MTB

[kirkmtb]

A summit attempt.

With so little good mountain biking within riding distance of our new home, I’m still exploring. Fortunately I’ve identified some real possibilities to the west of Portsoy, so this summer I can explore the routes on 2 wheels. I’ve already walked a couple of good looking sections with the dog, so I know what to expect. To the east, I’ve ridden Montcoffer Woods several times but have been unable…

A summit attempt.

[kirkmtb]

Change down.

How often, when you’re cycling, do you think about gear changing? In my case I’ve realised, after my last ride, that I don’t think about it often enough. I covered 11.8 miles, taking in Montcoffer Woods, and poor choice of gears may have only cost me a few seconds in the entire ride. The time is not the point. The point is to experience the exquisite feeling of getting it exactly right on the…

Change down.

[kirkmtb]

Taking corners as quickly as possible!

It’s nearly 3 years since I developed a heart problem but I now feel like I’m returning to fitness. Slowly. In the same period that I had a heart valve repair we also moved house some 370 miles north to Aberdeenshire, Scotland. I’ve had less time than I would have liked to work on my fitness but this summer I intend to put some effort in. Whilst waiting for the operation I mainly rode an E bike,…

Taking corners as quickly as possible!

[kirkmtb]

Fitbit.

Since I had my mitral heart valve repaired I’ve been rather cautious when exercising. My fear is that if my heart rate rises too high I may suffer from atrial fibrilation, which is when the heart Chambers get out of sync with each other. This is a serious condition and was the first indication that I had a heart problem. I decided to buy a heart rate monitor, firstly an imitation Fitbit. Buying…

Fitbit.

[kirkmtb]

A real off road ride.

I’ve struggled, since moving to Scotland, to find good off road riding. I know there are some good trails to be found if I load the bike into a car and drive for over 10 miles, but there is virtually nothing within an easy riding distance. On this ride I again chose my E bike to cover the 4.5 miles each way to Port Soy. After I arrived in the village I dropped down to the seashore to start a…

A real off road ride.

[kirkmtb]

The Bridge of Alvah.

Since moving to the North of Scotland last year I have been planning a mountain bike ride to the Bridge of Alvah. It was built to cross the River Deveron as part of the estate of Duff House in the eighteenth century. The structure of the bridge has a small room built into one face. It is alledged that the Earl of Duff House used the nook to entertain certain ladies! The consequence of this is…

The Bridge of Alvah.

[kirkmtb]

Wind.

Since moving from Northern England to Nortern Scotland we now definitely live in a windy area. The prevailing winds still blow from the south west but they are stronger. The relative lack of tree cover also leaves me more exposed to the breeze. I don’t have an accurate wind speeds for my ride yesterday but imagine that it would have been around 15 mph or 25 kph, blowing from the west. I rode the…

Wind.

[kirkmtb]

Exploring by E bike.

E bikes are ideal for the exploration of a little known area. If you find a long or steep climb you simply don’t need to put in the same amount of effort you would on a conventional bike. Since I’m currently trying to find a route around a large area of woodland I chose the Trek with added electric power, again. I took a very similar way to the Macduff distillery, which I have to pass through to…

Exploring by E bike.

[kirkmtb]

E is for Effort.

E is for Effort. I haven’t written a mountain biking post for a long time. Over 6 months, I imagine. The reasons are complex. Until June of 2023 I rode enthusiastically with big physical efforts. I suddenly found that I had no energy and an out of control heart rate. This made me decide to go to hospital where, after a few days of observation and various scans, I was told that the mitral valve…

E is for Effort.

[kirkmtb]

A short but worthwhile ride.

With so much work going on to restore our cottage it remains difficult to get out on the bike. I had hoped to ride over the weekend for longer, exploring the promising terrain of Montcoffer Woods. Unfortunately it took me until yesterday (Wednesday) to get out and then only for a shorter trip. The wind was seriously strong from the south West so riding westwards along the coastal route was a…

A short but worthwhile ride.

[kirkmtb]

Frustration.

I hadn’t ridden in 17 days but today I managed a short spin. When I stopped to take a picture I managed to stop the app. Strava, so I didn’t record the second half of the ride. This is a shame because for the first time in over 2 years I tried hard to beat my previous best time on a flat section of the trail. I’d already enjoyed the only “mountain bike” section of the ride, which is around 225…

Frustration.

[kirkmtb]

More exploration of Montcoffer Woods.

I did my longest ride since my heart surgery, today. I wanted to go to Montcoffer Woods again but this time to use my Boardman FS Pro, without electrical assistance. The woodland caps a hill, rising to around 300 feet. The lowest point on the ride is along the coast from Whitehills, where I live, and Banff. I made a route mistake as I passed through the Macduff Distillery and rode along a…

More exploration of Montcoffer Woods.

[kirkmtb]

Exploring my new area.

Having moved nearly 400 miles northwards to the north coast of Aberdeenshire in Scotland I have a whole new area to explore. I rode my Boardman mountain bike a few days ago and was rather disappointed with the coastal trail to ths West of our village. The ground was strewn with rocks washed up from the sea which made progress hard work. Additionally it was just no fun. Today I decided to explore…

Exploring my new area.

[kirkmtb]

Flower of the Week, 21st July 2025.

If you’ve read my flower and plant based post previously you might wish to have a look at my new site. I’ve decided to leave mountainbiker.online purely for cycling articles but I’m now also writing about the restoration of our new home and garden. We have moved from Lancashire to a 175 year old former fisherman’s cottage in Nothern Scotland. The house needs quite a lot of work, particularly in…

Flower of the Week, 21st July 2025.

[kirkmtb]

My new mountain biking home.

After well over 30 years of mountain biking in Lancashire, in the North of England, we’ve moved our home nearly 400 miles northwards to Aberdeenshire in Scotland. 12 months ago we had no idea that this would have ever happened but here we are. The motivations for moving were mainly that our only son had set up in business in this area. He’s getting married to a local girl next year so he won’t be…

My new mountain biking home.

[kirkmtb]

My new site.

We are moving our home some 400 miles northwards to the coast of Aberdeenshire. I want to write about the restoration of our 175 year old former fisherman’s cottage and garden so I have begun a new site to avoid confusion with my mountain biking activities. It is available on http://www.scottishcottageandgarden.co.uk There is an awful lot of work to be done and may take us a few years until we…

My new site.

[kirkmtb]

Progress in my performance.

I am trying to improve my riding performance after my heart valve was repaired in March. I had naively expected to be just a little down on fitness but instead I found that I was very weak initially. I have continued to improve and can now do something akin to a mountain bike ride. Today I rode to an old favourite at Birkacre for 2 particular downhill sections. I started slowly and warmed up on…

Progress in my performance.