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MTB Q&A

Looks like a lot of fun! May need to get some new wheels and tires for my Surly and try this.

Anyone tried this route up around Miyagase? I've been looking at it but not sure if I can make it on my Gatorskins 28c tires. If anyone's done it, is it doable with a road bike?


Looks like you need to make the route "public" for us to see it. But from what I could see from your original post, when you used the Strava link, that road is indeed fine for road tires. I'll confirm once I can see the map again.
 
Right.... Thanks. Should be OK now.
Cheers. The last time I was on that stretch of road -- February 2016 -- it was paved and in good enough condition. There may been scattered rocks on the road in places, but nothing to warrant MTB tires.
 
Cheers. The last time I was on that stretch of road -- February 2016 -- it was paved and in good enough condition. There may been scattered rocks on the road in places, but nothing to warrant MTB tires.
Seconded. I've done it several times on a road bike and it's fine if you're careful and have a few tubes/patches just in case. There are periodic logging parties by the beneficiaries of Japan's heavily-subsidised forestry industry, so the road gets cleared from time to time. The gates at either end are a nuisance, and the guard rails have been bashed into submission by some scarily heavy rocks.
 
MIght just try this trail biking stuff. I have a Surly Cross Check that would take wide tires but want to keep it as a commuter as well. I did that stretch on 76 going up to the tunnel a couple years back and enjoyed it but my tires just spun in the sand and it was hard to climb. So, if a person (me) wanted to start doing more trail riding, what width / type of tire would be good for the typical rindo stuff you run into in the mountains. I'd want something that worked well on the trails but wasn't too bad on paved roads. And, I'd need some wider wheels for the tires, so any recommendations for a 'starter' wheel (in the 3 to 4 man range) would be appreciated.
 
Thanks. Good to know the 33-35mms work for you on the rindos. Save me buying new wheels. I think my current wheels are 15mm inner so they should work for now.
 
Thanks. Good to know the 33-35mms work for you on the rindos. Save me buying new wheels. I think my current wheels are 15mm inner so they should work for now.
 
Another tire to look at are Schwalbe's G-One: they roll fast on- and off-road. They have three different versions depending on how much time you spend off-road.
 
just a quick tip, was looking into having my dhx air serviced in the bigger shops around tokyo/yokohama but they had this policy where if it is older than 5 years old they won't service it. ended up having it serviced at a licensed fox service center in the philippines.

good luck!
That tip could save me a bit of trouble, thanks!
 
Deej and I ride rindos on 33-35 mm width tires. Mine are mounted on some narrow road wheels as well (17 mm outer rim width), so your current wheels will most likely be fine for now.
As a cheap but decent set of tires, the Clement MSO work as all-rounders:
32 mm wide
https://www.probikekit.jp/bicycle-tyres/clement-xplor-mso-folding-road-tyre-60-tpi/10961838.html
A decent price for these tires.
Panaracer gravel king also get good reviews and aren't too expensive.


Just ordered some Continental Cyclocross tires (35mm). They look like a good compromise between commuting and trail riding. Looking forward to heading back up the trails to try them out. Thanks for your suggestion, though. Looking forward to getting dirty up in the mountains.
 
M.D.S.( if they are close to you)http://www.mds.co.jp/about/access
but this list are all Rockshox tech dealers http://www.dirtfreak.co.jp/cycle/rockshox/technical-dealer/
Any of them should do the service and you can see a price guide here http://www.dirtfreak.co.jp/cycle/df_cycle_service

just a quick tip, was looking into having my dhx air serviced in the bigger shops around tokyo/yokohama but they had this policy where if it is older than 5 years old they won't service it. ended up having it serviced at a licensed fox service center in the philippines.

good luck!

That tip could save me a bit of trouble, thanks!

In Yokosuka, Trip Cycles has worked on older shocks and done a complete rebuild. https://www.tripcycle.jp/english.html
In Yokohama Sico Cycles has done some Fox Fork work for me on an older fork. He replaced everything but the inner bushings. https://sicobicycleservice.wordpress.com/

Maybe some of the bigger shops are less inclined to do service, but there are MTB shops around that are more than happy to do the work.
 
Does anyone have some gravel (or mixed) courses in Boso that they can share? I've done a few of the Boso courses on my roadie over the years but have my CX bike here now.
 
Cheers. The last time I was on that stretch of road -- February 2016 -- it was paved and in good enough condition. There may been scattered rocks on the road in places, but nothing to warrant MTB tires.

Thanks for the info. Did that section on Tuesday. Good paved road, a few potholes here and there, easily avoided. Quiet, except for the loggers near the top. No other bikers at all.

Plus, just one place where a bit of a landslide covered the road. Pretty easy to scramble over it. Hardest part was getting past the gate to start the ride.
 
I got a little bored this morning and mapped out all the dirt I know in Boso. Yellow = dirt. Red = road. Single track bits not on Google maps that I was too lazy to freehand are marked with Trail Head POIs.

 
More MTB info...

Wheel Standards
For those thinking of MTBs - here is something to consider...

Quick Release:
100x9mm Front
135x10 Rear

Thru Axle - Front
100x15mm
110x15mm Boost
110x20mm (downhill/Freeride)

Thru Axle - Rear
135x12mm - Old, never actually used one.
142x12mm - The thru axle standard for years until...
148x12mm - Boost - wider hubs allow for better spoke angles
150x12mm - Old standard used for years for downhill bikes... but trek wanted to name the 'Boost' standard
157x12mm - Super Boost - yup... boost, but superer

Add to that...
26" (up to a 3" tire)
Fat (26" up to a 5" tire)
27.5 (up to a 2.5 tire)
27.5 plus (2.6 up to a 3.0)
29 (up to a 2.5 tire)
29 plus (2.6 up to a 3.0)

And then brakes:
Six Bolt
Centerloc

Freehubs:
Shimano
XD (Sram)
MicroSpline (xtr)
 
Does anybody know if any of the trails within Kamakura proper are bicycle friendly? @bloaker
?
I found one (大峰緑地) that doesn't seem to have any anti-bicycle signage, but I probably just missed it. I don't want to ride on anything that I'm not allowed to, but if it's allowed it looks like a pretty nice trail.
 
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