One slip and it’s GAME OVER | Mountain Biking Cannock Chase

I’m back on the brand new bike and riding The Monkey Trail after realising that my bike was not in a fit state to ride the first time I visited Cannock Chase on my travels around the UK.

My mission is simple. To ride the best mountain bike trails in the UK.

🗺️ Discover where I’ve ridden: https://bit.ly/4l1mY7M

Trail Forks Ride Log: https://www.trailforks.com/ridelog/view/90097572/

Oh yes. Whoa. Oh, full on drift into that one. Not on purpose. My friends, I have made it back to a trail center that I actually came to ride about 2 months ago. I made the journey up, took my bike off the roof as I’m doing right now, and then realized that my bike was not in a state to ride. There was brake fluid coming out of the levers. The shock was absolutely shot. So, I’m back on the brand new bike. I’m here at Canuk Chase Forest. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this trail center, so I could not wait to come back on the new bike. We’re going to be riding the monkey trail today. First things first, I’ve got to apply the sun cream on the arms and the back of the neck. It’s currently 23°, so it’s nice and warm. I’ve stupidly decided to wear riding trousers today. I should have worn shorts. I think there’s going to be a lot of sweat pouring out of my body today, that’s for sure. One positive already is that I’ve managed to make it out of the car park. Wasn’t expecting this straight away. Brakes are still a little bit soft. Still need a little bit of bedding in. Oh wow. If you’re new here, a very warm welcome. It’s great to have you riding along with me. I’m on a mission to ride and document the best mountain bike trails in the UK. I’m traveling around the country trying to explore the very best of what our country has to offer. All in the hope that you’ll see something that I’ve ridden and think, “Oh, I really, really want to go and ride that.” And then you do. That is the ultimate goal. A massive thank you to all those who have been watching so far, coming back week after week to see where I’ve been riding. When I started this channel about 2 months ago, maybe a month and a half ago, I can’t quite remember. I had the the goal at the start to just get 20 views per video and every single video that I’ve posted so far has surpassed that to my to my uh amazement. Thank you for all your wonderful comments. I love reading all of them. I think I’ve responded to every single one so far and a special thank you to those who have reached out and offered me guidance around specific areas in the UK that they think I will really enjoy. I will be getting in touch with you very shortly. I am once again recording on Trail Forks. If you want to come and ride this ride that you’re seeing, you absolutely can. I’ll link the Trail Forks ride log in the description so you can come out, follow it. Although the signage is very clear here. It’s really good signage. Oh, squeaky brakes. I think my GX Eagle group set has decided where it wants to sit. Switching really, really nicely. Just one click, bang. Instant gear change. So nice. Sounds really crisp as well. Oh yeah. Little gap, but yes. [Applause] It’s a little bit like Swindley Forest where if you’ve ever been to Swindley Forest, there’s not a lot of elevation at Swindley, but the trail crew do a really good job to actually make the descents worthwhile. Bit like this. They’re using the natural gradients of the terrain just to keep the flow and keep your momentum. Oh, yeah. Oh, loose BMS. Little drop into the burm. Oh yeah. Woo. If you haven’t already, you can check out exactly where I’ve ridden on my travels around the UK on the Trail View map, which is a sort of a Google Maps page that I’ve created where I’ve pinned out all the locations with supporting videos. Just a really nice overview of exactly where I’ve ridden just in case you wanted to see exactly where this place was on the map. Nice line. Oh, it’s loose, isn’t it? It’s so loose. You have to properly really slow down for these turns. Get that. Yes. Oh, breaking bump [Applause] hell. Woo! Hey, over the bridge. Nice. Oh, that’s a nice breeze. That is lovely. Go, go, go. Lung buster. I like that name. Have I still got I’ve still got I’ve still got eagle gear left. [Applause] Excellent. Oh yeah. God, whoever goes up that line is mad. Oh, that’s just that is cruel. Oh yes. Oh, wicked. Really did not think I was going to get [Applause] that. Oh, that’s loose. That’s loose. Oh, I’m sure a couple of people have gone off the edge there. That’s for sure. Holding my speed quite nicely for these. Oh, I got to go up high there. Woo. I like these short snappy descents with these short snappy climbs. It’s really cool. Get it up high. Yes. Yes. It’s quite hard to tell out here if it’s saddle down, if it’s sort of saddle halfway down or saddle