[Nibbles]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

Wow, that's some break! Have they said if you'll have any issues with it long term?

I'll never get full movement back and I'll always be able to feel there's some metalwork in there but I'm seeing that as a challenge rather than a fact for now.

[Ennoch]

Ah man, sorry to hear that. Hopefully decent physio and keeping active helps minimise the reduction in movement. Human bodies are amazing things when you challenge them. How far in are you now? Have you been taking any supplements or changed your diet to help speed up the recovery?

On a bike related note my mate asked Jungle (SC disti) to send out the bike yesterday rather than Tuesday as he's shut on Wednesday. They didn't bother doing that so it's still sat in their warehouse. I reckon the chances of getting it for the weekend is rather slim now as I'll need to drive down to the Toon to collect it, and he's shut own Saturday to go racing. Bugger. Even if I do get it tomorrow it'll be a rather more rushed build up than I was hoping for as I want to pull it apart to grease everything, change the brakes (means bleeding them), change the tyres and get the Invisiframe kit all fitted. Oh well, you can't expect anything in the cycle industry to be slick and efficient

[Ennoch]

Well the site's finally live - it's called All Shred No Dread. It's a soft launch as they say, so there's not been any official announcement etc but that'll come in the next week or two once we've got a few more bits live and ironed out a few other little things.

This is one of the main pieces I've written for it so far (aside from all the editing of other bits and pieces): https://www.allshrednodread.com/post/eddy-king

I've got a few more industry interviews etc coming up so I'll share them when they're live if anyone's interested.

[gangzoom]

Managed to sneak a ride in before the rest of the house work up.....Its just fun to be on road like these powered by nothing else but your own legs .

[JustChris]

That's a great pic Gangzoom

[gangzoom]

^I can at least blame a lack of Strava PBs on been distracted by taking photos .

[Ennoch]

This weekend was definitely an exciting one, and it started on Friday night with a run down the A68 to go south of the border for the first time since last June! My mate's shop, CycleFix Limited, is in Birtley near Gateshead and as the bike turned up from the distributor on Friday morning, it was easiest to just go and get it in person - if anyone is in that part of the world I can wholeheartedly recommend his shop, particularly for mechanical stuff as he's Danny Hart's (2x World Champion) World Cup mechanic.

Anyway, we caught up (it's been a few years since we were last at a race together), I collected the bike, and then was up until 4am building it to get a first ride in on Saturday. I also invisiframe'd it which didn't help that timeline! I've swapped out the tyres to my favoured Michelin DH22/34 combo and used my 9 year old Hope V4 brakes which necessitated also using my old Fox Transfer post as the shifter/dropper post levers used the daft Avid Matchmaker adapters. Which was fine, until I removed the SRAM brakes they attached to. D'oh. The other slight issue is that Jungle had run out of 6 bolt DT hubs so the wheels were built with Centrelock hubs instead. Even with proper DT adaptors you simply can't get the lockring tight enough to stop fore/aft movement. Utter junk. So I suspect the wheels will be getting chopped out pretty quickly unless my mate can pull some strings to get some proper hubs once they become available. Either that or I put Hope Pro4's on... I also need to retape the rims for tubeless as the taping job was the worst I've ever seen which seemed to randomly leak air out during the day Saturday and Sunday!

Anyway, the bike rides bloody awesomely even without the suspension being properly dialled in - I got out for a quick 18km shakedown on Saturday and a still reasonably short 36km day yesterday. It's definitely less nimble in the tight stuff but not horrendously so, and not as much as I was expecting it to be, so it's all good. And when it's a little bit faster and more open, holy crap it freight trains stuff. It's also utterly silent compared to my dying Nukeproof Mega! Overall the build comes in at 35lb on the nose which isn't too bad considering the tyres are 1500g each and the brakes are pretty chunky! In terms of ride it has a lot more traction as the tyre contact patch is longer, but you need to use this to get the front end turned as the natural arc of the bike is longer than on 27.5" wheels. The more you commit the harder it corners and the more speed you can carry through turns. And then on open stuff it's just flat out.



