Please welcome my Devinci Wilson to the party!
Bought in December 2014, it didn't take long to have it in bits. I rode it stock once, and the arm pump was unbearable. I changed the stem, bars and grips for a Thomson Direct Mount, ENVE DH 800mm and ODI Rouge respectively. The familiar feel and forgiving grip was immediately evident.
Next was the fork - it came with a low end Boxxer RC fork, which I upgraded with a Charger damper. Whilst I don't have much of a reference, I can say that it suits me down to the ground.
Of course, Hope take centre stage on all my bikes, providing ample brake power and modulation in the form of Tech 3 EVO levers and V4 callipers.
And it stayed like that for 9 months...
At the beginning of the year, I was riding loads - maybe twice a week and doing a bootcamp 3x a week for fitness. And then it happened :( A normal ride at Descend Hamsterley; this time on the 4X track. I was trying to clear the big tabletops and (let's face it) show off to my mates. I had a dodgy landing and my toes curled under the pedal. Whilst I didn't fall off, I knew something was wrong. To cut a long story short, I had crushed my large, right toe. Not broken, but the bone was quite literally turned to dust. I assumed it would be the normal 6 weeks before I was back, but the reality was much worse.
 |
| 5 months after the accident |
I keep telling myself it's just a toe, but it has impacted my life so much more than I expected. I now have Arthritis and have lost ALL movement in the toe. It's effectively seized in one position and any pressure on it causes a pain threshold that ranges between acute agony to a wearying throb. I can't run for any distance and whilst cycling is now possible, it will hurt several times during a run. Surgically speaking, there are things they can do - you can get 20-25% of movement back, but I'd wear through the joint within 5 years. The normal solution is to pin it with titanium pins which would take around 4-6 months to heal. The final option is some experimental surgery - that's what I've opted for. It'll mean reshaping the bone and inserting a new "off the shelf" cartilage. Just waiting for BUPA to sign it off.
I started riding again in April, about three months after the accident. I was preparing for an Enduro race at Whinlatter trail centre. I decided to take part in the race, which was eventful to say the least! On Stage 3, my riding buddy, Colin, took a fall. I found him laying there on the trail, and now know he was sporting a broken spine. It happened on a flat bit of trail, with no obstacles to trip him up. It has been a sombre reminder of how this sport can reward, and also punish you without warning.
Due to that incident, Colin missed our Annual Wales Pilgrimage. We did a day in Bike Park Wales and two days at Antur. The bike has been awesome and I absolutely love it!
I've now performed two more upgrades - the shock has been changed for a brand new Fox Float X2 267x90mm - Wow!!! It's fantastic! Supple but with a nice ramp up for the bigger drops. The other upgrade was the replacement of the crap SRAM Hussefelt cranks with shiny carbon SRAM X01DH cranks. All in all, it's dropped the weight of the sled over 1kg to a respectable 16.8kg.
The last upgrade, which will happen at some point, is a change of wheelset. I'm torn between carbon/alu but my current thinking is some E13 LG1+ wheels.
It's the Bell Ride Free event at Hamsterley on Sunday, which I'm looking forward to. I had a cheeky ride last night as I hadn't ridden Hamsterley since the accident - and they've massively changed the main DH-1 track :( I used to be able to ride the entire thing, but they've move a number of the kickers back 6ft, so you need to be REALLY committed to clear them all now.
So there we are - you're all up to date. I'll try not to leave it so long next time!
