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

Good to know.
Can’t figure out whether to hire or buy one.
They’re pricey for something that gets used rarely.

It’s an iterative process, as you dial in the fork you then tweak the shock etc. As your weight and riding adapt it can further help.

If you buy more bikes, you'll get more use out of it

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Decide what terrain you'll mostly be riding; the faster and steeper, the more travel and slacker head angle you should go for.

Then choose the nicest colour.

Hmm yea I think I'm the same. You always need some time to get used to a new bike anyways...

TIL: I need 300mm fork...

Just me, or does the geo of the new Megatower look a bit mean, reach-wise?

First proper ride this year.
The local Chiltern trails are all running well, bone dry and bone-shaking on a hardtail. Really undecided at the moment whether to stick with this or upgrade to a FlareMax.

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@Dammit you need this seatpost

But he doesn't even own a gravel bike?

What top cap mount is that?

Sandpapered and isopropyl'd the fuck out of the GrInbred rotors again and then put in new pads and the squealing has gone for now.

Rotated the bars back towards me to shorten and make the thing a bit more upright I guess. I'll have 24hrs to make more adjustments...

It’s a Nukeproof Garmin top cap. Brilliant piece of kit.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/nukeproof-garmin-wahoo-top-cap-mount

Neat, thanks. Trying to decide which Garmin to use and where to put it. I was thinking just etrex on the bars for data capture but then I've also used a Garmin 1030 on an out-front mount. Not sure which of them is less likely to shake my Garmin to death or leave it for my balls to remove when I go OTB.

https://silca.cc/pages/sppc-form is telling me to run 24 rear and 22.5 psi front on 26x2.3" tyres. Does that sound in the ballpark for 108kg system weight? Track looks pretty flat, grassy with some pavement and no rocks so less likely to hit sharp shit. Think I have 30 f/r now. It's rigid SS so might run lower in the front for some suspension for my poor widdle hands.

It's a decent place to start that won't kill you or your bike. Just alter it as you go, if you feel the need

I'd probably go closer to 25/21. Depends on the rim width to a certain degree

It's 24/27 f/r right now according to SKS gauge. By the time I get there it should be correct pressure :D

Actually, I'm gonna top up the sealant so I'll have to pump up the jam again later.

Doesn’t sound a million miles out for pressures.
Maybe try the Sram pressure calculator as well and split the difference?

https://axs.sram.com/guides/tire/pressure

Personally I’d be going for comfort over everything else for a 24. When I rode 24:12 a few years back I took an absolute battering and that was on a hardtail.

Is too short.

It reckons 32/34psi f/r so I guess maybe I'll start with it a bit higher and drop it when I can't feel my hands any more.

Got any 24hr tips for me? I'm already fucked on the comfort front, using a rigid singlespeed that I've barely ridden. I'll be using flats and FiveTns so I might be walking bits to rest my gooch. Debating if I should run midfoot pedals or grippier Nukeproofs. It's not gonna matter at my speeds really so I reckon the bigger platform is probably better for my feet.

I know you're a unit, but a whole solar system is something else.

Someone has to keep the bars and restaurants in business. ;)

Upgrade! Upgrade! Upgrade!

"Dear bike forum, should I spend some money?"

Got any 24hr tips for me?

Best tip I ever got was to remember it's a marathon, not a sprint.
Every time I've raced a 12h I've always gone off like it's a normal XC race and ended up regretting it. Consistency is key. 24's it's an even bigger consideration.
I try to complete a sighting lap the day before the race and take it steady, that ends up being my target pace for the race. Resisting the urge to "race" people on the first lap is tough but loads of them are in pairs/teams etc. so will always be faster.
Stick with what you're used to when it comes to nutrition, don't try any different drinks/gels/other stuff on the day.
Eat lots.
Take proper food. Sugary energy stuff is good and it'll keep you going but it'll play havoc with your stomach eating that crap for 24h. Don't just go with sweet stuff, plenty of savoury as well.
Take salty food, things like crisps and nuts. You'll be craving salt after a few hours.
Take snack food you like. I always used to have mini pork pies, ham sandwiches and tomato sauce in my pits, when you're hungry at 3am after 15 hours on the bike you won't want healthy, you'll want tasty.
Prepare for the time between about 2am and 5am, it's horrible. All the 12h riders will have finished so the course seems empty, all the pit crews will be sleeping so you'll get very little encouragement from trackside, it'll be cold and you'll be bored and questioning your lifestyle choices. Have some headphones handy so you can listen to a bit of music for a couple of laps to perk you up.
Eat some more.
If you're really struggling, stop for a sleep for a few hours, just make sure you head back out again.
Keep eating.
Depending on the course, the lap you do when the sun rises will be awesome. Enjoy it.

Make sure you've got spares of everything clothes-wise, same goes for shoes.
Have spare kit to change in to after 12h or so, fresh bibs make a world of difference.
Comfort wins over everything else.

Main thing is to enjoy it. I loved doing 12h races, 24's I tried a couple of times and failed miserably.
A few mates have raced in endurance events in Belgium and they said they're amazing, much better atmosphere than UK events. I hope you get to enjoy it a bit in between the suffering!