Mountain Bike Mud Runners

Why We Don't Like Muddy Tracks

From time to time a ride in the bush-land can turn into something more than you expected.

We have had some huge storms over the last few weeks in my part of the World (where I live) and so the riding conditions for different trails or tracks change dramatically. If your track is in a silty clayey sand environment then good luck on getting in a good ride on a track that was rained on over the previous 48 hours. In fact most will be closed by those awesome souls who look after them.

Of course we are talking about the sport of mountain biking here so it goes without saying that the water drains away from your ride trail in many situations ..... because your trail is in a hilly, mountain or other high area and water drains downhill! Make sense? But then you usually experience as many low spots or troughs as there are high spots, and that is where it takes time for the water to drain away.

Fortunately I live in an area where almost the whole capital city is built on (what is called in geological terminology), a sandstone shelf. And the mountain range we mostly ride in is an uplifted sandstone shelf that runs for thousands of kilometers in both directions about 50 kilometers in from the coast. Which means we have trails that are pretty much accessible within hours of the rain ceasing. We also have some tracks in that other geology where the mud is a BIG issue after rain.

So before we go riding we assess what trail / track will be traffic-able if there was a bit of rain over the preceding days. Some of our favorite tracks would be a mud bath for a few days after a downpour, while others will dry out reasonably well over a few hours.

A bit of mud can be fun; but if you get to your riding destination in the back seat of a mates ute you need to have a bit of respect for his "ride" and consider what sort of mess you are going to be in when you have finished your ride.

One cool little product you can use is a pair of mud-guards made specifically for mountain bikes; they are cheap enough to have no reason not to have a pair. Of course we don't want our bike to look nerdy 24/7, but just fixing these handy little guards on before you head out into the wet will save your clothes and your face, and other body parts, from being splattered with mud. It takes literally under one minute to fit them.

And even though your "ride" buddy might zip his mouth and say nothing if you have mud all over you; there isn't a single buddy in the World that would not rather have half clean mates in his ute rather than sweaty AND muddy grubby buds.
can turn into something more than you expected.

Accessory Gifts For The Mountain Biker In Your Life.

You have a friend / relative / husband / wife / sibling that has taken up the exciting and challenging sport of mountain biking.

And you think this might be the ideal interest to focus on when purchasing that gift for your "person who has everything".

Unlike casual biking, your acquaintance will need much more than just a helmet to ensure that they are safe to ride and hit the trails.

There is now a vast range of accessories (read gifts) for both men and women as mountain biking is such a popular sport these days. You need to make sure you do a bit of research on each item you might want to purchase. You need to get something that is the best quality for the amount of money you want to spend; so make sure you get advice at a few local specialist bike shops, or read the reviews if you are looking on-line.

Below are some of the "basic" accessories of a well equipped mountain biker. They probably have some of these items but I'm here to tell you; more than one of these items can't go wrong. Leave one in the car and one in the house so we NEVER forget the compulsory stuff .... get the picture ?

Bike helmet

Listing the bike helmet as an 'accessory' is a bit weird I know ..... because it really isn't. It is a necessary piece of equipment. When a biker takes a header over the handlebars, having a secure helmet on their head could well save their life. When it comes to mountain biking, the question is not "if you're going to fall", it is more likely a question of when.  Purchase a good quality new helmet rather than a "cool and popular" second hand one. You just don't know how its been treated and what hard knocks it has had; and often you can't tell. The bike helmet is something that you want to buy brand-new, and make sure that it fits the head properly. At a bike shop, when you explain it will be a gift, they can help by ascertaining the most likely size based on height and stature. (And most have considerable size adjustment). If you are looking on the internet they usually have some sort of table to help you ... and everything can be exchanged (although that can be an inconvenience for the purchaser and the receiver). The rule of thumb when it comes to helmets is ...... "one accident per helmet", - that's the rule!!  If your acquaintance does have an accident in which damage occurs to their helmet, the wisdom is that they would purchase another one. And guess who purchased a spare for them as a gift ??

Eye protection

When a cyclist is riding on the road and is passed by a car it can happen that it that sends up a spurt of gravel at them. If any of that gets into the cyclists eyes, they would have to stop immediately to clear their vision. If a mountain biker is on a trail heading downhill at a breakneck pace, and they run through a swarm of small insects, some of them hitting them in the eye, the following seconds could end up being very uncomfortable. Similarly when that prickly shrub jumps out in front of them a sweeps across their face; (or they go a little off track?) Glasses or sunglasses are one solution, but the best method is to wear purpose designed mountain biker glasses or goggles. Whatever you get, make sure that the lenses are non-breakable.

Hydration system

It's common sense that your acquaintance would have a water bottle with them when they go out on a trail ride. (No coffee shops or soft drink dispensers out here!) It's very easy to get dehydrated when riding hard and this brings your energy right down, as well as being dangerous to your health. However, in order for a cyclist or mountain biker to drink from a water bottle they have to take their hand off one of the handles, and they really don't want to do that on a rough terrain trail. Hydration backpacks are THE best option when it comes to mountain biking. The hydration backpack doubles as a backpack that can carry all kinds of other necessary / optional items inside it as well, and when there is a need to drink the rider just reaches over with their mouth to the bite valve and take a sip. There a literally hundreds on the market now, but don't go cheap. You wouldn't like to drink plastic flavored water would you? And make sure the "bladder" that holds the water is large enough to get inside for a thorough clean-out. (Fungi water ..... YUK).

