Geekzone Cycling Thread

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#3339109 4-Feb-2025 15:01

Handsomedan:

Grade 3

https://www.riderotorua.com/eagle-vs-shark/

EAGLE vs SHARK

GRADE: 3 LENGTH: 3KM

BUILT: The original trail was funded in a brand new way for Rotorua: Half the cost was covered by South Star Adventures. They’re a Rotorua-based company, run by Jeff Carter. They’ve built trails in our own backyard – and all over the world.

The other half was raised through crowd funding, organised by the Mountain Bike Club. Fifteen thousand dollars was contributed in just over a month. The amounts of these varied, but every single dollar counted, with $10 ‘buying’ a metre of trail.

A pity because it looks liek a relatively easy track for anyone to ride, and will take years for a forest like this to develop.

https://youtu.be/j1ZBwSBWOgE

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#3339132 4-Feb-2025 16:13

geoffwnz:

mudguard:

Tubes?!?!

Yep. Much less faffing around and mess than sealant. Never had any issues with tubes over the decades and doesn't compromise my level of performance.

I actually went tubeless for the first time in my life last week.

After winning the Peaty's comp on EMBN and getting GBP200 worth of Peaty's cleaning kit and tubeless conversion kit, I gave it a go and found it surprisingly easy.

Reduced my pressures to 23Psi at the front and 25Psi at the back and if I am honest, I haven't noticed much difference!

Wasn't anywhere near as much faffing about to set up as I had been led to believe.

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#3339136 4-Feb-2025 16:18

Here it is freshly cleaned and quite obviously now running tubeless.

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mudguard

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#3339212 4-Feb-2025 17:42

Handsomedan:

I haven't noticed much difference!

Wasn't anywhere near as much faffing about to set up as I had been led to believe.

It's definitely one of those things, as in how would you know how often you're not puncturing now? I don't know when I switched, I'm not really evangelical about it. What I do notice is the little white patches on the tyre where sealant has leaked and sealed, and I wonder, how would I have got on if that was a tube?

Now living in Auckland I would get far fewer punctures than I ever did in down south, and I think that's the terrain as much as anything. I haven't really gone crazy with pressures either. We leave tubes in partner's bike, simply as she doesn't ride as often as I do, and tubeless leaks air much quicker than tubes. Not an issue if you ride every couple of days, but annoying if it's less often.

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#3339338 4-Feb-2025 20:38

mudguard:

Handsomedan:

I haven't noticed much difference!

Wasn't anywhere near as much faffing about to set up as I had been led to believe.

It's definitely one of those things, as in how would you know how often you're not puncturing now? I don't know when I switched, I'm not really evangelical about it. What I do notice is the little white patches on the tyre where sealant has leaked and sealed, and I wonder, how would I have got on if that was a tube?

Now living in Auckland I would get far fewer punctures than I ever did in down south, and I think that's the terrain as much as anything. I haven't really gone crazy with pressures either. We leave tubes in partner's bike, simply as she doesn't ride as often as I do, and tubeless leaks air much quicker than tubes. Not an issue if you ride every couple of days, but annoying if it's less often.

About the only puncture I've had recently was a nail in the tyre. Weirdly enough, it sealed itself with the nail anyway. So would have made zero difference having tubeless in that instance.

We don't tend to have thorns on most trails and I'm not hitting rocky stuff hard, so generally don't get snake bites.

So yeah, ain't broke, don't fix.

MotorDrive Rallying

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#3341474 11-Feb-2025 12:26

Couple of things I noticed about having gone tubeless and getting out on the trails over the weekend.

I really had to play with pressures to get the right feel.
I'm obviously used to higher pressures but being heavy, on a heavy eBike, I was not expecting the recommended pressures to feel so low.

Bike felt squirmy and squirrely under braking and turning, so I dialled it up a bit and am now sitting at about 25psi front and 27psi rear - which is around 2-3psi less than with tubes. I sort of expected to be running way less pressure but to have more grip - that wasn't the case.

But I do now have the advantage of self-sealing and less puncture-prone tyres. Not that I have had a puncture in a long time.

