mountain biking spots!

anyone know of any good places to go?

Places to ride

Anyone got anything to add about places they have ridden? downhill tracks, cross country trails etc

Brakes tech

Check the brake blocks
First thing have a look at the brake blocks, are they worn? If so replace them, your local bike shop will sell you the right things, remember there are different blocks for different rims; steel, alloy or now carbon. If you like the feel of the original blocks try to get the same again, but you can experiment with different blocks until you find the compound that suits you.
Replacing the brake blocks
With some brakes you can just replace the brake pad and leave the shoe in place, on a mountain bike if you do this, make sure the shoe is adjusted properly so that the pad presses flatly against the rim, blocks can “toe in” a little, this means the front of the block will touch the rim first, this makes for squeak free and progressive braking.
With a 5mm Allen key (older bikes may be 8 or 10mm nut) unscrew the old brake blocks and throw them away, bolt the new ones to the brake, with road bikes it is easier, you have to make sure the blocks don’t touch the tire and they are level on the wheel rim, it’s the same with a mountain bike, but they are more adjustable, you have to place the washers on the bolt so that the pad is level with the rim and not touching the tire.

Brake adjustments
OK, so your new brake blocks are fitted, what next? First check that the cable is running freely, this helps the brake release properly (see cables master class), are the brake blocks making contact with the wheel rim evenly? Are both the brake blocks touching the rim at the same time, if not you need to adjust the calipers, loosen the bolt at the back of the brake that holds it to the frame (on a road bike), either with a flat spanner or your hand hold the brake where you want it, so the blocks are at a equal distance from the rim, and then tighten the bolt again.
With a mountain bike, if one block touches before the other you have to adjust the little screw that tightens the return spring on that brake arm, this pulls the brake arm further away from the rim so that both touch at the same time.

Adjusting the pull on the lever
How big is your hand? Or how long are your fingers? This affects how much pull you want on the lever. Small hands will want the lever closer to the bar before the blocks start to slow you down, if the blocks are far away from the rim it takes more lever to pull the brake on, for big hands the cable needs to be tighter.

Every one is different so experiment until you find what you like. On some mountain bike levers you can adjust the reach on the lever to bring it closer to the bar for smaller hands without having to leave a large gap between the blocks and the rim.

What else can I do?
First keep your brakes clean and adjusted properly, regularly check the brake blocks for wear then adjust them or replace them and keep all moving parts oiled or greased (specially after rain), a bit of oil on the bolts of the brake caliper and on the bolts and moving parts of the lever. Your brakes are very important, look after them and they will look after you.

The new XTR groupset

Shimano originally brought out the XTR group to be better and lighter than the XT group for the top racers, many of the Professional mountain bikers tried XTR, but went back to XT for its reliability, or mixed and matched bits from each group. XT was the best, so how could XTR be better? And now a new XTR will be on the market. The BIG question is how can you improve on perfection?
Have a look at the prices!
XTR M970 Crank/Bottom bracket combo
XTR M975 Tubeless wheelset
XTR M970 Dual Control levers
XTR M970 rear Derailleur
The Crankset
First thing that struck me was the crankset, gone is the pinch bolt system and a return to the cranks going on to a splined spindle and held tight with a big bolt, the bearings are held in adjustment with a threaded collar, the bottom bracket is still Hollowtech. Weight is saved by not having a one-piece puller, but who needs to remove a chainset out in the woods anyway. Four bolt fixing for the chainrings looks neat and the middle ring is titanium, the finish like the entire group, is a beautiful anodized gray and silver.
The Gears
As with all the components there is a big X on the rear derailleur, it looks very stylish, but I could see it filling up with mud, of course the main thing is that everyone knows you have the best gear, its very obvious that its XTR! It’s a chunky looking rear gear mech, which comes in low normal and top normal systems with either medium or long jockey wheel cage lengths. The reason for the low normal is that is to be used with the Dual Control shifters and the top normal for triggers, but the choice is yours. The front gear mech is also styled with the BIG X insignia and looks tough and robust and for sure it will work well.
The Shifters
Here is where you have a choice of shifting, there is the Dual Control or Trigger to choose from, Rapidfire plus can now allow you to push the gear lever to change gear and you can now change more than one gear at a time with the multi release, you can now change gear much quicker, very handy when climbing and things get tougher!
Braking Power
The levers are available in cable or hydraulic versions and as with all Shimano levers are made to fit many different hands, the braking feels lighter as there is move leverage and the shifter mechanics are now housed in the body and not on the lever. The discs come in four sizes to cover all needs; the calipers have a better hydraulic system, as the cylinder is now more in line with the pipe work, all for a better brake.
The Pedals And Hubs
Nothing much new here, the pedals are lighter as the axle has been hollowed out, basically it’s the same pedal with all the click in and out efficiency you would ask for. The hubs or should I say wheelset, is a work of art, very light and look like they could really perform in many different situations. The big innovations are the freehub body, its titanium and locates much, much faster, the other advantage is the scandium rims, these are a lot harder and stiffer and wont twist, bend or flex very much under pressure giving a very responsive ride.
What Do We think about the new Shimano XTR?
Its beautiful to look at and I’m sure will be great to ride, this is the jewel in the crown for Shimano, its not cheap, but it’s the best you can get. The finish is faultless, that gray and silver anodizing is classic and those BIG X’s on all the components and stylish and original, as I said before when people see them they know you have the best on your bike.

