Empirical castration

Castrating trail features is really not something I usually believe in, and definitely not something I advocate, well unless it makes a lot of  sense.

That was however the case of a 2m (6ft) drop on a line called Middlemeat. The feature was a 2m drop into a bad transition ("Section B"), it was simply way too harsh. Its a drop that was supposed to boost you into a jump, but the furious bottom out actually did the opposite! Some adjustments where made to the size (reduction to a 1,5m(4ft) size) and that allowed for a way better transition ("Section A"). Now its a feature that's a joy to hit, and actually does boost your speed as initially intended. A successful castration!

Section "A" is where you want to land. Section "B" is where the rider landed. You don't want to land in "B"..

So this is how it was before the "castration". 2m(6ft) drop into "Section B". The impact forces where brutal. You can almost see how I squish..

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This is how it is now. 1,5m (4ft) drop into "Section A" Way more easy and more enjoyable. Just as exciting? No, but its all about finding the right balance.

This is what got removed:

Hitting it now.

17sec. Simple Edit. No sound.

To somewhat compensate for this castration, a new 2m(6ft) drop was finished elsewhere, the transition there is spot on.

Leron's simple front-suspension tip

Leron is a mountainbike guide from France, that I met on my Alps trip, he is a former region and local DH champion, and he had some tips for me regarding front suspension. I thought I would share it with you guys. I'm not keen to tamper with my front settings, I guess i'm a bit conservative in that regard, but I listened to his advice and here is what he told me;

The idea is to make to front work alot more in the middle of its stroke.

So this is what Leron says;

-Set sag at approx 25%-30%
-Keep the low-speed compression on the low side
-Keep the rebound on the fast side
-Lube your inner stanctions as often as possible with a silicon spray, to reduce sticktion.

I understand these terms are somewhat loose, but you get my(his) point. Its simple, but made my front sooo much better and Im still rocking it here on my local trails. Try it out! Its easy to do - You got nothing to loose.

"..next time Gadget"

Ahh, the Tree-gap. Much can be said about it, but people usually shot up before hitting it. Its mindfuck for sure, and not all of that mindfuck is justified - minduck tends to be that way.

 

Anyway, I had Jan with me this day, and he sure eyeballed that kicker...



 

Oh tree-gap, you charmy bastard..

Already looking forward to spring season..

Found this little gem. A little road-gap. The run-in is perfect, the landing is sloped, all it needs is a good takeoff. But there is too much water in the dirt right now to do a solid kicker, so this will be a spring 2015 project. Its big and scary, just like the ladies like it. Cant wait! : )

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Road, Takeoff and Landing outlined. 

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Glass half dull

So we packed our bikes and gear, and revisited a well known place. After a few hours of riding I began to reflect, and thought to myself about this place;

There was be a big rockgarden..

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A "river" crossing..

The weather was good..
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The jumps (to flat) where there..

But in the end, the overall experience was a bit dull.. We have been here before, and allthough this place has seen a huge facelift and an overall revision, it still lacks flow, creativity and an actual challenge..

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Oh well, back to the local lines..

Review: FiveTen VXI elements

So I'm finally concluding my sixth month on the FiveTen VXi Elements shoe. New and improved upon, well that's what FiveTen says anyway. They resemble the classic VXi shoe, and in many ways they do, there is however a big difference; they use a brand new rubber compound; Mi6 rubber, according to FiveTen its their most grippy rubber yet. 

The outer fabric is a DWR treated synthetic upper that repels water. Inside is a PUR foam insulation that wicks sweat but adds warmth.

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The big deal about the VXI Elements is the Mi6 rubber. Supposedly it had the best grip yet. And yes, it really is sticky.

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Weight (Actual, same size):

Original Freerider is 960g

Freerider PRO is 880g

Freerider VXi is 855g

Freerider VXi Element is 795g

The diet obviously continues..

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Comfortable and protective.

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These shoes can take a small shower..but when it really gets wet, the problems become more apparent, water can simply not escape. So that DWR treated upper actually works against the shoe in the end.

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This is after a month of intense use....hmmmmm....

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This is after 4 months, I didn't appreciate that huge open hole.

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So is the FiveTen VXI Elements a good shoe? The short answer is no. The Mi6 rubber is simply too fragile. Before I knew it, I had a big hole beneath the shoe, and at this pricepoint, this simply isn't acceptable. Sure it has loads of grip, and its a great shoe if you are into some protection as well, but otherwise, just stay away, and stick to the FiveTenVXI(classic).

The Good:

-Repels water

-Sub 800g weight

-Rubber is sticky as always

-Stiff bottom

-Great protection

The Bad:

-Very low durability

-Trapped water is just that. Trapped.

-Relatively Expensive

Score: 1/6

Different trips yo

All sorts of pics from different trips we've been on, some fresh of the press, some from end September (?). Anyway, have a look.

Jan hitting the Skull Drop. I was on the verge of being proud, Jan has come a long way in terms of hitting stuff. So to see him hit a drop this size was awesome, great job buddy!

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Karl and Bartek grinding gears on a uphill...

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..When they reached the top it looked liked this, I think I saw some puke : )

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Drea hitting the tree-gap. The airtime is still heartwarming : )

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A newly build hip-double.

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