Mountain Biking

MarkyBoi30

Hi, I would love to start taking my mountain bike out on trails again but don't know anyone with similar interests, and would love to find like minded people . I live in north'side Dublin but drive so could easily get to Dublin mountains or wicklow. Is there anyone out there who can help? Thanks, Mark

wanderer 22

There seems to be a few boardsies recently (including myself) who have got into mountain biking. How about a boards spin some (this?) weekend? I'm in Stoneybatter, maybe Ticknock might suit people?

easygoing39

for details of spins for beginners go to
www.epicmtb.com

P_1

colm18 wrote: »

There seems to be a few boardsies recently (including myself) who have got into mountain biking. How about a boards spin some (this?) weekend? I'm in Stoneybatter, maybe Ticknock might suit people?

Not a bad shout

MarkyBoi30

colm18 wrote: »

There seems to be a few boardsies recently (including myself) who have got into mountain biking. How about a boards spin some (this?) weekend? I'm in Stoneybatter, maybe Ticknock might suit people?

I'm actually busy with family commitments this weekend and next weekend, but would be free weekend of 26th. I'm north side of city but could drive to Ticknock if people wanted to go for a spin there

wanderer 22

Cool - I should be free both mornings that weekend.

MarkyBoi30

colm18 wrote: »

Cool - I should be free both mornings that weekend.

We should def arrange something, has been a while since I did off road biking, have been only doing road cycling recently.

Maybe P_1 will want to join us too

P_1

I should be free the Sunday of the 26th if anyone wants to try a far bike for size

OldPeculier

I'm interested too and should be free on the 26th!

iwillhtfu

I'd be up for that on the 26th count me in.

btw I'll be bringing my canyon spectral size medium if anyone is looking at buying and interested in sizing.

Ogmaestro

I'd also be interested in a spin out to Ticknock......Sunday afternoon this weekend would work for me if anyone wanted a spin before the 26th

Macy0161

easygoing39 wrote: »

for details of spins for beginners go to
www.epicmtb.com

MAD also do beginners spins, and Ticknock are their "home" trails. Mountain biking wasn't ultimately for me, but couldn't fault the club for the welcome!

The Noble Nudge

Any of youse lights and the want to do a few night time loops?? My usual crew are in some stage of injury or recovery.....:)

wanderer 22

I could be interested - where would you usually go? Bought a cree light last week and want to give it a run out.

Bargain_Hound

I would be interested in joining some fellow boardsies for something like this. Will follow this 26th I am away in Edinburgh but most other weekends I am free.

The Noble Nudge

colm18 wrote: »

I could be interested - where would you usually go? Bought a cree light last week and want to give it a run out.

Ticknock usually....
I'm fairly new to the trail scene but would suggest a 2nd light...
One for the head and one for the bike.
I've a spare to get you round if needs be.
I'm alternating nights between road and mtb at the minute so I'm on the road tomorrow night as it stands..not too sure about Friday yet.
Worth it for the view alone...once there's no mist

ec18

iwillhtfu wrote: »

I'd be up for that on the 26th count me in.

btw I'll be bringing my canyon spectral size medium if anyone is looking at buying and interested in sizing.

Sorry for high jacking here but I'm trying to decide between a strive and spectral, is there any reason that you picked the spectral over strive?

Carawaystick

What's the story with tyres?
Schwalbe have them from 13 up to 50 euros, and they look the same to me apart from a wire bead vs folding from 22 euros up

What should I be looking for for basic Balinastoe xc hard tail level?

iwillhtfu

ec18 wrote: »

Sorry for high jacking here but I'm trying to decide between a strive and spectral, is there any reason that you picked the spectral over strive?

which particular models are you comparing?

It was a toss up between the nerve and the spectral when I was looking with the spectral having better spec and more travel and a dropper post

It looks as though the strive is a higher spec and price tag for 2017

C3PO

Carawaystick wrote: »

What's the story with tyres?
Schwalbe have them from 13 up to 50 euros, and they look the same to me apart from a wire bead vs folding from 22 euros up

What should I be looking for for basic Balinastoe xc hard tail level?

Far and away the best/first upgrade to make is to convert to tubeless - nothing spoils a mountain bike spin like a couple of punctures! Most wheels can be converted with a kit!
If you intend to stay on the Coillte trails then a Schwalbe Rocket Ron would be ideal - if you plan on venturing into more natural terrain then a Nobby Nic would be better.

Carawaystick

They both look the same to me, small square knobbly grips.
Way back in the day the cool kids had different front and rear tyres like the panaracer smoke on the back and dart on the front

http://adrenalinsportsimports.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/smoke_dart.jpg

So a more knobbly grip is where it's at these days?


Re Tubeless, the main advantage is stopping snakebites punctures? It does nothing for nails, thorns or barbed wire style punctures?

