# I went out in the mud...



## rich p (1 Mar 2014)

...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 (1 Mar 2014)

rich p said:


> ...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 (1 Mar 2014)

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 (1 Mar 2014)

Dirty bastards....


----------



## rich p (1 Mar 2014)

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 (1 Mar 2014)

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


----------



## Tyke (1 Mar 2014)

rich p said:


> ...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 (1 Mar 2014)

rich p said:


> ...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 (2 Mar 2014)

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


----------



## Cubist (2 Mar 2014)

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 (2 Mar 2014)

Cubist said:


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


What I do in my private life....


----------



## jazzkat (2 Mar 2014)

Cubist said:


> 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 (2 Mar 2014)

jazzkat said:


> 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 (2 Mar 2014)

Cubist said:


> 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 (2 Mar 2014)

Still a dirty bastard...


----------



## young Ed (2 Mar 2014)

no MTB here yet but when the day comes she shall be kept clean and regularly rebuilt and i don't care if some people don't class me as a cyclist as i spend more time in the workshop then in the saddle all that means is i have lots of bikes i like to keep in top working order , it definitely doesn't mean i'm not very good in the workshop or i am OCD or anything else thats in my world it doesn't mean that!
bikes are to be kept clean the only dirty things should be tractor trailers and landrover even though they all deserve a good pressure wash off every now and then! and then the air compressor  
Cheers Ed


----------



## Shadowfax (3 Mar 2014)

Far to busy to clean mtbs but the new hybrid that has to be kept sparkly, we went out on the weekend and rode through some sand on the bike path,the horror !

Hubby spent the evening polishing, under my supervision of course.


----------



## Mr Haematocrit (4 Mar 2014)

Shadowfax said:


> Hubby spent the evening polishing, under my supervision of course.



Sounds a little voyeuristic


----------



## ianrauk (4 Mar 2014)

filthy git


----------

