Strava "EMTB Forums Club"

[Zimmerframe]

This is probably a question for @Doomanic , but someone else might know ..

I recently noticed the Strava EMTB Forums Club and joined in. It's interesting to see all the great places people ride all over the world.. Even though you haven't got a clue who they are (We want more pictures people !)

I do have a question on how the "Leaderboards" work though .. Using me as an example as it's easiest for me to see my data .. It shows my last weeks climbs as 2429M and this weeks as Zero .. Presumably, this week started this morning.

However, last week, strava shows me as 4000m Climbs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about where I am in the leaderboard. The only leaderboard which really counts, is how many times you crash - Just curious how it works .. Take Claudio Paselli for instance. Shows as 2606m for last week and 0 for this week, but Strava has him at 4177 for the week - some truly magnificent rides there Claudio :

Claudio Kicks ass and makes everyone else look like a lazy pussy.

69.7 km Mountain Bike Ride on January 25, 2020 by Claudio P. on Strava

EDIT : Just looked again .. go figure .. the numbers have updated for last week and jumped up .. maybe it's just really slow at adding up ??

 

[GrahamPaul]

Good spot. I've joined up. Just hope I don't get too competitive (again)

 

[Zimmerframe]

Just look for someone who's a renown muppet, like ,erm, that Zimmer Frame chap ... and make them your competitive nemesis ! Then you're sure to be ahead even if you don't go out on the bike !

Or try reverse competitive psychology .. Who can go out on a an e-bike and have the LOWEST average speed ! Now that's a challenge !

It needs some extra Leaderboards "The Dutch Challenge" .. least meters climbed in a week for anyone who's ridden over 100km's.

 

[GrahamPaul]

Just look for someone who's a renown muppet, like ,erm, that Zimmer Frame chap ... and make them your competitive nemesis !

You've got too many KOMs for me to even think about that!

(I don't even think about trying for those around here. The current holders have been known to spend all night getting them back! )

 

[Zimmerframe]

You've got too many KOMs for me to even think about that!

(I don't even think about trying for those around here. The current holders have been known to spend all night getting them back! )

That tree on your ride was an impressive bit of storm flotsam ! I'll stop complaining about it being wet this winter ...

The first rule of KOM club is we don't talk about KOM club .. (I did get a bit obsessed last year -I don't think it was very healthy mentally or physically - riding well beyond my limit to try and beat riders considerably younger and considerably better than me - I just ignore KOMs now and ride for fun following some sound advice from this very forum)

It's been a very quick learning curve over the last 12 months, but I've been really lucky to have bumped into one very good rider who's taken me under his wing to show me the ropes and sometimes get to ride with other good riders, like yesterday, rode with the guy who qualified 2nd for Mountain of Hell last year. I was very pleased with myself .. I didn't fall off and embarrass myself in front of everyone , though not quite sure how I saved myself from an OTB at the unfinished end of an unfinished run we're building where the river jump doesn't exist yet.. I should really have known better ... Got a bit carried away

 

[GrahamPaul]

That tree on your ride was an impressive bit of storm flotsam ! I'll stop complaining about it being wet this winter ...

We've been suffering a dreadful drought. It hasn't really rained since last April. Then we had 6" of rain falling in 2 days, with 4" of that falling on Saturday. The hailstorm in the middle of the night was incredible - it rang all the railings and burglar bars like some mad bell ringer. They were the big lumps - not the sort of thing to stand out in.

Today I thought I'd have a change from the dune sand in our local forest because it's like the M4 in there at the moment. Now it's rained every bike in Cadiz Province has descended on it. Big mistake as you can see from my photo on Strava.

I bought the e-bike because I wanted to keep my heart rate within limits. I keep chasing the youngsters up the hills and getting to the top with my lungs bursting. They got worried seeing my heart rate output and strongly recommended an engine!

I'm trying hard to avoid getting any KOMs. The holders really do get shitty about it. I really do try to just enjoy myself. But sometimes I just get carried away in the moment...

 

[Zimmerframe]

We've been suffering a dreadful drought. It hasn't really rained since last April. Then we has 6" of rain falling in 2 days, with 4" of that falling on Saturday. The hailstorm in the middle of the night was incredible - it rang all the railings and burglar bars like some mad bell ringer. They were the big lumps - not the sort of thing to stand out in.

Sounds like some of your conditions are replicating some of the Aussy conditions, they had some crazy hail too. Was part way through a mouthful of beer when I read "Burglar bars" and momentarily imagined you had bars which were only open at odd hours and payments was accepted in stolen goods ...

Incidentally .. the Club leaderboard from last week has now dropped off a few days and gone mad again .. it's almost entertaining to just sit here and watch it randomly make things up ..

I like your mud .. I hope you're going to bag it in one of @steve_sordy 's second hand sandwich bags and keep it in the fridge for posterity !

