Just thinking about all the things I ‘could’ buy that in my head I think I can sort of (but not really) justify (to myself)
Ive an alps trip in July, which doesn’t help the buying stuff/looking to buy stuff habit
Of below what would you buy or not buy? Or just tell me I’m an idiot and I’m already plenty overbiked/overspent/underoccupied/etc

(Main bike a 68deg Head angle with 150mm fork FS (70mm stem, 710mm bars)
-1 or 1.5deg angle adjust h/set, ~£80
-160mm Marzocchi 55 (750g heavier than U-turn 20mm Revs), £280
-50mm stem, ~£25-30?
-750+mm bars, ~£30-50?
-dropper seatpost, I950 6″ ~£200-240
-lower roller chain device, £22
-Wider/lighter rimmed wheels (currently XM719s), Flows or Arch EX either rerim current hubs or something else ~£300

-Full face helmet £50-85
-‘light’ body armour, eg 661 subgear ~£50

and a load of other stuff inc. ‘wearing parts’

Seems when you add up the stuff in your head it gets silly silly money very quickly ..

wanna buy a DH bike? I’ll throw in some armour and a full face/goggles

Ps. might help if you actually said what bike you have

Make sure you have enough brakes, but then again you’ve not lived until you’ve bolied ya brakes and grabbed a handfull of mush

719s on something that slack? Jeepers. get some wider rims, and you’ll probably find you’re riding a bit quicker and feeling a lot more confident. unless they were built by a cockeyed squirrel on crack, or course. YMMV.

what you really need for your alps trip is
80 mm fork elastomer based

steel hardtail with 71/73 head angle

1.8 tyres smoke and dart ideally

v brakes…..anodised purple levers

130mm stem

hite right with post clamp with bolt with 400mm showing out of the frame.

😉

what you really need for your alps trip is
80 mm fork elastomer based

steel hardtail with 71/73 head angle

1.8 tyres smoke and dart ideally

v brakes…..anodised purple levers

130mm stem

hite right with post clamp with bolt with 400mm showing out of the frame.

😉

last seen in french pryenees passing downhill a load of english riders all on 6 inch travel full suss bikes……..locals love ’em

A spare set of arms is normally what I need in the alps. Brutal braking bumps!

Better brakes?

Also, take as many spares as you can. The bike shops there can be tres expensive and they know they’ve got you!

Ive boiled (badly bled) brakes before, but that was coming into the back of coniston in the lakes. Managed to weave my way to a flatter bit of road luckily

Tis a Titus El Guapo, so 155mm rear. 150mm fork with fat lower cup h/set atm, Works components now look to do a similarly fat lower cup h/set to fit in 1 or 1.5deg adjust
Ive taken the XM719s on a Spesh SJer FSR before to Morzine/Les Gets (wasnt ideal for sodden 6″ braking bumped DH trails), Les Arcs, 3valleys
I ran 2.5″ Maxxis on them, so pushing it a bit in terms of rim/tyre width, but not sure I want to go smaller (normally on 2.25″ schwalbe @ least up front for northern england) ? Id like to go bigger but

OnOne have told me the EG is 185mm max rear rotor, so as before with my SJer Ill only be upping the front to 203mm (from 185/185)

I think I’d want to spend more on a full face than you have budgeted

If you intend to pedal anywhere armour isn’t going to be pleasant to wear. If you don’t normally wear it here, IMO there’s no reason to be wearing it there. It’s the same riding, everything is just bigger.

You’ll enjoy it on anything that’s got two wheels, you’ll see some nutcases having just as good a time on hardtails.

I’ve recently got a dropper post on a new bike – if you haven’t got one and have money to burn, that’d be a great buy. Other than than, new tyres with dual ply walls and perhaps larger rotors if you’re heavier or only running 160mm.

2,5″ Maxxis Minions,
2.5″ Maxxis Swamp things/Wet Screams if your going to Morzine
Bigger tyres will give you about 10mm in the suspension department

661 Evo is about 80/90 I think and a set of the 20 Fog Goggles are worth it

200mm Rotors

Armour knee/shin is good vest top is a little overkill until you crash at speed!

21/25mm Rims will be good and bombproof

Dropper post if your going to a pedally resort

I once did Morzine back in 03/04 on a Santa Cruz Chameleon, Hope C2’s (dear **** god) and Z1 bombers that had a far to heavy spring in. I pikeyd it up proper that week.

Never again. I think the braking bumps gave me brain damage and I came off 7 times in one week. Including one off that was akin to the types of crashes you get at motorcycle track days (sliding on your arse for hundreds of feet).

Buy
A good bike service, make sure brakes are properly led, all nuts etc are tightened.

Lower Chain device

200mm rotor for front, 185 for the back

A powerball to strengthen your fore arms up.

Wide bars. Get used to them here though, unlike me who found it impossible to steer for a day until I got used to them.

2.5 dual ply tyres. Minion front, high roller rear.

You don’t ned an uppy downy seat post, just set it down.

60mm stem.

STWism #3452

“Alps trip” = DH in Morzine or similar

This is a bit like going for a spin in your new Ferrari through some roadworks on the M25 during rush hour…

No 1: The Alps cover quite a large area! Where are you hoping to ride and what type of riding.

No 2: There is absolutely nothing wrong with your main bike for an Alps trip. The only thing on your list that might be nice to have is the dropper post.

