In my opinion these is the ultimate uplift vehicle, capable of slogging the average trailer up pretty much anything, but it’s a good laugh to throw a few bikes in a little trailer, and rag this baby up the hill, or just forget the trailer and go for a good old bumpy ride, with a terrified passenger.
It all started a few years ago, when my uncle told me he was going to build a Land Rover, at the time I thought nothing of it, because it was just a set of axles and a few scrapped vehicles off E-Bay. Basically over time it evolved, with a shortened chassis, a big engine and a roll cage that was made from some scaffolding that was never returned.
When it was finished, it was brought up to the farm to pull trailers, the winch was used to pull down trees, and I learnt to drive it which proved to be lots of fun. As winter came along, it was given a windscreen and roof, and a heater for driving on those cold mornings. “The buggy” as it has been known is now an extremely capable off road machine, and lots of people who have had a try have always asked “how much can you make me one for?” but my Uncle currently isn’t building them on request, because of the amount of hard work put into it, and the fact that he loves the thing too much. But we all know that every man has their price…
For all you Landy tech-heads out there it has a shortened discovery chassis to around 80 inches, a 200 Tdi engine (I wish it was a 300) , A discovery gearbox, and random bits from a Volvo and other scrapped cars. Plus some fresh bits ordered in, tyres, winch etc.
If you come up to visit I’ll happily take you for a drive, but for the real deal you’ll have to let my uncle take you out, on a the few occasions I’ve been a passenger, I’ve jumped out in fear of my own safety, as he almost rolled it once from trying a jay turn coming down a steep bank, now that was scary.
The sad thing is it lacks many things to pass an M.O.T test, so I wont be cruising into sixth from in this bad boy anytime soon. But you never know, with some indicators, mirrors, and other bits and bobs and it could be road legal, but it might take some bargaining with my mum before I‘ll be allowed to cruise around the valley. Also there are rumours of a new model on the horizon, with a pickup back end to accommodate bales and other farm stuff (read bikes). Lets hope so.
The best thing about it is it didn’t cost 30 odd grand to build, it has that ghetto feel we all love, plus its mega fun to drive and its bombproof as hell.
More articles soon…
Monday, 5 November 2007
The ultimate uplift.
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Bringewood - Pearce Champs 07
Monday, 7 May 2007
Northern series round 1..............Carlton Bank.
Aaron Shearer on the team for 07...
The hint of a northern series had many of us dreaming of what could be a new beggining for dh racing in the north, the first round was held at Carlton bank, this is what went on....
Driving up the A1 in the team van, with Jeff from over at Monkeyspoon, primed with his camera. None of us knew what to expect. We' d seen the helmet cam, but we all know the camera does lie, so for a first race back we were all pretty eager to ride.
Turning into the car park , we dodged some funky looking ( inbred ) chickens and stopped off for a quick sarny in the grotto style cafe. From the window we could see that the the track was really open to the elements, which in the end, played a big part in the racing come sunday.
Parking up at the end of the track you could see it was freshly dug with lots of flowing corners and some small jumps. At first i thought we were in the wrong place, with there not being much sign of life... but slowly, a steady stream of riders began to unearth from there vans...
A few local yocals in the form of Dave Wardell and Danny Hart turned up to ride.. Both with fresh kit and steeds. That appalache was that light im suprised it didnt get blown off the cliff... seriously.
The uplift was a simple tractor trailor set up with room for around 20 people, which suited this grass roots race perfectly. Being in the same trailor as your bike works like a dream to stop uplift damage.. Due to the terrain you hopped of the trailor halfway up the hill, with a steady climb ahead of you to reach the summit... A few complained, but as it's a first race, new track and it being all about the fun this was no biggy.
On the saturday pedalling along the top and dropping in to the first corner was a 'breeze', but on the Sunday the word 'breeze' was an understatement. I swear down i saw a small child floating over middlesbrough... Good decision to start it on the second bend i reckon... Could of been a few deaths. Oh yeh the start marshall deserves a medal for staying up there for 5 hours? Without a warm brew? Nice one.
