[Closed] Gravity Enduro's

I did one of the mega enduro events. Total riding time was about 50 minutes.
Time between stages was small so that all riders could get through but that was part of the experience and meant that people on bigger bikes struggled usually pushing uphill.
The entry fee was £50 plus insurance. Combine that with all the money spent prepping your bike and getting to the event, it is a lot of cash for 50 minutes racing so i never did another.

I know exactly what you mean re DH. most race days i've been to i've managed 3 practice runs and 2 race runs. Take a look at the Exmoor gravity for next year. 2 days for 35 quid if booked early including a free pair of pads and a pint: day 1, session one descent, quickest time counts, 3.5 minute run, 40+ minute climb, then the next day was maybe a 30/40km loop(?) around some of Exmoors finest including the day 1 timed section and 2 others, nothing technical but eyewateringly fast and fun, and doable on any bike.
no doubt someone will be along in a moment to whine about the timing cock ups and how in that last run they would have definitely beaten Fabien Barel, but i thought it was a really good event. Plus it was sponsored by Exmoor Ales.

I've done most of the ones at Innerleithen, they've all been absolutely superb. I've done a bit of downhill racing but tbh most races mean spending a weekend largely doing bugger all, and also it's pretty biased towards the top boys. Whereas enduro is more time on the bike, more varied riding (ie not just one route several times), and IME is great fun even if you're an also-ran.

It can mean very different things, though... The inners events use a relatively simple, straightforward approach which works really well, otoh other events do timed liaison stages, full seeding etc which makes things a bit trickier and is where problems with getting round come in.

Steve Parr's national gravity enduro series- formerly Fetish Enduro Series, not sure who's sponsoring next year- was briefly canned but he's continuing it, which is great- might actually get to ride a round or two next year 😛 And looks like a second national series is on its way. Also more scheduled at the start of the year at Inners, which is a fantastic venue.

As for your bike- will be fine. Almost perfect in fact.

So I've done 3 of the main series ones this year - Coed Y Brenin, Eastridge, Dyfi and i've also done the exmoor one.
I just absolutely love the idea of gravity enduro, I was riding around the three rounds I did at a fairly sedate pace and had plenty of time before my runs. Ok you need a certain level of fitness but i don't think its that high. Having said that innerleithen was 25km with 1500m climbing? and dyfi was 38km with 1400m...

Your Orange five is spot on perfect I reckon. any idea on weight? it might be tough if you've got cheap DH wheels and 2.7" dual plys but if its a sensible build then spot on.
I can't get over how fun the Dyfi stages were and eastridge was brilliant fun too. Coed-y-brenin was boring but hey its usable in all weathers (as proven this year in 3°C driving rain)

Exmoor was interesting, started off as 4 tracks/stages, found out one was repeated so down to 3 tracks, then another was not timed as it was a bridleway, then another had timing difficulties so only timed on one stage and that was problematic too. shame as the trails were pretty good there.

http://www.youtube.com/user/anoobis for some enduro sections. I'll upload more tonight.

Blimey, was that you in the vid of the Mondraker Gravity Enduro? who ever it was, they were shiftin. The Exmoor one sounds good too as i love natural trails 🙂
My 5 is 35lbs, which is a bit heavy i know but it has got a dropper post, dh (ish) wheels, hope v2's (heavy rotors) and coil forks.
It may need to go on a bit of a diet soon.
Cheers for the info so far peeps 🙂

Yeah me in both vids, editing some more as we speak.
My Last Herb FR for Coed-y-brenin was 36lbs with totems up front, depends what you're happy pedalling with. Its now down to around 32lbs on a good day (single ring up front, bos devilles).
And there is no shortage of natural riding on these enduros, that first descent on the dyfi vid was freshly cut for the event. and did you watch the full dyfi vid? feel free to skip to 4:20 in that vid for the end of the boring pedalling and into a scary as hell descent -

Yeah, that does look a bit scary, you kept it pinned tho, nice ridin.
Im really lookin forward to next season now. What sort of price are the events and is there usually camping available?

I did the Hopton Gravity Enduro and thought it was a great event.

