said it before – they're californian bikes.

Umm, Maverick are designed and built in Colorado (Golden, to be precise). I'm not sure if you've ridden in Colorado, but they have some 'steep' trails.

p.s. I'm not a fan of Mavericks either, but if you're going to slag something off, get the facts right.

I run a 1×9 set up on both my bikes:

my XC RACE bike has a 37x(11-32) using an E.13 single ring, a MRP 1.x chain guide and a x.9 short cage mech. I also have a 34 and 36 tooth ring which I will put on if the course is really steep.

my TRAIL bike has a 36x(11-34) using an E.13 single ring and an E.13 LG1 + chainguide and a x.9 short cage mech.

both work great; reduced weight, more mud clearance, less chain bounce and a lot quieter are just some of the good things about it

shimano are rumoured to have a 12-36 cassette out next year, which will increase the range of gears even more, making a 38t ring feasable for normal riding.

Yep, we have 3 on a working farm at home. they're all house trained, and work trained too. they are high maintenance and very intelligent animals, and therefore very sensitive.
if they arent exercised enough then can get pretty neurotic – our old dog went mental when it was too old to round up the sheep, and saw the other dogs doing all the work.
make sure you dont feed with too much protein as this has been known to affect the mental side of things, they are perfectly happy on dry food and dont need the extra nutrition.
overall though, they are great pets and I would never choose a different breed. if you put the effort in, they will reward you.

Does income include student loans? :?
when taking into account race entries, travelling, food, kit, time off work for above trips, general bike up keep, and the occasional peice of shiny kit, I would say about 30%
However, I am a student so I dont work a whole lot, and my main income is through riding my bike (Guiding) anyway… I think I can justify it.
I know I would be extremely miserable if I didn't have such an amzing hobby to spend my money on. and I'm very thankful that I'm in the position to have the money to spend.

njee20 – are you talking from personal experience about the colbalts? if so I would be interested to hear what was unreliable about your wheels.

I have been racing (12 Elite XC races) all season on Colbalts and I think they are fantastic. the first generation had a problem with sealing on the freehub, but thats been sorted, and Im not even sure if any problem wheels made it to the UK.
my wheels weigh in at 1480g for the pair (thats what I weighed them at, not the website weight) and they are an oder of magnitude stiffer than the crossmax SLR's I was using before (could be due to the 15QR, which the colbalts easily convert to)
but yes, they are expensive. theres no getting around that!

I have had two, both of which have suffered terribly with slipping and creaking. to aviod the slipping the bolt has to be tightned up with alot of force, so much so that the 'beam' of the first one cracked.
in theory its a great idea, and its so much lighter than a regular system but I do think it needs some serious work before I would use it again.

however, like above I have SDG saddles and normal posts on my bikes now, as I think the saddle shapes are great.

So I currently have trouties' prototype self contained 3 led light over here in Colorado.

I've been riding it pretty damn hard for the last 3 weeks and can say nothing but good things. it has enough power by itself to ride at race-pace in the dark, the toggle between high and low settings is easy to use without looking and the whole unit is very sturdy and amazingly light.

for a 24 hour race which I did 2 weeks ago, I used one of trouties 6XPE lights on my helmet and the prototype 3 led self contained unit on my bars. the loop was 13 miles long, 10 miles of which was tight singletrack with one or two very techy sections over steep bedrock (think slickrock style) I kept both lights on low settings for all but the techy sections, and had plenty of light. I rode for 6 dark hours without charging them; 24 hour races are so much better when you can go to bed after your 3am lap and not worry about charging your lights!! the race went really well – I got 2nd fastest lap in both day and night (only beaten by a salaried pro!)

the 6XPE light is phenominal. In previous races I have used top of the range Niterider and Exposure lights, and they come no where near in terms of pure power and beam pattern. I used two zip ties to mount the unit to my helmet and it didnt move once. its so light I couldn't even tell it was on my head.

I am returning to the UK next week, and will be returning the prototype to troutie, then buying one of my own when he has them available.

they're ace.

anotherdeadhero – Fox sold 15,000 pairs of 32 and 36 forks last year. are you telling me that 13,500 of those people were unhappy with their purchase? I think it would be a bit bigger news if that was the case.

Just because you arent happy with them, doesn't mean everyone else isn't. I agree with foxyrider

Yep, ridden at both, and both are great for a few days. Winterberg has less natural stuff but they are both more man-made Slopestyle (can I use that term?!) than DH. the positive of that is its fine in the wet. every day I was there we had torrential rain and the only down side is getting cold on the lift.
there are fewer beginner trails than most places though so be prepared.
No info about camping though, as we were staying with some friends. Have a fun trip (and head down to Kitzbuhel if you get a chance!)

yep, theres only one kind of cassette lockring, Shimano will fit sram.

Obviously biased, but in my opinion you cant beat the Austrian Alps!