Carawaystick

They both look the same to me, small square knobbly grips.
Way back in the day the cool kids had different front and rear tyres like the panaracer smoke on the back and dart on the front

http://adrenalinsportsimports.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/smoke_dart.jpg

So a more knobbly grip is where it's at these days?


Re Tubeless, the main advantage is stopping snakebites punctures? It does nothing for nails, thorns or barbed wire style punctures?

C3PO

Carawaystick wrote: »

They both look the same to me, small square knobbly grips.
Way back in the day the cool kids had different front and rear tyres like the panaracer smoke on the back and dart on the front

http://adrenalinsportsimports.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/smoke_dart.jpg

So a more knobbly grip is where it's at these days?


Re Tubeless, the main advantage is stopping snakebites punctures? It does nothing for nails, thorns or barbed wire style punctures?

No need for big "knobblies" if you're riding on Coillte type trails, they will just slow you down and make climbing harder work! However once you venture onto muddy or sloppy terrain they come into their own! I use 2.25 Schwalbe Rocket Rons with Snakeskin protection run tubeless all year round on my hardtail mountain bikes but rarely venture onto very technical trails!

The sealing fluid that you put into your tyres when running tubeless will seal most small punctures including nails, thorns etc! In the last 5 years I think I've had to put a tube in just once because the hole was to big for the fluid to seal!

Biopace

Carawaystick wrote: »

Re Tubeless, the main advantage is stopping snakebites punctures? It does nothing for nails, thorns or barbed wire style punctures?

With the right latex sealant in the tyre you should get practically zero punctures. Only the big rips and holes cause the problems, but they will cause problems tubed or tubeless anyway.

iwillhtfu

You can also run lower pressures on tubeless which I've found makes a world of difference on some trails.

C3PO

iwillhtfu wrote: »

You can also run lower pressures on tubeless which I've found makes a world of difference on some trails.

Yep - now running 23-24psi front and back and it really smooths out the ride and increases grip on my 29er hardtails!

nak

Unless you're racing cross country, I would go with the widest tyres with the most grip you can fit on your bike. Really helps with confidence. I have Specialized Butchers on my trail bike and a Butcher front, Purgatory rear on my HT (2.3s). I run about 18psi front, 19 rear unless the trails are dry.

muckwarrior

ec18 wrote: »

Sorry for high jacking here but I'm trying to decide between a strive and spectral, is there any reason that you picked the spectral over strive?

They're different classes of bike; trail bike vs enduro/all mountain. Strive has more suspension travel and capable of taking bigger hits. The Spectral will be a bit lighter and arguably a better all rounder, although the shapeshifter on the Strive means it's actually a really good climber so the lines are blurred a bit.

Regarding tyres, even if the tread pattern looks very similar, other things that could be different are the compound and the strength and weight. Tyres designed for gnarlier stuff will have stronger sidewalls and sometimes softer compounds, which are grippier but draggier.

Carawaystick

Biopace wrote: »

With the right latex sealant in the tyre you should get practically zero punctures. Only the big rips and holes cause the problems, but they will cause problems tubed or tubeless anyway.

So if I put a tube of sealant in my tubes I get the same effect, with a risk of snakebites, and some extra weight?

Biopace

Carawaystick wrote: »

So if I put a tube of sealant in my tubes I get the same effect, with a risk of snakebites, and some extra weight?

Nope, rubber used in tubes is too flexible the sealant just won't work. As cheap upgrades go, converting to tubeless is probably the best bang for buck out there. Being able to run tyres at 15-22lbs on the right trail with no fear of punctures is one of life's little MTB pleasures

xxyyzz

ec18 wrote: »

Sorry for high jacking here but I'm trying to decide between a strive and spectral, is there any reason that you picked the spectral over strive?

The Strive is an enduro bike, it's a lot of bike designed for racing rough technical trails and would be capable of riding most downhill tracks. It will excel at descending but has enough gears to winch yourself to the top. The Spectral is a very capable bike also with less suspension and would probably suit the vast majority of Irish trails. Be honest with yourself about the kind of riding you intend to do, if you aim to race a few enduros and prefer descending then the Strive is probably the bike for you. If you just want it for all day general ripping trails, the spectral is more than capable and will climb much better.

Carawaystick

Biopace wrote: »

Nope, rubber used in tubes is too flexible the sealant just won't work.

