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I've left the choice/availability to him, i don't care what he fits as he'll fit something appropriate. Wouldn't shock me if it's a Fortus30 as he's a Hope retailer and the boy has run Fortus previously without any issue.
Not even sure if he'll be racing this weekend as there's some incoming wind so apparently it's open to discussion with the FOD Rangers as to whether it'll go ahead... If it doesn't, i think we'll hit Cwmcarn.
My lad is bending FR541 so they’re not bulletproof although they do seem to be easy to reshape and still hold air IME.
Does he pay for his wheels?
Well that's interesting/disappointing. The boy commented about a knock last week, but I sorta dismissed it after checking all the pivots etc.
Then I did notice it! It manifests itself when you pull on the front brake and rock back/forwards quickly with the brake on.
So I took the headset apart and checked it, looks good. Fitted a new front wheel, then rear wheel, then front pads out, then rear pads out. Still the same.
So I was picking up my newly rimmed rear wheel for him and took the bike with me to Rotec. After some frowns, faces and mmmmm noises he thinks it's the fork bushings. A quick Google on Fox36s suggests he may well be correct (including multiple threads on here), so I've left it with him so either send off or sort.
I've had a fair few 36s over the years and don't recall having this issue before
Does he pay for his wheels?
No - he's not old enough to get a job in Australia. But i'm hoping he'll pay for mine once he can do some work!
Well again that was somewhat interesting. Rotec did a stripdown of the lowers and found the oils/greases had basically turned into jelly and congealed. This was meaning the fluids were not doing as they should. It didn't affect how the bike rode on the trail (although it may be better now?) but obviously caused additional issues with the clunky/knocky stuff. That's now gone anyway and he's happy with the forks. Which is good as it saves me heading to Fox/Silverfish with them for warranty.
Still no idea what's happening this weekend as we don't get official confirmation on the racing until later today. My feeling is that it'll be cancelled, so we need to work out where we're riding tomorrow instead now.
Fab day at FoD, we were on a bit of a time crunch so couldn't do as much as we usually would, but we compressed it into the day nicely. The boy was practicing for race tomorrow and hitting the root gap he'd seen. Apparently it's pretty uncommon to hit and if you'd seen it, you'd know why lol. It's a gnarly one for sure.
But hit it he did and it went OK 🙂
I felt pretty happy with "bike feels amazing at the moment" with the Mavens by me and the Vivid setup by TFTuned, he's pretty happy indeed with it.
I bumped into a random STW bloke over when i was out playing myself and had some fun too 😀
Props to that, big pull, I hope the rear rim is OK!
Seems all good, he hit it 4 times. But we'll see tomorrow if he does in race as it's looking monsoonal all day.
He was proper happy doing it though.
I did say it may be wise to hit on run 2 not run 1, but I won't stop him if he feels it's faster of course.
Well that was a DAY !!! Jeeez.
First race in Juniors for the boy and it was the 100% race at Forest of Dean. Practice yesterday went really well including hitting the 'goofy gap' which was a massive target for him for a long time.
Today was a 5.30am start to get into the paddock and setup before the wind and rain, which we managed (although keeping the gazebo in one place was challenging!!!)
I sent him up for practice and of course he came down dirty and covered in mud... He went for the goofy gap again (mostly to show off 😀 ) and lost his chain on the run in and couldn't brake, couldn't pull enough so hit it hard and ended up over the bars and dropping down the cliff into the fire road !!! EEEEEK. However he was mostly OK with some bruises and a swollen toe. The rain at this stage had held off, but was getting going a bit now. He'd dropped the chain between ring and frame and that meant i had to get the cranks off to release it. I was also questioning why he'd dropped it (more on that later). Got it all off and sorted but putting the cranks on was horribly hard, it was getting wetter and the wind was blowing the rain in, so a bit of tappy/smacky with the hammer (i know, on a set of Saints they should go on effortlessly) and the cranks were on. But we were running out of time for practice and they frown if you don't get 2 runs done. I'd also fitted a new chain as he'd bent the quicklink a bit and i wanted a new one on there. But weirdly the 11s links simply were not playing. So i threw a KMC link on which looked and felt horrid, but time was getting away from us.
