It’s hard to suggest based on so little, but it’s STW so I will anyway :mrgreen:

If you’re absorbing (letting the bike come into you, bending knees and elbows) the lip and then jumping you will be rising more than the bike and coming off the pedals. If you absorb the lip and stay low you’ll jump out and level but not high, like a racer. If you push off the face of the jump with both your arms and legs together (compress before the lip, extend arms and legs as you reach the lip) as you rise up the face both you and the bike will lift together and it shouldn’t take much to stay connected.

Centred on approach, centred in the air, centred on landing. Also check out how active a DH racer’s knees are despite their suspension. They have buckets of it but still absorb and pump the trail. If you let the force come through the bike into you while being stiff it’ll buck you off.

Based on the cost of my shoes and pedals I’d recommend sticking with what you have and seeing a coach to iron out the wrinkles; it’ll cost you less! Jedi’s a good shout if you’re in his area, you’ll learn loads.

If you were slipping at less specific times I’d say swap your gear. Better yet, if you have teh monies get some new kit AND a coach session :wink:

5tens are a big step up in grip, I like to find a secure position and stay there (similar to you by the sound of it) and that’s what they do. You have to intentionally lift a foot a bit to swivel, you can’t just twist like a normal shoe.

I use Vaults which are nice and big and super grippy, the Kona Wah Wahs I had were also excellent (very, very similar to Nanos, Nukeproofs etc). I personally have the front edge of the pedal under my big toe and back edge under my instep. Too far forward isn’t supportive but efficient for pedalling, too far back is stable but you lose manouvrability.

Heels down for riding as a whole helps drive the bike through stuff, back pedal toes down and pulled back can help you wedge yourself between the bar and cranks. Push outward between these and you’re locked in place.

When are you losing your footing? Don’t dismiss looking at your technique, we can all ride better than we currently do! It can’t hurt to have a mate video you on his phone and watch yourself. Unless you hurt yourself while he’s filming….but you get what I mean :D

edit; 5ten freeriders and DMR Vaults are my answer.

If you are using a double and front mech use a Blackspire Stinger, simple and effective. They offer ISCG05 and BB mount so just check which you need before ordering; I thought the Piglet had no guide tabs. If it does have, you may have a Blue Pig instead of a Piglet.

:D

We have a sett behind the end of our garden :D

When we first moved in we saw one, and over the years it’s gone up to about 5. The babies make a rather cute giggling sound which goes when they mature.

There are 3 entrances we can see, the structures are fascinating. They have bedrooms (which they rotate between every few days), corridors, toilets and ventilation systems.

I think the Halfords people deserve more than Jaffa Cakes! Whatever you get them, don’t leave it on the roof rack while you pop off to do something :wink:

Glad you got your bike back :mrgreen:

I didn’t like the bristly bits on the Cruds, they stop rub by err… rubbing! Fine when clean and dry, but once they get a bit smingey it’s annoying. Good coverage though.

I use the non-eyelet raceblades, they’re overpriced and give moderate coverage. Blumels Road are great if you’ve got the ability to mount them LINK

People who know their stuff will order online and do work themselves. I think the need and purpose of a proper shop has moved towards keeping the casual cyclist on the road/mud, difficult servicing that uses specialist tools, fixing mechanical bodges (ah, the walk of shame into the LBS with a busted thingybob), suspension servicing and clothes/shoes.

Some bike shops can be competitive with completes and the test ride/aftercare offered can be appealing to those who are upgrading their knowledge at the same time as their bike.

It may be worth offering BMX parts if there’s a scene in the area. I think establishing a community (maintenance courses, guided/club rides etc) will help a shop survive. Handy opening hours, manners and a fast turnaround go a long way. The LBS I’m most loyal to occasional does little jobs for next to nothing, like swapping my fixed cogs over after I bought one there.

Be discerning, I prefer a shop with a specific narrow range of good parts rather than a big one with a broad range of cheap and nasties.

Links with a powdercoaters/anodiser would be pretty cool!

I thought this thread just shrivelled up, then saw more posts had been added!

It’s been very good fun and I’ve noticed a few things from the setup:

Nukeproof headsets are rubbish, Hope on the way. Think I’ll get a 1.5 lower cup that looks like the standard external with a reducer crown and in internal upper cup.

The steel feels great, much nicer than my Dialled frames but in a subtle way. Comfier, which I think is due to the seat-stay fandangling and high brace. I like the high BB and nippiness of the wheelbase, but yet the slackness has quite a distinct character which feels good. Stable when you need it yet very manoeuvrable.

I’m considering 1×9 as it’s climbing pretty well. I figure it won’t be much different (keeping it 32t front, cassette is 11-34) and will shed some grammage from the mech, shifter, granny+bolts & stinger.