Of course it's great to have a plugger and some bacon strips along with a CO2 inflator with me to get through any unhappy sudden deflations.

While I am on the subject, I also tried out my new waist pack with hydration bladder. I picked up a Dakine Hotlaps 5L waist pack on sale for under $100 (same as this one at Hyperride currently selling for $169)

During summer, I find a backpack too sweaty and a bottle doesn't quite hold enough water. This has a 2L bladder in a sizeable waist pack, so thought it would fit my needs nicely.

Took a while to get the fit right, as with the weight of the water, it tends to drag down a little, but after some faffing about, I got it just right. Probably not an issue if you're not a fatty, but with a gut, it makes it a little harder to sinch up comfortably.

What I learned was that over 2 hours of off-road riding, I dont need 2L of water. I probably need a litre and then a cold bottle waiting at the car for me when I am finished. So that is what I'll be doing from now on. Half-fill the bladder, which will make the carrying easier, but also have a 750ml bottle waiting in the cooler bag in the car for when I am done.

The good thing about this is that I can move things like my phone and wallet from my pocket to my waist and have nothing moving about in my shorts other than me.

It easily contains a first aid kit (waterproof bag of plasters/bandages and steri-strips etc), puncture repair tools (plugger, bacon strips, Co2 cartidge, Leyzyne Control Drive inflator head etc), and my keys, phone and wallet without being ridiclously bulky.
The hose is kept attached to the waistband by a magnetic catch, like a Fidlock attachment. It pops off easily to be able to grab a quick sip, then snaps back into place easily.

My son has the very similar Camelbak version and he loves it, so when I saw this on the specials table, I snapped it up. The major difference between them is the bladder design.
The Camelbak has a traditional "lid" on it that screws on.
This has a sliding catch on top, which then exposes a folded over ziplock-style closure, which allows for a large opening and the ability tho throw in ice cubes and the like, so it's a good design. Much better than my Camelbak backpack bladder.

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JPNZ

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#3341494 11-Feb-2025 13:07

I went a similar route with a Camelbak Skyline LR. Sits low down on your back so it doesn't get as sweaty and most of the weight is on your hips. Its really good, I regularly do 35 to 60 km rides so quite often need the full 3 litres of water. Has nice side pockets for phone/airpods etc so don't need to take it off to access them. Plus like you say the benefit of riding with empty pockets is bliss.

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#3341498 11-Feb-2025 13:19

Backpack does tend to be a sweat trap. I dont understand how you get the hose into your mouth without canning off.

Looks like the hose is retained on the waist strap so you have to grab it mid-jump or something 🤕

My limited experience with bladders is - bought one from macpac but the thing tasted of plastic which put me off.

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geoffwnz

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#3341504 11-Feb-2025 13:38

I'm well used to sweaty backpacks from Ultra running so it wasn't an issue to continue that on the bike. Running a Camelbak Mule with either a 2 or 3 litre bladder depending on which one is in which backpack. 3 litre is currently in the running backpack for my little (102km) jog in the (several) forest this weekend.

I generally ride with the usual selection of basic tools plus I carry a set of "mandatory gear" in the form of a thermal layer and a mini first aid kit for just in cases.

Biggest issue I have is that I can fuel on the run but have to stop riding to fuel. Mildly annoying.

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#3341505 11-Feb-2025 13:53

elpenguino:

Backpack does tend to be a sweat trap. I dont understand how you get the hose into your mouth without canning off.

Looks like the hose is retained on the waist strap so you have to grab it mid-jump or something 🤕

There's two ways of doing this...either you get enough air that you can easily bend over and suck from the hose while it's on your waist, or you hone your skills and always jump one-handed whilst simultaneously hydrating.

I go the latter, as I am too fat to be that flexible.

The hose is easy enough to clip on and off the waist strap with the magnetic closure so it only takes seconds to get it from your waist to your mouth and back again.

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Handsomedan

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#3341846 12-Feb-2025 10:30

Did anyone catch Redbull Hardline over the weekend?
Invite only Downhill race for Mountainbikers - mostly World Cup racers, but also some Pros that do Freeride and non-WC racing/riding

There were some gnarly crashes and some amazing race runs, but the whole thing was unique, due to the unrivalled access to the buildup and practices being filmed on all of the various pro's YouTube channels.
It was pretty awesome to watch them practice, share tips and then get serious at the pointy end of the competition.

