20 years ago…. Cannondale M800 replacing the woefully inadiquate Offroad Pro-Flex 750

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I dont care what the weather forcast says, I wont be leaving the MudX’s at home.

Shouting “RIDER” is just not good enough and will usually initiate a retort of “join the club” or “me too” from me.
I am not a quick rider these days but when I do pass slower riders I would never dream of attempting to pass unless there was suitable room and that I have given clear intructions to the rider in front of my intentions and recieved acknowledgement from them.
Simple courtesy and remembering a little etiquette seems to have gone by the wayside over recent years.
Whats worse is this inconsiderate behaviour can ruin someones race OR season.
I can only hope this behaviour can be stamped out from a sport I love and that I have been taking part in for over 25 years.
Hope you heal up quickly jonny360

Bought an Offroad Pro-Flex 750 in 92/93 ish… What a shocking bike that was.
Binned it after 6 months and bought a Cannondale M800 with Pace RC35’s.

LAS Squalo…. Best helmet I have ever owned! Have seen last years colours for sale for around the 50 quid mark

Damn it…. Will also have to pay the bridge fee this year 🙁 But will be there whatever the course/weather…

Bargain…. Thanks for the heads up

Ahh my mistake, thought you meant the large hole where the brake cable exits the swing arm… As Ecky-thump says “warm it up in hot water”.

Gaffa tape… Thats what I used.

Good spot Stu…. You may be onto something here!!

I used to ride there way back in the late 80’s early 90’s… Really must go and visit my muvver and ride these trails again..

The ‘mtblaser’ rear light. 5 Leds + 2 laser leds from Smudge at MTB Batteries looks good but I dont know if he has any ready for dispatch!

dhb Pace Roubaix Padded 3/4 Bib Tight. Great fit. great price and wont boil your b*llox if it warms up. I have bought a few sets of these great 3/4’s

This is my Fixed wheel/winter bike commuter. 60’s Olmo road frame, parts bin stem, seatpost, crank. Mavic open pro ceramic front wheel, Cheap Omega rear wheel, Conti Gatorskin 28C tyres (big pot holes around here). Due to a change in my place of work and the need to negotiate a hill on a major road I have fitted a rear brake using clamps on the seat-stays to avoid the need of a huge 64mm drop caliper.
Lots of lights front and rear. Gearing is 44:16.
Used for my 30 mile round trip commute over rolling roads.
Riding Fixed over the winters has improved my leg strength, smoothed my peddling style and stopped me coasting on my road bike.
As for the biggest benefits, cheap, easy to clean and maintain and soooo quiet, just the hum of tyres on tarmac.

I like KMC chains and use them on all my bikes.

Great event. Friendly and well organised. Enjoyable course and courtious riders. The DJ under the bridge, the guys with the horn and the megephone crew on top of Pheasant Plucker Hill with their inspired heckling. Cant wait for next year…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/torq-in-your-sleep-whats-the-course-like

Also driving 100 miles plus for this, cant see it being as bad as MM as the soil type is very different. After MM I am just hoping for a dry (ish) weekend!!!

Doing this as a pair and also hoping for better weather than MM. Fingers crossed

Entered ages ago…. Been drinking ever since as training….

I ran Bonty Mud-X’s on my Five and had very little problems with clogging up… They were shocking over the roots and rocks on my second lap at 9pm though! Just stripped the headset and found more Eastnor mud. Tough conditions but great memories.

I don’t understand all this griping about the course… You can’t polish a turd after all, the topography of the area has never leant itself to being a “great course”. What is and always has been great is the atmosphere.
I am coming back to racing mountain bikes after giving it all up after the “Malvern’s Classic” in 94. In those halcyon days of the early 90’s when the sun always shone the Malvern’s Classic offered a great event with a very mediocre course, but it was always on my list of “must do events”.
I came last year and camped for the weekend, I rode the “Sunday Munch” 100K road sportive with my brother (who has never ridden a mountain bike). “We have to do this next year” he said…. So 12 months later we are ready for whatever MM throws at us.
As Guy Martin often says “it is what it is”. Its going to be muddy and its going to have a lot of climbing, if that does not float your boat why do it!