Mountain Biking

Did the Bell Free Ride at Forest of Dean yesterday. Definitely won't bother again! They booked far too many people on and the uplift was a joke. There must have been 100-120 people with only 2 16 man vans so there was a 30-45 minute wait between uplifts. I managed 2 uplifts and pushed up 10 times. Knackared wasnt the word. Also they hid tickets round the forest for you to find prizes, a bit silly to be fair as the last thing i want to be doing while flying down a technical root n rock fest is to be looking for tickets.

I think i'll just pay next time and have a good uplift service were only 60ish people are usually booked.

Also the dude on about his avids feeling spongy, theres little surprise after no bleed in 4 years. The fluid inside has probably more moisture content than dot 5.1. You might get them back working after a bleed but i doubt it, the internals have probably corroded slightly and will more than likely need a rebuild. Get some shimano xt m8000's.
 
Did my first trail run at Hamsterly Forest last week and loved it!

One thing is my chain seems really slack. How do I go about knowing the correct tension it needs to be?

Will nip to Halfords later to get a chain link to ensure a strong link once I have removed some of the original links.
 
GinG said:
Did my first trail run at Hamsterly Forest last week and loved it!

One thing is my chain seems really slack. How do I go about knowing the correct tension it needs to be?

Will nip to Halfords later to get a chain link to ensure a strong link once I have removed some of the original links.
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Clutch mech draillier homey
 
Talk to me about gears, people. What does everyone like for a cross country hardtail? 1 x 12? 2 x 10? I've got 3 x 9 at the moment and the whole drivetrain will probably need replaced as it's so worn so I thought I might experiment with something else while I'm at it. I remember SRAM pushing something called XX or something like that a while back, did that take off?
 
1x10 or 1x11 can be done at a resonable price. Srams cheapest 1x11 is GX i think. Shimanos XT 1x11 is very well priced and you dont need a special freehub body.

Shimano 1x11 would be my choice.

Srams xx1 and new sram eagle 1x12 are some of the best but are very expensive.
 
Might have to go back to tubes on the superstar ds25 rims, never got them to seal properly. Think I traced the rear leak to the join in the rim where it's letting quite a lot of air out.
 
Hi all,could do with some advice please.

My work is offering the bike2work scheme so I'm looking at upgrading my trek 3500 which has served me well for last 4 years.

I'm interested in the Scott Scale 960,Cube LTD Pro 29,Trek Superfly 9.6 and the Norco Torrent 7.2 & Norco Fluid 7.2.

I'm able to top up if required but trying to keep it roughly £1300...

I mostly use it for trails,not break neck speeds and occasional commuting.
The Scott has very good reviews but a mate can't recommend Cube highly enough,is there much better value I could get for my cash?
 
neil_g said:
yeah is it a slack chain or sloppy mech?
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Just removed 3 links, however had to reattach the chain with original pin as the chain link I ordered from Halfords was a 10 speed and not an 8 as I had asked!

Going back to Hamsterley tomorrow after work, hope the chain holds up. Its only going to be my second time out so nothing too strenuous but the 8 speed link won't be in till Friday so just keeping fingers crossed!

Stripped the bike down, degreased, cleaned and all lubed up. Gear all tuned and ready to go. Watch out Danny Hart!!
 
VaderDSL said:
Quick question, one of the grips on my MTB has become loose. I'll clean the bar with an IPA but should I just use some mildly soapy water the clean the inside of the grip?

I hear hairspray on the bar whilst I re-fit it will help secure it to the bar as well.

Also my MTB has Avid Elixir hydraulic brakes but they are incredibly spongy, I have it at middle reach adjust but it almost comes all the way back to the bar before full braking is achieved, I imagine it needs bleeding but are there any tell tale signs to look out for failed seals etc. It affects both front and back, they both feel worse than they did from new.
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So, it seems like both the poor braking and the handlebar grip are caused by the same issue.

The left Avid brake lever is leaking, it has come out of the area where the lever/piston is in the brake body, or near there (I'll have to take a better look this weekend) and has spilt down onto the left handlebar causing it to soak into/under the grip which is why it was loose.

Edit : It actually comes out of the main piston :( looks like the entire main seal has gone.

I have the bikes mounted vertically on the rear garage wall. Is this an inherent problem with hydraulic brakes with having them vertical? or is it just a case of a leak on one of the brakes? maybe a seal gone?

Looks like it's time to buy a set of internals to do both levers as well as a bleed kit.
 
No brakes should never leak, regardless of orientation. I'd expect you might need to pump the levers a few times when you take it down to move any bubbles around but you shouldn't get fluid leaking
 
shroomz said:
No brakes should never leak, regardless of orientation. I'd expect you might need to pump the levers a few times when you take it down to move any bubbles around but you shouldn't get fluid leaking
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Yeah I had a look this evening, I think the main seal has gone. There is virtually no fluid left in the rear brake system. When I pressed the rear lever earlier a second or two after releasing it, a trickle of dot fluid came out from behind the lever, so it's definitely done for.
 
VaderDSL said:
Yeah I had a look this evening, I think the main seal has gone. There is virtually no fluid left in the rear brake system. When I pressed the rear lever earlier a second or two after releasing it, a trickle of dot fluid came out from behind the lever, so it's definitely done for.
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Gutted for you :( hope it's not too expensive
 
VaderDSL said:
Yeah I had a look this evening, I think the main seal has gone. There is virtually no fluid left in the rear brake system. When I pressed the rear lever earlier a second or two after releasing it, a trickle of dot fluid came out from behind the lever, so it's definitely done for.
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I had a similar issue with my Elixir 5's, they just ****ed me off all the time and needed constant attention.

Ditched them and bought some XT M8000's. The difference in quality and braking performance is massive. I'd suggest doing the same if budget allows!
 
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