@ivanDobski exactly, but by dropping a chainring size or putting on a bigger cassette you will go up the hill slower with the same amount of energy, its still you. that’s why cassettes and chainrings are allowed in cycling events but motors are not.

some of the arguments against those that do not like ebikes are quite laughable. to try and link ebikes to power steering on cars? or using a cordless drill? to say that those that don’t approve of ebikes probably don’t help with trail building, or ride in mixed ability groups? come on.

The vast majority of people that dislike ebikes, don’t dislike the bikes, they are a very smart compact bit of tech. They don’t dislike there use in many circumstances, they are totally valid if age, illness, disability or injury prevent you from getting out and enjoying the sport. I also totally get, since reading on here, the argument for them as a commuter bike, to get people out their cars and on bikes without getting all sweated up and smelly for work. Most “haters” are probably not that bothered about trail damage with ebikes or strava times, the later I don’t care about. Its the smug slightly overweight git that is clearly able of cycling that comes past you in all his matching branded pajamas when you are blowing out your arse trying to get to the top, that thinks he is a bit special because he doesn’t need to make the same level of effort. sorry mate you are just lazy.

You have fallen for the marketing BS. It is not the same as v brakes vs disc or improvements in suspension or carbon bikes, or sram eagles groupsets, all those improvements never touch one fundamental and that is you, the engine, it is your energy that is expended, not energy that was initially derived from a power station or wind turbine. you are the single thing driving that bike forward.

until eMtb bikes came along if you wanted to get into the sport you had to make an effort to improve fitness to get you to the top of the hill, or you had to try and maintain fitness to achieve the same goal. fitness is an important part of it, it is after all a sport, and don’t sport and fitness, or at least making an effort to get fit go hand in hand? As you get older you have to make more of an effort to maintain fitness, but also accept your fitness will naturally dwindle with age, and yes there will be a point where you have tried everything but you just can’t get up those hills anymore and so an ebike becomes a viable option.

I’m just not there yet, I haven’t given up on myself, maybe I might in another 20 years.

Are you a hill walker if you get the funicular up snowden and then walk the last 100m to the top then walk down, are you a mountaineer if you get the cable car up Mt Blanc rather than climb up, no you are a tourist. Nothing wrong with been a tourist, but don’t call yourself a hill walker or mountaineer.

In the same light don’t call yourself a mountain biker if you are able bodied and have an ebike, and don’t try and kid yourself with all the market blurb, that if you have one you can ride further and faster. If you have one and you are capable of riding a bike, its because you can’t be bothered to make the effort to get to the top. or in plan english your a lazy knacker.

I have always thought that been a mountain biker in all its forms, (with the exception of Downhill, slope style etc , which are so physically demanding coming down) was in essence about get out into the forests, hills and mountains and push yourself to get to the top to come back down, some people love the climbs, some people love descending, some both, but they have got there themselves under there own effort not the motor strapped below their legs.

@lester as you say your are recovering from injury, recovery can be a slow and spikey process, and as you get older recovery time can get longer, so nothing against someone using an ebike in those circumstances. I’ve stopped and had a good chat with a couple of people that had a genuine need to use an ebike due to disability or illness, and seen how beneficial they can be. I’ve also had a go on one and understand that in certain modes you don’t need to put a lot of effort in to make the thing move.Its the overweight bloke that gets one because he can’t be bothered to make the effort to climb hills and hence lose weight, but still thinks hes a trail warrior on the downs, that falls into the fat knacker mobility scooter category. sorry just my opinion.

they are the mobility scooter of the bike industry. totally valid if you have a genuine ailment such as disability or old age that prevents you from enjoying riding in the way you want to. Otherwise you are no better than the big lazy knackers that ride round on there mobility scooters between shops because they can’t be bothered to walk, then walk round said shops like nothing is wrong with them. Don’t kid yourself with all the pro ebike marketing hype.