Mountain bike shorts

These days bike saddles are a lot more comfortable than they used to be. There are saddles made especially for women as well as men, and you can purchase gel-filled saddles that make the hours they spend on their bike a bit more comfortable. But any cyclist or mountain biker will always want padded bike underwear and padded bike shorts, just for extra comfort. If your acquaintance is a keen rider and rides multiple times a week then a clean (non-smelly) extra set of shorts will always be handy.

Mountain bike gloves

If the fall off the bike happens, (or remember I made the point ..... when), the hands will probably be the first thing to hit the ground. Paved roads, a gravel roads, dirt with sharp rocks, mud, bushes ... all sorts of hazards that are common antagonists for cyclists can rip up the hands unless they're properly protected. But even if a fall is not a regular part of the riding experience gloves serve an ongoing purpose as well. Sweaty hands mean slippery handle bar grips, (and there is another gift idea!) Heading down a fast trail with sweaty hands could cause all sorts of problems when the focus is on keeping the hands on the bike grips rather than looking for those sharp rocks that are just lying in waiting ready to jump out in front of the bikes tire. Wearing gloves really is essential and eliminates a number os negative "possibles". And like a spare pair of shorts, a spare pair of gloves is always handy.

Mountain biking shoes

These days there's a shoe made for every sport under the sun, including that of mountain biking. The main difference in mountain bike shoes is the type of sole - designed for the different types of pedals out there: you can get clip or clip-less pedals and the shoes are purposed for whatever type of pedal the rider prefers. The clip-less type of pedal requires that your shoes be fitted with special cleats, and every brand and even every model is different. (A real "pain" when it comes to looking for a gift). The clip-less shoes are much easier to chose and riders who go "rough", (in other words prefer rougher trails), usually prefer these. Main things to remember are that the shoes need to be durable and comfortable and (if you go this way) ... the pedals need to match the cleats.

Trail repair kit

It makes sense to carry a bicycle repair kit with you regardless of what type of biking you do, except maybe if you just ride city streets. A phone call can bring someone to your aid very quickly.
Not so easy when a biker is out on the trails somewhere in the wild and their cell phone doesn't work. It always pays to have a a multi-tool designed for bike repair, tire levers, and a patch kit for fixing flat tires, and spares of each of these helpful little items will never go wrong.

In summary I have suggested some accessories that will be THE best gifts you could purchase for a mountain biker, even though they are really all essentials rather than accessories.

Mountain Bike Frames are Wierd

Its coming closer to the weekend and that means closer to our Saturday morning maniacs ride through the mountains near where my buddies and myself live.

So while I am looking forward to it I also don't look forward to the inevitable "loading up the mountain bikes" drama that goes on more weekends than not.

You know what mountain bike frames are like. There aren't two of them that look the same.

So what bikes go in the back of the Ute and what bikes go on the bike rack.

BIKE RACKS ...... are they useless or what ?? Unless you have a 1980's style road bikes; cause there is NO WAY it is an easy job to secure your mountain bike to one of these useless contraptions!

And then you have the riding buddy that is precious about his / her bike. "Oh; be careful; don't scratch my bike while your putting it on the rack". (This is the same person who has at least one tumble every other week and does a great job of carving scratches on body and bike).

I'll tell you one thing about the new mountain bike designs that hit the show room floor almost every other week in this time of mountain bike mania. The designers give absolutely no consideration as to how you are going to transport them to your mountain biking destination.

So my advice to you is to make sure, when you are looking at getting a bike carrier / hitch for your vehicle, make sure you look at getting bike cross-bar adapter. Even if you have a bike that is "almost" the standard front triangle design, if that top bar is not dead horizontal it can make the securing off a group of bikes very hard.

Hint : Who owns those other bikes you carry ? Let them know that this is the time to purchase a little gift for themselves ..... yes, they can own their very own piece of bike carrier real estate by owning their very own bike cross bar adapter.

Lost and Broken in the Wilderness

Mountain bike freedom

A Quality Multi Bicycle Tool Gift for People who go Mountain Biking

Probably the next best thing to have in your mountain bike "fix kit" after a puncture kit is a good quality multi function bicycle tool.

You can get 10 function, 12 function ..... but why not go the whole hog and look at a 17 function beauty. It's not just a case of "bigger is better" in this case though.

When it comes to mountain bikes, there are a lot more bits to fix.

You've got your disc brakes, your shocks (front and rear), more nuts and bolts and more size / gauge choices depending on what brand of bike you ride. 

As you can imagine; the pounding a mountain bike receives is going to be more productive to producing mechanical problems than for those more gentle souls who hit the pavement.

Naturally there are lots of different options when it comes to picking what brand of multi bicycle tool is right for you. But really .... can you go past a Crank Brothers brand ?

Now that is a "real" name, a tuff name hey ?

Look; I'm just having a bit of a joke here but the reality is that they ARE a top quality product and tick all the boxes when it comes to function versatility and other important factors such as ease of use and weight.