I think I’ve gotten used to HT again, my bunny-hopping and mini manuals have improved. Oh, and the front tyre is now a 2.5 WTB Prowler MX which feels pretty good. I’ll probably stick the other on the back end, more cushion for the pushin’ :wink:

I know, I know. Saving weight in one place, only to stick big fat biffers on the rims…

Is it like a hand shandy but with devastating meteorological consequences?

I used Paisley Freight, £21.50 ferra bike HERE

I’ve been stung on PB after becoming trusting from many good classified transactions here. I learned the same lesson, PPG FTW!

It may be worth pushing it a bit with PP to say you acknowledge your money is gone but this person repeatedly scams. Have you mentioned him on PB yet?

Sugino RD2 (double that’s often used single) or any other square taper track chainset will come in at that length. Just needs an MTB BB (I think) and you’re sorted. Ebay should have something!

I specified the RD2 as it’s a double that’s used as a single. I just ebay searched “165 chainset” and a fair bit came up, maybe the Onza stuff’s worth a look too?

Far better to be in this position than “i have an ISIS BB & arm stuck on my bike”. I wouldn’t fit it. If it’s a super special chainset then find another arm, otherwise as said look for something HT2. The wanted section is very helpful and often more bargainous than expected!

As achey said, also fit your mech down a bit lower to have a closer fit against the rings/bash.

If you don’t have a chain device and ride rougher ground or jump I thoroughly recommend one. The big ring helps keep the chain in place on the middle, which a bash can replace. But being smaller than a 44t means it can still wang off, especially on a HT. A stinger or similar will help this.

It’s great having the clearance, I don’t miss the big ring once I’m at the woods.

Get a zip tie in there, you’ll be reet :wink:

Osprey bags are very good, guaranteed for life in fact!

They do some city targeted rucksacks which house a laptop comfortably, they also fit well for riding to/from whatever you’re doing. Check out the Momentum, it’s got a briefcase type handle for pretending to be grown up but still says ‘mountain fresh’ to those in the know :wink:

So it’s gone from a roadie convention to 4x4trackworld?!

I don’t like 4x4s for anything other than essential use (rescue, farming etc). We are different to people dicking about in silly big cars, I don’t think we need to be silent out of fear for being ‘next’.

This is specifically about 2 areas, I don’t know the Roych but have a strong fondness for Stanage as a climber. Anyone who’s wedged a limb into a gritty crevice will feel similarly, it’s a magical outcrop full of friction and fantasy. It’s a special place and I can see why people want to protect it.

On a lighter note…

I’m not intending to troll but they are connected issues, fines or receipt and the chance to buy are a much better option than plain fining. I think more mountaineering stuff should have reflective details, some does but not enough.

Ned, the answer is neither; be visible and wear a lid. It tickled me because he half cares, like the people who wear helmets backwards or halfway down the back of their head.

I’ve been knocked off while with lights and helmet and nearly squashed, raising more vulnerable rider’s safety is a plus but I wasn’t sure about penalising people.

As someone learning to drive I also see how important it is to make riders visible, the blind spots are uncomfortably large!

I do like a bit of catabatic drainage, nice pics :-)

ebay innit, some of the decal sellers happily do custom sets if the images are easy to find. Paragon Tapes on ebay is alright, there’s quite a range of thick and thin out there. Either works fine in my experience.

If you have teh Pikes, try ’em out. Only you can know.

I imagine the Lyriks are stiffer, but Pikes are pretty stiff. Sell/swap your 36s, you don’t sound like you’re getting on together.

Glass at Wild Park (DH lite), sometimes it’s great big “C” shaped bottle sections, only really sticks/small logs at Stanmer.

Have you read this? ->

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ive-seen-a-few-logs-pulled-across-paths-but-this

:x

I support severely learning disabled adults with autism for Brighton & Hove City Council. I’m also in the last few months of an adventure education degree.

As the deadlines loom I spend far more time writing assignments on MTB than I do riding :(

I think MTB is a big enough sport now to support 4 sizes of wheel. Some brands are more pushy in the market and they happen to finance/supply some of the work that big mags do. It’s no surprise that you’ll see vids on BikeRadaft where they say “a 26er would never get up that” referring to a 20% gradient with a root on it.

Some people are closed to change and they can often be quite loud. Some are more open and quietly get on with exploring more things.

CTBM, it’s probably in your interest that it’s still a tad niche as it adds a little value to those motivated by this as a factor.

I’d like a 29er to compliment my normal bike. But I’d also like a DH bike, a 24″ BMX, a carbon rigid SS and a mini velo so I can be all Nathan Barley around Brighton (no really, they look good fun).

The MTB is still evolving, don’t panic.

That’s like flippin’ Apocalypto 8O

They are dangerous and need a mental health intervention. Shouldn’t they be spending their time on girls, drugs and other such wholesome things?