Anyway onto the track... Roll along the ridgeline before dropping into a sweeping left hander into a similair right and off a small drop. These were 2 awesome corners, but mother nature begged to differ come sunday. Onto the first straight of the track which leads you into a nice mellow double... check the pic.... On race day this was lethal. I saw at least 3 people make omelettes of themselves landing sideways because of the wind. Best off going round this i found...
Pin it into a big right hander and skip over some small rock sections, which set you up for an off camber left into a lush right berm.
Into the next left Jeff got some unreal pics >
Round the tight right hander and into a rock garden that claimed a few flats. Sweep round the berm and you had a choice, nail it through the rocks or jump onto the grassy bank... The grass was the best option, which set you up for the soft left hander jus right. The next step down was awesome fun on the saturday, but on race day for most this was a no go. I ate big doo doo off this, giving myself a new layer of skin to look at. The only other otpion was to hit the compression to the right flat out and hope for the best.
The next section of the track probably caused the most controversy all weekend. This rock garden was hated by most, so naturally a line around it appeared to the left. This later on was filled in with big loose rocks covered in fern?! Not the best idea lads.....
Keep it low over a small road jump and rail throough those awesome corners. Bets part of the track if you ask me. But like any other race it was faster to cut the 2nd which was a shame... Into a big compression which popped you over a track and into a big left hander, squeeze round the u turn and smile for the camera and you were on the home straight.
Finish line anyone? Pedal up the bank just to be safe....
So. For a first round there was obviously some good and bad points. The atmosphere on the hill was quality, everyone was just making do and having fun like it should be at this level.
But i think there are a few basic things the organisers need to sort out to make the rest of the series a sucess.
-Toilets?!?!!
- Timing.. Beg, borrow or steal a timing system. Stopwatches are good but i think proper timing would be worth it.
- P.A. Use it to instruct riders, when to go up for there runs and whats going on in general throughout the day... There was alot of confusion at times.
- Results. Podium? Allways good to finish the day off with prize giving e.t.c sends the day off with a good atmosphere.
Im sure these are just first round glitches, which will hopefully be sorted for the further rounds... Im glad racing is back in the north and lets hope its here to stay... Thanks to the marshalls, medics, Dad e.t.c who made this happend...
Results please!
All pics courtesy of Jeff over at mokeyspoon.com Tar mate!
DHP
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Hopton round 3 Pearce cycles winter series..................
It was winding up to be a beutifal summers weekend in the middle of march, the weather forecast promised us sun, as did the skys, and they certainly didn't let us down. Who'd of thought it in the middle of march we would be scouraging around in our sheds for minions and high rollers, instead of arming our bikes with custom innertubes and spikes.....................
I think we were all a bit optimistic about a 'new track' being built so soon to the race, rumours of a awesome mixture of flat out open sections mixed with technical root gardens and old school quarry drops littered the forums. I dont think anyone outside of the pre uplift day knew what to expect really, i was thinking the usual pedally hopton but with a few more jumps, but this course was far from it....
After blazing it from Little Chef we turned up to find dust clouds churned up from the tractors, choking passers by, in awe of what the weatherman was doing?! After a small walk to the uplift, you were greeted by more than enough trailors to get you up the hill. Most people were hitting up 7 practice runs on saturday.... Having a sore ass from the previous week doesnt help things, but you cant complain about the speed and quantity this time.
After a painfull 100m climb up, what felt like a minor mountian after a few runs.. The track kicked things off with a few tight root infested corners which caught more than a few out. Best line was to tuck inside on the first and hit the straight line skipping over roots as you go. 
Peel round the corner and you hit a gud ol 25ft road gap, which is a nice addition to a midlands track. Good to see the barrier is being raised this year. Sky it or go round it, but watch out for the roots littering the next shaded alley whcih you hit at mach 10 everytime... Get that weight off the front son! Pump and hope or nip in to the right on a horrible off camber roots section, which layed claim to Burgs 40's and many other peoples paintwork...
