I miss the mud and rain – it keeps the ramblers away. 😀
However, the limestone trails are much nicer in the dry, it’s like riding freshly oiled blancmange when it’s wet.

@mikew I was just nearby at Kate read today, and it wasn’t that dry! First time I’ve ever heard someone say tassie is dusty for 9 months of he year!!!

Loving the ramblers now, they’ll pretty cheery : )

I miss the mud and rain – it keeps the ramblers away.

Roger, the heat is also keeping them away. We rode the Goyt Valley last Saturday and only past one person out walking, several others were just sitting in their car with all the doors open, as it was way too hot.

Banks – You’re right, I think it’s the Le Tour affect. We got shouted at by some teenagers down by the canal ‘come on go faster Tour De France’ said with a Manc accent though!

You a local? out tomorrow but most stuff should still be shut for the weather.

Haha, been riding some proper cheeky stuff, the few ramblers we’ve seen can’t praise us enough for getting out there for a ride. Hollins cross yesterday there was 2 people!!!

However, heritage trail – park ranger wasn’t happy : )

They’ve been opening gates, egging us etc its mint.

Cutties are the only way forward!

Is that photo taken on the SDW?

Is that photo taken on the SDW?

Looks like it, doesn’t it? Could be another of the bits of chalk downland that stretches from the Chilterns down to Dorset.

This loose dusty stuff is what I refer to when talking about actually needing knobbly tyres on the steep DH runs around here when it’s dry! We’re used to it going from wet, muddy and slippery to dry, loose and slippery around here, briefly passing through fast and grippy.

Is that photo taken on the SDW?

Ridgeway Chilterns.

Rode it Friday, if you want a looky see http://www.smilerbiker.blogspot.co.uk

Absolutely loving it. Tyre pressures down a few psi and I’m only riding mincecore anyway. Marple was interesting last Sunday with all the loose rocks in and amongst, but otherwise good riding with tubeless nics at 20 and 28, and as for the effect on moorland singletrack…. well, it’s firm grippy and fast right now. Long may it continue.

Oh, nearly forgot, the roads up near Pole Moor on the loop back from Coal Gate/ Cupwith have all melted, so what tyres for melted tarmac please?

Tyre pressures down a few psi and I’m only riding mincecore anyway. Marple was interesting last Sunday with all the loose rocks in and amongst, but otherwise good riding with tubeless nics at 20 and 28,

WTF??
32 psi in tubeless just fine no need for soft tyres just better skills 🙂

I had a slow fat when out yesterday when the read got low it was very slidey taking the loose corners at speed. A quick re-inflate sorted that out in not time.

Loose, dry and dusty, you say?

@mikew based in hobart, just up visiting family for the weekend, snuck in a sneaky ride yesterday 😛

Most noticeable thing for me is when I come off I’m going way faster than usual.
Bonus is that my lazy bike non-maintanance regime is no longer causing me to grind through expensive drive trains.

Nice, the mountain bike is having a week off till we get some of that dust back. Hopefully will be dry down your next weekend for the dirt devils ride

riding with tubeless nics at 20 and 28,

WTF??
32 psi in tubeless just fine no need for soft tyres just better skills

Softer tyres are better (to a point). It also depends on the tyre size, and the rider weight.

32 sounds too much to me, and 20 sounds like not enough. For me, the sweet spot seems to be from 23 to 26. 13 1/2 stone, on 2.4s.

Nat Champs course at Cathkin Braes is like riding on marbles! So slippery, the surface is extremely loose over hardpack. Will be an interesting race! Skids round the corners FTW.

I’m loving this dry dusty weather, I can’t remember who said it above but its like being back in the 90’s !
The Flouro paint schemes are comming back in as well so it really does have that feel about it this year,

I love comming out from under the cooler trees onto baking surfaces and getting all the smells “except dog bombs” the grass the trees & flowers !
Riding through dust clouds is only something seen on videos from the states, the one dry day a year never usually produces dust

And the fact that riding every time without getting shitted up to the eyeballs in mud makes it a little less ordinary !

I feel a road trip comming on………

As Tazzy says above, you want to be looking at wider tyres. Start at 3″ and go up from there.

We also experienced the ‘white out’ the other night of having your 1000 lumens bounced back at you from the dust cloud kicked up from the riders in front. A novel problem I’ve not experienced for a while 🙂

Some interesting points on tyre pressures. I tend to run mine quite a bit higher than this (on tubed 2.5 Maxxis advantages). This is as I’m a big unit. Big and clumsy. Not a good combination. Pinch flats are a tediously regular occurrence when running lower pressures. The rims on both bikes are tubeless ready though?

Hmmmmm. Any advice gratefully received oh wise ones

Binners, I’m not small either and suffer from the obligatory pinch flat if I lighten the sidewalls ! I’m tubeless ready on Flow EX but running HR’s 60a front, they are heavy but I don’t often get punctures as long as I don’t try and go all weight weenie on tyres,

When the HR’s are done I’ve a pair of Minions to utilise so ill see how I get on after that, I’m certainly in no rush to start faffing about putting gunk in tyres that won’t seal and seat properly,
I’ve got the breaking strain of a warm kit kat as well so I like to keep things on the simple side, too much shit going on affects the way I ride,

As for pressure about 35 front and just under 40 rear works well for my kind of style which is straight over and at em as opposed to deftly whipping a skid out round an obstacle whilst flicking up leaves and dust “in slow motion” popping a wheelie out the corner before ending it in a bunny hop ! One handed ! And waving to the imaginary crowd, any way I digress, its my age……..

It seems we share a riding style, and a suspicion of white gunky stuff fella. Think I’m going to knock the tyre pressure on the front down for tomorrows night ride, and see if things get a bit less sideways. Alternatively I could learn to ride a bit better 😀

^ Or risk mikewsmith’s scathing opinions 😀

Binners your a smaller unit than me and anything above 2.3″ and 32 psi feels like its pinging off stuff.
Have a bit of a tyre collection, but Maxxis Minions are my default tyre and only occasionally get pinch flats & I take clumsy/inept riding to a whole new level.

LOL just don’t get the soft tyre revolution, I might have more practice in dust but it’s not that hard!!

Ardent EXO for tubeless puncture proof too.