It's only three hours for me as I'm a long way off retirement, but by the time you've added on getting changed and showered that's a big chunk of the morning or afternoon.

I do love to cycle by the seaside, and Sunny South Ayrshire is pretty perfect for it.

Snapped derailleur in the middle of nowhere the other day. Totally ruined my plans to ride the hills of wales ????

Autumn is here and i love this time of year, nothing like a bit of a head and side wind to have the legs working harder.

Hat under helmet might soon be needed as my bald bonce was a bit chilled this morning.

 

Talk about horses for courses....

 

Opened the garage this morning to get my 29er out and cycle to work...to find that it had a flat tyre.

 

Normally I would quickly change the tube and then head on out...but I decided to take out the 6" travel full susser instead. My word it was difficult in places. I have forgotten how much these bikes do not pedal as well as a hard tail does!

 

Currently sat in work dreading the ride home. :peek:

Awww...

A cycling thread aswell

In it for every year of my life, well a few years missing at the start of it, but anyway.

The stock is a Scott Sub 10 belt för commuting, a Trek something modified for winter cycling and nowadays a modest Rose SL2000 for the roads.

Im doing about 6000 kms a year on the bikes, no races, just to keep up my physics.

Will follow.

Edited 3 September, 20169 yr by pfaff

Had a variety of bikes over the years. Mainly BMX and MTB. Previous highlights were a Devinci 8-flat-8 and a Cannondale Gemini. Now riding xc and trail on a Cube LTD Pro 650B with full XT group, XTR brakes, Easton EA70 bars and Haven stem.

Riding mainly Welsh trail centres, got quite a few fairly local, done a few endurance races. May do another in October.

Autumn is here and i love this time of year, nothing like a bit of a head and side wind to have the legs working harder.

Hat under helmet might soon be needed as my bald bonce was a bit chilled this morning.

 

How do you find the fat bike? I've always been tempted by one, but don't have the space or money to justify. Do you use it for a specific type of trail or is it used for anything and everything?

Fetteresso yesterday as an example.

Lovely evening there.

http://trailscotland.co.uk/fetteresso-forest

The Tyrebagger, Kirkhill and around your way.

http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/visit/pitfichie

http://dmbins.com/riders/where-to-ride?region=2_tayside-fife

 

I am using it just for trails as i don't really climb.

(i have a leg amputated above the knee.)

I did go up hill this week though and then did some single track and remembered why i stopped back a few years back,

i was and still am hopeless at downhilling.

 

I can do double the distance easier on the fat bike compared to on my lighter 27.5" Carbon bike and be comfortable and enjoy riding.

Once moving the wheels are gyroscopic and you just roll along.

Love the Fatboy SE and have it specced just as i want for doing longer trips in glens and forest track and also canal paths.

Cable discs (easy repair anyplace away from habitation.) and 2 x 10 gearing suits better than 10 speed for me.

Little risk of puncturing and no suspension to service or worry about.

 

Really peed yesterday that a bottom bracket creak has started, but i do put lots of pressure on one crank when needing to climb even slight inclines on down strokes with my real leg and i have often needed to upgrade BB's and cranks over the years.

 

So Fat Tyre bikes do it for me. 

*Getting a bit boring explaining Fat Bikes every trip out now, everybody makes comments, asks and is interested, 

but it too rude to just ignore them and it takes up time, means stopping etc.*

 

But heavy clunker ones are not recommended. My first Catalogue Special is a very heavy heavy thing that is even hard work on dead flat sea fronts.

Not recommended because of.  Heavy wheels, tyres, frame and bad gears.

 

I am going to be buying a new Beast of the East just because i want one, not need one.

But not with a Lefty. That would need more explaining to dog walkers and others.

I used to have one years ago and i like the high bottom bracket.

Edited 7 September, 20169 yr by GoneOffSKi

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I'd love to have one, just to be different to the crowd. All my mates have gone full suss and some carbon too. I ended up building my own titanium hardtail, but cant keep up on the climbs and some of the decents, so might end up going full suss...

Thanks for taking the time to explain. I'd love to have one, just to be different to the crowd. All my mates have gone full suss and some carbon too. I ended up building my own titanium hardtail, but cant keep up on the climbs and some of the decents, so might end up going full suss...

Will a fat bike climb better than a Ti hardtail?

Would've thought that with the titanium frame being lighter, yes. But never tried a fatbike.

Would've thought that with the titanium frame being lighter, yes. But never tried a fatbike.

I'm confused now...anyway would've thought a Ti hardtail with 2-2.25" tyres is probably the best climbing option you can get. Can understand why you lose out on descents to full suss, still not sure a fat bike is the answer. Fat bike opens up another dimension of riding for sure, probably better thinking it's something different, rather than being something comparable to more 'traditional' set ups. Requires a shift in style I expect.

Like yourself I've not tried one, but there's probably a reason why in the races I've done they have their own category, and are rarely going up climbs at a pace.

I'd have a serious think about what direction you want your riding to go in before making the switch.

Plus Bike i would think it would be the better bet, hard tail or full sus, 

but worth having a go on a Fat Bike, but a lighter one, maybe with front suspension.  

So that means not 'much cheapness' and an acquired taste.

There are some nice plus bikes around, and yes be worth paying more to get something that won't have you labouring around. There's definitely advantages to a wider rim and a fatter tyre, but that also comes at a cost of rolling resistance and unsprung, rotational mass.

