Dalby forest

jon1993

I am trying to set a fast time around dalby red and racing a friend of exactly the same fitness level haha.
Whats the best bike? fs or ht and how much travel ect (not going to get one just for this reason just wondering what you thinks best)
whats the best tyres for dalby red in the dry?
anything else you alter or purchase to make the boardman pro lighter + faster around the route?
only alterations ive made to date are spds, wcs foam grips, and changed the rear tyre for a 2.2 rubber queen, inverted stem placed a fue spacers down.

thanks alot

tubaonwheels

I'm doing a skills course at Dalby a week tomorrow, hoping that will improve my speed a bit
staying overnight in mhome so may have a blast around red following morning to see if it's worked...

cuthbertsavage

Definitely FS. It's proper rough in parts. Tyres are personal choice, I use my Nobby Nics for everything, just at varying pressures depending in the conditions.

andrewyzfr6

I cant call myself an expert on Dalby, but i was there in july and i took my 5, and after i spent the day there i wish i took my Scott Scale HT. I was mainly on red and black sections.

tubaonwheels

Might be more comfy on FS but can't see it being quicker - unless it's a super light carbon jobee.
Got to be good conditions right now for a fast time.

Royal Dragoon

Why not compare some of your Dalby times against these Red Route Riders.

http://www.mtbe.co.uk/dalby-top-10-t14637.html


Let us know how you do.


http://www.mtbe.co.uk/

Briggo

Dalby, proper rough? Where? Few rocky sections on the black off shoot sections but if you're only racing on the red then its pretty smooth and fast.

As for the whole HT vs FS for times, depends on what you prefer and feel more comfortable being able to throw around quickly to increase times. Pros and cons for both.

will2580

not many places on the red route where a full susser would be better than a hard tail.
iv done it on both, and i prefer it on a hard tail though..

and as for tyre choice, it probably wont be properly dry for the next 5 months or so, so grippier tyres would be better.

and my best time for the red route is 2 hours 18 minutes, so im interested to know what time you get

altern_8

Get youreself on a cyclo cross with slicks

jon1993

altern love it! haha and idk the gate numbers ill have a little look when i go past the one that hurts lol idk whats best to leave ur arse on the seat to get a right smashing or prop ur self up just above but then all the shaking goes to your legs and makes them like jelly haha. the thing im thinking of is dead flat but just rocks and really choppy with trees either side of you on a slightly raised path. like thats going to help haha! i would have known my time now but i play about on dixons hollow for ages lol.
jw but on the red times theres a part thats quite long of fire track and just before that theres the forest drive road to the left of the path that runs for quite a while but tbh that little bit is a bit shit just shakey with no thrills so when setting the time do you still do it honestly?

JAGGY

I use a Trek EX8 and think its perfect for Dalby.

My best time this year was 2:17 then i played about with setup and lowered tyre pressure and achieved a 2:12.

I use Maxxis Ardent 2.25 front and Aspen 2.25 rear. Perfect for the summer. I'd say pick your tyres by the bite they will give at cornering at Dalby. The Maxxis combo i use really nail the berms etc.

Take some extra pads in the winter or wet conditions if you are doing a two dayer as this place eats pads after one lap of the red in the wet/winter.

I think a Giant Anthem or something with about 4inch would be perfect and even faster.

Cheers

CharlieH

Faster = HT

Comfier on arms, legs, arse etc = FS

FWIW my best time around the red is measured in days not hours

jon1993

haha love it! ah well i best time my self around the whole thing 1st see how it goes lol

CharlieH

BTW, I don't think you have enough bikes

jon1993

ah ill add the 2 others in my garage also then haha ! plus the DH bike im saving for now I love bikes:) (maybe something to do with flipping your car on its roof and having nothing else to spend the money on atm) hahahaha was fun though .... hmmm come to think of it DH bike for me maybe isnt the best of ideas hahaha!

NorthernRock

To be true you need to be riding.....

Pace RC200 with RC31 forks!!!

ex-pat scot

That's what I have. Not taken it round Dalby yet - on;ly 10 miles from home, so I really ought to go and explore

tubaonwheels

NorthernRock wrote:

To be true you need to be riding.....

Pace RC200 with RC31 forks!!!

To be me you need to be riding.....

Then falling off!!!

jon1993

hahahahaha awsome! i have an 20yr old cannondale just like that haha dont think id quite trust it around dalby like haha!

Dirty Karlos

Royal Dragoon wrote:

Why not compare some of your Dalby times against these Red Route Riders.

http://www.mtbe.co.uk/dalby-top-10-t14637.html


Let us know how you do.


http://www.mtbe.co.uk/

Thanks for that, something to aim for. I think my quickest time is about 2:10, not sure, will record it properly next time.

NorthernRock

Do you think the coloured grading system puts people off, or maybe convinces them to buy a better bike.

I am sure that other trail centre users will agree about their local centre. Most of the gnarliest lines on Dalby Black run, existed long before it was named and graded, and haven't been messed with too much.
We used to ride them back in the day on rigids. Admittedly much slower, and falling off did not have such consequences.

The advantage was, that there were only a few, if that, trails which were unifficially directional, so you could link more lines, and ride them in reverse

jon1993

I Know this is an insanely late post for a feed but I've just been trawling through some old posts to see my progress and thought it maybe useful for an update on a subject other people may be interested in. Today I did Dalby forest red with my newly built bike using Boardman pro parts put on a Scott spark 30 carbon 2010 frame and my god FS is SO much faster. I do have the remote lock off Scott nude rear shock so it can be used as a HT as well but only used on the fire trails as Dalby is WAY too rough to get an under 2 hours run However an update on the progress when I posted this I couldn't complete the whole thing under 2:45 I did a run today in 1:53 with a couple of stops so now my new goal is to try and beat everyone on Strava with the fastest time of 1:43 id already be 16th if the damn gps worked properly haha. Thanks for everyone's help in the past