NOTE: You are required to purchase a permit to ride on this private land. Day permits available at the Discovery centre for around £2 or a year’s pass from www.gorrick.com/swinley/permits.php This helps pay for the trails and provides you with Public Liability insurance. Do it – don’t be tight.

How to get there: By train; Martin’s Heron station then south on the B3430. By car: Off M3 at junction 3 on the A322, then left on the A3430 and the Lookout is on the left. TOP TIP: Follow the brown signs to the Coral Reef which is opposite the Lookout.

Bike Shop: Mountain Trax near Barkham, Wokingham is a great shop and locals favourite, offering great, friendly service and a wide selection of demo/hire bikes. Postcode RG40 4PJ, www.mountain-trax.com or 0118 976 1130.

Start /finish grid reference/GPS coordinates and location: SU876/661, RG12 7QW

Total distance (km and miles): 16.9km, 10.5miles (feels like a lot more).

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FIT file to convert to GPX

Route Directions:

Through gate by GoApe, on forest track, over X-rds, and over T-J at end, and right on wide forest track. Right after 150m, top of small hill, on singletrack into woods. Left at X-tracks, bearing left uphill, then right, to wide X-tracks. Go to right of post ahead (with red marking), on singletrack, keeping right & high, on undulating trail. Left at T-J (going uphill either side), over a forest track onto singletrack.

Right at next forest track, left after 100m on singletrack. After 1km cross a wider muddy trail, for another 1km, back to the muddy track (T-J). Turn left, keep straight ahead, over wooden bridge to and left on forest track for 20m then right on singletrack. Right at end, down gulley ‘Tank Traps’ swinging tightly up & down either side.

Left on forest track at end, just past staggered X-tracks (& puddle!), right on feint singletrack, to jump gulley. Straight ahead on singletrack (after some runs down jump gulley) uphill, to & left on forest track at top. Bears right up to reservoir entrance and take 3^rd (wide track) on left into woods. Right after 20m then immediately straight ahead on feint trail as other bears left. Zig-zag down the hill and right to forest track.

Right on track then sharp left back on yourself as trail bears right, uphill. Bear right to forest track and go left on it. Down and up steep dip, left after forest track, by lone tree. The Labyrinth. Left and left again (Deerstalker), straight ahead at bottom/X-tracks all the way to end/forest track. Left then left on another forest track and straight on at T-J/top on singletrack. Over forest track, right at T-J after 2^nd wooden bridge, over forest track to another and go left on this.

Left at next forest track, uphill and straight ahead/to right of reservoir (same track as earlier). Bear left to top of the small hill (about 100m) then right on wide track then left just before it drops steeply, on singletrack. Down to head of jump gulley and go right on far side, to forest track with raised manhole cover. Go straight over and immediately right at fork. At T-J go right down steep drop and over the forest track.

Bears left then right uphill to forest track, go left on this. Past X-tracks and no.4 marker post, uphill and right at top on singletrack. Over forest track (same track as earlier), over next forest track and left at fork (came from right before).

Right after 30m on twisty singletrack, emerge at X-tracks (from earlier), go straight ahead (right of red/white marker post), and immediately left on singletrack. Downhill, joining forest track, immediately left at fork, and straight ahead all the way to a playground. Go right through gate (walk) back to the café & car park.

The longer ¾ provide some additional and much needed protection & warmth for your knees for these wet, cold months. OK, it’s been pretty amazing weather so far, but it’s still pretty cold in the morning or evening/night.

After my MT500 short shorts quickly became my favourite shorts through the summer, I had to get myself a pair of their bigger brother, the ¾’s, for the winter. I don’t usually like riding in ¾’s or trousers, but my old knees require a bit more protection in the winter than just ¾ lycra provides. I was however surprisingly pleased with how they don’t feel ‘draggy’ on my knees at all (unlike my 3/4 Zymes or Humvees). The articulated knee design is to thank here, and there is a velcro tab enables adjustment if you feel they are too baggy.

