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

I regret nothing thrown into the pit

I feel the same way about the bog ;-)

50 years from now books titled "The tall stranger, unwary cyclists & the woods" will investigate your legacy.

Great drone work on that. Makes me wonder why my friend in Vancouver hasn't ever touched a mountain bike.

I look forward to reading this

Makes me wonder why my friend in Vancouver hasn't ever touched a mountain bike

Because of the massive terrifying rocks?

Because of the massive roll-able rocks.

Just remembered the mini boulders on the last hill of that Brighton ride we did 😵

Anyone know what size rotor a Santa Cruz Chameleon Al takes natively? Think it might be 160mm but can't see it mentioned on their site.

Completes come with 180 but looks like an adapter is used

Edit: it is 160

abso-bloomin'-lutely boiling on yesterday's midday xc ride around Reigate and I was fully lycra'd up so that I could travel light but it was da awsumz (I'm the one in grey)

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fully lycra'd up

Moved to the gravel thread.

Jokes aside, I went out for 3 hours on Wednesday, it did me in.

Is there a recommended 180mm rotor for under 25 quid?
Floating ideally

Moved to the gravel thread

Chuckles...I'm not a fan of it but it really was too hot to wear my baggy Fox shorts which also require something with a pad underneath and my baggy Fox top which I love but has no pockets.

Having said that I was downhilling in Morzine in 2015 when it was 40 degrees all week. Body armour and elbow and knee/shin protectors plus full face lid meant that we were melting. Took me weeks afterwards to rehydrate properly

This would be my usual MTB getup

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Also went out for an evening loop yesterday - Started at Headley Heath and after a bit of an explore round there rode over to "China Pig" to come off Boxhill/Juniper hill. Was absolutely cracking - one of the best descents in the Downs I've done - apart from a couple of low branches that nearly took my head off and the downed tree ruining the flow in the middle of the run.

Then over to Norbury Park and a trip down what I think was "Loose Juice". This is steep with some serious doubles and mulitple line choices, but the chicken run worked for us...

Up to Ranmore after that. There is another cracking descent which starts off somewhere between "Ricin Beans" and ""Wee Willy Winky". It's not on trailforks, but it swooshes down the whole of the North side of Ranmore, finishing with a lovely view of Polesdon Lacey.

Finally, back up Ranmore and over to "Red, White and Rosé". Also a great descent. Slightly more technical and steep, with some bomb holes at the top.

Then pedalled back to Headley Heath for a beer as the sun finished setting. Pretty perfect circa 20 miles and some great trails if you don't want anything too scary / bored of the Leith Hill/Holmbury standard fare. I've still got more to do on Ranmore so will be back for more exploring soon.

Was also the first trip out with a new Slackerizer headset installed. Pretty sure it's made it better and definitely hasn't ruined it, so i'm happy with that. Also gave me an excuse to get some new shorter cranks but I'm still waiting on a chainring till they go on. The 175mm were still fine tbh though.

2.6 or 2.8 for jumps/trails. No real distance riding

and which of the 3 for mix of sandy hills and welsh mud?

Trail king looks like it'll deal with mud the best.
This is for a year round tyre

and the contis because they're about the only plus tyre for 20 quid each

What ever you do don't get 'em from Planet X if you go with the Trail king, I got a couple and the beads were faulty on them both. which is pretty much the story of my life with Planet X - usable but never as good as you hoped.

Of course.

I was going to order from bike-discount.de but actually only the cross and mountain kings are in stock in 2.8
This might mean I go for 2.6 which is still a fairly hefty tyre right

My car is in the garage being fixed, what’s the most accessible (by plague ridden public transport) riding area from SE London?

did my bike break your car?!

I don't believe that it did so directly, but certainly the belt broke after I visited you to borrow it.

The cheap contis are made of hard plastic

sounds like a great ride. Is Red, White & Rose also known as Flinty Badman? brings you out onto the A24, under the railway bridge and turn left for Box Hill.

depends where you are in SE. Somewhere near Croydon and its a straightforward train from West Croydon to Dorking or perhaps head out towards Farthing Downs/Chaldon way

Well they’re not cheap, just in Germany. Everywhere else they’re £40+
Same black chilli compound as the racey tyres.

The same stuff as Gatorskins?

That is where it goes, but according to trail forks, flinty badman is further west and drops down towards Chapel Lane/ into the valley. That's still on the list, along with Golden Nugget, which is in between and finished half way along the Ranmore Common Road climb.

It's all on trail forks. I'd be lost without that app.