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

Nowt wrong with the colour, mine is a very bland silver/black as it was extremely cheap

I’m going to the Brexit March this arvo for an hour or so, wanted to look at MTB gear afterward, Cloud 9 is the only place that springs to mind- is there anywhere else?

Decided to keep it.

Popped some heavy RST’s on, and swapped the CST cruisers for Barzo’s and did two laps of the local trail, which had been rained on for a day or two. Decided if it works to alternate between the FSR and the Acid.

Phwoar, way different to full squish in the dry. Every rock, root, and stone felt slippery as hell, and standing up the entire time was killer.

Great fun, 8/10 would skid again.

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Pads- how tight are they meant to be, roughly arm warmer tight, more?

Not so tight they cut blood flow, more tight enough to not rotate when pedaling.
Depending on type and fit it's not unheard of for pads to rotate on impact, as long as they stay in place (as in elbow/forearm don't move up or down your arm) you still get protection.

Like helmets you really want to test fit first. Dianese gear never fitted me, regarded by many as the best, Raceface/Roach armour like a glove on me :)

pffft just don’t crash

easy said not easy to do :)

crashing implies getting Rad.

It took me to buy and try Nuke Proof, POC, Fox and a brand I can’t remember before finding ones that fit and were comfortable whilst riding*.

I don’t know about anyone else but my forearms tend to swell slightly on long technical descents, which caused the unknown brand to become uncomfortable.

Unless you get lucky with your first set there’s a very good chance that you’ll be buying more in Morzine.

*which were Troy Lee btw, just shows something that’s no good for some, works for others

Clipless shoes. Do I get a more casual option that’s better to wear off the bike too like the giro rumble?

Or more cycling shoe, better for riding, not as good for walking/wearing in the office?

Neither, flats r life

I’d still use flats for messing around in the woods for sure but for bikepacking type riding, I think I’d like clipless

y tho?

Clipless shoes are horrible for the kind of hikeabike you end up doing bikepacking. Fast drying trailrunning /approach shoes on flat pedals rule for touring

Decided to try and put some 29er MTB tyres on my Genesis Vagabond and do some offroad probably on South Downs Way and maybe some bits of North Downs. Doubt I'll ever be doing serious offroad miles, just a bit of fun now and then.

Apparently the max clearance is 2.1 inch wide, but I think I've seen builds with wider tyres. Not having a front mech might make the difference.

Anyway, I've no idea about MTB tyres. What would be a decent tyre for this kind of terrain? I'm guessing steer clear of light weight racing tyres...

Wtb nano in 2.1. Rolls fast on tarmac, plenty of grip on tame doubletrack.

Just for easier pedalling long distance, better climbing, foot location. Find myself jigging my feet around trying to find the right spot on flats

Go for proper shoes. You'll spend more time riding in them than walking.

I’m going to be riding in Morzine wearing my reflective Giro commuting shoes

I've got a pair of those giros. They are excellent. The type of shoe which just works on the bike, and will deal with anything not-stupid when walking.

I think logically I just need both.
Maybe I should get some Sidi to match my road shoes, winter road boots and motorbike boots.

And these, obviously

MTB sidi have literally no grip at all on wet stone, be warned.

Get the ones that are easiest to clean, the Fizik pair that I have looked dirty from day one.

For bikepacking trail runners and wide platform flat pedals are my choice. Maybe it's the exact combo I happen to have (Asics + DMR), but foot position is stable, shoes grip very well to pedals (also to the ground during hike-a-bike which is important!), feet are just comfy and don't cause issues day after day.
If you do lean towards clipless, Giro Rumble are not a good choice I think. The front top panel is thin mesh - next to no protection against water and dust. Also, they don't grip very well when walking on anything even slightly trail like. Have an old pair kicking about in size 9 if you'd like to try for yourself.
Quoc GT are nice. Grip well on rough terrain pushing a heavy bike, reasonably waterproof and fast drying. Giro VR90 look similar, but never tried then. Shimano make some SPD shoes that look like they're good for life off the bike (next to the bike?) I think?

For longer bikepacking trips I take some hiking shoes with me. Minimal weight penalty for comfort on and off the bike.
Shimano xc700 or xc900 for riding, inov8 trial running shoes for walking.