Ultracycling

Grand - its an old millitary road and sometimes it gets a bit ruined by rain/landrovers/mudslides. I'm hoping it's just winch up and plummet down for a pie in Fort Augustus.

Some courses and XC races will sort out the MTB skills?

This guy is really good for the basics, based at Swinley https://www.purplebikeshed.com/private-mtb-skills-session/ and Tom Dowie or Tony Doyle (Jedi) for the rad skillz
XC races - try Gorrick / Brass Monkeys?

Badger divide uses it? Check https://www.instagram.com/thebadgerdivide/ or ask @Eamesy

Thanks I'll check that out, I will be going to mtb school.

Ok, maybe we can arrange something. I still want to ride a solo 24hr somewhere boring but this stuff is next level and my MTB skills are non-existent (so are my walking skills for that matter!).

Cheaper SPDs? I know Shimano's lower spec shoes go down in stiffness as they have less carbon then no carbon soles in them. You want something pretty durable too right, so they're not cut up when walking on rocky ground?

Only got the bike last week.

gets new bike.. tears it apart riding 550mi in the middle of freakin nowhere

#likeaboss

I will be going to mtb school.

Where did you feel your skills limited you? Just general lack of body english flicking the bike around, slow on descents, not knowing traction limits of tyres?

Tour Divide 2020?

I still want to ride a solo 24hr

my MTB skills are non-existent

Do Strathpuffer, it'll be funny

There are only about 40kms on the whole of the 4,000km divide route that are vaguely technical - nothing really challenging at that!

I wasn’t suggesting anything about it. Just wondering if Skinny fancies it now that he’s a mountain biker

Wasn’t there some trans Wales event that @Gabe did as part of his prep for the Tour de Divide?

We've been joking about this at work for the last few years. It's a bucket list event I guess but I'd like to do a tame one first to see how my back holds up off-road for 24hr.

I think I'm going too

Just had to walk a lot more. And a lot slower over bad terrain.

Plus crashing a few times I smashed both knees and rolled both ankles.

To be fair tour divide is more a gravel race. Mpuntain bikers would turn their nose up at it being called mountain bike. It's a rigid bike or even monster cross bike.

But yeah, on my list.

There you go, a proper competition for you @hippy

new rapha explore shoes are pretty good - stiff where it matters (pedal plate bit) and flexible for walking.

Wasn’t there some trans Wales event that @Gabe did as part of his prep for the Tour de Divide?

gabes is now @turnpedal. @Gabe is someone else.

Me vs. James? That's never going to go my way unless he has to neck a bottle of whisky at the start or something.

I've been looking into MTB shoes, but midfoot makes it tricky. @scherrit has a pair of cheap Shimano he's working on at the moment.

I had my feet out and fell over so often during Strathpuffer that I would have been better off with flats. Too tired to unclip in time. You can walk and pedal mid foot

I raced here in the UK in a pair of skate shoes on flat pedals so yeah maybe I should just look at getting a better pair of flat pedal riding shoes. Are there any MTB shoes made for this? I have Five 10s but they're kinda freeride shoes and not so stiff, nor do they drain water much.
I've still got https://bigchaps.com/products/catalyst-pedal on my todo list but I just don't do any MTBing here so it's kinda out of my radar.

I'm too cheap to buy nice MTB shoes so for me they either have no grip on the pedals (walking boots etc.) or no grip on muddy icy slopes/paths.

But I think they exist, maybe @platypus or @TvH or someone can recommend something specific