Choosing the right mountain bike

Choosing A Mountain Bike
How To Choose A Mountain Bike That More Fits With Your NeedsHow to choose a mountain bike depends on what you are going to do with it, if all you want your new mountain bike for is going for a nice leisurely ride on the canal path or a ride in the woods with the dog, well you wont need a full suspension downhill machine with 4 inch travel on the forks and a fully articulated rear end with damping and rebound control.Where to Start From.If you do want to go for an easy ride in the park you don't need to spend too much, if you think you will do any off-road riding then big tread tires maybe all you need, but if you think you might try some rough stuff then you will need suspension. Gears will probably be Shimano, brakes must be V-brakes, but could be made by a few different manufacturers, all the rest of the MTB components will depend on how much you can spend. If you go to your local bike shop or big sports store and see what they've got to offer, then buy it or have look on the Internet and maybe you'll find the same thing at a better price. The Next Step Up.So maybe you want to be a bit more adventurous, more off-road, more forest tracks and dry boulder river beds, then you'll need something a little lighter, with suspension forks. All this will cost you more money, but will be worth it for the extra enjoyment and adventure. With a better mountain bike it will have a sportier handling and because it is lighter, it will be easier to struggle up the hills before you come flying down the other side. The components will again be Shimano and the quality will depend on how much money you can spend. V-brakes and Rapid-fire gear shifters, along with Shimano chain set, bottom bracket and headset. Handle bars, stem and seat pin should be alloy and along with a comfortable saddle you'll be set to take to the hills.More Money, More Bike.The next rung up on the mountain bike ladder would be good enough to race on. There are many to choose from, get on the net and surf the bike manufacturers sites and all the shop sites along with the magazines for juicy photos of the bikes. The top manufacturers in this price range, I would say are: - Trek, Giant, Specialized and Cannondale, these companies make the nicest frames with the best mountain bike parts available at the price, gears will be either Shimano or SRAM, brakes could be V-brakes or cable disc brakes, both are very good and light, most of the other MTB parts, of course will be Shimano and as usual get the best you can afford. There are many combinations of hubs and rims to make up your wheels; hubs from Shimano and rims form Mavic are the usual mix. Then you have to choose which suspension forks to put on you bike, you may not get a choice, depending on which bike you buy, the main ones are Suntour, Marzocchi, Manitou, Fox, RockShox and RST, buy any of these and you wont go far wrong.Top Bikes, Top Money.If you want what the professionals ride you will have to pay a lot of money a professional MTB. As with road bike at the top of the range, you can specify what you want to build up your dream bike. Top bikes frames to spend your money on could be Klien, Scott, Rocky Mountain, Gary Fisher, Santa Cruz and K2; these are some of the most sought after bike frames in the world and would be the envy of your friends. Probably the best forks to put on your frame would be RockShox SID's these are light and do all the things you need with control of all functions, there are many other to also to consider, look at how much travel they have and the rebound and damping systems. Gears again will be either SRAM or Shimano Rapid fire, XT or XTR, more money could be spent on carbon or very light alloy cranks, the brakes should be hydraulic discs from Hayes, Pace or Magura or stick to the trusted V-bakes. Wheels from Shimano or Mavic or some fancy carbon wheels, but remember they will have to take a lot of punishment, so maybe better to go for reliability over light weight expense. Carbon handle bars, stem and seat pin and a light weight race saddle and Time or Shimano SPD clipless pedals, then your choice of tires will depend on what terrain and ground conditions you are going to ride on.And Downhilling?Downhill bikes are very different, more like a cross country motor bike, but without the engine, low center of gravity and a lot of travel on the suspension on the forks and the rear end, disc brakes, wide rims and fat tires, gears are only at the back as usually a single chain set is used. Unless your going to do a lot of downhill racing then there isn't much point in buying one as you have to get up the hill first before you can come down and as light weight is not an issue with downhill bikes, they are very heavy to get up hill with out the use of a tow rope or a ski lift.