Quarry drop up next, the best went high and the rest went low. This caught many people out with some 'thuds' heard from all over the hill, the key was to make sure you were straightend up coming off the drop or your going to go arse over tit. Float over the next double and step up, then get on the gas to carry you into the flat out open.
Pile your way through the first few whoops and trees and burst out into the open mach 10, drift your way round the first major right hander and you hit a series of awesome stump jumps. One of them which sends you into a catch berm swinging you left into a bus stop/hip jump, which only a few could make.
Pummel through the last few rutted open turns, which lead you into the switchbacks. Hit them too fast and you'd be off down the hill, but too slow and you'd be losing too much precious time. Hitting the high lines on most of the corners were key here as they swung you into the next and so on...
Enter the last arena area skimming through the tight trees, hitting the awesomely crafted berms which swung you into the penultimate feature. Stay left on the rocks and squash the last 'lethal' tabletop which claimed a few people on both days... Sprint to the line and gaze round to your right to find another new addition in the form of a clock, which showcased your time to the crowds.
Big thanks go out to Dave pearce and Ian White who headed the pearce cycles digging crew who made this track possible...
Podium time saw all 4 seasons hit one after the other. Blizzards,rain, sun the lot..
Tonnes of prizes given out with Burg handing out some produce for some select catergory winners, and tonnes of goggles and bike wash also donated.
Hard tail
GILLIGAN Ben - Brooks Cycles 2:57.956
WILLERTON John 3:07.383
BOLTON Max 3:18.335
Juvenille
FLOCKHART Sam - Descent-Gear.com/Astrix 2:37.407
PETFORD Sam Pearce Cycles Race Team 3:18.458
CARPENTER Alex 3:21.166
Youth
KERR Bernard - ExtremeMedics.com/Marzocchi/Bicycle Fairy 2:26.358
BREWIN Gareth Descent-Gear.com 2:26.839
THOMAS Stefan Ancillotti 2:30.284
Junior
Dale anhilates everything and nearly... everyone coming 2nd fastest overall on the day and winning his catergory overall.
DALE Sam - Solid Electric 2:16.588
GEOGHEGAN Jack - Ancillotti UK 2:23.433
SHIELDS Bradley - Pearce Cycles 2:27.167
Vets
HARVEY Trevor - Aston Hill 2:42.215
RAMSAY Seb - Ticket2Ride/Descent-Gear.com 2:44.042
SIMPSON Jono - Pearce Cycles Race Team 2:44.645
Masters
Congrats to Burg on winning the series overall.
JONES Sion - MTB-Direct/Santa Cruz 2:32.186
REED Thomas - Descend Hamsterley 2:34.592
WILLIAMS Colin - MTB-Direct.co.uk 2:35.832
Youth Women
ADAMS Monet - The Bike Cellar/Utopia 3:21.462
Veteran Women
DAVIES Lynda - Ticket2Ridebc.com/Descent-Gear.com 3:14.234
Master Women
OSBORN Suzy - Rave Racing 3:50.072
Senior Women
DIX Aimee - Team Skene 3:03.238
LEWIS Rachel - awcycles.co.uk 3:32.261
Elite Women
HORRIDGE Emily - Mountain Cycle/Marzocchi 2:56.198 2:51.866
Seniors
Timaaaay takes the overall, nice one mate.
YEOMANS Daniel - Curtis Bikes 2:25.511
PEARSON Tim - nocycling.com 2:29.022
BUDDIN Andrew - Descend Hamsterley 2:29.402
Expert
Ad Morgan ruled on a hardtail all weekend.
BRAYTON Adam - Keswick Bikes/Electric 2:19.186
WHILES Nikki - Team Skene 2:19.323
DAVIES Jason - Brooks Cycles 2:21.044
Elite
JONES Ralph - Dirt Magazine 2:16.520
DEACON Tom 2:19.
SORRELL Rowan - Orange Bikes 2:20.648
48 72
Monday, 12 March 2007
Hammers
"Got everything lads" Oh yeh yeh sure. Good one. I swear me and Jol double checked we had everything buy of course he didnt have his goggles and i was missing a shinny.....
