I’ve got mountain kings on the front of both my xc bikes, they’ve been on for a couple of years at least, so 2000 miles plus, and are good confidence inspiring tyres. They are down to the thread where the odd nobble has been ripped off but still good tubeless. I tried one on the back once but found it draggy and not much traction grinding up steep and slippery stuff on the singlespeed. Xking was my rear tyre of choice for a year or so, tougher than Ralph, rolls nice, plenty of sticky traction. Black chilli is essential if you ride in a rocky slatey place like I do. But I still tore them. In fact last year I tore every rear tyre on the planet. But as ever, it’s the front tyre that matters.

That’s bad.

They just sent me a couple of their new protein recovery sachets for free. They were just about palatable. But why they have to put sweeteners in everything I just don’t know. I NEED the sugar!!

For anyone wanting a totally biased but honest take on the first UK Enduro round, my race report is here.

Any questions about the format or stages, do fire away.

I couldn’t make the first British Enduro round in the end to draw a comparison, but I know which one had the better weather…

Next UKE round is Triscombe in Somerset on 23-24 April. Next BES round is in Dyfi Forest in Wales on 7-8 May. I hope to do both.

Brilliant weekend, amazing tracks, loved it

Pencader is very close to Brechfa forest. You can either explore the MX tracks in the west forest or drive over and ride the purpose-built trails in the east forest.

I’ll second the halo method. Can’t see it makes any difference what side you do it up.

I get that. But using girl and gay derogatively, even when not actively meaning to be sexist or homophobic, has to do more harm than some obscure blurb from Eastern Europe or slightly suggestive pads ad. All these articles seem to be competing to be more and more right on while ignoring the fact that a significant percentage of mountain bikers are openly sexist and homophobic.

Can’t believe I’m getting political on the internet. And on a bike site. Sorry.

I think we should be more concerned about the way that it still seems widely acceptable to call xc riders and xc riding “gay”

Have to say I was a little pissed off when my Garmin disappeared somewhere on my final run and I got to the uplift point at 4.10 to find the “last uplift at 4.15” had already departed, and when I met the van half-way up there was no way he was going to give me a lift the rest of the way up.

Most of the drivers are very friendly and helpful but they do like to knock off a bit early. Don’t we all.

Food is average. Tracks are great.

Thought so. I’ll see if my mum kept the receipt…

Good write-up. I spent much of the morning wondering why there were so many people fixing punctures. And then in the afternoon, for no reason, bang.

Not sure about the format’s benefits for fitter riders. I’m very fit (that’s why I would prefer longer stages and longer loops!!) but my stage times generally deteriorated during the day. I was riding better but my body was weaker.

I don’t have the balls to ride fast on sight. One practice lap would seem ideal to me. I have nothing against locals practising, I went up there myself last week, but it somehow makes the whole thing more clinical and less spontaneous and fun on the day.

I enjoyed it and it seemed well organised, although there wasn’t much atmosphere with it being so wet and windy.

I thought the stages were way too short, a total of just 7-8 minutes of racing. Double the loop to 20k and there would’ve been plenty of other sections they could’ve linked up on the same hills (eg Windy Point and Energy).

I suppose the mash-up format worked for me after crashing twice the first time down the last stage, but very few people seemed to repeat much at all. It was eerily quiet on our afternoon loop.

TBH I’d much prefer the stages to be kept secret (locals were out sessioning every day in the run-up to the event), practised only in the morning and raced in the afternoon.

That way everyone has to do a decent bit of pedalling. It is enduro, after all, not downhill.

I’d agree that it seems overpriced compared to some other events where they build new tracks.

I know the timing costs a lot, but it was still far from infallible. It missed one of my mate’s runs completely, and for some reason my times were all 10% slower than the winner’s???

The format sounds great for calamity-prone riders like me to get a second and a third and a fourth chance, but to be honest you’re probably not going to want to do more than your usual practice lap and race lap anyway. I went up for a recce and sectioned some bits and was pretty knackered after one lap, and I’m xc fit… Sure I could have gone round again, but my sprinting would’ve been rubbish.

Btw ignore my comment about the tech manual. I was wrong, that’s for the hub.

Thanks for that, otsdr and velo. Yes velo, that is exactly what I’m trying to achieve, only the circlip is a pig, I can squeeze it but I just can’t get it out.

Anyway, TF tuned have confirmed it’s not intended to be serviceable and will replace it under warranty, so I think one more go and then I give up.

Bit shit having to replace the whole thing for the sake of a poxy bearing. And not having the bike for the weekend!!!

The DT Swiss technical manual is definitely not my friend, as it tells you to use the ratchet tool for ratchet hubs on a pawl hub – duh!

But I will try TF tuned if nobody here can shed any light. I didn’t know about them – thanks for that.

That’s a very good point, gates can make a big difference.

