So... Mountain Bikes (and NMBD).

Teetonetal

Johnnyseven said:

Thanks for the suggestions,not really keen on changing my bike to fit a pair of tyres though ;-)

Mine's only 15 years old and was a 1.5k bike back then, surely it's not already past it?

I have a Nobby Nic at the front at the but only a 2.1, I wasn't comfortable with it cornering - maybe a 2.3 would be better?

Anyway, I bought some 2.3 Schwalbe Hans Dampf after the recommendation above - hopefully they work out well.

The bike industry has been trying to convince everyone that 26 is dead for some time - however it is still the most sold bike wheel world wide, tyre manufactures will not give up that market for quite sometime. There is now a push for 29s on hardtails and XC bikes, it's not inconceivable that 27.5 will die before 26.

Like with guitars, I think there is a lot of nonsense you can get caught up in. I have 3 MTBs, a 20 year old 26, a 27.5 and 27.5+ I like them all. I could happily live with having any of them as my only bike. The only really annoying thing is having to buy different tubes and tyres for each, along with brake pads. Would much rather have the same wheel and brake spec on all 3.

m_c

26" is maybe still the most sold size, but not in higher performance mountain bikes.
The top end tyre manufacturers have greatly reduced options and availability for good tyres in 26" over the past couple years, as most people buying a 26" wheel mountain bike now, won't be in the market for tyres costing upwards of £40 each.

I liked Hans Dampf on the rear as it's a good all rounder (the name is very apt if you care to run it through google translate ), but it didn't have enough bite in soft conditions for me to trust it on the 
The new version of the Nobby Nic is good, with a bit more bite for cornering, as the side knobs don't peel off like the old version.
At the moment I'm personally loving Michelin Enduro fronts and rears, as they just grip, and when they get near stopping gripping they are pretty predictable.

However with anything bicycle related just now, it'll be a case of whatever you can get. Distributors warehouses are empty as they've got next to no stock left, and what does arrive, is pretty much already booked for pre-orders.

Keiko

Nothing wrong with those older bikes. Until about 5 years ago I was using an old diamond back from the 90's, no suspension. It was faster than the bike I'm using now (Trek Roscoe 9), maybe a bit lighter too, but I wouldn't go back to it. It was a lot of fun but I do remember it getting a lot of punctures, especially in autumn and winter. In the end I got fed up of repairing bits and bobs on it and just wanted something more reliable I could get on and ride without fixing everything that was going wrong with it every weekend.

Johnnyseven

m_c said:

However with anything bicycle related just now, it'll be a case of whatever you can get. Distributors warehouses are empty as they've got next to no stock left, and what does arrive, is pretty much already booked for pre-orders.

Yep, this was the problem I had. I went to 4 bike shops on saturday and none had decent 26" wheel tyres that I would want to use. I also had to pretty much take what I could get online.Keiko said:

Nothing wrong with those older bikes. Until about 5 years ago I was using an old diamond back from the 90's, no suspension. It was faster than the bike I'm using now (Trek Roscoe 9), maybe a bit lighter too, but I wouldn't go back to it. It was a lot of fun but I do remember it getting a lot of punctures, especially in autumn and winter. In the end I got fed up of repairing bits and bobs on it and just wanted something more reliable I could get on and ride without fixing everything that was going wrong with it every weekend.

My first MTB was a Diamond Back Ascent from about 1992/93. I loved that bike. Some f*cker hit the frame with a hammer when it was locked up at college though :-(, got a Kona Cinder Cone after that, which got nicked the first week I moved to London - loved that bike too.

skunkwerx

I was surprised when I went to get my 2017 bike fixed (replace the forks with bolt thru jobbies). 

The bloke goes, ah you have a straight steerer tube, which generally frames have moved away from now lol.. 

In the end he sourced a Hope adaptor ring or something so we could use forks that are tapered.. the choice was much better given the scarceness of parts. 

TTBZ

Yeah the MTB industry is very silly for all the new "standards" they keep coming up with! For me the last worthwhile innovation was clutch rear mechs and single front rings that don't need a chain guide. I'm still running 26" wheels with normal size Pro 2 hubs, but my forks are a tapered steerer.

Haven't ridden one yet but the main change I dont get at the minute is e-bikes unless you really hate climbing. I enjoy the satisfaction of a good climb and also the reasons I got into bikes were exercise and "disconnecting" from the real world for a bit. Electronics feel like they get in the way of that a bit. I don't Strava any more either for similar reasons.

Teetonetal

TTBZ said:

Yeah the MTB industry is very silly for all the new "standards" they keep coming up with! For me the last worthwhile innovation was clutch rear mechs and single front rings that don't need a chain guide. I'm still running 26" wheels with normal size Pro 2 hubs, but my forks are a tapered steerer.

Haven't ridden one yet but the main change I dont get at the minute is e-bikes unless you really hate climbing. I enjoy the satisfaction of a good climb and also the reasons I got into bikes were exercise and "disconnecting" from the real world for a bit. Electronics feel like they get in the way of that a bit. I don't Strava any more either for similar reasons.

I think e-bike have become a great invention - but clearly if you love a challenging climb and don't want electronics, then they are probably not for you. This year in particular I have noticed a massive increase in full suss e-bikes and a wide range of ages enjoying them.

My wife has one and it's turned her from someone who rarely rides a bike to riding most weekends - in addition, she has a shotgun seat for the 3 year old and can pull the 6 year old on a TowWhee rope up the steep stuff, Meaning both my kids are getting into biking in a big way.

I will get one, when my legs give up as i love being on a bike, Like lots of things, it's about the right tool for the right person.

