New to the Forum

[Dacorr]

Greetings all

thought i should say hi,

i finally upgraded my MTB from an Al Carter of 12 years old, it was doing ok but got to the point it needed a complete re build, was still on the original rear hub and other than that there was only the frame and forks left from the beginning.

Sentimental moment dismantling the bike though, all those falls, cars and petty thieves, brought back memories.

Bought a Specialized FSR XC Comp 2009, always wanted a specialized… been bouncing around on it, that’s just the pot holes!

Taken it out a few times but still learning the bike, 12 years on a bike with no shocks you kind of get used to it.

had it six weeks and i have had the tyre slashed twice, those captains are not too cheap, the thought of side cutters and fingers came to mind…

and to top it off it had its service and the rear X Fusion shock seems to be losing pressure around 23 PSI over 3 weeks, 2 of which it was only on the road, well except that river distraction i found, well hopefully its not faulty but then i may have an excuse to put a Fox shock on it 😀

I read some posts and yeah i can relate to the cost of running MTB, but if your not breaking yourself, the bike or getting near misses from cars your doing something wrong 😀

Well, nice to meet you all finally some one to talk to that does not think i am crazy for a healthy bike obsession.

Dac

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

so, how is the riding over in the uk? i’ve heard there is some pretty nice stuff, and that it’s not all that great… conflicting reviews.

so let’s hear it from a local, how’s the riding?

[Shane_Thompson]

Welcome to the club. I am a newb my own self. 😃

[steve32300]

Welcome Dacorr,nice to see you bought a specialized,I own a specialized as well.And yes,it takes a little getting used to the full suspension after riding that rigid for 12 years.I rode my hard tail for about 6 or 7 years with an old rock shocks fork that might as well have been a rigid fork with only about an inch of travel but was usulally seized up and didnt move.hahahahahaah.
Oh,and I got some relatives over there,although I’ve never met em and am pretty sure there all old and dont ride mountain bike’s.I guess one never knows though,maby I should get the skinny from my grandparents and find out,hahahahaha.
Anyways,hope you enjoy singletracks and post up often.Have fun riding that new full suspension.

[Dacorr]

I was in wales for 7 years at uni in the Rhonda Valleys with the old bike, in one year i snapped 3 sets of pedals, and smashed the bearing guiders on the front hub (go a new mavix for £20 as the shop wanted the old wheel having never seen that happen).

wales is good for bikes especially the valleys, just have to keep an eye out for old quarries as they tend to appear out of no where. There is a mix of terrain but yeah it does tend to rain a lot but if you accept your going to get muddy then rain is not a problem.

Some of the hills i had been on (DH) the terrain is misleading especially around farms as there are drainage ditches and things hidden under the grass so hold on tight.

Oh and then there is the snow… that is alot of fun.

One thing about XC in the UK is that the areas for cycling are quite built up and compact so its good to build up the reaction time.

Alot of the UK is full of hills and forests just have to watch the odd electric fence! When you hit one you will know it.

There are a lot of nice areas, some are official others are just naturally there.

When i moved to London i could not believe how flat it was and its not exactly MTB friendly here cars almost aim for you, although hats off to the motor bikers for noticing me and keeping the cars at bay guess us two wheels stick together.

done some research and there are some nice ones around, Aston Hill is supposed to be good having spoken to the local specialized shop they said the Aston course designer is a bit crazy and the beginner rout is better for the pros and vice versa.

http://www.moredirt.co.uk/uk_trails.php

That is a good source of UK trails.

i am going to go eventually once i am used to the FSR XC. May need to find a partner though first in case i snap something. May return to wales at some point visit my friend and head up to the mountains near Tonapandy area.

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