Not overtaking could add an hour to a two hour journey

When did we all become so prissy about overtaking anyway?

Barely anyone does it nowadays, maybe it’s just me but I’m sure it used to be a lot more common. It’s a valid manoeuvre and perfectly legal when conducted in a safe manner. If you have a faster car you can overtake safely in less space than a slower car and as such have more option to overtake multiple vehicles. It’s kind of why you are taught to look in your mirror before starting an overtake.

The faster you are going, the less time you have to react to ANYTHING unexpected

True, but it’s not the whole picture. What can you see in front of you? What sort of hazards are you observing? Do you have enough time to react given the speed you are travelling at? This is the judgement bit. So I would argue that hitting something due to the speed you are travelling is a problem attributable to lack of judgement, and speed is just a symptom of that lack of judgement. It can be a problem at 20 or 30mph in an urban area as much as it can be at 90mph on a clear motorway.

Seems to me the police are doing the bare minimum for speeding

I think they probably resource speeding about appropriately as it stands, but it seems to be the only issue* they deal with unless something happens, e.g. an accident. This week on my bike I was overtaken by cars leaving less than a metre gap between them and my bar end. They were probably both people who would claim to be good drivers because they don’t speed.

On a related note, when people learn to drive is there an element of car handling still? For example, my instructor taught me how to handle a car through a bend, where to brake and accelerate to get the car through in the most controlled manner, and also to drive up to the speed limit. I remember being taught how to safely overtake a cyclist. At the time driving much beneath the limit without reason would have been either a test failure or at least a point, or at least that’s what I was told. If it’s a 50, aim to drive at 50.

*OK, I’m probably exaggerating. They obviously deal with lots of other issues such as drink driving, but general standards seem to me to be dropping and nothing’s being done about it.

Why do accidents on roads happen?

I suggest:
– Poor judgement
– Bad decision making
– Lack of concentration
– Distractions
– Inappropriate speed

Speed itself is not dangerous. Speed limits are a arbitrary mechanism to mitigate the risks from the above, and are often inappropriate or badly applied for often genuine reasons, but as much so political. The common theme above is lack of driver skill, and most often I see that displayed by slow or distracted drivers. Speed limits give people a sense that their driving is good because the needle is below the relevant number, i.e. a false sense or security.

There is a certain lack of consideration from ‘pootlers’. Their 20 minute trip to the shops doing 30 in a 50 might be fine, but the person behind who’s getting frustrated might be half way along a 4 hour journey enduring yet another unnecessary hold up.

I see cameras and speed traps often placed in positions where I feel they are likely to catch drivers out, which to some extent addresses my original points, but I can’t help feeling it also maximises revenue. I’d like to see the police truly focus on all aspects of bad driving rather than just speeding.

Myself, nowadays I generally stay within the speed limit except on motorways where I do push it if conditions allow.

Im not really in it for the fitness. Just the experience.

I’m afraid you won’t have much choice with the former. IME, you will have a hard step up (fitness and strenth) that you’ll need to achieve but once you do it’ll all feel fairly natural again. You’ll need to learn to attack hills rather than plod up them, which gives a fitness boost as well as a different experience.

I found the experience element was at it’s best on level-ish flowy stuff where you’re just not having to think about gearing and you can concentrate 100% on the trail. Admittedly I’m rubbish with gears so that may be a factor.

You should have sufficient hills round Wakey to keep it interesting. Might be worth starting with 32/18 or 32/19 and see how it goes.

Edit: Doh! Kirklees is Huddersfield etc isn’t it. Even better, but maybe try a slightly easier ratio to start with.

Singlespeed is best if you’ve got mostly hills. It gets you fitter and faster and simplifies your bicycling experience.

Also attractiveness of a mountain bike to a chav is greater with more gears*, so just one gear is a bit rubbish innit.

*Made up fact.

So of you were to have a DH event and a freeride event on the same course, you’d judge DH on time and freeride on points for flamboyance?

I’d say peaks rather than Dales. Looks too green and flat for the Dales and the little picture shows two types of rock possibly grit and limestone, which would back up it being the peaks.

I did read up on what freeride actually means, and I concluded it was like downhill but without the conviction. I.e. similar obstacles and technical difficulty but more about sessioning stuff rather than all out speed.

Whether this is true or not I don’t know, just my view.

but I actually agree…

Good points actually. It is normal to see DH bikes being pushed up hill rather than ridden which is what a lighter bike with wider gear ratios allows.

If a mountain is bigger than a hill, then do I need a downhill bike for <1000ft, and all mountain for >=1000ft?

Which Trail Centre contains the most technically difficult descent? Possibly with a few big jumps and drop-offs

That makes things way clearer. It’s obviously Dalbeattie, or maybe Kirroughtree, no wait it’s definitely Gisburn.

Just make sure you run on ‘other people’ time, rather than MTB time where a quick 2 hour spin = 5 hours in the real world.

Define fun. Riding a long travel full bouncer can surely sanitise something that might be a bit more white knuckle on a short travel HT?

IME, the places where a ‘bigger’ bike adds anything are limited, not that it isn’t worth it, because it often is, but full bouncer does not equate to more fun than a HT, necessarily.