TTBZ

I suppose if it gets more people into biking then it's not a bad thing! I can see it being good somewhere like Canada where you have massive climbs and great descents, so you'd get more descents in if you had a bit of an assist on the uphill bits.

Johnnyseven

Has anyone been to Bike Park Wales? I'm going to South Wales for a week later this month and it's not far away so thought I might take a trip. I'd be going on my own though as it's probably a bit scary for my wife who isn't an MTBer.

m_c

BPW is good, and they have an excellent grading system, so you get a good idea of what any trail is going to be like.
I'd personally only go if I could get on the uplift though, as it's pretty spread out and quite a long climb.

Johnnyseven

m_c said:

BPW is good, and they have an excellent grading system, so you get a good idea of what any trail is going to be like.
I'd personally only go if I could get on the uplift though, as it's pretty spread out and quite a long climb.

I've just had a look and there's no uplift available the week we'll be there :-(.

I might look at going anyway though as I fancy doing some MTBing while i'm there and it saves searching the internet for suitable locations.

m_c

There are a few places in south Wales, but it depends what kind of trails you like.
Afan is still good for a pedal, but does feel a bit neglected due to BPW getting all the love over the past few years.
There is another area in the south with an uplift which I've forgotten the name off, but I've still not visited it. I had been hoping to visit it this year, but our annual Welsh trip never happened due to obvious reasons.

I personally prefer BMCC over BPW as I prefer their style of trails (it's pretty much the nearest you'll get to Whistler within the UK), but it's more gravity assisted, so if you want more distance/flow BPW is the better option.

Johnnyseven

m_c said:

There are a few places in south Wales, but it depends what kind of trails you like.
Afan is still good for a pedal, but does feel a bit neglected due to BPW getting all the love over the past few years.
There is another area in the south with an uplift which I've forgotten the name off, but I've still not visited it. I had been hoping to visit it this year, but our annual Welsh trip never happened due to obvious reasons.

I personally prefer BMCC over BPW as I prefer their style of trails (it's pretty much the nearest you'll get to Whistler within the UK), but it's more gravity assisted, so if you want more distance/flow BPW is the better option.

I was just going to post that i've done some quick Googling and found Afan, it's closer to where we're staying so it's probably a better shout than BPW if no uplift is available. I'm new to the idea of built trails for MTB (most of my off road riding has been done in the home counties) so don't know what I like, i'm happy to give things a go - probably stay away from the blacks though! I'm going to start easy and take it from there. Most runs at Afan are red so it would be useful to know which ones are the easier ones to try? I'm only just getting back into not ready for jumps or drop offs, especially if they are unavoidable.

What's BMCC?

The other place may be Cwmdown but the uplift isn't running until November.  

TTBZ

Johnnyseven said:

Has anyone been to Bike Park Wales? I'm going to South Wales for a week later this month and it's not far away so thought I might take a trip. I'd be going on my own though as it's probably a bit scary for my wife who isn't an MTBer.

Yeah I've been a few times, loved it. Depends what kind of trails you're into - they might have more techy ones now but when I went most of them were your fast and flowy singletrack red trail kind of thing, lots of opportunities for air if you fancy it but you can keep wheels on the ground too. My memory of it was it's more of an AM (enduro, trail, whatever) bike than DH bike place if that makes sense. The uplift service was good and I think they've added another van now so you get more runs in. If you prefer rootier/techier stuff the Forest of Dean trails are worth a look too if they're not too far out of your way.

BMCC is Black Mountains Cycle Centre and it looks awesome, still yet to go but it does indeed look like a mini Whistler.

Johnnyseven

Thanks, i'll check BMCC out too.

I like the sound of the flowy singletrack trails over the techy rooty stuff at the moment, although some of the DH i've done in the North Downs has been a bit bumpy and stony. I only have 100mm travel on my shock though - not sure that's really enough for gnarlier stuff.

underdog

Johnnyseven said:

Has anyone been to Bike Park Wales? I'm going to South Wales for a week later this month and it's not far away so thought I might take a trip. I'd be going on my own though as it's probably a bit scary for my wife who isn't an MTBer.

The trails in Afan forest park are excellent and no need for an up lift. Not too far away if you're around for a month, technical black trails in Margam park down the road if you fancy it.

Johnnyseven

Tyres have arrived and been fitted. Managed to get hold of a Nobby Nic 2.3 with Speedgrip for the rear as well. They look pretty chunky, but don't rub against my stays so all's good. I was concerned that my rims might be too narrow bit the stated width (22mm) is fine with both tyres according to Schwalbe's info on their website. Looking forward to heading out, possibly to Leith Hill area at the weekend, what's parking like round there?

hubobulous

Do you want to do the climbs as well as downhills like Summer Lightning?

Parking at Westcott and climbing up Logmore Lane via Squires Farm to Coldharbour and then up to the tower past the cricket green is a nice route. Over the top to to Holmbury St Mary via High Ashes Farm, over to the Volunteer Pub then cross country to Abinger Roughs then back to Westcott is a great loop.

Otherwise if you want to stay high, parking at Coldharbour is probably a good place as well as the other NT car parks.

Johnnyseven

Thanks for that. I've no problem doing climbs too, i've read about Summer Lightening so may well give your route a go.

hubobulous

You can do the loop I suggested above, but when you get to the tower, come back down Summer Lightning to Westcott and start again/. The whole loop is about 2hrs at an ok pace so depending on your length of stay, you can get it all in.

Also worth checking out the downhills on Holmbury, (BKB, Yoghurt Pots, Telegraph Rd0, and Pitch Hill. For me, Leith is more X-Country and Holmbury/Pitch is more downhill.

Do them all..!! Peaslake is a great spot if you want to take in both Holmbury and Pitch and the local shop does great tea and cake :-)