Every biker should take decent care of his gear and take some time to think about and prepare the upcoming raid...

A lot of people ask us if they need a full suspension bike on our raids. The answer is no, not even on raids with a tech rating of 3+. People have succesfully participated on a completely rigid bike ! But this said, we strongly recommend decent front suspension.

But if you're thinking about getting a new or different bike and you'd like to ride more on these kinds of terrain, a modern full suspension bike is probably the right choice. For people with back problems it can even be the solution.

Here are the advantages of each type at a glance:

Hardtail: cheaper, lighter, easier in maintenance.

Fully: more comfortable, more control and traction, less tiring and taxing.

Concerning the absolute speed of both types, there's a simple rule of thumb: the rougher the terrain, the more advantage you'll have on a fully, both uphill and downhill.

And certainly don't forget the "poor man's suspension", your tires ! Choose a set of tires with real knobs, tough and/or reinforced sidewalls and as fat as possible so you can deflate them enough.

Over rough terrain, less tire pressure means much improved comfort, traction, control and less roll resistance compared to high pressure skinnies.

To avoid snakebites you need to choose a fat tire. As a reminder... we don't consider a 2.1" section "fat" !  Size 2.25" or 2.35" is better if your frame can handle that with enough tire clearance left. Aim for a tire pressure of 2 kg/cm² - 28 psi or less. Anti-leak fluid is a real advantage : it reduces the number of flat tires dramatically !

For all moving parts on your bike we advise an equipment level of Shimano Deore or SRAM X5, that for the "lesser" parts - not for the best :-) !

More expensive groups buy you less weight and more durability. But don't exagerate in lightweight equipment, a dependable bike is more important.

Below is a checklist for your bike and some spare parts tips that can be useful when preparing your bike for one of our raids.

We always carry a few boxes with all kinds of general spare parts, with the sole aim to keep all bikes going at all times: cables and cable-housing, tubes, tires, chains, cassettes, derailleurs (Shimano and Sram), brake pads for V-brakes, a complete set of hydraulic disk brakes, saddles, a hydraulic fork, a 26" wheelset both for disk and rimbrakes, a Lefty front wheel and much more...

But nowadays there are so many sizes and "standards" of bottom brackets, hub cartridges, freewheels, headsets etc that it has become impossible to take along spare parts for everything. Sometimes it's more than 70 miles to the nearest bike shop, which only stocks the bare minimum of basic parts. Ordering parts is a no-no because on most of our raids we're long gone by the time spare parts should arrive.

That's why we ask that everybody takes along a few key spare parts that are particular to your personal bike. You don't need to bring along a complete spare bike (that, we have) or sets of wheels (luggage space is limited). Just make sure you carry the key parts. We've marked those key parts on the list with an *. If you don't like to buy them, try to get them from your local bike shop on condition that you return them in their original packaging when you didn't need them during the raid.

Checklist mountain bike:

Follow this list carefully standing next to your bike and check or have each and every item checked by your bike mechanic. Make sure that ALL points on this list are OK and don't become sloppy or take no for an answer: we've got many years of experience and the list below is drawn up of mechanical stuff that go very regularly wrong during our raids.

Wheels:

- rims or disks not yet worn out from braking ?

- rims or hubs not cracked at the spoke eyelets ?

- check spoke tension for loose spokes

- Shimano hubs: clean them and apply new grease liberally (in new hubs often not enough), check the ball bearings. Remove slack and recheck after biking a while.

- other brand hubs: check for slack on the industrial closed bearings. Bring along spare bearings *

- bring along spare spokes *

Freewheel body *: replace with a new one or take along a spare, VERY important. Some models of both Shimano and Sram have never been imported in certain countries and it's more often than not impossible to find replacements for Mavic, DT Hugi or Coda.

Frame:

- carefully check frame, stem, seatpost and (the underside of the) handlebars for hairline cracks.

- check and clean headset and re-grease if possible. In case of doubt, take a spare along *.

- check bottom bracket, replace in case of slack or "grinding". In case of doubt, bring a spare *.

- bring along spare derailleur hanger * !!!

- forks: time for an overhaul, new oil, check coils, bushings and/or elastomers. Check seals for leaks. Grab your handlebar, firmly push your bike to the ground while braking and trying to move your bike forward and backward. Feel any slack ? Try to find out whether it originates from the fork or from the ballhead and get it fixed before departure. And while you are at it, grab your front wheel at the top and move it sideways to left and right, to diagnose any slack on your front axle.

- rear suspension: same, check shock for leaks. Definitely check all linkage bushings and bearings for play or slack !!! This is very easy to diagnose in a few seconds with two small tests, both with your bike standing upright: grab the saddle and move or shakeit slightly without compressing the suspension. Then grab the saddle firmly and with the other hand the top of your rear wheel. Try to push the rear wheel to the left and right. Any slack ? Find out on which bearing and get it fixed before departure.

It doesn't hurt to bring along spare bushings or seals *, especially on our long raids. It's frequent that we have to (try to) remedy worn out bushings with metal shims cut out of a soda can !

Drivetrain:

- check derailleurs for slack, don't forget to check the derailleur wheels

- replace all cables and housing a few weeks before the start and adjust just before departure

- start with a new or almost new chain, cassette and chainwheels. Pay special attention to your two smallest chainrings, you're going to use those a lot :-) ! Careful with cranksets where you can't replace the (riveted) chainrings.

- it's the right moment to choose real small gears... a cassette with a 34-teeth ring isn't a luxury, your knees will be grateful.

Rule of thumb for all moving parts: when in doubt, replace !

Here again the short list of replacement parts that EVERYBODY should bring along for his/her bike, along with regular parts like brake pads:

- freewheel body for your rear wheel. Ask your bike mechanic how to replace it and if by chance special tools are needed - and bring those along too :-)

- derailleur hanger

- a selection of spare spokes for front and rear wheel (in a rear wheel often two different sizes)

- on the CTC and the Ruta del Cid: if you have rear suspension, a complete set of bushings and bearings. A complete set of industrial bearings for your hubs if it is something else than Shimano (which have adjustable loose ball bearings).

The lack of these specific and essential replacement parts often causes your bike to be stored in the trailer for the rest of the raid.

What you DON'T have to take along:

- spare wheels. We have those, for rim brakes, for disk brakes and even a front wheel for Lefty forks.

- lots of tools. We bring along those too. Do bring specialty tools for exotic parts that you might have on your bike. We've got a crate full of tools and wrenches, hex- and torcx keys, pincers and tweezers for all current brands, as well as grease and lube a plenty. The use of that crate is free for all (on condition of re-arranging it as found) as well as a work stand, pumps and a compressor.

- a complete spare bike, we have one of those too :-)

What you need to do yourself / maintenance or solving problems during the raids:

- change or repair tubes and tires

- change brake pads

- break and reconnect your chain

- basic principles of adjusting your derailleurs

- change cables and cable housing

Everybody should be able to perform above routine maintenance on his/her own bike. We help out with pleasure if the time permits but it's often not feasible for us to occupy ourselves with simple maintenance jobs for hours on end each evening - those you need to carry out yourself as much as possible.

We do of course help you with more complicated technical problems and replacements and with the fine-adjustment or tuning of derailleurs for example.

During the raids a guide rides the trail as well, but he stays always as the last man. If you're a strong biker and your chain breaks, you might have to wait a while if you can't fix it yourself. You can of course trust your fellow bikers to help you out, but don't count on it because if everybody takes that attitude... :-)