Most of the route across the valley is downhill fireroad stuff. The climb itself gains about 850ft in a mile, only takes 20 mins to ride up on a hot day with super tacky Magic Marys. :-)

Take out all the HSC and use tokens to prevent bottom out instead. I’d expect they feel very harsh with 12 click of HSC!

rascal, was it the little farmhouse place you stopped at? We tried to get ice creams from them but no luck! Annoyingly I just road through a fresh cow pat there at about 20mph as well. I swear some of it is still stuck on the downtube and behind the cranks months later!

I also got comments from 2 walkers, despite only riding slowly and being super courteous, basically stopping to let any walkers pass. I wasn’t exactly sure which bits were footpath only, the start of the ridge is OK, but after the steps I think might be footpath.

I think the DH was that DH Grand Conche (is that the same as the Swiss National?) Anyway, i’m not going to claim to be a great rider but it was still fairly easy despite riding it (and everything else on the vid) for the first time. Lots of grip allows you to take it steady.

Glad the video and route is of use to some of you, apologies for not having time for a proper edit with music, scenic travelling timelapses and ride-by fistpumps from multiple angles!

Its a competitive market. As bikes get more expensive and reviews extol the virtues of the top end kit, buyers will want it (no one wants second best) and have to find it as cheaply as possible to afford it – i.e. online.

Bike shops have to find a unique selling point to stay around. If they think customer loyalty alone will do that then they are kidding themselves. Shop rides, weekends away, discount schemes, coffee, cake, advice, a good atmosphere, old fashioned salesmanship, servicing, suspension tuning, free bike demos, stocking non-discounted brands etc. All things you can’t get online easily.

IMG_8090 by philsherwin[/url], on Flickr

Love mine, as mentioned slack seat angle is a minor annoyance but when out of the saddle it feels amazing.

I should probably expand to say that on my more XC 29er I still use them and feel they are a worthwhile upgrade in terms of stiffness and weight loss. On my 26″ trail bike they are not worth it, as there is much less gain to be had and the failure mode is catastrophic, and they will fail eventually on a trail bike ridden properly unless you are very lucky!

I decided i wanted some, they didn’t last long and now i’m back on alu rims and very happy :p

Snap! (pun intended…)

Using a random bike box, remove front wheel, leave the back wheel in place and empty rear shock to compress. Front wheel alongside front triangle with disk removed, bars other side of front triangle zip tied in place, spare tyre padding for handlebar side and tape a tube of cardboard across the width of the box behind the seat tube to provide support. Free and works a treat.

I’d like to see:

– Integrated on the fly geometry and suspension adjustment (extending on Canyons shapeshifter). Suspension kinematics are getting better for long travel all mountain bikes, but geometry is leaning more to descending abilities and making do on the climbs. Having a single button to steepen seat and head angles, drop front travel down and increase low speed compression damping would be nice!

– Advances in tubeless technology – bikes now make it easy to plough down rocky sections but you still have to choose between heavy tyres or a big puncture risk. The EWS guys are still flatting regularly on the heavy tyres!, and fixing tubeless flats can still be a headache. Better puncture resistance or the ability to re-inflate on the fly would be a big improvement.

Loads of trails in Dimmingsdale/Stoneydale/Hawksmoor if you want to stay local. Just park at the Ramblers retreat and have an explore, there is some very techy descents in there. Watch out for gap jumps and drops. You’ll only do a couple of miles and still be knackered!

