Llandegla!

Mattcurrie93

Hello,

Visited llandegla with my new bike a couple days ago. Had a brilliant time and can tell the difference round the track with my new full sus compared to my old hard tail.

Had a good time attempting the jumps on the black route. For some reason my front wheel always turns mid air which makes for a dodgy landing but suppose practice makes perfect.
Managed to score me self a go pro 4 hero black from work as a gift but I set it up wrong and you could just see my feet!

Got the time to clean the bike properly after I blasted it with the washer. Am I ok to spray the cassette and chain with wd40? Using muc off for everywere else.

Cheers!

fenix

Don't use WD40 - better off doing something like this.

I googled cos cba typing.

jetwash (low setting) or hose all mud/grit etc off both sides
spray with fenwicks bike cleaner (like muc off, but better)
leave to soak for a few mins (clean shoes whilst waiting)
jet wash bike again, working from top to bottom, and ensuring all cleaner has been removed

obviously avoid fork seals, bearings etc

pick the bike up and shake it to get all excess water off
put in garage and allow to drip dry whils putting away all jetwash gear
wipe bike down with clean cloth to dry
spray some gt85 on another clean dry cloth and wipe all over bike
spray some gt85 on chain, gears, around cables etc
done

Mattcurrie93

Cheers for the good advice!! Guna head the bike shop in a minute to grab some chain lube.
Thanks!!

cooldad

Don't blast anything with a washer and don't use WD40. The only thing worse for bikes than WD40 is water in the wriong places, like under bearing seals.

Thewaylander

yeah avoid the pressure washed just use a hose!

kyle17290

Landing with your wheel not straight could be down to pulling up on the bars.

Mattcurrie93

Yeah I must say I do pull up on the handle bars before the lip. I take it I'm not ment to do this

Mattcurrie93

Bike fully cleaned. Took me a little while since I didn't have a hose in the apartment but hey ho!
I'll do some research tonight.
Cheers

fenix

If you havent a hose then a big bucket of water and a soft brush. MucOff make a nice bike cleaning kit - and theres some nice pipe cleaner things for cleaning your sprockets up on a big clean. Purple Hippo or something ?

Mattcurrie93

Yeah I used a bucket. Can't wait to get back to llandegla.

JGTR

Rinse with hose, muc off, soft brushes, rinse, dry with microfibre drying cloth. WD40 on suspension pivot points. Light drop of chain lube on derailleur pivot points. Clean chain with rag, spray with WD40, clean with rag again, lube, remove excess with rag. If I'm doing a proper clean I will polish with car polish (Autoglym SRP) as it brings shine up and makes it easier to clean.

Always do chain after a ride, rest periodically. Never use a pressure washer, have used WD40 on chains with no I'll effects, just lube it properly as soon as you can.

cooldad

Why put WD40 on the suspension (or the chain) - if it penetrates the seals, like it's meant to do, it will thin out the grease.

No need for WD40 anywhere.

Mattcurrie93

I put that gt85 over chain, cassette, gear mech and over the suspension pivot points and forks then wiped off the excess. Do I need lube for the chain even if I have used gt85?

Cheers

cooldad

Yes, GT85 is very thin. You need a decent chain lube that will stay on when you ride. Squirt is the only one I use.
Randomly spraying oil on a bike is pointless. It just attracts gunk. Things like cassettes don't need any lube. Mechs a little on pivots, now and again.

Mattcurrie93

Ok I've got some stuff that will last me for now. But I'll get some more from the bike shop again tomorrow.

Also got grease on my list for putting on wheel axels and a specialist grease that I'll ask about for putting on pivot points when I strip.

Cheets

Mattcurrie93

Ok brilliant I'll just make sure to service chain, brakes, gears, forks and shock after every ride!

Thanks a lot for your help much appreciated

JGTR

cooldad wrote:

Why put WD40 on the suspension (or the chain) - if it penetrates the seals, like it's meant to do, it will thin out the grease.

No need for WD40 anywhere.

I find it helps clean the chain of grit/dirt and dispels any water, I always clean WD40 off and relube.

Again with pivot points, just to remove moisture followed by a little bit of lube. Not very often, usually after a good wash when I've doused it with the hose.

I usually use GT85 no I think of it but have also used WD40 for years with no issues.

kickaxe

Mattcurrie93 wrote:

Ok brilliant I'll just make sure to service chain, brakes, gears, forks and shock after every ride!

Thanks a lot for your help much appreciated

It really should only have to be checking if everything works properly after the ride, although it is good to keep the suspension clean. You should clean the drivetrain when it's dirty.

cooldad

Yep, too much cleaning is bad, a little dust and grime does no harm

Thewaylander

Never ever spray penetrating stuff at bearings! just a way to limit the life span of them as it will break down the grease!

JGTR

Thewaylander wrote:

Never ever spray penetrating stuff at bearings! just a way to limit the life span of them as it will break down the grease!

Meh never had any issues, water is a bigger killer.

Thewaylander

But the grease keeps the water out

JGTR

Thewaylander wrote:

But the grease keeps the water out

Water still gets in over time, I see it as the lesser of 2 evils, like I said I've never had any problems using WD40 here and there.

Mattcurrie93

Yep bike is all sorted now and back inside while I go on holiday and then straight back offshore be about 4 weeks till I'm back at degla.
Hoping I'll go through the week so I'll be alone on the skills/jump area to maybe get a better technique at jumping.

Cheers

rockmonkeysc

If Llandegla was your first black trail be very cautious attempting black trails elsewhere. I've ridden blue trails more technical than Llandegla black. Something like the new red Blade trail at Afan is much more technical and more likely to bite if you make mistakes.

Flâneur

What Rockmonkey said,

Degla is great as you can make it as hard as you like with speed etc, but the black there if taken carefully is no harder than the rest of the red. Even the Red there is easier than reds at Brenin or the Marin trail. Not enough to mean you can't go elsewhere but enough to remind you that each centre grades differently

rockmonkeysc

Black trails should have unavoidable, non rollable features. Like they do most other places. Llandegla black you can roll everything, there's nothing technical (even at speed) and there's nothing steep. I've ridden more technical blue trails! A few tables and rollers don't make a trail black, yes you can get airborne but you have to make an effort and you generally get similar features on blue trails these days. One of the blues at Bike Park Wales has a roller which becomes a 20 foot gap step down at high speed.