First ride in the mud!!

mickedwards61

Hi all,

I have only been biking for about a month, and given the recent rain in Essex, today was the first time i've ridden when it has been muddy, and I thought it was brilliant!

While out riding, I had a couple of concerns, the first is that fact that the bike seemed to slip around a fair bit on the really muddy parts, now to a beginner like me, it seems like the obvious choice would be to upgrade to better/thicker tyres for the winter months (my current tyres are 2" wide), is this the case, or is it simply it's muddy, deal with it? If an upgrade is needed, what would people recommend?

Also my feet kept on slipping on the pedals, got to be honest I didn't even notice the pedals when it was dry, because they did their job, after today and the lack of grip clearly they are s**t and need changing! Recommendations please, would be happy to spend up to £30 - £40!

Thanks!!

robertpb

What kind of pressure are you running your tyres at.

Low pressure is good for mud.

I use Nobby Nics 2.25 they seem to cope with whatever Essex can throw at them.

What pedals do you have, it could be your footwear.

mickedwards61

robertpb wrote:

What pedals do you have, it could be your footwear.

Not entirely what exactly what pedals they are, they came with the bike, they are a cheap plastic set of pedals. Feel a bit stupid really, I should've noticed them when I bought the bike, but being a novice I didn't even think! :oops: Haven't a clue about the pressure, but there is a bit of give to the tyre i.e. they aren't inflated to rock solid. I wear an old pair of Converse trainers to ride in, just because they are an pair of trainers I don't mind ruining.

Whereabouts in Essex do you ride? Could you recommend anywhere? I live just past Danbury and there loads of places to ride, but always nice to have a change of scenery!

robertpb

Need some decent pedals then.

Buy a pressure gauge, you can get a cheap one for around £5. I run my tyres at 23 front 25 back, with more mud a bit more can come out of the front.

I ride over at Thordon 3 or 4 times a week, plenty of good trails and jumps.

llamafarmer

Lower tyre pressures are the first thing to try. Mud tyres should actually be pretty skinny (about 1.9), which helps them to cut down through the mud and find the grip underneath it, they've got big nobs that are well spaced to help prevent a build up of mud around the tread.

You'll get used to the skatey feeling eventually, it can be good fun!

XxxBFGxxX

mickedwards61 wrote:

Hi all,



While out riding, I had a couple of concerns, the first is that fact that the bike seemed to slip around a fair bit on the really muddy parts, now to a beginner like me, it seems like the obvious choice would be to upgrade to better/thicker tyres for the winter months (my current tyres are 2" wide), is this the case, or is it simply it's muddy, deal with it? If an upgrade is needed, what would people recommend?

Also my feet kept on slipping on the pedals, got to be honest I didn't even notice the pedals when it was dry, because they did their job, after today and the lack of grip clearly they are s**t and need changing! Recommendations please, would be happy to spend up to £30 - £40!

Thanks!!

if you search crc for there M.T.F.U. range its brill mate. helped me out alot.


sorry couldnt resiist.

peddle i would say a set of welgog or gusset slim jims. as for tyre i run fire xc pros at about 40 psi as i am a big lad. they work fine for me.

wrx

Hi there,

I have DMR V8 pedals - great grip, I love them. But they can hurt the shins though!

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3177

There is a review of them on here somewhere, use the search function.

Hope this helps.

diy

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but SPD's don't slip and will give you about 5-10% more power - especially when you are tired.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5937
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=17047

Less PSI in the rear, more PSI in the front. But more importantly - loosen your grip on the bars, relax your shoulders, keep looking where you want to go. Also try to go for the high part of the track, then if you slip you can drop down, where as if you are low, you have to climb, which is harder

so on this (randomly selected pic) I'd be trying to stick to the bank and then drop down if I needed to, even if my rear was in the middle, I'd be trying to get my front on the rise pointing up where possible

mac_man

mickedwards61 wrote:

robertpb wrote:

What pedals do you have, it could be your footwear.

Not entirely what exactly what pedals they are, they came with the bike, they are a cheap plastic set of pedals. Feel a bit stupid really, I should've noticed them when I bought the bike, but being a novice I didn't even think! :oops: Haven't a clue about the pressure, but there is a bit of give to the tyre i.e. they aren't inflated to rock solid. I wear an old pair of Converse trainers to ride in, just because they are an pair of trainers I don't mind ruining.

Whereabouts in Essex do you ride? Could you recommend anywhere? I live just past Danbury and there loads of places to ride, but always nice to have a change of scenery!

Hi Mick

I had the exact same problem as you... I was using some old Karrimor walking shoes and my feet kept slipping off all over the place.

