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

Those trees are giant redwoods

Did you buy those on ebay as well?

Set screw EBBs, as found on the Charge are generally fine if kept greased once in a while. The main issue with them is people over-tightening the screws/bolts and distorting the BB shell.

The only other problem I'm aware of is when they are adjusted too often. This can cause tracking on the EBB from indentations from where the screws/bolts are really close together, which could cause it to slip.

This, last bike had an EBB, no real problems aside from when it wasn't greased enough. If I had a choice now i'd probably go for sliding dropouts. My current frame has slot dropouts which is fine except it doesn't seem to have been designed with mechanical brakes in mind. So I can't use the full length of the dropouts as the caliper hits the seat stay.

ended up filing the shoulder of my BB5 to fit it far back enough on my pompetamine, for exactly that reason

• 1 to EBB or sliding dropouts.
  
  

I had a charge with an EBB - it was awesome. Never made a sound and adjustment worked well. Would recommend.

ended up filing the shoulder of my BB5 to fit it far back enough on my pompetamine, for exactly that reason

Does seem to be a problem with all On One frames, my Lurcher suffers from it and I know the same goes for the Inbred i'm building up.

my Lurcher suffers.

From low self esteem?

Do the other bikes pick on it for being so ugly ;-)

I pride myself on having ugly bikes. Though my Dutch bike is a very pretty one (it's even famous! http://artefactcafe.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/clip-it-on-workshop/), everything else is nice and ugly!

We disagree massively. The main pleasure of XC is (IMHO) getting up exceptionally steep hills without putting your foot on the ground. I have no idea of what where you cycle is like, but around me (surrey) I have roads where I can't get up the hill seated in first gear with a road triple up front (and whilst I do not think that there aren't others who can do better than me I do not believe I am some massive unfit loser). Off road is another level again. I remember steep hills as a kid where the mud and rocks are so bad going DOWN is a struggle, let alone going up. I love hills where you have to walk because it is too steep, but that is no reason not to do every inch you can in a granny ring.

Or am I just a freak and most people who go off road like fairly dry, smooth fairly flat trails?

Pretty much with you on that one. For me much of the fun of MTBing is riding over technical stuff, even if it would in fact be faster to walk. Putting a foot down is a fail. Gotta ride your bike - not take it for a walk.

I pride myself on having ugly bikes. Though my Dutch bike is a very pretty one (it's even famous! http://artefactcafe.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/clip-it-on-workshop/), everything else is nice and ugly!

I'm beginning to suspect that you're one of these guys who turns up to a race on a totally unsuitable looking bike and then proceeds to destroy everybody :-/

Did you buy those on ebay as well?

Vertigo off-cuts :)

Putting a foot down is a fail

I'm beginning to suspect that you're one of these guys who turns up to a race on a totally unsuitable looking bike and then proceeds to destroy everybody :-/

It's just so I have an excuse when I don't win ;)

Did Swinley today - the place looks like the Somme. What isn't being dug up, bermed etc is being harvested so even a lot of the fire roads are terrible.

The work looks amazing. One trail called Demon just goes on forever. I accidentaly rode it by joining it from another only to find it was shut. I cleared off to the 4 rides that meet in the 'spooky clearing' which are all open, the second one having a new start.

The place will be amazing when it's finished and dry. It's a pity there is so much litter on the 'session' areas.

Same attitude, less scoring, much less hoppity-hopping (far too much like hard work, that looks).

^ Being both a geared and ss rider, I can appreciate this element of challenge.

In fact, one of the things I enjoy about single speeding is the accomplishment of getting to the top of a hill without dismounting. Sure, I'd never get up the technical ascents that I would with gears, but I used to love getting to the top of a steep hill and thinking "I can't believe I managed to do that on a singlespeed"

This is of course entirely irrelevant now as I live in Norfolk :-)

Single speeding is simple. As is fixed road riding. When the pedals stop going around you get off and push.

I really feel this when off roading, as gearing should be constantly changed for terrain, as well as gradient. Frankly I have enough to think about choosing my line, and controling my braking. But then maybe I'm as slow in the brain as I am in the leg.

Anyone fancy a duathlon? I am tempt.

http://allabouttriathlons.co.uk/race/hurtleberry/

Anyone fancy a duathlon? I am tempt.

http://allabouttriathlons.co.uk/race/hurtleberry/

I'd love to do something like that.

Singlespeed the MTB bit, and do the run in flip-flops perhaps.

Constant maintenance and cleaning my full suspension mtb after every ride made me set up my inbred ss for some no fuss muddy action.

Got out for a couple of hours today around peaslake. Not as muddy as it was before xmas and yoghurt pots has a new diverted line around the worst muddy section that never seems to dry out.

Have we discussed 650b vs 29er on here yet?

I don't know anybody that's tried a 650b'er yet.

*not very helpful

^^^ much fun.

^^ probably not much fun. ;)

650b =

I really don't want 650b to take off. Two wheel sizes is enough.

Is 650b not pretty much 26?