Both are pretty straight forward, driving is very easy in France as you can cruise along a 80+ mph most of the way. Driving in Germany is a ball ache, the auto bahns are, fly along at 120mph, crawl in a jam at 10mph. Repeat, repeat again and again, it broke me. If you drive something to bare in mind, is if there are only 2 of you and one person comes off there bike and can’t help drive back because of injuries, it’s a bummer of a drive by yourself or with a whinging mate. 3 is a good number.

If you want a full weeks holiday white rooms as stated are excellent, if you want guiding for a couple of days worth having a look at Enduro Camp you can find them on Facebook or give them a call on +33 6 16 38 07 17, they are based out of tignes but will pick up and shuttle from most places in the valley, they are Fench guides so their marketing/ website is terrible to no existent, but they know there way round the trails as all are local and are a pretty good bunch of lads, expect a few of there mates to tag along on the ride, as well as qualified mountain bike bike guides they are all winter ski instructors So expect a bit of that going on as well, “bend zee knees” but they do buy you a beer at the end of the day.

If the range of gears is so important as mentioned the e13 cassette provided a greater range than eagle for a fraction of the cost there 9-46 11spd is still silly expensive but even if you have to buy an xd driver it will come in at under £300, no need to change your shifter, mech or crank. or is the extra £700 really worth it for that one extra click with an eagle.

think its called natural survival instinct, to be afraid of jumps and drops, and the niggle of responsibility for providing for your family in the event that you mash yourself up never helps either. so no you’re not alone.

but if your idea of a drop is about a foot high then yes you are by yourself and you most definitely need to MTFU. :D

if your 2x crank was correctly aligned then the center line will run down the middle of the two rings, moving to a 1x outer ring will move your chain line 2.5mm to the right. so for correct chain alignment you should move your crank 2.5mm to the left or bolt your ring on the inside of the outer ring arms, as this will move it in as well.

However 2.5mm out is naff all and I wouldn’t worry about it, it will still work just as well, left in the outer postion.

for the 1st time to the area guiding is a no brainer, especially at that time of year, as lifts dont open until end of june. When we went mid june there was still a fair chunk of snow on some of the trails. if you are looking for accommodation and guiding white rooms or trail addiction are very good, we used whiterooms this year and they were spot on, and you get free beer at the chalet. If you just want guiding and uplift then try Enduro Camp, https://www.facebook.com/endurocamps/?fref=ts they are all English speaking, well pigeon, french guides that have lived in the area all there lives, we had a day with them on the chalet day off, which all chalet/guide places seem to do. and they were brilliant. expect a bit of typical french ski school riding instruction, “bend zee knees” and “turn, turn” but it all adds to the flavour.

couple of caps of white vinegar, not the chip shop stuff as its a bit smelly itself, in with the washing kills the bacteria that cause the smell low temperatures.

I also have a pair of sweat protection mudrides and while they have held together well, I dont find them that waterproof, yes better than a standard pair of shorts but your still wet at the end of a ride, ive even nikwaxed them to help a bit. I brought them off a german online site to replace a pair of well worn endura goretex shorts that used to keep you well dry, until they fell apart.

the other thing I find a bit weird about them is that they seem to sit low on the hip and waist compared to other shorts i have, so you feel like you are at risk of exposing your arse crack 1/2 the time, which is never a good look.

ive just put this on pink bike, it has served my daughter very well for nearly the last 2 years, message me if you are interested and live localish kids 24 inch wheel mtb bike [/url]

4 out of 5 complete bikes or frames, only one bike bought from a bike shop out the area. I dont use the same shop every time but they are all within 15 miles or so. I dont tend to by components from LBS as im not so bothered about looking at and checking out a 10 speed cassette as much as a new frame before I buy, and online is usually a lot cheap for some but not all components.

Had a similar problem with an xtr crank,and I wasn’t going to loose it. I tried everything but to no avail. The only way I got the pedal off was to sacrifice the pedal, cut the pedal off the spindle, weld a long bar to the spindle stub, put the crank arm in a vice and apply leverage to the bar. even with a 1m long bar attached it took a bit of push pull, but it freed.

