Muddymoles

12 tips for your first MTB race

Originally posted by Jez.

Filed under 'Tips' during September 09.

So far there's 2 comment(s) on this post.

Well it must be autumn, as it’s time for Dusk Till Dawn, the last big endurance event of the race calendar, consisting of 12 hours of Norfolk night riding. But for us Moles it’s only our first race of the season. In fact, it will be the first race that many of us have ever done which marks a new step in our riding.

Continue reading '12 tips for your first MTB race'.

Hope Pro 2 Hub Rebuild

Originally posted by The Stig.

Filed under 'Tips' during July 09.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

Over the last few months, the ratchet noise from the Hope Pro 2 rear hub on my Prince Albert had really started to get on my tits. In fact, being fortunate enough to have a choice of bikes, I realised I had begun to avoid using it and just running with the Pitch or Inbred, both of which are blessed with much quieter freewheels.

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Cycling fitness: Osteoporosis

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during June 09.

So far there's 5 comment(s) on this post.

Who'd ever have thought it. The 'sport' that we do can actually harm you. I'm not talking about the obvious bone breaks and over-the-bars events but a far more insidious problem. Osteoporosis.

Continue reading 'Cycling fitness: Osteoporosis'.

How to: Keep your bike clean in winter

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during January 09.

So far there's 1 comment(s) on this post.

Anyone who has ridden their bike offroad during winter knows just how muddy things get. The key to keeping bikes clean, which is hugley important if you want to avoid going to the local bike shop to replace worn out kit every few weeks, is twofold.

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How to: position your brake and gear levers

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during January 09.

So far there's 2 comment(s) on this post.

I've recently gotten myself a rather trendy pair of white ODI lock-on grips for my On-one Inbred. Well, it seemed the right thing to do to compliment the white paintwork.

When I came to fit them I realised I needed to move my brake and gear pods inboard to accommodate their slightly longer length so I thought I'd take the opportunity to set everything up correctly.

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Tips for buying a decent mountain bike (including Cyclescheme and Cycle2Work)

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during January 09.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

Anyone who spends time riding mountain bikes soon finds there's plenty of people who want advice on how to buy 'the right bike for them'. I've noticed in particular that with the government's Cyclescheme (or Cycle2Work) there's plenty of people who have noticed just how cheap it is for them to buy a proper bike via their employer without necessarily knowing what a proper bike would be.

It's tempting to say local bike shops are the best place to start but that's not always the case. Commercial pressures are such that many people can feel intimidated or obligated to buy the first bike they see, especially if they haven't ridden a bike in years. The following is advice I gave to a female colleague recently that struck me as being useful to all, not just potential women riders.

Continue reading 'Tips for buying a decent mountain bike (including Cyclescheme and Cycle2Work)'.

Ding Dong!!

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during December 08.

So far there's 5 comment(s) on this post.

No, not a reference to a well known Christmas carol, although that would be apt given the current level of excitement in our household, but a short musing on the benefits of a bell on your bike.

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Tips to get kids and teenagers mountain biking

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during September 08.

So far there's 5 comment(s) on this post.

Most of us have kids. And obviously we like mountain biking. So how and what can we do to get them interested in the social and health benefits that riding a mountain bike can bring? After all, we need the next generation of 30-something riders to start somewhere!

And who's that sniggering at the back, when I say social and health benefits in the same sentence as mountain biking?

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Think about bike insurance

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during July 08.

So far there's 4 comment(s) on this post.

If there's one thing that has beome abundantly clear from the aftermath of my recent accident it's that, if you haven't already considered it, bike insurance would be a good idea.

I'm a simple fellow and confess to not giving this the attention it deserves in the past. But having injured myself reasonably badly it's clear that I would hate to
inflict this on anybody else. To do that would be bad enough, but to then face a significant financial penalty simply because I wasn't grown up enough to have taken out insurance would be unforgivable.

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How to: repair a tubeless (UST) tyre

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during April 08.

So far there's 5 comment(s) on this post.

Sunday's ride saw one puncture. Me. Odd you might think given I'm running tubeless tyres but there is a simple reason for it. Originally my Orange Five came equipped with Panaracer Fire XC Pro's in their tubeless incarnation, to go on the Mavic 819 UST wheelset.

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How to: Check your sag

Originally posted by The Stig.

Filed under 'Tips' during December 07.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

When was the last time you measured your sag?

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A guide for biking divas

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during October 07.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

Admittedly, this isn't a problem I suffer often, but you never know when you might find yourself having to defend your modesty while riding a bike in a skirt.

Heaven knows I'd be mortified if I hadn't read Lisa's advice on the subject in her article Diva's Guide to Biking. As a savvy New Yorker who's thought about this subject far more than I have (OK, maybe in a different way to what I have), there's some useful advice for the unwary.

Hopefully our female readers will see the value here but let's not rule anything out. As I've said before, us moles are a broad church.

How to: Use your front brake

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during August 07.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

Following on from my tip about using your rear brake, it's time to turn our attention to it's partner in crime, the front brake. Hopefully there's people out there, particularly beginners, who might find this sort of thing useful?

Now it's not hard to see why, from an early age (probably from when your Dad let's you go solo on two wheels for the first time), it's drummed into cyclists to beware the front brake. After all, jamming on the front brake is a recipe for eating tarmac as the wheel locks up and pitches you forwards or sideways - ouch! And we've all done it!

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How to: Use your rear brake

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during July 07.

So far there's 3 comment(s) on this post.

If there's one thing about Mountain Bikers, it's how nice they generally seem to be and how willing they are to share any knowledge they may have with others.

In that spirit, Jem recently returned from an MTB skills course to dispense all manner of useful advice along the lines of 'Pedal, pedal, pedal', said in a kind of All Mountain yodel.

But one nugget of information he imparted did at least seem to lodge itself in my consciousness and I've been trying it out ever since. I'm talking about using the rear brake more effectively, not just in moments of major 'I've got to stop' panic when all anchors are thrown overboard.

Continue reading 'How to: Use your rear brake'.

How to: Make a tyre boot

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during May 07.

So far there's 1 comment(s) on this post.

Yesterday I phoned Cycleworks and it seems that my new Orange Five is on its way. Well, its due to be painted this week anyway so I hope that's the case. A combination of a custom colour and unprecedented demand for the Five after MBR's 10 out of 10 review (PDF file) has left Orange struggling to keep up with demand.

Since I've specced the new bike with Mavic 819 UST (tubeless) rims I've realised that the biggest risk I face is cuts to the tyre sidewalls, especially with our flinty Surrey singletrack. Taking the unusual step of planning ahead, I've made myself a tyre boot that I can press into service in an emergency. Cycleworks recommend that you carry a spare inner tube anyway so this really is a contingency for extreme tyre damage.

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Cable zen

Originally posted by Matt.

Filed under 'Tips' during January 06.

So far there's 0 comment(s) on this post.

So far this year I have replaced my jockey wheels, chain, middle chainring and the rear cassette in an attempt to improve the gear shift on my Rift Zone. They all needed replacing anyway but how frustrating is it to discover that part of the problem was stemming from a frayed gear cable that could have been replaced for less than a fiver?

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