For some of you that live on better draining land "winter" riding might be something totally different.

I often wonder why any MTBer lives in the sarf, it sounds like poo 🙁

That'll be me then.
The wonderfull Greensand Ridge i.e Woburn. Described by MBR as a winter playground…or was it wonderland?
Luckilly I'm right where the Chiltens and Cotswolds converge (sort of)

Mick. You are just a great big poofter 😉 (I don't miss Clent or Wyre in the wet though I have to say!)

Luckilly I'm right where the Chiltens and Cotswolds converge (sort of)

so actually not poo ? Glad to hear it 🙂

I ride less often in the winter for sure. And rides are shorter and slower. But still fun to be had.

"I often wonder why any MTBer lives in the sarf, it sounds like poo"

Well it's where we live. But also, it's more challenging 😛

One of he reasons why I have 2 bikes, one of which has 1 chainring, no cassettes and no cables/deraileurs.

Also to be fair to the OP, those spares are spread across 2 bikes and sometimes it's just coincidence that everything seems to go at once, sods law or something like that, should be fun tonight then with skipping gears and shonky changes due to poorly setting up the new parts – assuming he's not still fitting the bearings when I pick him up 😀

No, new chain and cassete on the inbred yesterday, followed by the clent dayride, back home for a wash down and a new middle ring. Good to go tonight with no faff..

Can't beat Chilterns mud for horrendous gloopiness. Ride a singlespeed in winter (the first winter I rode geared I got through a lot of transmission components), generally have to replace very little now (beefy chain, s/s ring). Having said which, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've been faster than 3pmh off-road over the last 6 months…

Love it though, it's all biking and every condition is just another challenge. It can't all be well-drained trail centres in just-right conditions. Have happily kept going through this awful winter, really looking forward to the mud drying out!

I mostly became a roadie as couldn't face another winter of Surrey Hills mud. Worked out well apart from one ride when I fell off 4 times on black ice….

I have a hardtail with a geared hub and rust proof chain for these exact reasons. Expensive initial outlay but very little maintenance time required and I know that it is ready to go whatever the weather. They're not perfect but bloody useful in winter. If you're spending lots on replacing bits regularly I would seriously consider. I have a Rohloff which is ££££ (but worth it), saying that the Alfine 11 that is due out before next winter looks like it could be a winner for the cost.

The sheer effort of making progress can be hard. Had a laugh riding down Jambo and Sharki's trail on the Qs last weekend – rutted, bar-catching narrow, rooty techyness when dry, it was slow, slip, slide fest with an over-the-bar-moment! Made me smile.

3 chains, 2 cassettes, 2 middle chainrings, 8 pairs of brake pads, 8 bearings purchased in the last 3 weeks.

😯

Still got all the bits on the bike I had from last year. And they were over a year old come to think of it, although admittedly off a bike I used less than others. I don't change bits that much. I blame OCD over cleaning of bikes. Bit of oil and off I go! Also, Turner grease ports and King headset. Nuff sed. 8)

So MrsA said no riding twice in a week then you go out yesterday and still on for tonight, what did you buy her???? 😉

It does seem a lot of gear to go through even on 3 bikes.I would stick with 1bike all winter. Tjs comments are always not very well thought Out but to be fair ive ridden all winter twice a week around west Yorkshire & needed to change front pads & chain &they were 6 months old already. A little extra tlc may be required in the correct way.I'm staggered at that list.

blimey TJ I want your ride life??? where do you find the time to put in that many miles???? no wife/kids/dogs/job/life away from the bike. I like to ride..as much as possible but i doubt i do 1000 miles in a year! a really good year at that.

I'm a bit annoyed now that sfb thought I was whinging. Where I say "I get the point and love it" does that come across differntly to someone outside of my head? I ride nearly every day. The only time i don't it's because I'm too hungover! I also love the armchair experts that are telling us the winter conditions can't possibly knacker your components and it must be poor maintenance. How do the kids put it?…LOL!! I could get off every 10 mins and chip off the build up of snow and ice on my chain and cassette that is a side effect of riding in deep snow but I choose to ride on through. If anyone here suspects that ploughing a 30lb bike with 18st of rider and kit up steep hills in 12" of snow with iced up cassette and chainrings doesn't put more strain on those components than they are probably designed for, then I'd like to know what this magical extra maintenance I'm supposed to be carrying out is! I guess I could go 8 or 7 speed with a thicker chain but can't be arsed. I go through a chain every 3-4 months anyways so one a month is worth the enjoyment I've been getting out of the experience. Mud? What's that? It's been frozen here since Nov!