I mean the sealant used in Road tubes

wanderer 22

The Noble Nudge wrote: »

Ticknock usually....
I'm fairly new to the trail scene but would suggest a 2nd light...
One for the head and one for the bike.
I've a spare to get you round if needs be.
I'm alternating nights between road and mtb at the minute so I'm on the road tomorrow night as it stands..not too sure about Friday yet.
Worth it for the view alone...once there's no mist

Sorry, forgot to reply to this. Have a second light(cateye volt 700) on the bars but will order a helmet mount for this then I'll be ready to go :cool:

ec18

Thanks for all the replies I was looking at the bottom spec in spectral/Strive.... i'd think I'd like to get into some racing towards the end of next year so might go with the Strive

xxyyzz

I would say if you go for a strive then it is also worth having a decent all-round bike like a hardtail in your shed also. Unless every spin you go on involves winching yourself slowly to the top followed by a balls out descent then that is a lot of bike and suspension to be lugging round for day to day trail-riding. I have a 160mm enduro bike and being honest it spends most of the time in the shed unless I'm heading for bikepark Ireland or a downhill smashey smashey type strava spin. I spend 80% of my time between my trail bike and my hardtail (I have a bike addiction problem)

muckwarrior

xxyyzz wrote: »

winching yourself slowly to the top

I take it you've never ridden a strive? I went from a 100mm XC hardtail to the strive and I was dreading what the climbs were gonna be like. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. On my first couple of spins on it I set several PRs on climbs! Ok, it's not as fast on fireroads, but on technical climbs it's as quick or quicker than my XC bike.

ec18

xxyyzz wrote: »

I would say if you go for a strive then it is also worth having a decent all-round bike like a hardtail in your shed also. Unless every spin you go on involves winching yourself slowly to the top followed by a balls out descent then that is a lot of bike and suspension to be lugging round for day to day trail-riding. I have a 160mm enduro bike and being honest it spends most of the time in the shed unless I'm heading for bikepark Ireland or a downhill smashey smashey type strava spin. I spend 80% of my time between my trail bike and my hardtail (I have a bike addiction problem)

Yeah I have a decent hardtail in the shed already :cool::cool:

The Noble Nudge

colm18 wrote: »

Sorry, forgot to reply to this. Have a second light(cateye volt 700) on the bars but will order a helmet mount for this then I'll be ready to go :cool:

Grand Colm let me know when you get kitted out for night time...

xxyyzz

muckwarrior wrote: »

I take it you've never ridden a strive? I went from a 100mm XC hardtail to the strive and I was dreading what the climbs were gonna be like. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. On my first couple of spins on it I set several PRs on climbs! Ok, it's not as fast on fireroads, but on technical climbs it's as quick or quicker than my XC bike.

Nope I haven't but if you have a 160mm bike, the fork and shock will soak up a lot more pedalling effort than an hardtail will regardless of the geometry making them a less efficient climber than a hardtail. That was the point I was making.

It's nice to have a hardtail in your armoury, particularly in the winter when you tend to go for more pedally spins. They keep your skills sharp too because they don't let you get away with sloppy technique.

Tomred13

MarkyBoi30 wrote: »

I'm actually busy with family commitments this weekend and next weekend, but would be free weekend of 26th. I'm north side of city but could drive to Ticknock if people wanted to go for a spin there

Hi

Id be up for a mtb spin in ticknock on 26th aswell depending on family commitments.

Dermot

wanderer 22

Tomred13 wrote: »

Hi

Id be up for a mtb spin in ticknock on 26th aswell depending on family commitments.

Dermot

Good stuff; looks like we'll have a few on the 26th so.

rizzodun

xxyyzz wrote: »

Nope I haven't but if you have a 160mm bike, the fork and shock will soak up a lot more pedalling effort than an hardtail will regardless of the geometry making them a less efficient climber than a hardtail. That was the point I was making.

It's nice to have a hardtail in your armoury, particularly in the winter when you tend to go for more pedally spins. They keep your skills sharp too because they don't let you get away with sloppy technique.

+1 to this, hardtails are a lot easier to maintain in the winter weather too. My full suss will be serviced and apart from one trip to bike park Ireland over the Christmas it's staying in the shed until the weather picks up, the hardtail hones my skills over the winter.

Enduro

xxyyzz wrote: »

Nope I haven't but if you have a 160mm bike, the fork and shock will soak up a lot more pedalling effort than an hardtail will regardless of the geometry making them a less efficient climber than a hardtail. That was the point I was making.

However, on technical ground a full suspenion will track the bumps much more effortlessly, so you'll be able to apply more power and spend less effort manouvering the bike.

xxyyzz

Enduro wrote: »

However, on technical ground a full suspenion will track the bumps much more effortlessly, so you'll be able to apply more power and spend less effort manouvering the bike.

Yeah but you still don't need 160mm travel for that, that's why Jesus gave us anthems

muckwarrior

The Shapeshifter on the Strive reduces travel on the rear to 130mm, raises the bottom bracket and steepens the head angle by 1.5 degrees. They call it XC mode, although trail mode might be a more accurate description. In any case it actually works. Climbing is noticeably easier vs DH mode.

sparrowcar

muckwarrior wrote: »

The Shapeshifter on the Strive reduces travel on the rear to 130mm, raises the bottom bracket and steepens the head angle by 1.5 degrees. They call it XC mode, although trail mode might be a more accurate description. In any case it actually works. Climbing is noticeably easier vs DH mode.

I'd love to show them the pinkbike thread on our bikes