Fozzybear – We're a Kona test centre in the Alps, so I had the pleasure of a sneak preview. Kramer is right about the suspension – there is a small coil shock located underneath the regular Fox shock which alters the spring rate of the suspension. its exactly the same system as used on the CoilAir's last year. Its not magic, but it does work well!

I've been riding a cadabra for the last month or so and I'm very impressed. Its a great improvement over the Dawg that is for sure; it feels like you have twice as much suspension but without all the penalties.
I'm sure the Kona-haters will be along soon though :D

Yes, there is plenty of good biking around, I spent a week there a few years ago. not as much singletrack as the Alps, but some of the fire roads can keep you entertained for a while, and the scenery is amazing. I know of some singletrack that runs from Arguebanes to Sotres – pretty close to Potes.
Other than that, pay a visit to the Casa Cayo bar/restaurant in the very centre of town – they have oodles of info and by far the best english speakers in town.
Have fun

Can someone enlighten me as to what a Pulaski or Mattock is?
I had a quick google but couldnt find anything.

Thanks redthunder…. Trouble is we dont have chavs or Wilkinsons in Austria!
I'm going down to lidl later though, and then on to the Army store, we'll see what I find

Mr Agreeable – I agree a rake would be handy. anyone know of any lightweight options?

Trouble is, most of our trails are lift accessed and the Lifties dont take too well to me climbing on board with shovels/saws/rakes and Machetes!

Drac – I normally try and build around fallen trees but a small saw is useful for cutting off the smaller branches allowing some kind of ramp to be built.

bent_udder – I have had a good read of the IMBA guide and it has some really useful info in there. I've built two trails already and now just looking for some lighter wieght tool that will deal with maintenance rather than just building.

I will have a look in army surplus and see what I can find.

and drac – most of the trails I ride are natural, but over here in Austria[/url], fallen trees can really ruin the flow of a trail and its handy to be able to do something about it.

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Tim is right, probably just a bit skewed on the pistons. I think what you will have to do is give them a bleed whilst levering the pistons back into position.
start by opening the bleed nipple at the lever and set up something to collect the fluid when it comes out.
Now start pushing the pistons back into place. it should be easier as there wont be any pressure due to the nipple being open.
then put the old pads back in, and put a spacer in between so they dont move.
now bleed them according to the formula instructions.

Hope this helps, its what I did with the same problem

Thanks guys for the Info, I was actually thinking of the summer activities – whats the mountain biking like? is there a bike park or just Back country trails?
I’ve heard the powder is supposed to be unrivaled, just wondering how the Dirt compares

So the aim is to use the stupid high levels of B vits to release and burn the energy you’re storing as fat or as muscle glycogen. the caffeine and glucose are designed to boost your initial energy levels until your metabolism can catch up.
the main problem is your body isnt able to absorb 8000% of the RDA, and if you’ve been drinking alot, you’re most likely to pee out most of it before it gets a chance to be absorbed.
I think its probably healthier than red bull and the like, but may not be as effective as they are hoping.

oh yes, I think Kaiserschmarrn is the dish most eaten by Mountain Edge guests! You’re lucky to get away with only 3 stone!
The stallenalm unfortunately is not open regularly in the summer, but when it is the food is amazing. My favourite Alm in the area is the Klooalm up the river from Aschau. the setting matches the food too!

Ecky-Thump – Tiroler Gröstl has to be one of the best dishes ever invented! the only way I can justify eating it is because I ride my bike every day.

Kitzbuhel is pretty expensive but, like everywhere, if you know where to look you can find the traditional places aimed at locals rather than the tourists.

The best thing about going in the Summer is the town is empty making Hotels and lift passes very cheap.

Myheadsashed – You’re right, Waidring has some amazing singletrack, shame so much of it gets grown in through.
there’s a trail that winds its way up from St. Ulrich am Pillersee and ends in Waidring which is a great all day ride.

one of my favourite rides in the area is a Multi-day starting in Leogang and taking the lift up, then dropping down into Saalbach-Hinterglemm and finally climbing over to Kitzbuhel. well worth it, even just for the final singletrack back into Kitzbuhel.

Hey,

you should be checking out Mountain Edge
We’ve been guiding for 7 years in Kitzbuhel now so we know the trails extremely well.
We get a lot of business from Crystal and Inghams etc (who I assume you found the cheap holiday through) when people realize our fleet of Kona hire bikes are way better than the shonkey things they hire out.

as for other activities, there’s a Climbing/paragliding/canyoning/rafting school in the centre of town, they are super cool guys, and if you tell them Mountain Edge sent you, you can get a discount too!

Check out the website and drop us an email if you have any questions.

Hey Guys,
its great to hear there’s so much interest in Exmoor. I’m from Combe Martin, and there are loads of shuttle-able trails around me, most of them starting above Hunters inn giving you a good 15-20 minutes of downhill. my favourite is Holdstone down – hunters inn.

