Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Lucky you - I can't pull the simplest of wheelies on either of my bikes - due to the 90mm and 110mm stems no doubt
Thinking of going 60mm on the Virtue though
New Bike Day :D
- Thread starter ChrisEyles
- Start date
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Lucky you - I can't pull the simplest of wheelies on either of my bikes - due to the 90mm and 110mm stems no doubt
Thinking of going 60mm on the Virtue though
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
@Threevok - the avalanche wheelied a little too easily when climbing, even with the 90mm stem (current seatpost probably has too much setback)... but I still can't keep the front up in the air for more than four or five pedal strokes without looping out or crashing back down to earth. Guess it's just practice!
Manualling was a bit of a breakthrough though, still can't do it but now seems tantalisingly possible rather than totally unachievable!
Manualling was a bit of a breakthrough though, still can't do it but now seems tantalisingly possible rather than totally unachievable!
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Yeah, as I mentioned before, they can be a handful on climbs, even when standing up
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
@Threevok switching to an inline (dropper, but that's irrelevant) seatpost seems to have made my avalanche much better behaved on steep climbs.
Only drawback is the reach to the bars now feels a smidge short when seated, but I think I can live with that as the standing reach feels pretty darn good as is, and I like the more easily loft-able front end with the slightly shorter stem.
Loving this bike, took it out to the local trail centre with friends the other day and it was great. Pretty fast (compared to my old retro bouncer) with a really confidence inspiring planted feel on the descents.
What I was looking for was something between the monster-truck sheer capability of the 29er hardtail I used to ride and the quicker, more playful handling of my 90's rigid 26" bike.... and I reckon I've achieved that to my satisfaction.
Only drawback is the reach to the bars now feels a smidge short when seated, but I think I can live with that as the standing reach feels pretty darn good as is, and I like the more easily loft-able front end with the slightly shorter stem.
Loving this bike, took it out to the local trail centre with friends the other day and it was great. Pretty fast (compared to my old retro bouncer) with a really confidence inspiring planted feel on the descents.
What I was looking for was something between the monster-truck sheer capability of the 29er hardtail I used to ride and the quicker, more playful handling of my 90's rigid 26" bike.... and I reckon I've achieved that to my satisfaction.
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Oh yeah, and the dropper post is flippin' awesome, though anyone who's ever ridden one on technical terrain will already know that 
Last tweak to make will be fitting those flat bars when they finally arrive in the post. I don't think I'll drop the actual bar height by more than 1cm, but it will mean the stem is no longer flipped and slammed so I'll be able to play around and see what feels best.
Last tweak to make will be fitting those flat bars when they finally arrive in the post. I don't think I'll drop the actual bar height by more than 1cm, but it will mean the stem is no longer flipped and slammed so I'll be able to play around and see what feels best.
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Just back from a day's riding beasting myself around North Dartmoor. Nineteen miles with ~2,500ft climbing, a route I've done before but it wasn't half hard going in the heat!
It's the first long-ish tough-ish ride I've done on the GT and it performed admirably. The in-line seat post clamp has worked wonders on the climbing. It still requires quite some bend of the waist to weight the front wheel and stop it wandering about, but the front didn't lift on me once despite tackling some pretty steep semi-technical climbs and it felt like all that was holding me back on the way up was my legs, which is the way it should be! The dropper post allowed me to ride a couple of big bouldery drop-offs in ways I'd not even have attempted with a rigid post, and put a big smile on my face on some of the faster descents.
It's the first long-ish tough-ish ride I've done on the GT and it performed admirably. The in-line seat post clamp has worked wonders on the climbing. It still requires quite some bend of the waist to weight the front wheel and stop it wandering about, but the front didn't lift on me once despite tackling some pretty steep semi-technical climbs and it felt like all that was holding me back on the way up was my legs, which is the way it should be! The dropper post allowed me to ride a couple of big bouldery drop-offs in ways I'd not even have attempted with a rigid post, and put a big smile on my face on some of the faster descents.