I also went 'full enduro' and ditched the rucsack for a bumbag that has a few gels etc in it and a single water bottle (rather than camelbak) containing a Lifestraw, a water filter which means I can fill up mid-ride from any scongy stream. Pretty neat. Similarly I ditched the bigger tools and chain tool for this neat wee Giant Clutch thing from my mate's Giant shop in Leamington Spa (another ex-elite racer with a shop!) which includes the necessary allen keys, T25 and chain tool. There's another one which goes in the steerer tube for your gas inflator. Matching that is a Dynaplug Racer in the bumbag.



And the obligatory videos. Annoyingly the GoPro crapped itself for the last run of the day which was the best of the lot!:

[Nibbles]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

This weekend was definitely an exciting one, and it started on Friday night with a run down the A68 to go south of the border for the first time since last June! My mate's shop, CycleFix Limited, is in Birtley near Gateshead and as the bike turned up from the distributor on Friday morning, it was easiest to just go and get it in person - if anyone is in that part of the world I can wholeheartedly recommend his shop, particularly for mechanical stuff as he's Danny Hart's (2x World Champion) World Cup mechanic.

Anyway, we caught up (it's been a few years since we were last at a race together), I collected the bike, and then was up until 4am building it to get a first ride in on Saturday. I also invisiframe'd it which didn't help that timeline! I've swapped out the tyres to my favoured Michelin DH22/34 combo and used my 9 year old Hope V4 brakes which necessitated also using my old Fox Transfer post as the shifter/dropper post levers used the daft Avid Matchmaker adapters. Which was fine, until I removed the SRAM brakes they attached to. D'oh. The other slight issue is that Jungle had run out of 6 bolt DT hubs so the wheels were built with Centrelock hubs instead. Even with proper DT adaptors you simply can't get the lockring tight enough to stop fore/aft movement. Utter junk. So I suspect the wheels will be getting chopped out pretty quickly unless my mate can pull some strings to get some proper hubs once they become available. Either that or I put Hope Pro4's on... I also need to retape the rims for tubeless as the taping job was the worst I've ever seen which seemed to randomly leak air out during the day Saturday and Sunday!

Anyway, the bike rides bloody awesomely even without the suspension being properly dialled in - I got out for a quick 18km shakedown on Saturday and a still reasonably short 36km day yesterday. It's definitely less nimble in the tight stuff but not horrendously so, and not as much as I was expecting it to be, so it's all good. And when it's a little bit faster and more open, holy crap it freight trains stuff. It's also utterly silent compared to my dying Nukeproof Mega! Overall the build comes in at 35lb on the nose which isn't too bad considering the tyres are 1500g each and the brakes are pretty chunky! In terms of ride it has a lot more traction as the tyre contact patch is longer, but you need to use this to get the front end turned as the natural arc of the bike is longer than on 27.5" wheels. The more you commit the harder it corners and the more speed you can carry through turns. And then on open stuff it's just flat out.

The new bike looks excellent, glad to see you're enjoying it. The crank tool looks very much like the all in one tool I've got. The only issue I had with it was you had to glue the magnetic locking ring on to make it fit a dub bb. Is that the same with the Giant one or is it easier to install?

That second video is a little steep! I'd have to wear some tenna mens pads to go down that and I'd be a hell of a lot slower.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by Nibbles

The new bike looks excellent, glad to see you're enjoying it. The crank tool looks very much like the all in one tool I've got. The only issue I had with it was you had to glue the magnetic locking ring on to make it fit a dub bb. Is that the same with the Giant one or is it easier to install?

That second video is a little steep! I'd have to wear some tenna mens pads to go down that and I'd be a hell of a lot slower.

Thanks! It still needs dialled in with suspension air pressures, and compression etc but it's definitely a balanced bike even without going to extremes of setup. My favoured way to set up a bike is to get it in a vaguely balanced ballpark so that I can learn its traits and then after a few proper rides start to focus on changing things with each run. It's interesting that the mate I was following in that second vid is also on a Megatower, albeit a coil sprung one, and he simply said 'how can you ride with the rebound that slow' when he jumped on mine. This is because I tend to run my rear shocks with a fair amount of rebound dialled in so that it doesn't kick as I prefer to use my legs to absorb the bulk of impacts, and then run the fork with less so that it's more active and helps keep the front end ride height up.

