Black Canon Collective

Month: April 2010

  • It's time to re-join!

    There’s loads going on here at the BCC and we’ve got the whole summer ahead of us…

    • Weekly XC Night rides (afterwork bikes, beer and banter)
    • Monthly XC Ride Away (ride somewhere completely new)
    • Monthly TickerTape (low-fi DH race)
    • Monthly Dig Day (trail building)
    • Velodrome trips (2 in May..)
    • Megavalanche Trip
    • Set 2 Rise teams (at least 4 so far!)

    *Plus NEW events*

    • BMX Fridays (Bath BMX track fun!)
    • Dinner ’til Dusk (low-fi 3hr XC enduro)

    …and loads more!

    We’re also working hard to provide training for those who want to progress in the sport, so far this year having arranged (and part funded) training for..

    • 12x CTC & ITC qualified MTB Trail Leaders
    • 2x BC XC Commissaires

    ..and with our BCC Skills Sessions due to be rolled out in the coming months we’ll be able to offer everything from Bike Maintenance and Repair training to step-by-step instructions on how to pull a wheelie, climb steep technical terrain or fly downhill like the pros!

    So please click on the image above and fill out the form…It takes 2 mins but means that you can carry on enjoying all the benefits of being a BCC member! If you’re new, no worries – just click the same image and follow the instructions. Simples. (sorry)

  • BMX Fridays!

    BMX Fridays are run at Bath BMX track every Friday from around 16:00 until the sun goes down…
    Essentially it’s just an opportunity to ride an ace local BMX track with some friends and other members after work / school on a Friday.
    It doesn’t matter what bike you ride or if you can’t jump, the locals are cool and really friendly to newbies so long as you ride the right way around the track and are considerate of the other users.
    Hell, even Ian can do it so it can’t be all that hard (…sorry Ian)!
    Check out the forum for full details!

  • XC Ride Away – April – Cwmcarn

    Tomorrow’s ride will be a cracker, great weather and great singletrack… yum

    Here’s all the details you’ll need (thanks to Mark Amor) :

    We’ll be looking to do 2 loops on Sunday with time for us all to enjoy the free ride section once we reach the top. There is a café for food and drinks, but riders will need to bring enough while riding.
    The ride is open to members & non members, we’ll be meeting in the Frome car park near the Cheese & Grain on Sunday around 8.30am to leave for 8.45am.

    Twrch Trail – Cwmcarn

    • Overall grade red/difficult
    • Distance 15.5km
    • Time 1.5 – 2.5 hours
    • Climb 300m

    Here’s the blurb about the trail from the website:

    This is a superb trail of the very highest quality that is not for the faint hearted. Virtually the entire route is on purpose built singletrack through a mixture of broadleaf and conifer woodlands and open ridge tops.
    The riding varies from open and flowing hard pack to tight technical and rooty and is rideable in all weather. In places the trail hugs the sides of some very steep wooded side slopes, demanding concentration, whilst in others it sweeps along open ground giving you the chance to take in dramatic views of the Bristol Channel and the surrounding hills

    Bike Trail Grade

    Suitable for Proficient mountain bikers with good off-road

    riding skills. Suitable for better quality off-road mountain bikes.

    Trail & surface types

    Steeper and tougher, mostly singletrack with technical sections. Expect very variable surface types.

    Gradients & technical trail features (TTFs)

    A wide range of climbs and descents of a challenging nature will be present. Expect boardwalks, berms, large rocks, medium steps, drop-offs, cambers, water crossings.

    Suggested fitness level

    Higher level of fitness and stamina.

    Check out the club forum to arrange transport etc…

  • Weeeeeeee Boing

    Today 8 people made it out to the DH dig day

    (given that it’s Easter weekend that’s pretty good – what with so many people being away)

    Everyone worked hard through the rain and constant bullying – “I can’t see any digging!!!! Chedge stop standing there, Ben jump up and down on the mud, Josh…Josh….JOSH!!!!”

    By the end of the day we’d finished the massive berm at the bottom of ‘Battery Hill‘ (on ‘Puppets‘), dug up two monster stumps and started the long loamy raking mission to clear the bottom section of the trail.

    The lads below had become a trail digging version of the A-Team, so it seemed only fair that they get to name the feature they’d worked so hard to make. After everyone had a go riding it, giggling like kids riding a massive new berm with a kicker at the end (!) they had made their decision…..

    What I hadn’t expected was that they would choose to call it “Weeeeee Boing“, yes, as in the sound of someone riding the berm whilst saying “weeeeee”, then “boing” as they jumped off the end. And Yep. I know…. no really.

    But do you know what? It’s a great name because as far as I’m concerned they, and the others who worked hard on it last dig day, have earned the right to call it what ever they like.

    Well done Ben, Ben, Ian, Josh, Max, Robin and Sam – you’ve made a monster and then gone and called it Betty.

    (Puppets is now officially open again, although the bottom section will still need some work to finish it off)

  • MASSIVE DISCOUNT – This Weekend Only