Your bare hands you coward :wink:

Eets: Bangers & Mash followed by Mrs Shake’s avocado chocolate mousse (she’s one of them vegans). It’s weird but it works.

Drinks: Tanglefoot/Courage Director’s

Listening to Radio 6.

You could try the cup washer on it’s own as it will sit flat, it won’t be much different in spacing to the cup and cone as the cone sits inside it.

I have some spare flat stainless washers (bought a big pack from ebay) email me at shameer AT gmx.co.uk if you want some for free.

Cup and cone brake caliper washers are a solution to a problem they create themselves. I had to re-jiggle my Avids regularly, my Shimano (without cup and cone) sit pretty with no fuss.

By the way don’t just pull the lever and do them up to centralise:

:-)

More detail here: CLICKY

I just had the same April fool response! Hydrogen and carbon are abundant, stick ’em together and what have you got? Bibbidy bobbidy boom!

As the technology is developed the economy of scale improves. Compare the cost of an offshore oil rig and pipeline with the early stages of fuel development. I wonder if the technology will be bought and silenced?

The £1.1m project, in development for the past two years, is being funded by a group of unnamed philanthropists who believe the technology could prove to be a lucrative way of creating renewable energy.

That’s pretty small scale, no wonder they only have a flask of the stuff so far!

Pfft, klunking’s the way forward. Of course the Transition chaps could make riding a scooter in the woods look appealing, there is a certain less-is-more charm.

Horse f’courses innit? I like a 26″ pony with either a firm or bouncy rear end, some favour a 29″ shire with no knees. I dabbled with a 69er wonky donkey, which was good fun and nippy but not as effortless to ride faster. Diversity is good, but specificity must be acknowledged. Unless you have the skillz to klunk.

26ers or normal MTBs are proven, 29ers have been impressing people for some time. Take a look at kayaks or canoes, the diversity of style/volume/purpose has remained as such for a long time and continues to develop. A whitewater boat would work in the sea, but a surf boat would be better. This doesn’t mean one invalidates the other.

Get a BMX to ride to/from the rented plot…but where would that live?

Hi Chappers, sell your MX bike but don’t get the Scratch. It’s a beast of a bike for hammering while in armour and a full face. As you’re new to riding MTB you’ll still be developing fundamental techniques. Do yourself a favour and get a simpler bike for the job.

If you really want a FS then I reckon stay below 140mm travel, you can do a hell of a lot with that much cush but they get back uphill ok. I personally really like the long forked steel hardtail approach. The Marin you’re riding has a 100mm fork and an aluminium frame. A steel alternative with an (ideally) adjustable travel fork around the 140mm mark will be more comfy and more capable in diverse terrain. Then again I rarely use the U-turn, but it’s nice to have.

Naturally I’m recommending what I like, but then why wouldn’t I? Don’t get dazzled by the bling of the Scratch, get something more trail oriented first and progress to freeride/DH if you take to it. Travel, much like power is nothing without control.

The On-One 456 X5 Sektor deal looks pretty good, you can upgrade once bits wear out and adapt it to suit your riding style LINK HERE.

Or better yet build something up! You’ll learn a lot about potential parts when you have to choose each bit individually. Naturally you can get lots of advice from here to help.

If you don’t already have, I strongly suggest a dropper seatpost and some of the newer generation of thin big flat pedals. If you got the 456 at under £900 you’d have some cash left over from your MX bike sale. That being said, £900 would get you a very good 2nd hand steel hardtail from the classifieds if you know what you’d want.

By the way I’m in Brighton and have gone back to hardtail for the local stuff. There’s a little bit around here for longer travel FS, but really it’s a pain to lug around the extra bike for the sort of things around here! It’s nice to be back on a lighter, more responsive bike again. You can still be lazy with a long fork but retain the immediacy of a HT frame.

But, that’s just my opinion :D

Have a peek here too; this is more anger management specific Link

By the way I also shout at drivers sometimes (rarely), it’s annoying that they can rarely hear and often disappear straight away :x But, then I try and let it go.

Try and reduce in other parts of your life too, your stress-o-meter is already high which is why it just takes a bit more to pop.

Give yourself more time to travel, assume others will do daft things and try and be the bigger man.

As frustrating/stressful/scary the situation is, it will soon be past tense and holding on to it is just letting them win. Even if they are an inconsiderate @#£%&*!

Showing the other person you can’t control yourself just gives them more ammunition against you and stops them from listening. Even if you are right in their eyes, your behaviour makes them superior.

NLP’s a manipulative gimmick, CBT is a combination of effective therapy techniques. You seem open to talking to someone as you mentioned it, I think it sounds like a good start :-)

Ah fuxtix. I did a search and found the previous thread.

Well, if you haven’t seen the other thread here’s a vid:

DBW, has this been done?