With a clever selection of materials it has the best of both worlds; using waterproof and fully taped seams on the rear your backside stays bone dry, a tough waterproof fabric around the crotch for long-term durability, and stretchy Cordura fabric on the front for comfort and to make sure you don’t overheat (like you often will in fully waterproof shorts).

There are pockets on the front, with storm flaps, but I preferred not to put anything in them when cycling as the good but close cut made it feel restrictive with anything significant in them. There are also some vented zips on the thigh to regulate the temperature too and a zip fly, button fastener and a small belt and additional belt loops if needed. It also has the Endura Clickfast fittings for their lycra shorts.

VERDICT: Very comfy, waterproof, durable and not too hot. These, like their younger/shorter brother are my favourite shorts for these current (colder, wetter) conditions. At £72.99 (RRP) they are pretty good value too. Highly recommended.

£440 (frame & fork, delivered) from www.singularcycles.com

pic by Russell Burton

Even with the big 29″ wheels and skinny steel tube frame, this bike just looks ‘right’.

You have to be swift I’d been after one of these bikes for a while, as after testing some 29′ers out I’d decided that a rigid singlespeed 29′er would be perfect for the riding in the Chilterns, especially through the winter. As it turned out, it has been my bike of choice through the Summer and Autumn as well. You have to be quick if you want to buy one of these bikes 2nd hand as they are quite rare and get snapped up incredibly quickly. Eventually I managed it though, and it’d been specced out with value for money in mind i.e. with good parts, but not too expensive. Just what I like.

The Bike The Swift has been around since 2007 and was first available in either singlespeed or geared versions, but since 2009 the two have become one by adding cable guides, rear mech hanger and an eccentric bottom bracket, so it can be run as either a geared or singlespeed bike. The versatility of the bike doesn’t end there, with the geometry designed to accommodate either a rigid or 100mm suspension fork.

The Ride The frame (inc eccentric BB and seat clamp) weighs in at 2.7kg, plus 1.13kg for the rigid fork, so on paper it isn’t the lightest of frames, but steel never is and it’s the ride and feel that count, and this is where it excels. The large 29” wheels roll over and absorb the smaller trail obstacles with ease and it suits the attacking & flowing style of the riding in places such as the Chilterns. I’ve also added some bar ends to help me honk up the bigger hills which has been a god send and is allowed by the fashion police on these flat bars (as you will usually find on 29′ers, as it helps keep the front end low).

The bike is simply great fun to ride, with precise, quick steering and is confident and stable on the descents, and has been my bike of choice for fast, local rides. I have also been using the gloriously light (around 0.56kg) Niner carbon fork, in place of the (1.13kg) steel fork that came with it, over the summer. This has helped take out some of the trail vibration when the ground was nice and hard, and made the front end lighter and more reactive. It doesn’t look quite ‘right’ though and it’s an expensive upgrade, so I’d personally stick with the original fork, or as I have just gone and done; buy a suspension fork. Well On-One had some 29′er Reba’s at 1/2 price, so it’d be rude not to.

What next? As I have been enjoying riding this bike so much, and have now accidently bought some suspension forks, I plan to add some gears (either 1×10 or 2×10) and take it on some big hilly epics that I have planned for next year, such as a Welsh C2C. I’ll let you know how it goes.

VERDICT: A good looking, big wheeled, fun, versatile bike that is well suited to the taller rider.

NOTE: When you buy the frame, it is rust treated, and the headset, bottom bracket and seat tube faces are all reamed and ready to go and is nicely finished off with an elegant Swift headbadge. ‘Singular’ Sam is also a top bloke to deal with, or if you want a bike shop to build one up for you, to your spec, check out http://www.head-for-the-hills.co.uk/custom-builds/custom_builds_examples.htm

£149.99 http://www.mobiwasher.co.uk/

The unit My other bike pressure washer, the Dirtworker, died prematurely on me (after it got a good work out on the VERY wet event we ran this summer), so I needed another. The unit is nice and sturdy and comes with a shoulder strap, and wheels and the battery also disconnects from the tank to make filling up easier. The nozzle is adjustable, providing a range of water pressure (from 45 – 130psi), which will dislodge stubborn mud but not force water into the bearings.

