New Bike

The new ride

On 10 July I took delivery of an Empire MX6 Evo, this seems (according to many of the reviews and forums) a bit of a Marmite design (you either love or hate it). I thought it looked good (the original MX6 was good too), and after seeing it at the bike show, I put my order in.

The move from 3x9 to 2x10 is a bit of a chore (having spent 7 years on an Orange P7 pro, hardtail to full susser is a suprise too), I'm still trying to sort out the right ratio for climbing!

After 200+ miles and some very varied terrain, the bike has been great, quick, agile and good fun. 

A user error on the Stans no Tubes conversion gave me a headache until I read the help and troubleshooting guide on the Stans website. Now I'm running tubeless too, and that has proved to be a brilliant decision.

All in all, apart from an uncomfortable saddle and the stick Kent clay getting stuck all over the frame, its a joy.

Empire Cycles - MX6 EVO 

Stans No Tubes

Loop out from Ightham, more byways and bridleways

Loop out from Ightham, more byways and bridleways

10:31 on Friday, 4 July 2014    18 miles, 2100 ft climbing

From the car part at Ightham Village hall (free parking), we take the route to Oldbury

Hill, (see previous posts for this), and up through the woods then out and over the

A25 and around Raspit hill, taking the bridleway along the hill top through Raspit woods

and then redhill wood, these are great sections if you keep left or right of the actual

trail and take the detours.

It's a good flowing set of trails, with a great downhill at the end onto Grove Road.

The aim of this trip was to get out to see some of the trails I'd not visited before, so

I took the road down to Godden Green and found the entrance to the bridleway past the

pub, its on the left, and at the end of the drive to the hospital/clinic.

Its a good farm track, leading out along the woods and out to the road.

Here I took a left to Bitchet Common and then out to Fawke Common, the restricted byway

runs from the common out to Carter's Hill, and is a good run, nice and long and varied,

all the way down to the A225.

A quick dash along the B245 to Bank Lane to head back up towards Underriver, to take in

the bridleway at One Tree Hill, this is a nice trail through the woods out to the road,

on the right just out of the exit of the trail is the next on a long track and trail over

the fields towards the national trust site at Ightham Mote, here you ride alongside the

house and get a good view of the gardens too, up to the hill.

On the left is the next trail, a gravel track, nice and steep with plenty of spinning

wheels, out to the road back at Raspit Hill, this bridleway is very steep, and nothing

but a push was possible.

Then we're back through the woods and out to the A25 and back to the car park.

Longfield, Pilgrims way loop

Longfield, Pilgrims way loop

11:25 on Friday, 2 May 2014

17miles - approx 1200 ft climbing.

This loop begins from the car park at the St Mary the virgin Church on the
Longfield to Fawkham road, (Free parking).
Turning left out of the car park you head towards Fawkham on the very nasty
lane, be careful of cars passing as it's a bit narrow, and not quite enough
room for passing traffic.

Follow the road towards Fawkham and take the left on Micheals Lane up the hill
towards New Ash Green, these are small lanes, single track, and quiet.

I followed the Ash Lane along side the village and out towards Stansted, there is
a byway on the left this is a good trail, (I've covered this in a previous
blog) singletrack, through the hedge borders in the field and at the split I took the 
bridleway out to Hatham Green Lane, the route is grass, and a slow ride.

Then its a left onto the lane and a right at the junction onto Parsons Lane, and
another right onto Plaxdale Green Road. This is a long slog along the lane towards the
A20. At the junction turn left on the great named, Labour-In-Vain Road and follow it
to the end, it slips into a bridleway. Broken tarmac, large flints and fallen trees
were the order of the day when I rode it. The trail ends at the A20, which you need
to ride down to the bridge on the right.

Cross the bridge and head left downhill towards Wrotham, take the second right onto
the Pilgrims Way, this section is gravel and solid, a good ride leading onto the road.
I took the second right hander onto Cotmans Ash Lane, and should've paid attention to
the contour lines, it's a bit of a sod of a climb up the hillside, at the top on the
left hand bend you get a brief spin along a byway, (surface is a bit poor, but an
interesting ride).

You end on Tinker Pot Lane, (another great name), follow this to the right, and onto
School lane heading back towards the A20 and onto Fawkham, and then back to the start.

Loop out from Longfield

Loop out from Longfield 11:30 on Saturday, 26 April 2014

19 Miles, approx 1400ft climbing.

This loop begins from the car park at the St Mary the virgin Church on the
Longfield to Fawkham road, (Free parking).

Turning left out of the car park you head towards Fawkham on the very nasty
lane, be careful of cars passing as it's a bit narrow, and not quite enough
room for passing traffic.

Approx a mile along the lane take the left on Scudders Hill, this is a cheeky
hill that creeps up the side of the valley and can catch you out early on in
the ride. Stick with it.

Over the apex and just down the other side on the left is the entrance to the
first byway, this is a muddy but well maintained and follows the line of the
ridge southwards. Leading out onto School Lane, turn right here and head downhill
towards Horton Kirby, turning left on Lombard Street towards the A20.

A quick dash down the A20 on the right, and then a left onto Eynsford Road, and
ride into the village, keep riding along this road, until you see Priory Lane
on the left, take this and it becomes a byway, at the time of writing it was
closed to vehicle traffic, but it is a good open ride over the hill to
Beesfield Lane.

Beesfield Lane is back to a single track road, and a pleasant ride, follow this
lane and it becomes Maplescombe Lane, on the right at the junction to Botsom Lane
is the start of the bridleway, this heads up the hill and into the woods, the first
section is full of stones and overgrown, at the gate halfway up it turns sharp left
and up a small slope, be ready for it! Once on this it's back to a single footpath
type trail up into the High Castle woods and out onto Cherry Tree Grove. The track
through the woods is ok, but very muddy in places with diversions into the trees at
the side. Stick with it, it ends, out of the woods over a low (horse) gate, and onto
a tarmac road.

We're then back onto tarmac and following East Hill Road, past the farm on the left
is the entrance to the next bridleway, well signposted, it starts as a farm track and
reduces down to a single trail (well used by horses).
This kinks to the right and starts downhill, be carefull here, the downhill section at
the top is a set of steps (best attacked on the left hand side), once you've takled
these it's aquick run down the hill and through the barrier at the bottom onto
Knatts Valley Road.

Opposite the exit take Knatts Lane, and then the left had entrance to the next
bridleway, this is a strange one, a steep concrete path through overgrown hawthorn,
(I ended up pushing the bike) leads out to a good trail through the woods to over
Kingsingfield Road and into Stacklands wood, finally meeting School Lane at
"the Grove".

Turn right here and follow School Lane. The entrance to the next restricted byway
is on the left and is a bit odd, starts out at a trail along a fence and between
gardens, and then loses it's way a bit over gates and a field, not really a good
route.

It ends when it meets St Clere Hill Road, and we turn left here, and head south.
Knock Mill lane runs across the top of the downs, with great views and we follow
this and take the junction to Exedown Road, this drops down the hill towards the
road to Wrotham, as the lane heads left there is a sharp right hand turn, the entrance
to the bridleway is here and runs back up the hill, its steep and full of large stones.
This makes for a bit of a slog up the hill, but takes you over a bridge across the M20,
then over the field to the A20. (it would be better coming the other way!).

To wrap up the loop, I headed back along the A20 to the Fawkham road and then straight
back to the start.

A good ride out with some surprises, and again more great trails.