The biking thread

[Greycap]

It seams that all of Specialized Mtn Bike series seats are of a thinner design, but the gel padded one does look to be the most appealing. The stock one has absolutely no give.....

I must be the odd guy who likes the default saddle, my Camber came with a white Riva Mtn which I quickly swapped for a black one of the same model purely for aesthetic reasons - no idea who thought that a white one works on a mountain bike but I certainly don't agree. The white saddle eventually found its way onto my Rockhopper as it serves as a general beater and the looks aren't that important. My original white grips went to my mom's white Ariel (a bit of a Specialized concentration forming around here) as I bought black ones for the same reason as the saddle.

The looks of the Camber nowadays:

And then an almost literal barn find, more like a shed find but still. I sold my old bike to a friend and when delivering it found out that she had rescued this from a ditch last winter after it had spent several months there. I got the money from my old bike and this one as a free extra. I'll build something out of it.

 

[Bram Turismo]

Dat Specialized paint scheme

 

[Neal]

That's is a gorgeous colour scheme Greycap and I'm impressed with how clean it is...even the tyres are spotless :tup: Of course I'm assuming you go and get it filthy too That stem looks a bit high though, is it stock? I'd try swapping it for a short low rise one (eg 60mm 6°) which would improve the handling and probably be comfier too.

...Another solution would be to have the frame powdercoated black, but that's kinda silly just to do over some grips. I'll wait until it starts looking a little beat up first....

I've been considering taking mine to a local powder coaters to get stripped and done in red or black. I quite like the look of it as it is in red and black but the Carrera stickers are starting to bug me and I don't want to drop a few hundred quid on a new frame when all I want to do is stop people knowing I'm on a Halfords special :biketart: Saying that it is a laugh blitzing people on the ups and downs when they're riding £2k+ bikes

In the evenings, this is the trail I take my family on, complete with pulling the toddler in the wagon behind my bike. I have yet to really ride it without an extra 100lbs attached to the back... I just consider it extreme training. LOL

This is a picture from tonight.... The kids were freaking when the thunder clouds started to cover the sky with lightning. I thought it was pretty cool!

Oh and... we only went 6 miles tonight, but the seat was much more tolerable. I think I will ride it out for a bit and see if things toughen up before I go out and get another saddle.

Nice trail 👍 Kiddie friendly of course but it's not easy explaining to the missus when you get home that you don't know where you lost the child out of the trailer because the whole trail was really bumpy. Towing the sprogs is a pretty good workout especially uphill, I've done a few rides with the eldest on a seat fixed to my bike and the baby in the trailer which feels a bit weird but is good fun. Uphill and into the wind stops being so much fun when the missus starts laughing because I've stopped talking and gone red in the face.

EDIT: Even though I'm on a recovery break I'm still buying bike crap...well the missus is actually as a fathers day present but I still ordered them. Fox Launch Pro knee pads which should prevent little spills doing too much damage

 

[Greycap]

That's is a gorgeous colour scheme Greycap and I'm impressed with how clean it is...even the tyres are spotless :tup: Of course I'm assuming you go and get it filthy too That stem looks a bit high though, is it stock? I'd try swapping it for a short low rise one (eg 60mm 6°) which would improve the handling and probably be comfier too.

I usually clean the bike after every trail ride and that shot was taken at the beginning of the ride in question so it was clean for a while. Afterwards it took a good deal of rag and toothbrush to get it look like that again.

The stem is a Specialized "factory option", a 28 degree 90 mm version. I actually found it better than the stock 16 degree 90 mm as the higher riding position gives better control in descents. The picture is a bit misleading, in reality the bar ends are about an inch above the saddle while the picture makes it look more like three inches.

But yes, it is a gorgeus looking bike, in my opinion the best colour scheme in the entire Camber range which is a bit odd as it's the entry level Comp version. One would have thought they would have saved the "team colours" - the racing colours of the Specialized works mountain bike team are red, white and black - for the high end versions. It actually goes like that for just about every other model.

And I need knee pads (and perhaps elbow pads too), those look good. We have a Fox dealer in the town so perhaps I'll go and take a look.

 

[lbsf1]

Went for a short ride this afternoon, only went to the woods about 15mins cycle away. Went to the top of a large hill there then some runs back down the steep paths. It had just rained so was slippery and because its a path not a downhill track it is mostly just fast sweeping corners, so extremely scary when if you slip off you are going to be rolling on your race down a long slope into tree's.

Here is an on helmet vid of one of the runs. Sorry its not lined up completely correctly and it rattles abit but hope you enjoy it.



And yes it does look slow that is because the camera has quite a narrow field of view.

In a couple of weeks I will go to some proper downhill and get some footage there, now I have fixed my brakes (bled all of the air out) it feels like they actually work now.