The Giant tool has three different magnetic collars which are split so that you just tap them into place. As Shimano axles are steel you could almost get away without the collar but on these DUB cranks the supplied collar tapped into place neatly. A lot of guys use the Granite and OneUp tools but having borrowed a OneUp thing in a carpark at the start of a day and struggled to get enough purchase to split the chain I think they're a complete waste of time. This Giant one has a proper handle on it so you can get good purchase on it which sold it to me as Sod's law says you're not going to be fixing a chain in perfect weather!

Ha, it's not thaaaat steep Some of the bits from the Dunkeld vids the other week were quite a bit steeper actually, especially Precious that's 45% average gradient, but they're tighter and slower so the steepness doesn't translate on the camera. Glenduro isn't as steep, and has good supportive corners so you can actually lean into the turns and commit a lot harder. Once your wrist's better if you're ever wanting a trip to Scotland give me a shout and I'll get you out for a day on some of the local stuff (that suits what you want to ride of course!). As to speed, that doesn't matter just as long as fun is being had. Back when I started racing I was regularly at the back of the field as one of the slowest on the entry list. Since then I've won races in every category I've entered and had numerous FTD's. But at the end of the day it's still only riding bikes for fun, and if you're not racing then the biggest competitor you have is yourself!

[Nibbles]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

The Giant tool has three different magnetic collars which are split so that you just tap them into place. As Shimano axles are steel you could almost get away without the collar but on these DUB cranks the supplied collar tapped into place neatly. A lot of guys use the Granite and OneUp tools but having borrowed a OneUp thing in a carpark at the start of a day and struggled to get enough purchase to split the chain I think they're a complete waste of time. This Giant one has a proper handle on it so you can get good purchase on it which sold it to me as Sod's law says you're not going to be fixing a chain in perfect weather!

Ha, it's not thaaaat steep Some of the bits from the Dunkeld vids the other week were quite a bit steeper actually, especially Precious that's 45% average gradient, but they're tighter and slower so the steepness doesn't translate on the camera. Glenduro isn't as steep, and has good supportive corners so you can actually lean into the turns and commit a lot harder. Once your wrist's better if you're ever wanting a trip to Scotland give me a shout and I'll get you out for a day on some of the local stuff (that suits what you want to ride of course!). As to speed, that doesn't matter just as long as fun is being had. Back when I started racing I was regularly at the back of the field as one of the slowest on the entry list. Since then I've won races in every category I've entered and had numerous FTD's. But at the end of the day it's still only riding bikes for fun, and if you're not racing then the biggest competitor you have is yourself!

Thanks for the offer, I might just take you up on that and tag on a few days for riding when I'm next up to see friends in Edinburgh. I like the look of that Giant tool more than the All-in-multitool I have as it's so easy to lose the different bits on the current one and as you say, the chain splitter looks much easier to use. Off to find one in stock on the web to add to my ever expanding tool set.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by Nibbles

Thanks for the offer, I might just take you up on that and tag on a few days for riding when I'm next up to see friends in Edinburgh. I like the look of that Giant tool more than the All-in-multitool I have as it's so easy to lose the different bits on the current one and as you say, the chain splitter looks much easier to use. Off to find one in stock on the web to add to my ever expanding tool set.

Go for it, the offer's always there. There's tons of riding within an hour of Edinburgh, some more mellow, some rather more extreme! Even the trail centre at Glentress has some good 'other' trails.

The tool is really neat, I think my mate should still have them in stock if you give him a call down at Giant Leamington Spa. They're not on the site but they are available. I know what you mean about the separate bits, my dad just picked up a Lezyne one with a miniature ratchet & bits which is really nice but it just has too much risk of dropping them in the undergrowth. The Giant tool covers all the bolts on my bike, especially once I've switched all the bolts out for Ti which will get rid of the few odd sized Torx ones. I also gave the chain tool a go when I needed to take a few links out the new chain (the bike was a complete box of bits rather than built) and it was pretty decent. Not Shimano workshop tool good, but good enough for use out on the trail!

[Nibbles]

This is the current steed that's getting all of my riding time. Putting in the Km's on zwift so I don't feel like I've died on the first hill when I'm back on my bike. Quite a way to go in the physio department though, grip on my left hand is 60KG's and only 22KG's on my right.

[Ennoch]

I've still got my old turbo sat in the loft, and I think I used it a grand total of five times. I just don't have the willpower to do it but I'm glad other people do! Keeping your blood flowing and heart rate up is good for recovery. Have they given any indication as to how long before you're back on a bike properly?

