Mrs Ace just got a 2010 1.1 eco to replace the grand punto from 06 that seemed to fall apart.
She had a Mk1 Panda years ago with the rag top.

Was dissapointed she didn’t get the 4×4 and it’s very basic inside and on equipment.
However, small wheels so cheap tyres, cheap tax, and should do 50+mpg but it dosen’t have a trip/fuel computer, so will have to work it out the old fashioned way 🙂

I had her old Suzuki Swift when she got the Punto, tried to steer her into having the new versions, garage lent her one while they tried to fix the electric issues on the Punto…..
O2 Swift, 993cc 3 cyl, now up to 150k and on average on long motorway trips loaded up at normal motorway speeds it does 47mpg 🙂

If the OP is thinking of chasing podiums and licence points for national ranking, taking DH racing a bit serious, then get a DH bike.

Depending on variables of track-V-bike-V-rider then some gifted riders will do well on most bikes.

In theory a DH bike will be built to take some serious abuse, and really need ragging hard.
An Enduro bike, some are very capable at DH, and offer a very lively ride, and can feel more exciting as you are on and beyond it’s limits more than a DH race bike.
An Enduro bike will deal with so much, but it will show the wear and tear faster as well.
Saying that….. not uncommon to see snapped DH bikes, mostly of the very lightweight frame design.

If just doing the odd DH race now and then, then if you only have an Enduro bike, few tweeks and race that 🙂

Cubic volume ?
Access at old house, access at new house any issues, long walks, stairs etc etc.

Ex Removal man 🙂
Best blind job, done over the phone, employer never visited, classic line “your doing it because you have the biggest lorry, don’t worry it’s a mid terrace 2up-2down”

2500 cubic feet in volume truck. Open front door to house, the hall is stacked to the ceiling with boxes, as is the front room, as is the stair well, only enough room to move about. 1x bedroom is solid boxes.
Outside toilet, full of boxes, brick shed at bottom of garden only a few boxes but rather a lot of a hillman imp car, wings, seat, engine, wheels axle etc etc

Yep only a small 2up 2 down, it was made to fit the lorry.

Get another quote, pricing varies lots on where you are and who you use. We got loads of London work because we always came in way cheaper than the London firms.
£1400 don’t seem bad.

Last time i raced at the fort, i ditched the hardtail, thought i had better try a big bike at least once on a proper track, not like the short length hills we mostly have down here, although Rheola is worth a vist.

Did a 7min run without trying….. bike just soaked it up, i couldn’t slow down because it was skimming so much.
Then the dreaded Juicy brake reliabilty kicked in 🙂

I found the SX true to reports, it needs a good kicking to challenge it, it just dealt with the track.
Reckon your right though, it’s an era of geometry thats been surpassed, and it’s dated. I am used to the geo and not ridden a modern geo bike, so can’t compare.

Still rip’s 🙂 mines been in a box since that race, must build it up again, race in vet’s somewhere.

Did see a Stumpjumper FSR raced one year, and it lasted all 6 hours 🙂

Northwind old chap 🙂 “it’s aged hard, beast in it’s day “

The 05 S Works Enduro outclassed a lot of DH bikes (in the hands of Dirt mag) they also had a 06 SX Trail in the mag, and similar response, just that the SX was only happy if really shown some rough air miles 🙂

I too have a 07 SX 1 all stock (got both shock shuttles still)

Is it aged because new bikes are slacker and lower C-of-G as no one has let me borrow a full on DH bike i can’t compare….. just curious 🙂

Well chaps.

Who won ?

All make it down ok ?

Tyre choice work out ?

Bet it was a Barnes again 🙂

Thread bump 🙂

Up end of the the month.
Few days on Raasay to plan. No bikes i am afraid to say, so might whip the car over so we can cover more ground, got the OS map today some nice little beaches and island to walk too for some overnighters.

Hmmm travel light….fishing rod or handline ? if i can catch a nice fish for tea and cook it on the beach 🙂

Elgol adventure and trip to Glenbrittle as well i think, now for a day looking at time tables, might follow with a trip to Applecross as well.

On Luton vans 🙂

One of my workmates went round-a-roundabout, the vehicle lean was enough for the watching police to pull him, escort him to a weighbridge.
They left the van and took Towser down the nick to process him, on percentage i think he was well into 30% overweight.
Boss got fined, Towser got fined, think it was about £1 a kilo.
Made the local news for the wrong reasons, on percentage it was the most overweight vehicle they had seen.
Luton vans don’t carry much weight 🙂

Have harmed…
Myself
Several trees
rocks
rear mechs
pedals

and was forced to ride over Charlie the bikemonger for trying to sleep or somefink in an event track 🙂 (he don’t remember that)

Didn’t harm any kittens either 🙂

Worst that can happen 🙂 not involving kittens.

