It’s not about hate or hate of e-bikes. It may be that some of the group have had experiences riding with folk on ebikes, getting cut up, surprised etc. Also many view it as cheating, not sporting or a bit like Lance taking drugs. And like with the rest of the world there are a lot of people that are rude, inconsiderte etc. and some of them ride bikes. Some of them ride ordinary bikes too.

Just explain to them that you ‘feel x, y, z and are feeling a bit bullied because you have an ebike and promise not be behave like a tosser on rides and that you’d appreciate it if they could rein in the banter as it is making you want to leave they group which you don’t really want to do, because for the most part they are a good bunch of lads and you appreciate their friendship.’

7 Stanes West

Tweed Valley

Cairngorms

N E Scotland

NW Scotland

Lakes

Peaks

Forest of Bowland

North Wales

South Wales

Yorkshire

FoD

Middle flat bit including Cannock

South East

Quantocks and Exmoor

Dartmoor

South West Other

South Downs

Surrey Hills

South East Other

Swinley and surrounds.

Another vote for one-up. The end of which works for CO2 or as part of the pump. And you can store CO2 in the shaft.

I’m running tech 4 e4 front and tech for v2 on the back with 180 and 160 respectively. Plenty of power for me at around 95 kilos and apparently I use my brakes a lot.

For me it has to sit in the downcountry genre – so goes anywhere and handles pretty much anything.

I’ve been on a Spur for some time now and have to admit it is the one bike I would prefer to retain out of the contents of my garage. Built light and rugged with little eye to budget, Fox 34 Step Cast, AXS, Sixth Element etc. It hasn’t let me down through 2 editions of BC Bike Race, countless rides at home and a couple of other adventures.

A second bottle cage would be nice and if I could lose a little more weight off it that would be great.

Other options include Allied BC4, Santa Cruz Blur TR, Kona HeiHei although that would be better with a threaded BB, SWorks Epic Evo.

continuity
Full Member
Surely you’d just take the tubolito patches instead?

Op were you trying to patch with butyl patches?

I usually run tubeless so the tubolito was just there as a spare.

Tubolito patches seem to work just fine for fixing the holes in a previously unused tube. It’s just having enough of the patches. Five down on one unused tube and still not air tight. They really are shocking as spares.

Crank Brothers – F15 is the neatest I have seen and owned.It even has an 8mm hex and a bottle opener.

In my opinion the course was disappointing, commentators beyond dull and field a little empty being a little devoid of ‘star’ riders with 5 or 6 exceptions. Disappointed Mariske Strauss and Anton Cooper were laid up with Covid.

Pleased with the end results though.

So… what happened in the woods? From Pinkbike it sounds like Flukiger went for a line and took Nino out. Leaving the door open for Braidot and Hatherly. Good race, pleased for Braidot, disappointed for Nino.

For me its a Camelback Chase Vest.

It’s all different horses for different people I think. For all day riding on trails (what the heck is ‘trails’ anyway) I think the definition is too broad. Do you want to to do big drops, gaps and shred the gnar to the max or ride a lot of trails quickly through the course of the day?
In the Santa Cruz line up anything from a Blur TR, thru Tallboy, Hightower (new model available) to the Megatower could fit the bill depending on what you want to ride, how long for, how quickly and where your focus is.
I’m currently enjoying my Transition Spur I will ride most stuff but won’t do gaps and this is more because of my bravery than the bike.

Don’t care – I’m gonna continue doing my thing which is basically good old fashioned trail riding on what ever trail I happen across. I shall continue to do mountain bike racing mainly stage races in different places all of which involve riding up hills and shall also continue moan about people on e-bikes, trails with jumps that have holes behind them and anything else I can possibly get grumpy about.

I do quite like a 120mm trail/xc bike though (is that downcountry?).

Got to say that was a good day out racing with the guys. 12 hour team of old blokes for me. We did 17 laps managing 5th in class. Great course and good organisation. Loved it.

Well done and thanks to those who raced, organised or did encouragement.

I did the Pioneer stage race in 2017 and there was one day at over 60 miles and 3,000m of climbing which saw us grovelling for about 12 hours. Also the 200km of ‘The Rift’ last year had a couple of sucky moment and some the last couple of climbs on the Fred Whitton can be a bit draining.

Yes – funny and ironic but yes, I also have and sometimes actually ride a gravel bike which has 700 x 40 tyres. Yes – I can and do ride singletrack on it but quite honestly an xc or downcountry bike is usually more fun and or faster/less terrifying. So I’m going to stand by my original statements.

Gravel bikes are great for tow paths, fire tracks, back lanes and bit of track and path to link those previously mentioned options. If it gets more exciting I’d be happier, more comfortable and considerably faster on a mountain bike.

I’m going to go all grumpy old bloke on this one.

Gravel bikes are like road bikes and should run 700c wheels and maybe 42mm wide tyres. They don’t need suspension, they don’t need little wheels and massive mtb tyres. They are for riding gravel trails, tow paths, poorly finished lanes and maybe along a beach once a year and perhaps some light single track occasionally.

If you want something more aggressive and appropriate off road. Use a mountain bike.

There are a number of things I’d quite like to do because they are fun or represent some kind of achievement in my own little head.

There is a longer list of things I’ve done which were fun and represent some kind of achievement in my own little head.

Providing I can look back without too much regret I’m all good and lets face it fear of missing out isn’t much use to you once you’ve had your life so maybe its about seizing the obtainable opportunities / experiences and getting on with it we none of us know what will happen tomorrow so try and do something with today.

I always struggle when people are attempting to pronounce ‘specific’ and end up somewhere in the middle of the ‘pacific’ ocean.

