Mountain Biking general thread

[John]

@John I still have a roadie, a Triban 500 from Decathlon. I won't get rid of it because it's quite a nice bike (albeit still on rim brakes, and I'm sure I'd prefer disks if I tried them on a roadie). But I haven't used it for a few years because I find it impossible to ride gently; the position just makes you push on. For me it only really works for an up to 10 mile sprint type ride. I'm also not a massive fan of the drop bars, though I had a Specialized Sirrus before it which is basically a flat-bar roadie and preferred the drops to that - the Sirrus wanted you to push on, but the flat bars felt totally wrong on it, like a massive compromise.

Might oil the chain and give the Triban a quick spin actually, so I can say I've used it recently

I actually looked at the Triban range but they seemed to be often out of stock in my size. With the drop bars I do spend most of the time on the hoods which is pretty comfortable for me.

[John]

For the last couple of days I've been coming out of work to find an almost flat rear tyre on the bike. After pumping it up it stays up overnight, very strange. Before I start pointing fingers at my work colleagues I decided to remove the rear wheel and stick it in the bath. It took me ages to find but eventually I spotted the smallest stream of bubbles leaking from the tyre that for some reason the tubeless fluid hadn't sealed. I decided to change the fluid to see if that would help to seal the puncture and it did with a very slight leak of fluid through the hole before it sealed. That is only the second time in eight years of using tubeless that it hasn't sealed a puncture.

[Rich B]

I've had it with tubeless. I tried it on the rear of my Decoy as a test and the tyre was always going down between rides, then my commuting bike also has two flat tubeless tyres after the winter of not being used. Tubes all the way for me.

[John]

They can go down if not used for long periods and I need to top mine up every couple of weeks or so but I prefer that to changing a tube. I'm thinking of trying tubeless on the road bike but I'd need to buy some new tyres and the prices have shot up

[simon_g]

How old was the sealant? I know Stans says theirs lasts 2-6 months, I tend to just whack a bit more in every 6 months if I've not changed tyres.

[Rich B]

How old was the sealant? I know Stans says theirs lasts 2-6 months, I tend to just whack a bit more in every 6 months if I've not changed tyres.

another reason I can't be arsed with tubeless.

[John]

The Stans I'm using is around 12 months old and still looks absolutely fine, I have topped it up once though.

My tyre went down again today

[Jobbo]

I finally ran my bike out of power today. Was only a mile from home when it stopped assisting, though I’d knocked it back to Eco 10 miles earlier.

Lovely ride though, 42 miles up and over three separate hills. And I dishing charge it before going out, so while it reported 5 bars I’m not sure how much was really in it.

[John]

I was blatting down a hill tonight at about 30mph when I became aware that I was getting showered in a milky substance

After realising that I wasn't getting attacked by the local scrotes hidden in the undergrowth with their super soakers, I spotted the rear wheel doing an impression of a Stans sealant powered Catherine Wheel. It stopped after about twenty seconds and surprisingly little pressure lost.

[Gwaredd]

I've said it before, but I've been using the Orange endurance sealant for about 3 years now and never had a puncture I've known about. Heard good stuff about the new Peaty's sealant though.

[John]

I'm always open to trying different brands but it's the first time that I've had sealant escape like that and like you I've had numerous punctures that I didn't know about.

[Gavin]

Wife's FS was in for a service and sealant top up after removing a Hawthorne thorn (yet again) and it failing to seal.

Also dragged my own FS out the back of the shed. I had forgotten how nice it is to pedal but boy is it heavy.

My wife had to move it to get her's out when going out with a pal and came in and exclaimed how heavy it was. I have only been saying since I got it but looking at online reviews etc I would have to spend a fair but to get anything significantly lighter than 15.4KG which was the factory weight of mine.

[Jobbo]

We borrowed bikes on Cape Cod and cycled the Shining Sea Cycleway. Not mountain biking at all; it was tarmac all the way, but rather lovely. The bikes were cruisers without brakes other than backpedal brake on the rear, which was somewhat disconcerting - but ok so long as we avoided going down any proper hills

[Mito Man]

Is there a non mountain biking thread or has it all merged into this?

[DeskJockey]

Is there a non mountain biking thread or has it all merged into this?

I don't think there is. You can start one? How niche a cycling theme are you considering?

I've been looking at gravel bikes again to replace both of mine. MTB will be a good project for someone to create a period/restomod or just as a frame to build on (2001 Cannondale F600). Everything works, but the shifters are knackered and the front suspension was replaced with a rigid fork years ago as the cylinder (air suspension) failed. Even in its current state it is a lovely thing to ride on.

Road bike just needs a clean and a bit of TLC and then it is good to go. Unfortunately I am quite attached to both for no good reason.

Will need to factor in a through axle for the new bike as the Follow-Me we've got came with the old style quick release.

[Mito Man]

Extremely niche - I’m wondering if anyone has a folding E bike or something they recommend?

[Jobbo]

Thanks for bumping this - reminded me I need some recommendations.

I had a lovely cycle through the Forest of Dean and down the Wye Valley to Tintern Abbey and back up the Welsh side last week. But I managed to break the Lidl bar mount for my phone which I've been using for some years I broke one previously but had a spare; this time I don't trust it any more anyway because there's a lot of leverage on a bit of plastic.



What are people using for bar mounting a phone? Keeping it in my pocket isn't the answer because I refer to it for maps and route finding. Annoyingly I have a load of the Lidl mounts so can just plonk the removeable bit onto whichever bike I'm using, so I am going to need to buy a few of the mounting brackets for whatever replaces it.

Oh, and one recommendation from me. I have for ages relied on OS maps on Trailwise 2, the Green Lane Association's web-based 'app' (not actually an app but mostly behaves like one). But when I was deep in the Wye Valley and had no signal, the cached maps decided not to come up and I was a bit stuck for directions out of Redbrook, particularly because I was trying to find an obscure green lane. I now have Memory Map and have paid for the whole of the UK coverage of 1:25000 and 1:50000 OS maps, which are downloaded onto my phone so lack of a signal will no longer be a problem. Running out of battery will be instead, no doubt

As for folding e-bikes, I'd go for a Brompton every time. The fold makes them so much better than any other folder, and the electric version doesn't seem ridiculously more expensive now that e-MTBs start at £4000 or so.

[Mito Man]

£3000 for something which may have to be parked up outside for short periods on the odd shopping trip - no thanks!

[8Ball]

I use a Garmin, so can't speak from experience, but have a look at Quad Lock for phone mounting.

[Jobbo]

£3000 for something which may have to be parked up outside for short periods on the odd shopping trip - no thanks!

That's the joy of a Brompton - fold it up and take it in. You won't want to lock up a Tern or Dahon outside either.