Trip to the alpine region near Zermatt, July 2009
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Photo info
- Album
- Valais-2009
- Category
- XC Riding
- Date Posted
- Apr 1, 2010 at 4:54Apr 1, 2010
- Location
-
Fiesch, Switzerland
- Trail
- Aletsch Glacier Trail
- Riders
- Felix, Hannes
Photo details
- Photo Size:
- Camera
- unknown unknown
227 Comments
- 94 9
fransen
(Apr 1, 2010 at 16:21)
POD!!!
awesome pod!!
:
- 22 6
Shit balls. Not your average day ride! Not mine anyway..... Very good choice on POD. When you have scenery like this, the requirement for action in a POD takes a back seat, in my opinion at least. Great photo!
- 12 5
They actually work just fine, and no, it is petrolium-based so it can't freeze. However you need to keep your fingers warm or bye-bye braking
- 6 5
andrew4818 the temperature on that day must have been at least +5 Celsius. It's in Swiss Alps in Summer at around 2500m over the sea level.
- 5 10
that is probably the only place on the planet able to compete with Whistler as Worlds best riding spot. Fortunately though it's not as popular 
- 3 2
Epic, just yesterday I read an article about riding around Zermatt, and now this pic - I so want to go there I wonder if the guys took the "Glacier Express" train to get to the trail head
I wonder if the guys took the "Glacier Express" train to get to the trail head- 4 3
ya if its cold enough i notice some stiffness in the fork...
kind of like the compression is just turned up a lot
- 2 3
bananowy;
You don't take a train to the trail head, you take a gondelbahn to the top of 'Bettmerhorn' from Bettmeralp, which is very close to where this photo was taken. Or you could ride up if you were feeling manly.
You don't take a train to the trail head, you take a gondelbahn to the top of 'Bettmerhorn' from Bettmeralp, which is very close to where this photo was taken. Or you could ride up if you were feeling manly.
- 1 5
ok, thx for the info mate I just checked and the glacier express only goes between St Moritz and Zermatt. I guess the cranking-up option sounds tempting 
I just checked and the glacier express only goes between St Moritz and Zermatt. I guess the cranking-up option sounds tempting - 2 3
Coil forks and shocks get really slow rebound once you hit -20 celcius, and air sprung forks and shocks blow their seals at -25 or lower. Hyraulic brakes are worse, the oil gets so thick that at -15 celcius, they begin to retract slowly, and at -25 celcius they barely retract at all, and at -30 or lower, you almost lose the ability to pull the brake lever.
- 2 5
Uhh, someone obviously didin't pay attention on chemistry lessons, how could the fork oil freeze? Also, I've only ridden at max -10*C, but under 5*C the coil springs get much harder, didin't notice any difference with the air spring.
- 6 4
Rider from Fairbanks, Alaska here.
I just went through my first winter here where it got down to -40º in December. At those temperatures my (coil w/ oil dampening) fork and rear coil shock locked up (presumably because I hucked it off a 1m ledge at those temperatures). My mechanical disk brakes did well, but were useless because at those temperatures the hardened tires become slick on bare pavement.
I brought my bike in to warm up to see what was up with the forks and they didn't seem to unlock themselves after a few days of thawing. I rebuilt them and put some 5wt oil (instead of 15) in and now they seem to work fine at -30ºC. I never actually figured out what locked them up in the first place, even after thawing.
One interesting effect I did notice is now that it is warmer, both my front and rear coils seem quite a bit softer. It makes for a nicer ride on smooth trails, but it is absolutely hell when landing any jumps when the fork bottoms out.
I just went through my first winter here where it got down to -40º in December. At those temperatures my (coil w/ oil dampening) fork and rear coil shock locked up (presumably because I hucked it off a 1m ledge at those temperatures). My mechanical disk brakes did well, but were useless because at those temperatures the hardened tires become slick on bare pavement.
I brought my bike in to warm up to see what was up with the forks and they didn't seem to unlock themselves after a few days of thawing. I rebuilt them and put some 5wt oil (instead of 15) in and now they seem to work fine at -30ºC. I never actually figured out what locked them up in the first place, even after thawing.
One interesting effect I did notice is now that it is warmer, both my front and rear coils seem quite a bit softer. It makes for a nicer ride on smooth trails, but it is absolutely hell when landing any jumps when the fork bottoms out.
- 4 6
I don't care I think it's an amazing pic but it just boring. I'll get neg props but that's my opinion.
- 1 3
They are not softer because of the less dense oil, as the oil doesn't 'affect' the spring rate of low speed compressions. It is the affect the cold has on the crystal structure of the metal that lowers the spring rate when the metal is warmed up again.
