Two weeks ago, in mid-October, I competed in an enduro MTB race – the Ritchey Oktoberfest, in Bristol in south-west England. At the end the race, I got off my bike and put it straight in the car, still as clean as when I got onto it eight hours earlier. In some countries, that might not be remarkable; but in the UK in October, it’s pretty amazing.
In this part of the world, most rides from October to about May involve a bucket or hose, a brush, and leaving your shoes on the radiator for some considerable time to dry out. In this case part of the surprising cleanliness was due to the good design of the Ashton Court course; but the week before I had been out for my usual 3+ hours Surrey Hills loop, with the same result. Barely a spot of dirt on rider and steed – maybe just a little dust.
However, Saturday’s burn-up with my London Dynamo clubmates certainly left signs behind, with a goodly amount of Surrey Hills being transported back home in my car, to be cleaned off later. Sadly, this is just a taster of what is to come. I recognised puddles that I know will be there now until at least April, waiting unavoidably on the line to soak your feet and shins.
When we’re lucky enough to get some seriously subzero weather, some of that mud will freeze good and hard, and a ride can be completed with almost as little face-splattering as in recent weeks. Most of the time, though, there’s a good amount of water about , both from up above and from down below, whether on-road or off. At the same time I can’t get away from the fact that with a date with the Absa Cape Epic looming at the end of March and big plans for next season generally, I’ve got to have a better winter than ever, weather or no weather.
Sometimes during the winter, the enthusiasm for getting up in the dark and getting out there burns brightly; other times less so. So it’s time to work out ways of maximising the chances of keeping that flame going. One surefire way of doing that is to get some new toys, or at least to rejuvenate old ones. Not counting the turbo bike, my two most-used bikes in recent winters have been my singlespeed mountain bike and my mudguard-equipped winter trainer road bike. In the last couple of weeks I’ve been trying to get both of these weapons in the kind of state where I’ll be enthusiastic about throwing a leg over them.
On the road bike this is pretty straightforward: I’m sure most riders are familiar with that moment of revelation when riding with new cables, as you realise just how clogged up the old set were; it was only because the deterioration was gradual that you didn’t notice too much.
The singlespeed was conceived as a parts bin bike – old race bike forks, replaced race bike frame with a chain tensioner, partially worn tyres, random old bars, stem, saddle, etc. Inevitably though, even the hack can sometimes succumb to the dreaded upgrade-itis. So a couple of years ago it got a dedicated frame with track-ends, and a proper rear wheel with a screw-on freewheel. This time round though I’ve gone the whole hog, and got a nice new carbon frame – an On-One 456 with changeable drop-outs – and a new pair of forks. Big ones (for me anyway) – 140mm travel. Two rides have confirmed the success of my plan, and what I’ve ended up with is the perfect winter play bike: low maintenance, robust, fun on singletrack. And still partially true to the original parts bin bike idea, as the slightly random spec will attest. My new Scott Scale 29er should be arriving in January, but for now the singlespeed will be my go-to bike.
Full spec:
- On-One 456 carbon frame, no decals
- Fox Float RL forks, 140mm travel
- DT Swiss XR10 front wheel; DMR Revolver hub on Mavic 321 rim rear; White Industries 16t freewheel
- Surly stainless steel 32t chainring on Race Face Deus XC cranks
- KMC BMX chain
- Schwalbe Nobby Nic front and Maxxis High Roller rear tyres, both set up tubeless with Notubes conversion kits
- Easton EA50 stem, Thomson Elite seatpost, Scott Pilot bars, Yeti lock-on grips, Specialized Phenom saddle
- Avid Elixir R brakes
- Cut-up Michelin Pro2 Race as a chainstay protector – the chainstays are so deep that I get chain-slap even on singlespeed unless the chain is unhelpfully tight
Time to get out and ride!
And last year's version, in 8" of snow in Oxfordshire