I am 85-90Kg, not so gentle, and will race a rigid v-braked SS in DH races against proper DH bikes and Orange 5’s

I have seen super fast skilled riders smash DH spec chainrings, this involves hitting rock gardens at silly speeds or coming up a bit short on a jump and landing and bottoming out in a rock garden.

In several years of racing DH and running a bashring i haven’t bent a chain ring. All the teeth tips show minor damage, but no failures, Bash rings show damage, but no ring failure.

I haven’t seen anyone with legs that would shame Sir Chris Hoy and strip off teeth through sheer leg power. Only from twatting rocks at speed. Alu teeth will sheer off, steel might bend over, you might cut the chain.
If that happens, a bent ring and cut chain are the least of your worries. More like worry about the stats of the local hospital your in a helicopter flying too 🙂

Shaving off 85grams ! i wouldn’t worry, strength and maybe a cheaper steel ring, also that 85grams is low down weight, thats good.

Missed the Ice bike show this year, last year Gamut had beefed up the race rings by 1mm thickness as some world cup DH types had damaged rings in racing ( do you race world cup tracks ? )
I think i have E13 G-ring as well, no issues.

If you can outpower Sir Chris Hoy (who maybe uses Alu rings anyway) or can stuff Steve Peat at downhill racing ( i beat him once ) then your worrying over nothing.
DH spec Alu chainrings should be fine, steel rings will also be fine.

Superlight XC race rings will not like heavy handed treatment.

Used E13 and Gamut Alu DH chainrings for SS with no probs.

If i was going dedicated SS only, then a steel ring for sure, it should outlast a Alu ring.

Maybe avoid super light Alu rings.

🙂

Only got 3 gas lamps, and 4 or 5 burners knocking about, and several pan sets from Alu to copper plated stainless, enameled steel to Ti.

If i was starting out from new, Ti Alpkit pan set, and a MSR/Alpkit/Ti burner and battery headtorch….. mostly stuff that wasn’t available years ago 🙂

2 trianga burners in the workshop, soooo tempted to get a burner and try one out 🙂 the boss aquired some stainless tubing to make a wood gas stove (his triangas) a coleman multifuel is knocking about as well.
Boss went for a vango knockoff of a MSR pocket rocket, loves it 🙂

I love these threads.

That little blue bike kitted out is “da bomb” 🙂 excellent work DrP

I expect a legal loophole, and lots of appeal’s to wriggle out of all this.

So the Yanks have legally obtained the Boston tapes, must be more to this than we know about so far.

Argos cycle’s in Bristol also do BB shell repairs and sleeving.

Don’t have exact measurements, but swapped out shimano cups for a Raceface DH BB and cups insert much deeper, so a cheap fix may be take a cup down the LBS, compare cup insert depths and buy the deepest one they have.

(raceface bearings where crap, swapped to enduro bearings but kept the cups, still in use several years on )

Hmmm jetboils, squaddies love em, brill for boil in the bag rat pack food, and now some aftermarket available hanging options, so you can hang the cooking system inside a vehicle/plane/boat/hammock basha or even a rock climbing wedge next to your tent that is also hanging off the side of a mountain 🙂

It’s a case of buying what’s best for you for where you are.
I am in the UK, so gas is the easy option. Would love a Jetboil, but deep down i feel i need the option of being able to dump a pot on a couple of rocks with wood burning underneath. So far never happened.

Pro’s and Con’s to all systems. Meths never done it, hexi and alcohol gel, cheap, safe to carry, hexi can be a pain to light sometimes, alcohol easy, gas just wins for me, more bulk but more ease of use.

Went alcohol decades ago but couldn’t get fuel. Still have a 20+year old Firestar cooker, about the size of a tin of bacon grill, bayonet the lid off, spark up the gel and boil away in the old 1/2 pint enamel mug i replaced my mess tins with, Firestar fitted in the mug too, bounus to that system was this, when the gel had burnt off, fill the tin with dirt/sand, then add petrol, it becomes a liquid fuel burner, bit dirty but works, when done drop lid back on, smother flames, easier than a hexi to light and control.
Went to an MSR Pocket Rocket years ago, it will out last a clone, bought Mrs Ace one of those little Ti gas burner units, really good performance, uses a bit more gas, but it works fast and about half the weight of my Pocket Rocket.

