What did you do TO / WITH / FOR your bike today!

Lazmo

Old and hopeless
Kowen and Sparrow is where I rekindled the MTB love when I first moved to Canberra!
Yep, when our eldest lived up there, while visiting we’d either ride Stromlo, Bruce Ridge, Majura Pines or Kowen/Sparrow, and they are all good, but Kowen/Sparrow felt more like riding in the bush and less like a dedicated mtb track. But yes, it was constantly evolving over time. Each visit was a different ride to the last time. Loved it.
 

dancaseyimages

Mountain bike pornographer
Yep, when our eldest lived up there, while visiting we’d either ride Stromlo, Bruce Ridge, Majura Pines or Kowen/Sparrow, and they are all good, but Kowen/Sparrow felt more like riding in the bush and less like a dedicated mtb track. But yes, it was constantly evolving over time. Each visit was a different ride to the last time. Loved it.
Exactly why I ride out there its very peaceful, we were previously in a house that you could ride through Kowen to get to Sparrow, was a good place to be with bush blocks.
Kowen/Sparrow is also a wildlife release area so those baby Kangaroo's, Magpies, Wallabys that are found around Canberra and rehabbed are released out there too.
The tracks still haven't finished evolving, even on Tuesday I rode a new bit of a climb that had just been completed the previous Tuesday, I think when you have dedicated volunteers who take ownership the trails do pretty well.
Stromlo is on the other end where the ACT Government now have a few part time diggers doing the work fixing trails.
 

Tubbsy

Packin' a small bird
Staff member
the ACT Government now have a few part time diggers doing the work fixing trails.
They’re advertising for a full-time crew now that the UC $$ have been added to the pot.

The Stromlo Trails Masterplan promised “early 2024” is still missing in action, while the Stromlo to Cotter trail is being done by Dirt Art for opening in 2025, hopefully.
 

dancaseyimages

Mountain bike pornographer
They’re advertising for a full-time crew now that the UC $$ have been added to the pot.

The Stromlo Trails Masterplan promised “early 2024” is still missing in action, while the Stromlo to Cotter trail is being done by Dirt Art for opening in 2025, hopefully.
At least the tram is coming along I guess. ;)
Final laps out Sparrow way on the old 'Long Loop', although looks like Pinball out the back will be left alone. I think Billy Cart will be left too, as its pretty steep and rocky and the parcel is pretty small, they have logged up to here.

Stromlo will be interesting for the Capital Kamikaze next weekend, prices have been slashed, they were looking for heaps more people to volunteer to support the crew as well. I hope with Stromlo no longer being cared for as it once was, events like that might help push the maintenance.
SparrowFinal.jpg
 

nzhumpy

Googlemeister who likes bikes and scandal

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
It would cost them about 5 times that to salvage it!! It’s in deep. I mean real deep. And a long way down a pretty steep gully. Yeahnah. That’s its final resting place.
Ohhh....OK. I better not find a 'Self Service Pick Up' option buried in Ebay somewhere :)
 

Jpez

Down on the left!
What sort of car is that? The jump looks cool @Jpez was it rideable with a bit of a sweep?
Had a morris look to it maybe? Not sure. Jump is definitely rideable. couple small trees down in the run up. I’m surprised it’s there. It’s a big hike up and in and a bigger one out so not sure why they chose that spot to build a trail. Was a cool spot though.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
...and no shuttle options in the area? May have been a moto trail? Jump looks cool, I like finding mysterious old trails and shit like that. The car as well...how did it get there? And when¿?! Was it something of a current model? Maybe it eas a bank robber's get away mobile! Endless possibilities.
 

RastaRuss

Likes Dirt
*Weight Weenie Alert*
Found some time to lace up my AliExpress Carbon rims... I wanted to build up a lightweight wheelset for my Optic to make it a bit lighter and more sprightly, the factory wheelset are Stans flow S2 which allegedly weigh almost 2200g.
I was a bit surprised at what these came in at, and now also a bit scared. They're CarbonBeam Assymetric, 30mm internal, in the beefed up 130kg rider weight option which gives me a lot of room for cake. Dt350 hubs, CX-ray spokes + brass nipples. The front still needs tensioning, but I've already given the rear a run down a track they have no right going down and happy to report it's still in 1 piece.
Front - 681g + Rear - 802g = 1483g
Also have a Garbaruk cassette waiting to be put on which should drop another 150g in all the right places.
View attachment 408093
Keen to see how these last Mate, how heavy are you ?
 

DougalStrachan

Likes Dirt
Headed to Tumbarumba for the long weekend with a few other families (Bit of an Easter tradition) about 40 of us in all. Wasn't a riding focused weekend but did manage to hit up some trails in Tumbarumba - credit to whoever maintains these, great set of trails. 2 main trailheads that have a joining trail between (Also one trail in town that I didn't get around to riding). Nothing extreme, Commons trails were very beginner friendly but still a bit of fun and the Mason's Hill / Pines trails were great flowy trails well thought out and fun to ride, all green to blue trails, but heaps of fun. Good little town as well (Pub was nice and friendly - met a few local characters there).

Only bit of weirdness was that the eldest managed to perfectly time a stick that it snapped the tubeless valve off at the rim. Impressive feat as it didn't really damage anything else.
 

Freediver

I can go full Karen
Nope - chucked a tube in and good to go tho - big question is how good a dad am I? Do I go matchy matchy and put two new valves on or rummage and find whatever I can and put that on...........
Nah, you go ghetto with the valve from an old tube, tell your wife you just spent $25 dollars on valves for the kid and buy yourself some nice ciders.
I don't have a wife or kids but I know how it's supposed to be done.
 
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