I’ve ridden an SB6 for 18 months and on the right trails it is a truly amazing bike, the rougher and more vertical the trails get and the faster you ride the more it seems to come alive, I know I will never find its limits within my riding ability. Yes you could ride it on anything including long xc / or trail centre rides but it would be a bit numb and as mentioned dulls the trails down. I still have a FS 140 trail bike and this is much more fun for general riding, so maybe the SB6 is an expensive toy for big climbing descending days and steep riding. The SB6 is definetly closer to the nomad. And the SB5 closer to the bronson. Don’t get hung up on numbers. Both the bronson and SB5 with 150 set up and a piggy back shock would be a better ride everything bikes, except for the DH stuff, unless your skills a pretty silky, but the nomad and Sb6 would have a crack at it.
Would I buy a Santa Cruz over a yeti, you get better customer service with SC, free bearings, no switch infinity ( it’s amazing) but they do wear if not greased more regularly than desert dry Colorado yeti state and an exceptionally well built bike. With Yeti you get an amazing bike but you will need to replace bearings most likely twice a year, a constant worry out the switch wearing ( I’m on my 2nd). I’d still buy a yeti, they are pretty magic.

the freeride are much lighter and the soles are much thinner, if the screws in your flats are well out you can feel them through the sole, which some people might like, but not my bag. the impacts are very stiff, but the rubber as others have mentions does not adhere well to the soles. if you want a light weight shoe but unlikely to get big toe strikes go freeride, but if you need something a bit more solid and more protection from strike and wet, look at the sam hill dh flat, much better show than the impact.

if you’re riding in woods near the town edge always carry a bag of skag with you. that way when the junkies jump out to murder you and take your bike you can throw it at them, and while they are scrutting around in the dirt looking for it, you can pedal the hell out of there.

had the same problem but after 9 months and the shoes were looking pretty haggered so didnt think warranty was an option. used loads of different glues, super glue, shoe glue and none of them lasted more than a few rides, with the exception of loctite super glue power flex, worked a treat and stayed stuck.

think its around the 230-240 mark now, I read on there site that entries after sunday 1st May wont get personalized number boards. im entered, nervously looking forward to it. was a hard but great ride last year, a proper mountain bike challenge.

really impressed with the wtb nano 40c, just wish my bike would have a touch more clearance for it on the rear. I have recently run a 1.8 kenda honey badger 29 tyre on the front 700c rim, works really well, very grippy and not that much more rolling resistance.

I run a 11-36 cassette with a 10 speed ultegra mech on my cx with a 46/36 front ring without any issues. So can’t think 11-32 would be a problem

Plyphon I dug up the old thread I as was part right but best get it accurate. it’s on hamsterly riders Facebook page, the guy sent his strive down to canyon for a warranty fix , his bike was stolen from canyon uk they initially offer him a replacement in 2 weeks, which he agrees to, but then the replacement doesn’t show and like many other customers, is given the no reply , delay , delay treatment, in the end he asks for a refund get limited response then has to get heavy with them having to quote consumer rights act etc, etc. canyon eventually came good and gave him a full refund with cost, but the whole thing took several weeks. If I had been in canyon customer service I think I would have bent over backward to sort this customer in light of the circumstances.

not had any dealings with canyon myself, but there is an admin on another forum that sent his bike in under warranty to get fixed, while it was at canyon uk the bike got pinched, you would think at this point canyon would say, really sorry heres a new bike, or full refund plus a few goodies to say sorry but no, they did nothing, he had to threaten legal action to get his money back. crazy but true story.

I thought this one had being sorted. those that had been building a few of the illegal trails have realized the need of gaining approval from the FC/TTB, and have paid subs towards the TTB, and i believe even offered to attend an official dig day?

everyone now understands that the digging up of pp by the FC whilst sad, was done as the timbers were rotten, and the use of timbers was in breach of agreement. and from comments by the trail builders, they hope it will be rebuilt with full approval in the future, which would be super cool.

hope the mini shit storm is over and yes I 2nd this thread getting pulled.

