 Poster: A snowHead
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Liam, yep, a great trail. I was there on Wednesday morning and didn't see a soul all the way around. Quite chuffed as I'd never done it alone before and not waiting for mates or people in front cuts it down to less than 2 hours.
I'd also recommend Penmachno, a few miles away - its a bit newer and the surfaces are just bedding down nicely after its first full winter. Shorter but the trails are a little better constructed. Can't beat the last descent of the Marin though; do all three stages without a pause for maximum rush 
I guess its just an outdoor non-team thing, as we all seem to like anything in the wilds and preferably high up, whether its sliding, climbing, rolling or walking.
Life's just too short...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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petemillis, did it 30 years ago when I was 16. I don't think that counts... those were the days when I could climb 1:4 hills on a fixed wheel bike with a 63 inch gear (equivalent to about 44:20).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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dusted the old bike off and had my first ride of the season, just a quick 15 miles but good to have a blast along the coast. Trouble with the front cog gears though, gear lever would not click and hold, so the chain would not therefore stay on cog as the arm just drops back to base and takes the chain with it, bit of oil maybe? Must get new bike, must get new bike, must get new bike .......
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rayscoops, that cog trouble is terminal. Definitely new bike, new bike, must get new bike, need new bike...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I got my bike out yesterday for the first time and cycled to work today...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| jb1970 wrote: |
| I got my bike out yesterday for the first time and cycled to work today... |
Good on ya. It's pretty satisfying isn't it?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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nbt,  Sounds good, I am having an operation on my back on the 26th ( out for 6 weeks no biking) proper gutted, so my mates have arranged my last ride for a few weeks to be one i can remember, the few who have done it said its one of the hardest rides, but the decents are some of the best they've done. The weather predictions are good too.
Have you ridden it?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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nbt, good choice that man. I've a dim memory of doing that, or summat similar with the BikeMagic gang a few years ago.
I'd rate it as a good route for a social; it's not too long but has a few decent climbs and decents.
But NBT, why are those people walking up to Hollins Cross? 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I didn't take the bike up last month but looked at the downhill on anoch in Nevis....it looks awesome, has anyone done it?
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You know it makes sense.
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Just got back from a week of biking in Latsch ( Südtirol ). We had the good fortune of having fantastic weather the whole week. Driving over via Nauders there was still quite a bit of snow reaching down almost to the resort, but on the way back absolutely zilch. Temperatures in the high twenties over the whole period. Südtirol is one of the worlds greatest places for biking. And the interesting thing is that the whole tourist infrastructure is geared towards attracting mountain bikers to the place. For example there are four star hotels offering guided MTB tours and also providing pretty decent bikes as part of the package for those who don't want to transport their own bikes down there. Havn't seen MTB being promoted in quite that way anywhere else.
