Mountain-Biking Naseby

I’ve been biking in and around Naseby for 20 odd years, travelling down south three times from Christchurch this year alone. The last time I ventured into the ‘Black Forest’ that surrounds the small Central Otago township, was in August, and there was two foot of snow on the ground then – now that’s a blast. Naseby's appeal is therefore not isolated to the warmer months, its the perfect hang-out for that winter blow-out!

Tip 1: If you are travelling down to Naseby in winter to do a bit of riding, try coinciding the trip to tie-in with the new Ice-Luge they have up & going ( snow-making capabilities permitting)

So being a creature of habit, we packed-up the car at Christmas, to renew our on-going illicit love-affair.

For a place that boasts a permanent population of 150, ‘little old’ Naseby boasts a number of mountain-bike friendly resources, all within easy grasp (a.) It’s very own eclectic bike shop, run by the irrepressible Kila Hepi (that’s Kila as in the band). No one knows the forest tracks like Kila & hidden away in the dusty corners of his bike shop on the main street, is a veritable treasure trove of bike bits & pieces. (b.) Two pubs, with real character. The colloquial names given to them are ‘the top pub’ (The Ancient Briton) and ‘the lower pub’ (The Royal) My preferred drinking-hole is The Ancient Briton – whether this a recommendation or an indictment is subjective (c.) An old-time Kiwi dairy, which brings soothing images floating back from ones childhood.

Only known photo of Kila in his home environment, accompanied by his trusty companion 'Ice' the mutt.

Tip 2: Kila hires bikes out and has these nifty attachments you place on the rear of bikes to enable you to 'tow' youngsters along.

The big plus’s going for Naseby are (a.) there’s something there for riders of all levels and ages (b.) variety of riding environments, single-track, shingle roads, down-hill etc, you name it, it’s there in abundance (c.) proximity to other locations in The Maniatoto.

Naseby is great for families, a safe environment where ‘kids can be kids’, far from the lure of playstations. Who cares if the little buggers, graze their knees, now and again, eh?

Tip 3: From Naseby you are close enough to be able to take the ‘prime bites’ off The Rail Trail or travel up into The Danseys Pass. For the super-fit have a go at Mount Buster.

Here's a Map of Naseby Forest. [Footnote: All my maps are are in the same accessible folder]

Just remember, there are tracks everywhere in The Black Forest (yes, that’s it’s real name, and it was planted in 1900) and this map is for the less-adventurous or those travelling through with not much time on their hands to explore it’s environs to the fullest.

Tip 4: Virtually every forest track you stumble upon, has another one running off it or parallel. It’s impossible to get lost as such, but it’s nice trying.

Just remember some of the tracks are very technical and you’ll risk coming a-cropper if you are not skilled enough to handle some of the down hills etc.

Don’t be a plonker like me and try and tackle something that’s way out of your depth. Choose tracks commensurate with your testosterone level (refer my photo below)

Chain-Ring Tattoos are all the fashion in mountain-biking circles.

Recommended Naseby Accommodation for those on a budget:

The Larchview Holiday Camp

Recommended Naseby Accommodation for those who want some home comforts:

The Naseby Lodge

Tip 6: A small note for anyone who is staying, eating or drinking at the newly constructed Naseby Lodge, the head chef there is Brent and he’s a mad keen mountain-biker who’s ridden tracks around the globe and a mine of knowledge. Now and again Kila can be found masquerading as a bar-man there as well.

Note: In April every year the good people in The Otago Mountain Biking Club, organise a 12 Hour Challenge in the Naseby Forest - which attracts glowing reports and big numbers. More details on this years event, to be held on 25th April here. I’ve ridden the 12 Hour course several times, and it’s fair to say the terrain it runs through, is fairly relentless on ones legs, heart and lungs, for old pricks like me. There are few parts where you can rest either physically or mentally, so put it this way - it's a real test.

How to recognise an old-school mountain biker.

Let’s look beyond the obvious bald-spots and grey hair, and find other traits to spot ‘the lesser beer potted old-school mountain biker’.

1.) The ‘fashion victim’ wardrobe of miss-matched attire, all of which is in dishevelled condition.
2.) Coming from an era of the cantilever brake, you’ll see them employ a two fingered brake-technique, even on disc-brakes.
3.) Will own at least three mountain-bikes of which only one will be in ride-able condition, the others falling in to a loose category of ‘projects’.
4.) Maintains a relentless exercise in revisionist history, founded on the bedrock that “they don’t make em’ as good as they use to”.
5.) Possesses a ‘colourful’ brash vocabulary, include the stock reply, when things get tough to “toughen-up”
6.) Has the ability to spin-a-yarn that makes everything in the past seem like it was a by-gone age out of a Peter Jackson movie, rather than just two decades ago.
7.) Ability to consume large quantities of beer in a short time, without any noticeable adverse affects to riding ability.

Pro’s & Con’s of owning a 29” Mountain Bike

Excerpt from 'Dirt Rag' Magazine interview with Wes Williams of Willets Cycles, one of the guys behind the 29” scene:

Dirt Rag: “Who do you see as potential customers for 29”?