 

[Neal]

Nice vid Luke, I couldn't be trusted riding with a camera as I'd almost certainly do something very very stupid in an attempt to show off.

I usually clean the bike after every trail ride and that shot was taken at the beginning of the ride in question so it was clean for a while. Afterwards it took a good deal of rag and toothbrush to get it look like that again.

The stem is a Specialized "factory option", a 28 degree 90 mm version. I actually found it better than the stock 16 degree 90 mm as the higher riding position gives better control in descents. The picture is a bit misleading, in reality the bar ends are about an inch above the saddle while the picture makes it look more like three inches.

But yes, it is a gorgeus looking bike, in my opinion the best colour scheme in the entire Camber range which is a bit odd as it's the entry level Comp version. One would have thought they would have saved the "team colours" - the racing colours of the Specialized works mountain bike team are red, white and black - for the high end versions. It actually goes like that for just about every other model.

And I need knee pads (and perhaps elbow pads too), those look good. We have a Fox dealer in the town so perhaps I'll go and take a look.

I do enjoy a good clean

As always riding position is personal preference and I see what you mean about the photo being misleading, if it's comfy then it's right 👍

I've not ridden with the pads yet but they feel comfy enough and appear to be extremely well made. I've got Fox shorts which I'm hugely impressed with so thought I'd get their pads too instead of the 661 Rage knee pads which seem to be the more popular but not necessarily choice. Fox also do Launch Pro elbow pads but they don't look like they offer much forearm protection.

 

[Pako]

Cool video. What's you're recording setup?

 

[mp10]

Going to drop off my bike at the shop tomorrow, hopefully have the forks fitted and back by Tuesday Really can't wait to see the difference between the RockShox and Suntour forks. Will post up some pics and feedback when i get the bike back.

 

[W3H5]

I was out on Thursday for a round-city ride of about 50km and realise there became something wrong with my rear shifter. I'm sure it only needs adjusting but it's making some horrible noises in the lower gears and skips on one of the main gears I use. Must have a look at it when I get time.

 

[boiltheocean]

[WHORE]

My ride as of today.

My dad finished building up his On-One 456 Carbon frame yesterday, needless to say he's itching to get out on it. I'm pretty jealous too as it's a relative bargain at only £300.

[/WHORE]

 

[mp10]

[WHORE]

My ride as of today.


My dad finished building up his On-One 456 Carbon frame yesterday, needless to say he's itching to get out on it. I'm pretty jealous too as it's a relative bargain at only £300.


[/WHORE]

Lovely lookin bikes, what forks are on the On-One bike?

 

[boiltheocean]

Lovely lookin bikes, what forks are on the On-One bike?

Thanks. The forks on the On-One are Magura MD100Rs, also know as Magura Durin Race forks.

 

[Yrkshrpudding]

Went on my first trail ride this weekend. No-one told me just how much fun it is!
Cannot wait to get back out there again.

Things I learnt:
Looking at the wildlife is a surefire recipe for "tree"
Looking back to see how your riding buddy is doing is a surefire recipe for "tree"
Bug spray is a good idea
Brakes will stop the wheels turning, but if the surface is loose the bike will continue to accelerate and you will scream in fear like a little girl
Swerving around a rabbit is a surefire recipe for "tree"

 

[mp10]

Went on my first trail ride this weekend. No-one told me just how much fun it is!
Cannot wait to get back out there again.

Things I learnt:
Looking at the wildlife is a surefire recipe for "tree"
Looking back to see how your riding buddy is doing is a surefire recipe for "tree"
Bug spray is a good idea
Brakes will stop the wheels turning, but if the surface is loose the bike will continue to accelerate and you will scream in fear like a little girl
Swerving around a rabbit is a surefire recipe for "tree"

Looks you had some fun, i attempted my first trail ride around a month ago and had a great time too.

Got my bike back today, Rock Shox recon's are fitted the forks are way better than the previous one's. Might try and give a proper test sometime this week, when weather's ok.

Here's a quick pic.

 

[Aldo]

I guess I'll tease you lot with one photo from Fort Bill at the weekend...

Will be putting more up in my photography thread soon when I get a chance to go through all the photos and edit them a bit.

 

[boiltheocean]

Cool, wish I could of been at Fort William!

It's Tour de France time almost and we're already one big name down, Andy Schleck has just pulled out with a fractured pelvis. I honestly believe it could be the year for Wiggins to claim yellow, he's had some great results in previous tours this year.

 

[daft biker]

I guess I'll tease you lot with one photo from Fort Bill at the weekend...

Got any of Tracy Mosley? She's my favourite

Had the pleasure of meeting and photographing her a few times while out riding in the Tweed Valley....lovely lass

 

[Aldo]

Cool, wish I could of been at Fort William!

