XC in Cornwall - any willing volunteers ?

Dazzza

Didn't recognise you wearing a suit.

FSR_XC

Dazzza wrote:

Didn't recognise you wearing a suit.

I'm not allowed to wear lycra in work.

I'm a professional, you know . . . . .

allthegearnoidea

good to see you today dazz,
sorry if i was a bit distant, was just on the verge of a Major energy crash!

Lovely day to be out though! envious as hell!!

allthegearnoidea

now, there was me expecting you to be on here spilling the virtues of resorting back to the wheel of good Hopeness Dazz! especially considering yesterday lovely weather too!

did you get the alex one built back up alright??

and more appologies for being distant/blank/curt at the barn, really had just run out of energy! had a Major energy crash in the car and struggled to walk aorund portreath after,

have you spooken to hope about your dt 4.2 yet??

Dazzza

Not yet i've given up on that idea.

Don't worry bout it, im knackered myself bloody job keeps draining me and im determined to nip out for a ride, it's a balancing act tbh as my mood varies the more i push my luck.

The hope wheel is fine, makes me realise i need a front though, i'll sort that out in good time as the insurance quote isn't too bad.

allthegearnoidea

hmmn, balancing act for mood/energy, kmow that feeling very well!

Dazzza

Oh im sure you do.


Having a nice relaxing evening tonight, just sorting a very rusty straight razor, it's his prized possession and i've just got back from giving it a grind with the dremel. :oops:

Ah sod it. It was rusted to buggery now it's grinded to buggery instead.



Actually what would you suggest for removing grind marks, autosol isn't enough wouldn't an emery wheel be the next step after aluminium oxide?

allthegearnoidea

removing Grind marks, erm!
wet and dry, various grades, depending on How bad the marks are ofcourse!! keep going up the grades to 1500/2000 grit i'd say, otherwise, Pass matey loL!

should have some lovely new xtr cables to go in end of the week, you never know, may be able to rest enough and get enough energy to actually get out on the bike!

Dazzza

Well im currently down to 800, i think i'll nip in town tomorrow oh crap no hang on im sure i have some more kicking about, anyway i'll have a nose.

Xtr cables, nice certainly the better ones.

Bike is on the back bench for the time being, we'll see how things pan out as i have other priorities atm.

allthegearnoidea

have you spoken top hope about your dt one yet to see what they suggest???

raymenrh

I'm also off the road due to full suss related bushing death so I feel your pain. My 'bits that need replacing ' is getting ever bigger, although it means I have a tidy pile of fairly usable bits for my ragley build project - which had been previously on hold due to expense. Currently I have a frame with a headset a rear skewer ropey old rear wheel (although I have a new hub I've never bothered to get built up, it's on the list), front mech 6 pot front brake and my old deore crankset, well when I get new arms for it to replace the ruined pedal threads and change over to a 36 tooth gusset race ring dual and bash setup - not that I've nicked said idea from anyone at all *ahem*.

It's a shame because the weather is awesomely lush at the mo and I've nailed down my 6 mile offroad route towards work to a 23 minute session . I also really, really need to ride to loose my 'revision cake gut' I have managed to gain. I was planning to do some rides into work before I go off to visit south wales awesome trails, also it will help having the bike running smoother than a babies bum, I'm also doing the XTR cable thing, with new rear mech and possible new shifters to give me a few more donor bits for the ragley. Only thing is I now have turned to the SPD darkside with my new crank brothers mallet (thanks to a good bit of persuasion ) I'm aching to find out just how weird (and painful) that experience will be. Can't wait to be out again, I miss it when I can't ride. I'm getting worried now because the other trainee has had to move to north wales as there are no jobs in our labs and (sniff) I don't know what I'd do without cornwall MTB club now. I'd seriously miss you guys *blub*

allthegearnoidea

dude, your a star! and i can tell you that you would be Sorely Missed if you had to eave our shores!
i erm, might have added a gamut to the order too! :shock: :roll: :oops: just incase you see! and it upped it for free shipping! so alll is good!!!!
i'm desperate to get out on the bike but know i'm living on fase energy at the mo! going to attempt to walk littlun down to pre school in a bit and see how i get on!! if okay then may try and ride down the barn tomorrow! 8)

Dazzza

Not bothering with hope tim, they wanted me to phone and explain, push come to shove i cba to explain it was light xc riding.

Pita when bikes literally go 'off road'

raymenrh

Timmo you sir are a legend! will see new chainring when I come over sat.

