Any cyclists here?

stirlingtrayle

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Great stories and rides / bikes here, just read 17 pages in one hit which is a first for me! You guys in the US certainly do have some amazing trails and scenery to explore and it appears that you may not see any other folk for some time in doing so; that makes me very envious!

My bikes are all fairly old in comparison with some of these, but I wouldn't change them for anything else right now, they all ride and fit / feel part of me which is all I ask of them. The old mtb (Defride will recognise this..) has done many 1000's of miles, bought new in 1993, still on original wheels, bars, seatpost and believe it or not shifters, the rest wore out several times over the years. It didn't get used for maybe 10 years when the road bikes took preference, but I have been using it as a commuter and for holidays with Mrs, it feels like a relic but it gets attention from the retro guys out there, and still goes pretty quick on dry single-track.. The front is too low because the fork dampers had perished but thankfully I did manage to source some replacements from a small co in Idaho which work a treat, so now there's probably 2.5" travel when needed.. I still love the Joe Murray frame, and it's so amusing when local roadies blank me on this..!:D



Road bikes; my early ones are long gone but these I will never part with, Fondriest Don Racer U107 and Felt AR1. Both run Campagnolo record, 10 & 11sp respectively. The Fondriest has done several Etape Du Tour in the Pyrenees and the Marmotte in the Alps, back when I was riding a lot, all serious rides and a lot of fun, even the Marmotte arriving at Alp d'Huez feeling like a tour rider :D This is superlight, just under 7kg, luckily I was well within it's weight limit as it was built for climbing by lightweight riders, so Iirc the limit was 80kg max, back then I was around 65kg. I plan to swap out the chainset from Rotor to Campag at some point. Wheels are Tubs, DV46, brakes are those Ciamillo's, thankfully they worked well as that's one area not to mess with when riding a lot in the Alps and Pyrenees..:oops:



This Felt AR1 I built around 10 years ago, all record, and just rides so nicely, comes in at 8kg.
Longest rides were 210 miles over 2 days, day 1 was 120, day 2 90, average 20.4 mph through and off. Maybe one day I'll get back to that sort of thing..



My first accent of the Gailibier with my gf in 1999 I believe, still a monument having done it 4 times 2 from each side, Valoire ascent being the toughest. Easy to pass cars on the descent to the Lauteret which was always fun.




I use my TT bike indoors now, another Felt, B2, running a Tacx Flux 2. Wheels were different when testing of course, I was never great always 1/3rd to half way down which was fine when the Yates family were dominating..


Sorry to bore you all, nice to talk non audio sometimes!

Beautiful bikes! You've done some very nice riding in Europe. I've had the opportunity to ride a bit in the Pyrenees, mostly following the Tour. I loved the Tourmalet, had a bad day on the Hautacam so that one not so much. :) Still riding skinny tires on the Fondriest? We are mostly riding 25-28 here in No. California.
 
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Tim Link

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Coaching is the best thing you can do if you want to learn or progress. So many techniques are counter intuitive and most people can't even understand what they are doing on a bike without feedback, in other words they can't just see a good rider and then copy their technique without being coached. IMO, mt bike coaching is very interesting as a result of this, plus the fact many skills are very difficult to teach. Some things on a bike come simply by experience and the rider doesn't consciously understand exactly how to do it, which makes trying to teach it very difficult. The finer points of jumping definitely fall into this category, it can be very difficult to teach and explain jumping. Luckily there are tons of vids on youtube, but you also have to make sure you do drills to practice the skill, and do the drills correctly. If you don't do drills you won't be able to apply the skills when they matter.