Don't get me wrong - it was quite tough. The transition was challenging but easily do-able, while the stages themselves were a good mix of some quite difficult DH and some flatter XC stuff.

I wouldn't worry [i]too[/i] muuch what you're riding as whatever bike you have it will be ideal in some places and less ideal in others such is the variety of gravity enduro.

I did Hopton too (Great race).
rompinrita Where you based?

A couple of quick question :

Do you guy like the option to practice the trails on Saturday before the Sunday race as per Hopton or ride the stages blind on the race day blind? I’m not sure on this one.

Also Did you guys like the idea of riding each stage twice Like we did at Hopton? I did!

Done quite a few of these now - including some rounds of Steve Parr's series, the Enduro1 series and several internationals including SuperEnduro.

For me, the beauty is that it truly is a test of the best all round rider - transition cutoffs mean you have to be fit enough to get round with enough in the tank to then gun it on the downs, so it doesn't favour a pure DH racer who might not have tons of stamina. By the opposite count, the DH focus means that unlike XC or marathon racing, you're unlikely to find a roadie or CX racer with zero technical skill dominating just on the basis of legs & lungs.

I like the fact it is a bit of a tactical format too - finding the balance with energy management, bike preservation etc takes some calculation.......

Do you guy like the option to practice the trails on Saturday before the Sunday race as per Hopton or ride the stages blind on the race day blind? I’m not sure on this one.

Without a doubt the option to practice them.

Riding a trail blind is fine, trying to race something blind is silly.

The whole practice thing is where fitness comes in too. As with DH, and XC and pretty much any offroad discipline, the fitter you are the more you can practice without race performance deteriorating.

Riding a trail blind just sounds dangerous, I mean what if you run over the guide dog ?

Riding a trail blind just sounds dangerous, I mean what if you run over the guide dog ?

36lbs? Wow, your 5 is heavier than my (pretty much) stock Alpine 160, I bet it can take a proper beating. Anyway, it's not about the bike weight, but the engine powering it, you'll still probably be quicker than me on the climbs 🙂

Scottfitz, im from the Malverns mate near worcester, so iv got a really good trainig ground on my door step.
Zero cool, its 35lbs but it does still pedal ok (im used to heavy bikes).
Im currently workin on my stamina, as iv just quit smoking after 18 years abusing my lungs, so hopefully in a few months ill be much fitter than i am now (which isnt to bad tbh) and plan on gettin loads of miles in as well as swimming and the gym for core strength. 🙂

POC enduro next year at Glentress - great event and cheap entries going at the moment [url= http://tweedlove.com/events/2013-events/poc-king-and-queen-of-the-hill ]here[/url]

I raced a couple of stages blind in the innerleithen classic enduro... Great fun, but since most people had practiced them I got torn apart, lost a huge amount of time on those 2 compared to the others.

It's something I'd like to see more of tbh but I reckon it's got to be harder to arrange- as soon as a course is taped people will be riding it.

I did the fetish round at eastridge and enduro 1 at tidworth, much prefer the two day format at eastridge but both were fun.
Used to do dh years ago, this type of event is a good mix of skill and fitness (both need working on in my case!)and lots more riding for your money.
Bike choice seem to vary but what you`ve got sounds good.
I really want to do some more next year but heard that you may need a full face helmet.(?)
I`m looking to get a decent full face anyway, not sure what would be suitable though. Can anyone recommend any?

If any races next year you have to wear a full face i won't be doing them. I am very happy to do DH race in one but no chance i'm riding any up or flat waering it.

scottfitz - Both the Gravity Enduro series and the BDS Enduros are going to be full-face only.

Though, it's a little odd as some of the comments suggested that was a BC requirement, but BC told me there's no such requirement- it's on the cards but hasn't been confirmed yet. They were waiting for the UCI policy to come out, and the UCI policy's supposedly going nowhere fast. And tbh I don't think BC have a full understanding of the racing.

If full-faces do become unavoidable I won't be delighted, but I'll be really unhappy with "helmets all the time"- ie, you must wear a full face for the timed stages, and also you have to wear a helmet for the fire-road climbing. So either climb in a fullface, or carry 2 helmets.

