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I saw a Vital raw video and that top section is mental with all the rocks. Bikes looked to be getting battered!
Is he on 27.5 or 29 inch wheels?
The rocks are quite simply INSANE there... it's more than i thought and honestly i couldn't see any way i could even ride the place. Unless i had it to myself to give me enough time to pick lines, check sections, etc, then maybe. But to go in there hot and straight onto some sort of pace, it just astounds me how they seem to do it week in week out. THere were broken wheels EVERYWHERE and i was shocked that all we came out with was a slight dink on his rear.. I assume at times it's people trying to compromise between lower pressures for grip and getting down the hill... We were running slightly higher than usual with 23/24 on ours, up from 20/22 which is our usual. We also had the cushcore on the rear which we've not tried before. He rides quite light in terms of landings usually and obviously isn't hitting the rocks as hard as the faster lads/elites. So we either got something right, or got a little lucky... maybe a bit of both.
We're currently running a mullet setup which helps obviously with the rocks on the front, but enables him to turn well on it. Whether we'll stick with that setup or go full 29 for the replacement larger bike, i'm not sure. But i don't even know if we'll do that before the end of this season, i suspect the replacement will be a winter plan in the off-season.
It is a bit of a battering! Of course now he's wanting a DH bike as more travel might have helped.
It is a bit of a battering! Of course now he’s wanting a DH bike as more travel might have helped.
You should've said on the day... he could have tried/used ours.... If you'd mentioned it, he could've bought it at the end of the day too 😀 😀
The less temptation he gets the better! He wants to go back for a play there as soon as we can - and there's no way I'll be able to keep him in sight if he's on a DH bike!
Top marks to Silt wheels though. I don't think there's anything that would survive an unlucky hit on those rocks but I sent them the picture and there's a new rim in the post this morning. Excellent service.
Fwiw Lisa who won the juniors broke two wheels over the weekend. She can't weigh more than 55kg and is a very clean rider to boot. I'm not sure that she's ever broken a wheel on a race weekend before.
Fwiw Lisa who won the juniors broke two wheels over the weekend. She can’t weigh more than 55kg and is a very clean rider to boot.
Not shocked at all mate, it's a brutal place that's for sure. Happily, we're not back there now until next year and it'll give me time to save up for spare wheels LOL. I think i need to start a go-fund-me page for this sport 😀
My biggest worry was/is that we go there, spend all weekend practicing and spanner something in race and go home with nothing. But that mindset has changed on that in the last few months as part of the learning experience we're all going through, which is now "if it happens it happens" and we know there's going to come a race weekend we DNF because of a mechanical or crash and we simply have to accept it. All we can do is take the spares we have and if it goes pear shaped, we go home and hopefully enjoyed the weekend.
When we had the issues before race run this weekend we kinda weighed up that we'd had a full weeekend riding, learning and enjoying and if his tyre didn't hold, so be it..
Minor bummer that not only did he dink his brand new rim, but he's destroyed a new tyre as well lol. Sheesh. He's ripped 2 knobbles off the tyre and down to the canvas.
We've still got some in spares but mostly they're DH22 which he's not gelled with at all due to their very slow rolling. He doesn't seem to be able to cross that line between grip and speed.
Going to have to go in search of some new rear rubber.
Rocky! Just a bit
Fantastic photos – that boy can ride!!
I wonder who his actual father is 😂😂😂
Has his riding just come along in the last few weeks? I’ve seen some slightly older pics/vids and your son looks a little rigid / square if you get what I mean where as in those pics he looks much more relaxed / flowy
It’s great watching kids with talent in any sport, even my son in football, one day something looks forced/awkward the next something just clicks and changes and you can see the improvement instantly.
Has his riding just come along in the last few weeks? I’ve seen some slightly older pics/vids and your son looks a little rigid / square if you get what I mean where as in those pics he looks much more relaxed / flowy
i THINK so, but he's always looked fairly stylish to me anyway. But recently the coaching has been upped and the riding has become a lot more tech, so yeah i'm hoping we're getting improvements. He's now out with Katy every Weds evening as well as her coming to races to offer wisdom and he's still at the stage where he's a sponge and absorbs the info.
He's still got a long way to go to reach anything like the front, but he's still enjoying it. It's often seemed to me like there's 2 different riders, 1 being the flowy type, which i don't always see... i think he's starting to unleash the flowy guy a bit more often.
It's been an interesting week, with a bit less pressure this week which has been nice. He's been out with Katy of course and out on his own a bit, then out with me at Surrey Hills yesterday with a load of mates. Seeing the difference in fitness, climbing, effort ... Wow... it's most impressive just how quickly it's improving.
