Another dirty weekend!

[EddiePJ]

Take one new bike, and use it as it intended to be used.

A brilliant morning spent on the Surrey hills.

Before.

After.

Better with a KTM.

My love of hardtail mountain bikes has grown even further after todays ride. There were a few times when I would have preferred to have been on the full suspension Macina Lycan, but those times were only limited to when riding across fast sections of compacted and rutted fields.
Obviously I was thrown around a lot more, but I can't say that I overly missed not riding an FS bike.

There was an interesting mix of riders and levels of ability today, and I set out in the first group at the front, with the rest of the ride made up of approx. 600 other riders. I always prefer setting off in the first group, as they are the get it done and dusted group, and they some very fast lads.
Four were gone like rockets, and I just stayed alongside a lad on a fatbike for the first couple of climbs. Only after the third climb did I decide to pull away, and then didn't see another rider for the next ten miles. It was only at the first feed point that the group came together again.
After the first stop, I rode with a lad that had remembered me from last year, mainly because I had encouraged him up a particularly nasty climb. I did the same this year, then cluttered off to pick up some time and speed. Frustratingly I then got a rear puncture, and also took a tumble.
Switching to a tubeless set up, and the purchase of some Hutchinson Toro tyres is the list of jobs for this week.

Everyone seemed in high spirits today, with just a bit of light hearted banter about cheating from the fast lads, so all was good.

Time for the important bit of the day now. The post ride downing of a few bottles of Tribute and Doom Bar. A perfect end to the day.

 

[EddiePJ]

Not the best of footage.

 

[soundwave]

so whats the teeth like on the front sprocket ? same as my x sync 1?

 

[SRS]

Not the best of footage.

Pretty good run for an old bloke

 

[EddiePJ]

Thanks, I think!

SW, the front sprocket on my bike is just the same as the Shimano set up on my Macina Lycan. Which is exactly what Connex also told me.

 

[soundwave]

SRAM X-SYNC™ 1x chain rings provide the highest level of performance and durability. The SRAM X-SYNC™ tall square teeth edges engage the chain earlier than traditional triangle shaped teeth. The sharp and narrow tooth profile, as well as rounded chamfer edges, help manage a deflected chain. To provide the best possible performance in muddy conditions, the X-SYNC™ chain rings have been designed with mud-clearing recesses for the inner chain links and rollers. Engineered in Germany, X-SYNC™ rings are an integral part of the SRAM 1x™ drivetrain.

rather not spend 85 quid on a haibike 1 so why they use them????

 

[EddiePJ]

Just paid £10.99 for an Sram 11 speed chain yesterday. That'll do for me.

You need to get shot of the H bike.

 

[soundwave]

it must be the chain line with that wheel i got then as it def did not feel right.

they dont make a new bike id want yet

mine is to heavy it dont go fast enough and the batt is way to small id like 4kw same size case. and full control over the motor settings.

 

[soundwave]

cant wait to see what he does with that lol

 

[mab13]

My love of hardtail mountain bikes has grown even further after todays ride...

I'm really intrigued by the new 6Fattie / Plus size hardtails and I'm hoping to take one out to demo on my home trails in the next few weeks.

I'm a big fan of hardtails which suit my needs for 80% of my cycling, but that 20% really does benefit from FS. I'm wondering whether the plus size tyres running at c.15psi will bridge the gap.

 

[Wolfie70]

I'm really intrigued by the new 6Fattie / Plus size hardtails and I'm hoping to take one out to demo on my home trails in the next few weeks.

I'm a big fan of hardtails which suit my needs for 80% of my cycling, but that 20% really does benefit from FS. I'm wondering whether the plus size tyres running at c.15psi will bridge the gap.

I've been riding a full sus Orange Segment 29er but have just built up a Stanton Sherpa hardtail in 27plus guise with 3.0 up front and 2.8 at the back. I've not ridden the full sus since! ;-)

https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B055qXGF1HIXkk

 

[Lumos]

I'm really intrigued by the new 6Fattie / Plus size hardtails and I'm hoping to take one out to demo on my home trails in the next few weeks.

I'm a big fan of hardtails which suit my needs for 80% of my cycling, but that 20% really does benefit from FS. I'm wondering whether the plus size tyres running at c.15psi will bridge the gap.

I'm really intrigued by the new 6Fattie / Plus size hardtails and I'm hoping to take one out to demo on my home trails in the next few weeks.

I'm a big fan of hardtails which suit my needs for 80% of my cycling, but that 20% really does benefit from FS. I'm wondering whether the plus size tyres running at c.15psi will bridge the gap.

As well as our array of four Haibikes we also have a 750W fat bike. In rough conditions I use around 6psi in the tyres and they are good for turning rocky trails with rocks unto 4 cm above the ground into a smooth as tarmac experience. Bigger rocks are going to send you rattling and crashing over the environment (mine has no suspension front or rear but I do have seat post suspension). 6psi on tarmac roads is no fun. I fat bike at 15 psi feels like rock. My advice is to try one to see if it really meets your ride profile in practice as opposed on paper.

 

[paul20v]

Im the other way i ride my full suspension more than the hardtail offroad
I bought a full sus ebike in the first place because of the weight and power sapping characteristics of full sus bikes to obviously ease the climbing and find suspension helps track the bike over roots and rocks better while climbing as well as desending ,
I still ride my unpowered hard tail ,well completely unsprung bike alot but more on road now its even been down graded too more street orientated tyres for the moment

 

[Lumos]

Im the other way i ride my full suspension more than the hardtail offroad
I bought a full sus ebike in the first place because of the weight and power sapping characteristics of full sus bikes to obviously ease the climbing and find suspension helps track the bike over roots and rocks better while climbing as well as desending ,View attachment 13808
I still ride my unpowered hard tail ,well completely unsprung bike alot but more on road now its even been down graded too more street orientated tyres for the moment

Not sure if you were replying to me but I use full suspension all the time off road and on road, sad to say the fatbike is only for my friends' use now. Bosch is simply more fun than Bafang.

 

[paul20v]

Not sure if you were replying to me but I use full suspension all the time off road and on road, sad to say the fatbike is only for my friends' use now. Bosch is simply more fun than Bafang.

Hi
I was just generalising as the trend does seem to be more towards hard tails in this thread ,
As for fat bikes its an itch i think i will need too scratch one day just for the hell of it

 

[mab13]

I can't say one way or the other whether full sus or hardtail is better overall for my local trails as I've only done them on the full sus. I'm hoping to demo a plus size hardtail in the next couple of weeks and I'll be sure to post my thoughts.

I demo'd a few eMTBs a couple of weeks ago including the 2016 Bosch, Yamaha and Brose motors. At that demo day, I tried a plus size hardtail and really enjoyed it - I'd forgotten the difference between full sus and hardtail as I've only been on the former for the past couple of years. The terrain was flat and smooth though, so I don't know whether or not the enjoyment would be the same on my local trails (hence demo-ing one in the next couple of weeks).

The added stiffness, the feeling of no shock based power loss between legs and rear wheel, etc... not better, just a little different and closer to what I grew up with and cycled a few years ago. The full sus will have better traction, comfort, etc. but I'm really interested to know whether a hardtail with 3" tyres bridges the gap to some degree.

I love my full sus Cube and it does absolutely everything I need it to and more. Why I'm demo-ing a cheaper bike with inferior components I'm not really sure, other than my need to scratch this hardtail itch and who knows what will happen when I do.