Ask Pinkbike: Helmet Fit, Tire Picks & Teaching Teens
Here at Pinkbike we get inundated with all kinds of questions, ranging from the basic "Can I have stickers" to more in-depth, soul-searching types of queries like if you should pop the question or what to name your first child. Ask Pinkbike is an occasional column where we'll be hand-picking and answering questions that have been keeping readers up at night, although we'll likely steer clear of those last two and keep it more tech oriented.
My Helmet Sits Too Low On My Head
Question: Dannyfag asks in the All-Mountain/Cross-Country Forum: I have ridden for years and owned a variety of XC lids that I have worn with glasses, and had no issues. The problem is that my last lid, a Troy Lee A1, fitted well, but as soon as I hit rough descents, the thing started pushing my glasses down my nose - to the point I can`t see the trail and have to stop. I guess I don`t have a tall enough head, or it could be my biggish nose is making my glasses sit high.
Anyway, after a recent crash, I had to replace it, went for the Giro Chronicle and had the same problem. I let a friend try my lid on and it just sits higher on his forehead, so he didn't have this issue. Does anyone know a modern day lid that sits slightly higher at the front?
 | Almost all new mountain bike helmets have extended protection at the rear and a slightly lower brow to meet protection goals. Together, those features can and do create fit-up issues for many riders. I also wear glasses and have a big nose, and the shape of the back of my skull tends to push helmets forward. That said, I have successfully used both of the helmets you mentioned. I am interested to know if you have overlooked the angular adjustment feature at the back of their head bands? I use the highest position, which makes plenty of room for my glasses and keeps the helmet's brow well clear of my field of vision. The angular adjustment of the Troy Lee Design A-series helmets is hidden underneath the padding and MIPS layer. The head band has snap fittings that can be set into a row of holes molded into the back of the shell. Giro's Chronicle has a similar feature. |
The angular adjustment feature of Troy Lee Designs' A-series helmets is hidden behind the padding and MIPS layer at the rear of the shell.
The headband adjustment straps snap firmly into holes in molded plastic inserts.
Teaching Teens DH
Question: @CONomad asks in the Fitness, Training, and Health Forum: So I have been asked by my new in-laws to take my cousin's two boys to the bike park and help them through their first day of lift riding. I consider myself to be a pretty competent rider but have never coached anyone from the start before and was wondering if anyone has any gems of experience they'd like to share? Particularly concerning two young teenagers?
| First off, that's awesome. Although I rode bikes quite a bit as a kid, it wasn't until a guy named Andy DeVault took me out riding to some new to me spots (this was prior me being able to drive) and taught me some basics when I was about that age when mountain biking really clicked for me. Years later, I still look up to Andy and could never thank him enough for just taking me mountain biking and encouraging me as a kid. If I can recall anything from that far back, the overarching theme would surely be to just get out and have a good time. Don't worry too much about the specifics or "coaching" them technically. Just go mountain biking with them, make sure they don't get in too far over their heads, and always have a positive attitude. These kids will hopefully have a great time and ask you to take them out again. You probably know the basics and if they need help or are struggling with something then it will be pretty obvious how you can help. Have fun! |
Just get out and have fun...riding, racing, whatever. The training and coaching will come later and you never know where it may take those kids. Bonus points if anyone in the comments knows who's on this podium.
29" Tires for Rocky DH?
Question: @tall-martin asks in the Downhill Forum: I'm off to ride the Fort William World Cup DH track for a couple of days next week, I'm excited! It's my first time on an uplift day with my 29" Geometron G13 and I'm going to get some tougher tires than the DHR2 that are on there now.
What Maxxis tires would you get? There are 2.5" and 2.3", Double Down and DH casing, plus Shorty, DHF and DHR2 tread patterns to chose from. Should I try 2.5" DHF DH casing on the front? Plus a 2.3 downhill on the rear? These tires will do the odd uplift day at Antur Stiniog and Fort William, plus Morzine or Whistler next year, so there is no need for them to be pedaled up anything.
| First things first, if you are going to Fort William to lap out the downhill track, especially on a G13 'trail' bike, there is only one casing option, and that is the full DH casing, no questions asked, front and rear. Double Down is tough, but the relentless rocks at the Fort will not be kind to anything. Secondly, you should opt for the bigger 2.5" size front and rear. You say they won't be pedaled much, so maximum size and cushioning is required, and adding some kind of tire insert would not be a bad idea, either. The intermediate/wet conditions that the Shorty is designed for is out for the Fort. There are very short sections of muddy or dirt surfaces, but the majority of the track is gravel, rock, and hardpack. When the gravel is wet it grips like hell even with dry condition tires. So, the choice is between the DHF and DHR II. Their braking characteristics define them. The Fort is relatively flat, so braking is less of a priority than rolling speed, so double DHF is always a winner there, but a DHR II rear isn't a bad pick for your plan to go abroad next year to help you slow down on steeper slopes. Whistler is usually fine on dry condition tires, thanks to its famous hero dirt when it rains. Heading to Morzine and the Portes Du Soleil for a week offers you a near 50/50 chance of deep mud and torrential rain - or bone dry hardpack and dust for a week. More braking performance is needed there on the steeper gradients. Overall, a DHF/DHR II combo will be your best bet, but maybe keep a few pennies in reserve to splash out on a pair of Shortys or Assegais if conditions start to go bad in the Alps. You should also choose the softest MaxxGrip compound for the best grip on the Scottish rocks, but after a few days there and at Antur they might be ready for the bin instead of another riding trip. |
At Fort William, any combo of Maxxis DH-casing Minion's will serve you well...
