Let's offroad / mountain bike / mtb / ride dirt

Didn't realise you'd signed up. I'll tell you how horrendous an experience it was on Monday. You'll be happy you pulled out then!

Yes, all of them. #fuckenduro #thisisrealenduro

I'm looking forward to the write ups/pictures as they emerge next week! It's more annoying that this is yet another "event" that hasn't gone to plan for me this year... roll on 2015!

@umop3pisdn @Howard swinley skivers tomorrow?

We have a skills session booked with him for 2 weeks time. (I actually paid for it nearly a year ago but illness, injury, work, life got in the way).

Not sure what he will make of the pair of us on fatbikes.

Our plan is for him to watch us and see what he thinks (probably massive facepalm). Hoping to feel more confident at leaving the ground (and landing) and better descending.

We have a skills session booked with him for 2 weeks time. (I actually paid for it nearly a year ago but illness, injury, work, life got in the way).

Not sure what he will make of the pair of us on fatbikes.

Our plan is for him to watch us and see what he thinks (probably massive facepalm). Hoping to feel more confident at leaving the ground (and landing) and better descending.

Good plan, let him watch you, be open to his suggestions and try to take on board as much as you can. Then try to do it all at once, mid corner.

Leaving the ground? If you're heading to Chicksands then the second roller after the start gate is a reliable jump with a smooth landing, the progressive drops are excellent too, but don't let their size psych you out, work up to the bigguns. I've hit all of the drops on my little jump hardtail, but struggle to clear a double because I automatically squash everything.

Fatbikes at Chicksands? I've never seen one there, and I'm fairly regular but a bike's a bike so far as a session with Tom goes. The day is about working on your skills, not what you're riding.

Enjoy your day with Tom and report back.

I'm out I'm afraid

Anyone else free today?

Sorry - out of the country.

Anyone know what the difference is between MTB, CX and a Monstercross. Is it both MTB and CX combined? So a 29" MTB with drops and large tyres?!

that is fairly much it in a nutshell

drop bar mtb = monstercross, ideally with 29er wheels

So the limits of a modern CX bike is the space for the larger tyres?!

yep, they are unlikely to fit 2.4" 29er tyres

Thanks DJ, will check my clearances when I get home.. Just that I could end up building a MTB to be very similar to my main/commuter/cx bike...

Checked - 40 / 42c max..... Hmmmmm

Or Krampus for SuperMonsterCross 29"x3"

I wish I'd bought a Krampus now...

I am not sure what to do now, have a 26" inbred that I was thinking of converting the front to 29" with midge bars....

Maybe I should sell the frame and then get a 29" frame, just got most of the spares..

The geo of monster cross frames is not standard mtb, or the drops will be too low down and the hood position too far away.

Dancing James, were you at Swinley last Friday on a fatbike, with a girl on a fatbike and a dog or two?

@davros Sounds like us, two ginger dogs? Where did you see us?

Hmmm my old 700c disc wheels fit the 26" inbred frame.... With tyres I think I could get 40c on there

Anyone tried this?

@stedlocks did it with his Airbourne Lancaster frame.

http://www.lfgss.com/comments/11877048/

I've ridden skinny 700C wheels in a 26" MTB frame; it's basically a hybrid. The rolling diameter of a 26×2¼" tyre is about the same as a 700×25C, so the geometry and clearance works fine.

@dancing james at the start of the blue, I was riding a retro Merlin, I was with a guy on a 650 thing. It was a good day to ride

Went riding somewhere in Surrey. It was raining, I rode crap I'd never thought my wrists could handle, I got really muddy, it got dark, I broke a light bracket, I crashed, I rode some more. It was fun.