Last year I packed an ikea bag full of tyres for all occasions, but then I forgot the bag.

I’m hoping it’s dry enough for Maxxis Aspens as I hardly get to use em.

Cool! Although shame about the wrist guess you won’t get to ride the course this year.

I didn’t realise Vin was doing it again, he spoke to us a few times last year, nice guy. Total machine though, his short climbs are my worst nightmares 😀

tang – I’m curious, what’s your job down there? (if you don’t mind me asking).

Got any insider information? 😀 have you had a chance to ride the course? – any immediate info in terms of how it compares to last years? Please say less hilly.

Brilliant, thanks for all the feedback! Seems like housenetwork is the way to go.

I’m just trying to work out if it’s worth the extra £100 for the account manager and sales progression – anyone got any experience of using these?

We stopped at the premier inn down the road. Cheap and nice enough, good breakfast too.

Chances are you won’t need armour for the blues, I used knee and elbow pads and a trail helmet, I didn’t have any offs (apart from venturing off the trail a bit), because I was pretty careful about staying within my limits, but one of the lesser experienced riders in our group went OTB and lost his front teeth, the dangers are real, and a reminder to ride within your limits, it could have happened anywhere. If I had a full face, I’d wear it though, especially if you are on the uplift.

There’s lots of videos on youtube of the blues so you can see them, but I video’d a few runs if you wanted to get a feel for them: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3X5GUBHyvvqT6Q0gYHHlop6uHDpuz_R_

I watch them back it seems so slow compared to how it felt!

If you’re only riding the blues, a HT is fine. Reds you could argue a FS makes life easier.

I think it is much, much faster than any of the other trail centres I’ve been to, and I think this is the thing that is the hardest to get used to. I would describe it as next level stuff in that respect. The blues are very flowey though, and I don’t recall any drops, so you can take them at the speed you choose, but it’s very easy to gather pace so take your time and ride at your own pace.

It’s worth doing a few runs at least, the first one we did we all were amazed at the speed and how tense you are as a result, it seems almost scary, my fingers were hurting from braking… But on the second and all the subsequent runs we relaxed as we knew more of what to expect and it became very, very enjoyable.

In most trail centres you will have a few sections of fast flowey bits, but this is almost 100% fast and flowey.

There’s also a smaller, green run to prime you before you try the blues (but there is no uplift). I’ve not ridden it though. I spent two days riding the blues and learnt so much, I did a few runs of the red but found it tough going and less enjoyable, possibly because I was on a xc hard tail.

Anyway, go, take your time, enjoy. 🙂

Yeah I don’t think they’ll bother, last year the location was new and they were keen to show it off. Fingers crossed though, looks to be completely in the wooded area now, not sure whether this is a good thing or not. I think (hope) the Kenda Koffin my be sanitized slightly as there were a lot of offs last year, and it became a bottleneck on the first lap.

looks fun… haters gonna hate.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I think the soul is the only one that ticks the boxes (in terms of tapered fork compatible – everything else seems 1 1/8). I hadn’t really considered steel but the does tick the boxes except for the relatively cheap box which I accidentally omitted! Will keep an eye out for one 2nd hand… Cheers all. Any more suggestions keep em coming though please 😀

njee:

I thought they made a big thing of the trackside camping this year? Looks similar to last year isn’t it?

I _think_ you could only camp next to thr track if you were a soloist. Which in itself was teamist (as opposed to soloist – no? Ok, I’ll get me coat).

Still tempted to try and find a team if the weather does look that good in the days before!

Were you doing it solo, or not doing it at all?

Cakefest:

Can’t work out how much different that lap is from last year?

Just for you:

Last years track is overlayed in turquise, yes it’s not that accurate, but you get the idea.

I see your kit kat chunky and I raise you with…

Are the orange bits on the map Strava segments?

Too soon to start celebrating the lack of rain I reckon, and if it does rain I’m blaming you for the undoubted mud-bath! 🙂

Maps are up:
http://www.wigglemountainmayhem.com/venue/wiggle-mountain-mayhem-2014-maps/

Here’s the thread….
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mountain-mayhem-2014

Aah, if by throw-away you mean still very popular and regularly played some 25-30 years later, then yeah they are very throw-away.

Let’s put it into perspective, turn on radio 1, give it an hour or so, then say that Madness are throw-away pop.

I grew up listening to Madness as I copied my aunts’ Divine Madness tape (guess I was around ten at the time), I didn’t know who any other bands of the era were back then but played that tape to death. When I got older, I wanted to find more music like Madness an discovered the plethora of first and second wave ska… Throw away pop doesn’t do that.

Whether they have sold out/tried to make a living off the back of it is a different question. I can’t blame them, being in a band probably beats being a desk jockey.

Why do we have to choose? Do you have them at gunpoint or something?

They’re both ace, I love The Beat as well.