- 3 0
There's no way you'd notice the difference in stiffness of the springs. The Young's Modulus (basically a way of measuring stiffness of a material) barely changes in the temperature variations you'd experience (Say, between -30 and +30 Celsius, or -22 and +86 Fahrenheit);
docs.engineeringtoolbox.com/documents/773/metal-modulus-elasticity.png
If there is a real difference it would be down to the oil.
docs.engineeringtoolbox.com/documents/773/metal-modulus-elasticity.png
If there is a real difference it would be down to the oil.
- 4 0
Good point bighitali, I thought that such small temperature amplitudes aren't enough to change the metal's structure so much, to actually soften the springs, but I had no way to prove it.
- 5 1
Demn people... to summarize some good points up there: how difficult it is to understand that every fluid gets more solid when the temperature goes down? Both oil and grease! If ti gets more solid, then harder it is for it to pass through valves.
So if you are a performance lover, then just before the winter, change oil to 5 or 2,5 especialy in the shock where valving has much smaller openings for oil to pas through. Then if you are a performance nutter: change also the grease in the hubs to a less dense one. I know road bikers doing it.
If you own an air fork or shock you might also want to change the grease - but ask your self whether ou really want to go through all that crap if these changes dont fit your service schedule.
BigHit Ali explained well enough I believe that metal has nothing to do with it.
And stuff about freezing: send a notice to some Department responsible for Education and ask for a million refund as your education has been slowed down due to outrageous inability of your school to teach the absolute fundamentals of physics. You also feel handicapped from that fact as other users of a simple internet forum seem to dig these basics...
P.S. Im aggressive and I want to end up this discussion cuz this thing is spamming my dashboard.
So if you are a performance lover, then just before the winter, change oil to 5 or 2,5 especialy in the shock where valving has much smaller openings for oil to pas through. Then if you are a performance nutter: change also the grease in the hubs to a less dense one. I know road bikers doing it.
If you own an air fork or shock you might also want to change the grease - but ask your self whether ou really want to go through all that crap if these changes dont fit your service schedule.
BigHit Ali explained well enough I believe that metal has nothing to do with it.
And stuff about freezing: send a notice to some Department responsible for Education and ask for a million refund as your education has been slowed down due to outrageous inability of your school to teach the absolute fundamentals of physics. You also feel handicapped from that fact as other users of a simple internet forum seem to dig these basics...
P.S. Im aggressive and I want to end up this discussion cuz this thing is spamming my dashboard.
- 10 1
This picture tells it all: BIG MOUNTAIN BIKING. I am happy ot see sometimes this kind of pictures as they show mountains as the environment. For me it appears that biking community forgets that there is mountain in the mtb name. Its a bit too much burms, jumps sick rides, sick jumps talk - it's fun yes. I read so much about caring for trails, no build, no ride - it's important yes. What about the place where we build trails
But If we want to have the full right to use that environment, have trails there, we need to respect, appreciate and care for that environment - it is not only a difference of levels supposed to give us fun.
I would like people to think about that issue too.
But If we want to have the full right to use that environment, have trails there, we need to respect, appreciate and care for that environment - it is not only a difference of levels supposed to give us fun.
I would like people to think about that issue too.
- 19 0
Actually I had been quite disappointed because of the clouds. So I'm glad you like the photo nevertheless. ;-)
@SoulLeSS:
Do you mean the parallel stripes of ice and dark material? They form because three smaller glaciers converge 8 km before.
You can find information about the Aletsch Glacier here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier
@SoulLeSS:
Do you mean the parallel stripes of ice and dark material? They form because three smaller glaciers converge 8 km before.
You can find information about the Aletsch Glacier here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier
- 2 1
Yeah that's indeed VOD,and it's what big mountain riding is all about,and in years time,like decades,it will still be the same situation,you can evolve a mountain bike,but you can,t evolve a mountain or a glacier,full props to the riders and photoghraghers,this is one of my VOD's since joining,pure EPIC.
Gary.
Gary.
- 2 0
he writes higher up: It's Aletsch Glacier, I think the biggest one in Europe, taking start at the south walls of Jungfrau group. Around 150km from Chamonix. Furthermore in Chamonix area you find smaller glaciers as they come down from north-western walls which in most of Alps are steeper than south walls.
- 2 1
YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHH
SEE MORE HERE: maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=46.38816,8.07925&spn=0.324433,0.832214&z=11
SEE MORE HERE: maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=46.38816,8.07925&spn=0.324433,0.832214&z=11
- 4 0
yah it's called a glacier,go back to school.WOW awsome pic it's a shame all these 12 year olds don't appreciate this all they want to see is some kid on a DJ.great photo.
