OV9

I've been using clip-on shoes and pedals as I do on all my other bikes, but they really don't help if you come off when mountain biking do they?! I've had a few small offs now where I've ended up on my side/back like a turtle, unable to unclip due to the angle.. And a couple where I've just run wide and been unable to unclip in time so have ended up going over!

So I guess its maybe time to try flats...

I think because I came from BMXing I've never trusted being clipped in when trail riding. I suppose it would've stopped me getting a concussion that time I went over a (small) cliff and my bike hit me on the back of the head

I've ridden SPD's since they were released in the 1990's (Still have a set of DX ones in use today as they are that hardy), but they aren't for everyone. I run mine uber loose so that they hold you in but come free with only a slight twist and haven't gotten into trouble at all when I ride them on trails.
I did have a set of both DMR V8's and a Rockbros copy of a crankbros pedal (pretty decent quality to be fair) on my Kona Dawg both were OK with the correct shoes but I much prefer the SPD's and as the Kona is now going (my Giant Anthem is just too good at everything) I'll be 100% SPD with the Rockbros consigned to the caravan locker as holiday family ride pedals.
Tonight marks my return to 3x a week evening rides and god knows I need it. So I hope the bearing replacement I did on the Giant has stopped the creaking too.
My only concession to having the one bike for all is going to be adding a dropper to the Giant (stayed away from for weight reasons and the fact I didn't use it on trails much) so I'll be going for the Brand-X internally routed one and hopefully a lever that can mount to the SRAM levers.

ZedLeg wrote: ↑Mon Jun 13, 2022 12:18 pm I think because I came from BMXing I've never trusted being clipped in when trail riding. I suppose it would've stopped me getting a concussion that time I went over a (small) cliff and my bike hit me on the back of the head

I'm a big fan of the Crank Bros design - so simple, easy to keep clean, minimal adjustment etc. They also inspire confidence as you're always connected to the bike, but starting to think they're not a great idea when things start to go wrong!

I've never tried clipless on the mountain bike - fear of falling/turtling as Mike said has always put me off plus I remember from my teens reading MBUK the amount of advice about setting them up correctly so as not to injure your knees. As I already have a munted knee I didn't want to tempt fate.

I have got them on the road bike/trainer though and took a long time to set them up exactly and haven't had any issues. Figure I'm not moving about anywhere near as much though. Shin pads tip from Rich is good though, I've drawn a lot of blood from the pins on the mountain bike.

On my ride home tonight I managed to collect the largest thorn EVAR. Luckily the tyre stayed inflated as I've put slime in the tubes although it went down when I pulled out the thorn once I was home, it seems to be holding air now though. I really must do a proper tubeless conversion.





That's a 45mm wide tyre for scale.

Is that a raptor talon?!

Had a nice ride round Cannock Chase at lunchtime. So busy at work I took my bike in and got out for a spin during the day. Staffordshire bridleways are not as well-trod as Gloucestershire’s, which means my legs are now basically comprised of nettle stings. The Chase was light relief.

This time of year that’s a blackthorn, they can go straight through normal car tyres too!

Said adios to both mine and the boys trail full sus bikes. He decided a 29er hardtail was what he needed and I only ever ride my Anthem (when I got on the 26er Kona I just wanted to be back on the Giant) so FB marketplace provided buyers, both decent people (not that I didn't have a fair few scammers and lowball dickheads mixed in messaging me too).
Dropper now ordered for the Anthem so I can use it for trails too and the dropper that was on my Kona is now on the Cube I've given to my younger boy.

I had a great ride on my old Specialized Crosstrail at the weekend. The initial feeling like it had a rear tyre puncture compared to my e-bike wore off very quickly and it was a joy to be on something light and responsive for a change. I was also a bit worried that using an e-bike was not doing my fitness any good but that seems not to be the case at all; the mate I was out with asked if I had a motor at one point.

That ride, and a video I saw on Youtube of a gravel bike with a flat bar conversion, has got me thinking that I'd quite like a really light non-assisted off-road bike now. My Crosstrail is limited to maximum 38C tyres and they're a bit narrow and run at higher pressures (min 40psi for the Schwalbe Land Cruisers on it), and over bridleways where the ground was very lumpy having been churned up by horses it was a bit too hard tailed for my liking. I don't think there are any sensible-priced sub-10kg full suspension mtbs out there but is there anything sub-12kg with full suspension for maybe £2k? I'm not fussed about a 1x drivetrain (though everything seems to have that now) but do want Shimano kit (not SRAM) and a dropper post. I think mtbs are getting heavier generally so it's a bit of a moon on a stick wishlist. I only want the suspension to smooth the ride over bumpy lanes so it doesn't need much travel. I could compromise a bit on price and weight but I suspect the answer is building my own.

Did some research and the YT Izzo looks like it sort of fits the brief. 1kg heavier than I'd like, £1000 more and has SRAM gearing. But I'm struggling to find anything else like it. I think there may be downcountry or XC bikes which fit what I'm after but it's a real pain trying to find out weights.

I've been very tempted by the Izzo. Lower end one was in the recent Pinkbike test and was lightest by some margin.

Giant Anthem, Trek Top Fuel, Orbea Oiz, Sonder Cortex all similar formula of price/geometry/travel although the YT is very good value.

XC bikes are slacker these days, even a full-on race bike like a Scott Spark is 67 degree HA - and everything is stronger too. "Downcountry" seems to just be filling the market gap between the (very capable) XC stuff and the trail bikes. And to be fair, they make a lot more sense for a lot of riders than a trail or enduro bike.

Cheers Simon - closest to my desired spec would be a Sonder Cortex but I don't think it looks as nice as the YT or Orbea, so I'd probably go with one of those. The Oiz H20 looks a nice compromise though Orbea don't publish weight figures, irritating.

I've just bought another ebike... having ridden the Decoy to work a few times I really enjoyed it, but riding a £6k bike to work that has components that cost more than car parts (and will wear out quickly riding on the road) seemed a bit daft long term!

So I got a second hand Cube hardtail with a Bosch motor. I figure I'll use it as often as possible and see how it goes for a year or so before I decide to keep/sell. It'll save £15 a day on petrol as a minimum though and will help my fitness.

N+1, Rich
What kit is on the Cube to make it that much cheaper to maintain?

Jobbo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 6:20 pm N+1, Rich
What kit is on the Cube to make it that much cheaper to maintain?

Mainly just consumables - expensive (£50+ each) soft tyres not made for the road, cassette/chain that are £200 a time, etc... I can stick any old crap on a cheaper bike that is solely used for commuting.

plus there'll be occasions where I'll leave the bike in the office overnight - not so much of an issue with a £1K bike, bit of a worry with a £6k one.

Yes, there’s no way I’d be leaving my Orbea somewhere - sounds like a good purchase. £1k though? Surely you didn’t get it for that?

Jobbo wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:41 pm Yes, there’s no way I’d be leaving my Orbea somewhere - sounds like a good purchase. £1k though? Surely you didn’t get it for that?

Well, £1150 - fingers crossed it's not shit - I pick it up tomorrow...

Bargain, even if you need to buy a new battery.

I was a bit concerned about drawing attention to my shiny new ebike when I first started commuting on it, a few months down the line and having never had a wash it blends in nicely

I'd recommend one of these small bar end mirrors for anyone commuting, it allows you to keep an eye on what's happening behind you and makes right hand turns much easier https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cateye-BM45-Ba ... _84534.htm