So I’m going to the Alps biking this summer – first time can’t wait.

I have a banshee spitfire but as it has v nice light bike carbon wheels (27.5) which I’d hate to Pringle, plus with 26″ wheels being out of fashion I thought I’d buy some bargain second hand wheels.

What strong wheels would you recommend, plus any other bike preparation steps required other than changing the spotty to its slack setting

Personally I’d go for some 26 hand built, on nice wide rims, Velocity Blunts or Flows. My only other mod was an old tyre on the downtube to protect it from rocks..

A set of Hope hoops Stans Flow rims or similar will be ideal for your bike. Big tyres with beefy sidewalls or dual ply are a must. Possibly a bigger front brake rotor. Bring a few spares with you if you can, rear mech hanger, rear mech, brake pads. That’s about it – have fun!

The main thing is to wrap your wheels with some proper tyres. Assuming you’re uplifted, you don’t care about weight or rolling resistance, so fit some proper tough ones and let rip! (And those high volume tyres will ptotect your wheels 😉

Had to replace 3 spokes on my hoop/flow wheels last year so don’t forget those spare spokes.

What impact will dropping to 26″ have on the bike? BB height etc?

Also cheap second hand wheels may just be more prone to breaking.

I’d go with bigger volume tyres overall, where are you heading, the alps is a big and varied place

Simple rule is “Anything you don’t take, you will need”.

Took EVERYTHING last year, didn’t even need to put air in the tyres!

Do people suddenly ride differently or outside their envelope in the Alps or something?

The biggest problem is the “Well that’s me hiring a bike for a week” failure. Like not being able to get hold of pads for your brakes etc.

My last trip saw very little destruction except for the ex bending a brake lever (stuck a spare brake on) and getting through a set of ST tyres but I rode for longer, than I would on UK rides, the technicality and rocks were on par with the lakes but it was more condensed so the amount of technical trail we were riding in a day would fill 3-4 days of ride up/down & link in the UK. The last run of the day, bit tired crash also happens as riding 4/5 days in a row (on technical trails all day) isn’t most peoples norm. Throw in the confidence boost that happens from riding a lot and things can go wrong.

That trip we drove and had a car full for 2 people with a spare wheel set, bars, tyres brakes, mechs etc. Mostly to avoid paying ski resort prices for stuff that was in the garage.

Depending on what you are doing, how well you look after your bike and how suited to the trails it is I’ve seen some people with repair and spares bills that were astronomical – I know 2 people who have bought new brake sets as a couple of days in they realiesed how under powered their own were. People popping tubes all over the place with light weight tyres etc.

On my first trip to morzine I had a transporter van with 3 of us so loads of room for spares ect, we took spare wheels, forks, just about everything apart from a frame!

Well, on arrival my mate realised the caliper mount on his forks (Magura Lauren’s) was cracked so fitted my spare revs, (the same guy also had his rear triangle come apart on the last day (very old yeti 575 and carbon was bonded to alloy section) apart from this we didn’t need anything else, and as the forks were broke prior to arrival that was kind of stupid and wasn’t actually something that broke out there!

After our first day there doing the ppds I decided my elixir brakes were insufficient to stop a 19 stone guy on big mountains, so went and brought a second hand set of formula the ones for 200€

This time we are going out with 4 of us in a caddy maxi life so space will be very very limited, brake pads and mech hangers will be about the only spares we take, anything else can be brought out there. The shops are not badly priced, as there is so many bike shops I think the prices are fairly competitive, it’s not CRC prices, think your local bike shop that will do you a discount!
I will also add my mate with the old 575 now has a “new” 575 and I have a set of hope v4’s with vented rotors.
Last time I had a set of dual ply minions and didn’t suffer any punctures (unlike one guy on our group who had his standard uk tyres on and seemed to get several punctures a day!)
Not sure what to do this time as I am now 27.5 and tyre choice seems limited, can’t even find minion dual plys?

Tighten everything up and make sure the bike is tickety boo too. As said above the terrain isn’t that different, there’s just loads more or it and one descent might be more like 5 at home.

Bikes take a beating as a result, things work loose quickly if not properly tight.

Bleed brakes, if you can’t, get the LBS to do it, take spare pads for your brakes too.

You may not need new ones but at *£1000 a holiday for 5 days riding so £200 a day ( riding) , for 10 hours worth of riding ( if you can go that long but really just to make the maths easier) £20 an hour, do you really want to be shopping for anything at all? That goes for all spare parts.