He got up there and i went to watch by the line on the last corners, he came down shaking his head, he'd dropped it again. ARRRGGHHHH. Again i wasn't sure why.
THe only thing on this bike that stops it there is the idler pulley wheel, which we've only had once dropping chains and it was caused by a VERY worn idler. So i whipped the idler off and fitted a new one. I also decided i should move the spacer setup which i'd not done since getting the Shimano Saint cranks. The chainline between the Shimano and SRAM cranks is different and if you reverse the spacers it's about 3mm different chainline. We'd still been running the SRAM setup.
He'd also smashed the top guide to pieces which is a 3-d printed version which sits lower and stops chain drops.. but that was 100% dead. So into the spares box for the standard Trek item and 'sod it, it'll have to do' (need to get a new one of those now)
So i sent him up and went up to meet him at the top as it was raining and all races are 'race jersey' runs, so i was on coat bringing back down duty.
He got to the top and was 1st off in the class, which is great as it's clear track. But he had 15s from when he got there to get to the line and on run 1. (They'd have run him later on if we'd asked). The jumper and coat came off and he set off straight away after a "goggles!" shout from me
I got down a few mins later and he was sitting happily in P1. His lead was 2.6s and 4.5s to 3rd place. Happy days, the chain held and he got a fairly clean run, made a bit of a mess of the roots as he'd forgotten which line he was going to take. But P1 is P1 afterall.
We chilled, (literally, it was COLD and we were all WET !) and had a bit of lunch, some new kit for run 2 got him warmer, i was sodding drenched though and the wind and rainstorm were in full effect for run 2. A mate gave him a lift up to the top in return for me being 'coat boy' for everyone.
He came down on run 2 about 0.8 off his run 1 speed, but the guys behind hadn't gone faster so it was a straight forward win.
Lots and lots to be happy with this weekend and lots of little lessons to learn as always.
The cleanup is going to take a week !!!
Thanks guys. We're now in the process of trying to get things sorted for next weekend. He's got coaching with the boss and more things to work on. However there's only so many kits, jackets, clothes you can clean and wash at once. I've not even started on the footwear but i know mine are drowned from the weekend and i suspect his will be too. The helmets have been cleaned and are drying, there's 14,000 things hanging up drying for him/me.
I've spent time on the bike, getting it 100% again. Had a few tweaks to make on the bottom chainguide setup which is now done and it's running lovely again. I'd ideally like the top cover for the idler but that's waiting on another guy who makes them. I've got a new idler pulley ordered this morning, so that's all good to roll.
Looking at the chainline stuff you have the 2 spacers on the idler which offset it one way or the other, even though we're running a Shimano Saint, i'm deffo leaving it on the SRAM setting, i don't know if their doc is incorrect or it's just different for the Saint compared to how they wrote it, but it's 100% a better chainline top to bottom on the SRAM setup.
The quick-link thing was simply a matter of using a set of link pliers, it's just REALLY tight and you can't pull the ends with these 11s ones, but a quick go with the pliers and it snicks into place nicely.
Other than that, the Session is good to go and roll again now. I'm not sure at the moment i can say the same about the Orbea, but every time i go to do something it wallops down again.
One thing that yesterday highlighted was the fact that i simply cannot race and be the team-crew-manager-mechanic. Despite the fact i think i'd have enjoyed yesterday in some peverse way, it was the right call not to race. The reality is, i'd have either missed my practices or more likely is that he would have missed his and potentially his race. I'm going to have to come up with a plan where i race a Souther Enduro or a Mini Enduro when he's not racing. But both of us on the same weekend just doesn't fly at all.
I’m going to have to come up with a plan where i race a Souther Enduro or a Mini Enduro when he’s not racing. But both of us on the same weekend just doesn’t fly at all.
And the lad can be pit bitch/line spotter/hurler of abuse?