The only downside was the total failure of my rear Avid Juicy 7 disk. On a 1000m descent the damn thing got so hot the disk nearly melted. Somehow one of the pistons had jammed. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I took it into the MAXX bike center in Latsch and got a story of woe from the expert there. He basically HATES Avid brakes, and thinks they are the crappest thing in the whole world. Ever. He said that whenever people come into his shop on their transalps the one thing that is always broken after 15,000 meters descent is the Avid brakes. That pretty much matches up with my own experience, which to say the least has been distressing from the day I bought the damn things. Anyway, in a moment of madness I said OK to his suggestion that true happines come with a set of Magura Louises, and dumped the Avids! The difference is amazing. I LOVE Magura 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Mike Lawrie, have you given up Hope?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Mosha Marc, never had Hope in the first place! I just rely on what the people who deal with all the fallout from the transalps say. Firstly that is that Avid have many ways of failing, but after a hard week of crossing the alps you can be fairly sure that one of those failure modes will get you. Secondly that is that Magura make the most reliable brakes on the planet. What they say pretty much matches up with my own experience, which ranged from having intolerable scream on the rear brake from day one ( never managed to get that sorted despite numerous return visits to my Cannondale dealer ), to having massive brake fade when on a steep downhill ( accompanied by intollerable scream ). Maybe the problem lies in the fact that I weigh 90Kg and the Avids are simply not dimensioned for a fat B* like myself. Whatever, the Louises have been a revelation and a pleasure for me over the last couple of days riding, and there is no way on this God's earth that I will ever go back to using brakes made by Avid 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Mike Lawrie, if you;re throwing asway those avid juicys then you can throw them in my direction, Mrs NBT loves hers and would love a set on her singlespeed:)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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nbt, they're going back to the manufacturer for repair under guarantee. If Mrs NBT feels she needs a bit more braking power along with an ear splitting squeal then I will be happy to pass them along to you ( for a consideration ), under the proviso that you give written acceptance that she will never try to do anything MTB like with them, such as descend a gradient steeper than 1 in 10 over a distance exceeding 100m, and that your wife will never attempt to use said brakes while exceeding a weight of 55Kg.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've got Louises on my 1FG, never done a thing to them in 3 years & they're still going strong. They did squeal like hell for the first couple of rides, but were fine after that.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| ssnowman wrote: |
| I've got Louises on my 1FG, |
Does she miss them???
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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DB, no opinions on Formula. They seem to get decent reviews, but consider the service issue. Hayes make good brakes, but the service in Europe is terrible. Friend of mine had his bike in for repair of his Hayes brakes for no less than three months. Tried again and again to get the missing part ( can't remember what it was ), and finally gave up and went for a new set of Maguras. I think the lesson is, when in Europe, buy something European ( preferably Magura, but it's your choice ) ...
On the other hand, I have SRAM X.9 gears and am absolutely OK with them. In every way equivalent to Shimano XT. No problems whatsoever after a year of hard use.
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Mike Lawrie,
Thanks,
As my brakes aren't that old, perform well and cost a few hundred Euros I'll be staying with them for now. I'm just looking to see what else is available if they do go wrong. It does sound like your rear brake was rubbing since day one, maybe the rotor wasn't true.
It seems to be that the rotor and brake pads on the Avid brakes cause much of the problems. Avid have sent out round sweep rotors http://www.gtgtandems.com/parts/pics/BR6909.jpg as a replacement to people who had problems with the wavy/polygon rotors (disc shudder). Other brake pads are preferred to the standard avid C4 pad when brake squeal is a problem.
Maybe avid will change the rotors and pads for you.
Did you bed your Avid 7 brakes in lightly as agressive use out of the box can cause problems. (glazed over pads and brakes not beeding in)
Hibike.de do Formula brakes.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Mon 23-04-07 14:35; edited 2 times in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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has technology become a bit too complicated for the average social cyclist?
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rayscoops, nope. Social cyclists wouldn't have the sort of problems this lot are on about.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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DB, I have Avid 5's, bedded them in no problems, really good brake although they tend to sqeal alot! loudly, I suppose this is grit, oil, water getting in the pads, whats the trick to stop sqeaky brakes then?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Liam wrote: |
| DB, I have Avid 5's, bedded them in no problems, really good brake although they tend to sqeal alot! loudly, I suppose this is grit, oil, water getting in the pads, whats the trick to stop sqeaky brakes then? |
Some people get a good set of brakes and have no problems with them, others seem to be dogged with problems (e.g. bad set up, manufacturing fault etc).
See here for examples ......
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/disc_brake_system/product_125128.shtml
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/disc_brake_system/product_122524.shtml
Read many reports where one guy says he had nothing but trouble with one make and switched to another manufacturer whereas another report says exactly the opposite.
Your local bike shop are better postioned to sort out your brake problem than I can over the internet. Having said that you could try lightly sanding down or changing the brake pads (see previous post for details) and cleaning the rotor itself. If it's a constant squeal I'd be inclinded to try and get a replacement round sweep rotor from avid (free of charge). Be sure to change the pads when/if you change the rotor.