...but heading to the Alps, you might want something more aggressive in wet conditions, like an Assegai or Shorty.
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Funny to look back though. Teenage years were definitely wasted on me as a teenager. If I could go back in time with the game I learned by the time I was 30. f*ck a duck, there would have been a lot more skeet skeet skeet, teenage orgies, home made porn, and cocaine.
For instance, it's getting wet on the east coast here in the USA, so I'm looking for some fun tires that grip in the wet, but I can still find a good balance of climbing and descending.
I would also recommend putting the cost up for some cushcore. Especially if you want to do laps without worrying about your rims. Mine easily save my rims from destruction about 4-5 times (F+R) so in my eyes already paid for themselves.
It does change how the bike reacts so keep that in mind on the first couple runs and suspension setting
Do people really only ride tires for this short of a time? I like new tires as much as the next guy but at $60-$80 a pop, if I replaced them after every trip I'd be spending hundreds if not thousands on tires per year. I ride Maxxis Minion DHF front and Aggressor rear, and I just replaced my DHF in front after around 1000 miles, and the Aggressor is about done after only 300-400 and I consider that a disappointment. Sure the tires are pretty beat by the time they're replaced, but man suggesting binning them after a few days sounds crazy.
70,000ft+ of Morzine descending is going to wear your tires a lot more than a couple months of normal trail riding.
Also as others are pointing out, doing a week of bike park in Whistler is over 100,000 vert feet descending pretty easily. That could be equivalent to 50-100 trail rides depending how much you climb. It's also over much rougher terrain (hardpack, rocks, brake bumps) at higher speeds than trail riding... that's why Whistler eats tires so fast.
For people hating on Schwalbe, the new Addix compound tires are a massive improvement in durability and life than the old Vertstar stuff. Give them a shot, can be found cheap online.
I would also recommend putting the cost up for some cushcore. Especially if you want to do laps without worrying about your rims. Mine easily save my rims from destruction about 4-5 times (F+R) so in my eyes already paid for themselves.
It does change how the bike reacts so keep that in mind on the first couple runs and suspension setting
What is missing in comments here is that Magic Mary may offer similar levels of grip to Minion DHF but the latter is more predictable and likes to be pushed. If you are a person who corners actively, loading the wheels, likes to pop into corners, then Minion is for you. If you are more into railing then Mary will suit you more since it doesn’t like too much input. Knobs are too long and too soft. Mary is essentially a tyre for softer ground. A bit more allround shorty, whereas Minion likes hardpack more
So we went to the dh park in winterberg Germany and had a great time overall. They were very out of their element to start but winterberg has a great little pump track, drop and jump training area that we lapped around on all morning to get them comfortable. They were both regular xc and road riders from the northern flat lands, so with basic bike handling skills I was able to focus on the basics of body position, feet position and where to have your head and line of sight at what point in time on the trails.
The older 14 year old kid was actually much easier as he was kind of a slow goer which meant he listened to advise and really took things step by step, by the end of the day he was railing berms on the flow trails and with confidence and picking his way down the moderate tach trails, even bounced back from his one crash and got right back to it, I think he has become a full convert from the ways of the lycra!
The younger 12 year old kid it turns out is a competitive trampoliner? So yeah he just kept going balls to the wall and had a serious perfectionist streak so when he ate it, which was often, he got super angry and frustrated and kept beating himself up mentally making it that much harder to focus. On the flip side that trampoline training and no fear seems to have made him into the most natural jumper I've ever seen. After he got fed up with the trails he spent the afternoon in the jump park and was clearing 2 meter doubles by the end of the day.
All in all though it was blast and I'd happily do it again.
1) Keep your head up and look further down the trail
2) Keep your feet flat at 3 and 9 o'clock when you are not pedaling
3) Keep your arms and knees bent and relax
Specific to this situation where you are going to a bike park. Before even considering going to the park find out if they can do something simply like ride up a curb. If not, don't bother with the park. They need to putz around on their bikes at home before they consider the bike park.
As far as I know most high-end helmets have some form of it (Smith forefront, Bell super dh, Kali interceptor).
(also side note...is that hawknest resort in Seven Devils in that pic? had no idea about races there)
www.pinkbike.com/news/leatt-dbx-20-trail-helmet-review.html
www.pinkbike.com/news/leatt-dbx-30-all-mountain-helmet-review-2017.html
(Only downside is I can no longer refer to Nanaimo as Gnarnaimo in case I suggest to my buddies that we ride there)
Get a Kask, Rudy Project, Met, or Specialized (in order of quality x cost).
I saw absolutely no mention of tires (Maxxis, or otherwise) in the asking -- or answering -- of the question about teaching teens DH.
And when someone asks (in a separate question/answer) for recommendations on which (specifically) Maxxis tire to use, on a 29" wheel bike, of course the answer is surely going to consist of only 29" Maxxis tires.