Did the Enduro 1 events at FoD and Salsbury Plain

Loved them both. ~3 hours of riding with a few balls out sections thrown in.

I was sceptical about the 'riding the sections blind' approach. In the end I think it is great concept. Means 1 day away (bonus if you have a family) and a brings trail reading skills into the mix. The other series have practice days the day before. Both approaches have merit

Will be doing some more next year. Most fun I have had racing in the UK.

Bike wise. Did both on my Nicolai AM. Was probably a little 'over biked' for both but not massively so. Almost any bike will work ok but would suggest the five is pretty close to perfect.

If full-faces do become unavoidable I won't be delighted, but I'll be really unhappy with "helmets all the time"- ie, you must wear a full face for the timed stages, and also you have to wear a helmet for the fire-road climbing. So either climb in a fullface, or carry 2 helmets

Which is the same as the Super Enduro's. You just strap the one you're not using onto your backpack.

With comments being banded around of the difficulty & speed of stages being increased I certainly felt exposed on some of the Dyfi stages just wearing a Xen.

did the last 2 rounds of the fetish gravity enduro; eastridge and dyfi, both quite different dh stuff was all doable but challenging enough against the clock

also did the gravity 1 series swinley/FOD/salisbury- quite different less dh orientated still some good techinical bits

overall id say fitness is key, training on some regular 4hr plus rides is best

I would wear a full face if I was doing the Inners GE again anyway.

Absolutely, and that's a choice you always had. And also, it's something race organisers have always been free to impose themselves.

But o'course this rule if it goes ahead would apply to all BC enduros, not just the hardest ones. I didn't see a single person choose a full face for the Tweedlove enduro frinstance- it was stifling hot and had 2 climbing stages, and 2 of the other stages were entirely on trailcentre stuff. Simply not suited.

Enduro's too varied for one set of rules to work for all IMO. And personally I don't feel like I need a helmet to ride slowly up a fire road.

and iirc correctly u can wear an xc lid for the transitions but full face for the stages ala super enduro ........

[img] [/img]

most camelbaks come with helmet straps these days anyway

Yeah, I'm keenly looking forward to riding the innerleithen classic in february with a helmet strapped to my back and getting it filled with mud, then squelching it back on at the bottom to ride up a fire road. Sounds like progress.

I can see an argument for fullfaces, though I strongly disagree with it being introduced as a universal BC rule. But what is the argument for helmets for climbing?

scottfitz - Both the Gravity Enduro series and the BDS Enduros are going to be full-face only.

Is there a definite list of Series and Events that are happening next year?

I'd like to take part but I'm unsure what's actually taking place in 2013.

Re: the full face thing - if you had seen the state of the guy I stopped to help at the Mondraker Enduro (he had used his face as a brake on a timed stage), you'd see the sense in it.

Speeds and technicality are not far from a normal UK DH race, but factor in smaller bikes and tiredness leading to mistakes, and it is a recipe for bad things happening. Remember that landowners/FC etc are typically pretty risk averse, so it's not just the organisers being cautious, it is them thinking about making sure next year has somewhere to host the rounds.

Had no problem at all with 2 helmets in Italy for SuperEnduro. And that was over 50k with 2000m of climbing, so a UK enduro will be no worries.

andyrm - Member

And that was over 50k with 2000m of climbing, so a UK enduro will be no worries.

What does distance and climbing have to do with it? 😕

As for injuries- you can hit your face at any time. And your man above could have chosen a full face. There's a big difference between seeing the point in a full face, and supporting mandatory use.

What I'd like to see, at the very least, is an entrant survey for a few representative events, with 3 simple questions-

Will you wear a full face?
Do you own a full face?
Would you still race if full faces were mandatory?

Because we just don't know what the impact will be just now, but I know a lot of riders who've tried these races don't own one, and it's not a small expense for something they might never use again.

Will you wear a full face?
Do you own a full face?
Would you still race if full faces were mandatory?

Hopefully this will be good next month.

http://www.nofussevents.co.uk/event/The-Dudes-of-Hazzard-Enduro/2892/

Aye, looking forward to that one, should be ace. You never know, we might get lucky and get a bit of snow

What does distance and climbing have to do with it?

