He he, I think I can see my house in the background of your photos Redthunder!

It’s all very well carrying all the gear but not knowing how to use it properly renders it pretty much redundant. The best thing to do would be to get some first aid training which can teach you how to deal with the normal stuff as well as the serious injuries i.e. catastrophic bleeds, sucking chest wounds, collapsed lungs etc, the sort of freakish accident which requires immediate action to stop someone dying in front of you.

Hats off to CG’s companion and CG himself – amazing composure and the right actions meant he didn’t bleed out on the spot. Chapeau, les gars!

Msg seen. I’ll track down the gpx files from the route we actually took and send them to you. The only bit we couldn’t do was over the brecons due to a safety issue.

Rickon – What spec are the forks? How come you’re getting rid after only 6 months?

North wind – do I care? Fair question. The thing is not having not ridden any other forks I’ve got nothing to compare the fox’s to. The heckler’s a great frame and I absolutely sure it’s stiff enough etc etc so reckon it’d be even better with stiffer forks.

Merlin have got 2013 Revs with straight steerers at a reduced price but with pushloc which I would be looking to remove.

I rode it this summer, leading a group of soldiers along the route. We didn’t just do a straight line point to point but rather hit just about every trail centre along the way. PM me you email address and I’ll send you the GPX files if I can find them.

As for training, most of the guys hadn’t really ridden proper mtb routes before let alone done any training; therefore it is plenty achievable for someone of a decent level of fitness and a fair amount of determination and some experience on a bike.

As for tips…get some support is the main thing. Doing it with no-one to ride with at least or even better, to meet you at each stop with a warm van and a cup of tea makes things ten times harder. It’s not impossible though as we rode past guys divvying each night with absolutely no more support than the stuff they could carry on their backs.

Prepare to get wet and have plenty of changes of clothing (esp socks!) Oh, and food: eat lots.

DO IT!

Ha ha…the guy in that photo bought it with a pair of Pace RC36’s and promptly removed them to be replaced by Z1’s, a short Azomic pyramid stem and wide bars – the original free ride! I’m pretty sure he still has it in his garage.

If you’ve not already done so, have a look at retrobike.co.uk. It’s got a wealth of information on retro-modding old bikes and the guys (like on single track forum) are really helpful. I recently finished renovating a 1997 Cinder Cone: disc tab got added, hose guides added, cable guides removed and powder coated. I was running 120mm Fox Floats but found it a bit high; currently running 100mm and it seems a very capable bike. Ref unscrewing the canti studs: if you’re not cack handed and dremel and file will do the job otherwise get a pro to remove them. As long as you don’t damage the seat stay tubing, I see no reason when it would be weakened.

What thepodge says is true; a 20 year old frame could break at any point but the same could be said for just about any frame out there so you take your chances… However, mine’s 16 years old and got thrashed doing the Welsh Coast to Coast over the summer and it held up perfectly fine. Who know’s what’s around the corner though.

I’m really happy that I did it as the bike was my first ever MTB and having it in a modern, ridable guise is great. That said, would I go out an buy a cinder cone specifically to bring it up to date? The rational part of my brain says don’t be stupid, go buy a 2nd hand Soul / Pipeworks etc but the irrational side says “Hell yeah!”

@nedrapier & dannyh: cheers for the compliments. It’s a great bike to ride and hold great sentimental value so it’s awesome to be riding it again. I did the Welsh C2C on it in the summer and it performed brilliantly.

This was it back in the day. Fond memories…

+1 theotherjonv: taking cover during a fire & movement exercise only to appear covered in dog shit is revolting!

I spotted my old school in the background as Danny rides over the iron bridge…I remember wandering how cool it would be to ride that when I was a youngster and he’s only gone and bloody done it!

Great vid and best wishes to Martyn; one of the originals from back in the day and a lovely guy as well.

Running and leads don’t mix particularly well either if you’re not careful! It’ll be very slow and just to see how she reacts to a bike – we’ve only had her about 3 months and as a rescue dog she’s encountering a lot of new things recently!

Find an old kona and renovate it? This is my first MTB, a 97 Cindercone now with discs and 100mm forks. Tis just as good as I remember.

In rigid guise:

@jaffejoffer: Larry looks awesome!!

I’m thinking of trying mine out this weekend on the bike. Meet Molly, a 1(?) year old springer/terrier mongrel:

She has NO recall whatsoever so will be staying firmly on the lead. That said, when I take her running, nothing distracts her and she trots along nicely next to me. Never know, she might turn into an amazing trail hound!

@mtbmatt: I don’t think there’s any danger of taking Newgale from you anytime soon – I live at one end of the beach and work at the other so ride it a lot. I’m improving but I think you’re safe for the time being!

Edit: clearly I don’t actually live on the beach.

Ahhhh….so it IS you I’m chasing up Newgale hill on strava!