Evidence: check out Pinkbike's Friday Fails videos. It's full of people who have a distorted view of how they ride and it leads to them doing things on a bike they are completely unqualified for. Jumping larger jumps without learning proper technique is one of the most dangerous things you can do, as a beginner it's tempting to hit larger jumps prematurely for some reason, but it's better to do a lot of practice on smaller sized jumps until you are able to maintain full control of the bike in the air. It's also a skill that needs to be maintained, if you don't use it you lose it and will have to build your way back up again, a lot like strength training.
I would definitely want some coaching before trying any serious jumps. I saw a video that demonstrated how as we age our inner ear balance abilities are significantly diminished. A person in their 20s can typically stand on one foot with their eyes closed much longer than a guy like me in my 50s. I tried it and was mortified by my inability, how much I rely now on vision to keep from falling over! It makes me think maybe I shouldn't be trying to do some of the acrobatic stuff the younger people are doing on bikes. Heck, I wasn't that good at balance when I was young. I have a picture of my bloody knee from a couple years ago when I overestimated by abilities descending a fairly non-technical gravel road. I'll spare ya'll the photo.
 

DasguteOhr

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Sep 26, 2013
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Same here :D
Last year we booked a pro to show us some tricks with the result that the guy told my wife the whole day exactly what I told her all along and at the end of the day, we didn't have the time to show me some stuff :rolleyes:
I guess I will have to book a guy for me alone next time.
I would like to be guided when starting more dangerous stuff like big drops and jumps. I "think" I could do it naturally on my own but because of the risk of injury, I would like to have someone who can teach me correctly and step for step :oops:
There are so many good mountain bike schools in your region, in sölden , tyrol they are one of the best. we were there for 14 days on vacation a very beautiful landscape wonderful routes to drive. for beginners as well as for professionals.
 
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rando

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It makes me think maybe I shouldn't be trying to do some of the acrobatic stuff the younger people are doing on bikes.

You might have a skewed perspective on what most people are capable of on a bike. Leaving the ground is always a roll of the dice and those who reach for the big stakes table too early aren't around long.

Balance - in the air - rarely comes into play before you are back on the ground.
Balance - leaving the ground - determines how gracefully you ride away.
 

DaveC

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I would definitely want some coaching before trying any serious jumps. I saw a video that demonstrated how as we age our inner ear balance abilities are significantly diminished. A person in their 20s can typically stand on one foot with their eyes closed much longer than a guy like me in my 50s. I tried it and was mortified by my inability, how much I rely now on vision to keep from falling over! It makes me think maybe I shouldn't be trying to do some of the acrobatic stuff the younger people are doing on bikes. Heck, I wasn't that good at balance when I was young. I have a picture of my bloody knee from a couple years ago when I overestimated by abilities descending a fairly non-technical gravel road. I'll spare ya'll the photo.


I hear you, the older you get the more training you need just to function. I think some aging issues are genetic and others a result of atrophy though...

On jumping it's really a feel thing. Stay on smaller jumps that have a wider margin for error and less consequence until you feel a sense of being able to move, balance and control the bike in the air. Many people don't get this because you can't recognize it until you get it, and until you do you're at the mercy of the trajectory set when you leave the jump, which is called being a "Dead Sailor". I've done hundreds of runs down local bike park jump lines, and after many years of practice finally feel like I'm not horrible at jumping, lol. Unless you learned it as a kid it just takes A LOT of practice.

YT has some great mtb coaching vids, imo it's worth watching all of them because each coach offers a different insight. Pinkbike's "How To Bike with Ben Cathro" is excellent, as is Fluidride's vids and many others.

Cornering is more important to get right vs jumping, you have to corner all the time and if you can't do it you may not have the speed to jump anything anyways. Cornering is THE basic skill to understand. Unfortunately, the requirement to lean the bike independently of the body, use body english and countersteer is simply not intuitive at all. This is the main reason why there are so few advanced mtb'ers as a % of those who mtb, and there's such massive gaps in ability levels. Few mtb'ers are really interested in progressing, they get to a level they are happy with and stop... progression is scary and you're going to crash. Over a life of dedicated mtb'ing you will be injured at least a few times.

Here's the Cathro jump vid:

 

rando

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Sep 22, 2019
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Bit at :37 where he bunnyhops is what I considered mentioning. Then I remembered nearly everyone is on a heavy e-bike. :p

Carry a rotor tuning tool to straighten it
Throw the bike away if you will land under it
Feet slipping off pedals at any point is common and very very very very painful
Leave the clipless pedals and shoes at home
Never learn to jump alone or with your buddy following you
Inspect the landing and runout beforehand - thoroughly!
 

