im bored as above what whacky stuff have people done in the past?
what actually works etc.
care to share any wisdom

conti 1.5’s for me.. although not sure you can get them anymore

I’d recommend some mud cx tyres

and hiking boots

My 1st mayhem when it rained heavily thru the night. MY lap times went from 54 mins during the day to 2hrs 15 at 1 point!

Sticking with dry tyres or my crossmark, it won’t be that muddy 🙄

1.5s and a jetwash.

I’ve currently got SB8’s fitted – it’ll be fine 😆

kid’s scoot bike, a rucksac and some fell running shoes 😉

or

SS with thin mud tires

or

just find the cut through’s and turn your lights out (not that it ever happens)

or
thin mud tires, boot polish the tire and the mud should drop off (let me know if it works 😉

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/talk-to-me-about-the-science-of-tyres-and-mud

ice spiker tyres

Would they work in the mud?

Might solve the root problem you get with hard narrow tyres.

Schwalbe Black Shark mud 1.5″ tyres are the best by far. Super thin and knobby. Other thin tyres are OK, but less grippy.

Mobi washer is essential as well and copious amounts of clothing.

I was a pit monkey for a couple of teams at a very muddy SITS a few years back. We had to scrape several pounds of mud from every bike before we could start the cleaning (2 x Dirtworkers on rotation) and the best surviving bikes were single speed (rear mechs were ripped off a few geared bikes) and with really skinny mud tyres fitted. The best pedals were egg beaters because they clear easier than anything else and the best fork was a USE one because it is single-sided and didn’t clog up.

Rear mechs always suffer in those grass-clogged mud conditions.
Hardtail (ideally full rigid), widest clearances possible, thinnest tyres possible. I’ve done OK there on the old Specialized 1.7″ mud tyres (what were they called again??) but you can’t get them anymore anyway…

Anything with linkages, pivots etc is just going to clog solid and weigh 60lb.

Just a thought but having done several mudfest event and never had a rear mech issue, I do notice that other riders don’t seem to make any effort to avoid the worst of the slop which I always do – not very ‘GRRR we’re tough mtbers who don’t care about getting covered in mud’ but maybe something to consider…

or I’ve just got some good karma 🙂

Rohloffed hardtail with 1.7in Conti Edges for me 🙂

is it worth apply anymore grease to the wheel axles, around where the bearings fit. to stop mud etc getting in? or is it pointless?

The bad mudfest mayhem a few years ago was survived best by british bikes as I remember from forum discussions, I had no issues running an Orange 5 with trailrakers and it was a similar story from those on inbreds, the carnage seemed to be on multi pivot full sussers. just kept the drivetrain clean and lubed between laps and scraped the worst off the frame

Singlespeed with appropriate tyres for the mud if its wet. No question. I’ve never seen so many mechs ripped off in one place at one time before, the bike shops did a roaring trade on bearings and pivots afterwards, so winter bitch it is if you’ve got any sense. Take a length of rope so when the bike wash is overwhelmed you can throw yer bike in the lake to get the worst off it before your next lap.

Make sure your backup regime is solid too. You really don’t want to be cold, wet, muddy and without hot food etc etc

This:

Take a bucket and a brush, the queues for the jet washes will be legendary.

My first Mayhem was 2004 which was pretty muddy. In my naivety I only took two sets of riding kit so after the first lap I had the choice of getting my second kit in the same state as the first or saving it in the hope that the rain stopped. I washed the first kit in a bucket and put it on wet before my next lap. Not nice, but on the Sunday when the course dried I did still have my second kit.

I might bring my van down, stock up on mud tyres, waterproofs, my dirtworker and serve coffee and tea

Crisp packets inside shoes. Eat crisps first.

2007 was a mud fest:

Take your own medic…

Thin tyres, lots of tyre clearance and some good sideways skills required!

Black shark muds in 1.5. Anything else and you’ll be doing a lot of pushing.

GB

Fit 1 bar end, that way you can drag the bike behind you by it when the wheels no longer turn….

Smoebody posted here the other day suggesting sticking one of those plastic v-shaped tent pegs in your pocket to scrape the mud off with mid-lap.

I’ll be smugly riding past the strugglers on my singlespeed tinbred with rigid forks (no brace to clog) and mud tyres. Has done me fine for all the Eastnor Mayhems!

Black shark muds in 1.5. Anything else and you’ll be doing a lot of pushing.