When I did the Trans Cambrian Way I gave up counting when I got to 100 gates 🙁

I’d still take the tramroad over riding up the bridleway and the gap road from Brecon. Now that really was tough…

We did this one.

I assume that’s the one because of the name (full brinore tramroad), but I do also seem to remember some steeper and distinctly non-tramroady bits at the top where it opened up and was all just red soil and sheep poo everywhere.

So you’ll be having a crack at it this weekend then?!

Hills still hurt, however fit you get.

I’m surprised it hasn’t gone yet but I see I still have the KOM on that climb from the dry ‘n’ dusty 2014 Brecon Beast event. I remember it being a nice steady gradient which suited my climbing style (high-gear stomping) but it does go on a bit and I was pretty broken at the top, sustained only by the knowledge that the guy in second was right behind me…

Given a headwind, muddy winter conditions and a heavy pack and yeah, I would expect it to be quite a slog! If you didn’t stop you did well.

If only I could find time for both… and the UK series…

Mashup sounds great if you have a crash or a mechanical but otherwise it won’t make sense to repeat stages as you’ll be too knackered.

Will the WES include natural stages in the CyB, Penmachno and Marin rounds or will it be all trail centre?

Did Ffynnone bike park ever happen?

For the record, I bought this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-performance-2-in-1-crank-remover/?sku=5360540786 and it worked just fine. As usual, it’s easy peasy with the right tools.

Thanks. Good point. I already have one that pokes straight through so I don’t want another!

I think I’ve answered my own question but it’d be nice to have confirmation.

Namely that any ISIS crank puller will do, e.g. http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-tools-crank-extractor/rp-prod10181

Fwiw I haven’t found my gravity dropper very reliable. Very wobbly very quickly. Fills up with shite. Gets stuck down. Comes undone. With regular tlc it does the job though.

Xc. Nothing there where lots of bounce is needed or of any help. Nearly everything will remain open during felling. Thin xc tyres can tear easily there however.

Top kayaking in Bala/Tryweryn, stones throw from cyb

You can (or could) get 10 tubes for £20 at CRC

Jesus shaves

I’d recommend a three-step process:
1. Buy/borrow/steal a cheap and nasty bmx and see if you like it
2. Try other people’s bikes at the park
3. Splash out if you think it’s worth it

FWIW 24″ bike feels more comfortable for me at 6ft but bmx is more of a hoot

Do book in advance though, I had one accommodating guard and one very arsey guard…

Alternatively, do it in three days and use the saving on accommodation to fund a taxi!

Ian, don’t count on any XC races in Wales this winter, neither of last year’s series is being repeated.

My take on training – just get out and have fun and ride as hard as you can as much as you can until just before it stops being fun. And if that means CX, do it, it’s excellent for putting in a sustained effort and should help XC handling skills too.

At our age and level, proper training is just wrong. Life’s too short for turbo trainers.

And if you can’t face going out alone in the wind and rain, try night riding with the local club, it’s a hoot.

FWIW with my Whippet the shop added a slither of Coke can to get a tight fit

Piesoup, have you seen these: http://www.anthonypeasephotography.co.uk/epic-cymru-2015/

Anthony, have you got any more end-of-day podium pics that haven’t been put up?

I enjoyed the event a lot and would recommend it.

It was advertised as a cross between enduro and XC and it was. There was actually a slight bias towards enduro, because ultimately it was the best descenders who won the day in the overall race as well as in the Trail King competition.

Ignore Rotel, he’s exaggerating hugely. The technical level was on a par with the gravity enduros I’ve done, and there was a lot less congestion too. But good fitness definitely helped.

I rode a 100mm XC hardtail, because that’s all I own, and that was absolutely fine even on the downhill track, but a light 120mm FS would’ve been ideal I reckon. That said, some of the top 10 were on bigger bikes.

I’ll post a link to my own blog once I get round to writing it.

Thanks

They’re not loose on the spider, it’s like it needs tightening. I will have a close look for anything amiss, but I don’t get why they tighten up in the workshop and then work loose while riding…

Interesting stuff, thanks. Still not convinced my insurance would cover me if I took guidees down footpaths but am tempted now to try some on my own…

Does there have to be a sign saying “no bikes” or might the Queen, say, who seems to own most open countryside one way or another, have already issued a blanket ban on riding on her land?

taxi25 – Member

Got to laugh at the “to cool for Strava” guys. Thing is thousands of people enjoy Strava and work hard to improve their position on the leader boards. If thats not for you fine, but why piss on other people’s chips over something that you have no interest in ??
Op as you’ve found out motor pacing is against the spirit of Strava. If your sure the pro riders Kom’s where motor paced flag the ride.

+1

OK, but I’ve read elsewhere that if the landowner says sling your hook then you can’t ride there any more. If you’re not trespassing, on what basis can they do that? Are people allowed to walk through my garden whenever they want as long as they don’t damage the roses?