Deveron53
Now motocross – there’s a sport that needs a **** makeover!

Really, why do you say that? Is it because it’s hugely popular worldwide now?

Men and women in not the same shocker. The lack of women participating in any combat sport or motor sport doesn’t seem to have been an issue in holding them back.

Men have more testosterone which makes us aggressive, competitive and a danger to ourselves. Women in general don’t share these traits quite as strongly.

I’m not bothered by a lack of women in mtb, in the same way I’m not bothered by a lack of women in boxing. To me mountain biking isn’t pootling around fire roads and bridleways, and I am not surprised that so few women partake, even when they do I have little appetite to see them taking risks and hurting themselves.

davidtaylforth

Probably because alot of the people who ride mountain bikes are teenage lads or macho choppers. It gives the sport a bit of an immature image and consequently it doesnt get taken very seriously (this is probably more to do with the more extreme side of it like dh)

Seriously, how would you market the sport? Bearded men in jumpers on rigid single speeds smoking pipes on country lanes? The image that DH has does nothing to harm the sport, it’s probably the driving force for getting most new blood into the sport.

So your first thread got pulled because of your language, I guess you thought you would tone it down?

As I said originally…you seem to have conducted a thorough crime scene investigation so you must be right. It’s a certainty that some f***ing horrible, malicious simpleton at a bike shop deliberately sent out damaged goods than one of the good, honest, hard working members of the Royal Mail damaged it in transit.

psychle I loved my Enduro SL (carbon s-works), particularly with the E150 fork up front, it’s a key component in what makes the frame great…

Or, back in the real world, it’s a horrible piece of sh*t. It was a key component in why the previous gen enduro was regarded as a bit of dud unlike the models before and after it. Great frame all the same.

As it so happens, I have an E150 fork you could have for a reasonable price… let me know if you’re interested Seriously, disregard the guff about this being a bad fork, early ones had issues, but Spesh sorted them out and it really is a bloody good piece of kit!

Aaaah now it’s starting to make a bit more sense. :D

Seriously? Is this a trick? High Roller?

Munqe-chick – Member

jimjam I totally agree, boutique is no guarantee of quality and is sometimes used perjoratively. The GT40 is undoubtedly a better car than many that have carried the prancing horse, but as it carries the same badge as a Fiesta its not a boutique brand.

Sure it’s got the same badge as a Fiesta, but the point is that it has everything that could be ascribed to “boutique” and much more – performance, history, rarity, value, exclusivity etc. It makes a mockery of the idea of boutique.

If you’re going to qualify boutique purely by badge snobbery then you are back to a jeans and handbags analogy, ie, it’s something that’s more expensive than an identical or better product by virtue of it’s label and or it’s price tag.

The term boutique here is a total misnomer and it’s totally subjective. It might be relevant when talking about handbags or jeans but bikes, like cars are designed to perform not just look good and are judged accordingly. That’s why

this ford

is infinitely more expensive and prestigious than this ferrari.

Nissan is one of the most common, non “boutique” car brands in the world but the R390 is one of the most exotic and most expensive cars in the world because it’s racing pedigree and uncompromising design.

In the same way this specialized

or this honda

will get a lot more attention down the trails than ANY ibis, or turner or any other limited production expensive bike you care to mention, no matter how bling.

An ultra rare, ultra expensive bike can still be a piece of sh*t and will be regarded as such.

XT out, trashed after a year. Deore in, we’ll see how it copes.

Walk away. You can get something a lot nicer for 1K

TurnerGuy

we don’t need scum like that in society

What methods of execution would you prefer/be comfortable to carry out?

TurnerGuy

I’d be the executioner if they brought back capital punishment…

Congratulations on being a psychopath. Bit presumptuous that animal cruelty would incur the death penalty, were it to be brought back. Are you sure wouldn’t piss your pants and cry instead?

highclimber

let me get this right: the HMRC are asking us to prove a negative?

As far as I am aware (though I may be corrected). It’s the same if they catch you on red diesel – you have to prove that you have bought some road diesel or they can assume you’ve been running the car illegally for as long as you’ve owned it and fine accordingly.

and in cases involving “dishonesty”

criminal action may be taken, and the offender can be fined an unlimited amount or imprisoned for up to seven years, or both.

I would hate to get fined 6 billion pounds.

Everyone’s different aren’t they? You’re not alone though, clearly even the pro’s suffer from this. My advice would be to find that feature or trail that really challenges you and just do it.

If there is a decent sized drop near you that you know you’ve done in the past then set your sights on that. If there is a technical descent that you find really challenging then session that over and over until you get fast on it. It’ll come.