Where pacifically would you like item x to be delivered? Somewhere between Los Angeles and New Zealand would be an appropriate answer*.

*if I was being a git and a pedant.

Hmmmm. For me the short list would be:

Transition Spur – I have one and love it. It does all I need and more, but I would quite like a second bottle cage inside the main triangle.

Santa Cruz TR – it has that second bottle cage and seems to meet the bill.

Rocky Mountain Element – 130 front, 120 rear and seems very capable.

Ibis Exie – just looks fantastic and with 120 both ends should be good for most riding with wheels down and a few jumps too.

You can’t remember the last time you went on a holiday without taking a bike.

Interesting thread and its a shame I’ve got to it so late.

I am fully sold on 120mm full suss and split much of my time between a Santa Cruz Tallboy3 and a Transition Spur. Both are extremely capable and I’d take them most places although probably not down hill runs just because I get scared.

As to the Spur I rode it at BC Bike Race last yer which had some challenging trails both up and down and got on very well with it. It climbs well and is confidence inspiring for technical descents. I’ve raced xc on it quite happily and can’t say I have had anything much to complain about.

Both the Spur and the Tallboy 3 come in weight wise between 25.5lbs and 26.5lbs in large and xl respectively and with 2.35/2.4 inch tyres. So not bad and certainly not out of touch with bikes in that market.

Aren’t you all a burly bunch. Probably younger and braver than me.

I am currently weighing in around 90kgs (ok a little but not a lot higher) and rolling around on a 2.4 Rekon at the front and a 2.35 Rekon Race at the back. This on a Transition Spur. I’ve found it to have enough grip for me on the descents and to be light enough for the climbs. Also not too draggy.

I am perhaps more focussed on all round pace than smashing the descents or indeed the climbs but will get around most trails fairly comfortably providing I steer clear of the the harsher enduro lines.

For wheels I am using some carbon rims from sixth element.

I have been using an Exposure for a number of years but have found it to be a nightmare to switch on when going from trail to road and vice versa (switch off obviously).

I recently got a Knog Blinder Road S70? It is bright, narrow, has a lot of functions but is very easy to turn on and off by feel when riding. And that makes it a winner for me.

And I thought I was alone in not enjoying Swinley.

I have said its a good place to go to get a coffee in a longer xc ride but in all honesty the coffee stinks too.

I’m planning to do it but will admit here and now that I shall probably do a good lump of it indoors because it is easier to get it done like that in terms mainly of time, also I’m not the biggest fan of road riding so.

Did it last year in much the same way with a few mtb rides and some Zwift to pick up on mileage deficits or cover of Christmas Day, Boxing Day etc. as appropriate.

All miles indoor or out are lapping the folk on the sofa. And if an image of a badge on Strava encourages people to get fitter then that has to be a good thing regardless of how it is achieved.

I have one and love it. Great for pretty much everything I am ever going to ride. Light enough for mid pack xc (with the right component choices) and confidence inspiring on descents. Climbs well too.

If it had a second in side the main triangle bottle cage it would be perfect.

I’d just ride past probably make a comment to my riding buddies and get on with my day.

I also have a Spur frame on order.

Yes please.

Zwift name: Andy Smallman

New to your races, assume I need to give you a follow.

Rushing Strava since 2011.
1978 rides 219 rides per year.
Distance 37973 miles so 4,219 miles per year & 19.9 miles per ride.
Total dis at ace on 2011 was 19 miles so I shall discount that year as I clearly didn’t have strava until anger Christmas and we aren’t that far through 2020 yet.

247 rides a year.
4746 miles per year.

Interesting stats. Most of my riding is off road.

He fails to impress me and to be honest I am surprised he is not the victim of assault on a regular basis. It seems to me that he goes out looking for trouble and one day it will find him.

Just ride it. After ensuring it goes and stops ok. It may be worth a quick fork and shock service.

2020 spec involves different wheel sizes etc. and that is not a problem you can solve without a new bike.

Used them quite a lot, very good.

Yes – I Have run with XTR shifter and SRAM rear mech and cassette. I have also had Shimano shifter and mech with SRAM Cassette and Chain.

And I have seen videos of SRAM AXS running with Shimano chain and cassette.

ALL 12 speed.

There are a worrying number of events going by the board and these are world wide.

From a personal perspective it is messages such as the MSG one make for somewhat uneasy reading. As a racer, and in the given circumstances whilst I am grateful for the offer of refunds from whichever race is cancelled but I would fully expect to take a share of the losses in favour of seeing the events happen in the future or indeed not sending someone into bankruptcy. The money is already spent and gone from my account. I recognise many events companies run on slim margins and as much for the benefit of the racers as for the organisers.

Freemotion do great mtb tours five days a week so a good option if you want a week of riding in Gran Canaria. Heading that way just after Christmas.

Madeira is good – although sometimes wet.

I’m quite comfortable on most trails on a 120 front 110 rear Tallboy 3.

Only feel out of my depth on the really steep stuff and big jumps where no amount of travel would put me in my comfort zone.

Tough one this, most bad improvements have been poorly executed steps in a generally good direction.

Wheel size wise I would say 650 was a retrograde step. 29 was available and better.

Press fit bottom brackets – not great but did allow for 30mm axles. DUB I don’t understand!

Shimano microspline fine but limited release of the rights was short sighted.

Boost can increase the strength or stiffness of a wheel but does cause more twisting into a potentially flexible suspension rear triangle.

It’s tough not to recommend rides organised by free motion in Gran Canaria.

Great fun, all over the island, some uplifting but not dh riding.