[Nibbles]

Originally Posted by Ennoch

I've still got my old turbo sat in the loft, and I think I used it a grand total of five times. I just don't have the willpower to do it but I'm glad other people do! Keeping your blood flowing and heart rate up is good for recovery. Have they given any indication as to how long before you're back on a bike properly?

I've got an appointment with the consultant next week. Hopefully they'll give me the all clear to get back on the bike then. I've got a Mobius X8 wrist brace ready to wear when riding just to give a bit of extra support if I come off the bike again. I'm really looking forward to getting out and about again especially as the weather is looking a bit better.

[JR1664]

Lovely day for a ride. Very little wind and the countryside always looks so vibrant at this time of year.

[BBri89]

Looks brighter than it was round these parts.
I haven't been out since Sunday when I did 65 miles... had planned for today or the weekend to do another 50+ at least, but it looked like today it was minutes away from torrential downpour.
Weekend forecast doesn't look good either. Or next week.

What the hell is going on with the weather the last couple of months!?!

[SantaEugence]

Originally Posted by BBri89

Looks brighter than it was round these parts.
I haven't been out since Sunday when I did 65 miles... had planned for today or the weekend to do another 50+ at least, but it looked like today it was minutes away from torrential downpour.
Weekend forecast doesn't look good either. Or next week.

What the hell is going on with the weather the last couple of months!?!

Tell me about it. Something about a high pressure front hanging over Russia for ages meaning we're stuck with the low pressure crap until some point in June basically

[JustChris]

Russian state weather experiment to drive up U.K. use of imported gas.

[SantaEugence]

Clipless shoes arrived today so went out to try them as weather forecast looked good. 30k in and the heavens opened up got utterly soaked.
Almost stacked it about 5 times by getting the wrong foot out the pedal and then leaning the opposite way and realising that shoe is still very much connected!

[JustChris]

Originally Posted by SantaEugence

Clipless shoes arrived today so went out to try them as weather forecast looked good. 30k in and the heavens opened up got utterly soaked.
Almost stacked it about 5 times by getting the wrong foot out the pedal and then leaning the opposite way and realising that shoe is still very much connected!

Haha good stuff. It takes a fair while to get used to it but soon it will just be muscle memory.

[Ennoch]

Originally Posted by Nibbles

I've got an appointment with the consultant next week. Hopefully they'll give me the all clear to get back on the bike then. I've got a Mobius X8 wrist brace ready to wear when riding just to give a bit of extra support if I come off the bike again. I'm really looking forward to getting out and about again especially as the weather is looking a bit better.

Fingers crossed for you that gives good news. I'm not sure 'better' is how I'd describe the rather up here right now after the amount of rain I've seen in the last ten days! Still, I hope the weather's good once you can get out on it. I don't know what grips you use, but if you find yourself getting a sore hand/joint once you're back then I know a lot of mates who've sworn by the Ergon GP1 and GP1 womens (slightly smaller) as they support the hand a lot better. One of my mates even raced a season of world cups with a broken scaphoid using these grips. Then again I also know a mate who raced for a season after breaking his wrist and thumb by taking the plate on the metal brace they gave him and bolting a claw to it to clip onto the grip so he could ride with his thumb on top of the bar...so take these pieces of advice with a dose of scepticism if you're not as daft as we all were

Originally Posted by SantaEugence

Clipless shoes arrived today so went out to try them as weather forecast looked good. 30k in and the heavens opened up got utterly soaked.
Almost stacked it about 5 times by getting the wrong foot out the pedal and then leaning the opposite way and realising that shoe is still very much connected!

It'll come, and quickly at that, but there is a learning curve while you try to teach your body that your feet can't just lift off. Dodgy as sin though toe clips were, I do suspect they made for a much more pleasant transition to SPD's! Which pedals did you go for?

[gangzoom]

This arrived today, had to wait for my wife to do some random 'starter' sessions before I got a go. Have to say am quite impressed by the equipment, it really is silent, barely audible even when really trying to smash it.



I didn't expect it to track so much data (good for nerds), the 'live' competition showing you others doing the same ride is a pretty good way to keep you pushing.

Clearly plenty of really fit people using these bikes, 18,839 of them to be exact