Cheers all. It’s a motor which sits in the cupboard in another room (not the bathroom) next to the boiler so I’m guessing I’m not going to bang just yet. I’ll contact the landlord and see if he can get anyone in though to have a look.

This will appear a bit random if you don’t, but do you live in West Wales?

WOOHOO!! Congrats to Mosey and the future Mrs Mosey!!!!

Podge: are you riding it at the moment? It’s not cheap to get the work done properly – getting a disc tab and a few cable guides cost about £150 I seem to remember, plus then a paint job on top. Before you do anything, have a look at retrobike.co.uk for inspiration.

Kevhl: pretty sure I used your original build as a reference point on Retrobike when I was building mine.

Wozza: have a look at the seat and chain stays if you’re not sure if it’s a Lava Dome (same frame as a Cinder Cone I think for some reason) or a Caldera. If the seat/chain stay to drop outs are like this then it’s a Caldera (compliments to letmetalktomark!)

Sorry, last photo didn’t link properly:

That’s definitely an Argos job on the rear disc mount, identical to mine:

I’ve got 100mm Floats on mine and it rides perfectly fine and even handles quicker than my Heckler. I’ve just put some Exotic carbon rigids on it and it’s now super light and super quick – if I didn’t know, I would not have known it was 16 years old!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1450110_10152031220759839_2069179093_n.jpg

In its latest incarnation, ready for the mud:

My frame was in a pretty good condition but had some changes (hose guides, disc mount and cross brace) so it needed a respray. I decided to get it powdercoated by some guys in Bristol who do motorcycle paint jobs – the result was really good and considerably cheaper and tougher than a paint job. About £40 for a strip and spray?

As for the steep riding position, P2s are about 390mm axle to crown but if you want to slacken it and don’t want suspension then look at Salsa’s cromoto forks.

@ampthill: is that beach somewhere in Pembrokeshire by any chance?

This is Molly trying to stop me reading a thread about other people’s pets and give her some attention.

This might get me banned but…

Best Comeback Ever

One from this morning; apparently there’s a storm on the way!

One from a while ago:

Ah, I understand! Ok, well here it is in the guise with proper tyres which took me from one end of Wales to the other…

It’s a non drive side pic to show the disc mount welded to the seat stay and cross brace.

Mulacs: a tragedy? If you mean that it’s a tragedy that I didn’t restore it to its original state, I can see where you’re coming from. I toyed with the idea but my original intention was to build a bike based on the frame from spare parts in my garage. But then the hack bike project grew legs… That said, I really like the fact that I’m still able to ride my very first MTB 16 years on from original purchase. Plus, discs are so much better than v’s!

Tpbiker: don’t bother with a disc converter, get it done properly. I went to Argos cycles in Bristol and they put a cross brace between chain & seat stays to reduce brake squeal. A set of hope mono minis with the smallest disc is perfect. I rode the welsh coast to coast on it this summer and it was ace. Fox floats are spaced to 100mm giving an a2c of about 410 when running sag, only about 20mm more than a set of P2s handling’s not effected to any noticeable effect.

Aphex: thanks!

It’s all here:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=187958

Have a look at the rest of the website for inspiration. Just be warned the project will grow and grow and grow…

In a word, yes!

Powder coated ’97 Kona with Fox Float 32’s spaced down to 100mm. I did the Welsh C2C on it in the summer but is now my winter commuter. With slicks, it’s now faster than a fast thing on ice! I’ve just got a set of exotic carbon forks to replace the Floats as they’re a little long, plus it’s drop the weight by a couple of pounds. Much fun!

This was meant to become a winter hack bike but turned out a bit nicer than expected! First ride out was a very wet welsh coast to coast and it’s now being used as a commuter.

eThirteen chain guide now fitted with exotic carbon forks to be cut and fitted this weekend. Not bad for a 16 year old frame!

Without knowing any of the details of his injury, I reckon it’s unlikely that this the last opportunity he’ll have to join the Army if that’s what he wants. Sometimes, an individual who sustains an injury in training is better off taking time out (I’m talking years, not weeks) to get themselves sorted properly before reapplying. As you know, Harrogate’s for the young guys and girls; Pirbright’s for the 17+ all the way up to late 20’s. Unless the injury means he’s barred from ever reapplying (and it will say so in his discharge paperwork), he’s got plenty of time to get himself sorted and reapply but go into Pirbright.

Just to add a bit of credence to what I say above, I’ve just finished as a Phase 1 instructor at Pirbright and took over 150 recruits through training in 2012/13 and have seen quite a few guys sustain injuries and bounce back.

Quite simply in the right place at the right time. Well happy with that!

She’s currently asleep in my lap – she’s feeling really sorry for herself after being spayed on Monday and being really physically close to one of us is the only thing that seems to comfort her. As for keeping us on our toes, I have absolutely no doubt she will… Fun times ahead methinks!

Ah. I have nothing more to say on this matter.