As in "amount of time on a bike lugging a full face helmet on your back tortoise style" because I have seen lots of whinging about that on other forums and FB 😉

What I'd like to see, at the very least, is an entrant survey for a few representative events, with 3 simple questions-

Will you wear a full face?
Do you own a full face?
Would you still race if full faces were mandatory?

That's not a bad idea.

And if they do make it compulsory, then there would be good cause to get a helmet sponsor onboard like Mega have with Bluegrass. Sell a cut price helmet through the event's website, helping riders get a good deal on something they need, while also generating revenue for the organiser and gaining market share for the helmet sponsor. Win/win/win 🙂

andyrm - Member

As in "amount of time on a bike lugging a full face helmet on your back tortoise style" because I have seen lots of whinging about that on other forums and FB

Oh I see! Yeah, totally agree there, that's not really a thing is it.

I'm planning next year as though I have to wear a full face at all times, planning on buying an urge archi-enduro.
I'd prefer no rules on transition and I'd prefer not to have to carry 2 helmets. I'll be buying a £15 jobbie if I do, have to buy a new one every round if you like crashing!

and please don't tell me you'd be happy riding as fast as you can, down this, with an open helmet:

Full face helmet will be compulsary on stages and a helmet must be worn at all times on transitions.
The transition route will also be monitored in 2013, no short cutting of the loop, especially not being uplifted!
Time penalties will be applied for late starters on stages and any cheating on stages, as in round 3, will result in instant DQ.
We have been pretty leniant for the first 2 years, but some people have pushed my patience this year.
The Industry backing for 2013 is amazing, we have support sponsors already and should have news on title sponsor very shortly. Category sponsorship will be open soon to.
The futures bright, the futures Gravity Enduro 🙂

I thought the transition routes were supposed to be monitored last season? "Roaming marshalls" springs to mind
What will happen if you turn up late? Just slotted in wherever? Which then leads me on to what happens at the next stage - start time adjusted or you've got to make it back into your original place?

What will happen if you turn up late? Just slotted in wherever? Which then leads me on to what happens at the next stage - start time adjusted or you've got to make it back into your original place?

Hopefully we'll see something like the SuperEnduro approach, where you have an alloted start time for each stage, so if you are late, effectively that adds to your run time, thus ensuring the best overall rider wins.

I was about to say id be more than happy to wear my fullface on the stages if it was compulsary or not, but as Mr Parr has just said it is, then it is 🙂 iv got a cheapo xc lid i can put on for the climbs anyway... so, i know all linking routes will be different lengths/gradients, but what would be an average distance and how much time are you given to get to the start of each stage?

Hopefully we'll see something like the SuperEnduro approach, where you have an alloted start time for each stage, so if you are late, effectively that adds to your run time, thus ensuring the best overall rider wins

which great until i have a major issue and suddenly find myself riding in Elites 😯

The Industry backing for 2013 is amazing, we have support sponsors already and should have news on title sponsor very shortly. Category sponsorship will be open soon to.

Maybe the full face debate wouldn't be so feisty if more manufacturers made enduro specific helmets...

Maybe the full face debate wouldn't be so feisty if more manufacturers made enduro specific helmets

Wonder if Casco Vipers are ok as FF? Do you know Steve?

They are ok on ups but if hot then unclip the chin guard and clip to the hydro pack chest strap until the next DH stage and slot back in to the helmet

Great compromise. Maybe they can be a approached as a sponsor 🙂

Not cheap either though

Having seen the damage caused by the Urge one when someone stoved their head into the ground & the chin bar tried to remove his lower lip, i'll stick with a proper FF.

I managed to wear it flat out for 50 minutes on the Mega, i'm sure I can cope for 5 minutes on a GE stage. Cheap pisspot for the transitions, job done.

Taz - Member
Wonder if Casco Vipers are ok as FF?

Assuming he'll be running to DH-style rules (which is where the UCI looks to be going) - no

Full face helmet will be compulsary on stages and a helmet must be worn at all times on transitions.
The transition route will also be monitored in 2013, no short cutting of the loop, especially not being uplifted!
Time penalties will be applied for late starters on stages and any cheating on stages, as in round 3, will result in instant DQ.
We have been pretty leniant for the first 2 years, but some people have pushed my patience this year.
The Industry backing for 2013 is amazing, we have support sponsors already and should have news on title sponsor very shortly. Category sponsorship will be open soon to.
The futures bright, the futures Gravity Enduro

Thought it was a goner. Pleased it's not. Will buy a FF if it's a requirement and I should be buying one anyway.

