Whiteways Singletrack 3rd Feb 2008
Despite the early start time nine souls gathered at Whiteways carpark in anticipation of trying some new singletrack in Houghton Forest. Coffee was downed, tyres were changed and bikes and gear tweaked as the carpark rapidly filled up with ramblers and motorcycles. Continue reading
Bikes for Boys
Little boys that is. And it is an area fraught with difficulty if you do not want to be a Disappointing Dad. The test for this is a small boy’s silence or even worse a half smile.You could walk into a supermarket, a discount chain or even order from a newspaper advert and buy an astonishingly cheap bike and although it may cope with the occasional bridleway, it may struggle with regular trail duties. Your local bike shop may carry one of the major players who make a kid’s version of your own steed.That may be an easy solution but only if it is going to be used and not end up joining other investment items which you store unused in your garage.
Some web sites offer frames or bikes with useful information on sizing and weight. These can be a good point of comparison.
However we all have a shed or garage with lots of unused kit which would be ideal for someone else because you really needed Steve Peat’s grips and Cedric Garcia’s bars and your old ones are on the shelf and if not you really need some new wheels anyway so that would not count on the costs of course.
After a little research, I settled on a hardtail with a maximum target weight of 25 lbs. The frame was a real problem as advertised sale items were plentiful but finding actual stock proved difficult.
Merlin had an older model which seemed ideal but the cost was a large chunk of a whole bike from a chainstore but I felt that the quality would be better and the weight a little less so that help justify it.
I was so pleased at the silver frame when it arrived I choose forks specifically to match and although I had intended to use as much of my shed stock as possible that changed to only shiny silver bits. I did reuse some wheels and some v-brakes but bought new handlebars, stem, seat post, clamp and saddle to match the frame.
I had expected to buy much of this from whatever internet retailer was offering a discount but Halfords provided some bits cheaper and most importantly in silver.
All the bits laid out brought a smile to the face of an eager boy that only fell slightly when I explained that assembling it himself would be good for him.
I felt sorry for his teacher when trying to explain the method of installing the crown race to the fork as he fiddled with just about everything else.
After much ado, and over a couple of days, the build slowly accumulated. The bottom bracket was fitted, the fork, stem, bars, seat post and saddle but it did not look like progress. Tubes and tyres, a cassette and quick releases and the wheels fitted. Now it looked like a bike and if you are twelve then surely it is almost finished now.
Shifters and brake levers, fit the v-brakes, now the brake cables, this is how you adjust them. How much longer Dad!
By the time we had measured cut and fitted the cables the set up of the transmission seemed to be an unnecessary punishment so I crumpled under the pressure and finished all the little bits myself somewhat later.
The finished bike looked great and a satisfied smile and a brief, “thanks Dad”, means that I have passed the test.
For a couple of hundred pounds we have enjoyed a joint task and he has learnt a few new skills. He can join me around the trails of Sussex and I can impress him with my hard won skills built up over years in the mud.
Unfortunately, there is a downside to this.
Like many of you out there, I tackle the steepest climbs with determination, the knurliest roots with courage and even the occasional shallow river crossing with gusto but I cannot jump.
Well I can jump a bit, the odd lip here, a small drop off there but nothing big. Not anything, you find in a BMX park, not even if it is a tabletop.
And there is the rub.
First time out at Whiteways, slippy, treacherous, rooty single track, straight over the top. A drop off with a steep edge, straight down, and even the large bomb hole drop, straight down. Now I have led a few rides round here and usually a few people shy away from this drop or at least need some reassurance to roll over the edge. So all my advantage gained from years of experience evaporated in just one ride.
But this pales into insignificance with jumping. Tricky log – jump that. Tight awkward corner – jump that. Ditch – jump that. Big rock – jump up, jump off. Great big hole that you must avoid – jump that.
It gets worse. Standing at the side of the track watching your little baby boy hurtling towards the jump ramp that you have ridden around for years looking at sideways thinking one day, one day. He launches himself a metre into the air, hangs suspended, lands three metres after the spot you were assuming to be the landing area and all as gently and as lightly as a little deer.
I will never be able to do that even if I threw caution to the wind and hurled myself towards potential oblivion with careless abandon risking life, limb and mortgage payments.
And if I did, I would land more hippopotamus.
So if you have to face the choice then do not be the Disappointing Dad who picks the wrong bike instead choose to be the Disappointed Dad that Father Time has cruelly exposed.
After all, we can all live vicariously.
Resurrection
Some of us have an old friend who used to accompany us on all our rides but age has perhaps got the better of them and they do not go out with us anymore.An old photograph might raise a nostalgic smile but we ride with different friends now and only a memory surfaces when we recall a particular incident at a point on the trail. Your friend may ride with someone else or perhaps no longer goes out but hangs forlornly on the garage wall. This was the fate of my old Hardrock ; dismantled and unused but now reborn anew.