If I got a fat or plus bike, I'd keep the trail bike and have something for whichever mood or where I'm riding as there are notable differences.

Reason I lose out on climbs is that if the climb is rough, Im getting bounced out of the saddle so cant transmit/get power down 100% of the time. Full suss eliminates this and is why they sometimes leave me behind.

 

I wasn't trying to compare a fatbike to a full suss bike, I just like to go the different route. I guess having the wide, high side walled tyres makes it a full suss to a small degree?

Reason I lose out on climbs is that if the climb is rough, Im getting bounced out of the saddle so cant transmit/get power down 100% of the time. Full suss eliminates this and is why they sometimes leave me behind.

I wasn't trying to compare a fatbike to a full suss bike, I just like to go the different route. I guess having the wide, high side walled tyres makes it a full suss to a small degree?

Most well designed full sus pretty much lock the rear out on pedalling so benefit on a tech climb is pretty much negated. If the suspension is working and you're pedalling under high load you'll probably end up skipping gears. I'm not being funny but it sounds more like a technique and line choice issue rather than a type of bike issue. On any hardtail you should leave them for dead on pretty much any climb.

Wanting to be different is fair enough but like I was saying it's going to require more changes in technique, style and expectation. You will get damping from high capacity tyres but this is less controllable than shock damping, but you can bowl over most things that might leave a hardtail skipping around. However, if it's tech climbs causing you a problem I don't think a fat bike will satisfy. If you mostly climb in the saddle you could try a suspension seatpost.

There's no real substitute for looking ahead, planning ahead, body positioning, being in the right gear at the right time and reading the ground regards when putting the power down won't result in loss of traction or a lifting front end. Get all those right and climbing on a hardtail is a breeze. If you can don't be afraid to lock your forks either, you'll lose less energy.

For example I hardly ever climb out of the saddle, I stay in the saddle for rear traction and when it's steep my chin is near the bars to stop the front end lifting. I'll only get out of the saddle when quick changes of direction or a burst of acceleration (when the trail allows) are required.

What size tyres and what pressures are you running anyway?

I'm not trying to teach you to suck eggs, just giving some advice from one hardtail rider to another that might help?

Edited 5 September, 20169 yr by YellowCar

With mountain bikes there's trade offs everywhere and a lot of it also comes down to personal preference, the collection of bikes on our local group rides is hugely varied on the same terrain - rigids, hardtails, full suspensions (short travel, mid travel), 26, 650b's, 29er's, fat bikes, 650b+ bikes, even CX bikes occasionally.  The fast riders are fast because they're good riders rather than the bike, some of the guys are embarassingly fast on everything on blooming SS rigids!  

 

I ride mostly natural trails and my rigid fat bike is the fastest climber (vs a FS 29er and 29+ hardtail) in those conditions as its huge amount of traction means you can get a lot of power down even on steep, loose climbs despite the bike's hefty 15kg weight (2015 Farly 6).  It's also fast cross country as the big tyres float over rough terrain I needed to partially unlock the suspension for I can ride fine with the rigid and just belt along.  I find the rigid hard going on long downhill stuff though as the tyres don't soak up impacts like suspension does so I find my wrists and shoulders a bit sore.

 

I don't like the feel of the 29er any more so decided to try a 29+ hardtail as a summer bike to accompany the fat bike as it seemed a happy medium,  It's a well designed bike as despite the colossal wheels, it's quite short at the back and noticeably more agile than the fat bike with a bit more BB clearance although it feels more like a grippy 29er than a faster fat bike.  It doesn't have much float and can't run off trail like the fat bike can which was making me think I should have gone for a FS fat bike or FS plus bike.  

 

I perhaps just need to ride it more though as it's impressive at speed, I was horsing down a fast section behind a 29er which was sliding on the dusty surface as the guy was trying to keep the speed on the corners while the plus sized wheels were gripping fine.  I recently relented and fitted a dropper post which I'm loving so far and was surprised to get a load of personal bests last week on stuff I've ridden for ages.

Hi All

I'm new to this forum, I pick up my VRS next week.

I'm a road biker, I ride a Bianchi Via Nirone and I'm a mountain biker too, I ride an old Specialised Hard Rock Sport with a few upgrades. I've also got a couple of old school BMX, a Mk1 Raleigh Super Tuff Burner and an '83 Aero Pro Burner.

I hope to catch up with a few of you at meets and possibly on a couple of rides.

Also where do I get a Briskoda forum sticker from?

Cheers

Haggis

Welcome to the forum, you can purchase Briskoda stickers from the shop:

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/store/

 

John

Now then cyclists,

 

I have two rides. My road ride is one that I built last winter, a planet x pro carbon frame with Shimano 105 group set. My mtb is a Specialised Rockhopper comp hard tail.

 

I sling em in the Rapid and do a couple of sportives each year as well as weekend rides and the occasional commute.

 

matt

All electronic gear selection on both bars,good in any colour

What a perfect cycling day in Sunny South Ayrshire.

Now above freezing and brilliant sunshine.

Edited 4 December, 20169 yr by Offski

Loving this winters current weather out on my bike.

Sometimes a bit frosty and sunny quite a lot.

Maybe a weather bomb in the next week will spoil that, but then muddy and wet is fun, 'wind' or windy weather less so. 

I've done a few hundred miles in December and the weather has been cold, but ok.

 

Looking for somewhere to go on Thursday on the MTB, probably just go up to Hamsterly. But fancy somewhere different, maybe over to Wales.