And the lad can be pit bitch/line spotter/hurler of abuse?
Damn straight. It's the least the bugger can do. He cost me a fortune again this weekend. It's amazing how the little things stack up.
Race entry £41
Uplift pass £20
Lost uplift money £25 (don't ask LOL)
Idler pulley £35
Idler cover £20
Chain £20
Fuel £50-60
Breakfast £15
LSC/HSC cover/adjuster £20
Sometimes you sit there and make-believe in your head, "it's only £40 for the race" but honestly the race entry is the least of your worries lol. We've been sitting down and plotting European stuff and that's honestly eye-watering how much it'll cost to race the Portugal and French Continental races. So much so that Portugal is off the cards now as i couldn't do it for less than £1500-2000. The Les Meuniers race will cost the same, but will be integrated into a family holiday.
A tip on the quick link. If you position the installed (but not clicked) quick link in the chain so it’s on the top run between chainring and cassette, then load and weight the pedals without moving, the tension in the chain should click it into place. No tools needed!
Well i had to remove the chain as when i was sorting it a little while ago i noticed a little play on the back end. It was a toss up between a bearing and a shock bushing. I'd have been disappointed if it was the bushing as it's a virtually new shock.
It ended up being the bearing on the bottom chainstay/frame. Not a biggy to swap them but chain needs to come off. Once that was swapped the above trick worked nicely thanks.
Another £30 down the drain lol. Things we do for the kids.
Day out for the boy at Llangollen with Katy and Hattie.
Thought you may appreciate some pics
What's that bike?
@bikerevivesheffield Gamux Sago, I think - high pivot and pinion - https://www.gamuxbikes.com/sego2024/
More whose bike? Very nice
That's correct @razorrazoo . They were having a day together and he spent the first hour chasing her down the track. They were working on stuff he's not a fan of
The Gamux and Hattie seem very happy together.
Electronic gears too which I didn't know. 8 speed box.
Lovely thing it is.
That drop is soooooo much bigger than it looks.
He is in front being chased by the girls
What stops those bikes from throwing the belt when it gets really really filthy?
The idler wheel on bottom appears to have a channel where it sits in. On the back of chainstay there's a guide type thing.
We chatted a fair bit as I was doing uplifts and she really loves it and they've not dropped any belts. She was given a spare just in case but hasn't needed it.
My LBS at Rotec was asking whether it'd cope with the mud and they all got pretty damn muddy on Sat and no issues at all.
The boy got a car park sit on it, I was dying to ask for a go for him, but we'd not met her till yesterday lol.
Was ace fun for them and she's a lovely person to chat rubbish to. Just never eat her sausages is my only advice ????
Just never eat her sausages is my only advice
No.
I'm not going to ask.
That's a cracking opportunity to ride with a current top level WC DH / Enduro (series winner) rider.
Hattie Harnden – AON Racing are on Gamux
There is already a new one, be interesting to see how they go at the first race.
Need to get over to Llangollen, theyve done a fair bit of work to the tracks.
That’s a cracking opportunity to ride with a current top level WC DH / Enduro (series winner) rider.
It really was mate yes, it's amazing to see and hear the things Katy is doing in the background, there's other things we've got planned this year which are pretty damn awesome too that she's organised for him. She really puts herself out to make sure she's giving him the best chances possible. We owe her a heck of a lot, but hopefully we try our best in all aspects to make it worthwhile.
It was really interesting at Llangollen as the track they were riding sort of sweeps down the hillside and from the bottom you can see a large chunk of the track and I could see where Hattie was closing the gaps and where she was losing out to him. There was lots of talk in the van about different techniques for certain sections and how to change/improve bits along with line choices and the 'why' of particular things. There was a particular drop on a turn which the boy apparently lines up for a lot better, leaning and looking through the corner really well, but then 20yards later Hattie had a better line which spat her out of the corner better. So little things for him to work on throughout the day.
Last couple of runs (including the clip) were race run simulations for him, there's little details and plans that from the outside you'd never consider as "we need to focus on XYZ" but Katy as she's been there and done all of this stuff thinks of the little tiny things that make a difference to the process of an afternoon racing.