Some of the gear out there now…. so much choice, the end user can really fine tune what they want or need, 7g esbit burner or 50g gas burner ? set your budget and choose what you fancy.

Gas in 100/125/230/250/500gram containers a 250 is lighter than 2x125g, i use 250g with a 100/125 slipped in somewhere as a backup, beyond that it Ray Mears time and stick the pot on a wood fire, assuming i can get one going 🙂

If it wasn’t for the too much snow last year…. i would have made the race…even though i can’t ride in snow, because the MacAvalanche is the only time i have ridden in snow 🙂

Going by the tyre tracks 2years back….some feckers went round the gates because of the big hole hiding under a foot of water because the top layer of moss was chopped through.

Putting a 29er into a hole deeper than the axle at speed and swimming in frozen water wondering what just happened….

Damn i missed that last year 🙂 my heavily scored rims didn’t

rowlapa1974 meths burner/hexi cooker.

Never really done meths, watched a few torch tents with leaky fuel and careless practice.
Have never costed out meths over gas.

Meths can be put out easily in trianga type burner units, small, easy to carry, easy to light, easy to get fuel for.

Hexi cookers or non MOD the Esbit solid fuel cookers. Not as versitile as meths but on a par for cooking, hand full of dirt/sand puts out a fuel block, needs more care for scorching (try cooking inside a tent with Hexi/Esbit 🙂 )
Harder to find fuel than Meths & gas.

Consider alcohol gel cookers, although finding fuel can be tricky compared to meths/gas.

Done Hexi/Alcohol, MOD and Civvy, it works with drawbacks, Esbit burners are silly light.

Gas. Easy to get cans, loads of choice on burners, clean burn, easy to use, works well within UK climate (not so at extreme sub zero temps or high altitude)

Gas for me, drawbacks, weight and volume of gas cans, offset by fast clean burn times, with “care” can be used inside a ventilated tent.
Safe and easy to use, loads of choice on burners, even the cheap MSR Pocket Rocket clones are good, just don’t expect a 10-20year hard use life span from clones.

Petrol-multifuel burners, for serious subzero climates or extreme altitude and third world adventures where finding gas cans and meths may be a major issue.

Set a budget, set a useage area. Do you need ultra light weight ? can you live with the limits of that cook system ?

Gas is bulky in volume, but quick and easy to use, fairly clean, easy to pick up fuel and work with.

Keep one.
Have a break.
Come back start again when you want to/ if you want to.

Been ill, raced about 6months ago, did it, didn’t do myself any favours in the process.
11 months on from being stuffed in hospital, just trying to get going again, can manage 8-10km on road on a rigid singlespeed on 28c tyres at the moment.
I want to ride again though. I have 2 nice hardtail frames sat here looking at me, and a full susser in bits in box keeping them company.

Been scared to go out. Now unfit and no riding legs. Rigid bike, single speed, spin around town, might try a push uphill ride along and down at the weekend 🙂

Sometimes a change is needed, come back when your ready, keep a “bike” handy for when your ready.

Chris85

Format used to be…..aim for the ski gates (red poles) down the mountain, you must pass through the marked ski gates.

However, how you get from gate to gate is down to you, doing a blind run following locals is not good as they jump off small cliff things because they know the lie of the land 🙂

Even more scary is trying that on a rigid bike with v-brakes, although did put a few big bikes and 5’s in place 🙂

Format appears to have changed, at least 1 Barnes will podium…again 🙂

I burst me headset jumping things when we had saturday to mince down and go over the bars and swim about in a bog of gritty bog water, with ice floaters on it.

Gutted to miss last years rigid raid on the mountain, had even cut down the seatpost to enhance my crap ability of riding in snow, something we don’t get much in my part of Somerset. Will try for next year, back on radar 🙂

On a serious note last time i did it, Hans Dampf on 700c track wheels was pretty good, v-brakes not so good, the v-brakes had a hand in scaring some big bike riders as i sailed past because i couldn’t slow down.

Cracking event, more so with helicopters.

Northwind old chap, rip the mountain a new one ! 🙂

One way to get firewood out to a bothy 🙂

Out of touch, so Bluegrass equals some of the No-Fuss events then ?

Heard it was the last Macavalanche and DH enduro last year.