all the way up. You just sort of go with the flow really. I’m still yet to mess around with the suspension on this new bike. The guys over at Bike Tart did tune it up for me for my weight and uh and riding style, but in terms of rebound and stuff like that, I haven’t actually touched it yet cuz it feels pretty good. I’ve got the uh the Foxflow X performance shock and one thing that I am interested in and that I never knew existed is an upgrade you can you can do to make it the uh the Float X Performance Elite rear shock. You can add a a low-speed compression knob to the rear of the shock. And so you basically get a performance elite shock for an absolute bargain price. So that’s going to be something I look into doing pretty soon, I think. Oh, here we go. Brakes are starting to work. Woo! Oh, this bike just flies, man. It just it just picks up speed like nothing I’ve ever ridden before. Oh, loose. Oh, a lot of people have made that line. Probably by accident like I just did. Oh, wicked. Technical and tight in between the trees. I’ve had a couple of comments as to why I didn’t go for the 29iner version of the 140. My reason being is simply that I’m just I’m not 100% sold on 29ers just yet. My riding style differs from what a 29iner can give you as well in terms of characteristics. I like to sort of jib and jab all over the trail as I’m going down. I’m I’m all about fun rather than just plowing down a descent. I like the agility of the 275. I like the playfulness. I like the the way it looks as well. I think 29iner wheels just look a bit big. They just I just can’t wrap my head around them yet. I have ridden the 29iner before and yeah, you can you can get up climbs a bit easier and you can go faster, but but I think for me that just that’s just not going to work, I don’t think. Oh, loose. Woo. Oh, nice. Oh, this is just awesome. Feels great. Feels so fast. Into the deep, dark woods. Whoa. That’s in between the trees there. Woo. I think this uh I think this trail was built in 2010, but I’m not sure on the history of it as in how it came about. Maybe it was a sort of a natural trail before they repurposed it into a mountain bike trail. If someone knows, please let me know in the comments. I’ll be really interested to find out. Oh, nice. Oh, now there’s a black line. Not entirely sure what I’ve got myself into here, but we shall see. Nice. I’m half expecting like a 20ft road gap or something. Oh, that’s nuts. I think I think a little bit more speed would have helped with that one. Now that’s just that’s just nuts. No, I know my limits. I did a little bit at least. Last thing I want is another hospital visit. Back on the red trail. I believe this was called Tom. Oh, there’s another rock garden. Yes. Yeah, that black line was no joke. That first bit was all right and then it just sort of leveled up again. Teenage Greg would have hit that. Now I’m getting older. I’m uh I’m not so sure. If I was someone else, it’d be a different story. We could hit it together. But just cuz it’s me out here, you know, you have got to take it a little bit safe sometimes. Was quite a nice view. Most of the time when I see a nice view, I’ve got to twist my body in a in an unhuman way to try and get it on camera. But that one’s uh that one’s full frame for you to enjoy. Bit of Northshore. I like it. I like it. That’s a bit tight, isn’t it? You expect I suppose you can get through it, but Oh, just both both grip ends touched touched either bit of wood then. You might have noticed or you might not have, but this bike’s hub isn’t very particularly loud. The Marin hub, I can’t actually remember what it was, but that was pretty loud, that one, and you could hear it in the videos. You can’t hear this one in the videos, but I think it’s really nice. You get to hear the raw sounds of the trail, the braking, the rocks, the gravel. I think to you, the viewer, it gives a more immersive experience. I uh I hope you enjoy it. Whoa, loose. Oh yeah. Flying through there. Thinking back to what I was saying earlier about 29ers. Struggle to get around these as quick as I am. Oh yes, the flow. Nice. Oh, the brakes are really, really good now. That was instant stopping power. Oh, that’s a bit [Applause] rough. Feels so good on the bike at the moment. I’m flicking it into every turn, breaking late, scandi flicking it around the next corner. Like I said in my first video at Kuman, I love it when a trail takes you down sections where you don’t really know what’s going to come around the next corner. So you’re sort of always on your toes. I absolutely love it. Oh yeah. I wondered what was coming over the hill with that one. Whoa. Oh, check this out. Oh, it’s that’s awesome. That is so cool. That’s the most unique boardwalk I think I’ve ever ridden. It kind of had like steps on it. That was really, really creative. Whoa. Where