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John and Terry were due out with the Reivers today, but when they found out that Jason was available and because John had missed out on the last trip to Heaven, they switched to Glentress at the last minute. So late, in fact, that Reiver Derek rang them as the trio was slowing for Otterburn to see why they weren't in Hexham! Apologies and thanks to Derek for that, but even more thanks to Jason for turning out as it looks like the Reivers had yet another hell ride while we were zooming down the chutes at Big G!

We arrived around lunch time and began the ride at 12.00, chugging up the trail from the Hub car park to the start of the Black Trail and Johnny's first proper test of the Kikapu Deluxe.  Even the first climb had young John heaving a bit as he'd spent the week riding to work for the first time! It didn't get any easier as we reached the first real vertical test at the Tower Ride and continued up the steady 1000 feet overall climb to the Helly Hansen Hut, just short of the summit at Dunslair Heights. Both John and I did a bit of walking on the way up there, but Jason cleaned the lot on his Whyte E5 and is looking in great, almost alcohol-free shape at the moment.

John peels off a layer before the Tower climb and drags the Kikapu up stage 1

Here he gets ready to tackle the second part of the climb Looks like down, but not for long!

We had a nice rest at the hut then it was time for John to sample the delights of Britney Spears as we hit (me one more time...) the swooping, bermy singletrack at fairly decent speed. All down with no mistakes and, more significantly for me, no punctures in the Coiler. Totally amazing as I was running Stan's No Tubes for the first time, and there was only TWENTY PSI in the Michelin Wildgrippers as I couldn't be arsed to blow them up any further at the start, and that's what I tested them at back home. Believe me, this system is fantastic. It was a swine to get the tyres sealed at first, after trying a few different makes, but well worth the effort. One slight drawback is that of the tyres I had available to try, the successful ones were pretty hard mud tyres, so they're a wee bit slippery on damp slate.

At long last, John samples the Black Route

After another short walk up to the radio mast  for the older pair it was time to enjoy the fruits of our labours as the first in a very long-lasting set of superb downhill singletracks through the trees beckoned. We paused at the top only for Jay and John to witness the silly old Gollum fall at zero mph, being unable to dismount after forgetting that he was using clipless pedals for the first time on the Coiler, and the first time whilst wearing body armour and full face lid - something he vowed never to do. Apart from this stupid lapse of concentration which cost yet another bruised big right botty cheek just as it was healing, the Old One managed to complete the day without actually crashing. And so did the other two, but not for want of trying. John's lean-forward style will always take him close to the brink, especially on the steeper descents, while Jason's flamboyant, tail-wagging style off the ground has led to many a close encounter with the scenery.

Ready for some action! Jay and John wait for the slowcoaches to clear the second last singletrack section

We really rattled down these superb drops, and as the day went on John got more and more confident and comfortable on his comparatively small four incher (?) and by the time we flew off the end of the trail back down at base camp he was hard on the tail of the two loonies ahead, and happy with the bike's performance. He may need to get Evans to look at the Marzocchi MZ3s, however, as they don't seem to be allowing full travel. After resting at most of the trail heads for a short while and two short food halts, we completed the trail in 3hrs 50mins, and the icing on the cake was the weather and the lack of mechanical problems. A great ride, a bit of an eye-opener for John, a nice bit of training for Jay who's looking fit and fast, and a nice walk with the bike for Golly. This is how treats should be, so now we'll give the Seven Stanes a short break before the next Scottish sweet is served.

Bike PC said 17.2 miles/26.3mph max (on Britney)/3hrs 50mins total time/2hrs 36mins rolling time.