If you want to explore the Peak I’d head up to Ladybower and do one of the classic loops round there. For example: http://www.mbr.co.uk/routes/northern-england/peak_district/gps-route-best-of-ladybower-peak-district-315150

Watch out for Roaches, it is mainly cheeky and policed by militant ramblers.

https://www.strava.com/activities/619525453

That one looks like the full loop from Morzine. A couple of notes though – the official route will take you down some fireroads instead of decent red/easy black bits (unless you find the right GPX to follow, as they are optional extras on PPDS day). Also not all the lifts open on PPDS day are open normally (Pre la Joux from the bottom of Chatel bike park for example – you go back up to the top of Pierre Longue and head left and up a gravel road which leads all the way down to Chatel)

Specialized Trigger 2bliss here

I did it on Monday (the ridge run to Champery, not the descent to Morzine in the link above): https://www.strava.com/activities/629958341

Obligatory photo:

Morzine Col De Coux – Ridgeorama by philsherwin[/url], on Flickr

It was a great route, got a bit of a telling off by a walker on a bit of path just after the ridge (you go down some steps and follow it to a water spring). Otherwise all ok, a couple of snow crossing on the col de coux climb itself. let me know if you need the GPX.

Basic directions:
– Head to the top of Mossettes and down the fireroad that runs along a ridge on your right looking as you go up the lift.
– Look for black Swiss National DH track (its pretty easy actually) which heads off left and down towards Crosets. At the second road crossing you go right and follow that all the way to the Col De Coux
– Just shy of the summit is a left turn (currently in the middle of a snow drift), there is an earlier left with a signpost, carry on up to the second one (easier to see from the top of the climb)
– Follow that up and down along the ridge, down the steps and lots of tight switchbacks to the hut with a water spring (worth a dunk!)
– Look for the singletrack route on the left of the fire road, and follow that all the way down to the tarmac road (you will cross a few fireroads). Go right down the road all the way to Champery and back up the cable car. Should be self explanatory getting back to Morzine from there.

To keep it reliable you would have to run such high pressures that you defeat the point and wipe out any of the benefits of + size tyres. 25psi in a + tyre is a harsher ride than 25psi in a regular tyre. This is also my experience of a lighter rider riding aggressively on them.

No HSC = fully open. Also consider if you are packing the forks down and therefore settling too deep into the travel. This may cause a harsh ride.

Mine have a bit too much lever travel without a few bleed tricks; use a narrower bleed block (or just bleed with pads and rotor in place), also unscrew the free stroke screw a couple of turns before bleeding then screw it back in after.

When I spoke to Mojo they advised never to run any HSC to avoid arm pump and to modify spring rate through tokens/oil if you are bottoming out. This was said to be their advice to all Fox racers.

Is that not an issue with background operating of the app on your phone? I think that what was happening with mine, but I get at least week out of it before I have to re-open the app. (edit for clarity – I can close the app rather than have it open in the background, and it still works, but only for that week)

No, mine might work like that for a few minutes of turning the Garmin off and on (i’m on an iPhone btw) but even without ‘swipe closing’ the Garmin connect app I have to re-open the app every ride (even if I do 2 on the same day)

Mine is great with one issue – the bluetooth connection to my phone worked fine for a few months and now it won’t work unless I open the Garmin connect app (which I never had to do before). A full factory reset and deleting the app seemed to fix it for one ride then it went back to being broken again. Slightly annoying as it doesn’t auto upload rides because of this issue.

Having had a few sets of carbon wheels I went back to alloy on my 26″ bike – the stiffness/weight benefit wasn’t enough to justify the risks when ploughing through rocks with low pressure. I cracked one LB rim and friends have done similar on rocks in the lakes/peaks. On the 29er it is different as the stiffness and weight benefits are greater in having carbon.

Mudhugger on the back, lights stay clean and dry (smart lunar and Aldi comet), as do I. Both light mounts tested thoroughly without failure on the rigid ss chasing big bouncy bikes down the trails.

You lot are making me feel like a bad parent. Number 2 was born in December and I’ve already clocked up 86 rides this year.

You can guarantee at Llandegla at 9/10am on a weekend someone will be setting off with a dog, just as the place is at peak busyness and you are tripping over other rides let alone dogs darting around the place. It might just be the same person(s) who goes there most weekends?!

Personally I think they should ban it, even if only at peak times.

This bike is so much fun!

Windstopper is only water resistant due to the DWR coating though, which wears and washes off. A waterproof shell is basically plastic with millions of tiny holes punched in it to let moisture vapour out but not let water droplets in.