Anyways…. attach the tyres and wheels to an Orange 5 and you will be fine 🙂
Be carefull trying to follow locals, they tend to take short cuts over small cliffs 🙂

Don’t have a fry up in the caff before you race, it will slow you down.

Used a Blackspire stinger and a Gamut P30 to rig up a vertical dropout hardtail for SS.

For non ISCG tabbed frames just slipped on the BB-to-ISCG adaptor. Slight faff adjusting everything, but all stayed in place once set.

I just used what i had over buying something special to do the job 🙂

Depending on pads, could be pad dust causing the rust ?

I use organic pads and don’t get that, have had it with sintered pads.

Not worried by it, just cosmetic.

A random tale of tent shopping.

When i bought the TN Laser it was from a garden center at Brent Knoll near Burnham-on-sea. Taunton leisure would have a large part of the grounds for a static tent display during the summer, big marquee as the shop.
The tent was really for Mrs Ace.
We looked at few single person coffin type tents, small but heavy for size, bombproof, wide pricing.

They pulled out a Hilleberg and set up. I liked that (and i was paying) Mrs Ace found it a bit small.
I asked about the Laser-1, afraid we sold the last one 2 days ago, chap who bought it was doing LEJOG 🙂 goodman !
The Hilleberg was left up and a Laser Large was sent for and duly set up. I still liked the Hilleberg.
The Laser was lighter, cheaper, more room, more head room and that was it.
They wouldn’t do a discount for cash on the Laser…..but i picked up a 3.5kg dome tent for car camping, we got that cheap, the idea was that would save the TN from un-needed use. Hardly used the dome tent over last 10 years 🙂

Morale of the story, try for size before you buy 🙂 the TN is a 3 season tent the Hilleberg is a 4 season mountain tent…..we don’t camp much on proper mountains 🙂 the Laser wouldn’t last long at Everest base camp, the Hilleberg should, nearly over tented myself 🙂 how STW is that. Still, it was a good buy, not cheap but 10+ years service, better lifespan than some Ti frames 🙂

I am 6 1 and can just about sit up, dead center in the Laser, which is 95cm at it’s highest point inside.

To echo peterfile, the 2p is snug for 2, but luxury for 1, partly why i have been looking at the Zep XL’s about 10cm more head room and a bit more internal space over the standard versions.

Quite a few versions/copy’s/clones of the old Terra-nova Laser design out there.

Is there a Go Outdoors store near you ? was in one t’other day looking at the Vango’s and the coffin sized compact solo tent 🙂

Got a cheapo lidl special that cropped up in the bivi/bikepacking monster thread, so far unused, the solo is the better buy.

Also have a Terra-nova laser, the old version that the Wild Country Zephyros is based on (Wild Country are now the budget wing of Terra-nova)
Bit of google-fu, sure i have seen the Zep closer to £100.
Not much difference in size between the 1person and 2person, the 1p has a larger porch area, the 2p is luxury for a single person and snug for 2. The 2p is the better buy IMO.
The Laser large i bought over 10 years ago (Mrs Ace’s tent) is still going strong, i was looking at the Wild Country Zep XL Lites as a possible replacement (My tent 🙂 ) easy to put up, one main pole and 2 stubby end poles, sets up is easy enough by a single person.

Rather a lot of choice out there nowdays, for “around” £100 loads of choice, google-fu hopefully will throw you a super bargin…….dangerous place to vist Go Outdoors….tents set up so you can sit in them……i didn’t buy 🙂

If i could on here i would send Seosamh77 some rep points 🙂

Keeping it real, keeping it budget, keeping most likely to what my first attempt will look like.

I assume the over the bars in soft mud was a soft landing 🙂

Ex mil stuff needs research before buying.

Some of the curent kit is quite light (value for money) but you can go lighter at cost.

Seen some tarp/bivi/ponchos in the 400-600 gram area, i still have my old 1980’s MOD poncho, weighs in about 1 kilo, my Terra Nova tent which sleeps 2 in midge free dryness luxury is about 1.3kg at minimum weight.
Haven’t handled a current spec MOD Poncho, but as already stated they are tough and multi use, my old version doubles up for stretcher and bodybag duty, can be poppered up one side for a crude bivi bag affair but non breatheable. Keep the nuclear fallout off you as you sleep 🙂

Thar she blows 🙂

Worst is over then, just the fallout residue to cope with.