I started with the purchase of an inexpensive fork but with 130mm rather than the 80mm of the past and although it may invalidate the frame warranty ( long since past ) unless I become addicted to the air ( also unlikely ) it relaxes the head angle and provides something to hide behind. A crankset swap, with the new replacement fitted onto my main bike, and the refitting of some of the original components the skeleton was complete. Some wheel swapping proved irksome as I wanted to fit at least a front disk brake but a Hope insert changed a 20mm thru-axle to a quick release. Hydraulic brakes were expensive so I opted for a cable solution. Unfortunately I could only find a front brake discounted on the internet so the initial build continued with a v-brake on the rear. Old flat pedals, a nice new chain, two borrowed tyres but without something blue.
A shakedown ride was required so a lone pilot from Jill, not Jack, on a dry summer’s evening was the ideal soft test. Not soft though. The 2002 frame has something of a reputation for its ‘direct’ feedback which allows the trail to feed directly to your back and as the short initial climb over the brick proved, age had not dulled this ability. It did feel light and responsive compared to a 34lb Freeride bike and on a dry ridge bridleway acceleration was great. A small amount of stuttering on the rough, a small amount of skipping on the brakes, a small amount of slip on the wet chalk and a large amount of pounding on your body – biking little and large.
A couple of other very short rides has convince me that the advantage of a hardtail’s simplicity is really the weight but my old back needs a cushion . It may be a Thudbuster would fix this so I have not discounted the idea of a 20lb carbon thing that would pedal itself up hills on a warm summer evening but my old friend has been cleaned and fitted with a nice new rear cable brake and is waiting on its new rider to brave the cold.
Hopefully it will have a chance to be ridden regularly again but for me all our rides together are only in the past.
Rubber side down
Over the years, many of us have sought to find the perfect winter tyre. So far, I have been unsuccessful but after some recent tyre changing, I have remained with Trailrakers. Continue reading
New friend
I have a new riding buddy to accompany me up hill and down dale. My old riding buddy was typically Italian, striking and fast. My new friend is an American; more laid back easily swaps between one thing and another without fuss.
I have had a WTB saddle before, but this PureV Team is meant to be a high-end trail saddle and hopefully suitable for the mixed single track and bridleway riding that I do.
As I could not find it available in the UK this one actually came from USA and was less than £50 with shipping so those of you who have not considered purchasing from the New World might find it worth a try.
After a few rides of varying lengths and types, I am surprised at the comfort as it is extremely light. It has a shorter nose than my old Koobi, which makes it easier to move off the front on extremely steep climbs and more of a scooped shape that holds me in one position. This might mean less adjustment room on long hot summer rides but it feels easier to find the right pedalling position on long uphills when efficiency reaps its rewards.
Overall a surprisingly easy change so if you do not have a saddle that is ideal for you perhaps it is time to seek out a new friend
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saddle
All of us go through good and bad patches in almost every ride and sometimes a supportive ally can help considerably in a bad section, but times change and we all have to move on to pastures new. So I am saying goodbye to an old friend that has supported me for many a mile all over the South East and occasionally further a field.
We do not all look the same but I have noticed many a questioning glance at me and my friend Koobi. It may be the split long nose or the thin gel padding but looks can be deceiving and after a few thousand miles, I can strongly recommend it as a great long day saddle especially on a hot summer day over the Downs. Previously I had used both Specialized and WTB saddles and this was a better long ride choice for me.
It is very lightweight but it does not flex and has been very hardwearing despite continuous summer and winter use. The slim profile allows free spinning without any thigh rub, which you might not feel, but notice the wear on your shorts. The gel is still soft and the saddle cover almost perfect but the leather at the nose has worn through probably due to less XC miles and more singletrack use. On and off the front, even with the saddle dropped, has caused the soft nose to wear through completely. However, after three years and thousand of miles I cannot complain about the sterling service given.
So if you ride mainly on bridleways and are looking for long day comfort with room to move about maybe try a split saddle and you could be surprised at the benefits.
Rim Tape
Rim Tape
I remember the cloth tape with metal closures on the bikes of my childhood when drop handlebars and five gears were uber-cool, or groovy as no one used to say. Continue reading
Grips
Although mountain bikers will argue endlessly about the best bike or their favourite tyres, the key contact point seems to be rarely mentioned. Used for turning, pulling uphill, saving lives downhill and occasionally as a corn thresher your average grip has a high expectation placed upon it.Chosen for colour or feel in a shop the expectation is that it will work in all conditions with every glove for every size of hand and that if it should wear out after months of riding, well, just not good enough!
I have tried most the of the Specialized BG range since 2002 and although their soft rubber is kind to my hands after a while the slip and rotation becomes tiresome and replacements are necessary. The last set of Enduro with a mixed rubber solution looked promising but the picture shows a faster wear rate than previous incarnations.