I've not yet collected the race bike from Rotec though, that'll get done in the next few days. Yesterday though he was commenting about the tyres on the 141 potentially being a little draggy. So swapped the 'soft' Magic Mary and the MaxxGrip DHRII for something a little better rolling. I've thrown an Assegai on the front in MaxxTerra and on the back an Aggressor.
Just had an Email this morning from DMR who are sending him some more grips as he's quite harsh on grips and running the soft compound he gets through them quickly.
Upcoming weekend is Pearce race at Rhyd-Y-Felin, you get a LOT of the fast kids there, along with kids who've ridden it many many times, he's been there before so arguably knows it better than most places we've gone to. We've got a few plans lined up in terms of tyre testing as we'll have the coach there too so we can do some timing with phones etc. I'm curious to see if he can notice any difference in tyre combos and if they actually make him faster or slower, if anything at all. It's something we need to work on as the racing is so tight that often even 2-3 seconds on a trail can make several places difference in results.
Most importantly though is that he's still wanting to ride... pretty much most days he'll get up and want to head out. It's not always viable though as he's hitting the gym too and coaching, but the desire to go out and play is still there 🙂
I must have crossed paths with you guys a couple of times yesterday on pitch, kit looked familiar and now i know why.
Ah right 👍 what were you riding matey? We chatted to a few people randomly but I must admit I was feeling a little sorry for myself as I had a big crash on captain clunk and have spannered my shin/knee a bit. I ended up bailing earlier than the others as I couldn't pedal.
While I'm in here, I may as well post a few more pics
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52904504349_ae87aa599f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52904504349_ae87aa599f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oAZpYH ]2023-05-17_11-21-01[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
That's the oil after just 2 months.
Jobs list.
1. New pads and a full caliper service/bleed on the Tech3/V4s (Rotec) DONE
2. Sort dink in the rear rim on rear race wheel (Rotec) DONE
3. Sort 2x dink in the front race wheel (Rotec) DONE
4. Lowers service/oil/clean on the Boxxers (Rotec) DONE
5. Bearing check and replacement on Blue race bike DONE
6. New chain on the blue race bike DONE
7. Reconfigure gearing on purple spare bike to 10sp setup DONE
8. Reconfigure alignment of idler on purple spare bike DONE
9. Tyre swap on spare wheel rear (torn sidewall) DONE
10. Gear cable replacement on blue race bike. Not done.
Add to that, this week we've had 2 new pairs of DMR Deathgrips and a new pair of Crankbrothers shoes.
Your done then :).
Yup, all good. HE spent 3 hours earlier at FoD testing it and bike is running sweeetly
Even better was that he borrowed a mates 2021 V10 and didn't like it much... bargain 😀
Need to fit a new front tyre tomorrow as the Hillbilly is mud based and due to be dry at weekend, but that's a 5 minute job.
I been following this thread fella,fair play too you,he's very lucky to have a father that invests so much time and dedication in the abundance that you do,by the looks of the progress made it's working a treat.
Best of luck too him/you and let's hope one day had can reach the dizee heights of WC,it's entertaining too say the least.
Best of luck too him/you and let’s hope one day had can reach the dizee heights of WC,it’s entertaining too say the least.
Thank you, that's very kind. In truth, i don't even know what his goals are any more really in that sense. I'm sure he'd love to, but how realistic that is.. well, i can safely say that at the moment he's not a 'contender'. But that said, very few are and there's still 100+ who rock up to a WC meet to try and qualify. But it's less about what he can reach and more about what opportunities this can give him if he wanted a career within the industry. Ideally one that would allow him to have a good life, ride lots and have fun adventures.
We're still having lots of those, which is enough for me to be happy 🙂
But it’s less about what he can reach and more about what opportunities this can give him
He's developing so many things through all this - social skills, self-discipline, focus, listening and learning. Even if he gives up the riding it'll all help him in the future.
I've been unhappy with the rear mech for a while on his race bike. The arm is VERY sticky... but as well as that, the pivot points are somewhat wobbly. The local friendly mechanic at Rotec noticed it the other day too.
Of course we have a spare,
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909219408_e994dc4332_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909219408_e994dc4332_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oBpzAQ ]2023-05-19_08-17-36[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
But that isn't exactly perfect either, i threw it on but it's slightly sticky compared to the spare bike...
So i jumped on CRC/Wiggle yesterday and they have a Saint in the right flavour for £95 so i've ordered that.... That makes it a pretty expensive week up to now after fork service, brake rebuild, 2 sets of Hope pads and a dead rear tyre.. LOL. Once you add in petrol to FoD this week and then all the weekends expense for getting up to Rhyd-y-Felin and staying for the weekend... it's not a cheap one.
