Cam MTB - the Cambridge Mountain Bikers' Forum

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DISCLAIMER. MOUNTAIN BIKING CAN BE DANGEROUS. YOU JOIN US AT YOUR OWN RISK.

SAFETY BRIEFING.

  • Wear a helmet. Despite recent advances in medical science, brains still cannot be mended nor replaced.
  • Wear gloves or mitts. Hands often hit the ground first. Cuts and grazes invite infection and a hospital visit.
  • Wear eye protection, it only takes a twig or thorn to lose an eye. Crud catchers are a good idea in mucky weather.
  • When downhilling, for your own protection, allow plenty of space behind the rider in front.
  • Bring a bare minimum emergency tool kit and a spare inner tube.
  • Breakdowns are a bore. Plan not to have any by ensuring your bike is in perfect working order.
  • Punctures are also tedious. You can minimise them by fitting latex tubes, slime tubes or running tubeless tyres.
  • Don't ride too close to the person in front. If they crash into a badger, you'll need time to swerve.

Photo: CAMMTB Winter 2024 rides have been posted up - please click on the Runs List link.

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Technical advice wanted

Hey guys - long time no see. Looks like you've had way more snow down south than I have had up in Edinburgh!

Anyway - hunting around for more latex inner tubes, I came across these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eclipse-mtb-superlight-inner-tube/

The price is eye watering. Anybody know whether the claims justify it? Especially with respect to the puncture resistance - I haven't turned into a fat bastard since moving north but I'm no faster than I ever was, so racing weight isn't an issue :-)

Hope all is good with you lot.

Cheers

Paul

PS - for those that remember the Shitty Old Bag - it's on the verge of retirement. I managed to leave it down in Cambridge at Xmas so I bought a camelback type thing. You can't pack nearly as much crap into it as the SOB but it's pretty comfortable and I don't look so much like a cycling tramp...

Re: Technical advice wanted

Hi Paul,

Good to hear from you. We've had approximately zero snow and precious little frost for that matter.

So, are you asking for technical advice for the latex tubes or the shitty old bag? If the latter then that's EASY!

PT

Re: Technical advice wanted

I didn't know you could still get tubes.... I thought everyone was tubeless these dayz

Re: Technical advice wanted

Wash your mouth out!

Re: Technical advice wanted

mmmmmmmmm are you after a large horse size 2.2 latex tube?
OR even DONKEY ..oooooooooooooooo yes sir, ooooo suits you sir?!?
Latex is the best. more comfortable & no shocking burps or "will you seal you Je**ing mother father brother".
These things your looking at sound a bit.... well camp really. "If latex is good enough for our German film makers then damn it man, it's by far the best tube material" Qoute from Mr D. Cook a latex user for 13 years & a very nice chap!
P.S. Glad the bags on it's last legs, just need to melt the bangles down & you could almost get away with an incident free night on the Quayside in Newcastle.
and you'll never get caught stalking again (chink chink), And, And whats this F@**ing H7N9 all about. Do IVF UK still clean the library toilets?
Have you still got that shitty old Trek............ you know how your bag has come to the end of it's life
Funny enough, missing your scientific & channel island almanac, come on man it must be worse in Scotland than Camr***@, they won't even have the pound & &&
are yes funding from europe, hang on ... England soon!?!

Tonight I have mostly been listening to Van Morrison- Hard nose the highway, Maria McKee- You gotta sin to get saved, Endless by Heaven 17 & our Kate...Moments of pleasure (Says it all really)
I love half terms...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (just need to be careful not to freek Frederica the Hamster out with the heavy Dbs)
Bring back Marc almond & Jimmy Somerville (no I hadn't reealised they'd 'cut' a track together either) fookin' merry fellers.
Hang on.............I feel the need to reach for the Gong casettes oooooooooooo takes me back.............wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back.

Re: Technical advice wanted

Hey Paul - good to hear from you.

Don't know if you've seen this review. Not a particularly happy camper...

I think I'll stick with my compressor and tubeless - well, I would say that, now that I've spent all the cash on it!

Dom

Re: Technical advice wanted

Ah Duncan I've missed you! (and how often does that get said??!). Actually, CamMTB in general is one of the bigger downsides of moving north.

The shitty old Trek is still going - but in Cambridge as an occasional steed to follow the horses with when I'm back down south. I did have it up here the first winter but it turns out the carbon Focus is rideable all year round here as there's very little clay superglue mud, so its narrow frame clearances don't matter.

Thanks for a sensible reply Dom! Turns out they need special patches too and those are £2 each FFS. Other reviews are equally mixed so all in all I think I'll wait and see if Wiggle do a price drop to shift them in a year's time!

Cheers all

Paul

Re: Technical advice wanted

I found some other reviews that also mention seams splitting.

It sounds like if you're a racer looking for a cheap way to lower the rolling weight of your race wheels then they could be good (apparently they're lighter than the sealant when running tubeless, and you don't get burping at low pressures) but otherwise not worth the money.

I'll stick with latex.