Went mountain biking in Kangaroo Valley today and had a blast. We left Bondi at 9am and met up again in Bowral for a coffee. Kev was the only one who’d been on the trail before, and there was a fair bit of faffing as we tried to find it, since he wasn’t too sure exactly where it was. We drove down past Fitzroy Falls, through the switchbacks, then myself and Tom got some gourmet chutney & jams while we were waiting for Kev to show up. He had been ahead of us, but had stopped in the information office without telling us.
Left Kev’s car at the bottom of the run, then drove back up to the top. Set off into the damp, misty forest, along a fire trail. That petered out after a few kilometres and it was into the forest proper. Up hill and down dale, swooping in amongst the trees. The trail wasn’t too narrow, though there were a few places where you got whipped by bushes as we went past. There were also a couple of fallen trees blocking the way in a few places. My front wheel was bouncing all over the place, since my front shocks are pretty crap, but it was still great fun.Tom and Kev sounded like they were having great fun behind me doing the odd jump, whereas I couldn’t risk it as I wasn’t at all confident of being able to keep control of my front wheel upon landing. Swapped bikes with Tom for the last 10% and it was a whole different ball game. A real front shock which actually worked properly! The front was as solid as a rock and I could jump to my hearts content. I have to either buy myself a new fork which works, or else buy a new bike. I think I’ll have to make do with a fork for the moment. Had a quick look when I got home and a basic Rock Shox should set me back about $200. Will have to talk to the guys in the shop and see whether it will fit my bike.So, had a nice bit of nosh and then hit the road back to Sydney. Kev planned to stop en route for a power nap. Overall, the day was fantastic. I can’t wait to get a real fork and let rip properly on the trail. I’m hooked!This Week:Bike: 50km road, 1.5hrs offroad.