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You know it makes sense.
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DB, Thanks for your research, i reckon its time for me to get some new pads, the braking isn't as sharp, although this may be a good thing to stop lockup of the back wheel on descents! sideways action 
I will change my pads this weekend, see how i go on, then if anything re-occurs i will lightly sand the rotors to see if that helps. If not then i'll see what Avid can do about it.
DB, Do you do much riding around Manchester? Rivington?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I got to this thread a bit late - I'm a roadie, although I have done a bit of mountain biking, I get more satisfaction from pounding out the miles in close formation, preferably with somebody in front of me to shelter me a bit. I do love cycling, and the mountain biking was quite fun, but I just prefer the roads.
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Poster: A snowHead
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docsquid, too frightening to ride on the roads. Too much traffic!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Liam,
Probably best for you to clean the rotors with alcohol inbetween changing the pads. Be warned some people try "everything" on a set of brakes before eventually giving up and selecting another manufacturer. Hope you sort your problems out before getting that far though.
The front brake should be doing most of the work, the trick is to brake in as short a distance as possible without locking wheels or lifting the rear wheel. Practice with just the front brake to learn it's limits (i.e. rear wheel lifts), be sure to push your bum down into the saddle to resisit rear wheel lift. Then add a little rear brake with progessively more in small increments until you get the right balance. Sliding the back wheel should't really be done to brake but might be used by experienced riders to get round certain situations.
I left Manchester around 12 years ago and now bike in the Austrian hills and forests. Lived for a short time in Derbyshire and used to bike round there alot.
If you are looking for routes, riding buddies, MTB info etc then this is the place. You mught even notice the odd familiar log in name from here.
http://www.bikemagic.com/defaultforums.asp?sp=&v=6
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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DB, Cheers for that, i'll give them a clean with alcohol, i have been taught about the braking, but just lost it yesterday coming down a descent up at Rivington, I am a relatively new member to bike magic, so have had a bit of a browse on there.
I've got a load of people i go riding with, and luckily one of them is an instructor, and a few of them are well experienced, so i am learning loads, and being taught well, all for free, not bad eh 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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which brigns me to another point - where is a good place for middle-aged gits with all-the-gear-but-no-idea to get some instruction. Preferably either Sussex/Surrey/Kent or South Wales?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
be sure to push your bum down into the saddle to resisit rear wheel lift
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You can go even "further" by sliding your bum PASS the rear of the seat, and rest your thigh on the saddle instead.
Incredibly stable on steep down grades.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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abc, on especially steep gradients you can go to the next stage by going right over the back of the saddle and clamping the rear wheel between your buttox. Only problem is that you often get strange screaming noise from the front of the bike when using this technique
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| Mike Lawrie wrote: |
| abc, on especially steep gradients you can go to the next stage by going right over the back of the saddle and clamping the rear wheel between your buttox. Only problem is that you often get strange screaming noise from the front of the bike when using this technique |
Commonly known as "The nutcracker".
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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DB, Thanks - that is brilliant - the Afan valley is perfect for me. Parents-in-law live in Swansea, so I need to sort out a morning there the next time we visit.
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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| docsquid, too frightening to ride on the roads. Too much traffic!! |
Not really round here - I stick to the rural roads and much of the time don't see a car unless I'm within 1/2 mile of home. I don't mind riding in the traffic in town, but it is lovely to have a country road all to yourself, with perhaps a tractor or a couple of horses for company. I guess it is the same as off-piste skiing - it is fun to do occasionally, but a lovely groomed piste (preferably with some gates) is where it is at for me.
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FAQ
. I know the old boy has a few miles on the clock but it has seen good service in HK, Thailand. Ireland and UK and it would be a shame to put old 'Foxy' out to pasture. God bless shimano and the simple old mechanism 