There is a bar/restaurant in Garda that serves ice cream cocktails and shows earther/nwd etc on plasma screens. Highly recommended. Think it’s on via rivererto. Ahhhh ice creamy booze.

TandemJeremy
sounds like an OTT anger reaction from you

don simon
I concur.

I don’t. If someone accused me of hitting my wife I’d be seething. It seems I don’t live in a zen bubble though.

My advice, if you absolutely want to stick with this girl is go and confront them. I assume the mother isn’t a 6ft skin head, so really it’s just her dad you have to worry about. Talk to him man to man. Worst case scenario, you come to blows and you get beaten up* which will probably help you to gain his respect anyway. Bruises heal, chicks dig scars, and you’ll have a good story for your wedding day speech.

*He may murder you, and in this instance I accept no responsibility. It’s just internets. Not to be taken seriously

Bewildered sassanack

You can use/make 2500 litres per year without worrying about duty. Dip away HMRC.

The problem is the onus is on you to prove you have not used more than your allotted 2500 litres. Sounds odd I know, but HMRC don’t need logic as they are basically the SS. You are supposed to keep a log of your bio usage. Or alternatively have receipts for ordinary diesel.

So if you have another car running non bio, just keep the receipts for it in your bio car or get friendly with someone in your local petrol station and get them to keep a few receipts a week for you.

I would advise trying to book or organise as much as you can in advance or via the web. Very few people speak any english, and no one in a bike shop that I came across. To be blunt they basically sneer at you for not speaking italian (despite doing my level best to try french and german too).

No problem with that, but if i had a horse and was riding it on public paths, i would train the creature to not be scared of things like bikes, cars etc

69er

Truly inspired, my Mrs is pissing her pants at your amazing logic. You don’t have horses do you?

Oh what a jolly time you and your missus must have laughing at the horseless commoners. Could you just clarify for a me, as a non horse owning pleb, is it possible to condition or “train” one of these beasts to tolerate the presence of bikes or cars or people? Or are they just mindless bundles of tasty meat that will do as they want?

Riding a dh bike is the same as riding any other bike for the most part. The only advice that I can give specific to a dh bike is go as fast as you dare, then go much faster. A dh bike comes alive when you push past the point your comfortable at. There is point where it just clicks, and you realise what the bike is capable off.

When you reach that point you will either sell the bike out of fear, or spend the next year or two crashing hard and trying to re-learn how to ride.

Once or twice a year there will be a trail quest around some of my local trails. On these days you can pretty much guarantee that an army of balding lycra wearing men in their forties with bun bags, salomon trainers, G-shock watches and red buff round their head will rampage through the forest as if they were (at least in their minds) the SAS storming a foreign embassy.

On at least one occasion I’ve exchanged some choice phrases with some of them as they took exception to people riding their bikes the wrong way (downhill) on “their” route (a downhill track).

I don’t think you could pay me to be in room with a group of questers so I really don’t think I’ll be partaking anytime soon.

chakaping

Not as much as Gee then.

Gee would be stoked to know that.

GW
but having said that, way back when Dave Weagle first tested the IH Sunday with Hill and Atkinson they reported a massive 7sec improvement in times coming from the previous SGS DH bike (which incidently from suspension system/design and geometry is not all that far off Hills current bike, make of that what you will )

And when they tested the demo they said the same thing. And when the Athertons tested the previous (not latest) version of the supreme they reported a ten second improvement on a two minute track, and when Santa Cruz tested the carbon V-10 they were making all sorts of outlandish claims. Then again if Dave Weagle was involved it must be true :roll:

As for saying an SGS is “not far off Hill’s current bike” just because it had an FSR linkage, well that’s a poor troll if ever I saw one.

chakaping

Gwin – can’t help but like him. He doesn’t even use the word “stoked” IIRC. I guarantee he does.

ianv

But Atherton racing/red bull are not exactly a bunch of amateurs and you can be sure Gee worked pretty hard over the winter as well so I find it hard to imagine that Gwin’s training was so much more effective that he went from podium chasing to domination in 6 months or so.

The Athertons aren’t exactly amateurs but Commencal are a tiny brand compared to Trek. Trek are on a mission to dominate every form of cycling, not just downhill and they probably have athlete development programes that span multiple disciplines which will give riders access to things that others simply couldn’t afford.

