by Jim House
Winter Update
Riding off-road in winter is either ridiculous, very challenging or great fun; probably a mix of all three. January started with -3°C and apparently…. snow. (I’m from ‘up north’ where snow is measured in feet, not fractions of a mm, hence the ‘apparently’).
The freezing conditions made riding north of the A27 possible and ‘interesting’, so interesting we had a first. The ground was so hard it rattled someone’s crown off their tooth!! It was pretty bumpy to be fair.
We then moved onto wet, very wet; lots of liquid dust. This is where ebikes are brilliant: up the power and blast through. You would never be able to do this on a manual and is one of the truly great ebike riding experiences.
We did have some beautiful sunny rides though. The viewpoint at Lullington Heath shows how lucky we are, see pic below.
The drawback of ebikes (especially in winter) is ‘Battery Anxiety’. A much-maligned condition, misunderstood and ridiculed by those riding manuals. We have honed arriving home with the red lights flashing ‘Charge Battery’ to an art form.
Of course, we also have mechanicals but we have lots of skills in our group and generally manage to fix most things, from punctures, sliced tyres, snapped chains, to rattling headsets and broken brake levers. We can usually get people on the move again.
There are the occasional serious breakdowns, motor electrics and terminally damaged rear derailleurs being the most common, even a snapped rear axle, that can’t be fixed. In those cases we make sure contact has been made to arrange recovery, and often, someone will stay behind to make sure they get back ok. It’s a very supportive community.
Its all part on the ‘enjoyment’ of mountain biking. We can even manage the occasional smile. Look at the ‘happiness’ after finishing the never ending Fight Club climb, see pic below.
It’s now spring and a whole new range of challenges beckon. I hope this is whetting your appetite for some Monday Mud Love. If you would like your bike to look like this then come and join us.
Jim (ebike and occasional manual, mtb ride leader)
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Spring 2026