Hog_

But then people would think you're as awesome as I am! It's a win-win.

I really don't think I'll be able to keep everyone off your bike, so I came up with an idea: I'll just leave it at my house. That way, you don't need to worry!

Nice! I'm thinking of maybe building the Kalula up for the trip... torn between that and the Glory.

That's one for Peach! What could go wrong, amiright?

Unfortunately my plans to get it muddy in Austria didn't work out this past weekend, so it's still safely in the box. Maybe this weekend I'll be able to give it a test.

Apparently they're similar to the German plugs. The standard 2-prong SA Plugs will fit (phone chargers etc), but for 3 prongs you'll have issues. Most likely the only 3-prong electronics you have will be a laptop, in which case try to only buy the cable that connects to the brick. It'll be much cheaper than the converter.

Or the quality of the riders...

Back to the topic of maintenance... It seems my chain needs replacing after ±15 bike park days. Obviously the amount of pedalling would have very little to do with it, but I guess the rough terrain, as well as often very wet and muddy conditions cause he chain to wear extra fast. Kinda funny that the first bike I've had long enough to have to replace the chain on is the DH bike.

Bump and final call: I'll be placing the order this weekend (12/13 July), or at the latest on Monday.

I was rocking a Torque FRX for a bit in 2012. VERY good bikes, and really underrated. The Medium was maybe a little bit too big for me, but that thing was stable as anything over anything and at any speed I dared to go. It also has a built in sag meter in the frame, which is great for setup purposes. Not the most jumpy of bikes, but a great point-and-shoot sled. The only thing that sucked about it was the 2.7 Intense front tyre that the previous guy put on. If you even looked at the brake lever in a corner you washed out. It's one of the bikes I should have kept, but the alu and orange anodising just looked ******* horrible, so I sold it and got the ugly orange/white Kalula.

I'm really bad when it comes to maintenance. My bike is lucky when it gets a decent wash. I usually do the late night before bikepark day service, which has included anything from brake bleeding, headset clean/regrease/replace and BB emergency surgery through to a quick fork service. Depends on what needs to be done and how much beer there is in the basement. Most often though, it's just a quick check to see if there are any unusual creaks or things falling off.

I'm probably the wrong person to give advice on bikes, since I have the habit of changing my DH bike every year... BUT maybe that makes me even more qualified, so here goes: Buy the YT. If you realise after a few months that you don't like it, strip the thing down and use the parts to build up your next bike. Repeat the process until you find the bike you're happy with. Easy!

Ever consider a Kalula? I have a frame/fork in the basement...

2 to 16 August for me.

Well with THAT attitude it sure as hell isn't going to happen!

I don't think they're born with the skill. That part is and can be learned. They just lack the sense of self-preservation that most of us have - which causes us to slam on the brakes, which causes the front to wash out and us falling on our faces.

Half the tracks I ride, I'm just happy to make it to the bottom in one piece.

Comparing that run to the course preview, I'm pretty sure they're not on the same track.

Yes, Austria has a lot of bike parks. This is probably the toughest one though.

I was talking about this trail to someone on Facebook, so posting about it here. Nordkette is about 4km long. The vertical drop is over 1000m. It takes pro riders about 10 minutes to get down - Track record by Sam Hill is 9m21. It's a gruelling trail, filled with pointy rocks, drops, and just general rocky steep madness. We went in 2011. It was my first year doing any kind of downhill riding and I was on a 160mm Morewood Mbuzi, which up till that point was more bike than I ever needed. Going up the hill to the top our little riding group fell very, very quiet. When you read 'Singletrail', you think nice, smooth singletrack. Maybe with a bit of pedalling. What we saw from the lift was nothing anywhere near that. Of course the lift operator saw our panic, and made sure to tell us of all the injuries and helicopter rides he's seen on the trail. As well as pointing out that there are no other riders there, and that's because no one is stupid enough to ride the damn thing. Asshole. The first run down was a blur of crashes, overheating brakes and more crashes. I remember hugging a bush at some stage. It had thorns. My bike joined the hug from behind. I also remember rolling, more than once or even twice, head over feet and vice versa, down next to the trail in the loose rocks, trying not to get hit by my own bike that was doing the same next to me. That first run took us about 90 minutes. Which included a lot of sitting in the grass next to the trail licking our wounds, laughing nervously, and fixing broken bikes. When we reached the bottom, I was ready to pack in and go home, even though the day ticket was pricey at €32 if memory serves. One of our mates convinced us to have a beer. One turned into 2 (maybe 3) which turned into convincing everyone to do another run. The second run was a lot faster. Probably because we stopped less and got up from our crashes faster. After some more beer, a third run was started. I was relieved when half way down the trail I had a crash and realised it happened because my thru-axle bolt had gone missing, which meant no more riding for me. One of the guys has been trying to drag us back there for the last 2 years. I'm running out of excuses not to go. This place genuinely scares me, but at the same time I'm keen to ride it again. Here's a video. NOT ME RIDING. These guys are way faster. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0LLTRsDsb8

What do you need to get the bike running again? When is qualifying? If we can find someone going from Munich to Leogang, I can send some parts your way.

Leogang is brutal. It's steep. You get to the "flat" bits only to realise that you're still accelerating and that it just feels flat because it's not as steep as the rest. There are brake bumps everywhere. And don't think you can just float over them, because you need to slow down as well, so now you're hitting the brakes on the brake bumps, causing your fork to compress and become useless at bump absorption, so now you're getting the **** kicked out of you every time you touch the brakes. You almost look forward to the forest after repeatedly getting the **** kicked out of you, but then you get to the entrance of the forest and have to go down the steps of death into a steep, rooty hell. It's not as much "riding your bike" as it is "try not to die here". If you're lucky enough to survive the forest, you're home free. Just the big roll down, which becomes a BIG drop if you hit it fast, and then the smooth flowy bit to the finish line. The pros will make it look easy, but trust me, that track is vicious.

Either way: Mission accomplished!

That's because I haven't mentioned that I expect to not pay for my own beer during those 2 weeks.

All you ladies that will be there in the beginning of August, see here: http://www.thehubsa....or-you-saffers/