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 😉
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:
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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:
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Take your own medic...
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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 ****in 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.......
Should be interesting this year. Sat down in front of the computer I can see how the mud will be "fun" but at 3am in the morning when your bike wont work and your kit is wet/cold/muddy I can't see it being great!
If it's anything like D2D last year then that will be nasty!
well lets face it..its going to be epic isnt it
I cant remember which year it was, but it was the one with the nasty land rover climb that was about 6" deep in watery mud sludge. The guys at that time doing the free jet wash looked just as knackered as the people doing the race!
My advice.
Ditch FS and go for a bike with the least number of places of mud to cling as possible.
Wax/polish your bike which helps the mud fall off.
Take 3 or 4 towells for the showers, your towell will never dry out.
Let me know where the best place is to get pics of you all falling off 🙂
You know, I don't remember anything in particular about the last 2 years, which have bee dry. It's the character building sideways rain from 2008 I remember extremely well... Bring it on!
I remember the dry ones - they were brilliant fun - race a lap then come and chill with your mates for a bit. Much nicer than the admittedly epic but pretty ardous tempestuous ones though the one in 2004(?) was good as it dryed out through the event and was quite fast by the end.
This will be my 9th Mayhem in a row. It's been bone dry twice (2003 and 2006, I think), almost dry another couple of times, and a mudfest the rest. It's always been fun, although the last couple of mudfests I think we did just go and sleep for a bit in the early hours of the morning. The unicyclists always do well when it's like that - easier to carry a unicycle.
Taking into consideration everyone's comments should I take a steel hardtail with conventional rear triangle or...a Prophet, which I know is over-biked but is single pivot and actually has less places for mud to cling to and accumulate, what do you think?
I'm taking two hardtail 29ers, both Rohloff & egg beaters. I'm taking two spare single speed rear wheels as well. Bring on the mud. 😛
Muddypuddle's riding in a team of ten, which should give her plenty of free time. So, depending on how bad it is, the plan is to swap bikes every lap and, as a last resort, convert to single speed.
I might call in a sports shop tomorrow and buy some studs for my shoes.
I did it in the dry once loved it then next year did it the rain and vowed never to do it again. Yet here I am again 🙄
Ah yes, the joy of putting on shoes that are full of freezing water at 4 in the morning. Do you think if I took a blow torch and was quite careful with it I could get dry shoes?
Do you think if I took a blow torch and was quite careful with it I could get dry shoes?
try it. remember to take a camera 😉 & let us know on monday.
Only rains when i don't race it 8)
HERE: Just fitted these tyres, they look absolutely jokes. So out of proportion.
[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/5839628364_cae53582a9_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/21634402@N07/5839628364/ ]Mayhem_mudifications[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/21634402@N07/ ]ben_oggles[/url], on Flickr
Oggles you need a crudcatcher on there!
you should buy a 29er
looks good to me..... Ditch the water bottle and cage you wont be needing that, its only going to take you 45min to do a lap
I think they should move the MM date away from the Glastonbury weekend....
I think at 6'4" I should 😉 I'm a poor student for the next couple of months until I start my job. It's on the wishlist!you should buy a 29er
any 'race' where you can rock a setup like the one above frankly worries me.
Just returned from one of my LBS's, having just bought the last set of mud tyres.. 😉
The real joy of a wet and muddy Mayhem will be the reaction of the newbies we talked into doing it who think it can't be that hard.
9miles and then 3 hrs off ?? Easy.
Bring on the banter.
We've got a virgin b-team with us 😀
I was winding them up before the weather turned crappy 😈
The real joy of a wet and muddy Mayhem will be the reaction of the newbies we talked into doing it who think it can't be that hard.9miles and then 3 hrs off ?? Easy.
Yes, but you'll have to persuade one of them to go out at 2am when rain, slop and general unpleasantness will be at their peak. So best that you don't hide the truth from them completely.
I cant remember which year it was, but it was the one with the nasty land rover climb that was about 6" deep in watery mud sludge. The guys at that time doing the free jet wash looked just as knackered as the people doing the race!
Yeah we did it that year; the best bit was people staring enviously at my SS as their bikes gave up at various points. IIRC it dried out by Sun morning and became a swoopy fest, with the course to yourself as so many people jacked it in the night cause of the conditions.
with the course to yourself as so many people jacked it in the night cause of the conditions
We had an excuse. We had one working bike left between the five of us and that one was owned by a short-arse.
I still feel guilty about not finishing that one though.
the best bit was people staring enviously at my SS as their bikes gave up at various points
Oh I don't know. I thought the best bit was the people who thought they were being clever bringing their SSs realising that they were either overgeared for the mud or not having enough grip to actually get anywhere and therefore having to push their bikes as I spun past... 😉
2004 wasn't it?
IIRC it dried out by Sun morning and became a swoopy fest, with the course to yourself as so many people jacked it in the night cause of the conditions.
It'd certainly dried out enough to make doing another lap on CX Pro 1.35" a touch challenging.
Posted 18 minutes ago # Report-PostART - MemberI cant remember which year it was, but it was the one with the nasty land rover climb that was about 6" deep in watery mud sludge. The guys at that time doing the free jet wash looked just as knackered as the people doing the race!
That was the last MM I did before migrating to the Bonty 24/12 with it's all weather course! 😉
One of our guys threw his bike into the undergrowth in frustration, even though he knew it was his last lap before we, ahem, 'retired'. Not an inexperienced rider either - he ran a warranty dept for a big bike company.
staring enviously at my SS as their bikes gave up at various points
You could have ridden it on a penny farthing and it wouldn't have made any difference. Crap course, crap weather. Probably the worst of any of the 24hrs I've ever done. Can't believe that they still persist with the same venue, but as has been mentioned above, people still flock to it.
Funny thing was though, the course was pretty poor even in the dry. Just a grassy motorway with some steep climbs.
Yeah we did it that year; the best bit was people staring enviously at my SS as their bikes gave up at various points. IIRC it dried out by Sun morning and became a swoopy fest
Eh? It rained on Friday night and then stayed dry for the rest of the weekend.
2.1 Razrs were perfect day and night (except the sticky woods after the Kenda climb, which were a PITA).
Loving all the righteous smugness - right now a massive mud karma cloud is sat up there with your names on it...
I'm going to get incredibly muddy, break bits of my bikes, and then spend a week cleaning everything when I get home. Regardless of the weather, the sometimes tedious course, the fact that it costs a fortune (breakages, travel, running a tab at the food tent, new kit you always convince yourself you absolutely have to have) as well as the all-pervading mud, I always end up enjoying it.
Bring it on. Whatever 'it' is, weatherwise.
Can't wait myself, first time for me as part of a SS team. Spent today fitting mud tyres, crud guards and other random stuff.