bonk man
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Malvernshire
cross bike slaughters mountain bikes on the Rough Ride
barq said:Rough!?
User482 said:If that photo is typical of the course, then there is absolutely no need to use an MTB.
User482 said:If that photo is typical of the course, then there is absolutely no need to use an MTB.
bonk man said:Not typical... I am still feeling battered ... rocky descents and lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggggggg climbs up varying terrain.
Lots of the tracks were do-able on a road bike I would say but quite a lot would be too rough. I was thinking about the possibility of doing the ride on a road bike as I was riding round, I remember mates doing the Hell of the North Cotswolds on racers.....
02GF74.. my fitness is road based [ club rides and time trials ] so I would beat lots of casual riders over a longer distance and more importantly maybe be more aware of eating and drinking properly on long tough rides like this. I also made use of any streams we crossed by chucking water over myself , it was cookingly hot on Sunday.
bonk man said:I wonder what sort of money gets you a full sus bike that is as good as a hardtail going up hill?
I had the choice between a sus [ cross country type ] and a hardtail frame [ both Magura ] in the shop the other day... like you say 2lbs heavier in frame weight and £200 more in price.
The added weight and the boingy behaviour [ assuming you don't always lock it out, and in a race it would not always be practical to fiddle with lock outs ] must have an impact on climbing especially after a few miles of hard riding.
I think that if you have good upper body strength and suppleness then a completely rigid bike would be the ideal bike..... lightweight and direct. I might rebuild my old M1000 with the rigid forks and race it next season....
But.... having not ridden a decent full sus I shall reserve judgement and the above is just my observation of design and use.
User482 said:As I said before, full suss can be better than a hardtail for climbing. If the trail is loose/ technical, the suspension will give you better traction. If your suspension is set up properly, it shouldn't bounce unnecessarily. On the downside, climbing out of the saddle doesn't work very well, and there is a little extra weight. Plus extra cost & maintenance.