I went out in the mud...

[rich p]

...and slurry on the South Downs today. My mtb skills (or lack thereof) were glaringly obvious as I slithered around. I found going downhill, with the front wheel being skewed off in deepish mud, pretty unnerving. I may be too old to get any better but I enjoyed the effort and challenge nevertheless.
Maybe I need to be bolder but I have an aversion to coming off at speed these days.

 

[ScotiaLass]

...and slurry on the South Downs today. My mtb skills (or lack thereof) were glaringly obvious as I slithered around. I found going downhill, with the front wheel being skewed off in deepish mud, pretty unnerving. I may be too old to get any better but I enjoyed the effort and challenge nevertheless.
Maybe I need to be bolder but I have an aversion to coming off at speed these days.

I hear that! As little as 8 years ago I would career downhill in mud etc and wouldn't even give an off a second thought.
Now I am cautious but still enjoy some light trails and always enjoy mud and water
Staying loose is the key - oh and decent tyres

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I went over swinley forest last weekend and it was marsh land with half the single tracks closed.. Good fun though but I hated stripping my bike to clean it.

 

[ianrauk]

Dirty bastards....

 

[rich p]

I hosed it and me down as soon as I got back otherwise it would have stayed that way. I may have showered eventually although I'm not due one till next week strictly speaking

 

[Crackle]

Do you get to the South Downs via the North Ups?

 

[Tyke]

...and slurry on the South Downs today. My mtb skills (or lack thereof) were glaringly obvious as I slithered around. I found going downhill, with the front wheel being skewed off in deepish mud, pretty unnerving. I may be too old to get any better but I enjoyed the effort and challenge nevertheless.
Maybe I need to be bolder but I have an aversion to coming off at speed these days.

I`m with that I went along a riverbank last week with a very slippy path full of holes, bricks and other things I could not see under the water that was over my feet for about 100yd. All I could think about was the new camera in my rucksack and coming off in the water. By the time I got to the other end I was so glad to be back on something solid I rode off without taking a photo of it.

 

[jazzkat]

...and slurry on the South Downs today. My mtb skills (or lack thereof) were glaringly obvious as I slithered around. I found going downhill, with the front wheel being skewed off in deepish mud, pretty unnerving. I may be too old to get any better but I enjoyed the effort and challenge nevertheless.
Maybe I need to be bolder but I have an aversion to coming off at speed these days.

I could have written this!!
The sad thing is that it took me as long to clean my bike as the original ride took!
A few times I had to get off and walk as every time I pedalled I just sank deeper in the gloop rather than having any forward momentum.
Damn good fun though - oh and I only fell off once

 

[Shadowfax]

Only time there has been a clean mountain bike round here would be the day it came out of the shop.

 

[Cubist]

I still like the therapeutic feeling of a good clean and fettle, but only about every three rides or so. I'll hose the worst of the mud off and then give it a good deep clean when it becomes unrecognisable. That means the whole bike is getting a service every other week perhaps, as a deep clean will involve tyres, brakes, drivetrain and whatever, everything checked, adjusted and replaced as required.

Winter MTB is always a compromise between riding and picking your way through unrideable filth anyway.

 

[rich p]

Winter MTB is always a compromise between riding and picking your way through unrideable filth anyway.

What I do in my private life....

 

[jazzkat]

only about every three rides or so.

My OCD tendences would never allow that kind of thing. I didn't clean my road bike after Friday nights ride and it's been bugging me all weekend, despite the fact that I'll be out on it again tomorrow evening. I've just got in from cleaning it and changing the rear mech gear-change cable and all is now right with the world.
It's a good job I don't commute by bike!

 

[Cubist]

My OCD tendences would never allow that kind of thing. I didn't clean my road bike after Friday nights ride and it's been bugging me all weekend, despite the fact that I'll be out on it again tomorrow evening. I've just got in from cleaning it and changing the rear mech gear-change cable and all is now right with the world.
It's a good job I don't commute by bike!

I used to be equally fastidious, but there are better things to do in life. A full clean and fettle takes me two or three hours, and my hardtail is out twice a week on average. Therefore, it gets enough to stop it seizing, rotting orwearing, but its a mtb, in winter, and gets filthy every ride. Its to be used and enjoyed, it lives in the garage, not the house.

I commute to work on a road bike. It has mudguards and I use dry ceramic wax lube. If its salty it gets rinsed. If it gets too dirty I'll clean it, but again, as long as it doesn't rot a bit of grime won't hurt it.

 

[jazzkat]

I used to be equally fastidious, but there are better things to do in life. A full clean and fettle takes me two or three hours, and my hardtail is out twice a week on average. Therefore, it gets enough to stop it seizing, rotting orwearing, but its a mtb, in winter, and gets filthy every ride. Its to be used and enjoyed, it lives in the garage, not the house.

I commute to work on a road bike. It has mudguards and I use dry ceramic wax lube. If its salty it gets rinsed. If it gets too dirty I'll clean it, but again, as long as it doesn't rot a bit of grime won't hurt it.

My tongue was firmly in my cheek, but I do tend to clean my bike when I come in from a ride.
Yes, I probably need help and yes, I constantly pray for dry weather..........it just doesn't work very often!

 

[ianrauk]

Still a dirty bastard...