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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I didn't say I hated it, just super weird after spending years on a freewheel.
jakonovski
Member
How many times did you absentmindedly attempt to freewheel?
Psychotext
Member
Your opinion of it wasn't particularly relevant to the post to be honest.
Some people are just broken anyway (see CX riders!).
Was up by yer a minute innit.
I've been hitting up all the local woods. Coed Mawr, Coed Y Squire, Graig Wylit, Coed Cefn-Pwll-Du, Coed-Craig Ruperra, Cefn Maby.
I think you'd have particularly liked the stuff in Coed Mawr. Seemed like your sort of riding. The gnarly as fuck descent was in Coed Cefn-Pwll-Du. There's a shitload of paths in there that I'm exploring right now, but they're mostly too thin and overgrown with brambles. Some local nutters have set up some suitably insane stuff, but I'm working up to being able to handle it without having to dab.
I'll be heading into Machen and Pen Rhiw soon as I know there's properly legit stuff in there. That's just south of Cwmcarn, so you can actually do both.
Edit - I keep cycling through the private (million pound houses) estate of Cefn Mably Park. I'm reasonably certain I'm going to get shot at some point.
Let me know how that pans out. The guys I ride with at Cwmcarn are pretty slow on the climbs, and like to stop for breathers four or five times. I'd prefer to power up all 2,000ft in one go, and at a good pace, so it'd be good to do it with you some time so we can really attack it. They also only ever want to do one mountain per visit, rather than both. It'd be good to do Cafall and Twrch one after the other, and perhaps check out those local trails you mentioned too.
Psychotext
Member
Can do. Probably find my way there in January I reckon as I only have a couple of weekends of local riding left before I head off to the middle of no-where to get away from it for Christmas.
Just don't expect me to be starting pre 8am with you. Those hours don't exist in my world.
Just don't expect me to be starting pre 8am with you. Those hours don't exist in my world.
Can do. Probably find my way there in January I reckon as I only have a couple of weekends of local riding left before I head off to the middle of no-where to get away from it for Christmas.
Just don't expect me to be starting pre 8am with you. Those hours don't exist in my world.
Pre 8am? That's a luxury. We started at 7am on Saturday, half an hour before dawn. No word of a lie, there were owls hooting in the background.
Psychotext
Member
The only way I'm ever doing 7am is if it's a particularly long night ride.
jakonovski
Member
Around here the sun comes up at 9am and goes down at 3pm. All the owls have moved to somewhere less unpleasant, like the UK.
Trail lights are my lifeline.
We won't be far off those dawn/dusk times by Christmas. It's a fucking depressing time of year to be a biker. I need to win the lottery and chase the sun around the globe all year, every year. Anyone know this week's winning numbers?
Psychotext
Member
I don't know, I'm quite enjoying it. Trails are much quieter, because frankly who the fuck is stupid enough to go out in temperatures as low as we've had the last couple of weeks?
I just need some windproof gloves as my hands were really feeling it this weekend.
I just need some windproof gloves as my hands were really feeling it this weekend.
jakonovski
Member
Cross country ski gloves are the absolute best for winter cycling.
I love having seasons and I don't mind riding in the cold (pre-dawn at Cwm Carn in sub-zero + wind chill will cure anyone of that), it just the added faff that winter can bring:
- Cold rain sucks ass. Ice blows goats
- More layers to wear, start cold, end up hot, good chance of getting wet
- Muddy clothes to wash (and dry) after almost every ride
- Muddy wet shoes to clean (and dry) every ride
- Filthy bike to carefully wash to remove all grinding paste
- Gunky chain with winter lube, needs careful cleaning/relubing
- Slippery rocks
- Thick boggy mud
- Poor visibility
- Wet specs
Summer is just chuck on lightweight kit, blast around, maybe a quick GT85 clean of the chain, hang the bike back up, bike shorts in the wash, dry on the washing line, shoes back on the rack. It's so much quicker, easier and more pleasant (apart from when it's really hot - but then the woods are usually cool). The bike only needs a quick hose of the moving parts and good wash every few weeks, and a lot of kit can be reused between washing.
Plus, when it's really cold, my eyes stream even with wraparound specs on. I've got mildly blocked tear ducts so tears don't drain properly, and it's a fucking PITA.
TLDR: Mountain biking is awesome in all weathers, but better in the summer.
frontieruk
Member
I've a question for you Mascot... As I drove home I passed 20 guys on fatbikes riding in Jimmy formation with Jimmy gear on, I'd that normal and do these fit into the Jimmy norm?
Sounds to me like a bunch of Jimmies who have see the light and decided to dip their SPDs into mountain biking, but who Googled MTB trends, found a picture of a fat bike and thought they'd cracked it.
They even have their own logo.
Psychotext
Member
lol, don't be so sensitive. There are more roadies here than mountain bikers and it's just playful ribbing anyway.
Edit - Related, do I spend £82 on two tyres for my road bike that I hardly ever use? I really want some winter tyres so I can get out on it and not have to clean the damn mountain bike all the time... but I really don't know.
Edit - Related, do I spend £82 on two tyres for my road bike that I hardly ever use? I really want some winter tyres so I can get out on it and not have to clean the damn mountain bike all the time... but I really don't know.
Psychotext
Member
Brrr
jakonovski
Member
Cold weather will lower the dropper's pressure so that could explain the remaining sag. Unless of course it happens at room temperature too.