A half 7 start saw the dhp van head up noorth towards Hamsterly. First stop was Rotheram to pick up Mo, note : poundland is the way forward for bungie cords. Aftwer wacking on an episode or two of family guy on jolleys laptop, the journey up the Msomething lasted no time at all. We had to make one last stop at the services to catch up with Dom (and his kid Sam), whos one of the top dogs over at www.grangers.co.uk who make the best waterproofing gear in the business. If your off up everest or just attacking your local muddy trail, this is the stuff to be wearing, check it out...
After the over 40s meeting had finished we headed off on the final stretch towards Hamsterly. Climbing up towards the pinnacle of the hill, your hit with a view across the valley, which just shows off the potential this place could have. But it's one side of the hill where interested in today.
Kitted up and ready we hit the main track which is infamous amongst downhillers. Hit the first left hander and float the first step down into the bombhole, making sure you avoid that gruesome looking root on the right.
Pin it through the trees and through those first flat out berms and into the open slightly. Sky or tuck those first 2 small drops and hit those next two catch berms mach 10 with no hope of slowing down into "that" tabletop. Coming out of that last berm your faced with a mother of a booter at the end of a intimidating straight. Jolley was hitting this flat out on his hardtial all day, skying it into the rocks afterwards and only coming off once! Good effort mate, definetly one to look out for in the hardtail cat this year.
Video of the tabletop in videos section....
Skim or sky your way thorugh the next rocks and take a left leading you towards the halfway hut (which makes a mean sarny btw)and pop over the road off the kicker, sending you into a mother of a man made rock garden.
It looked a bit tamer than last time i headed up here, but at speed it still sends you everywhere.
Duck your way round that tight left hander and shoot down into a right off camber setting you up for a rock fest that would challenge woodstock. Wherever you go here your going to get preety beat up, so hold on and try and stick in your line and hope for the best more than anything. Those last few switchbacks get better and better everytime i go here. The slight improvement to the last corner had over the bars brusing my ass! By the end of the day.... Style the last jump or hang on for dear lif ein jolleys case and there you where!
There are so many other dh tracks at Hammers and from what we saw of them they looked top notch, especially the newest one, which with a bit of bedding in will prove an awesum race track. Watch out for the last drop though shes a steep'un!
Onto the 4x....
Holy cow it was windy, the second me jol and little sam got to the top of the start ramp we nearly lost our bikes. Pedalling into the first tabletop in a straight line was a mission in itself, sky this and ur on your way to clearing the first straight , styling it out into the last step up, you hit a mother of a berm and into a triple.
Pump or jump your way up the next few step up/downs and hit the sickest straight on a 4x track ever.
Littered with lines of tabletops, with tonnes of inside and outside lines which set you up in turn for the last berm sending you over the rollers and onto the finish line.
4x vid in the video section......
The duel is also like a scaled down version of the 4x with smaller jumps and tighter berms, all smooth as. Almost harder to ride than the 4x at speed..
Awesome day out.
Cheers to the over 40's and to Don and his kid Sam for making the trip up!
Saturday, 3 March 2007
Weapons of mass destruction, explained....
First. A definition....
The word in Old English is spaedu, cognate forms being Dutch, Swedish and Danish spade, German Spaten; also related is spoon.
Now if that hasnt enlightened you, well i just dont know what will. For many years the spade has been at the forefront of mountain biking if you think about it. Whistler didnt come from the heavens (has been rumoured...) and your local jump spot didnt appear over night. For a trailbuilder the spade is the first and last tool allways off the mountain, for some it is like a 3rd arm. Like a paintbrush for an artist a spade to a trailbuilder is a way for them to create their own piece of art. There is so many different shapes,sizes e.t.c these days so heres a rundown for you....
1.The classic garden spade
This needs no introduction. Classic shaping and bombproof design. Plastic handle with a solid timber stem branching out onto a steel digging head.
Ones to look out for: wilkinsword,spear & jackson
2. The border spade.
Not soo much use to trailbuilders,but a spade non the less. Think of this as the garden spade on the slimfast plan. Smaller narrower head to get into thoses tight spots.
