Just four of us out in the anti-social group tonight: Steve Hopper, Hackness Mike, Russ the Pliers, and me. Russ and Steve led us up to Ravenscar along the old railway track, into the wind, and then we headed along the bridleway that my map calls Pye Rigg over to Harwood Dale. We found some nice singletrack around Cowgate Rigg and Little Cowgate Rigg, I think, and came back into Cloughton via Ripley's Road and the forested, disused quarries.

Russ had a lot of miles in his legs from the Yorkshire Day Ride so had to put the effort in from the get-go. Mike and Steve had been out on Sunday too, but seemed pretty fresh. I was a bit tired, because my eldest son came home drunk at about 3am and clanked around until he fell into bed, but my main concern was my bike…

I was trying out a 3-speed Sram hub. It's meant for town bikes. Mountain biking evidently puts too much torque into the hub (especially if you ignore the guidelines on sprocket and chainring sizes). It slipped as soon as I put some real effort in, and by the end was pretty knackered - only first gear (about 36 inches!) was working properly. Cue comedy cartoon-style pedalling. Oh well. Fisher Outdoor won't mind… I hope. 

It wasn't the best night for well oiled machines. Steve had lost a lot of pressure from his fork, and was riding with about 5mm of travel. Mike's disc brake seemed to have worn down enough to stop rubbing, though!

There was some lovely twisty pine tree singletrack in Harwood Dale, some stinky sloppy bits (where either Mike or Russ had an over-the-bars moment, but not into the slop), some rooty bits, some grassy bits, and some of the old railway track. Plenty of banter, and a nice pint to finish at the Bryherstones. I almost didn't go riding tonight because I was tired, but as ever I'm really glad I did. It's good to escape from real life for a bit and come back muddy, nettled, and happy. Thanks to Russ and Steve for directions.