In action Portable pressure washers are extremely handy things for trips away and flats or houses without a hose. A quick clean immediately after a ride, not only saves the inside of your car, but is 10 times easier to clean than after the cack has dried on. I went for the V17 with the built in rechargeable battery, which can be charged (or run) from a car or home power supply. This means no annoying cables to fumble around with or close in doors and no worrying about running car batteries dead. I tested the battery and although it didn’t achieve the claimed life, it lasted for a full 4 full tanks, losing high pressure half way through the 5th tank, which I was pleased with. The 17 litre capacity will clean one utterly filthy bike to pristine condition / two dirty bikes to ‘well done’ / three bikes to a ‘reasonable’ and I’ve been very pleased with the results so far.

Overall: A great bit of kit, but the V17 (with battery) has recently gone up in price (from £134.99) to £149.99, which I personally wouldn’t be prepared to pay, especially when the V15 without battery is £99.99 but Wiggle are currently doing for a bargain price of just £60  Well worth the investment for anyone who drives to ride or doesn’t have a hose at home.

LONG TERM UPDATE: The O-ring between the battery pack and water pack keeps popping out of place slightly when you reattach the two parts, which means the water will dribble out…until its empty! It simply looks like the O-ring has become a bit worn/stretched, so easy enough to rectify, but the point is, it shouldn’t really be happening (already) and could cause a big old flood if you aren’t careful.

Also, the way the hose connects to the washer and nozzle is a simple 180 degree turn, but it is quite loose which has resulted in the hose popping off when I didn’t want it to (making a wet mess) and the nozzle has also fallen off in my travels and got lost, so that’ll be £15.99 to replace it then

RRP £32.99 www.endura.co.uk

The Gloves. I actually got these ‘lightweight summer gloves’ with spring time riding in mind, as although they are ‘summer’ gloves, they offer a little extra protection than the usual XC glove, with hard wearing suedette palms and protective panels on the backs of the fingers (which I kept on forgetting about when wiping my nose – ouch).

In action the silicone on the brake fingers is a nice touch, providing some extra useful grip on the brake levers and although I prefer the comfier feel of pull on gloves, their life does seem to be shorter than the velcro tabs that secure these gloves around the wrist. The main fabric is a four-way stretch material which kept my hands comfy, with no movement or loose fitting areas and it is breathable, so it also kept them cool despite the nice ‘snug’ fit. As much as I liked my 661 lightweight summer gloves, I went through them far too quickly, but these look and feel secure and sturdy and should last the test of time well.

Overall a great protective ‘summer’ glove that I also recommend for the Autumn, and will probably be wearing in the Spring as well. Also available in orange, and black.

Took them out last night and scared the trick-or-treaters… a treat!

They are seriously bright with a superb spread of light.

We’ve also got some more rear lights and spare batteries – including Endurance batteries (which have extra 50% capacity over the standard ones).

Will get some pictures (maybe even a video) of it in action at Swinley next week.

http://www.roughrideguide.co.uk/Bike-Lights.html

More trails, range of accommodation, facilities for beginners, families, non cyclists… let me know – they are VERY willing to make these things happen, so have your say. Thanks

There are some very nice carbon frames which may not have been reported to
us or may have been reported to another police force as we are close to the
border with Surrey Police and Thames Valley Police.

The value of the original complete bikes recovered is currently estimated to be at least £90,000. Of which approx £50,000 unidentified.

What was happening the bikes were being stolen, stripped and the components
sold on, making things difficult, however the frames were not and the police are trying to identify the owners.

Please contact PC 22675 Richard Smith
Aldershot Priority Crime Unit
Hampshire Constabulary
richard.smith@hampshire.pnn.police.uk

if you have had a bike stolen from within 30 miles of Farnborough valued over £600 (MTB, Hybrid, Racer) since October 2010?

Please email the crime reference number, make, model, colour and frame number and anything distinguishable about the frame.

Just to give you a sample of the frames now in police possession: a Giant trance X and Giant trance X1, a Scott Scale 35, a Scott Genius, a Scott spark 40, a Trek EX9
and EX9.5 a Scott G-zero and a black and gold S-works.