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Just invented a new seasonal affective disorder….anyone else suffering a bit from this?
Spoilt by a great summer, now everything is muddy, boggy and slow going and nothing seems to work well in the mud…all that expensive kit and still end up cold and wet?
Lack of mojo didn't seem formal enough so I've given it a new name…MTBSAD
I reckon a new lightweight bombproof bike may be the answer: -
Fully rigid, belt driven SS, solid rubber tyres and a drysuit - winter solved!
I like a long lie at the weekend and a lunchtime start so it's not the weather or the darkness exactly that bums me out, just the disruption to my lazy schedule (normal people don't consider it reasonable to start riding at 2pm then finish in the dark for some reason)
I love winter riding otherwise.
It is seriously muddy and I hate the hassle of being totally shit up even after only nipping out for a quickish ride, however the weather yesterday was glorious.
The fact my brand new build was utterly caked in clay based mud was the most annoying thing, she handled it a treat though.
If we could get to the frozen stage as quick as possible, that would be great. Not a big fan of mud...
Nothing like being up the hills, at night in below zero temps to make you feel alive 😀
Yes, absolutely. hardest part is forcing yourself to go out, it usually improves after that.
SS, agreed, and don't set yourself unreasonable expectations, or even expectations someday. That 60 mile ride you did in summer just isn't do-able in winter so don't bother trying it. Go out, ride around, when you've had enough go home. might be 3+ hours like it was on Saturday morning, might be an hour and then f*** it. No sense being silly, it's not my job, it's what i do for fun.
I just built this
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Great fun in the mud this weekend and no nasty mechanicals
I am now MTBHAPPY 🙂
Hub gear is the way forward
Winter riding is ace but don't leave the bike muddied up for a week and expect the front mech to still work.
Snapped my shifter yesterday as the mud had gone like concrete.
I do worry about myself sometimes, stupid thing to do.
Good points, I keep the bike in fine fettle after every ride, which is why I get annoyed when it doesn't work!
Don't even have a front mech…!
@ndthornton looks good!
I was out yesterday, cursing all the mud on one section but then I looked up and this was the view;
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http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff167/LukeBurstow/072_zpsc96e0ac8.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
suddenly the mud didn't seem so bad.
Northwind, we should ride sometime! 🙂
The riding itself is meh. I always get really cold toes which ruins it for me. What I do like is coming back in sitting down and having a massive bowl of slow cooked stew!
wwaswas
Where abouts is that?
I've realised that I wouldn't be half as annoyed by the muddy shite if my bike was impervious to mud. If I had the money I'd be riding a belt drive Rohloff with mudguards. Possibly fat.
Simmy - did it look like this?
[img][url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7274/7545030800_52fb6e0d2c.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/78747112@N04/7545030800/ ]2XC2012 Rnd 3 ![/url] [/img]
Still not off-roading on the bike due to spinal injury, but would love to be out and about in any weather!
Still not off-roading on the bike due to spinal injury, but would love to be out and about in any weather!
well there is some perspective!
had the money I'd be riding a belt drive Rohloff
Thought about belt driving mine but decided it was an extra layer of expense, faff and compromise I could do without. Trouble is Gates don't do that many different size Alfine sprockets or belt lengths so I couldn't get the ratio I wanted for my chain stay length. I also foresaw potential issues with chain line, cable routing and excessive bearing loading/wear.
This didn't seem to be worth the marginal gain of a none oily chain.
It's not just lack of oil, it's not having a drivetrain full of grinding grit. I hate that, and it kills chains pretty quickly.
If you don't live in a sandstone area it's nothing like as bad to be fair. But a belt would (or should) not be affected at all by mud. I don't own a hardtail so if/when I choose one I'll get something that I know will fit the belt options.
