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Last time we rode down Snowdon via the Llanberis path out of the 6 of us no one got down without incident
I was lucky and only suffered a puncture before starting off from the top (valve stem snapped off when I tried to undo the valve cap to let some air out).
The problems others had included:
A completely ripped off derailleur.
A pedal ripped from crank.
Chain snapped.
Most Had punctures and one friend had 3. Another tore the tyre from his rear wheel which we managed to get about another mile out of by filling it with grass and using climbing finger tape to tape it to the rim. When this failed I ended up carrying him and his bike on the back of my bike down part of the train track.
Two of us are going back tomorrow so what spares should we be taking?
So far I'm thinking
Tyres
Inner tubes
Frame
Forks
Wheels
Chain
Saddle
Cranks
Etc. etc.
I'm obviously joking but will be taking a few inner tubes and maybe a spare folding tyre I have.
I Cant wait. I haven't been on an adventure for a few months.
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Take an appropriate bike in the first place??
I did Llanberis Up, Ryhd Ddu down a couple of weeks back, and had no issues at all.
(although one of our party snapped his rear Maxle clean in two.............)
Oh, yeah, i was riding this [s]crappy[/s] snappy bit of French Plastique:
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http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/max_torque_2006/Snowdon_rhyd_ddu_14/Snowdon14_46_zps7db5d135.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
😉
Prevention always better than cure - fit heavy duty innertubes and possibly dual ply tyres. Fit a chain device or take a few links out?
I have had two goes at snowdon. One desent was a mare. One was great. Same bike. Did ride slower the second time though. If you treat it like a downhill track as I did the first time you tend to break stuff.
More appropriate than full DH Bikes?
My cove stiffee with shivers and hope biguns with atomic labs trail pimps was probably the most inappropriate bike and I only had a puncture that was cause by twisting off the valve stem when trying to undo my stuck hope mini hub valve cap.
Dual ply insurance policy.
imo, the Rangers path is probably the least bike breaking of all the routes off the top.
The Llanberis path isn't madly steep or have massive steps/drops in it, but it's wide and fast, so when you mess up it hurts (both your bike and you)
The Rhyd Ddu is steep, rocky and really technical, but mostly fairly slow so pinch punctures are the order of the day (unless you really mess up your line choice)
The Rangers is somewhere between the two but is, for most of it's length, relatively smooth, but narrowish so speeds don't get too silly
😯 Stiffee with Shivers 😯
I Second the use of DH tubes (standard tyres) for trips to Lakes, Wales, Scotland. And watch out for your mech as it's unlikely a single spare will be compatible with half of your gang. Apart from the fleshy bit, It's the only really vulnerable component in rocky terrain.
I'll be riding the bike shown in this thread
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/my-chameleon-is-finally-finished
It may not look like that after tomorrow but nevermind, I built it to ride.
Too late to change anything now other than adding a temporary granny ring with manual (by hand) shift.
^^^ Looks sweet, try not to knock too much paint off it!! 😉
I ran with my "Alps" wheels n tyres, which are Mavic STs + Hans Dampfs in Super Gravity Flavour. No punctures for me! (out of our party of 9, seven punctured, 2 people on both ends.......)
I did it a few weeks ago and had no troubles.
Maybe take spare inner tube(s) and that's about it
I'm sat here fixing punctures in old tubes to take as I speak. Most of my bikes are tubeless now and I haven't had many punctures since converting which means I have neglected the contents of my camelback in regards to tubes, patches pump etc.
Tubeless, tyre boots, couple of heavy duty tubes just in case... ride smooth... It'll be busy on a sunny weekend
couple of one skinners and some scotch!
a wooly hat and warm gloves.
Sounds like a nightmare. I'd walk down with two bikes just incase.
We had 7 punctures between 4 bikes but nothing worse when minced down last year. 3 of us on tubeless single ply maxxis rubber came off worst.
I was glad of a full face helmet too.
Classic Snowdon scene:
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http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q137/max_torque_2006/Snowdon_rhyd_ddu_14/Snowdon14_44_zps4ca7612b.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
😉
What sort of rock is it on Snowdon that it causing all these punctures..?
Or is it that the trail is causing people to ride outside of their ability/the capability of their bike...?
People ride rocky descents week in and week out the length and breadth of the UK and beyond.. what's going on at Snowdon..?
There's a lot of newly laid stone sections that have sharp edges. And there's a few pretty vicious water bars. But I'm inclined to agree with you - there's worse...
Tiredness plays a part I think. Those nasty water bars are at the end of a big day out.
It's a funny sort of artificial terrain in a lot of places.
The Llanberis path, is a mix of fast smoothish bedrock/gravel, that you can absolutely hare down, but that leads you into much larger, steppier, & sharper short sections, where line choice matters, and the ability to hop the bike over stuff confidently and at short notice (especially if you're busy looking at the front wheel and not down the track far enough 😉
Telegraphy valley is a very smooth fast wide track, but has pretty sharp steep waterbars across, so get your timing wrong and your tyres/rims are going to get a beasting.
In places like the Lakes and the Peaks, the terrain is much rougher, and looser, so it's difficult to build up quite so much speed (without being a skilled confident rider in the first place), and so what i would call "catastophic" tyre impacts are not as prevalent ime.
It's also perhaps, for quite a few riders, their first taste of riding on a steep enough gradient where braking is not optional, ie, you gain speed very quickly when you come off the brakes, and so controlling your momentum is a requirement. (Lets face it, in most of the UK, you can ride for most of the time without even using your brakes!)
fresh underpants
Well we both made it down with nothing more than a cable ripped from my mates rear mech and I have a battle scar on my carbon cranks. It was a fantastic day and the weather was perfect. Felt like you could of got sunburnt.
I'm glad we didn't ride down the llanberris path. It's far too surfaced and either smooth and unchallenging or boulders that stop being fun after a few minutes. Glad I did it before it got changed. Better for walking on though.
The ranger path was similar in a few places but overall amazing and a lot more natural. Not knowing what's coming next is the best bit.
Based on a mates experience, a spare knee.
He was on a 100mm xc hardtail, didn't come off (he's a very handy rider) but the repeated hits meant he developed a hairline fracture.
Well we both made it down with nothing more than a cable ripped from my mates rear mech and I have a battle scar on my carbon cranks. It was a fantastic day and the weather was perfect. Felt like you could of got sunburnt.
Glad you enjoyed it...
Does anyone know if they have fixed the switchback turns on the Rangers path, last time i went up there October 2013 they were blocked off with bags of rock which i assume was to repair the turns.
They were all fixed as of this summer. It's been sanitised a bit but only marginally. I don't think it spoils anything.