Not curry related now….
Loving that bog-in-a-bag wwaswas, going to look that up 🙂

When i was a lorryist, sleepovers in the truck where common, sometimes parked up in the middle of London, with no access to a toilet at times, public bogs late at night can be a minefield anyway.
I used to keep a 2ltr ice cream tub, loaded with all the gear to deal with the rear, had to use them a few times. I was allright because i planned for it.
Alan didn’t.
Alan and Marcus worked together, after a heavy night in some shady bar/club they got back to the truck. Alan always slept in the back, he didn’t like confined spaces, sleeping in lorry cab bunks is like being in a coffin, back of the truck awesome.
Might have had some dicky off beer, or the Mc Death fast food.

He had to go, middle of the night, shut in the back of the truck, he could have climbed out the side escape hatch and down the cab (while turtle heading, not easy) a quick look about…..a large Mc Death soft drink cup with the straw, no time to escape the truck.
While drunk he managed to not miss and Mr Whippy one into the cup, almost brimmed it, cap back (minus straw) and smellage was retained in cup too, bonus.

They left fairly early. Very close to the truck was a flash BMW, this is when flash BMW equals driver is a cock.
A dawn raid and a land mine was hidden.
The outcome is unknown, but most likely unpleasant.

Current Compo or the old Coldwar Compo Teetosugars ? 🙂

Current issue 24hr give you a nice strong sealable polybag to use if needed.
The old bacon grill tins where a bit small and jagged edge to attempt 🙂

I hinted at an epic thread on LFGSS.

Been back to check it out and cry laughing.

One tale of doom involved the use of a tub of ice cream, but it didn’t quite touch the old starfish, frozen brussel sprouts FTW

Could be a handy hint….. if/when you blow Kryton57, although you may well have cast iron innards.

Will check back tomorrow for updates 🙂

How to wash.

Go to superdrug, they have a travel section of mini sized toothpaste/hand gels/wet wipe packs, mini spray cans of Lynx/impulse.

Surprising how little you smell with good baselayers that wick sweat away, even after 3 days yomping through highland peat bog.

Boots got whiffy, had to spray them with lynx before i got on the bus 🙂

http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk is nice to look around for eco toilet things.

When i started racing it was for fun.
A bit late in life to carve a name for myself winning races, so just race against myself and the clock, beating anyone else is a bonus.

Depends on your mindset, i know a few who can only race to win and suffer now, later in life they will really suffer from all the damage. The fun to them is to win or die trying, first or last there is no second place types. Some have got to a point of not being able to win and worried about more damage so just walk away alltogether

I have big gaps off from racing, nice to jump back in and have a go, i enjoy it more because i don’t take it serious. Keep a bike, take a break, maybe try an offbeat event. Or just trail riding for fun, maybe bikepacking, something different.
Just ride for fun until you get the urge to do a race again.

On telly or on demand tv.

Caught most of them when it aired late at night years ago.

Good series.

Still not blown yet ! the horror to come.

2 tales of cycling action 🙂

Got chatting with an ex-pro roadie at the Core show, somehow we got on the topic of a rolling poo, or in laymans terms, how to have a dump mid peleton.
The method involved taking one roadie cloth cycling cap, stuffing said cap down your bib short’s and getting it just in the right spot so you can crimp one off straight into the cap.
Withdraw cap cafefully, and hand to some unsuspecting spectator who assumes he has nice race souvenier 🙂

Greg Lemond in his tour days had gastric flu. Being a pro he kept riding. No one would draft him and he was easy to find in the peleton as there was big gap behind him.
His sickness seeped through his tights, down his legs and saddle, and dripped onto the back wheel……and sprayed anyone who got too close 🙂

Will Krytons bike have it’s paint stripped by phalpoo, will he follow through. will he make it to the bog in time, will the bib’s be a hurdle to clear too many.

Will look back later, lets be carefull out there 🙂

Possible sweepstakes.

Kryton57, nip off and weigh yourself.

As/IF/when you start firing on one or two cylinders.

How much weight will Kryton blow out ? 🙂

Blutone’s thread ?

Is that the tale of the office toilet, and trouser round ankle’s, and ending up on the floor and somehow manage to pebble dash the next cubicle….. ? or did i see that on LFGSS

Epic tales on that theme on LFGSS, thread about selling a FOFFA bike turned into pages of crap. Won’t link as some where graphic and a bit rude for here.

Burn baby, burn, disco inferno….will it melt a plastic toilet seat ?

I would be more worried about the camera crews and team cars and motorbikes, and barbed wire fence’s, been a few accidents with them over the years.