I bought the e-bike because I wanted to keep my heart rate within limits. I keep chasing the youngsters up the hills and getting to the top with my lungs bursting.

Sounds to me like you need to start commencing your rides from somewhere other than the ladies aerobic club.

I'm trying hard to avoid getting any KOMs. The holders really do get shitty about it. I really do try to just enjoy myself. But sometimes I just get carried away in the moment...

Screw em I normally find a beer makes them happy again

 

[GrahamPaul]

I like your mud .. I hope you're going to bag it in one of @steve_sordy 's second hand sandwich bags and keep it in the fridge for posterity !

It's sticky, horrible stuff. Trying to push it out with a stick is a path to madness
It's like one of those sheeps burrs: whenever you think you've got rid of it, you find it sticking somewhere else an inch or two away.

I honestly thought I'd stuffed the motor. After I'd taken the photo I got to work with a bit of plastic someone had dumped. Went through a puddle to soften things up a bit, but immediately ended up in another mud pie. Made it up to a surfaced track and peppered everything with stones and gravel. Had another go at cleaning things up a bit. This time with my fingers because there were no sticks (As usual. Most sticks here try to stab you to death. Finding a kind one is rare).

Got going again but every time I pushed down on the left pedal there was a horrible grinding noise. Had a look and could see that my pedal cadence dongle was clogged up with crap and rubbing the motor housing. Cut it off. Got going again. Same horrible grinding noise. Motor on, motor off, same grinding noise.

Ah well, nothing for it but to turn around and head home. Worst that could happen is that the motor will pack up and the crank will seize somewhere near a road that my missus can reach with the van.

So, tanking home, mostly exceeding the assistance level - even making a horrible noise on every left pedal stroke, this Bosch Gen 4 motor is utterly drag free - when, oddly, the noise starts to get less and less. Now, ball bearings aren't really my thing, but I do know that once a bearing starts to go, it gets worse. It doesn't magically heal up. So I stopped for another look.

The bottom bracket was really gunged up. But careful fingering and I found where there was a pebble and clay lump with was just clearing the tyre. When I put my weight on the left pedal there was just enough flex in the frame for it to rub on the side wall.

Lump removed. Grinding noise gone. Big relief. But ride buggered up by a load of road work. Oh well, I made up for it by getting stuck on the side of a cliff, boxed in by donkeys front and back which just would not budge...

 

[steve_sordy]

"boxed in by donkeys"

That hasn't happened since I took my kids to the beach!

 

[GrahamPaul]

"boxed in by donkeys"

Yup. I'm always a bit charry about asking donkeys to do what they don't want to. Really intelligent animals that can be a bit stubborn when of a mind to. My dad's jenny used to kick and bite if she decided to be in a mood. I don't like getting too close to those back legs...

The worst nightmare here is meeting a sign that says "Ganado Bravo" - especially on the way out... This is fighting bull territory. Feisty little blighters, even when they are babies.

 

[steve_sordy]

I'd be feisty if I knew what was coming!

 

[Zimmerframe]

"The Bike Pilot" - Jon Edwards & "The Stewardess" - Rob Hancill Totally obliterating the leader boards this week.

Also, having travelled half way round the world the ride, kicking the "how far was your ride commute" leaderboards.

 

[GrahamPaul]

"The Bike Pilot" - Jon Edwards & "The Stewardess" - Rob Hancill Totally obliterating the leader boards this week.

Also, having travelled half way round the world the ride, kicking the "how far was your ride commute" leaderboards.

Excellent vineyards in that part of the world. I doubt I'd find time for a bike ride...

 

[GrahamPaul]

It's interesting to see all the great places people ride all over the world.. Even though you haven't got a clue who they are (We want more pictures people !)

Just had a peek at your routes. You've got some great photos in there, yourself.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Just had a peek at your routes. You've got some great photos in there, yourself.

I just download them all off the internet and send a drone out with a gps on ... much easier

Thought I'd found a really good long lost track in the woods yesterday - which would have been the perfect way back up for that section (what was left of it anyway) .. followed it today to find it went the wrong way and then a dead end - think it was an old track which would have gone down into the valley before they flooded it and had long since been replaced by a road to the dam.

I quite liked your really really FAT .... tyred group photo

 

[GrahamPaul]

I quite liked your really really FAT .... tyred group photo

Yup. Loads of them around here. The forest is on dune sand. Some folks seem to like riding along the beach, too. Not me: too much risk of being hit by flying surfer

Those blokes on the fatties are stupidly fit. Hard keeping up with them on the climbs on an e-bike. Downhill they lost me entirely.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Yup. Loads of them around here. The forest is on dune sand. Some folks seem to like riding along the beach, too. Not me: too much risk of being hit by flying surfer

Those blokes on the fatties are stupidly fit. Hard keeping up with them on the climbs on an e-bike. Downhill they lost me entirely.