I got some skate shoes from TK Max... like these below (only £25). Plenty of other brands to choose from like DC and Vans. Get some with a stiff sole and good padding if you can.

http://www.acheter-moins-cher.com/asp/p ... 490800.htm

The flat treads, with their circular patterns and sticky compound really help to grip the pedals much better, assuming your bike has BMX style pedals. Mine are only cheapos but the better ones like the V8s mentioned have bigger/better pins that your shoes will really grip to. Makes a massive difference IMO.

rhyko7

right dude this wont be too expensive
get some decent pedals wellgo MG1's or B54's are about 25£
get some basic platform skate shoes-bout 25£
dont bother with a pressure gauge, go by feel as different tyres require different pressure for same feel, just get tyres with chunkier spaced out tread, be aware of the weight tho, maxxis ADvatage 2.2 or a wet scream are quite good on the rear for mud-theres plenty tyres out there to choose from-search this forum for endless tyre debate threads. for xc try & go for a tyre under 800 grams or it will really slow you down, tyres are 15£'s upwards if you can find a bargain-again check the classified in here for barely used tyres.

as for spd's well thats up to you, personally i dont like em, i find riding in flats more fun.

i have no idea what the guy above is on about "pump your front tyre up harder" if you do this it will wash out even more on the Dh sections. if its just the rear sliding and not front as the old saying goes if it aint broke dont fix it

so pedals 25£
shoes 25£
tyre 20£
sorted, no alcohol this wkend tho lol
good luck

llamafarmer

diy wrote:

Less PSI in the rear, more PSI in the front.

Other way round. Your rear tyre is more susceptible to pinch flats and the front end needs more grip.

diy

surely you need more grip on the rear to drive through the mud and you want the front to be more like an ice skate and cut deep into the trail to keep you pointing in the right direction?

of course up hill and down hill will be different, so its all about compromise.

Northwind

Mud tyres run narrower as they're designed to cut the mud, fat tyres roll more over the top. But I don't think one is neccesarily better than the other, depends on your mud, sometimes the cutting action of a skinny trailraker is enough to ensure that you sink up to the hubs in deep mud

I'm a total killjoy like, but it needs saying, sometimes you just shouldn't be riding the trails when they're muddy. Riding an already muddy trail really rips it up, a few bikes can do a lot of damage, same with horses. One of the nicest bit of singletrack near me still hasn't recovered from last winter because of the increased number of ****ing cretins riding it when it needed to be rested, now it's going to get destroyed again, don't know if it'll ever recover now unless people actually leave it alone. Which they will eventually, once it's so ****ed it's no fun to ride, which is a wee bit bloody late.

mickedwards61

XxxBFGxxX wrote:

if you search crc for there M.T.F.U. range its brill mate. helped me out alot.

I did think when I was writing the post, I was gonna get some smart arse telling me to MTFU I am still very new to it, so slowy but surely building my bottle up and learning what my boundaries are, and then trying to push them everytime I go out. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I do, I had a s**t day at work the other day, so went out on the bike when I got home, and cheered me right up, does anyone else find that or I am just a little bit sad?!!!

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations, I will get researching prices and places to buy! Any recommendations for websites?

diy wrote:

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but SPD's don't slip and will give you about 5-10% more power - especially when you are tired.

I did look into SPD's, and they would basically put an end to slipping off the pedals, but thought they might a bit too advanced for me, I would like to try them out, but i'm guessing it's one of those things you have to use for a while and get used to them to reap the benefits.

XxxBFGxxX

mickedwards61 wrote:

XxxBFGxxX wrote:

if you search crc for there M.T.F.U. range its brill mate. helped me out alot.

I did think when I was writing the post, I was gonna get some smart ars* telling me to MTFU I am still very new to it, so slowy but surely building my bottle up and learning what my boundaries are, and then trying to push them everytime I go out. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I do, I had a s**t day at work the other day, so went out on the bike when I got home, and cheered me right up, does anyone else find that or I am just a little bit sad?!!!

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations, I will get researching prices and places to buy! Any recommendations for websites?

.

i was joking with that mate and could not resisty lol.

i am new to it all my self wel just under a year under my belt now. i did have clippless peddles on my susser but to be honest i find i am faster with out them so wnet back to flats. i belive inp-act 5/10's are ment to be good but pricy

Hercule Q

diy wrote:

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but SPD's don't slip and will give you about 5-10% more power - especially when you are tired.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=5937
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=17047

Less PSI in the rear, more PSI in the front. But more importantly - loosen your grip on the bars, relax your shoulders, keep looking where you want to go. Also try to go for the high part of the track, then if you slip you can drop down, where as if you are low, you have to climb, which is harder

so on this (randomly selected pic) I'd be trying to stick to the bank and then drop down if I needed to, even if my rear was in the middle, I'd be trying to get my front on the rise pointing up where possible

i've just got back from a ride where the trails are just like that in parts i was just going in down the middle as fast as possible and lifting the front and staying in a lower gear and spinning the pedals to power out so there was less wheelspin. it was an epic ride and my white shorts are now black

Radiorat

get yourself a set of fivetensboots they'll grip any thing!, good set of mud tyres and I tend to ride high nice an easy gear with good spin on legs (reduces slippage and wheel spin) and cut through at an angle, thus avoiding getting snagged in a rut. It takes far less energy than trying to push through, is cleaner to your Keks and kinder to the bike. Its also more fun (as far as I'm concerned). I love mud and head straight for it!

diy

mickedwards61 wrote:

I did look into SPD's, and they would basically put an end to slipping off the pedals, but thought they might a bit too advanced for me, I would like to try them out, but i'm guessing it's one of those things you have to use for a while and get used to them to reap the benefits.

you can wind the bindings right out to start with so that they pop out nice and easy. plus go for multi release blocks which are better for mtb

ride_whenever

wellgo mg-1s really grippy even when muddy.

Skinny tyres, and spin!