A set of WTB grips also looked promising but did not provide the ideal mix for me feeling harsh on a longer ride and wearing relatively quickly.
I have been persuaded over to a lock on grip but although the grip is firm on the bars the support on the hand, with light and thick padding, seems less than ideal. Fine on a short blast but after a couple of hours it becomes uncomfortable. Wear rate seems excellent and they never slip but a little hard for my front paws.
The latest change has been to Ergon grips that offer extra support to the heel of the hand at the expense of a full four-finger grip. Initially I was doubtful but the comfort factor is great and the actual moulding deforms under pressure so extra grip is available when grabbing hard under pressure. Careful positioning of brakes and gear levers is needed to allow easy finger control and setting the angle of the flange requires several repositions to find your own ideal fit but overall rating is excellent and they may be the ideal for the long day cross-country ride. For the downhillers and north shore exponents they may compromise the strength of grip in extremis but if you would like a little more comfort on a long day they are worth a try.
The only problem that I find is what to use the funky container they are delivered with as it seems a waste to throw it away. All polite suggestions welcome.
Winter boots
Winter boots tend to be a secondary purchase when you are sure you want to ride the whole year through. Many of us started in training shoes but although these may be cheap and conveniently available in the bottom of the wardrobe, the durability is much less than a purpose made shoe.Entry-level trail shoes tend to be much more efficient in energy transfer between foot and pedal but are usually a summer shoe. They will be longer lasting and might make you ride a bit quicker but you still get wet in the rain. Race orientated shoes are much better for riding but less so for walking, or going into the pub, and tend to be well ventilated with mesh sides and tops and definitely not waterproof.As an emergency or interim solution is the old plastic bags in the shoes trick used for many a year. Used in fact since before plastic bags had holes in to prevent accidental suffocation. Good for safety, bad for waterproofing. Even without holes, your feet still get wet from the sweat but luckily the smell disappears after only a few days.The next stage up is waterproof socks with the best known being Sealskinz. Waterproof and halfway to a Wellington so ideal for some but without a great comfort factor and the thermal version is better in the cold as wet shoes suck heat from your foot.The ideal solution is a winter boot. There are several key factors worth considering including the insulation level, weight and closure method.
A winter boot needs to be dry and warm and for those of us riding in the south not too warm. Further north this might not be the case when the ground is white. Although you need the water to stay on the outside, it does not mean that being breathable is unimportant so leather or a modern textile like Gore-tex is preferable.
Most versions will offer better foot and ankle protection than a shoe and better grip for slippery conditions. Optional toe studs are fairly common. The offset of this is the increased weight and the unfashionable clumpy look. Some may find the reduced flexibility of some versions restricting but most are durable and quite pedal friendly. Maintenance of the outer requires cleaning, drying and on some models the occasional wax. Cleats benefit from cleaning and greasing of the bolts unless you enjoy drilling them out in the spring.
Laces are most common on summer trail shoes, Velcro straps and ratchet closures for race-orientated shoes and full Velcro tops and wire closures appear in winter boots.
The most readily available boot is from Shimano with the original offering being more a waterproof shoe with a neoprene collar. Robust for the rocks, dry for puddles but only water resistant at the collar in driving rain or deeper puddles. Using a waterproof trouser over the top helped the water run off but your feet did not stay completely dry. For me It was not the perfect solution even when used in combination with waterproof socks. The updated version with the Goretex liner looks a better product.
As a side issue, the size of the toe box was somewhat compact, which can lead to cold feet if circulation is restricted. Seeking an improvement from existing Shimanos meant extra expense but comfort can be a worthwhile investment. Looking for an improved solution meant searching for reviews and user opinions. You need to use the internet for this if you want to find more than the rare magazine review. The offering from all manufacturers improves with each subsequent model and several new boots had been launched or were in the offing. The original Lake offering had an excellent all-round reputation with expense and a restricted toe box being the main criticisms from aficionados whereas some others had some mixed reviews or were too new for much trail experience. Last year the new Lakes were rare but listening to user feedback and an improved toe box made it an improved design. The high cost was off-putting but a small discount, after much searching, justified the risk.
Over last winter they provided perfect function with the wire closure being completely reliable. It is not the easiest release mechanism for cold fingers at the end of the ride but it allows easy micro adjustment and ensures complete waterproofing. Apart from cleaning and drying, the only maintenance was two waxings. By April they were too warm even in wet days in the south but until then they were used several times per week. Alternatives have different strengths and weaknesses with the Gaerne Eskimo being the closest rival in our group comparison.
If you need a reason for opting for the Lakes then for the younger rider choose a boot that can survive the Iditerod and you can be sure it will manage anything in the UK.
For the older rider the smell of the leather will take you back to football boots drying on old fashioned cast iron radiators in schoolrooms ready for dubbing and watching Jenny from the sixth form walking past in her hockey kit.
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