Silly money aside, how long will the cage need to be for a 50t cassette? I suppose at least when it gets bent out it could be used as an expensive kick stand. the rear derailleur is the weak link on all mountain bikes, making them smaller or ideally removing them all together is the way forward, not the opposite.

Yep, had the same issue from new, it’s a know problem especially on carbon bars, where you just can’t tighten them up enough, without massively exceeding the recommended torqs setting. I used scotch 2228 tape to pack it out abit. But any thick rubber tape would do.

b limitor screw ?

reverb is only available in 31.6 in 150mm drop, unless things have changed recently.

The results speak for themselves

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=snapped+Aluminium+frame&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYrbjT_t7KAhWIcRQKHTjMDAoQ_AUIBygB&biw=1366&bih=643#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=snapped+aluminum+frame

if you cant get a mary why not get a maxxis shorty, very similar tyre.

not a big fan of 4-5+ group rides as they are too stoppy start, dont mind riding in a small group of similar ability riders, but prefer riding solo, except mountain biking in the dark, think i get a bit scared of ghosts. for solo big mountain stuff, I carry a PLB as a backup should the phone have no signal and things go t*ts up.

I ran a 60a HR II on the rear for summer and the first part of winter, great in summer but found it to be a bit sketchy and wet rock and in muddy corners. switched to the DHR II and have had no complaints. Grippy, and seems to be wearing well.

Great read and now more rides to add to the wish list. You are spot on with your helvellyn loop, Fairfield is the best way back up to add the Grisedale tarn descent, don’t ever be tempted to take the push carry shortcut from the A591 straight up to the tarn, one hellish tough 1 mile bike carry.

They will definitely not keep your feet dry in wet conditions, splash proof yes, and being made of leather the water runs off unlike fabric shoes. There very comfortable shoes but again I’ve had issues with the cleat plate snapping, clipless 5/10 impacts are no better, must use the same plastic plate. Shame I think it lets a great shoe down.

I’ve never had any problems with shifting on a 11-36 + 40 setup on a medium cage and have always just dropped the 17t. I’ve found the hope expander is better the the E13 as it seems to last longer. That said I’ve just moved to a praxis 11-40t 10 speed cassette and shifting feels smoother. So if the sunrace one is as good it’s £30 cheaper and not much heavier, and still cheaper and lighter than an xt cassette and expander.

Glad this has been brought up, I’m not alone. I’ve never had motorists shout abuse, but there is one old pit village I ride though from time to time that I can almost guarantee I’ll get some incoherent ramble shouted at me by chav youths or half cut gap toothed grannies. I’ve never understood what they said, maybe nextime I’ll stop and ask. Must be a lot of **** out there

think there’s a lot of annoyed people that didn’t get an entry for saturday, personally I found it very straight forward, I used the eventbrite app, even cocked up my bank card details and it let me re enter, clearly I had a bit of luck. Demand for Saturday is way outstripping available spaces, yet you can go on now and book 8 spaces for sunday, same distance, same runs down,same age groups, still timed just a few different rules, and not so “racey”. Maybe its time the organisers think about going Mega style (without the mass start) though that may be fun. 1 event over 3 days, everyone enters the same event, qualifying on the friday over a separate timed section, and practice on the main trails, fastest riders in qualifying go onto the saturday enduro, slowest do the sporting on sunday. That way it’s down to riding ability whether you get to ride on saturday and not how fast you can type, or how good your internet connection is. just a thought.

http://www.greasebugsgear.co.uk/Cufflinks—Keyrings.html

bike chain key rings and robots and stuff. they do a personalized one for £6.50 – any bike logo / any logo you want, and you still have £8.50 left for a pint of larger & a pack of crisps.