2 strokes in the last 4 weeks. Not something you really expect as a fit, healthy 33 year old….

But it’s not all bad. I’ve just had a lumbar puncture which had taken my mind off it nicely!

Pink Chris King headset. Instant sex-change for any bike.

Arrived in Switzerland this morning

6 inches is hardly a downhill rig these days. That’s 150mm which is typical “trail bike” travel.

Fitted 2.25 and 2.4 Ardents to 29″ Flows last week using only fingers and thumbs. Inflated very easily tubeless (with compressor).

You’re doing something very wrong.

20mm hub is different. 15mm and QR are convertable. Rear is convertable.

I’d definitely go for the Flows on Pro2 Evos. If you want to bling them up a little then get coloured Hubs and nipples. Just Riding Along are great builders who can sort you out with the coloured bits.

Have both.

Havens are look and ride lovely but there is a serious design problem with the freehub in my opinion. The pawls are tensioned with a very flimsy wire clip which snapped in half, rendering the bike unrideable. Spares are not readily available except from Easton. Also the hubs need to be periodically tightened (no big deal but another pre-ride check to do)

Hopes are heavier of course, don’t look as nice, but are more serviceable, repairable and quite a bit more bulletproof (don’t know what rims you are planning).

Don’t get me wrong, the Trans-Provence is a tough week but it’s a million miles a way from the benchmark for a tough sport event.

Climbing is less than 2000m per day (some days more like 1000m) and untimed. If you’re reasonably fit then you can cruise this without too much effort at all. It’s incredibly scenic.

The special stages are amazing riding, some of the best trails on the planet, but they are not tremendously technical. Sure, they’re physical and riding them fast uses all your skills (and more) but they’re certainly not pushing the boundaries.

Trans-Provence is an amazing holiday and something which every serious biker should aspire to do but completing it doesn’t make you an extreme sportsman.

The most obvious sport which is “tougher” than mtb is road riding.

@ir12daveor

Certainly a lot more awesome than the 2.5 hours of pure hell I just endured on the road this morning….

Last Sunday, Oberwallis @2600m

Still plenty of snow around in Switzerland and the Alps in general.

The pictures below are from yesterday. We crossed 3 or 4 decent sized snow fields on our way up to 2563m. The decent was mostly clear with only short snow patches. Needless to say, it was an amazing day.

It takes 2 minutes to quieten down a hope hub considerably by adding grease into the freewheel…

Just upload a ride and all will become clear…

Drain all the fluid out of your hydraulic hoses. I live at the top of a hill too. That’ll learn ’em.

Cheers
Schweiz

More than happy to pay a local guide if anyone can recommend someone.

Are there any Italian mtb forums?

I live in the flatlands of Switzerland. Only 600m of climbing available outside my door…. Not far to the big stuff though 😆

I assume you checked for loose bolts on the lowers.

Quite a few people with crown/steerer or crown/stantion press-fit interface creaks from ’10/’11 Fox forks

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=61801

£24.99

Proper British hero.

Thanks for the heads up – I’m riding in the Jura mountains tomorrow with a guy on a Carbine. He’s got a set of carbon rims as well. Accident waiting to happen if you ask me. Going to give him a call now and warn him. There are rocks literally EVERYWHERE where we’re going!

Mount the tyre on another wheel, inflate to max rated pressure and leave overnight. The bead will stretch. Remove and mount on your crests.

Job done.

The proposed restrictions are only related to privately owned forest. It would be a massive blow if it went through however it’s certainly not a ban on mountain biking.

Anyway, the public reaction to the proposal has been quite strongly negative. The concept of free access is strongly engrained here. Also the concept of fully localised democracy.

Sail by AWOLNATION

I first heard it on the insane “grinding the crack” wingsuit video and I think you’re going to get sick of hearing it on sports replays this summer.

I don’t know what you’re moaning about. It’s not like you’re paying for your bike. I would have thought that stowage space for luggage, pushchairs and bikes is first come first served.

If you want reserved bike space then you’d better be prepared to pay for it. It’s £8 for a day ticket here in Switzerland and woe betide any suitcases or giant offroad pramulators which occupy the space that I have paid for!

I did a big ride with a chap on one last year in the Black Forest in Germany. He worked in the industry and had a very customised and high-spec bike.

He flew up the hills of course, and even got up some quite technical climbs that had the rest of us pushing.

He did OK on the downs. He clearly suffered from all the extra weight and lack of maneuverability. He had a couple of falls and damaged an electrical cable which needed a very time consuming and complicated repair.

On anything but technical downs he did OK. He had to walk down some of the tricky stuff which was not an easy task with about 30kg of bike.

I’d definitely ride one if I needed to. They are a very common site now here in Switzerland on roads, cycle paths and fire roads.

I carry a first aid kit so that I can keep on riding in case of minor injuries. It’s probably not going to save my life.

My “kit” contains:

Strong pain killers
Anti-histimine tablets (insect bites and stings)
Saline for eyes
Strapping and wound pads
Antiseptic spray (the stinging is reassuring)
Tweezers
Knife (to cut off arm in case it get’s stuck between rocks)

And in case it gets more serious:

First aid training
Phone
REGA membership (Swiss mountain rescue)

I’ve used all the things at some time (except the REGA – but friends have used that as well). I ride in some pretty remote places and can’t normally just roll down the hill to get picked up by my mum

Funky Dunc,

My post was entirely serious.

For MM/SITS in a team of 4, you will most likely stick to single laps, perhaps a double in the middle of the night. As far as recall, an average lap is around 45 minutes. Eat properly between the laps. Bacon sandwiches are great.

A 30 mile off-road race is not much different. I assume you’re not an elite racer and are doing the race for enjoyment. Maybe 3 hours in the saddle? I wouldn’t waste money on expensive sticky energy gels. Just fuel yourself like you would on a normal long ride. Maybe a bar or 2, some dried fruit, jelly babies.

2souls Slim Jim matches your criteria exactly.

The 140mm fork makes it so versatile however as others have said, you need to evaluate if you’re going to be riding in conditions that require that much travel.

Hottest April day on record here in northern Switzerland. 31degC! Blue sky from horizon to horizon. Just need a few more like that to melt some snow and then the fun can really start!

In the wet, the breaking bumps become bottomless pools of doom. Take rope and a rescue flare in your camelback to be on the safe side.

If it’s an RP23 then there are 3 levels of propedal. If there’s only on/off then its an RP2.

Use (more) pro-pedal and/or add air. How much sag are you running?

A couple of rounds of that blue electrical tape should hold the old girl together for a few more months…

pwned

Great result Al. Where there any spoons involved?

The video is from a trail in the Rhone valley in the French speaking part of Switzerland. It’s a great springtime trail since it has a real alpine feel to it but at a relatively low altitude.

The rider in the film is on a carbine which he rates very highly (but he is a fully subscribed Intense fanboy so it’s hard to know if he should be believed or not)

The Garmin is a 705 with the mount zip tied to the top tube. I have the 800 mounted in the same position but I have to say that the 705 mount is much more solid (although less convenient)

A quick edit of last weekend. Rider, editor and switchback-master is another member on here….