The mech will go on once it arrives today, so we'll be golden for the weekend. I'm hoping that's all the bike needs for now.
👍 looks like he's on for a good season. Well done to both of you. Behind every good rider is his good team.
Some weeks are like that, you win some you loose some. I would swap you bills this week, bought some cheap 38s for spares off the classifieds and got a great deal on 160 air shaft on eBay. Both too good to miss
Big expense today after blowing a hole in one of the pistons in the camper. Told by Ford its a known fault on the 2.2 engine when an injector decides to over fuel. Pity they wont help with the bill for the new engine. Same engine as yours so keep an eye on it. Picking it up and straight into the Peak to relax.
All the parts had finally been delivered for the body repairs from the heat damage in last years wild fires to the camper but had to be put on hold due to the engine problems so will be touring the Alps in the wonky camper again.
Ouchy ! did they give any indication of symptoms ? e.g, what would i/we look for ?
No symptoms at all. All the warning lights came on and went into limp mode on the M1. All the power went in an instant. The oil went everywhere from the blow back.
I'm told that Fords latest release when they plug it in to the system should cure it but we never had a recall and we cant find out if there was one. We have the Ford Pass app and have had nothing on it
Surprising to me is that the same engine is fitted to other makes which have had the same problem.
I'll speak to my mate, he's a Ford Van center owner/dealer. It's due in there soon anyway as i've put 9500 miles on it since buying.
Oh yeah, that was another this week. 2 new front tyres 😀
Got quite a few questions to ask when we pick it up. If they give any pointers will let you know.
So we’re now straight in for Bala (Rhyd-y-Felin)
Is that actually the same valley as Revolution Bike Park? If so thats not far on the road bike from where I live, I might pop over and watch on Sunday.
Is the info on location on Pearce Cycles accurate ie the dropped pin?
https://www.pearcecycles.co.uk/races/race/index/19/round-3-rhyd-y-felin
YEah mate, if you go on the little lane to Revs, (it's on your left), continue down that lane about another mile, through a farm etc... you'll see the venue at the end of that lane. Can't miss it.
We'll have beer, snacks, BBQ etc if you want to join in for a bit of chat.
@Tracey - I was speaking to a friend who’s a mechanic and he thinks that the last few generations of Ford Transit engines (the 2.2 and the newer 2.0) are a bit delicate (like most new engines. I’m on my second one with no problems. He reckons the long oil changes and service intervals that Ford follow don’t help. We’ve gone back to 10,000 mile oil changes to try to reduce the risk of this.
Like I said, we’ve had no problems with our old one or the new one, but modern engines are just not as robust because they’re made lighter, and more power/torque in a smaller engine. But then we can’t all drive around in the old 2.5 non turbo engines. Lol
Thanks. Feed back from Trust Ford is that there isn't alot can be done about it and we were just unlucky. Theres nothing we could have done to prevent it. It's a 2015 with 53k on the clock and has a Ford service plan.
I knew about all the problems with the 2.0, Injectors and cam belts, as we have a Tourneo Custom and so far it's been trouble free.
Keeping fingers crossed
Well that went about as smoothly as it's possible to do so.
Ordered yesterday from CRC and paid for DPD delivery, which arrived nicely.... Went on easy, set and configured with no issues.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909655725_0daa3d3b2a_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909655725_0daa3d3b2a_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oBrPix ]2023-05-19_02-28-21[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909655585_c60227e921_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52909655585_c60227e921_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oBrPg8 ]2023-05-19_02-28-17[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52908692347_b4062bea34_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52908692347_b4062bea34_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oBmSVz ]2023-05-19_02-28-11[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
Of course, all of this means that on run1 of practice, he'll stick it in a tree and explode it into 1000 pieces 😀 😀
Went on easy, set and configured with no issues.
I converted my old 3x9 to a shiny new 1x11 during lockdown including mech. Easy?? Took me 3 days to figure out what the heck I was doing 😂 Kudos on your spannering skills @weeksy! Also, guaranteed to have a mech/tree interface now too
Kudos on your spannering skills @weeksy!
I'm getting better.. I still don't do suspension internals, but everything else i'm fine with. Depending on timescales and how many bikes/events i still out-source the odd thing to LBS though, like this week with the Hope caliper service. It's not that i couldn't do it, just sometimes the priorities differ at times.
We’ll have beer, snacks, BBQ etc if you want to join in for a bit of chat.
It’s a nice morning so I will pop over on the road bike (bright orange KTM)
I’ve sent you a PM.
