The last bit down to the start is pretty good as well.

Isn’t that what the padding is for? Incontinence on a bike ride? :oops:

One of my mates has got a Blur LT, and it’s a great bike. If blur had had a rideable demo of the LT carbon at Bike Radar Live, I would very probably have bought one then and there.

pedalhead – I just bought something else instead. Didn’t want to spend a summer demoing different bikes, just wanted to get out and ride. Am very happy with my new wheels, but Blur, Spesh, Trek etc lost a potential sale by not being at Bike Radar with demo bikes.

One of these was on my short list to buy, unfortunately Santa Cruz didn’t have any rideable demo bikes at BikeRadar Live so I gave up on it.

Lovely looking bike though.

My interval training involves a fairly non-technical but enjoyable descent half way round my training loop. It takes 30 seconds to ride down, a couple of minutes back up, I start at the bottom, sprint up, then freewheel back down, repeat 10 times, puke, then carry on the loop.

It’s not as fun as Jacob’s ladder (which would be a great place to interval train BTW), but it’s more fun than just spinning round my training loop.

njee20 – actually, I think that interval training has been found to improve stamina more efficiently than traditional stamina training as well. I don’ think anyone’s researched it with mountain biking directly, but they did look at it in army recruits, and interval training beat traditional training methods in pretty much all measures of improvement of fitness.

Hmmm. Not sure I agree, interval training would probably be a more efficient way of increasing fitness, rather than pure distance.

I’ve got some specialized Enduros which are good, but a bit heavy.

Looks luverlee. Think we’ll be visiting later in the year.

Have you fiddled with the damping?

IMO, if you’re doing technical riding, a larger axle (15 or 20mm) makes a big difference to the fork.

Doh! I’m making this stuff up as I go along!

imp999, you’re in too high a gear (I think), which is giving too much torque to the back wheel, try chosing a lower ratio.

LOL @ crotchrocket – oh so true.

imp999, I was just wondering whether your pedalling technique was a bit too vigorous, causing you to wheelie, whereas a sit and spin technique may work better.

What’s your pedalling technique like?

Went through this a couple of months ago. A combination of factors meant that I’d not been out on the bike for almost a year – change of job, and regular riding buddy being out of action with a ‘hurty knee’.

Six weeks ago, a friend who I know through skiing came up with his new Blur LT to sample some Peak District riding, and I agreed to take him out. We went up the Cut Gate, he loved it, I had a nightmare – sore arse, boinked after about an hour, and my front mech came loose half way back down to Ladybower. However the few bits of downhill on the other side were enough to remind me what I’d been missing, and I’m now out on the bike 4-5 times a week, have bought myself a new bike, and am going to Morzine in a couple of weeks, and am enjoying it more than ever. I’m sat here with achey legs from being at Ladybower on Sunday, Jacob’s ladder yestereday.

I’d say go somewhere new, meet up with some new riding buddies, do something that you’ve not done before. Go on a skills course, or if you normally ride trail centres, go and do an ‘off piste’ ride, or vice versa, and you’ll probably find your mojo again.

Jumping scares me, especially onto loose rocky landings. :roll: :D

CaptJon, I don’t think so, if anything I’m losing it because I’m riding much more these days.

Hmm, tubeless. Tell me more? I hear both good and bad things about this.

I’m running the same pressures that I always have been. Any more, and I start to lose grip.

Bez – only on a perfectly smooth surface.

Unsprung mass is the mass of the bike that’s not supported by the suspension. Essentially the heavier it is, the more energy is used to move it out the way when it hits a bump on the trail, therefore the more speed that is lost.

There’s also the issue that mass at the wheels is unsprung mass, and the lower this is the better.

For the blue run?

badblood that is one fine looking ride.

I’d go for an enduro, heckler, or similar.

It’s not just about the weight, slack geometry makes hills a pain as well, nothing worse than having to get off and push because your front wheel keeps lifting.

Apparently Yeti have a 7″ travel XC bike coming out next year…

stilltortoise – I’ve got a Genius 20, have seen a Ltd. Frame is the same, just the build kit on the Ltd is ultra bling, and it has ultra expensive carbon rims, forks, and hubs.

It’s very good up hills and down. Best climber out of all the bikes I tested at bike radar, as well as the longest travel.

Probably showing off.

Scott Genius 50/40
Santa Cruz Blur LT
Lapierre Zesty
Stumpjumper

All good bikes. Let us know what you end up chosing. :-)

atlaz, it was a full face helmet, but made in the same way as a normal xc helmet out of a sort of polystyrene web. More protection than a ‘normal’ helmet, not as much as a proper full face.

Saw quite a few guys around Ladybower with knee and elbow pads on, one with a semi full face helmet as well. Thought it was a bit of overkill myself, but if you fall off a lot then I guess it makes sense. Would probably wear them myself if they were a bit more comfortable. :D

Rowntrees fizzy fruits. A wrap or a bagel or two. Some sort of cake in the car. Fruit for healthiness.

Going to Cannock tommorrow, Darley Bridge loop on Sunday.

Test rode a Zesty at BikeRadarLive, really impressed, lovely bike around the test track, but ultimately chose a Genius as it was a better climber.

They ride really nicely as well. Especially the bottom one.

Lurverly bike BTW.