Dammit’s adventures in mountain biking

Uhh...it was ok last time I went. But that was a while ago now....

So Swinley is still shit, right?

Oh yeah, too many trees, ground made of dirt and mud, lots of silly lumps that look like it could propel unknown people into oblivion into said trees, yeah still shit.

At least it's not on fire. Again.

Tbf, I should have left the question mark off the end

Twinned with Sheffield ski village?

By August 2016 the site had suffered from approximately 50 arson attacks.

Someone really doesn't like fake plastic snow

There’s a nice breakfast to be had in Putney, which I usually avail myself of before heading to Swinley. I’ve got room on the roof for one more bike, and can get four people in the car in comfort (including me in that number), so two hiring, one bringing own bike.

Your roof-rack is fork mount, right?

Living in Putney, I’d like to take you up on that one day

Yep, I have a converter for 15/100 bolt through, or 12/100, I’ll be using the 15/boost. Otherwise I have the QR ones- but assume no modern MTB would use them.

Lefty tho

There are converters for those- QR to Lefty, that’s actually easier than swapping QR out for a bolt-through

One of these for e.g. https://frsport.com/thule-530l-thru-axle-adapter-lefty?currency=GBP&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2MrHrP7A3wIViLjACh2vcw8vEAQYAyABEgJBy_D_BwE

Having to take the front caliper off every time you want to put the bike on the car could get pretty dull quite quickly though.

I had not thought of that. It’s only two bolts, I suppose.

I can take train down which is pretty easy, just managed to get the MTB working as expected

Yeah it gets a bit boring. At least on the 2.0s you just back them out a bit and the whole thing then just slides off.

Bolting the hub back on when it just really wants to wander down the axle is the really tiresome bit tbf.

Actually it would be cheaper to just buy one of the Thule racks that leaves both wheels on rather than get the converter, once I’d been stung for import duty etc.

I can put that between the others, facing backward so the bikes fit.

I have the Thule one, I like it. So quick and easy to chuck a bike up there.

I’ve just never liked the idea of clamping the downtube.

Yeah. You need to be really careful that the tube is clean and the clamp - or the rag you put between the clamp and the tube - is clean. Or it's good bye paint time.

I've first hand experience of what happens if the clamp comes loose and drops off, too. Bike was fine, car, not so much.

Buy that Trek and come on a skills course with me

You're teaching mtb skills now...

Your call- wheels on rack or fork mount with adapter?

On rack - I have the knack now