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For many of us the summer holidays are approaching, often this period is also the one that leads us to venture into the mountains with our MTB, thanks to the greater availability of time, the desire to stay in the saddle increases, there are many people who they contacted me to ask me for some advice on what was the ideal means of cycling, so here is the idea of writing down some ideas that I hope will help to extricate themselves in this particular environment. There will be 3 in-depth studies on this topic, we start with an analysis of the means, then we will move on to the components to finish with the technological aspects that help us choose the itineraries
WHICH BIKE TO USE?
A simple question with a complicated answer. In fact, there is no better vehicle for this type of activity but there is the one that best suits the characteristics and needs of the biker. So before going into dangerous tips let's do a mental exercise and try to create some profiles of cyclists.
DEGREE OF TRAINING
This is where we have to start, because first of all it is necessary to look inside ourselves and evaluate how trained we are and what we can ask of our body. It is clear that a well-trained physique can decide what to do and with which bike with greater peace of mind, but if you are not a biker who goes out continuously all year round, who do not do at least 3 outings a week and usually make gradients higher than 500mt then the choice of medium has great importance. It is not a question of making decisions on the downside, but it is clear that a light bike, an all mountain 27.5 will be more suitable for your needs than an endurona or a 29 that then climbs those who drag it on! This is because usually in cycle-mountaineering outings the differences in height become important, it is not rare to ride with more than 1000 meters in altitude, the most daring exceed 2000, but there is another matter. Ascent times are often very slow and therefore long and portage is not occasional.
All this to get to say that with a non-optimal training every extra gram could be felt, so heading towards an all mountain bike will be a suitable choice. These vehicles have an excellent pedaling ability and they behave very well downhill, not making you regret the modern enduros. It is clear that you will be able to dare a little less and that, time to time, you will be less performing, but it is also true that cycle mountaineering is often an inner journey rather than a competition; moreover, if you do not have an optimal physical shape, it is likely that the driving is not super performing, so descents that are too difficult or exposed or never faced by others would be avoided.
TECHNICAL LEVEL
We arrive at the second pillar: how do i drive downhill? What do I like to do and above all what can I do? We closed the previous paragraph by mentioning the technical aspect, often those who lack an optimal training also have a less fluid ride and technically are at an average level, but it is true that there may be bikers who do not like to cook uphill but with an excellent guide. In this second case the choice is difficult, suffer more uphill but fully enjoy the joys of rock gardens and steep slopes, or get to the top with that little clarity that allows you to understand where you are, but have to pay more attention. downhill? Personally I would recommend the second option, getting tired would involve risks that are best avoided at high altitude, moreover those who have excellent technical skills will be able to overcome the limits of the vehicle (it must be admitted that modern MTBs have such a high limit that few can find it) .
For those who do not have great technical skills, the reasoning to be done is the following; I have two nuclear-powered legs and I wear out the rear tires in relaunches out of the uphill curves, but as soon as the road goes in negative gravity I lose consciousness in the throes of vertigo? In this case, then no one will take off a nice enduro, the higher weight will be mitigated by the watts and downhill the vehicle will be able to use all the techniques of autogenic training to reassure the rider and bring him back safely to the base. If, on the other hand, the technical qualities are not excellent are related to the physical form not to the maximum then I refer you to the previous paragraph.
WHAT ARE MY FAVORITE LAPS
This is delicate terrain, since if we talk about hiking in the high mountains it is difficult to delineate a terrain that is uniform, since cyclo-mountaineering is par excellence a discipline that makes discovery and the unknown its strength, so it is complex to identify categories. clear as you can do for classic MTB tours.
So let's try to rephrase the question: do I venture into unknown places and do not disdain absolute premieres downhill, or do I choose the itineraries by reading 365 or inquiring with friends? In the first case it is clear that vehicles with excellent downhill skills are needed, but it is also true that to imagine laps in the dark where you don't even know if the descents are feasible, you need to be mentally calibrated but above all trained and aware of your own. technical and mental skills. If, on the other hand, you are looking for your own itineraries using what we write on 365, or by contacting local guides, then the choice of the vehicle depends on the two aforementioned categories.
At the end of this article you probably have the most confused ideas of before, however I will try to make a brief summary to try to clarify the issues:
Biker, if your level of training is not optimal, you do not do at least 3 outings a week with interesting gradients and you have a medium-low technical capacity then it is good to choose in the world of All mountain, preferably 27.5, lighter bikes, which are carried uphill more easily but with interesting downhill skills, trying to avoid too extreme routes.
Do you have a beastly physique but you quarrel with your bike as soon as the road starts to descend? Then no one has to take off a nice enduro, even better if 29.
Do you have the technical skills of Sam Hill but the physique of an accountant? Here the choice is more difficult, but if I were you I would prefer a lighter vehicle, so much downhill you will know how to put your
In the end, some of you will have a spontaneous question: what kind of bike do you use? What is your favorite bike for cycle mountaineering you are talking about? I am lucky enough to be able to try different bikes during the year and sometimes to choose the bike according to the itinerary I decide to do, so from this point of view I am definitely a privileged one. I must say that the modern all mountain bikes surprised me positively, I faced complex descents with means that I did not think protected to be so performing.
But in general my favorite bike remains the enduro one, the reasons are essentially those described above, they give me more safety when descending and especially when I get off from unknown places I have a greater safety range, they pedal well and the extra weight I can manage. bear it. Furthermore, still having that disease called agonism, I prefer to use the 'racing' vehicle as much as possible, seeing these excursions as an excellent training, blindly descending on unseen descents where sometimes the obligatory steps you have to invent at the moment and not you always know what you will find behind that curve is a useful workout for anyone who wants to do enduro. Thus ends the first part of this instruction manual for young adventurers, next time we will talk more in depth about the technical aspects, from the best covers to essential clothing up to the survival kit.