Uk Paul

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Beautiful bikes! You've done some very nice riding in Europe. I've had the opportunity to ride a bit in the Pyrenees, mostly following the Tour. I loved the Tourmalet, had a bad day on the Hautacam so that one not so much. :) Still riding skinny tires on the Fondriest? We are mostly riding 25-28 here in No. California.

Nice to hear from you Stirling; I trust all good with you over there?

For the time being I'm still running 23's but the state of our dismal roads over here I'll probably look to check out some 28's this season, possibly adding another set of wheels. Things have certainly changed in the thinking in this area since I built up these bikes and I should take advantage.. Do you run 28 on your road bikes?
Great to hear you did get out when in France, my folks lived just 2 hrs north of the Pyrenees so it was handy to spend a few days in the hills when visiting. They are generally tougher than the Alps, more consistent steep gradients, I seem to remember the Col du Marie Blanc has a consistent 4km at 14 %, which we did prior to the Aubisque, very memorable in a good way.. Lol the bad days there are bad, and when the weather turns it can seriously test your mental resolve :oops: The image of me above was descending the Col du Burdincurutcheta from Pau>Bayonne, with Indurain, Abraham Olano and Alain Prost among the entries, Tyler Hamilton famously going solo to win the stage with a fractured collarbone on the pro race of that stage..
 
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defride

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For the time being I'm still running 23's but the state of our dismal roads over here I'll probably look to check out some 28's this season, possibly adding another set of wheels. Things have certainly changed in the thinking in this area since I built up these bikes and I should take advantage.. Do you run 28 on your road bikes?

Need to watch clearances Paul. It's common that older bikes won't offer the clearance required for todays wide rims even tires can be an issue. My winter carbon wheels are 27.5mm external width and there isn't the clearance to run them with 25mm tyres on my 2015 Cannondale Hi-Mod

There will be options, just worth baring in mind before diving in, and nice Fondriest!

Good to see you're getting out again :)
 

christoph

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There are so many good mountain bike schools in your region, in sölden , tyrol they are one of the best. we were there for 14 days on vacation a very beautiful landscape wonderful routes to drive. for beginners as well as for professionals.
Thanks for the hint. Would love to go there :cool:
 

rando

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It's common that older bikes won't offer the clearance required for todays wide rims even tires can be an issue

Paper thin clearances and subsequent high danger levels had their fashionable moment. Followed a decade or two later by melting carbon wheels and subsequent high danger levels. Best to avoid both.
 

stirlingtrayle

Well-Known Member
Nice to hear from you Stirling; I trust all good with you over there?

For the time being I'm still running 23's but the state of our dismal roads over here I'll probably look to check out some 28's this season, possibly adding another set of wheels. Things have certainly changed in the thinking in this area since I built up these bikes and I should take advantage.. Do you run 28 on your road bikes?
Great to hear you did get out when in France, my folks lived just 2 hrs north of the Pyrenees so it was handy to spend a few days in the hills when visiting. They are generally tougher than the Alps, more consistent steep gradients, I seem to remember the Col du Marie Blanc has a consistent 4km at 14 %, which we did prior to the Aubisque, very memorable in a good way.. Lol the bad days there are bad, and when the weather turns it can seriously test your mental resolve :oops: The image of me above was descending the Col du Burdincurutcheta from Pau>Bayonne, with Indurain, Abraham Olano and Alain Prost among the entries, Tyler Hamilton famously going solo to win the stage with a fractured collarbone on the pro race of that stage..
Sorry for my late response. Was on a job up in Seattle. It's beautiful here, but I can only hang for about 30 slow and flat miles at the moment. I'm on 25's still as my Orbea can't handle the 28's, but no problem on the Look 595. A health hiccup kept me off the bike most of 2021 (1,800 slow miles all year). But I think that's mostly all behind me now so I'm trying to fastly go slowly! Hahaha! I'm looking forward to riding in Europe later this year, fingers crossed!
 