* you may disagree with my maths but generally I go there to ride, the stuff outside riding, beer, the crack, the views, the chalet, whilst wonderful, isn’t the reason for me to be there.

Assuming it’s uplift riding your doing then as others have mentioned some good dual plys are strongly recommended.

Take anything which is specific for your bike. Mech hanger, spare spokes, brake pads, shock bushings, bleed kit…

Get your forks and shock serviced before you go… You’ll appreciate it when you’re out there and they’ll get a hell of beating out there.

As for the wheels I’d be sticking to your LB ones. But if you really want to take something else a flow ex or similar alu rim will be fine.

Flows with dual plys.. tubeless if you can.
Brakes bled and spare pads x2 sets
Bigger rotors.
Forks, lower refresh.
Shock new lube and seal clean, inspect bushes for wear and replace if necessary.
Torque all your bolts up even a bit of threadlock on any suspect ones.

My best spare advice is a spare pair of gloves of a different brand, just in case you get that blister off a seam, you’ll thank me for this one.

Spare hanger, chain, I usually take a small tool kit so I’m not reliant on the chalet “tool kit” ….. oh and don’t forget some decent pads for your knees and elbows.
That’s all, enjoy the Alps mate can’t wait to get back out there too.

Do people suddenly ride differently or outside their envelope in the Alps or something?

Yes. Have you not been?

re spare parts. you can always buy online and get express delivery. Last time I was there I had to buy a new set of forks from CRC and they were delivered to my chalet in 2 days. Thankfully Torico bikes managed to salvage my old forks and I could just return the new ones when I got back to uk.

If you’ve got room then I’d take spare wheels and put your mud tyres on them so you don’t have to keep changing tyres when the storms come and go.

I’d take spare wheels and put your mud tyres on them so you don’t have to keep changing tyres when the storms come and go.

Or just don’t go to Morzine much easier 🙂

Some good info there 😀 .. I’m away to the Bavarian Alps in May so thanks pedlad for starting this thread.

Or just don’t go to Morzine much easier

Yes. Leave your bike at home and just take it out to polish it at weekends 🙂

Nah the dust was great in other bits of the alps, even the wet days it was still good. I can leave Morzine slop though

nutsnvolks, http://nextdaytyres.co.uk/details.aspx/MAXXIS-MINION-DHF-MTB-650B/352 (not in stock atm)

Make sure your bike is in good condition with any worn bearings or parts replaced. I’d also recomend doing this a few weeks in advance and getting a couple of rides on the bike to make sure everything is back together ok.

Sintered pads are really the only option, you will tear through organics pretty quick. Comfy grips are essential, try and avoid ones with metal collars if you hang your hands over the ends of the bars.

If you are going for a week, then super tacky’s will be fine for the week, for two weeks I would consider either a spare or a 60a for the back. Last year it was wet and I was thankful I packed a set of Shorty’s as riding the unmarked trails on anything but a spike would be interesting

Just use the Carbon ones. Based on 3 full years of using carbon wheels in the Alps, my carbon rims have outlasted any alu rim I’ve used, remained truer and are still going strong.

Do people suddenly ride differently or outside their envelope in the Alps or something?

Yes. Have you not been?[/quote]

Very true.

Itching to get back. August is too far away.

Depending where you are it’s a little bit of a myth that bike shops will charge you 10x the price you’d pay in the UK. Sure, you won’t be paying CRC prices, but you will pay RRP plus a little. Not a disaster. Just take any spare that’s bespoke to your bike (mech hanger etc) and a few sensible replacements, spare pedals, tyres, brake pads, a set of brakes if you have them.

Old tyre on your down tube is a good suggestion. You really do throw up a lot of shale that will dent and chip your bike.

Edited to add: I’ve run Stans flows every time I’ve been, and hammered them, no problems.

Some good stuff there thanks. Especially the old tyre on downtube bit. As a group there’s a van full of spares going out plus I have a hanger etc.

As someone said yes I am expecting on this trip to push both me and the bike behind what I normally do here – more rocky trails, steeper and we’ll just more….I’m guessing about a years worth of riding over 5 days – hence the wheel swap question. I guess I hadn’t thought about the risk in taking some second hand acquired wheels that may fail but would probably take the carbons as backup.

