I’ve recently gone with Hebie Rainline mudguards in 68mm width to go over my 29×2.25 Smart Sams. Loads of clearance and pretty easy fitting, though you do have to cut down the stays. I also had to drill a hole in the rear guard for the seatstay mounting, but it was easily done.

Not super-long coverage, but excellent value. The cheapest I could find them delivered to the UK was from Rosebikes. Lots of narrower widths available, too.

So a properly designed BB like the SKF one shouldn’t be an issue?

This site might help with specific trails?

http://www.vttrack.fr/?zoom=9&lat=46.49365&lon=8.07769&layers=Google%20Physical%7CSentiers%7CGPSies%7C

Short answer: paper mill grease.

http://www.oil-store.co.uk/Mobilith-SHC-PM-460

Why not just nick the valves off old Schrader tubes and take the cores out when seating? Or are all tubeless ready rims presta only?

You’re right, I’ve never run tubeless, but I’m curious…

I run BB7s with speed dial levers on my Hemlock using 203/180mm rotors. Bike is 30lbs, I’m 12.5 stone and ride up to T3+. Never felt the need for anything else.

Can set up a pair in ten minutes, and pad adjustment is a one minute job.

Never got on with hardtails either. Spent ten years riding rigid then went straight to short-travel FS. Now can’t stand on pedals for more than about 90secs due to neurological bollocks and age. Either ride rigid or 150mm trail bike. Hardtails just don’t suit me.

+1 for Smart Sam

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/s/ref=is_box_?k=Ultimate+addons+iphone

I know the general Gravel Grinder blurb is sort of up to 700×40 tyres…but why not allow for that bit bigger?

Exactly why my ‘gravel’ / ‘like MTBs used to be (but with drop bars)’ bike IS a Fortitude with drops.

apart from a shorter ETT to accommodate drop bars a gravel grinder could be described as a rigid specific 29er.

I don’t think most gravel bikes can take tyres much above 40mm… unless I’ve misunderstood the niche?

THIS is a rigid specific 29er (albeit with flat bars): http://www.questadventure.co.uk/genesisfortitudeadventure

Yes, it’s a drop bar hybrid

Is having this argument with my 14yo son the other week. He was insistent he wanted a drop bar bike when even when it was clear bra get more bike for his money buying a hybrid. Fortunately, a friend’s drop-bar hybrid conversion came to the rescue…!

Yep – those Frenchies had the right idea

Je ne suis pas un ?mountain biker?, je suis un VTTiste!

Ah so not really a gravel bike then!

Fair point, but I’m likely to settle with something like 45c tyres, which makes it much more gravel than CX or 29er to my mind. I love the fact that it has MASSES of mud clearance with most tyres too.

Except for the tyres. They are the biggest difference. Even a 1.9″ tyre back in the day gives way more protection and rideability than a 32c.

Hence my ‘gravel’ bike is actually a drop-bar converted rigid 29er which will take up to 2.4″ tyres. Switching from 41mm Knards to 45mm Smart Sams Real Soon Now.

Interesting thread that other one, given that I’m ditching an Equilibrium in favour of a Fortitude Adventure with a drop-bar conversion and 40-45mm tyres. Absolutely loving it, and means that ‘N’ now equals four (so long as I don’t need a folding bike).

1) Is the Bing hack still working for anyone?

2) The Bing OS maps are not as up-to-date as those on Streetmap.co.uk. There’s recently been a new bridleway dedicated near to where I live and it’s showing on Streetmap but not Bing.

I’m not a huge fan of the riding at Tignes, but that’s just not true.

It’s what I was told by my contact in Peisey, but he may have been biased.

The trails at Tignes down to Val d’isere don’t have braking bumps.

Yes, I rode “Into The Wild” I think it is which is largely on access tracks to the summer pastures, pretty enjoyable and semi-natural for much of its length, i.e. not manufactured for bikes. Many of the trails I rode on just weren’t surfaced in the same way that UK trail centre trails are, so you’re basically riding on dirt rather than a prepared surface. I didn’t do anything red as I don’t really indulge in artificial jumps and drops.

What I did enjoy at Tignes was the Wonderboisses trail down to Les Boisses, a fantastic flowing trail showing off French trail riding at its best.

To be honest, though, I had more fun further south. I did a couple of afternoon / evening XC loops out of Barcelonette and Apt with around 700m climbing apiece before fantastic natural wooded and/or rocky downhill payback back into the valley. Also spent a day doing Enduro uplift with Greg Germain of 1001Sentiers to get a taste of the vast library of trails that the Alpes-Maritimes have to offer. If you want proper away from it all backcounty riding on superb natural trails, that’s where I’d be heading…

Note that most insurers differentiate mountain biking on trails from off-piste / freeride type riding. Check you’re covered for whatever it is you’re going to do.