Kiwi DH Junior World Champ Erice van Leuven had an amazing week of build up only to have a massive crash in pre-race practice, breaking her back, neck & wrist, while also puncturing a lung and lacerating her liver.
The gap jump she crashed on required a minimum speed of 75kmh to clear - she hit it at 70kmh and caught her front wheel on the lip of the landing. Ouch.

The actual racing was madness - the speeds the riders are capable of is astonishing. Offroad and with massive jumps and bumps to contend with...absolute legends.

Does beg the question though...is the reward worth the risk?

Gracey s looking forward to having more of a race this year. Matt Jones gave the fans what the came for.

RatBoy down towards the line.

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networkn

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#3341860 12-Feb-2025 11:07

My daughter *finally* got to ride the specialised sirrus 2.0. She had been rather luke warm on the whole process of trying bikes, but pretty much immediately on getting on this bike she looked comfortable and confident. A few seconds later she was whizzing around with a smile on her face.

Got the bike for $699.

My Son took it for a ride and now wants one.

Handsomedan

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#3341864 12-Feb-2025 11:14

networkn:

My daughter *finally* got to ride the specialised sirrus 2.0. She had been rather luke warm on the whole process of trying bikes, but pretty much immediately on getting on this bike she looked comfortable and confident. A few seconds later she was whizzing around with a smile on her face.

Got the bike for $699.

My Son took it for a ride and now wants one.

That's awesome! I hope she has a long and happy relationship with the new bike!

So...are you getting your son one?

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geoffwnz

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#3341885 12-Feb-2025 11:54

Handsomedan:

Did anyone catch Redbull Hardline over the weekend?
Invite only Downhill race for Mountainbikers - mostly World Cup racers, but also some Pros that do Freeride and non-WC racing/riding

There were some gnarly crashes and some amazing race runs, but the whole thing was unique, due to the unrivalled access to the buildup and practices being filmed on all of the various pro's YouTube channels.
It was pretty awesome to watch them practice, share tips and then get serious at the pointy end of the competition.

Kiwi DH Junior World Champ Erice van Leuven had an amazing week of build up only to have a massive crash in pre-race practice, breaking her back, neck & wrist, while also puncturing a lung and lacerating her liver.
The gap jump she crashed on required a minimum speed of 75kmh to clear - she hit it at 70kmh and caught her front wheel on the lip of the landing. Ouch.

The actual racing was madness - the speeds the riders are capable of is astonishing. Offroad and with massive jumps and bumps to contend with...absolute legends.

Does beg the question though...is the reward worth the risk?

In a word, no.

But Hardline is aimed at the extreme end of the sport and definitely not for the weak. Good on Erice for stepping up and I hope she recovers quickly and can get back to riding.

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mudguard

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#3341964 12-Feb-2025 13:50

On the water bladder thing. I find as I get older, I need more and more, two hour ride at Woodhill and I'm close to three litres. I am consciously making myself drink. Generally try and sip/drink every ten minutes as my Garmin ticks over. My main bike does have frame storage which is great. I can just take a bottle and no pack, but that's really an hour, hour and a half tops as I want more water. So I do that for my local fitness loop which is near home.

I too have the Skyline LR, which I think they've stopped making. It does have some quirks, but it's much lower down one's back than previous models. I'm on my second bladder and the bag is holding up pretty well. Not quite a full day pack, but perfect for everything less than that.

As for Erice van Leuven, I'm genuinely surprised she rode Hardline. She was awesome in Juniors and I was excited to see how she would step up in Elite. As far as I'm aware she's not had any major injuries prior to this so there's a genuine risk of her not regaining her outright pace again. I know she was nursing a sore elbow prior to Hardline so was in doubt to actually enter. Now her whole season has gone. I can't believe her team would allow her to actually enter this kind of event.

Without coming across trying to stereotype but fast female riders don't seem to come back from big injuries like the men do. Either because they're smarter or because the confidence doesn't come back.

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