does it go? Whoa. Left turn. Oh, I think that’s a that’s a little shortcut line that’s just been made naturally over the past few years probably. Wa. There’s so many natural lines that people are making around here. So many off lines that you actually get a little bit confused as to where the main trail goes. Unless people who just kept flying off flying off the trail. Oh, neat. Yeah, that’s nice. Woo. Got to go outside on that. [Applause] Whoa. Oh, my life flashed before my eyes then. I thought I was going to completely slide out. Yes, that was nice. Oh, it’s really really flowy. Wa. What’s this? Oh, yeah. Oh, it’s just so good. Oh, wow. That’s fine. Whoa. Stuff like that really makes you use your eyes properly. You’re looking always at what’s ahead on the trail instead of what’s at your front wheel. Woo. One thing I’ve realized with this trail so far is that it’s got a really nice progression to it. Is in whenever there’s a climb, the descent always seems to be better than the last one that you just did. There’s some really nice trail building as well. or they take you through some really nice scenery like this. I love this kind of stuff where it’s just sort of you on your bike in the woods in the middle of nowhere. There’s no signal on my phone. So, uh yeah, it’s just it’s just nice. It’s just you and you can take time to think about things and just sort of sit and spin and and not rush. And just like that, down we go again. Oh yeah. Woohoo. Pop that. Yes. On the brakes. Woohoo. Oh yeah. Had to put the gloves back on because my hands are getting a little bit sore. Brand new grips are really tacky. They’re just tearing the skin off the palms of my hands. Oh yes. Whoa. Oh, full on drift into that one. Not on purpose. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, I don’t know what that is. It’s a classic example this of using the terrain to your advantage cuz like I’ve said there’s not a lot of elevation here but it’s the way these trails sort of crisscross down the side of the hill back and forth makes it feel so much longer than it actually is wait. Oh, nice. Oh, these little whoops. You maintain your speed so well. Whoa. Left turn. Oh, cross the boardwalk. Lovely. Oh, not getting up there. I believe that was the end of the uh the monkey trail. That final descent was really, really good fun. I’ve now got to deal with crossing this ridiculous road again. So, I think now we’re going to continue to follow follow the dog, which is the trail we started on before we then went off and did the monkey trail. And I believe follow the dog will take us all the way back to the trail head. Oh yeah. Oh, I like this surface. It’s a lot smoother. Oh, take that line. Definitely. There’s another black line. I’ll have it. Not much of a black line to be honest. So there’s a very big change happening in my life very soon and I would love your recommendations on the best natural trails and trail centers in the north of England. I’m talking Liverpool and above. That might give you an indication on what big change is happening in my life. If you think Greg, oh my god, stop. You’ve got to check out this place, this place, and this place. Put it in the comments section. I’d love to hear your suggestions. I’m here to cover all areas of the UK. I’m I’m aiming to leave no terrain unridden. So, please, whatever it is you think I should ride, put it down in the comments. This section is called Son of Chain Slapper. Let’s hope not. Oh, yes. On the brakes. I’m really impressed with the grip on these tires. I’ve slid out a couple of times today, but most of the time it’s been absolutely planted. I think there’s a reason why the the downhill boys and the the EWS guys are using this combination. The Asagy on the front and the DHR2 on the back. No chain slap thus far. Such a quiet bike. It’s so nice just to go along the trail and there’s no rattling, there’s no banging, there’s no rubbing except for my brake [Applause] disc. Oh, into the dark. Pain in the hard tail. Whoever’s come up with these with these section name should get a should get a medal. They’re brilliant. Pain in the hard tail. Yeah, I can imagine I can imagine being on a hard tail riding these trails could be a little bit rough. Oh, nice line. Yeah, I like it. Oh, yeah. He catched that one nicely. Did catch that one nicely though. [Applause] skid around them all. [Laughter] Just Oh yeah. Yes. Nice little drop. Oh, it’s so [Applause] loose. Oh, nice turns at the bottom. And that is the end of the monkey trail and follow the [Applause] dog. Oh, that’s one hell of a ride. You know it’s been a good ride when you’re absolutely exhausted. That’s it then. That’s another two trails explored for my mission to ride the best mountain bike trails in the UK. Once again, thank you so much for coming along on this ride with me, and I’ll see you on the next