Duncan
If you have any spare forks sitting around then practice a service on them, it's a lot easier than you might think. I used to avoid suspension but I now enjoy it and find it more satisfying than any other servicing.
Just make sure you are clear about how to do the service (loads of tutorials and videos online), have a nice big area clean and clear and have everything set out beforehand.
Isopropyl alcohol and lots of shop towel are also very useful to keep everything super clean and oil/grease free.
Oh that was a weekend... once again fraught with entertainment.
Sat started well, with early bacon, coffee at Greggs, then up to the track... get set up handy and out for 6-7 practice runs, a few tyres swaps to test things for him and lots of chatting with the coach and teammates. He had a blast and loved the track.
I was a little busier in the pits as one of our riding/racing mates was having a few problems. He races in Juvenile class and had blown up his shock so was basically stuffed. Out came the purple Fury and he was sent out on it to ride for a test. After 1 run he declared his love for the GT and went out for the rest of the day/weekend on it, looking excellent and giving me a massive thumbs up every time he went past the gazebo.
Half way through the afternoon, a bloke comes over looking very sorry for himself, he's lost the pivot flip-chip and bolt for his shock... How surprised was he when i had one in spares. He was beside himself with pleasure, even more so when after noticing a few issues with his setup, i transformed his handling by changing his pivot from low to high which meant he was running a better head angle for the mullet. I then noticed his bearing on his idler was seized so set about changing that for him. He rocked up the next morning with beer and cider as a thank you.
Morning practice was sunny and hot... the boys were going well, including the lad on purple Fury who was out on it again.
Race time soon came upon us and purple boy stuck the spare bike in 12th place on run 1.
My boy went out, came down, according to the commentator was 2s off at the split. As he came into the arena, he stacked it MASSIVELY !!! Within about 10m of where he stacked it this time last year in the same event !!! He cartwheeled off the track and Mrs Weeksy went rushing to help him. A minute or so later he was back on his feet, gave me a look and i moved the tape and he went and finished the run to a round of applause from the crown... and much "WTF" from Mrs Weeksy.
The discussions started. He'd lost his footing/pedal on the way into the drop and couldn't get it back... Which is where it went wrong. But as well as that he once again complained of lever problems with his front brake. Every now and again it comes back to the bar, but then re-finds itself after a few pulls. We'd had this at both Rheola and Fort William, hence why this Tues i gave the brakes to the LBS who stripped pistons from calipers, overhaled them with new seals, fluid and a service kit all round... I was hoping that would be the end of it, but once again, no. They Hope Tech3 V4s, some say they're prone to the issue.
While he was in med-center and getting pain killers i set about stripping the brakes off and fitting a set of SRAM CodeR. They're very much a known quantity to me and whilst they may not have the outright performance of the Hopes, IMO they work well, work simply. A quick bleed and we were away. Gave them a few runs on the grass to bed them in a bit.
He then mentioned the headset lol, so that was stripped out and top bearing replaced as well.
I sent him back out... much to the despair of Mrs Weeksy who was "we're not going home?".... Errrrm no, says the boy, i'm going out for run2. lol.
As he was struggling to move, stand and get on the bike, she wasn't happy... but the adrenaline kicked in as did the pain killer and out he went for it.
As we walked up, purple guy came down for run 2 and stuck the spare bike into 9th, his best finish at a Pearce race !!!! Awesome... He was pretty chuffed i can tell you.
15 mins later the boy came down and stuck it in for a final result of 24/45. But that only tells half the story... His teammate Drew is often quicker than him, but Drew ended up 25th. Not only that, but the gaps to the top 10 racers is again a lot closer for the lad, he doesn't need to pick up MASSES of seconds...
We were looking at his time today, 3min 32s. Last year he did a 4min 26 for 19/25. So nearly a minute quicker.. there's a couple of minor differences in the layout, but very much the same track.
We're back home now and i'll be on Pinkbike/Ebay/somewhere tomorrow working out what brakes he'll be running from now on. I can tell you this, it won't be the Hopes, he's lost confidence in them and in truth, so have I. Whilst they may be up to Trail/Enduro... For DH something seems off with them.
Beer o'clock and feet up 🙂
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52915329453_0578e1de7e_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52915329453_0578e1de7e_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2oBWTUr ]2023-05-21_08-29-55[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
It’s a nice morning so I will pop over on the road bike (bright orange KTM)
I’ve sent you a PM.
Duncan
No signal ALL weekend at track... sorry buddy... I didn't see any bike though
Wow, a weekend full of drama! Well done all of you, bet Mrs Weeksy needs a drink 😳😂