One other thing:
I WANT A T SHIRT! so I can out-gnar my mates in the pub.
Carry on.

Hob Nob - Is the urge not a 'normal' FF with a large breathing gap up front?

What tried to take his lip off. Was it a bad fitting helmet?

Was ponderering getting the Archi Enduro (think that is the name) so any details you have may alter that decison 😕

Nah it's a skinnier design too. See the report here: http://forums.mtbr.com/utah/crash-report-urge-archi-enduro-helmet-795542.html

Bloody hell. Ouch

Hob Nob / Legend - thanks for the heads up

Bluegrass Brave now making it's way to the top of the list

Remember that there's nothing to stop you removing any mesh/foam in the mouth-piece of a helmet to help get air in. Of course, there's a chance that mud/bugs/shit will get in too but them's the breaks

Wow not one of them then!

For 31 euros you can enter the Super Enduro races, which for Finale included a street race on the Saturday night, followed by 50k of the best trails I've ever ridden. Okay, you need a racing licence, but with a cheap flight and accommodation its probably not much more expensive than one of the UK ones all in when you factor in they're about £60 and travel in the UK is so damn expensive!

Heres a great vid of the other weekend to give a flavour of it. In my mind they're just in a different league to the UK series.

Are there any other reports of those archi enduros going? That's the only one I've ever heard about. Whereas I've heard and seen lots of normal full faces going at the chin too.

Is a Met Parachute classed as a fullface lid or not?

I just returned an archi enduro to crc. On paper its just what i wanted but it was actually very uncomfortable and felt a bit cheap and flimsy i also looked a dick in it

What's the point in having to wear a helmet on transition stages in an event like this? It's ridiculous, how stupid would you have to be to hurt yourself cycling uphill? health and safety gone mad.

rompinrita - Member
Is a Met Parachute classed as a fullface lid or not?

I wouldn't have thought so.

I've done a few "gravity" enduros in the past and with the exception of one at Innerleithen I've felt comfortable racing in an XC lid.

If rule changes stipulate FF helmets and helmets to be worn on transitions I'd have to think seriously about entering any more in the future. 😐

What's the point in having to wear a helmet on transition stages in an event like this? It's ridiculous, how stupid would you have to be to hurt yourself cycling uphill? health and safety gone mad.

Face/Palm

Not going to reopen the helmet debate here but are all transitions up hill? Several will be on fast fireoads, singletrack etc. Would you not wear a lid for riding those normally? It's normal policy to wear a lid while riding in an event. Not H&S gone mad just normal.

I've done a few "gravity" enduros in the past and with the exception of one at Innerleithen I've felt comfortable racing in an XC lid.

So, these are now just a DH race with some pedalling?
Shame.

I didn't notice riding with full face and an XC lid on a 50k ride with 1600m climbing in 25 degrees - it really wasn't all that bad, and made the descents more reassuring

...its what they've done on the continent for ages and those are the best races around?

wrecker - Member
So, these are now just a DH race with some pedalling?
Shame.

No absolutely not. Inners had the most elevation but went as follows (but possibly not in this order)

S1 - Cresta DH track
S2 - Alistair Lees Enduro track. Top half is fairly dhish but then gradually flattened right out before a short sharp climb towards the end
S3 - fast then flat and pedally, then steep, then flat, then fireroad, then steep, then flat, then steep, etc 🙂
S4 - down (but not dh bike worthy), then very pedally section of Inners Red, followed by the lower part of an old dh track
S5 - Inners 'tunnel' which is fast but fairly flat, 'new luge' with race links which is hardly wild, fire road sprint/soul destroyer, Jane's Lane (lovely non-dh bike singletrack), then the end of the Inners red XC.

The only stage that would've been fast on a dh bike is S1, the rest would've been horrid!!