Wes Williams: “I think the potential customers are the more intellectual ones. In other words, smarter people are going to be buying these bikes. Older, smarter people. Because it is a more intelligent concept-it works better. It's the stubborn, dumb guys that won't get it”.


The world of mountain-biking is full of anecdotes & everyone has their own preferences. With a pile of their hard-earned dosh tired-up in their hunk of metal, riders will ‘debate till the cows come home’ why their chosen ‘steed’ is superior to someone else’s chosen ‘steed’.

So I’m putting my cards on the table up front – I run a 29er, have done so for four months.

It’s the most expensive bike I’ve ever purchased and the only one I’ve bought ‘brand new’.

Salsa ‘El Mariachi’(8 speed)- which I even cleaned before I took the photo, now that’s a first in itself!

Before that, I had a Specialized Stumpjumper, which I’ve given away to a mate & we still have a 26” M/B in the household – my son’s Gary Fisher ‘Hookooekoo’ (who the hell names these bloody bikes?)

So I’m going to give you my own humble opinion, about owning & riding a ‘two niner’ bike so you can chew it around, spit it out or swallow it, as you so please.

THE PRO’S OF 29”

- Rolls over everything & I mean everything!
- Smoother ride.
- On shitty, muddy tracks with the increased ‘tire contact’ the 29er has better grip – even more so if you employ a set of larger gnarly tires.
- Perfect for typical Kiwi ‘back country’ dusty shingle roads.
- You have a bike that’s ‘different’ – rebellious.

THE CON’S OF 29”

- Slow off the mark.
- Wheels are heavier.
- Not as nimble on single track
- Next to no one else in this ‘back-water’ called New Zealand owns one, so even getting tubes can be an issue. In ‘The Molesworth Muster’ out of the 800 odd competitors only two of us were running 29”ers and there were only 4 ‘non-suspension’ bikes – that I spotted at least.
- Anyone else who runs a 26” thinks you’re a freak, and this is a passing fad.
- You risk being left with a ‘beta’ video-player when everyone else is running a ‘VHS’
- Riders need to be more conscious of the sizing and get the right set-up

Important:

You need to ride a 29er first before forking-out the $. May be -it’s not for you. Seek out as much info as you can get and don’t just rely on what your mate or ‘the guy in the shop’ has to say.

Never forget, that every bike-shop on this planet, has a vested interest. They want to sell you their ‘nominated brand’ over the rival outlets ‘nominated brand’ & if their brand doesn’t have a range of (29” etc) bikes you want – then they’re not going to promote it and even, sadly,slate your potential option, based on their need to make a living.

So the golden rules are - shop around - go for a test ride.

A great 'traditional' bike-shop in Christchurch with a good variety of bikes of all types (mountain, road, urban, single-speeds, 29ers etc) is Grind on Manchester Street. They also do coffee as well, which is a bonus.

That’s not to say you won’t get a good deal elsewhere – but do your research.

The 2009 Buyers Guide in 'New Zealand Mountain Bikers Magazine' [December 08/January 09] is a great starting point, without you having to drive all around town first, but even with 45 pages of bikes, from what I can see, they only display models from their own advertisers - not every one available to the buying public of New Zealand.

A fab site which offers reviews of bikes from the owners perspective, rather than the marketing departments at some cycle company, or a magazine which relies on advertising dollars from the very same companies products it’s reviewing - is MTBR.com.

So there you have it - my ‘warts & all’ opinion on the ‘two niner’ bike and a bit of friendly advice, thrown in.

To read about the history of the 29” mountain bikes have a gezz here.

For those ‘owners’ reviews on the Salsa ‘El Mariachi’, I referred to above, check this out.

A Blokes Guide to Buying a Mountain Bike.

Forget the all that flash terminology crap, self serving propaganda & let’s put any pricing issues aside for the purposes of this exercise.

Guy’s when you enter a bike shop, it boils down to two simple choices.

1.)THE RACY MODEL (BUYS LINGERE AT VICTORIAS SECRET)

Pro’s for the ‘Racy’ are:

- She’ll be hot, and I mean ‘hot’.
- She’ll be fast and speak with a foreign accent only bike techs can translate.
- Other guys will drool over her and want to take her for a ride.

Con’s for the ‘Racy’ are:

- You may find some errant, unexpected spending on ones credit card now and again.
- High maintenance.
- Relationship’s of this kind, last 5 years or less.

2.)SUBURBAN HOUSE-WIFE (BUYS ‘PRACTICAL’ PANTIES)

Pro’s for the ‘Suburbanite’ are:

- Reliable. Tea is always on the table.
- More forgiving when you come home drunk.
- Your kids will have left home before you need to trade her in

Con’s for the ‘Suburbanite’ are:

- Only hot when pushed really hard (6 times a year max)
- Any guy with a racy will take the piss out of your model.

So there we have it gentlemen.

So what’s it to be?

The Racy or The Suburban?