises and abrasions amongst the cadre, oh and one of the marshals slipped and broke his hip while marking out the course today! I went to bed very very tired nearly 10hours in the rain and wind with another night sleeping on a ground mat in a tent surrounded by farts and zips going all night.

Day3
The sun has got his hat on hip hip hooray.

What a difference a day makes. we had been briefed that todays climbing transitions would be the hardest yet with significant hike a bike sections. They weren’t joking. temperatures got close 30 degree’s and there was very little shelter on the climbs, some folks learnt the hard way about filling water bladders at every opportunity, sometimes from troughs in villages, sometimes from rivers running down the mountain, I had my own personal battle with swollen knees due to rheumatoid arthritis and stupid amounts of hike a bike. Like a good buddy Ant waited at the top of the next stage and we blasted down as a pair on one of the most breathtakingly beautiful vistas ever seen by us. miles of snaking 10inch wide gullied singletrack running along a ridge line, quite excited to see the helmet cam footage of this one as it was a doozy.

Health scare back at camp, 15 riders down with gastroenteritis.. note sudden emergence of hand soap and gel at all toilets and food stations.

Day 4
My body has finally become accustomed to the level of activity I’m insisting it performs each day, I felt my strongest so far and confidence wise had managed to string a few good descents together “nailings” probably a bit strong. Our main riding buddy Stuart from Chiswick who we met before shipping out has now left us to ride with quicker guys, my excuse is he’s only 32 but the reality is he is fitter and faster. He's going to guide us around the Quantocks...an area he knows well, on our return.

Day 5
All change,, my weakest day so far, absolutely exhausted, finding it difficult to focus and concentrate on the descents, after 4 days of chasing Antony uphill at his pace, the cracks are starting to appear in my fitness when compared to his....he is a machine.

Nearly there

Day 6
We've come so far. Its all about finishing unscathed now. A much more relaxed vibe to todays racing and a stunning tram ride with views of Mont Blanc. The finale being a 10km descent with 1000 metres of undulating descent, mellow meadows,wooded, loamy with some pedally sections a few rocky shoots and switchbacks, no crazy exposed near verticle obstacles on this one.... phew. Out of 130 entrants i think 92 made it back from the last stage, I heard that 5 riders were so exhausted that they actually threw in the towel on stage 5 with just one more climb and descent to do before completing their 6 day odyssey!

Man what an experience.

The trails and scenery were absolutely the best

The cameraderie special

The organisation as a logistical nightmare....pretty good

I won't lie, for me the trials and tribulations at the time probably outweighed the good times, but thats because I had totally underestimated how tough it was going to be, however it was a hell of an acheivement for a couple of middle aged Surrey riders to do and it is with a sense of pride and no regret that I can say I'm a Trans Savoie 2015 finisher.

Simon

Last Huzzah before the Trans Savoie

Tue, 28 Jul 2015 15:40:00 GMT

Antony and I are off on the mtb adventure of our lives in a month. The Trans Savoie a 6 day Enduro stage race across the Swiss and French Alps, its advertised as one of the most technically and physically challenging events of its kind, where as well as the race we'll be rubbing shoulders with the Pro's also racing and staying in the rolling campsite. We've been training for a few months now with long XC rides both averaging well over 100 miles a week as well as technical practice with jumps, drops and switchbacks as we are expecting to have to attack all of these unseen at race pace. So last Saturday 25th July saw us at Bike Park Wales again with another couple of buddies Pete and Russell. The perfect venue to ride fast sweeping blue grade trails and test your metal on the more advanced red and black runs. I've been a few times already but previously avoided some the biggest obstacles on the Black runs as being not worth the potential risk. Pleased to say, we rode every trail and cleaned all the obstacles, well I guess that leaves us as ready as we'll ever be for the Trans Savoie, time to reign it in now for the remaining few weeks.

Mid-Week Afternoon Technical Guiding

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 08:47:26 GMT

Thursday 23/7/2015 Antony, Matt and myself spent a really fun time guiding Fergus, Matt, Tony, Terry and Andrew (all fairly experienced riders) around some of the choicest technical trails on Pitch and Winterfold Hills, after a quick safety check, we sessioned a few small jump lines to get a feel for everyones ability then hit the steeps. A pretty full on 3.5 hour ride left lots of sweaty smiley folk at the end back in Peaslake, hope to see these guys again lots lots more trals to be shown off

Birthday Ride for Peter

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 09:19:00 GMT

Peter an experienced road cyclist and sometime mountain biker originally from Bristol and newly to London has a great girlfriend who had the forthought to buy him a guided ride in the Surrey Hills with us on Saturday 27th June as a birthday present. We enjoyed an interesting 21 mile loop over 3 hours taking in bits of Holmbury and Leith Hill. After a few adjustments to his suspension and cockpit set-up and some tips on cornering and riding the more technical trails we encountered, Peter noticed an enormous improvement to his riding and enjoyment and couldnt believe how such small alterations could make such a radical difference. Sadly the same can't be said for his guide Simon who on the final 1/2 mile back to the cars took his eye off the trail to check on Peter behind and boing, off over the bars and one very buckled wheel, uninjured apart from dented pride, just goes to show, everyone gets it wrong sometimes, a new wheel and wing mirrors are now on Simons Xmas list.

Saturday 11th July 2015 Jump and Drop Practise

Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:10:00 GMT

Bush on Fire from Flowtastic Bike on Vimeo.