Legend there was a touch of Future Tense in there 🙂 If the pedaling remains then the Full Face becomes less pleasant.

That sounds ace legend. The kind of thing we all enjoy riding. Without full face helmets.

Mike, Steve has been promising that fitness will be tested even more this year....... mind you that could just be due to oxygen restricting helmets 😉

legend - Member
Mike, Steve has been promising that fitness will be tested even more this year....... mind you that could just be due to oxygen restricting helmets

That and the accurate timing 😉

Looks like it's going to be interesting. I think the local events like the Pearce ones may be the winners as trapsing up and down the country for a series expensive.

yeah there's no way I could do the full series, probably just Inners, Hamsterley and maybe Eastridge. Plus the Inners winter races, anything that pops up north of the border (which currently stands at nothing)

Parr - Member
Time penalties will be applied for late starters on stages

Surely the "penalty" is simply that the clock starts ticking at a rider's predefined start time? Or isn't it predefined start times? (sorry, don't know UKGE setup).

Looks like it's going to be interesting. I think the local events like the Pearce ones may be the winners as trapsing up and down the country for a series expensive.

That's the other thing that's putting me off for next year, it gets expensive in both time and money taking part in a national series. Local races would be great but I think the biggest hurdle in my locality would be finding a venue.

mikewsmith, eff off with your facepalm.

If there is a downhill transition then can't people (all responsible adults after all) make their own decisions as to their personal safety ie keep their FF helmet on, rather than having to force unnecessary H and S bullshit onto them for the great majority of the transitions which will be uphill and slow?
I've been mtbing for over a decade and have never seen anyone manage to headbutt anything while riding uphill.

I saw a couple at GT a while back cycling uphill in open face helmets with full face ones strapped to their backs and it really was a wtf moment. I thought at the time 'only at Glentress' but it seems I was wrong.

Spaceman, if you are cycling in a race, you are going to have to wear a helmet, whether its uphill or downhill. The transition is still part of the race. Do you know of any UK cycle race that you dont have to wear a helmet??
I do agree that the type of helmet you use should be your decision, but if the organisers say you have to wear FF, and the event is something I want to do, then I'll just have to put up with it.

For 31 euros you can enter the Super Enduro races, which for Finale included a street race on the Saturday night, followed by 50k of the best trails I've ever ridden.

Agreed - by far the best event I have ever taken part in. Enrico and his team have absolutely nailed the format.

Are there any other reports of those archi enduros going? That's the only one I've ever heard about.

I think that's a pretty one sided report and speaking to several riders, we think his helmet actually was badly fitted, hence it moving round. I have an Archi Enduro and a Down-o-Matic - both are really solid fit and the only way it could rotate on his head is if he hasn't fitted it right. But heaven forbid someone should paint a balanced view on the internets......... 😉

So for a none FF wearing rider who's never ridden a Gravity Enduro event before what would THE event to attend next year as an introduction?

The link to the Tweedlove POC King and Queen Of the Hill looks good.

I take your point Superfli but would still have to disagree.

It's obviously a no brainer that you wear a full face helmet when racing at high speed downhill, just seems idiotic that you would have to carry a separate helmet only for cycling generally uphill, as no one will be happy wearing a full face cycling uphill for any length of time.
So you then have to go to the trouble of carrying an open face helmet on your back while racing downhill at speed, I'd say this was more likely to cause a serious accident than cycling uphill without a helmet on. If the helmet is poorly attached and comes loose or slips it could interfere with bike control or get caught in back wheel. Also if you crash there will be an awkward shaped object on your back which could increase the chance of injury. I know these risks are small but still more likely to be a factor in a serious injury than cycling uphill bare-headed.

superfli - Member

Do you know of any UK cycle race that you dont have to wear a helmet??

Every downhill race without an uplift! Always people riding up with their helmets attached to the bike.

Also many existing enduros- it's hardly a new idea. At the ones I've done, everyone who chose a fullface was riding the transitions without helmets, and no reason not to. More likely to trip in the car park than fall off on the climbs.

the trip up is not part if the race in a dh event though.
not wearing one on enduro transition, does this not affect the race organisers liability? I have seen riders not wearing them, but not sure how the organisers would take it.