It was good but the midges were so much worse this year! My legs got mauled

Got any of Tracy Mosley? She's my favourite

Had the pleasure of meeting and photographing her a few times while out riding in the Tweed Valley....lovely lass

Only looked at a few of them so no idea. Probably though! Was gutted I didn't see her riding down with the torch as she didn't come all the way down.

 

[Pako]

My buddy is going to take me on my first real Single Track tonight. He says it's pretty easy but I know the area and it's pretty much straight up a mountain. He wants to start me out here because it is a noob ride (according to him). If I survive, I'll report how it went.

 

[daft biker]

Only looked at a few of them so no idea. Probably though! Was gutted I didn't see her riding down with the torch as she didn't come all the way down.

Just dug out my first photo of her....had 26/5/2003 written on the back of it! Time flies huh


Tracy-2003 by Andrew Robertson, on Flickr

Looking at the background it looks like it was before the old bike shop opened at GT.....that was taken outside the Hub cafe. There was a bunch of them stopped off on their way up to Fort Bill for the world cup (she got 4th that year).

 

[Aldo]

Haha she looks like a wee boy in that one!
Snapped this one of her last year:

 

[Pako]

Well, I survived my first single track mountain bike trail about 10 minutes drive from my house. The first half was pretty nice, steep but manageable. The second half was very technical, steep, rocky, 8" track over ruts, roots, and rocks. The tight hairpin turns that were steep were the hardest for me to navigate but survived.

I used this cool app on my phone that tracked our ride. 4 miles total, with 2 miles up to the top at a 700 foot elevation change.

Detailed stats of the trip are included below:
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1733187

Some pictures taken from the top:

Net time I'll be sure to get some shots of the trail...

All in all it was an awesome time and look forward to the next ride!

 

[W3H5]

Looks like a lovely place to ride, Pako.

I'm lucky enough to live in a mountain city so a few miles from my town are some amazing climbs. I use the roads though as my bike would shake itself to bit on a trail!

 

[Pako]

Yeah, it's not bad. We are actually surround by bike trails all over the place. I can't believe I am just now getting into it, but loving every minute of it for sure! We can go in just about any direction and we will hit a trail. If the weather will cooperate, I should have a killer summer of riding for sure!

 

[W3H5]

I rarely ride for pleasure. I should do it more often. Don't get me wrong, I love riding but I'm usually on a commute and I use, more or less, the same routes every day.

 

[Yrkshrpudding]

Looking forward to hitting the trails again this weekend. I'm a little nervous about my bike surviving though. The wheels took the bike shop 3 attempts to true in the first place so I'm expecting them to break first (some alarming noises on my first trail ride).

What should I be looking for if I wanted to get some replacement wheels?
I know I would need 26 inch and not 29 inch, but are there other variables I should worry about?

 

[daft biker]

I rarely ride for pleasure. I should do it more often. Don't get me wrong, I love riding but I'm usually on a commute and I use, more or less, the same routes every day.

I'm the opposite. My bike serves no practical purpose....it's just for fun.

Often ride the same trails each time I ride at Glentress though....warm up at the freeride area...quick blast on "Berm Baby Berm"....up the hill to the secret trail, possibly via "Spooky Wood"....back up the hill for "Super G"...back up another bit of the hill for a section of red graded trail and then a section of black.....down a nice steep and slimy bit through the trees...back up for the "Pie Run".....

.....all the best bits of all the different trails rolled into one awesome lap (Aldo will probably be the only one here that recognises the trail names though)

 

[daft biker]

What should I be looking for if I wanted to get some replacement wheels?
I know I would need 26 inch and not 29 inch, but are there other variables I should worry about?

Other than price you can expect to find at least 3 main types of wheels for mountain bikes....XC which tend to be pretty narrow and light....freeride (or all mountain) which are a bit beefier without being too heavy.....and DH which tend to be have pretty wide rims and are built to take abuse.

And other than picking a type suitable for your needs (and pocket) the other big thing is that they are well built. Well worth buying from somewhere with a reputation for building wheels well (Merlin and Stiff have been good to me for mail order wheels but I've not had cause to use them for a good few years).

 

[Pako]

I'm the opposite. My bike serves no practical purpose....it's just for fun.

I am in the same boat, although with riding for pleasure, it is also giving me that much needed cardio that I refuse to do in the gym. At least for now, until the snow flys, I will be riding every night.

I am hooked!

 

[mp10]

Hey there guys, have any of you had any experience with the cheap camera's that you get for around £10? I'm interested in buying a camera but don't want to spend too much, max budget is around £20.

A quick search on Ebay and this is a popular one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MD80-Mini...70983048140?pt=UK_Gadgets&hash=item3f17d92bcc

Thanks 👍