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
I've got a week's holiday between jobs this week, so not content with having quite sore legs from my Dartmoor outing, I did Exmoor today on the GT (the bike was my leaving present to myself with some of the overtime I was owed).
I knew I was absolutely knackered when I got back to the car (well, a bit before that actually... I might have had to push the last hill climbing Dunkery Beacon the second time), but I just mapped it and it came out as 22 miles with 4,600ft elevation, which is definitey a record for me!
As well as some brutal long climbs, there were some pretty epic descents, and it surprised me quite a bit how much tougher terrain I can comfortably handle on this bike compared to previous MTBs I've owned. I always assumed rider skill was by far the biggest factor, but it seems that hydraulic discs and a half decent fork count for quite a bit too.
I knew I was absolutely knackered when I got back to the car (well, a bit before that actually... I might have had to push the last hill climbing Dunkery Beacon the second time), but I just mapped it and it came out as 22 miles with 4,600ft elevation, which is definitey a record for me!
As well as some brutal long climbs, there were some pretty epic descents, and it surprised me quite a bit how much tougher terrain I can comfortably handle on this bike compared to previous MTBs I've owned. I always assumed rider skill was by far the biggest factor, but it seems that hydraulic discs and a half decent fork count for quite a bit too.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Yes a decent fork and brakes make all the difference
BTW - GT triple triangles ride like an anvil - so if you can manage all that rocky downhill stuff, imagine what you'd be like on a full susser ?
BTW - GT triple triangles ride like an anvil - so if you can manage all that rocky downhill stuff, imagine what you'd be like on a full susser ?
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
When I rode a few of the Exmoor sections on my old FS bike it was certainly faster on the rocky downhills, but not necessarily any more fun.
On a groomed trail at a trail centre you can be confident there won't be any nasty surprises around the corner (or if they are, they will have been designed to be essentially rideable) carrying that sort of speed is great. On natural trails I try and keep my speed down a bit so FS tends to just means a bit more braking in places, which can sometimes be tricky on those sort of loose rocky descents.
The only places I've actually really missed rear sus have been in long slogs through fields where livestock have trampled up the ground and it's been baked solid by the sun into a bumpy mess. I find it really hard to compensate for that sort of terrain with good body movement, with the result that you get bumped all over the place expending a lot of energy to go forward quite slowly.
There's certainly not much flex in the GT frame, but I've taken a few drop-offs on it now and I'd say it feels reassuringly solid rather than anvil like
On a groomed trail at a trail centre you can be confident there won't be any nasty surprises around the corner (or if they are, they will have been designed to be essentially rideable) carrying that sort of speed is great. On natural trails I try and keep my speed down a bit so FS tends to just means a bit more braking in places, which can sometimes be tricky on those sort of loose rocky descents.
The only places I've actually really missed rear sus have been in long slogs through fields where livestock have trampled up the ground and it's been baked solid by the sun into a bumpy mess. I find it really hard to compensate for that sort of terrain with good body movement, with the result that you get bumped all over the place expending a lot of energy to go forward quite slowly.
There's certainly not much flex in the GT frame, but I've taken a few drop-offs on it now and I'd say it feels reassuringly solid rather than anvil like
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Have to say the dropper post is a huge factor too in descending confidences.
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Shame I can't get one to fit the Virtue
I may stick one on the Inbred though
I may stick one on the Inbred though
southcoast
Über Member
Yes a decent fork and brakes make all the difference
BTW - GT triple triangles ride like an anvil - so if you can manage all that rocky downhill stuff, imagine what you'd be like on a full susser ?
Why not have both, hardtail and full susser?
Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
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ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Nice!
southcoast
Über Member
Thanks, it’s a 2001 Avalanche. I have covered most of the North and South Downs on it. Bought it new from a shop in Fulham.
Your bike looks nice, really good condition for a 2010.
