The 'Org Mountain Bikers Welsh Weekend 2010

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Drew Carey

I tend not to have a problem with the calipers. When I take the wheel off I have a little brake pad thingy that came with the bike and slide between the pads keeping them in position.

Thanks for the offer. Can even break up the journey and come the night before whatever is decided if you want. promise you won't leave with a broken arm this time.

- I may well be tempted to spend an extra night, I'm not working at the moment so I'll have time to spare

It's not the pad separation that goes, it's the calliper alignment that goes out - it's only a few seconds undoing the bolts, pulling on the brake and re-tightening, but it's nice if you don't have to do it...

Watching this thread with interest - I wanted to set up a weekend like this last year (see the MTB thread) but couldnt afford the time / money to do it.

Count me in as a maybe, my shifts are going to change at work soon so once you've decided a date I'll check when I'm working etc and will be able to say for definite.

[the_lone_wolf]

Updated OP, let us know when you know

I have my Car Test on the 15th of October , should be getting a Motor this Sunday as well if all goes to plan , so there is a possibility of another car to ferry bikes and people around . Marin Trail is probably gonna be too much of a killer for those not used to such brutality . Llandegla and Penmachno are good trails , personally Penmachno has a good mix of natural looking trail with a very rewarding final descent that goes for ages so you feel very rewarded for your efforts . I did the trail on a hardtail in the Snow earlier this year and that was done in under 3 hours . So in the Autumn I reckon a couple of hours or so with breaks and stuff .

It isn`t gonna be a blast-a-thon , what it will be is a nicely advised talk before each section for those that feel a bit sketchy on certain bits , the scenery is great and you will never forget the place . A follow up to that could be a run at Llandegla which is slightly more pruned but a hoot nonetheless , the nice bit about Llandegla is that they have skills courses plotted along the route so you can branch off and practise on them , well worth it . Then finally I would reckon a visit to Coed-Y-Brenin , that would top it all off nicely . I am willing to take a week off work and ferry people around pending a good test result . It`s up to you guys , you can have days off for Beers and a bit of the touristy visiting or you can blast it or kick back and do whatever you feel like going for

[the_lone_wolf]

Nicely done Mr B, I'll add your name to "zee leest"

I might well be up for a few extra days or a week of trails if you fancy doing some? Don't take time off if it's going to inconvenience you later down the line but as above, I'm not working right now so it'd be nice to see some of Wales by bike and I think a weekend is probably a bit on the lean side once you include beer o'clock and recovery time...

Wolf ... I ain`t had a Holiday this year so taking a week off and hitting the Trails and Ales suits me just dandy feller . Pile in and go for it .

[the_lone_wolf]

You got yourself a deal

I've PM'd Mike as not had much response on dates from the thread, whichever weekend suits him best will be it, either way let me know what dates suit you and we can have some extended riding time around the time

Quick Q for the locals, what tyres are you running? I'm running Nobby Nic and Racing Ralph as most of the ground here is chalk, but I'm not so confident the RR would grip in mud - better to stick the old Nevagals on or do you reckon it'll be OK?

Nevegals will be fine for Autumn use on these trails , you won`t be plugging too much mud and the Trails are more Hard pack than anything else , Personally I just tend to run Maxxis High Rollers all year round and change tyre pressures or compounds as and when required . Usually run a stickier tyre in the Winter to stop them slipping on Roots and Rocks when they get a bit of a watery shine on them , other than that I wouldn`t stress too much about it , just make sure your pads on your calipers are thick enough as you can get a bit brake happy on some of these trails and they can wear out unbelievably fast in some of these places if you are not keeping an eye on them .

[the_lone_wolf]

Sounds fine, plenty of life in the pads right now but have several long days to go before Wales, will probably keep the Schwalbes on for now as they're lovely and light, but bring the Kendas should it decide to rain....

[Bluepete]

If I can come,what with shifts'n'all, I can transport two others with bikes from the Wigan area to Mikes.

Pete