Don't laugh too hard, I'm a clipper too.

Might have to put flats on the HT.

Flats all day long for me...

I went for a great pedal yesterday that I had been eyeing up for a while:
Parked at Tapu on the Coromandel peninsula, rode up to Coromandel township, turned down the 309 road to Coroglen, then took the Tapu - Coroglen road back to Tapu. Close to 100km in about 5 1/2 hours.... I must be getting fitter! Will post some pics up later today.

To the lighthouse and back at Pencarrow this morning with the boiiiiis. Fun

To work, via Tip Track.

I did not enjoy that climb today. Not one little bit. Normally I do. Ah well

Same trip as Malcy, with Barking emu etc to Aro Street.

Interesting to see the results of recent track work up there. On one hand, the tracks are draining well and there's no vegetation smacking me in the face or spiking my hands. But then, the fun police have removed a few features presumably to help reduce track maintenance and rider speed. Hmmm

BrokenKonaRider wrote:Same trip as Malcy, with Barking emu etc to Aro Street.

Interesting to see the results of recent track work up there. On one hand, the tracks are draining well and there's no vegetation smacking me in the face or spiking my hands. But then, the fun police have removed a few features presumably to help reduce track maintenance and rider speed. Hmmm

Which tracks, out of interest? It's been a while since I was up there on the MTB...

Barking emu to be specific. Used to have two or three opportunities to ride the bank instead of the track and hop back down, plus the obvious little lump just after the start of the gravel for people to pop over then slam on their anchors for a left hand turn. All gone. Along with the smoothing of the ever-so-slightly gnarlier rock sections.

It's no big deal. I appreciate the track work and I know the effort it takes to look after them in lunchtimes and weekends. Car parts, cpx and transient are all in incredible shape given the amount of riders they see and the foul weather.

Generally I'm anti dumbing down trails. I have no idea why what was done was done.

I sometimes ride barking emu "backwards" to get to Red Rocks (twice in the past month). With this in mind I think bringing the speeds down (or at least remove incentives to make it faster) sounds like a good idea. I make a point of chatting, or singing, and I have a bell, and keep an eye out whenever the view opens out into a gully, but there is always potential fail in those blind corners.

Just providing a different view point, tis all.

jo wrote:I sometimes ride barking emu "backwards"

"backwards" shesh! you must be clever? I have enough trouble facing the correct way riding it

What can I say, I'm special.

There's a "backwards"? I've ridden Emu and CPX assuming they are two-way since they were built.

I was pretty sad when the first load of council gravel hit Emu, I loved the rockiness. But I can see how leaving it natural would have quickly pushed the grade up to 4ish as it wore in. I would have been happy with that, but it's not what the builders got permission from the council to build.

Even the helmet! Gold.

Wait, is he clipped in? Eek.