What bike are you riding on the Mega??

chazkayak

Just wondering what bikes people are going to be riding on the Megavalanche this year.

If a dispute I have with my bike manufacturer isnt sorted I will be riding a 2006 Scott High Octane.

If I have to I will fit a dropper seatpost and a slightly longer stem so Im not so upright. Its got Bomber forks which need a service which I will do.

felix.london

Not doing the Mega this year but doing the Maxi in Cervinia on my Trek Session 8. Going to be doing the Mega next year on the same bike and planning on doing the Trans Provence on my '06 Rockhopper in 2014 :?

felix.london

...haven't measured it yet but hoping the Reverb (from the 'hopper) will fit the Session

lawman

good lucking doing it on a session!! ideal bike would be 150-160mm travel, probably with a 36mm fork, dropper post, 1 x 10 and full guide, DH tyres, tough but light wheels.

ilovedirt

definitely wouldn't go with a longer stem dude, it's pretty much all descent...

chazkayak

Only thought of a slightly longer stem due to my knees almost hitting the bars.

miss notax

A slightly tarted up Kona Minxy

Notax will be on his Heckler or Orange 5, and our buddy Ed will be on a Kona Stinky 8)

ilovedirt

chazkayak wrote:

Only thought of a slightly longer stem due to my knees almost hitting the bars.

Sounds like your frame is too small if anything!!

lawman

ilovedirt wrote:

chazkayak wrote:

Only thought of a slightly longer stem due to my knees almost hitting the bars.

Sounds like your frame is too small if anything!!

this ^

perfect bike for the mega is light,tough, and has geometry more inclined to DH than climbing.

felix.london

lawman wrote:

good lucking doing it on a session!! ideal bike would be 150-160mm travel, probably with a 36mm fork, dropper post, 1 x 10 and full guide, DH tyres, tough but light wheels.

I agree - not the ideal bike but if I could choose I'd be on a 2x10 setup.

My only concern with doing on the DH bike is that I'm gonna run out of gears on the climbs and have to get off and push. If it's only a bike weight issue - just need to get fitter (Reverb will be fitted)

miss notax

Apparently lots of people push up the climbs anyway

I'm swapping the gravity dropper from the Orange onto the Minxy to at least give myself a fighting chance!!

Hob Nob

Only the unfit people!

I'm riding my Nomad C, my wife is using her Meta 55.

We're going to Morzine after for a week, so taking the DH bikes, however they will be staying in the back of the van for the Mega week. Nothing warrants the use of a DH bike really. Even less so on the main race.

chazkayak

I pushed up a couple of climbs, mainly the steeper ones..............cause I was on a downhiller!!!

rockmonkeysc

Until my car cost me a small fortune in repairs I was going to be doing the Megavalanche this year on my 2011 Giant Reign X. Cant think of a better bike for it. It descends like a mini downhill bike, climbs well, has coil suspension front & back, is comfortable, very tough & has excellent suspension now that I have got it all upgraded with mission control DH damper in the Lyriks & Push tuned Van R shock.

BigJimmyB

Hob Nob wrote:

.....my wife is using her Meta 55.........

May I ask what forks and gearing set-up she'll be running?

Thx
BJB

Hob Nob

Yep - a set of 150mm Fox Float 32's & a 2x10 set up with a chain device.

If you've got the legs for it, a 1x10 setup is plenty enough with a big 11-36 cassette on the back though, but she likes to be able to sit & spin for a breather rather than smash the climbs.

ilovedirt

Hob Nob wrote:

If you've got the legs for it, a 1x10 setup is plenty enough with a big 11-36 cassette on the back though, but she likes to be able to sit & spin for a breather rather than smash the climbs.

I personally wouldn't want to run a front mech at the mega - chain guide means peace of mind, no mechs that decide not to work half way through the race and no dropped chains (given the LONG descent and short climbs, this is a very good thing). Nothing winds me up more than a chain that constantly comes off. For this reason, I haven't had a front mech for about two years.

lawman

ilovedirt wrote:

Hob Nob wrote:

If you've got the legs for it, a 1x10 setup is plenty enough with a big 11-36 cassette on the back though, but she likes to be able to sit & spin for a breather rather than smash the climbs.

I personally wouldn't want to run a front mech at the mega - chain guide means peace of mind, no mechs that decide not to work half way through the race and no dropped chains (given the LONG descent and short climbs, this is a very good thing). Nothing winds me up more than a chain that constantly comes off. For this reason, I haven't had a front mech for about two years.

this. single ring, dropper post, nice big, tough dh tyres, and preferably a light bike, when its minus DH tyres of course. a meta 55 would be a good bike to use, anything from 140-160mm would be perfect.

Hob Nob

To be fair, a well set of front mech & something like a Blackspire Stinger is fine. That's what she had last year & didn't drop a chain at all. If it's all spaced properly, you're no less likely to drop a chain than with a full 1x10 setup.