Also, the previously mentioned term, over biked, is a valid one. It’s when you’re hauling around too big a bike and the extra fun/capability doesn’t warrant the effort required to pedal it to where you’re going.

general purpose mountain bike

Like an ‘all terrain bike’ (ATB)?

What do you mean by ‘all mountain’? To me it’s a marketeers term with little actual meaning.

With 32/18 I can maintain ~14mph on the flat. It takes practice but like rd, I also figure it’s a good thing albeit tiring.

Uphills I usually find myself in front rather than behind due to the need to attack hills. Nailing difficult climbs on ss that your mates are struggling on with gears gives much kudos and riding god points.

I wouldn’t have ever considered it less social.

Edit: I didn’t consider the events side of things, just social. I imagine events require a different strategy if you’re likely to be pushing your limits.

Get an islabike second hand. It’ll cost more than £100, but as long as you get a good one and you look after it you’ll be able to sell on hopefully with little or maybe no loss. A Beinn (20″ wheel) might be the best bet.

Cheap bikes for kids are truly awful IMHO.

I’ve been on a couple of Ed courses and would say he’s a good coach. Calm and explains things well.

Good effort trying to get it sorted. Your efforts are probably futile, but if it does make a difference then it’s surely worthwhile.

Not sure tbh. I did notice on mine that the bottom bearing appeared to be stuck in but I didn’t try to remove it.

The one you’ve got is good IME. I picked up one for about £30 a few weeks ago, though I can’t recall where from.

Can you just get a replacement bearing set?

The bloke in front seems the sort of ignorant tool you need to learn to deal with in life. There are many of them about, mostly sitting in the middle lane of the motorway.

As such, the situation was handled badly by the faster rider who upon seeing his calls were getting nowhere should have taken a few minutes before continuing.

I suspect not. I’m assuming the bikes are geared to suit the rider. Gears are best for dealing with varying terrain.

Long travel hardtails are ace. Fact.

I thought it was very good. You shouldn’t be disappointed. It’s a natural trail in the woods with some good switchbacks and steep descents. It was starting to look a bit eroded but should still be good.

I’m a cautious/patient passer, but when someone faster is behind my preference is a quick and concise ‘on your left/right’ and get it done. I don’t really enjoy being tailed by someone faster who I know wants to pass.

Black/red trails are designated for ‘experienced’ riders, and part of this is acknowledging that you are sharing the trail and to give appropriate consideration to slower AND faster riders.

The advice I’ve been given is both at the same time or front first on a down slope. Never been told back first for the reason you describe. Maybe back first might work well for landing on an up slope, but I can’t picture it.

He can’t even tell the truth about eating a pasty, never mind trusting him with 250k of donor/bribe money.

Good cynicism though!

It would be very amusing to see the look on the perpetrators face when MTB’er skilfully hops over the obstacle he just spent on hour putting in place.

Where is the BW?

Not all 2009 frames are bad. Had one go myself and the quality of welding is notably worse than a friends frame of the same year.

Also have a cracked combi, but I vaguely remember that might have had a lifetime warranty.

Fwiw, I think all the people who work at Endura are weird shapes, and they all expand in the rain and shrink in the sun.

I have some 661 Kyle pads that are snug top and bottom but have a bit of space around the knee.

@takisawa2, I know what you mean. Some switchbacks are like mini-berms where the cornering technique above may well be applicable, but many (probably most) are flat and have other obstacles.

I’ve found that a lot depends on the surface as some of the trail centres are very eroded and I’ve found it difficult to adopt a technique that’s worked well for all.

I know people don’t like Superstar, but these two products seem to fit the bill and they are cheap enough. Either might serve you well for years, or may just serve to give you a feel for 1×9/10 until you get a more permanent device.

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=56&products_id=475

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=56&products_id=362

I have the second. It stops my chain falling off whenever the bike’s getting some serious hammer.

I think this is the type of positioning that is being referred to:

It’s something I’m struggling with at the moment too…

Tails.

I have the SLX and it seems very stiff, looks good and the BB lasts a lot longer than the Deore one (6-12 months IME). It’s not too heavy either.

I think the deciding factor is that with the Shimano part you get a lot more choice of replacement bottom brackets when the OEM one inevitably fails as apprently (I’m told) aftermarket BB’s for the SRAM part a much less common.

If you look at the map there is a fire road that heads south from the end of leithen door. The diversion heads along that fire road for a short distance then drops through the trees and emerges where Hope burn is met by another couple of becks.

I think if you’re very fit and determined 2 hours doesn’t seem that bad. I think most of us who cannot commit the amount of time it takes to get and stay that fit can not realistically get round that quickly.

Besides most of us we go somewhere like Glentress to have a good day out on the bike as part of a social experience with a mixed group and don’t really aim to kill ourselves.

See the other thread, but in a word excellent.

What did you think of the diversion around deliverance? I thought it was the best part of the route – stunning.

+1 to going on a skills course. I found Ed’s stop crashing course excellent a couple of years back. I’m amazed that people will spend stupid money on kit but seem to flatly refuse to spend the cost of a derailleur on a skills course.

+1 also to the challenge/skill illustration.