Don’t get me wrong, I wear a softshell as much as I can, they are fantastic for most conditions, even torrential rain if you are riding hard enough to keep warm. If you are riding at a more relaxed pace in the rain and want to stay warm and dry then a waterproof shell is the tool for the job.

If it is definitely going to be raining I use a Sportful Survival jacket. It is Gore Active Shell, which properly and permanently waterproof, unlike a Windstopper/soft shell. Obviously it will be less breathable than these, but Active shell is Gore’s most breathable one and this jacket also has under arm zipped vents, and the front zip can be left undone, using the spaced velcro patches of the storm flap to keep it closed while allowing some airflow.

It also has a handy drop down tail to keep your bum dry and is definitely packable if using a hydration pack (at a push it will go in a jersey pocket). It also seems to be very well made.

I’ve left it on for some long rides and found it very good, even on the singlespeed where you do generate a lot of heat on the climbs!

I’ve been using my Arkose 4 for a while now and I’m very happy with it. The only change was to bin the Kenda SB8s (after at least 1 puncture per week) and fitted Specialized Trigger Pros (tubeless), which are a perfect match for the bike. plus the obligatory rack and guards for commuting.

Did my first ride on the Triggers today – front needed a bit more air after fitting last night but rear was still sealed. They seemed smoother rolling but equally grippy as the SB8s. At a guess I think maybe a slightly softer rubber compound but less draggy tread pattern. Fitted under the 35mm SKS guards, just had to use a hairdryer to remove the crimp where the front guard passes through the fork. I might be imagining it but I think they throw up a bit more spray than the SB8s? It was very wet today though.

Just taken delivery of my Specialized Triggers today for this purpose, I asked the same and also tried tubelessing my Kendas to no avail. The Triggers seemed the best available at the moment (without me having to change to bigger mudguards)

Right, going to give the rear SB8 a go tubeless tonight as it has gone down again today!

A lot of people recommend not running the SB8s tubeless due to a very thin carcass. I don’t fancy it going bang on me! Although this article seems to say they work: http://www.cxmagazine.com/going-tubeless-cyclocross-tires-racing-recommendations

Traildog – touring tyres are an option, but I’d rather go tubeless if possible. I am running the correct inner tube in the back (patched it twice in 3 commutes now!) the front does have a road tube in though.

The Schwalbe CX comps look a good tread, but not sure on tubeless compatibility.

Regarding stans in an inner tube – I guess special tubes with a removable valve core are needed?

They look great, but £35 each for the Trigger 2Bliss model.

Do you have the original solarstorm case (with the springs at the bottom and fixed contacts in the cap)? If so I pulled out the silicone seal in the cap and trimmed out around the batteries, just leaving the edge in place to keep the case water tight. I think it is too thick and stops the batteries making proper contact in the cap. This can also cause the problem Alex mentions of batteries discharging unevenly.

I have both and would go 240s every time. Silent hub and clutch mech = singletrack bliss!

I can’t believe that nobody has bottomed out a Bronson until now! :roll:

I’m finding them very good tyres for commuting (70% towpath 30% road), just want to avoid punctures making me late for work! Any suggestions for similar tyres that are tubeless compatible?

I had a search through the thread but didn’t find anything conclusive… Can the standard Kenda Small Block 8 35c’s on the Arkose 4 be run tubeless (after taping the rims obviously)? Has anyone been running them tubeless for a while with success?

Thanks!

My problem with 29+ so far is that to get the benefits of the plus size (grip and smoothness) you have to run very low pressure, as all the adverts back up, however with even slightly aggressive riding, I am forever bottoming my tyre out on the rim. And given that (especially on 29+) a carbon rim is pretty much a must to get a decent weight & stiffness, you don’t want to be doing that!

If you pump it up enough to stop it bottoming out, you lose all the benefits.

I guess you could compare it to having too much volume in your shock/forks. Do they make volume reducers for + size tyres to increase the spring rate? :D

I did it on a hot and dusty Sunday earlier in the year and had no problems getting uplifts at all.

Montane Featherlite is worth a look.