😆 😆 Yer Mick – you've got to learn to lube your chain properly 😆 😆 And then you'll be fine 😆

See you later for some more Somme to rub around your chainring

I'm a bit annoyed now that sfb thought I was whinging

sorry, I read "I'm with Samuri and the OP." and my eyes glazed over 🙂

Well, after last nights Clent Duffers (TM) mince around Wyre it's pretty easy to see why components wear out. Had a great ride, out for 3.5hrs, never felt cold once but the grinding paste gloop froze solid to everything, didn't get home until midnight so have had to neglect trying to clean 25mm thick frozen mud from the bike, front mech frozen solid, rear mech frozen solid, bike frozen solid to rack on car when I got home. Best bit was watching 6' 7" tall Steve on his big wheeled jobbie go 4rse over tit in to mud soup that was well over his knees, if he'd got a normal bike it would've stopped much sooner and the mud would've only been half way up his shins 😀

Top ride in component grinding conditions which has been the norm (other than a couple of snowy rides) in the midlands since well before christmas.

You're using the wrong lube mate!

Of course, must wax not oil 😀

MTFU !!

I often wonder why any MTBer lives in the sarf,

because you live in the north?

Maintain your bikes and buy good components.

A good few miles this winter – maybe a thousand? maybe more? A set of brake pads at the puffer – thats it for replacements.

I'm preuming you had a good eyeful of the extreme comedy moment then Mark? 😛

wowsers, some of you eat through brake pads….still on the same pads i put on in november, been out 3 times a week most weeks, in all the gloop, snow, wet, rain etc and still have tonnes of life left in them….in the peaks and all sorts of similar terrain….cant understand how you can get through pads in such an incredibly fast time, unless of course you are riding the peaks 7 days 🙂

still winter riding has been fun, but im glad its finally on its way out, its nice to be able to set off at night for the first hour in daylight….

votchy – Member

sp – you know what we're talking about!!! What's the meaning of getting out before the end of May anyway, grapevine tells me you were out this week I've been out for ages LOL.

25mm thick frozen mud from the bike, front mech frozen solid, rear mech frozen solid, bike frozen solid to rack on car when I got home

The joys of Clent Duffers (TM) mince rides – NOT.

Hot & Dusty Afan for me tomorrow 🙄

Out last night on almost frozen solid ground. Loads of grip. Nice and fast.

Winter is better than spring and Autumn when its properly wet.

Winter is better than spring, summer and Autumn when its properly wet.

Corrected that for you 😉

Nige – it was a classic, mud halfway up his thighs when he stood up, he looked like a giant turd 😆

sp – damn you, I have a day pass for Sunday 🙁 Afan is the only place in the UK that has rain forecast for tomorrow 😉

wowsers, some of you eat through brake pads….still on the same pads i put on in november

Some brands and certain conditions/locations simply don't mix. If Afan is proper wet, a set of Avid Elixirs can be gone in a single lap. Yet the same conditions won't even register on Hopes or Shimano XTs.

I've got some not even deore non-series hydros on my singlespeed and you'll kills those in a couple of wet Afan laps.

I often wonder why any MTBer lives in the sarf,
because you live in the north?

well, they're always moaning about it being too muddy and no fun when wet. Yorkshire does tend to get very sinky when wet, but peat is relatively benign (when you're not actually immersed in it), and the Lakes is mostly free draining and unaffected by rain – with numerous exceptions, obviously 🙂

When I think back to last "summer" I have to say I've had far better ridng this winter & it's not over yet. I love winter rides especially at night 😀

the snow had such a sensuous, yielding texture it was almost sexual

Simon, ffs!

Simon, ffs!

listen, this is what I put in my report:
men: imagine thrusting your rubbery firmness into yielding virgin softness
women: imagine BEING that responsive softness (I shall not pretend you are virgins 🙂

Sorry, not reading your report, but…… has it been a while? 😕

but…… has it been a while?

having sex doesn't stop me from being interested in it, well not for more than 20 minutes anyway 🙂