The spitfire can do both wheel sizes as there’s a different drop out. But it costs so Not sure about the impact of running 26″ on the the 650b dropout…another thread maybe.

cynic-al
Do people suddenly ride differently or outside their envelope in the Alps or something?

Two BIG factors for me:

1) chaces are, you’ll be riding your bike for many more hrs than in a normal week back home. That means more maintance and keeping any eye on things during the week

and

2) The steepness of a lot of it means that unlike for most of the Uk, when you let go of your brakes, you accelerate FAST. That is actually quite un-nerving at first, for someone used to the Uk, where tbh, we don’t actually brake that much most of the time.

2) The steepness of a lot of it means that unlike for most of the Uk, when you let go of your brakes, you accelerate FAST. That is actually quite un-nerving at first, for someone used to the Uk, where tbh, we don’t actually brake that much most of the time.

You need to explore the steep UK a bit more 😉

You need to explore the steep UK a bit more

I agree. Ridden steeper stuff here than in the Alps. Alps is just longer and longer and longer…

You’re both ignoring the crucial “most of” bit where i described the UK!

Of course there are steep bits in the UK, why wouldn’t there be, but they are an exception not a rule. The simple fact of the matter is that the average gradient in the ALPS is a LOT steeper than in the UK, what with them being a large mountain range and all that 😉

I’m off to Morzine in July.
This thread got me thinking…I’ve always ran 3×9 and when I’ve been before, I tended to descend in the big ring to stop the chain bouncing off (didn’t always work).
Worth losing the big ring and getting a cheap chain device/bash ring just for a week (and obviously shortening the chain)? Or just make do?

A decent 24/39 Double is good with a bash and chain device. Chain will stay on.

Steep’s not so much the thing, it’s duration. Riding 6000 metres of descent every day for a week is pretty different from riding 1200 a day for a couple of months of weekends, you’re more likely to get tired and make mistakes and wear and tear over a single day can add up (a wee issue that you’d normally ignore can bite you quicker than you think(… You do a lot of blind riding too. And maybe most importantly you’re on holiday, and therefore probably more likely to get carried away.

I don’t really ride differently in the alps and my bike’s pretty solid but the sheer volume of it makes all the difference still. And a lot of people have bikes that work fine at home but don’t have much margin and just can’t stand up to day after day of harder use.

@rascal lose the third ring and get a Stinger chain device and a bash ring… basically what Mike said…
Your bike and you are going to do a years worth of descending in a week, be prepared for it….. cos its gonna be brill 😀

Northwind
You do a lot of blind riding too.

Good point! It always reminds me how well i know my local trails and the advantages that gives me….. 😉

Like the simplicity of the Stinger – had to Google it to see what one is first though 😉
Seems to get good reviews.
I have an SLX rear mech, XT triple c’set and XT front mech at the mo – can’t remember ring/cassette sizes off hand – if I replace the big ring with a bashguard, is it pretty much guaranteed to stop chain drop?
Are Stingers worth getting used (but in good nick), and are all bashguards pretty much the same?

Oh, one more question…I’m doing this to make the Alps week better, but could I run this setup all the time over here too? I only use the big ring on the road which isn’t very often TBH

Oh, one more question…I’m doing this to make the Alps week better, but could I run this setup all the time over here too? I only use the big ring on the road which isn’t very often TBH

Yes, quite easily. My last 2 doubles have been 24/39 (I think) which gets you very close to the 42t front. Works really well.

Are Stingers worth getting used (but in good nick), and are all bashguards pretty much the same?

Oh, one more question…I’m doing this to make the Alps week better, but could I run this setup all the time over here too? I only use the big ring on the road which isn’t very often TBH

For the cost of a Stinger purchase a new one as the bearings seize or blow up and need replacing at some point which negates any saving on a 2nd hand one TBH … Bashrings down to personal choice cosmetically and thickness.

Yes I have run a 2×9 set up 22/36 with a 11-34 cassette (old school i know 😯 ) for the last 4 years and have never missed the 42 big ring for all the riding around here and on visits around the UK.

That sounds good.
Big ring is 44T so guessing middle is 32T…don’t really want to buy a bigger middle to compensate unless I really miss my big ring too much. Is it a case of take the BB out, slip the Stinger on, reattach the crank minus the big ring and bolt on the bash? Sorry for all the numpty questions 😳

You could leave the chain device on and take of the lower pulley if you want less drive train resistance.

Dont worry about your bike, Armpump after the first day will keep you off it