3. The silver surfer
A chavved up version of the garden spade. You get a stainless steel digging head that makes dirt slide off your spade, like shit off a shovel.
Bonuses: No rusting. Looks pimp. One for your mum when she hits 50 fo sure.
4. For professional use only. "A professional gardener never blames his tools". You heard it here first. This work of art is practically all steel to give you no flex and no failures. Normally spades of this calibre come with a lifetime guarantee aswell so if you do somehow manage to break it then jobs a gudden.
5. Suspension. (oh yes)
When i first saw one of these i was in awe. I mean come on the handle flexs and everything. A true tool for the hardcore. One for all you dan cowans out there.
6. Personal favourite.
Read and weep............
Yes i thought it aswell. My god. If epic could be summed up in one object then this would take the biscuit. Im saving up right now....
Well there you have it, the most worryingly sad review ever. Most of you probably havent even got to this bit without falling asleep, but if you have just take a minute and think what your mates would think of you reading an article on spades.....
:)
Monday, 22 January 2007
Ghetto sites triumph
Staying up till half 11 on a thurs night trying to botch together a hardtail makes you question why you do this sport. Nothing ever seems to fit, every brake has a different mount and the same goes for forks. Universal mounts anyone? Anyyywaayyy, after snapping robs fork axle (its in the post) and setting the record for the most rotors fitted in a night it was time to set off for Mss round 1 Hopton.....
After crushing Jeff in the back of the van with all our gear we naile dit up the motorway to burger king to stock up, and i have to say, mbuk has excelled itself with yet, another shocking issue! Gotta give it to the staff at the travelodge in Ludlow, not only did they make sam cry from laughter from their conversation with 'shelly' but the man there was like a walking toolbox! Cheers for the cable cutters mate.
In the morning it was off to little chef to savour the 'olympic' breakfast, which didnt really fill any holes to be honest. Swampthings or maybe spikes was the choice of tire for most over the weekend i think. With all the new regulations floating around about uplifts, saturdays wasnt the fastest of uplifts with most having to wait up to 40mins sometimes for a trailer. But this wasn't anyones fault really and it was all sorted towards the end for the day and throughout Sunday.
Now onto the track. From the mini hill at the top, which had a few of the smaller riders on there asses due to strong winds, you cranked down a muddy slope which resembled a 'slip n slide' and into the first woods. Over a small jump and rail two berms and hit the sunlight for a split second. Drop back into the woods and hit a short uphill section whihc throws you into a labryinth of roots. Float like a butterfly sting like a bee needed to be used to get through here smooth and the elites were looking rapid thorugh here all weekend. Dart through a couple more rooted truns and your out into the open, by now i had no chain so it was a hell of a long pump track to deal with. Skim the reall greasy roots n hit the two stump jumps into that tight right hander which caught even some of the best out this weekend. Pedal like crazy thorugh the next section, but the key was to keep it smooth through here i reckon to keep your speed. Out into the last open, you dart through some switchbacks and go for glory on the roadgap and pummel into those human size brekaing bumps. Ben Morgan in expert hit this the fastest out of anyone this weekend, landing preety much in the next corner and took half of the mud with it. Awesome. Hammer through the last switchbacks and pop over that greasy root on the last corner of the track which wiped the smiles off many racers faces, just in sight of the finish line. Pedal like a mad man through that greasy field and your home and dry.
Onto results and Irwin from monkeyspoon.com came in 47th with a 4.12
Josh, after having a nightmare with his bike came home in 30th with a 4.45
I pumped and shook my way down to 1st with a 3.47
I think jeff over at monkeyspoon took more pics than he can count and me and Sam got some awesome flukes (well mine were flukes) so ill get them up in the gallery a.s.a.p
Cheers to my dad for ferrying us around all weekend and to Rich Burgoin over at Burgtec. Shout out to Timmy over at nocycling.com who came 2nd in seniors who was flying all weekend.
The next round is over at Bringewood on the 17th/18th of Feb so we'll see you there with the full team this time. rumour has it Fabien Barel is even coming....
