The MTB thread

Yeah, think its more lazy on my behalf really I will get it down there. Need to find my receipt.

This bike was seriously nice.

[northwind]

Was that the Fire Mountain? Not as good as your Vulcan if so, fork is horrible.

Originally Posted by northwind

Was that the Fire Mountain? Not as good as your Vulcan if so, fork is horrible.

Was white, with I think Orange and Blue. It had wavey discs I think. I can't remember as it was high up.

[Jayneflakes]

Originally Posted by plowsie

Was white, with I think Orange and Blue. It had wavey discs I think. I can't remember as it was high up.

Sounds like the Fire Mountain.

Not an overly poor bike, but the limitations of budget do cut into the quality.

If anyone is interested, the place I work has a Voodoo D-Jab, Titanium frame, fox forks and XT gear for just under £1000. So wish I had the cash, not that I can ride though...

Originally Posted by plowsie

Was white, with I think Orange and Blue. It had wavey discs I think.

You can be such a girl sometimes mate!!

[northwind]

Originally Posted by Jayneflakes

If anyone is interested, the place I work has a Voodoo D-Jab, Titanium frame, fox forks and XT gear for just under £1000. So wish I had the cash, not that I can ride though...

Ooooooh. I read about that on Bikeradar a while back, didn't realise any are left, that's a ridiculous price... They got 4 and a half stars off WMB back when they were £1500. And it's a proper 3al/2.5v tubeset too, not a cheapy titanium. I rode the steel equivalent just before I got the Soul, it was lovely, wee bit steep for a 140mm fork mind but it worked. (I've got a feeling it'd be pretty horrible if you managed to get near the bottom of the travel on a descent though)

[northwind]

So, more "What I've been riding". Me and a couple of (far better, far more experienced) mates were back at glentress today, initially to do the black but the humidity was killing us on the first climb so we decided to try something different. So, off to the double black diamond secret trails These are all either old racelines, "natural" sections, or trailfairy volunteer built- part of it is an abandoned downhill race route, though fairly old so not quite like modern DH tracks.

So, yeah, I've never been so challenged on a bike, some of these are pure murder, the sort of thing you just don't get into unless you know you can ride it, and hard enough that I knew there was a really good chance I'd bin it. So I did walk quite a few bits, there was too much mud for me to be comfortable riding really techy, high consequence stuff (not to mention that I got to watch my mate Chris with his 10 years of trail, race and DH experience fail stuff on his Five Pro immediately before I tried it on my 130mm hardtail...). I walked probably 3/4s of the northshore stuff, I don't really have the accuracy or skill for this sort of thing...

But I'm pleased with the amount I rode, a lot of it when I looked back after I could barely believe I'd attempted never mind ridden. Fell off twice, one comedy slow over the bars moment after I wheeltrapped and another fairly fast one after I washed out the front on a rooty, steep descent- though it's in mature forest so the surface was very soft, nice to fall in. I'll definately be going back up there sometime when it dries. But don't tell anyone, it's a secret! And the next time someone tells me "there's nothing technical at glentress" or "GT is nothing but crushed stone, no natural features", I'll laugh in their faces...

Still bloody bottled the entrance to the Wormhole once we got back on the main black, but OTOH I cleared Double X which is a section I avoided previously.

Then, having been all rad and awesome and possibly even knarly, we decided to ride down the Blue 27mph down Good Game You don't even need to jump the jumps, you just aim at them and fly.

Well, I broke my bottom bracket a little while ago and couldn't get one to replace it with because you can only get the chainset and crank as a set (wtf!?).

Did a little looking about and couldnt do with some of the prices some cranks cost, its mental. So I got Deore. For the price of one of the expensive ones I can get 3 of those sets so I thought id go for it.

Also while I was at the shop (J.E. James) I asked about some Rockshox Tora 318 Air solo. Ive read about them and they sound pretty good, preload through air pressure, compression and rebound adjustable and with lockout so when I do a little uphill/cross country I can pedal without bouncing. Also should do for the downhilling I do in our local woods... Anyway £140 so I thought YES please. Had a short ride on them and they are very plush for such a cheap fork. The dampening works a treat. No topping out like my old dirt jumpers did.

Here are a couple of pics of the bike. Oh and yes it is tiny, but it fits me fine, pop the seat up and its even pretty good at cross country! Woot. Oh and the 2nd pic is of the Avid Code 5 calliper, 4 pot, 203mm rotor, stopping power!!! Will endo when you are sat back. Luckily the forks dont flex, so they are good

I'm really trying to get out on mine every other night. I've turned into the laziest b@st@rd in the world at the moment. so making a big effort to get out for even an hour on the canal path. also need to get some miles in to get the lungs and legs back into shape, as anytime I go out with friends I really hold them back. I'm just too slow on the uphill (gravity is my friend on the downs!)

[Jayneflakes]

Got me a plan. But that is the end of the story. A quick recap as to how I got here in the first place.

Major surgery in 2006 that left me badly damaged and unable to ride my mountain bike due to severe pain. Got me two bikes, both well in excess of £1000 one of which was a custom frame and is gorgeous. But it is a home for spiders in our garage now.

Not ridden my bike for a long time and when I do, the pain leaves me unable to walk with out a stick for days after. So I need a new bike...


Designed this all terrain recumbent after a great deal of thought over the last two weeks and having done a lot of research. I last rode a recumbent in 1998, so know that they are fast and get that they can get the weight away from my damaged areas.

So now I need a gentle and kind welder type person, some new shiny steel tubing, an old bike frame for bits and some wood to knock up a jig. Any one want to help build a recumbent off road bike? I will be sourcing materials over the next few weeks and as for gears and brakes, I have a complete mountain bike with Hydraulic disk brakes, just itching to donate the parts needed.

Check here to see what they can do off road, given the chance.