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stirlingtrayle

Well-Known Member
Need to watch clearances Paul. It's common that older bikes won't offer the clearance required for todays wide rims even tires can be an issue. My winter carbon wheels are 27.5mm external width and there isn't the clearance to run them with 25mm tyres on my 2015 Cannondale Hi-Mod

There will be options, just worth baring in mind before diving in, and nice Fondriest!

Good to see you're getting out again :)
True! My Orbea can't handle a newer wide road rim (Zipp 303) with 25's. It's the rim, not the tire. But, the HED Ardennes fits perfectly. So my older Look 595 gets the wider rim and tire set, and the newer but tight chainstay Orbea gets the HED's. And I gotta say, the HED's built up with Chris King hubs is a clean set of wheels!
 

Uk Paul

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Sorry for my late response. Was on a job up in Seattle. It's beautiful here, but I can only hang for about 30 slow and flat miles at the moment. I'm on 25's still as my Orbea can't handle the 28's, but no problem on the Look 595. A health hiccup kept me off the bike most of 2021 (1,800 slow miles all year). But I think that's mostly all behind me now so I'm trying to fastly go slowly! Hahaha! I'm looking forward to riding in Europe later this year, fingers crossed!
I hope health improves for you Stirling and you get out riding as much as you want to; 1800 miles is A LOT better than no miles though, no matter what speed.. I'm sure you'll enjoy Europe again, which parts are you heading for?
 

stirlingtrayle

Well-Known Member
I hope health improves for you Stirling and you get out riding as much as you want to; 1800 miles is A LOT better than no miles though, no matter what speed.. I'm sure you'll enjoy Europe again, which parts are you heading for?
Thank you. Health is doing well! I just need to let the effects of some hormone and radiation therapies find their way out of my system so I can get back to normal. Riding with virtually zero testosterone is really....well,....interesting! :) I see the women's Tour ends on the Planche des Belles Filles this year. I think it would be fun to ride up there and watch them suffer their way to glory. Going to Málaga in August, but it'll be waaaaay to hot for me to ride there then.
 

Gregadd

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Got my hands on a mint Canondale RX 500. Just needs tuneup and pedals.
 

AMR / iFi audio

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Hi friends,
I'm thinking about upgrading from my completely basic MBT to something a bit nicer. I'm thinking in the $750 range for an MBT. I was thinking Cube or KTM. I'm doing 40 km trips now, but I'm aiming for 100 km at the end of the year. I'm usually driving in the woods. Maybe you have any recommendations? Anything special to look for?
 

Tim Link

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Feb 12, 2019
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I hear you, the older you get the more training you need just to function. I think some aging issues are genetic and others a result of atrophy though...

On jumping it's really a feel thing. Stay on smaller jumps that have a wider margin for error and less consequence until you feel a sense of being able to move, balance and control the bike in the air. Many people don't get this because you can't recognize it until you get it, and until you do you're at the mercy of the trajectory set when you leave the jump, which is called being a "Dead Sailor". I've done hundreds of runs down local bike park jump lines, and after many years of practice finally feel like I'm not horrible at jumping, lol. Unless you learned it as a kid it just takes A LOT of practice.

YT has some great mtb coaching vids, imo it's worth watching all of them because each coach offers a different insight. Pinkbike's "How To Bike with Ben Cathro" is excellent, as is Fluidride's vids and many others.

Cornering is more important to get right vs jumping, you have to corner all the time and if you can't do it you may not have the speed to jump anything anyways. Cornering is THE basic skill to understand. Unfortunately, the requirement to lean the bike independently of the body, use body english and countersteer is simply not intuitive at all. This is the main reason why there are so few advanced mtb'ers as a % of those who mtb, and there's such massive gaps in ability levels. Few mtb'ers are really interested in progressing, they get to a level they are happy with and stop... progression is scary and you're going to crash. Over a life of dedicated mtb'ing you will be injured at least a few times.