My bike seems to have almost the same specs as yours (68deg HA, 710mmbars, 60mm stem, 150mm travel front and back). The only thing from your list I have is a dropper post. (Reverb)

The video below is “The Alps” last weekend on that bike. The other bike in the video is a steel Hardtail 29er. Typical Alpine Trail. Sometimes flowy, sometimes techy.
[video]http://vimeo.com/40112962[/video]

Your current set up will do for everything but the steepest techiest descents you’ll find and even then a set of heavier tyres would probably go a long way.

I wouldn’t bother messing around with tires and tire changes, the weather changes so rapidly out there I just leave wets on. Used to be Swampies, now I’m a Baron convert.

Good set of tyres – I’d recommend dual ply Minion’s, preferaly super tacky.

Spare Mech hanger (I have one for sale if you need one 😉 )

Have your brakes bled before going by someone who knows what theyre doing.You DO NOT NEED dinner plate brakes, just well serviced ones.

Take 2 sets of brake pads

Lower chain device (I have an ISCG05 Superstar stinger copy if you need one its had a bit cut away to fit on a Yeti ASR7, but will fasten on fine)

Unless you’re going to session the DH tracks you dont need a full face helmet – if you have luggage capacity to carry one, fine, but if not don’t bother just take your normal lid.

You certainly don’t need lighter rims, just wider and sturdier – rims do get a hammering. I would buy a 2nd hand set of heavy duty wheels to suit your frame/forks.

If you already have 150mm maxle rev’s then these will be fine.

A short stem and wide bars is a useful combo – how wide are your current bars? I personally wouldn’t go >750mm (sunline 737mm are a great width unless you’re built like Arnie)

I’m at this stage as well and have bought the following for my trip in July to Morzine:

Dropper post
Full face
Bigger Camelback
ZTR Flows
New Brakes and some more pads
New bike for the wife (delivery imminent)

Still to do:
Decent full service
Switch to a double chain set and guide
Potentially bigger rotors, currently 180/160
Shorter stem

I’ve spent a small fortune!

ir12Daveor

Nice video. What trail centre is that?

It looks like a nice section but not very technical -I can’t even see any breaking bumps. Are they carbon bars? Some of those rocks look sharp!

I’ve got a used once, never crashed 661 helmet for sale at about your budget if you’re interested.

I also have a very comfy full Dainese upper body armour that is very nice but a touch more than your budget.

@Schweiz,
It’s the trail centre on the other side of the magic weather tunnel.

Definitely get super tacky 2.5″ for the front.

Good brakes make a big difference.

If your using the lifts then full face and knee armour, maybe arm and back.

Goggles.

Have fun!

“I think I’d want to spend more on a full face than you have budgeted”
Not so much a fixed budget, just I had seen a middling 661 helmet heavily discounted at £50 (XL, Ive tried a L and a touch small) and a spesh deviant2 for £85 (have a L open face spesh helmet atm). Need to try a few on rly

Didnt really want to say, but have been invited to go to courchevel/3vallees (using the lifts/busses), the perception/reputation is hardly amazing. Though I found loads of great stuff not marked up as official bike trails when I was there 3 years ago. Plus theres now supposed to be a DH track in merible used for a french national DH race

“don’t need lighter rims”
More of a UK thought, if Im bought wider rims (And paying £££) then goign lighter would make it more justifiable, sort of

Mech hanger to buy, front tyre (thinking 2.5″ HR 60a on the rear with ‘freeride’ tubes as I have them about), Im confident in my brake bleeding abiliy, confident I am not of any LBS tbh. Wheel true (by local roadie shop maybe),
Ive knee pads, on 22-32-bash, 70mm stem/710mm bars on bike atm, but dont feel meag wide to me? 203/185 waiting around

Your bike will be fine as it is… If you must change things though, this is what I’d do based upon an assumption you’re going to be taking the lifts up and doing as little uphill riding as possible.

-Make sure everything works 100% as it should. Brakes should be bled to perfection, gears work, shock/fork works as best they can etc, and no rough bearings anywhere.
-Fit 203mm front rotor
-Fit Soft compound brake pads (DO NOT use sintered in the Alps, you’ll boil your brakes). And take 2 or 3 sets of spares, they’re a bloody rip off out there!
-Fit 50-60mm stem, 70 is fine but nice to have a bit shorter position for more control for all day descending. Don’t need wider bars, 710mm is fine if that’s what you’re used to.
-Wider rims, something like a Mavic EN521 or EX721 would be ideal. Though I’d be looking for a cheap 2nd set of wheels personally, save your current wheels for UK use. Find something 2nd hand in good nick for not too much money, hubs don’t need to be bling as long as they work.
-Obligatory 2.5″ Maxxis tyres, Minions or High Rollers, 60a on the back for sure, possibly a 42a Supertacky on the front.

Finally, on the subject of dropper posts… Don’t buy one specifically for the Alps. Buy one if you want one full stop, but in the Alps you’re more than likely to spend 95% or more of the time with your seat down if you’re going lift assisted, so actually just leaving your seat down all the time until you come to any climb where you need to put it up is not so much of an issue out there IMO.

Bigger fork top priority.

50mm stem and wider bars next.

Might as well get new wheels and get that slackening headset.

Full face only required if you actively plan to shred the gnarr.

Get a Reverb not an i950.

🙂

Use sintered, brake properly and you won’t need any spare pads over a fortnights riding.
Don’t waste your money on multiple sets of tyres, 2 DHFs will do but don’t waste yoir pennies on a supertacky for the back unless you’re planning on racing.
A well set-up bike is worth way more than bigger forks

(DO NOT use sintered in the Alps, you’ll boil your brakes)

Don’t get this one, sintered are great and they last ages.