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EuroOT DAy 5

One of the things that stood out on this trip was an uncanny knack (from everyone) to get up and get on with it. After the obligatory stop at Aldi/Lidl/Rewe (Rewe being the least grim) we were usually on the road shortly after rush hour.

Jim had become somewhat taken with European driving techniques (lots of tail gating) and we were easily in Mainz by 10am….I say easily. The van had a habit of losing power on anything but the shortest journeys and my directions might have accurately been described as “quite late” on occassions. On this occassion we may or may not have exited the motorway on two wheels before finding ourselves in a shady lane (not the Wisley car park type of shady!). I mean under the shade of trees. A short roll later (or quite long if you miss the entrance and enter via full lap of surrounding fields) we found ourselves at Ziegelei trails.

Ziegeli contains quite a lot of wild features. We didn’t encounter many ‘basic’ lines at German spots. The spots are not as old as is typical in the UK and nor are the diggers. As a result of which you’ll find a lot of Shark’s Fins, Step Downs, and some wild berms that worked with varying degrees of success. Ziegeli has a 270 under/over berm that they call the ‘Helix’ and we quickly renamed the ‘Washing Machine’. The racer before made this obstacle ‘challenging’ for all but the most skilled rider.

I think the whole world knows that Jonny Faulkner likes a good tyre grab. This was a new one though!

Arriving nice and sharp gives you plenty of chill time.

The weather had finally reached expectations. A lot of the day was spent doing….not so much to be honest. Things spiced up later in the afternoon. There was a new crew of locals riding the little line and Mortitz was ripping the big line (I’m sure they have names), a bunch of people were sessioning the ‘Washing Machine’, and everything was good in the world. Although things never stay perfect. (Not so) Mini Max and Damo both needed a trip to the local A&E. Injuries are an inevitability but if you’ve just come back from a previous injury, or you’re hundreds of miles from home it’s extra shit.

Max Dunn aka Mini Max got tall. Like this massive Boyley. The former Mini Max was another victim of bad luck and a broken collar bone.

Beach Cruiser indeed! Damo was ripping before a freak accident put him in hospital for a short while.

One of the most noticeable things about the German scene is that they have a bunch of young rippers (Surrey Youth Crew has been slack this Summer). I’m not sure of this guy’s name but those jumps are not small and he was not scared to pull up.

This was our final day as a full gang. The following day was split with some of us headed home (via MX in Belgium), others headed to Cloud 9 trails, and some in hospital.

It’s pretty much always a good time travelling with a bunch of old and new friends, meeting new people, seeing new things, laughing, and learning. This trip was no exception. We owe thanks to so many people! Hope to do something similar again before the year is out.

Felix aka Ronny impressed everyone. He’s a got powerful style. I wish I could tell you more about Ronny and his crew but they ‘hot-footed it’ to catch the last train home. He’s another fella riding a Four frame and making it look amazing!

I’m pretty sure Wayne is some kind of tree surgeon. Who wears chef’s shorts and cooks like a champion!

Well I guess we all know about Atilla’s one footed invert after Tuesday’s post!

Sven Littfinski. What a guy. It was awesome to see him back getting laps!

Jonny loves laps.

You’re going to need to wait for Sam’s video to truly appreciate Moritz Muller.

Eliott and Ryan were off to Austria, Switzerland, and France (Morzine) for a month right after this trip. El has some cassette driver issues, so we didn’t see as much of those trademark El shapes as usual.

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The Root Four – Everything you need to know (and more)

Steering

BMX and MTB grips are completely inter-compatible, so choose whichever you like. A lot of MTB grips are the lock on type (presumably because mountain bikers ride A LOT more in the wet). You wont need lock on grips.

Most MTB bars have a 31.8mm OD in the clamping area, so get some of those if you’d like a choice of sweep and rise. They’re usually made of 7075 and seem to be plenty strong enough. We’d advise against carbon bars. BMX compatible 22.2mm OD chromoly bars are an option (which would let you run a BMX stem), however, if you’re looking for a wide range of options look elsewhere. The only modern MTB bars with a 22.2mm OD in the clamping area are Gusset ‘Open Prison’ bars.

