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Thanks everyone for really interesting comments. Very helpful and appreciated.
piha - just trying to imagine your route - the G'ford = F'ham is easy enough as I guess that's just NDW (do you cycle the FP bits?).
So Tilford - Guildford - Crooskbury, Puttenham etc or Thursley, Mousehill, G'ming? (not sure how you would do last bit there unless Eashing, C'house, sort of route)
Lots of comment about being able to ride anything on a bike no matter how 'small' or 'big'. Fair enough and I accept the idea of a compromise bike. However I can ride anything (except gaps and big drops) on my rigid bike but often I have to go slowly . I can ride nearly everything faster and have huge fun on my Soul and I can ride everything on my Orange Blood even faster and have even more fun.
But on a sunny day, going out for a big ride with big views nothing beats the rigid bike, even climbing can then be fun. The answer is more than one bike.
THM - We didn't take a particularly direct route so from G'ford down to Artington, then NDW to Puttenham and down past Rodsall Manor, over to Gatwick and head towards Cooksbury Hill onwards to Bourne Woods, Pierrepoint Farm, Frensham Ponds (the sand was just about rideable with all the rain we've had), then over to Spreakley. We kinda turned round then and made our way over to Elstead along the Frensham BW and followed the river to Elstead. Couple of pints in the Donkey then made our way up to the Sands and the NDW (cheeky bits included) to West Warren and climbed up to the Hogs Back. Quite a big ride especially with the ground conditions as they are.
There are a lot of trails round that way and we chose that area today cos it holds up well in the wet weather. Mostly bridleways but plenty of stuff to keep you entertained if you know where to look and keep off the stuff popular with the horses.
Saw a few tracks on the steps down past Rodsall Cottage towards Rodsall Manor this morning on my run - could have been you guys!!
Intrigued that you went via RM and Gatwick. I normally swing off Puttenham Common by the Lakes, then cross the road for some short little single track to Britty, then Crooksbury (sshhh!). Never been past Frensham on mtb though.
Agree that this area is good in the wet. And the trails are not mashed as in SHills.
All this 'too much bike' stuff is bollocks (until you start trying to ride XC loops on a proper downhill bike at least). I regularly ride 30 mile loops (including the surrey hills) on my 35lb Nomad and that's fine. Just makes you fitter.
Normally the people that say it are the same people who insist that anyone riding a Champery DH WC course on anything other than a singlespeed rigid on-one 29er wearing SPD sandals is a big girl and calls people who wear body armor 'storm troopers'.
The key thing to remember is that if you're worried you have too much bike you're just not going faster enough downhill 😆
It's an endless debate this one, on so many forums. Personally I think the real solution is more than one bike.
But to my surprise my Spesh Camber with a little beefing up has handled everything I have thrown at it. I'm no Danny Hart but I consider myself a handy(ish) Downhiller from a Motocross background so I don't tip-toe down the rough descents and I don't consider my riding style because I'm on a shorter travel XC orientated bike.
So far the Camber has taken it all with relative ease and is a truly enjoyable super light ride. If it's on your consideration list then I'd say put it at the top.
I went from a Trailstar (rides best with 125mm forks) to a Bullit (180mm each end) and liked it to start with, but now I'm back in the UK I think the Bullit is way too much. It's probably a bit faster, but it feels quite wallowy and makes all of the trails I ride feel slower, especially ones that need lots of pedalling. Makes the trails feel too easy as well. I'd love to try a short travel full sus that's designed for downhill/freeride.
I guess the only thing to do is look at the trails you're riding, test some suitable bikes out and make up your own mind.
...So far the Camber has taken it all with relative ease and is a truly enjoyable super light ride. If it's on your consideration list then I'd say put it at the top...
i'm not listening, la la la - la la la - la la la - la la la....
(it's bit pricey, and it's got rubbish kit on it, but i've had a go on one and it felt ace, but it's a bit pricey - repeat to fade...)
the dual ply super tacky 2.5 dhfs on the bike yesterday made it too much bike
now ive got a touch of shin splints.