I found a pair of used deore cranks on ebay of late, hopefully that should solve my rubbish pedal thread issue. I also spotted a rear mono six to match my recent front mono six purchase ! Well I'm keeping an eye because it's crept up to £50 with like 5 days to go . . . I will bid, but I'm not paying anywhere near the £110 BIN on the other sale. Only a few light bits and it will almost be ridable. Well after I coat the frame in bike tape to stop it getting all scratched that is

allthegearnoidea

Dazz, just ring them and see what they say! they may be very receptive! youve got Nothing to loose fella!!!

rich, will let you know when all the bits are in, should be today??
M6's front and rear! Awesome power!!!

allthegearnoidea

fitted my lovely new xtr cables today, nice silky shifting again!! and also new shiny multi coloured headset spacers!! 8) only black, silver red and gold but looks goood!!

did even consider some Sram coloured candy's to finish it off!! will have a nose in the shiny book again next week!!!!

Dazz, nosing at my rear mech today, thinking about what you said the other day about an xtr shadow rapidrise, am pretty certain the only difference between them is the positoin of the spring, on a std mech it pulls form the X on the top diagonally to the back plate nearest the lower cage mounting area, pulling the mech into its normal folded in position, on the RR its the opposite way around, so i recon with out a great deal of trouble you could have an XTR RR shadow mech!! i'd like to have a look at them side by side just to make sure though but recon its easily possible!!

had a nice quick blast down threough illogan woods and onto the barn this morning, was gutted though through the woods, was aiming for 30mph, but only managed 28.6 :roll: must try harder next time!
still gave me a Mahoosive smiole at the bottom of the woods though!!

raymenrh

Well with one bike hanging from a wall, and the other hanging about for a bushing change I still haven't ridden anywhere yet. Can't even head out this weekend really. Sigh. Midly depressing, but I'm, sure I'll keep myself amusing without the usual adrenaline rush. Hopefully I might get the reign back next week sometime please mister nice people doing the bearing service.

In other news:

I am collecting fathers road machine converted spesh this weekend, which has had it's first service in about 2 years. He was surprised at the £100 cost. Supposedly bearings got changed (usedful peice of info that).

I've made the change to spud's (well I haven't, they are sitting in my shed awaiting a bike to be attached to).

I've recently been amuzing myself with much internet browsing. I've decided that IF I ever actually get the ragley finished, I may actually do another project bike. Mainly because its actually been a real laugh putting together what I wanted to call the 'pimp pig' . In reality it's more like a shonky pig, with bits canibalised from where I can find, beg, borrow or steal them. I tried to fit my old BB, but I couldn't get one bearing cup to screw in by hand, so I swiftly abandoned that idea. Ive decided on what I will do for a second project, but well it may be something that might just get me disowned as part of cornwall mountain bike club. It's still a mountain bike, it just lacks well - gears. http://www.kinesisdecade.co.uk/xtraproduct/large/VIRSA_SS.jpg

allthegearnoidea

that SS is Lovely fella!
SS bikes dont get you outed from the club, Roady bike talk will lol! or andy and his homotorbike chat!

did something really stupid yesterday and lost the keys to the bike locks!! had them at pre-school when i unlocked the trailer to re-attatch to the bike to ride jorja home, but last night when i had serviced my pedals and put the bike away, clicked the lock into place and then looked for the keys to lock the Other lock it became apparant i had No idea where they are!! searched high and ;lo for them to no avail! hoping they fell out at preschool as i went out int he car on the route i came back but didnt see anything! otherwise it'll be the bolt croppers!! :shock: and the bike living indoors until i sort a replacement out! :oops: :oops: :oops:
gutted! but atleast the bikes locked and safe lol!

i'd give the bike shop a shout fella, servicing forks takes a couple of hours, bushings not long etc. so you may have it back sooner!!! 8)

raymenrh

Well after I took delivery of my new shoes and got fathers bike back from the bike shop, I spent most of Saturday trying to unweld fathers pedals from his bikes cranks. After hours in the baking heat, I gave up.

Sunday morning arrived and the urge to ride was strong. headed out again, armed with an adjustable spanner, some WD and the proper mans tool a 'mer. With a few deft blows, I removed the non-drive side and took it off, then having to rethred it a bit to have something to hold onto whist attempting the drive pedal. I finally had both peds off and ran and grabbed my CB malletts and wacked them on instead.

With glee, I grabbed my riding clothes helmet, gloves and camelbak, refreshing the water at the hose before leaving. I laced on my MP66's, grabbed the bike and headed out of the gate, just in time to miss the start of the england game. I sat, holding onto the wall and practiced clipping and unclipping. After two surprisingly easy attempts, I thought - sod it, and rode off to who knows where.