The Meta is fairly spot on for that sort of riding, apart from it's weight - even with a carbon swingarm its surprisingly heavy (nearly 4lbs more than my Nomad).

lawman

the main advantage of 1x10 is there's less to go wrong, one year it maybe fine, others you might smash a gear cable or lodge a chain in an impossible place. nothing imo is more secure than a full chainguide setup, something like an LG1 is perfect.

ilovedirt

Pretty much. Chain guides are set and forget. With gears, you're constantly having to fiddle and maintain. And a proper chain guide is still more secure than a front mech and roller.

Hob Nob

All true of course, but only any good if you have the legs for 1x10. If you like to spin out a long climb at the end of a long day, that's not going to happen unless you run a 28T single front ring & compromise your ratios everywhere else

You're preaching to the converted though - mine is 1x10 & it works fine for me, but where she hasn't got the fitness I have, it's not going to happen.

Still maintain however, set up a mech & stinger properly & you won't have any issues. She's had that set up for 2 years now & never lost a chain, not through lack of trying either, she's damn quick on the downs.

ilovedirt

If you can't spin a 1x9 or 1x10 up a decent hill, dare I say it, you shouldn't be doing the mega.

Hob Nob

Why not? Because you don't confirm to your 'Mega Entry Requirement' of riding with a single front ring?

Your opinion is largely irrelevant though, having never been there or done it.

Climbing at 2000+ meters is a very different experience to spinning up a fire road at a trail centre.

lawman

more of a fitness thing really, if you can push a single ring up some pretty damn steep and long climbs in the uk, you stand a good chance of doing the same at the mega, and you're more likely to be fitter overall. 1 x whatever drivetrains are a great way to get your fitness up, you have no bail out, the only way is push like hell. yes its nice but to have a granny ring, but if you use it alot in the uk, chances are your fitness could be better to attempt the mega. by no means are we saying don't do it, but it will be a tough race for anyone.

ilovedirt

Hob Nob wrote:

Why not? Because you don't confirm to your 'Mega Entry Requirement' of riding with a single front ring?

Your opinion is largely irrelevant though, having never been there or done it.

Climbing at 2000+ meters is a very different experience to spinning up a fire road at a trail centre.

You're right, I haven't done it, but without having done it, I can tell that to get the most out of it, you're going to need to have a good level of fitness, both in your arms and legs. If you're not fit/experienced enough, at the end of the day, it's not a safe place to be. You're putting yourself and others at risk.

Your third point also contradicts your argument, climbing at high altitude is very different to climbing up a trail centre fire road. If you can't climb up a trail centre climb in the middle ring without pushing, then that kind of reinforces my point about not being fit enough to do the mega.
I'm not saying that you HAVE to have a single front ring, but given the style of the event, in my eyes, it would be ideal. All I said was, if you can't spin a single ring up a decent hill in this country, what chance have you got of doing well or even finishing the event?


But yeah, Lawman probably said what I meant to say in a slightly more succinct fashion

Hob Nob

It depends on what your definition of getting the most out of it is though. For example, my goal last year was to get into the main race which meant top 35 in my qualifier, actual result was top 15 (& less than minute behind Jerome Clemetz). For others it is just to survive the week & experience how nutty it is.

My Mrs not having the legs to run 1x10 is the least of her worries, the sheer number of wobblers out there who are so far out of their depth is the real issue. She will comfortably hold her own, due to racing DH for a fair few years now & being pretty quick on a bike

Fitness is not the issue it's being made out to be. It only counts if you're planning on being out front, otherwise just go & enjoy yourself.

And my point still stands, a well set up 2x10 system with a Stinger/Gamut etc is fine. That's what I & the majority of others who we went with ran & no one had any issues. For comparisons sake, I now run a 1x10 setup, so can see it from both sides

ilovedirt

Fair enough, though I find on the long downhills, even if I'm not pedalling my arse off, fitness is still a big thing. Maybe not just in terms of cardio, but also in your arms/calves/thighs. Riding downhill is much tougher than people think!

Like I say, it's just not a place you want to get stranded because you weren't prepared! I wouldn't like to get stranded in the hills here in North Wales, let alone the Alps!

BigJimmyB

Hob Nob wrote:

Yep - a set of 150mm Fox Float 32's & a 2x10 set up with a chain device.

If you've got the legs for it, a 1x10 setup is plenty enough with a big 11-36 cassette on the back though, but she likes to be able to sit & spin for a breather rather than smash the climbs.

Many thanks HobNob

lawman

if you were top 15 in your qualifier, and less than a minute behind jerome, why the hell are you not sponsored?!

Hob Nob

Because there was 14 other people in front of me, 12 of which probably wern't sponsored either!

Multiply that by 10 qualifier races, it's not that great.