Im currently living in Colorado, but I will be back in Devon in September for a few weeks and would be great to have people to ride with

Pretty sure theres a nice camping place in Doddiscombsleigh and another in Moretonhampstead. Just have a drive around – its a touristy area, theres loads of places to camp.

Water on a hot disc rotor is a recipe for disaster… we have people doing that on our Hire bikes alot and is a right pain to straighten them

Personally I have bent 160, 183 and 203 rotors from a variety of crashing, chairlifts and car loading.

The park disc rotor straightening tool is pretty simple to use, solves the problem.

Come on, BOULDER, COLORADO cannot be beaten! why do you think the IMBA are based there, along with a load of pro race teams! I can ride 28 miles of singletrack from town alone! 300 days of sunshine and its a ‘real’ city to boot….

Ok, First off read this Becoming a guide[/url]

If you’re still interested, then here is my personal experience. I did my first season guiding last year for Mountain Edge In Austria. I have the SMBLA Mountain Bike leader qualification and also the TBV (tirolean Mountain leaders association) Mountain Leader award. Qualifications are essential if you want to be insured, and the SMBLA is probably the place to start.
Fitness and skill – I race elite level XC, and I was still tired most days – when you end up riding 40 miles for 10 days in a row you really need to be fit. Bike handling suffers when you ride that much too, so make sure you know your way down the toughest trail you can find with confidence. you need to be comfortably better than 95% of your clients to make sure you can give them a good guiding experience.
Secondly, guiding is hard work. not every day will be fun, but most will. you will fix more punctures than you can keep count of and pick gravel out of many a knee. it will rain, you will get lost and people will crash and complain. but it is the best job I have ever had.
I taught a 56 year old woman to ride a bike from scratch, and by the end of the week she was riding singletrack with her husband. I took a Uni group on a 4 day, 150 mile adventure on the Austrian Wilderness, and I also broke my bike alot!
I would say think about what you really want to get out of your sabb. Guiding is a great experience but it isnt a holiday, its a lifestyle which takes alot of enthusiasm to get it to work.
As for contacting companies, most smaller companies will only employ people they already know, for reasons of wanting a guide they get along with. the bigger companies are more likely to accept a random application, but remember its pretty competitive.

I will be heading down there too… I had a sneak peak of the course when I was there in september, and I think it may be a knee buster.
Im going to be flying from Denver down to Durango… the drive is amazing the first time you do it, but bloody long and tiresome after that. see you there guys.

Hi Munque-Chick, You should have a look at Mountain Edge
We’re based in Kitzbuhel, Austria and I think its the best riding in the world (Haven ridden Morzine, Morocco, Moab and Whistler amongst other places)
5 Gondolas in the area accessing amazing XC singletrack, and Leogang bikepark is only 20 minutes around the corner if you want to ride man made DH trails and freeridey stuff.
the snow has mostly melted already and the weather stays good til early November normally, so the season is pretty long.

Send me an email if you have any questions

try Mountain Edge

I have been a guide here for over a year now, and alot of our guest comment on how much cheaper we are than the french companies.

Dont be fooled though, I think the biking is the best in the world!

Chris

Hey Buzz,

I am a Guide for Mountain Edge so I hope you can excuse the Blatant plug. We are based in Kitzbuhel, which is about and Hour and a half south of Munich, and can be done on the train if you want to see some scenery.
We have a full fleet of Kona hire bikes and can get you discounts at the Leogang Bike park too if thats your thing.
most of our riding is XC style singletrack, but using lifts to gain some altitude. At the moment there is snow to about 1000m, but will be clearing away in the next few weeks.
Give us an email if you need any questions.
Chris

I’m rather liking the Crank Bros Split QR at the moment, very easy to use and seem more secure than the Mavic ones they replaced.

Just for bonesetter, a few more…

Hi Munque-Chick, I just went with a group of friends, as I currently live just next door in Colorado so we head down a few times each year. All the main trails are very easy to find, and the bike shops in town will point you in the right direction, most of them also run shuttle services to the tops of the main trails. Also, there is so much camping in and around Moab that there’s no need to have someone organize it for you – couldn’t be easier!

Good luck in August spamf, it will be very warm but at least there wont be too many crowds. let me know if you want any info on rides, I think I’ve done them all… :-)

Theres a few that I would say that are Favourites but if I had to pick one it would be the Hagstein Trail in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Theres no way of knowing its there from the top which stops it getting busy with bikers or hikers. It has 42 successive Switchbacks, Vertical change of 1500m, has a great combination of Rocks, roots and drops… has open sections, tight sections, exposure, fantastic view, an Amazing cafe near the top.

And the best part… It drops you right back to the Gondola so you can do it again!!