At first riding clipped was, weird. My feet hurt a little and I couldn't really pick up any kind of speed. That was more to blame on the VERY upright positioning setup of fathers bike and the fact he's got my nobbly thin winter mud tyres (panaracer trailrakers) on and I was on a very dry tarmac road. It was cool to be able to use the upstroke and once I'd got to ashton, my legs had warmed up and I was motoring with barely any effort at all. Although I still suffered ocassional foot soreness/numbness which I would expect a bit of in new shoes anyway mosly remedied by moving cleats so my feet where futher away from bike when I came home.

I kept riding and decided to take in a usual local trail that goes around the back of godolphin hill, through past godolphin house and up into leedstown. I also went on a bit of a discovery session, and soon found myself in praze-an-beeble, thinking - how on earth did I end up here? I also had a comedy moment in the main street, came up to a junction and couldn't unclip. I had to pedal. Luckily being the foozeball was on the roads where dead, so I just kept on going!

Having reached praze I had to find an equally good route home. Which I did. I came across some epic XC bridleways just past praze and the back of nancegollan which brought me out near the back of breage. From there I knew some sick trails that would get me home. I arrived home in porthleven 3 hours and 25 odd miles later.

So what can I say about riding with spuds? Well not a lot really. That's not a bad review, in fact 90% of the time I didn't even notice, apart from the massive increase in pedalling power uphill and decrease in fatigue, oh and the fact that I can now do 2 foot bunnyhops. I had to constantly mentally remind myself I was attached to my bike.

Whilst riding it was a case of looking ahead, and if I needed to stop thinking unclip, unclip, unclip about 200 meters before I needed to. I originally worried about techy terrain but downhill I felt more confident knowing my feet couldn't come off the peds unless I wanted them to. I'm still to discover the issues of techy UPHILLS tho, that's something to look forward to. Overall I'm more than slightly chuffed, I need more rides to get used to them and any 'problem' moments and obviously to rapid unclipping, which should be somewhat helped by my flipping of the cleats to get the 15 degree release angle rather than the original set up of 20.

I think, being that I was a fairly fit flat user for 18 months, I'm going to be pretty damn near unstoppable now I can use the up AND down stroke. If you want a picture of exactly how I feel right now, I'm looking into some candies for the ragley build. I contemplated eggbeaters, but having read a bit about them they don't suit my MP66's as much as the candies. Timmo, I hate to say it - you where right. 8)

allthegearnoidea

Wahooooooo! goood man!
glad you liked them fella, will have to come over for a tehidy sesh when you get the reign back!!
the candy sl's come in Sram orange!!!

it wont take long before it becomes second nature to unclip, half a dozen rides in and you'll be doing it without thinking and Flying up hills!!! Especially when you get the Ragley sorted!! its going to be Such an Awesome bike that! i just know it!! 8) 8) 8)

kernowaj

Hi all,

Had to post. Completed the BHF SDW Randonnee last saturday. 100miles, 10000ft 11hours riding time. Should not have done it on a new saddle though! Both cheeks, between legs and sack are RAW.

allthegearnoidea

Nice one Aj! Not so good on the raw bits though!!:shock:

allthegearnoidea

wahoooo! new braided brake hoses arrived! Usefull upgrades too!
cant fault the quality either, had to change the lever end connecter but otherwise spot on, not bad for the pair £18!!!







took an age to bleed the rear lol but all done and nice!!! will give them a proper test on sunday but initial impressions are good!!! 8)

FSR_XC

Broke my bike this weekend . . . . . nothing serious, broken spoke & ripped sidewall on the rear.

I seem to rip Specialized sidewalls a little too often - that's the 4th.

allthegearnoidea

arnt they thin walls to get the weight down though mark???

FSR_XC

allthegearnoidea wrote:

arnt they thin walls to get the weight down though mark???

With a fat limp like me on it, I'm sure a few grams won't matter.


BTW, is anyone doing the Off Road Audax this weekend?

allthegearnoidea

FSR_XC wrote:

With a fat limp like me on it, I'm sure a few grams won't matter.

not what i would have associated with you in any way mark lol! me yes! you, No, Racing snake on the other hand sounds about right!

FSR_XC

Went out around Idless with Matt last night.

Great ride.

Now there's someone who you can call a racing snake.

allthegearnoidea

hoping to get out around tehidy tomorrow morning, not made it out for a few weeks so hoping for a goodun!

FSR_XC

Now that's what I call BLING ! ! !

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