Morining Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HARDTAIL
1 1414 BOWMAN Joe www.dirtyhalfpipe.co.uk 3:47.583
2 1403 BEATTIE Jonathan 4:29.297
3 1402 LINES Jack 4:40.022
JUVENILLE
1 1303 PETFORD Sam Pearce Cycles Race Team 4:14.515
2 1305 PHILLIPS Tom 4:35.790
3 1301 GLASS Alex 4:36.632
YOUTH
1 1102 BREWIN Gareth Descent World 3:24.744
2 1115 KERR Bernard ExtremeMedics.com/Marzocchi/Bike Fairy 3:26.928
3 1144 MOLLOY Harry Muddy Fox/Lifestyle Ford/Resurgence.com 3:29.835
JUNIOR
1 903 DALE Sam Solid/Electric 3:17.817
2 915 SMITH Joseph Ancillotti UK 3:18.613
3 914 SHIELDS Bradley Pearce Cycles 3:28.888
VETERANS
1 817 HARVEY Trevor Aston Hill 3:45.572
2 809 RAMSAY Seb ticket2ride/descent-gear 3:51.361
3 805 SIMPSON Jono Pearce Cycles Race Team 3:52.678
MASTERS
1 600 BURGOIN Richard Burgtec 3:33.332
2 630 LEWIS Alun AW Cycles.co.uk 3:35.678
3 623 WILLIAMS Colin mtb-direct.co.uk 3:36.163
TOP 3 WOMEN
1 1513 DIX Aimee Team Skene 4:10.824
2 1500 HORRIDGE Emily Marzocchi UK 4:13.804
3 1511 MAHONY Sue Psyclewerx Bristol 4:28.416
SENIORS
1 266 GRIFFITHS Craig Brooks Cycles 3:28.043
2 255 PEARSON Tim nocycling.com 3:29.465
3 263 TAYLOR Adam mtb-direct.co.uk 3:34.047
EXPERTS
1 115 BRAYTON Adam Keswick Bikes 3:15.809
2 108 MORGAN Ben Pearce Cycles Race Team 3:17.782
3 102 DAVIES Jason Brooks Cycles 3:23.915
ELITES
1 1 BRAITHWAITE Tom Giant Racing 3:11.489
2 5 SMITH Robert Electric/TitaniumRacing/Airbrush 3:16.958
3 8 JONES Ralph Dirt Magazine 3:17.087
Sunday, 7 January 2007
Read this you might learn something....
I sit here writing this with my ears red raw form having my headphones in them,too long,too loud and the music. Too heavy....
You know you've been sat on that shoddy ikea folding chair way too long, enduring that savage wedgie with your balls feeling like you've been on a bus journey to butlins and back. Youv'e been staring at that same spot on the wall for at least 10 minutes now and to be honest you can't even remember what you were meant to be revising.
From revsiing you can actually see life through a hardcore emo's point of view. You find yourself flicking thoruhg you ipod selecting the most morbid, whining songs which make you drift further and further into that static trance.
Every other hour you get that little window of hope when you get a break, but when you can finally do what you want, your too dried out to do anything and all you really want is your bed.
Over a day. Say if you were in your room for 4 hours 'revising'. I reckon if you added up the amount of time you actually spent doing work it wouldn't even come close to an hour.
God knows what your rents think your doing up there. Do they actually think your going to re enact periods 3 and 4 on a wednesday with miss alan. On a saturday? Didn't think so.
Some of the stuff you start to think about is so random. You no longer have a sense of humour. You start to feel tired constantly and you allways develop that, revision 'cough' which you never knew you had.
I think over these last two days ive decided, what i want to do after 6th form, i've realised how much i hate business studies, and planned the mother of all gardens over the road. Great how much work you can get done really isn't it?
You just know that there are hundreds of people our age sitting in their room saying to themselves ' what am i doing in here when it's the first dry saturday in months? ', whilst peering through their blinds like a convict.
Anyway rant over.
Head down.
Book open.
Pen primed.
Eyes drifting.......