[bobkatebob]

Thanks for that both of you. Will look into seeing if they can be loosened in some way (havn't been able to see anyway so far but I'm not knowlegable) or changing to ones with a lighter action.

[tlr]

Would fitting a Rapid Rise rear mech help (one where the spring assists moving up the block rather than having to work against the spring as on a normal set up)?

Or would that just be too confusing...

[Palomides]

If the bike's more than a year or so old and/or has been out in the rain a bit, it might be worth giving the changer and deraillieur a really good clean and changing the cable and the cable housing.

Alternatively, just get into the habit of shouting "MESSIEURS, PREPAREZ VOS BRAQUETS" before any upward hills arrive, to get your child to change gear in advance.

[ianv]

If the bike's more than a year or so old and/or has been out in the rain a bit, it might be worth giving the changer and deraillieur a really good clean and changing the cable and the cable housing.

Alternatively, just get into the habit of shouting "MESSIEURS, PREPAREZ VOS BRAQUETS" before any upward hills arrive, to get your child to change gear in advance.

 

Even adults with expensive gears find it more difficult to change when the system is under pressure on a climb. Try to get him to change before the hill starts. The cleaning and oiling is a good call as well.

[fatboySlimfast]

Back on topic, 3 hombres from this forum setting out for Porte de soleil tmmrw morning
Fuck yeah,  updates if we can get wifi!

[peewee]

Got back from there on monday, the trails are in good nick, there's quite a few new trails since i last went in 2009, the new line that follows the line of the Pleny lift is good fun.

[ianv]

Back on topic, 3 hombres from this forum setting out for Porte de soleil tmmrw morning
Fuck yeah,  updates if we can get wifi!

Have fun and don't let FD nail himself  . Hope the weather is good for you.

[fatboySlimfast]

Currently 28degs and sweltering, so hot! So far the biggest stack was mine which I walked away from....off the end of 5ft ladder drop! Les gets stuff is good, pleney  to battered to be fun and stuff above super morzine is good!

[fatdoc]

Currently embroiled in the long drive home.

Wkd time, will link vids when I get to edit 8gb of footage.

Highlights will b the gully run & the full tech FR trails that have to sought out.

[fatdoc]

not sorted my vids yet...

but looking at this ( and others on pinkbike etc...) the breaking bumps of morzine can be swapped for the gripping trails of chatel



interesting..... looks like i need to up my game....

[fatdoc]

got some serious unfinished business here..



may take me  a few sundays to get there..... anyone else up for it ?( 40 mins from sheff)

[ianv]

So how was the weather?

Deux alpes next week but forecast looking a bit dodgy. Might just truck further south straight away although the European downhill championship is on the 30th at Oz en Oisans and it would be cool to see that.

Downhilling on a beefed up Spark will be fun  , as I dont reckon I will be able to load the big bike onto the chair lifts yet

[fatdoc]

rained one night, perfect skies near everyday. amazing really!!

[Bubba]

interesting..... looks like i need to up my game....

Those shore tracks look well frightening.

[Fultonius]

Just back from Morzine which was a right-old mixed bag including:

Sun 
Dust 
Rain 
Mud 
Mutzig   
Hangovers 
Getting the flow back and burning off numerous big-rig full-faced up punters on my AM bike. 
Binning it on the last day, cutting my elbow to shit, riding some more, binning it big-style on one of the doubles on the mont-chery, rattling my brain and cracking my new lid. 

Highlights were: -

Big day out via Lindaret, Morgin (cool pump track at the bottom) with a few laps of the reds & blacks, back home via Chatel and a swim in the lake. Particularly notable was the unmarked run off to the right half way down the Morgin red - super steep rooty
 technicality in the trees!

Lapping the Let Gets motorway in the pissing rain dressed as Euro-gays on Bastille day (think luminous lycra, no peaks, horrific facial hair).

Hidden trail off to the right (looking downhill) of the Super-Morzine - like a pimped up Innerleithen.

And that's about it!  What a week 

[fatboySlimfast]

Hidden trail off to the right (looking downhill) of the Super-Morzine - like a pimped up Innerleithen.

if this is the one by the new chalet that is being built it is really good fun, steep draggy and so unlike the rest of the stuff there abouts, we also found one of the umarked freeride courses on the pleney which has to be one of the steepest techiest route fests i have ever done....full on!