My guess is what we are seeing with Gwin is raw bike handling talent and supreme conditioning and the right mind set. It’s widely reported that he’s been working with Tomac, but he’s also been training with Ryan Hughes, an elite MX rider and strength/conditioning coach. If you don’t already know, top motox racers are considered to be some of the fittest strongest athletes on the planet, the fact that Eli Tomac is on the rise in MX may not be a coincidence either. So, not only is there support and depth around him at team level but also individuals with serious relevant, proven bike specific training and experience. I don’t actually think Gwin is a technically better rider than Gee, Greg, Sam or others but I think he’s mentally and physically “in the zone”.

ianv

There must be some element of him now being able to show his true potential on a bike that works.

In your opinion what difference is there going to be between a Fox (factory) suspended rocker driven single pivot and a Fox (factory) suspended rocker driven single pivot with concentric pivot around the rear axle?

I had AM 40s and they are sticky but not as sticky as 5 10s. They were much better than any non bike specific shoe in terms of grip, but just not as tacky as stealth rubber.
I liked the lightness and the way they dried out quicker than 5 10s. I also like the toe box and stiff sole. I didnt like the way they started to fall apart after 6 months.

ianv

I wonder how much of Gwin’s transformation is due to off season training and how much is due to the fact he is now riding a decent bike.

I’d guess that his recent success is a combination of training/improved training and the support that the biggest team on the circuit provides. He appears to have bulked up a bit, his fitness is obviously there and Trek have made no secret about their desire to approach every facet of DH racing in as professional a manner possible.

I would say the bike, the actual frame, accounts for very little if any difference.

nonk

farly far up the list of things that you need to be able to though eh?

For sure, I think that’s what Gee and Greg are masters of. Time will tell if Gwinn is riding at his limit or within.

nickegg
I’m so fed up of the hype that the likes of Fairclough and Hill attract. I thinks Hill’s days at the top are no more (his gold at the worlds last year was an exception), now that others have stepped things up that little bit more.

Hill and Fairclough attract hype because they are undoubtedly two of the fastest, most talented and stylish bike riders in the world. In Brendan’s case probably the most talented rider on the circuit. Hill is coming off an injury and Fairclough is riding without an acl. Sam’s injury put him out for a whole season, and Brendan’s has basically has ruined this, and possibly next season for him.

I think Hill is struggling to strike a balance between riding as fast as he can and not destroying himself and I really feel that his current results are more indicative of how much he has gone off the boil, not how much his opponents have improved. As for Fairclough, if he could combine conditioning and a good mental game with his natural talent he could be unbeatable.

Since buying my first full face I’ve gradually spent more and more on each new lid. Currently wearing a TLD D2 and it’s the most comfortable by a mile. Also the most confidence inspiring.

I’m about the same weight as the op, I had a lyrik coil 170 dh running the medium spring. I ran mine with about two clicks of low speed compression and no high speed.

I’ve changed to a totem coil, medium spring and I run pretty much the same settings. I use full travel or 95% maybe once a run on a dh track and wouldn’t be concerned if I didn’t.

carbon337

Slow Speed compression is for just that slow speed hits when the fork is moving slow + on the slow gives more resistance on slow speed travel.

I don’t really agree with that explanation – I think of lsc as rider/gravity input, ie if you are riding down something steep or flying round a big berm more lsc will mean the fork will sit higher in it’s travel.

Great shot of Needles. Did you do the time lapse on a go-pro or with an slr?

I think I’ll keep watching – I’m desperate to know what the secret is to finding extremely gullible rich people keen to part with classic cars for a fraction of their market value.

daznal I personaly cannot see how the little tweaks to frame geometry made by the manufactures every year can ever be noticable to the average rider ie me.Thoughts please

Do you think you would be able to detect a 0.5 degree change in an angle? 1 degree? 2 degrees? 5 degrees? How large does a change need to be before you notice it?

Can you tell the difference between a twenty year old bike and a 2011 bike?

nosedive

How much does the whole bike weigh?

I don’t know but I’m keen to guess without googling. It’ll be fun. My guess – 28lbs.

loddrik

As I’m over 17 I’ve no idea what Sam hill looks like..

You are so cool right now.

loddrik

I do think Steve peat looks like the village idiot.

Why don’t you post a pic of yourself so we can have a laugh.

Classic. Sam has just gone up even more in my estimation.And people say he has no sense of humour.

R.lepecha
Roadies would have shot him for wearing baggies and having hairy legs. Hes also running flats and 5-10’s on a road bike..

I’m sure he’s just quaking in his 5 10s worrying about what roadies will think of him.

jonzo

… which ones?

He is sponsored by hutchinson but he often runs maxxis and is known to mix and match. Couldn’t tell you what models but what works for him may not suit the average joe.