The MTB thread

Thought so. I have a triple on the front and never ride up hills anyway. Too much effort. lol

I'll do the charity ride, LP.

Another question...

Anyone experimented with crank lengths? Apparently according to a bit of googling, my 175mm cranks are approximately 10mm too long.

http://www.myra-simon.com/bike/cranks.html
http://bicyclecranklength.blogspot.com/

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Venom

Another question...

Anyone experimented with crank lengths? Apparently according to a bit of googling, my 175mm cranks are approximately 10mm too long.

I've got a couple of different lengths, can't tell any difference... Think I've got a 165, a 170 and 2 175s. But could be wrong...

supposedly the longer the crank the easier to pedal but cant say iv had any problems with my 160 shimano saint although the lack of chain rings up front make hills interesting any way

the other thing to think about is when riding trails the longer the crank the easier to catch pedal's thats why ive all ways gone with the shortest

any suggestions on bike racks? seen some on ebay like this

are they any good as I don't want to spend a lot of money

[northwind]

Aargh... In 12 hours, I go and pick up a hire van, then I fill it with bikes, then I drive to Fort William for a couple of test rides, then on saturday I do this:



"The Nevis Range Downhill course is a full-on, flat-out, no-compromise charge down the face of Aonach Mor, the 9th highest mountain in the UK. A succession of big jumps and bumps, berms, drop-offs, rock slabs and technical natural sections provide plenty of challenges for the riders, all the way from the top gondola station (at 655m) to the magnificent finish section above the Nevis Range car park.

As one of the longest and most physically demanding courses on the international mountain bike race circuit, riders of this grueling event will need physical strength, quick reflexes, superb bike control and an unerring eye for the right line as they speed down the 2.82km track. They will also need huge amounts of stamina in order to ride the track as many times as
possible in six hours!"

Which, ah ha ha, means I'm racing against Guy Martin. I'm sure it'll be fine. I'll let you know on sunday if I ain't dead.

Same design as mine, using straps to secure it onto a hatchback car. Make sure the contact point on the rear windscreen has enough padding/rubber to prevent it cracking the glass, which I've heard happens. They're pretty ok but not the most secure way of carrying a bike unless you have loads of straps to tie the bike down to the rack.

[northwind]

I've used a couple of those, mostly it's a gigantic pain in the bum securely mounting the bikes, and most cars that have used them seem to end up with assorted scratches and such on the back.

I've got a couple of Thule roofracks which are great, but not cheap (I took the approach that if a few of us go away for the weekend there's thousands of pounds of bike attached to the car so I budgeted a bit more)

I'll give it a try! Can't go wrong for £20

I have a £10 off £75 e-voucher code for chain reaction cycles. Anyone who wants it should PM me as I'm not looking to buy anything within 2 weeks.