So that's what it's all about!... full suss convert

bartimaeus

What I learned at the weekend...

Saturday I took my new Anthem X4 for its first proper ride up and down Kingley Vale from Adsdean. Raining most of the day, but it had to be done.
- suspension really does give you more traction especially over wet roots
- Nobby Nics are pretty damn good it the wet and mud
- a 28lb full suss climbs better than a 35lb rigid (who'd have thought, eh?)

Sunday, headed back up Kingley Vale then on up the South Downs and along to Graffham. Free lunch with wine from the in-laws and lift home from the Mrs...
- full suss is much safer descending chalk downs, and a bit of speed gives stability
- Nobby Nics may be damn good, but I still can't pedal through 8 inches of mud
- climbing muddy paths is knackering
- it was a good move not to fit the SPDs... wet muddy feet beats falling sideways

Thanks to nicklouse whose post on hydraulic brakes put me straight. Now to read the 'what lights' postings so I can get out in the evenings.

stubs

Nice bike

my mate has just ordered one and I am quite jealous. Think I might have to adjust his brakes whilst he is not looking to slow him down and keep him in sight

cgarossi

Nice bike!

Full sus definitely does give more grip and stability in the wet. As for SPDs, I use Crank Brothers pedals which give a lot of float so its easier to get your feet out in an emergency. I can release easily without even thinking about it. The extra secure contact with the bike outweighs any risk of the occasionaly off in my opinion.

popstar

Congratulations with having a great XC machine! Really a nice bike, but meself staying with HT for a while, would love to get extra grip of full suss ... but still got to learn how to balance power transfer on tricky bits then the time will come for better skillz and maybe a full suss bike!

35lb just can't be compared to 28lb, how dare you?!?!?

p.s. be carefull with extra speed of your bike, full suss can fool you with over confidence and mask your skillz .... - then punish you hard. As they say -for the FLOW!!!

Radioactiveman

Definitely miss my full suss from a climbing point of view. Nice looking bike btw

Northwind

Anthem Xs are mint, nice colour too that one!

Eranu

Nice bike.

How muddy was Kingly? Not been over there for a while and was thinking of heading over at the weekend.

I know what you mean about the mud on the SDW, I did QEP to Cocking then back via West Harting down on Saturday some of it was minging One place in particular was a mud fest with a good mix of horse crap which although only about 1/2 a mile long was a bit of a killer towards the end of the ride I also stupidly left my overshoes in the car which added to my enjoyment of that particular section.

bartimaeus

The climb from Adsdean to the top was great fun... but the ridge from Bow Hill to Blackbush was tough - the first section has been repaired with new sections of cinder, but that gave way to 50-100 meter sections of pretty deep mud. Blackbush House to Chilgrove was good though. It's all farm track with lots of potholes and puddles - but having suspension makes that a real pleasure, and it cleans off the bike a bit! And with hydraulic brakes I felt very controlled on the downhills.

I then struggled up the climb from Staple Ash Farm (Chilgrove) the SDW - I suspect that was more an issue of lack of fitness than the slick conditions... once I had come to a stop it was very hard to get started again.

Now I have the equipment for it I'm going to explore more of the bridelways in that area - the map has a fair few. Once it gets dry I'm thinking of a train to Winchester and the SDW home.

Eranu

Sounds like it was last year. That bit from Bow Hill to Blackbush House is even worse coming the other way I assure you! Saw some poor guy fall of there he was caked.

If you are going to ride there a lot you should check out the trail built by some local guys.

Basically from where it says Bow Hill on the OS map turn left there instead of going straight down towards Blackbush House. Then turn left onto the Monarch's Way which goes down into Stoughton. About 50ish yard on your right you'll see a path, take that and follow it. The first part is some quite nice single track and as it goes on there are bearms and some jumps. All the jumps are rollable or have chicken runs so don't be put off it's well worth it. In my opinion one of the best sections around here and I always integrate into my rides when I'm over that way.

bartimaeus

Cheers, Eranu, I will check it out... I think I've seen some Youtube footage of jumps and berms there, so I'll follow your directions and see what I can find.

TorchXC

nice bike m8, its on my list for my next bike