You made me look !!! Antonio and Francis have some cool pics of the fatty's on the sand ! Nice to see them being used and abused properly ..

You need to sweat less, then the surfers won't try and surf you ....

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

This is probably a question for @Doomanic , but someone else might know ..

I recently noticed the Strava EMTB Forums Club and joined in. It's interesting to see all the great places people ride all over the world.. Even though you haven't got a clue who they are (We want more pictures people !)

I do have a question on how the "Leaderboards" work though .. Using me as an example as it's easiest for me to see my data .. It shows my last weeks climbs as 2429M and this weeks as Zero .. Presumably, this week started this morning.

However, last week, strava shows me as 4000m Climbs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about where I am in the leaderboard. The only leaderboard which really counts, is how many times you crash - Just curious how it works .. Take Claudio Paselli for instance. Shows as 2606m for last week and 0 for this week, but Strava has him at 4177 for the week - some truly magnificent rides there Claudio :

Claudio Kicks ass and makes everyone else look like a lazy pussy.

69.7 km Mountain Bike Ride on January 25, 2020 by Claudio P. on Strava

EDIT : Just looked again .. go figure .. the numbers have updated for last week and jumped up .. maybe it's just really slow at adding up ??

It’s probably down to a database job ‘running’ at a weird and wonderful time or ‘not running’ frequently enough to update all the squillions of rides people are uploading on to the Strava system servers on a daily basis. As it is a global application I can only imagine how large this actual Database will be and remember it will probably have all sorts of dual or triple recording, failover systems and back ups in place to ensure they do not lose any of our very important KOM data. Imagine losing your KOM due to a data loss episode on their system servers How would we cope with this tragedy How would we get up in the morning

 

[Jdog]

I recently joined the EMTB Strava group for a laugh however the GPS antenna in my iPhone has an issue which causes all sorts of problems on Strava. Its actually cheaper for me to get a cycling computer so any recommendations for the best MTB device that tracks your GPS location?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Just hope I don't get too competitive (again)

As he sneaks up into 2nd place on the board ...

 

[GrahamPaul]

As he sneaks up into 2nd place on the board ...

View attachment 25311

?

 

[Levo Laland]

I recently joined the EMTB Strava group for a laugh however the GPS antenna in my iPhone has an issue which causes all sorts of problems on Strava. Its actually cheaper for me to get a cycling computer so any recommendations for the best MTB device that tracks your GPS location?

Garmin Forerunner watches work well and give heart rate info as well.

 

[GrahamPaul]

As he sneaks up into 2nd place on the board ...

Oops!

I promise not to let it happen again. ?

 

[Zimmerframe]

Just trying to work out if it's :

A: Stupid
B: Fair
C: Possible

To take the Kenevo out with the power off and run as a "Ride" on strava .. if I can beat the Tour De France riders KOM on a road section near the house .... with the 80 kph tail wind ......

Those boys are fast :

1.8 km Ride Segment in Sainte-Brigitte, Bretagne, France on Strava

 

[GrahamPaul]

Just trying to work out if it's :

A: Stupid
B: Fair
C: Possible

To take the Kenevo out with the power off and run as a "Ride" on strava .. if I can beat the Tour De France riders KOM on a road section near the house .... with the 80 kph tail wind ......

Those boys are fast :

1.8 km Ride Segment in Sainte-Brigitte, Bretagne, France on Strava

Even with the wind behind you, uphill you've got no chance against those guys.

We had a stage of the Vuelta a España finish here and the local lass who got the QOM did it on the back of a motor scooter. The rest of us have to make do with being at least 200 down the pecking order (1233rd in my case!).

Chris Froome road one of the forest roads in our local woods as part of the Vuelta a Andalucía a couple of years ago. That's screwed it for everyone!

 

[Zimmerframe]

Even with the wind behind you, uphill you've got no chance against those guys

Well now you've gone and done it haven't you ?.....

For roped into taking the horse out instead. ?!??? Don't think that wins for good ideas but I have the chainsaw so we can hopefully get home later ! ?

 

[GrahamPaul]

Well now you've gone and done it haven't you ?.....

For roped into taking the horse out instead. ?!??? Don't think that wins for good ideas but I have the chainsaw so we can hopefully get home later ! ?

Horse + chainsaw...? Hmmm... Barbeque charcoal too, by any chance...?

 

[GrahamPaul]

Well now you've gone and done it haven't you ?.....

Only if you get that horse to tow you up the hill!

 

[Howz]

As he sneaks up into 2nd place on the board ...

View attachment 25311

I have a long way to go........number 81 ??

 

[GrahamPaul]

I have a long way to go........number 81 ??

Summer is coming!
(Then you can ride and I can't... )