It does, unfortunately.
frontieruk
Member
Meh I'm a roadie, the bulk of the rest in here our it's just the most prolific posters are MTB guys and they are unwilling to admit that road riding is more fun, with all the pot holes, a holes in cars, unmaintained roads and a love of Lycra.
What tyres are you looking at Psychotext?
Psychotext
Member
Continental GP 4 Season (700). They seem pretty good across the board and a few people have recommended them to me.
Possibly I can get them a bit cheaper, but I tend to order all my tyres from one particular store (as for mountain biking it's extremely important to be able to pick specific compounds / carcasses etc).
Edit - Yeah, Wiggle have them for £29.99 each. Or at least I assume they're the same ones.
Possibly I can get them a bit cheaper, but I tend to order all my tyres from one particular store (as for mountain biking it's extremely important to be able to pick specific compounds / carcasses etc).
Edit - Yeah, Wiggle have them for £29.99 each. Or at least I assume they're the same ones.
frontieruk
Member
I've been looking at those, they get good reviews
Gp4000s (ii) is the gold standard spring/summer road tyre and 4 seasons is more robust and with better grip for winter. Can't go wrong with them
Psychotext
Member
I've ordered them. £60 seemed reasonable enough for both, and because I don't do many miles they'll basically last forever.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Be careful out there on your Jimmy, PT. We're heading into crazy season.
Psychotext
Member
It's ok, I'll mount my chainsaw.
So, I hard fall today. While commuting I have to pass through a street that still has tram tracks from decades ago. I normally they to avoid that side of the road but y couldn't this time. My bike lost traction when I traveled over the metal and I felt to the ground. Hard. My knees are swollen and hurt.
Any tips to avoid this in the future?
Any tips to avoid this in the future?
1-Make sure to cross tracks at an aggressive angle. If your tires are highly parallel to the track, they can get jostled by the track and/or fall into its rut.
2-Make sure to be traveling in a perfectly stable forward line from the moment the front wheel hits the track until the rear wheel leaves it. Oftentimes when people turn in to a track to cross it, they're still subtly in the turning process when their wheels start to cross. Tracks are often EXTREMELY slippery, such that even a tiny bit of lateral force on the bike can cause your wheels to slip out from beneath you.
3-If you don't have enough room to satisfy both #1 and #2, just get off the bike to cross the tracks or something.
4-The wider the tire, the less it will get jostled or risk slipping in as described in (1). Also, the stabler contact patch of wider tires lets them corner better, making it easier to satisfy (2). Also, the larger contact patch makes them less likely to slip, as described in (2). So if you're concerned, fit some super fat tires on the bike, if that's feasible.
2002whitegt
Member
After a year of abusing my hardtail on my local trail I'm ready to upgrade to a full suspension bike, ideally I'd like to spend around 2k.
I've been really intrigued by the Commencal TR v4.2
http://www.commencalusa.com/meta-trail-v42-origin-650b-yellow-2017-c2x21027633
Is there better options in the price range? The components seem great for the price.
I've been really intrigued by the Commencal TR v4.2
http://www.commencalusa.com/meta-trail-v42-origin-650b-yellow-2017-c2x21027633
Is there better options in the price range? The components seem great for the price.
Psychotext
Member
Looks solid enough. Sadly you're quite limited in the US unless you ramp up the price for brand names, and as you get less for your money that way, obviously it's not ideal to go in that direction.
This is a little more than you were thinking of spending, but it's one hell of a bike: https://us.yt-industries.com/detail/index/sArticle/544/sCategory/260
This is a little more than you were thinking of spending, but it's one hell of a bike: https://us.yt-industries.com/detail/index/sArticle/544/sCategory/260
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, though sadly the rain is coming.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I've had 50/50 luck with them. One pair saw close to 2000 miles and 1 or 2 punctures. Another set saw 4 or 5 punctures in 2 months.
The 4 Seasons are a bit more durable
This is flat out false. It's all just fun razzing in here
Tomorrow afternoon around here, according to the BBC. I'll be squeezing another ride in before lunch, methinks.
Dropper seemed better today when fully-charged. Still a little bit of sag but you have to look for it to notice.
Edit: and FUCK dog owners who don't pick up their mutt's shit.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Our trails are multi-use so we often come around turns to giant piles of horse shit
Ditto here. This dog shit was on the cycle path on the way to the woods.
Filthy fuckers.
Psychotext
Member
I don't actually mind horse shit so much. Dog shit gets fucking everywhere.
Aye. Dog shit in your tyres can stink up your whole ride, with the constant threat of wormy lumps getting flicked up into your mouth.
Talking of shit, i rode past this bicycle graveyard this afternoon. I must head back there and harvest some old suspension forks for making that stool project (Ha! STOOL! More shit!). There's a load of gym equipment in there too - I spotted a multigym, rowing machine and elliptical trainer.
Agreed.
Psychotext
Member
lol
Yeah, what's with all these drive-by grenade lobs recently? It's obviously a roadie conspiracy. This might sound obnoxiously unfriendly but you just can't trust a Jimmy. They are evil, evil bastards. It's a well-known fact.
frontieruk
Member
We'll get you in latex and shaving your legs for marginal gains yet...
Psychotext
Member
That's a strange ass size. I wondered if it was a BMX wheel, but no, too small for that too. Are you sure you have that right? They would be absolutely tiny.
Is it a kids bike?
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