Both BMX and MTB stems have a 1 1/8” fork clamp. You’ll need to make sure the stem you want to run is compatible with the bars you want to run. We suspect most people will choose a regular MTB stem (there’s a massive choice) with a 31.8mm centre bore. Don’t be alarmed by the smaller bolts. MTB bars don’t have to deal with half the torque of tall BMX bars.

You’re going to need an integrated headset with a 1 1/8” cap and upper bearing race. You’re going to need a 1 1/2” lower race. If you’re coming from BMX that means it’s the same headset set up with a wider lower race.

You’re probably going to want 100mm suspension DJ Forks. Our team riders use the Rockshox Pike DJ 26” forks. The axle to crown measurement is mostly the same on all 100mm suspension forks. Its only the position of the bridge that gives clearance for different wheel sizes. It is possible to run rigid forks but we think suspension forks are more suitable.

Wheels

The most defining feature of our frame is that it’s designed to accept wheels with a 24” rim. We haven’t tried to fit a 26” in the frame and the geometry isn’t designed to suit 26” wheels. 24” wheels used to be the standard for Dirt Jump bikes and (in our opinion) it’s the best size if you’re aim is to pull up and go sideways at a legit trail spot, if you’re a smaller (or younger) rider, or having a dabble into Dirt Jump bikes from your BMX background.

DMR still offer complete 24” wheelsets, so that’s always an option. Ideally we’d recommend Odyssey’s 24” Hazard Light rims, with a 135mm spaced disc mount hub (Profile is always a favourite).

Depending on which fork option you’ve gone for, front axle sizes vary. When ordering a hub, you can usually choose between 15 and 20mm options. The Rockshox forks on our bike have a hollow 15mm axle. We modified a BMX hub to have a clean look without disc rotor mounts.

The frame is designed to comfortably fit a 2.3″ tyre in any position in the dropout with decent clearance, although if you keep your wheels true and don’t have the wheel slammed you should have room up to 2.75″.

Drive train

If you are coming from a BMX background, when moving to larger wheels, the gear ratios change from what you’d be used to. Typical BMX gearing is approximately 55 gear inches. A good formula to use for gear ratios is: FRONT TEETH ÷ REAR TEETH × WHEEL DIAMETER = GEAR INCHES

We are running 13t rear and 30t front.

The bottom bracket of the frame is a BMX style Mid BB. We fitted a classic 48 splined 19mm axle 3 piece crank with 19mm Mid bottom bracket. Any BMX cranks will fit fine with the appropiate fitting bearings, however, our frame has a 74mm wide BB shell, so ideally you’d have BB with a wide (50mm+) centre spacer. Federal Mid BB’s are 51mm.

If you prefer the feel of aluminium MTB cranks, they will work with a “mid to euro conversion” then your regular MTB bottom bracket will be compatible. Odyssey do a Euro BB with a wide (51.5mm) spacer.

Seating

The seat post diameter for the frame is 27.2. Although a BMX (25.4) post can be used with a shim. We’ve used a Thomson BMX seatpost on this build.

Braking

The frame has standard IS brake mounts to be used with disc brakes and IS adapter. Clearance designed to work with a 160mm rotor. We chose a Shimano hydraulic brake because they have a solid braking action, are very easy to set up/maintain and aren’t too expensive.

Hydraulic brakes tend to come as a set (lever, cable, caliper) rather than a mix and match set up seen on most BMX bikes. The calipers and levers are designed to work together with specific brake fluid per brand.

It’s possible to run a BMX style lever, however, you’ll be sacrificing braking power as that wont be a hydraulic brake.

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THE GALLERY

You might have noticed a small gallery in the side widget on our landing page. There’s also a more stacked gallery here. This is just the beginning though……a few from Avery Hill and a selection from Birchwood 2021. The plan is continue uploading regular content and hopefully make it hub for anyone who has some trails related content to show the world.