Mountain Biking

I lost count a long time ago of how many rear derailleurs have met their end while out riding — ripped off, busted apart, you name it — no biggie as the life of a rear derailleur on a MTB is often a short and sweet thing. But looking through old slides the other day I came across one of the funniest MTB mechanicals I’ve had over the years which involved a substantial branch and the rear wheel. Somehow the derailleur survived, unlike most of the spokes. (more…)

Great to see the Wombat Mountain Bike Club featured in a ‘Nice Work’ video on the Sydney Morning Herald web site. (more…)

20 years ago my 1991 Stumpjumper Comp was the sweetest thang. It’s still a fun albeit scary ride today. Sit it beside a 2011 Stumpjumper Comp and wow, you might notice a few things have changed over 20 years. (more…)

Thanks to The Bike Vault in Castlemaine I’ve been lucky enough to test ride a brand spanking new Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp 29’er over the last couple of days.  I had a bunch of fun, more pics and details below. (more…)

Interesting Tech Tuesday video posted on Pinkbike this week – Handlebars – How Wide Affects Your Ride. (more…)

Huge thanks to everyone who headed out to Bress Winery for the inaugural running of the BressXpress! The consensus seemed to be that it was a relaxed, enjoyable event, a beautiful setting for a ride and even the track was ok too. (more…)

Headed out to Maldon this afternoon to catch the some of the racing in the final round of the Vic Downhill Series.  Incredible watching the fast guys as they showed absolute commitment at the top of the course, taking the fast line through the air to clear a rocky section followed by a good size drop all in one go, then having to make a turn immediately on landing. No margin for error, just rocks and trees to hit if they messed up. Great crowd and atmosphere up the top too with the intensity of the chants and cheering fluctuating with the fortunes and speed of each rider. (more…)

Thought I’d fixed the disc brake probs (rear stuck piston and front leaking fluid) as everything seemed fine during the 3 hour enduro. Even though the average lap speed at the enduro was relatively high, the max speed each lap was relatively low, with only a few light squeezes on the brake needed to make it around the course. It was a really enjoyable ride but I guess didn’t test the brakes enough provide a definitive verdict on my maintenance efforts the previous day. (more…)