[Bubba]

The unmarked tracks in the trees were by far the highlight for me - the Super-Morzine one by the half-built chalet that you're both talking about was one of the best tracks I've ever ridden and the ones on the Pleney side were ridiculously steep in places. A lot of fun just cruising along a trail/road and seeing a vague track heading off into the trees and then trying to onsight it. There were several places were if you dropped your bike and it started rolling then you'd probably never find it again!

I was shocked by the state of the original Pleney black run - more like a mogul-field than braking-bumps. Rode it once and thought "fuck that". The new black under the lift itself was a bit disappointing and after watching several nasty crashes from the lift, decided to not even look at the road-gap. Thought the bike-park had some interesting sections but it was a bit of a wasted opportunity with too many cloned berm-fest runs.

Great week though and was pleased to get through it on an old, heavy bike and with hardly any riding done in the previous year with no major crashes or injuries.

[ianv]

Has any one ridden any of the bike parks further south? Les Orres, Pra Loup, Val de allos, Rubion, Valberg, Sauze, le Grande Puy etc.
The weather is looking a bit shit at deuz alpes and I need a plan B.

[gingerninja]

a mate has been to pra loup a couple of times for the masters dh world champs and said it was loads of fun.

[ianv]

a mate has been to pra loup a couple of times for the masters dh world champs and said it was loads of fun.

Any idea if there is any easier riding there (blues/easy reds)? I'll be with a 7yr old ripper and I'm still recovering from a bust collar bone!

[Fultonius]

Getting the flow back and burning off numerous big-rig full-faced up punters on my AM bike. 

On 2nd read that sounds a bit arsey - what I was meaning was I was surprised how many folk there were out there totally over-biked and under-skilled!

There were also plenty of folk ripping it up!

I was majorly suprised at one group of frenchies at let gets the day after the rain - they were pretty slow on trail and spent 15 minutes painstakingly cleaning their bikes every run! Bizarre!

Aye Bubba, those of off-piste/hidden trails were awesoem. The one at super morxine I did may or  may not be the same one - I'll try and describe:  -  We went past the top of the chair that takes you from the top of the super morzine bubble to the top of the hill (the Zore Chair). In fact, it would be easier to describe as "get off the Zore chair above le super morzine bubble and turn left".

We then road down some fire-road zig zags until we saw the hidden trails cutting off - it was a steep, rooty-chutey brake cooking loam-fest! Friggin awesome!

This year I didn't ride any of the pleney runs and don't think I missed out. As far as built trails go the ones that I liked the most were:


Let Gets chavanne berm fest  - but only in the rain in badass lycra in a 12 bike train of destruction! (Well, actually - I kind-of enjoyed it when it was dry, more becuase the braking bumps forced you to either blindy bash through the lumps or pick some inventive smooth lines! (they do exist...)
Mont Chery Black - except the badly transitioned jump that I binned it on.
The Morgin berm fest was fun for a few laps, but I actually liked the rooty sections in the trees the most.

But I definitely liked the less ridden trails the most - super morzine, mont chery to morzine back road, morgin crazyness!

Plenty to keep me going next year!

[john horscroft]

Getting the flow back and burning off numerous big-rig full-faced up punters on my AM bike. 

On 2nd read that sounds a bit arsey - what I was meaning was I was surprised how many folk there were out there totally over-biked and under-skilled!

Doesn't sound arsey at all to me fella.  Just back from Les Arcs and had a similar experience.  Too many guys on big fat DH rigs swathed in pressure suits and full face helmets clogging up every damn switch-back!  Just a suggestion, but some of these guys could do with going back to a hard-tail and learning some skills.........did see some seriously good riding aswell, of course....   

[Bubba]

The one at super morxine I did may or  may not be the same one - I'll try and describe

Sounds different - the one we were doing was off the fireroad from the first lift.

[fatdoc]

it is,

never ridden that one.

I'll try top get some uploads of our trip  going over the next few nights.... once i stop working into the small hrs 

[fatdoc]

watch this