Here's the Cathro jump vid:

That's a very enjoyable and informative video. Back in my late 20s I actually was doing some of this kind of riding. I was riding with a kid who quickly picked up very advanced maneuvers and ended up winning a Jr. World Championship MTB race in Reno. Later he went on to road racing for a couple seasons on a pro team in Europe. I think some people just have amazing talents. At 17 he was keeping up with me on the climbs (I was actually pretty fast back then) but on the descents he just left me in the dust. He was astoundingly good at descending on gravel, taking corners so hard I just couldn't understand how he didn't go off the road. He taught me some of the jumping and hopping techniques but I was fairly limited by fear factor, and I think for good reason. I finally managed to descend a section of trail to his satisfaction, going all the way down without touching the brakes once. At the end of the run it came into an open clearing. I touched the brakes to start slowing down and went over the handlebars and did a superman into a tree. Glad I was wearing a helmet! Watching some very talented MTB riders on an indoor exhibit at a bike show was giving me chills because they were riding on very narrow planks way up in the air. Then the unthinkable happened - one of the rider's front wheels came off the track. What he did was hop off the bike, catch the bike in one arm, catch the rail with the other arm, then released and let himself and the bike down to the floor gently. Knowing how to recover from an error gracefully is a very important part of avoiding injury!

The part you said about so few people having the advanced skills, and how huge a gap there is between those people and everyone else applies to a lot of things. I've been playing a video game, Rayman Legends, for years that has daily and weekly challenges where you can earn a bronze, silver, or gold medal depending on how well you do compared to thousands of other players. I've been getting gold on even the hardest levels for years. But there's also a diamond level. A few players get to that, and it requires a dramatically higher score. I'm still working on getting a diamond on one of those challenges. Maybe I'll do it this year! I see some players get a diamond on every challenge, sometimes on the first attempt! The interesting thing about the game is there's no cost to life and limb from failure, and yet a lot of us still can't pick up the techniques without tremendous effort. Like with the biking, the game techniques required to get higher scores are not intuitive so you almost just have to succeed enough times on accident to start to pick up a feel for what it takes.
 
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Gregadd

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Hi friends,
I'm thinking about upgrading from my completely basic MBT to something a bit nicer. I'm thinking in the $750 range for an MBT. I was thinking Cube or KTM. I'm doing 40 km trips now, but I'm aiming for 100 km at the end of the year. I'm usually driving in the woods. Maybe you have any recommendations? Anything special to look for?
IMO.
Look at some videos on you tube Dream Bikes.
1. we know your distance and budget.
2. What iis the terrain. Mountain has a broad definition, Tire size, suspension, frame weight, and gear ratios all matter.

3. The smaller the tire size, the less rolling resistance. But there is increased exposure to puncture, and rim damage. For suspension you may need anything form spring loaded seat posts, hard tail to all out suspension with fat knobby tires. For 100km comfort is an issue.
Yiu probably don't need carbon. But at least a lightweight aluminum. You will feel the difference. Don't let your ego get in the way. Get some granny gears. Your knees will thank you at the end of the day.
Disc brakes are a good idea.
Cannondale Quick
 
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Atmasphere

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3. The smaller the tire size, the less rolling resistance. But there is increased exposure to puncture, and rim damage. For suspension you may need anything form spring loaded seat posts, hard tail to all out suspension with fat knobby tires. For 100km comfort is an issue.
Yiu probably don't need carbon. But at least a lightweight aluminum. You will feel the difference. Don't let your ego get in the way. Get some granny gears. Your knees will thank you at the end of the day.
Disc brakes are a good idea.
Its been shown over and over that wider tires can be faster. This is as long as they aren't too wide.... but a bit wider can allow for a smaller contact patch. Much depends on inflation! But this is the reason road racers are more frequently running 28mm instead of 25s or 23s. Probably also less likely to suffer pinch flats as well.

The material of the frame has almost no bearing on the ride quality. The tires and the seatpost do however!
 

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