Biking in the Mud

[Paul Arden]

I've just bought myself a new toy. I haven't been able to cycle the road bike for quite a while now, and I'm missing the riding. Luckily I live adjacent to a National Park and behind me there are many forest trails. Looking forward to getting thoroughly dirty on a daily basis

I don't know anything about Mountain Bikes incidentally but I negotiated quite a hard deal. I hope I didn't negotiate too hard!

[Svend]

Congrats on your new ride, Paul!
There's nothing quite like a good mud bath. Not even falling in when fishing comes close.
You'll need chains, cassettes, jockey wheels, chain rings and brake pads. Rotors are no problem but depending on the terrain you can wear out a set of pads in a couple of muddy rides.
Since you're used to a road bike you might like bar ends. They provide extra hand positions and feel a little like riding on the hoods.

[Paul Arden]

Right now it's VERY muddy! So I'd better order some pads. What are Jockey Wheels? And yes I considered bar ends - I think this will be my next purchase. Any tips on maintenance? Right now it feels like half of Somogy county is under water.

I suspect it will be cheaper for me to buy spares in the UK. VAT here is 27%!

I'm really looking forward to doing a different sort of riding. From what I've read it's a higher cadence? Running is hard right now because it's bloody cold. I've been doing sprints and fartlek to ring the changes, but I absolutely need bike time!

Cheers Paul

[Nick]

That'll work. I predict a new obsession.

You will want some bar ends for any kind of sustained climbing, and you do need to pay attention to the gears if you want it to keep working for any length of time. At the very least you need to rinse off the mud, get it dry and re-oil after every ride.

N.

[Svend]

Cadence is a very personal thing, there's quite a bit of variance even with the professionals.
Simply put high rpm results in more load on the heart and lungs, low means more load on your legs. Some like to alternate between the two. On the road i personally prefer a cadence of around 100 rpm and don't change that very much if possible. Off-road it's a completely different story because maintaining a high cadence is difficult on bumpy terrain. It breaks my rhythm. Also a lower cadence and thus more torque helps with navigating the rough stuff without loosing momentum. In other words the terrain dictates the cadence so my off-road rpm is all over the place.
Moreover, the longer cranks they put on most mtb's make high cadences feel really weird too so don't be surprised if the new bike feels different than your road bike in that regard.

Maintenance is similar to your road bike. At least keep the drivetrain and the brakes clean and well maintained.

Jockey wheels are the two cogs in the rear derailleur. When they're worn, particularly the upper one, shifting becomes sluggish regardless of how much you adjust the cable.

PS. All this may sound like i'm quite the pro, which i'm not!

[Paul Arden]

Brilliant - can't wait for tomorrow!!

[Svend]

Me neither!
Mud is addictive.

[Paul Arden]

Well that was fun, although when I bought the thing I hadn't envisaged cycling in a ski jacket. It's turned bloody cold here, time to light the fire and turn the cabin into a sauna again

[Svend]

Cycling in a ski jacket and then turning the cabin into a sauna; isn't that like taking a sauna after taking a sauna?

After 4 hrs of intervals i'm so fucked that writing this post has practically taken me half an hour. I ought to get some recovery sleep now.

[Paul Arden]

Hey Svend. I'd love to know what sort of sets you do. I've been doing a fair bit of speed work in the running recently. Sprint reps and fartlek. I have a friend in the next village who bikes all over these forests. Hopefully he can show me a few trails.

Cheers Paul