I wasn't happy today with the shifting on the Session. It shifted OK between gears up and down but 4/5 were a little skippy, just every now and again you can feel where it's not perfect on the workstand. No matter how much i played with the indexing it was just a fraction from spot on.
This is where sometimes i think i'm a bit of a nutter, the boy hasn't mentioned it, but we all know by now, it's either perfect or it's not... there's no middle ground.
So i thought "shall i fit a new gear cable" but then moved onto "you know what i may as well throw a new mech on as well" , the old one has done 18 months or so of DH and even though it's nice enough, well, who knows if it'd be better. The pivot at the hanger is a little draggy, so i thought "why not".
New cable and shifter and it's absolutely lovely... every gear just instantly perfect, snick, snick, snick. Sweet.
Also threw on the new top guide.
Don't know if you use these or if you need any. I know when Abigale was racing we were always on the lookout for discounted gear.
Still are to some extent
https://www.merlincycles.com/sram-x01-dh-type-2-rear-derailleur-10-speed-325297.html
We go with SRAM GX 7 speed, the Session is only 7 (based on 11sp setup)
We could use one of the above and limiter screws etc, but the GX is simple and reasonable money.
The one on there was the original X01. If we were ever selling this I'd put back to X01, but once he's done with it, this becomes mine or a wall ornament, so more than happy with GX.
Thanks for the thought
Looking at that Gammux I really hope they have a generous bearing sponsor. Jeepers, how many sets 🙂
Time to start getting organised for Europe in summer. The plan is still a little loose as the European Championships still isn't announced for location or date, but it's possible we'll be spending 3 weeks over in Europe, how much of that is in accomodation and how much sleeping in the van is open to debate/finances lol.
First booking is the UCI Continental race at Les Menuires on the 24th Aug, we're planning on getting there a few days before potentially to scope it out and maybe pre-ride the track. THE UCI races give the chance (maybe not a massive chance) or scoring UCI points, this could/may ultimately decide a few things for 2026 and beyond.
I think the accomodation is smaller than our garage lol. But it's got a bathroom to clean ourselves, a stove type thing for some food and sort of beds.. that'll do nicely.
The reality is pretty stark on that front in several ways. This year for that to happen he needs to be regularly top 10 in Nationals and the field is so so stacked with talent. First year in any 2 year class is always really tough. But obviously year 1 rolls into year 2 in terms of what teams or even BC are looking at in relation for year 2.
He started strong with a win, but as we know he should have won that one anyway as it was a regional and a weak field. I'm not taking anything away from or the others, but being pragmatic here.
As always there's so many things I can't get into in public but this year could have been very different for us if a couple of mails had worked out slightly differently, the ups and downs of emails are tougher than racing sometimes lol. But we're in a good position at the moment and a good place, there's lots going on with the coach and lots to work on with him for speed.
I'd say Worlds is a good target/goal for 26 yeah, but getting that is going to be bloody tough, but maybe not completely unrealistic.
We'll both keep doing what we do, him going fast and me making the rest happen.
The day was spent at Tirpentwys yesterday with 13 laps done for the boy and his mates. It's a place he knows well and a great little self uplift spot with maximum time and fun. The 2 mates haven't been there before and struggled to get up to speed, which did show us a lot about how important it is to get track knowledge at places we don't know as well as some.
The boy was trying some other tracks than his usual ones as well which were steep ones and commented how superb the Mavens are on them as a lot of the time on tracks he's not really braking much, sometimes just a drag, but there on steeper stuff and needing to scrub off speed hard, they're apparently amazing (which pleases me lots of course)
He was doing this little gap at the bottom, which looks honestly pathetic in the video but it's so so much trickier in real life as where you land is on the back of a 3' drop and you've got a tonne of speed into the wall corner, but as i say, the video doesn't really show it sadly.
https://youtube.com/shorts/L6bKDPdcVCQ?si=daBQw_-b3vTNjaZR