GB

No you won’t. I never pushed and rode a full susser with 1.8 Panaracer Muds. As I said on another thread, IME half or so of the SSers end up pushing the climbs because of lack of grip to honk a gear or because they’re geared too hard for the slop.

weirdly i wish i was doing it now. I revel in muddy conditions.. love the absurdity of it

Crampons for walking on the worst of the mud.

Smoebody posted here the other day suggesting sticking one of those plastic v-shaped tent pegs in your pocket to scrape the mud off with mid-lap.

Are they easier to extract – than a standard one – from you leg by A&E staff?

Suggestions for the Bike:

-Silicone spray on most of the the bike (Not the Brakes) to try and aid mud shedding…
-Crud catcher on DT + Neoguard/Cut up inner tube between fork crowns (If using bouncy forks)
-Rear shock fender/Lizard skins cover (on FS bikes)
-Narrower tires for better “Cut through” traction/grip and mud clearance.

Suggestions for the Pits:

-Big Bastard water butt in you/your teams camping area (Fill up on Thursday and keep topped up if possible) for general washing/rinsing duties close to your tent for convienience…
-Make use of the Muc-off washdown facilities…
-Drying rack/line (under Gazebo or cover in case of rain).
-Table setup with chain cleaning kit (First thing to do when rider returns from muddy lap) to try and keep Drives running as well as possible throughout the event
-Pit Gimp to do all the cleaning/spannering so damp riders can just get some rest (probably more useful than any other bit of Kit)…

Riding Kit Suggestions:

-Waterproof over-shorts…
-Waterproof Shell jacket (it won’t be that cold)…
-Spare pair of riding shoes (Easier to have a spare pair ready on standby, than rely on sealskins/overshoes etc) operate a 2 laps on 2 laps off (And drying) policy…
-Lots of pairs of shorts/undershorts/jersey/tops/socks: try to keep the layer next to your skin as dry as possible.
-Don’t load yourself up too much, just take basic tools/spares, a lap isn’t that long, you won’t need a 3L Camelbak and loads of kit on top of all the extra Mud/water you’ll be lugging around…

Generally accepting that things will get wet/muddy and having a plan or contingency to deal with it is better than trying to “Mudproof” everything IMHO….

cookea good list …i think ill buy a water butt

Got to ask though; why hold an event with sooo many people involved in an area known for it’s bogginess? Seems a bit daft to me. A small local event I can understand, but strikes me as the location isn’t the best.

wrong time of year and using grassy fields, I assume the main problem mud areas will be in the start/finish arena, unpredictable weather, back in the day Eastnor was used for the Classic and British Champs in the same year, both bone dry, but they were in July and Aug, I guess they try and get it as close to the shortest night as possible,

anyway, I hope it isn’t as bad as everyone is making out, seems like you need an army of helpers, several bikes set-up with CX wheels and Rohloff hubs, plus a wardrobe budget similar to the Lord of the Rings, not forgetting the marque used for the Beckham’s wedding

Got to ask though; why hold an event with sooo many people involved in an area known for it’s bogginess? Seems a bit daft to me. A small local event I can understand, but strikes me as the location isn’t the best.

finding an alternative that works commercially as well as in bad weather is probably the problem.

plus the event isn’t exactly stuggling to attract riders is it

Tell you what if it ends up as muddy as that pic Im going to **** sack it – waste of time.

If I want to get covered in sh1t Ill go roll around in the gutter.

Methinks maybe this event has got too big & they need to cap the number of riders at a lower limit..

Got to ask though; why hold an event with sooo many people involved in an area known for it’s bogginess? Seems a bit daft to me. A small local event I can understand, but strikes me as the location isn’t the best.

Well that’s just part of the overall appeal isn’t it? it may be dry (like last year) which would favour the underprepared, and bad weather averse riders….

Basically though endurance events of any sort are not really intended for “Fair weather” competitors; it’s not simply a test of how fit you are, it tests your ability to think ahead, plan and prepare, it’s hardly a secret that:
1- it might rain and…
2- If it rains there will be Mud… 😯

Still at least you don’t have to read a map…

Skinny tyres and a Lefty

I’m looking forward to riding in the mud, it makes it much more fun and unpredictable.

However the forecats is looking much better now, which is a shame.

Skinny tyres and a Lefty

Sorted on both counts. Bring on the mud 😀

Skinny tyres and a Lefty

The skinny tyres I can see, but I’m not sure how taking TJ* would help. Maybe he could argue the mud into submission.

*Other Leftys are available…….