I currently only have a DH bike which means I can't just take off, out the door and go exploring and get muddy. I'm getting fat and unfit, extremely bored and irritable. Missing out on all the local night rides. Can't do the mid-week, two-day, solo stints in the camper van while the Mrs. is at work. I have everything I need to build a bike except a frame to hang it all on.
Going mental.
I don't own a hardtail so if/when I choose one I'll get something that I know will fit the belt options.
Not sure I like the idea of the hardtail options available - or sawing through my frame!
It was very wet on Sunday. Used the opportunity to build some new trails without getting disturbed. Under the top level on soil found some nice stuff. Did not dare to ride the new gap over a dyke that I made as the mud mad it a bit too exciting for my taste.
> single speed frame
> rigid fork
> decent sealed bearing headset
> stock of brake pads
> cheap UN52 square taper BB and appropriate cranks*
> £5 SS cog, £5 SS chain, £10 SS chainring*
> mud tyres
> warm tights
> pedal towards hills, go round in circles in hills till knackered, pedal home
MTBSAD fixed!
you'll be fitter than your mates hiding indoors, you'll get to feel all smug, your bike will keep working no matter what, you'll discover new trails, and new challenges on old trails, and the spring/summer will be all the sweeter when it does arrive!
*posher options are available if you prefer, but they won't necessarily work any better or longer 😉
Rigid SS is the way to go for MTBing until about March now I reckon.
Or, dare I say it, a road bike... [Winces]
Still not completely convinced by belt drives TBH, at least not as a "Solution" for Winter a drivetrain.
Having spec'd Gates belt systems in machinery related installations in a former life, I can't imagine they'd deal well with the type of wattle & daub in my picture above. Any significant build up would put huge stress on the belt & hub/chainset bearings, and something's gotta give.
I think regular cleaning is the only way forward. Oh, and a brake set that lets you run the pads well off the discs (Hope X2 for instance). Got approx 40 miles out of a set of Hayes pads (sintered) on the 2011 Kielder 100, just because there wasn't enough clearance between pad & disc & it was so wet & gritty. The Hope's I replaced them with have given 1850 miles out of a set of pads (organic). YMMV obviously 🙂
I've been unable to MTB due to injury for a few months - and now that I can ride again I have to work seven days a week and/or look after two children and a puppy.
I could pretend to be sympathetic, but really I'd be thinking "don't be such a fanny".
Have fun in the mud is what its all about. We had a great time racing(laying down) in the mud this weekend: http://ii10photo.com/gravityproject-2013-autumn-race2-news
I ride my mountain bike in order to:
a) explore the beautiful countryside around where I live
b) build and maintain fitness
c) act like a kid on a bike
None of which are any harder to achieve in the winter as far as I can tell. In fact, some of my most memorable rides have been in winter, so bring it on.
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I'm definitely more a summer person. Don't mid it so much when it's proper cold and frozen. It's that grey, dark, damp, miserable in between bit that's gets to me. Still getting out though including night rides if the weather isn't completely pants. Sunday was lovely. Went out on the road bike cause I couldn't be arsed cleaning a filthy MTB yet again.
Went out with a mate and made this : -
Light was amazing (video was a first attempt at a rough edit so forgive the amateur-ish bits) but just wanted to capture the amazing light at this time of year...helped get over MTBSAD!
single speed, mudguards and waterproof shorts, I haven't washed my single speed since I bought it. Heavily dose the mud near the chain with Wilko bike oil before each ride: the grand total of maintenance required on my bike from October to March.
Being out late last night in the frost was magic.
Agree with pictonroad. Last night the trails were frozen solid and had not got too churned up so were almost as fast as summer. Slightly less grippy mind...
If winter riding really was all that great we wouldn't all need to spend so much time each year convincing ourselves of how it's 'Really the best time of year to ride'.
These conversations never emerge for some reason during perfect summertime, because the obvious reality is that then it really IS the best time to ride. Sorry!
It hasn't been properly shite so far, until the last few days, but..
Winter = tolerable at best, rating: Meh +1