Passportes de Soleil

Would it be fun on a cross bike or is it all rocky, bumpy and jumpy?

Pffft, death wish!

It could be done, in the same way you could ride a cat to sweden..crazy, painful, and slow!

DrP

OK ta – my memory of riding Les Gets/Morzine is that plenty of old-school trails would have been fine on a crosser, clearly not these ones!

Cynic-al, where you starting from? I’d like to meet you, and especially if you are on a cross bike!

Our mate is debtaing whether to go fully retro on his 1996 Scott hardtail with 3mm suspension and cantilever brakes. You’d be a great match!

Kev

no riding you do (or talk about on here anyway) sounds much fun Al, go for it I say! 😀

GW I have lots of fun on my bikes, I’ll show you anytime. You may hate it though 😡

BSN I’m there Sat/Sunday only, possibly Friday, ticketed to do PPDS Sunday from Chatel with a mate.

Bike hire appears expensive/tricky and as I’m touring beforehand I could do that on my crosser and ride the event on it to save £ and hassle. It’s got discs though.

Hell, why not? It’ll be a challenge if nothing else. You’ll still pass the hundreds of people on cheap Decathlon’s and the like. Take lots of inner tubes/spare wheels, though.

ah bugger, we’re Sat from Champery.

Well, hope it goes well!

Don’t take a knife to a gunfight fella. I wouldn’t do it without full suspension. Its do-able. But would it be as much fun? No is the simple answer

Get a big bike and grin like a **** Jap all day

I can only hire a HT now it seems 🙁

Take your own bike! Full susser all the way for super fun and games!

We’re driving out – might be able to get another bike in the car. Leaving from Yorkshire, Les Gets start on Friday if you can make that work for you.

Its not really the trails that will make it uncomfortable on a crosser as if you avoid the black runs its all doable on a crosser for a tough ‘un*. Its more the discomfort and amount of time you will take to do the 18,000 ft of descent that might spoil it a bit on a crosser. Full Suss, and dont expect anything rad. Just enjoy it as a grand day out.

Oh and enjoy the pink lycra clad locals whiz past you on ancient rigid peugeots.

*probably

How black are the black runs? Are they like a proper downhill course, i.e. if I don;t do it at 75mph then it’s rideable on a 120mm FS?

Ta!

Sorry for the hijack!

Kev

The DH sections are, well, proper DH. No Shore or anything, but very steep in places, and exceptionally bumpy. You don’t need to do them, of course, but what’s the point of going if you don’t?

Rideable on 120mm of travel, but you’ll want to put some sag into the suspension ‘cos you’ll be shaken to bits otherwise. And DH tyres are a really good idea as well.

I nearly soiled myself on the first black run in Morzine. It was as near to vertical as I’ve ever been. Bloody great fun though. You get braver/more stupid as you get used to it

I’d advise going out a few days before, dossing around on the black runs for a couple of days, then go for it on the Sunday.

Take a big bike, lots of brake pads, elbow and knee/shin pads and a full face helmet and enjoy 😀

I nearly soiled myself on the first black run in Morzine. It was as near to vertical as I’ve ever been. Bloody great fun though. You get braver/more stupid as you get used to it

To be fair, all the Morzine/Les Gets trails are fully rideable, and mostly not that technically challenging. Some of the stuff around Les Lindarets was a lot trickier….

Take a big bike, lots of brake pads, elbow and knee/shin pads and a full face helmet and enjoy

Not too much bike – there’s a fair amount of climbing – and if you do as I did last year and wear a full-facer, you’ll cook.

I’m using a Patriot, which is a good compromise for the Passportes – climbs well if slowly, is fun on the DH, and pretty well indestructible. Last year’s DH bike was just too much on the climbs.

OK, so witha bit of sag it’s not the bike taht will be the limiting factor methinks, just me!

Aye to the steepness. First run a proper DH course here 3 years ago was a bit nervy. about 20 switchbacks, the apex of which seemed to be beyond vertical!

Kev