For “just outside Leeds” there’s some ideas here: http://www.mtbleeds.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=39

Lights, lots of changes of clothes, mud tyres, regular tyres, beer, coffee, sleeping bag, tent, bike(s), cowbell, bog roll, food, warm hat, track pump, camping chairs, camp stove and food you want to cook, insect repellant, energy gels/sweeties, painkillers, anti histamines, wellygogs, and a whiteboard and a marker if you want to sort out your teams racing/sleeping order.

As above – sounds like TMJ. I had this a couple of months back, there’s some exercises you can do (check youtube), not had it since, didn’t die.

Hope now make PF30 BBs (although check the width) I’m using a wheels manufacturing one, which is certainly better than the sram one.

Vitus Dee 29er?

No QR, but everything else as requested.

Hope do make one, it’s a bit different to the normal ones, you need to make sure you buy the right width. (although no 68mm width ones for 30mm spindles) Here’s a lookup chart

I’ve got a wheels manufacturing one with bog standard bearings, it’s decent and a lot better than the SRAM one.

It doesnt look like too much detail was lost in that pic so could easily be fixed via a quick levels/curves tweak.

Also is it dirty or grimey around the lens or light/exposure sensor (if not through the lens)? might be worth just cleaning it up to see if that changes how it meters the pics. It just looks like it could be underestimating the amount of light available and leaving the shutter open longer than needed.

[Edit] do the above after checking the exposure compensation as fueled suggested :)[/Edit]

some options here:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/waterproof-backpack-options-for-commuting

For what it’s worth, MM have just confirmed that the elevation isn’t started from the start (like their 2013 course is), my guess is that it’s started from somewhere low down near the lake as it’s about 120m-ish.

(source: their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MountainMayhem24hr)

I’ve got three of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/x-tools-wallmount-bike-storage-hanger/rp-prod10230

I’ve mounted them so the back wheels are still touching the floor, so it’s easy to get them onto the hook, you just pull up your bars, roll up, and hook.

I prefer Lee quarry, but if you want woody and technical Gisburn might be your best bet, also if it’s windy Lee quarry isn’t that much fun. Although there’s plenty of great non-trail centre riding in the north without going to these places, if you’re into that kind of thing.

@Cakefest.
From bikehike:
Total Ascent: 305m
Total Descent: 305m
Start Elevation: 180m
End Elevation: 180m Elevation
Min Elevation: 92m Gradient
Max Elevation: 189m

The course layout from the picture MM have posted is on an angle, so it’s hard to trace it on a top down and get it any more accurate. Also they said there might be some minor adjustments.

Sorry – yes the embiggen links are the wrong way around! I noticed after the edit window 🙁 – check the URL for the truth.

I’ve traced roughly the new course and my elevation looks somewhat different. Obviously my tracing is quite rough and actually turned out a bit shorter as it cuts corners…

Yes, I was bored.

I must admit I was struggling to get my head around that elevation graph, quite tempted to draw out the new route just to see if it is right.

New course for 2014:

click to embiggen

Old course for reference:

click to embiggen

“There might still be a few minor adjustments, but this is pretty much how it will be in 2014. We have included last year’s course here as well so you can see the difference, but in a nutshell, this is what you’ll get:

20% less climbing overall
trackside camping
loads more viewing points for spectators
clockwise circuit

Much more to keep everyone happy we feel!”

I think I’m happy because there is less (hard) climbing but a bit disappointed I can’t measure myself against my performance last year.

Discuss…

Done.

I started cycling to work on the roads, but have since adjusted my journey to be mostly off road, and I use (mainly off-the-road) cyclepaths where available when I get into Leeds. I don’t feel that any of the roads are safe enough for cycling.

I actually took up WY:GO-Cycling’s offer of free cycling tuition to improve my on-road cycling and awareness. However whilst on my route, the instructer slipped off his bike on a major dual carriage (I think it was either 40 or 50mph), which in some way was the fault of the deisgn and slippyness of the drainage on the road, and could have easily have been hit by a car had one been following. Anyway it has put me off, and off-road is the only way I’ll ride to work until something improves on the roads.

Good luck – I hope it makes a difference.

I have this and all sorts of (little) OCD problems (have I locked the bike up/garage/house/etc).

One tip is to do something unique that you will perform just after closing your bag (As suggested by jonba above). I’ll elaborate: Close your bag, then put your elbow on your knee and say the first two words that come into your head, “OBVIOUS PLINTH!” – for example.

Then when you’re riding you’ll be like “ah yeah I deffo closed my bag because of the elbow-knee obvious plinth thing”.

Next time you do it you have to generate some new actions and words.

Good luck fellow mentalist 😀

Two spoons here, no squeeking or shredded shorts.

Looks lovely.

Where are you getting frame powdercoats for £20? That’s a bargain. I struggled to get a steel fork done in black for any less than thirty, tried my three local places in leeds.

Yes but no the bike specific ones cos they are too dear.
I use http://www.screwfix.com/p/swarfega-oil-grease-remover-5ltr/20817
Check out the dilution ratio…

Wow, 1:50… Homeopathic bike wash?

(I don’t doubt it, I use swarfega handwash, great stuff)

I was hoping Chew would chime in…..

Hehe, exactly what I thought when I saw the title – the guy’s a machine!