Summer passes everywhere are already half the price of winter ones…

Largely because you’re not paying for piste-bashing in the summer, and also supply/demand I guess…

Lots and lots of braking bumps at Tignes last year; they don’t charge for the lifts, so the trails don’t get as much maintenance…

Base yourself in Peisey rather than Les Arcs and accommodation may be cheaper. Contact Matt & Sarah at Whitebeam to see what they have on offer this summer: http://www.whitebeamchalets.co.uk/summer-accommodation/

So you then fit a £15 cassette, so every 6 months MTBing costs £25 for a new chain and cassette.. It’s hardly the end of the world…

This is true, but part of me doesn’t want to be throwing away more lumps of refined metal than strictly necessary. However, there comes a point at which life is too short…

Hardly any lateral play compared to Shimano/KMC/SRAM it seems the tolerances are tighter = less opportunity for dirt to get inside the rollers

I tend to use £10-12 SRAM or KMC chains, and did wonder whether tighter tolerances would mean a longer-lasting chain… at least until the tolerances slacken off due to wear…

And what happens when it reaches that point ?

That’s the point at which I was always told you should replace your chain so as not to cause excessive cassette or chainring wear.

The wisdom certainly used to be that if you leave your chain until it’s 10-1/8″ across ten links, then it will have worn the cassette to the point where it may skip with a new chain.

I get about 18 months of 1-2 rides a week

Until what? If I measure my chain, I’m lucky to get six months before it’s at 10-1/16″ across ten full links.

Is white spirit as good as paraffin? I used to use the former…

Contact these guys: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/whitwick-coalville-nw-leicestershire-riders

Just donated £100 gift-aided to the DEC.

Out of interest, has anyone found a chain cleaning / lubing product or regime which repeatably increases chain life by a significant amount? I’ve tried several, but they all seem much of a muchness.

For me, they’ve never been about speed. Their biggest advantage is power control when climbing – much less of a dead spot. That said, my granny ring used to be at 40% eccentricity (24t varying between 20t and 28t equivalent) 8O

When swapping, you get used to the feel of the ‘new’ style within about ten minutes.

Generally less bob, ask Brant.

Why limit yourself to the UK though?

Warhawk make ’em: http://www.warhawkindustries.com/chainrings/5-bolt-110mm-bcd-chainring.html

Legally, any information would come under Environmental Information Regulations, not FOI:

http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/environmental_information/guide/act#what%20are%20the%20environmental%20information%20regulations-10

I acquired some SR ovaltech rings for my winter hack.

Unless you’ve rotated them by approximately 90 degrees from their original orientation, they’ll be the same orientation as BioPace, i.e. the wrong way around, with the short axis on the power stroke.

I’m pretty sure the likes of Martin and Sparticus don’t use them but Wiggo does

I think Frome uses them too in time trials? I think it’s a Team Sky thing, presumably it’s another marginal improvement to be accumulated. I believe they use Osymetric rings.

I ran a 24t 40% oval EggRing in Calderdale when I used to live there – that’s 20t on the short axis and 28t on the long, so a lot more extreme than the rings being discussed here. With that in mind, I found it to be a revelation for both loaded (trailer hauling) and technical climbing. In my experience, you can apply power more evenly over more of the pedal stroke and it does get you through the dead spot more quickly.

As for shifting issues – not an problem with a single-ring set-up of course – I didn’t really notice any… but then I avoid any sort of front mech indexing like the plague, which may have something to do with it…

They’re basically just coolbags with zips on the outside though, right?

I’d definitely advocate giving Ash your money. You’ll be guaranteed good trails and top-notch organisation. The Trans-Provence region has 4/5ths of naff all in the way of facilities outside of its small towns and villages and putting something together yourself would be a major challenge even if you knew the route. Believe me, I’ve looked into it.

The official designation for a dashed black line is ‘continuity uncertain’.

Unfortunately the reality gap between lines on IGN maps and what really is there is quite huge

Where in France have you found this to be the case? I’ve done an admittedly limited amount of walking and biking in France, but if something has appeared on the IGN map, it’s always been there on the ground in some form or another. There may be more tracks on the ground than appear on the map, but in my experience if it’s on the map, it’s there on the ground.

On 1:25,000 IGN maps, dashed single black line tracks are generally to be avoided as they may have fallen into disrepair. Take the risk if you want. Solid black line and above tends to be fine, and in my experience are very well categorised. Interested to hear of others’ experiences though.

This might be of interest:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/best-waterproof-phones/

It mentions the Kyocera Hydro phones, the original of which is now available for buttons on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181346922314

Not stellar spec but easily adequate for a bike GPS/phone I would have thought.