I’d go for physics or maths if that’s what she likes. It’s important to choose a degree she has some interest in, and graduates of those subjects will be in pretty high demand for a wide variety of decent jobs.

It’s usually a mistake to second guess the job you might want when you’re 17, it’s very rare to know what you want to do as a career when still at school or college.

I know what you mean about Planet Rock, not only don they play the same bands all the time, but they tend to play their most popular songs too. Absolute Classic Rock are even worse for this.

For newer stuff, I’m a big fan of Gaslight Anthem, who can definitely be classed as melodic rock. Lonely The Brave are pretty good too, but less catchy. Tracer are like a heavier version of Queens of a Stone Age.

If you like slightly heavier rock, then try Volbeat and Alter Bridge.

The Answer are another relatively recent band that sound vaguely like Led Zep. I struggle a bit with their vocalist though.

For older bands, maybe something like UFO?

I think Bez has pretty much summed it up.

Ride whatever you like, and let others ride what they want without comment. No one cares if you think they’re riding the wrong bike.

What bike do you have currently? Could you put some more XC focused tyres on it and firm up the suspension a bit?

If not, then I’d pick a style of bike that contrasts your current bike the most. If you have a hardtail, I’d go for the Cotic Flare style of aggressive short travel bike. If it’s an enduro monster, I’d be tempted by a more XC focused full suss.

Catch 22 is a must read.

Master and the Margarita is good too, although it can be tricky to follow as there’s an awful lot of characters, and the names are easy to get mixed up if you aren’t Russian.

A decent frame strap is useful for tubes, but can’t really carry much else. Definitely useful when combined with another bag though.

Big fan of the Straightcut Designs tool roll I have that attaches to your saddle. It’s super low profile, fits a decent amount in and seems very secure.

I think the Whyte Portobello is a nice looking hybrid/ flat bar gravel bike for 800 quid. Not sure if there’s a distinction or not, I assume that any bike that can fit slightly wider tyres can be classed as a gravel bike?

Jon – aren’t a lot of those characteristics more to do with the length of the bike, rather than the wheel size as such? I know a lot of people have the same issues when they first go to a long bike, and it takes a bit of adjustment to get the most out of them.

I think the big one to remember is that no one gives a shit about your opinion on their riding ability, the trails they ride, or the bike they own.

For example:
1. Think e bikes are for the lazy? Then don’t buy one and shut up.
2. Think long travel bikes kill the fun from trails? Then don’t ride one and shut up.
3. Think gravel bikes are amazing or a marketing scam? Then buy one/ don’t buy one and shut up.

And so on. Offering advice can be helpful, but don’t tell people what they should or shouldn’t ride/ enjoy. So many threads on here (and the internet in general) seem to descend into people shouting at others to enjoy things the same way that they do.

I find Five Tens are all pretty wide. They do look like orthopedic shoes though.

Go for whichever you’re likely to stick to. If you decide to join a gym, make sure it’s convenient to get to and you are happy to be there (e.g. you might not want to go to a steroid fueled body building gym, unless that’s your scene, or you feel comfortable being there).

I wouldn’t go all guns blazing on social media for this as it isn’t something they’ve done wrong, but I would be tempted to email them to explain the situation to see if they’d let you defer the date, or maybe a discount. It’s an unfortunate situation, but you’re asking a company to put themselves out of pocket to fix it even though it wasn’t anything to do with them. It would be a generous if they did sort it out for you, but trying to shame them on social media would be a bit unfair in my opinion.

I hope the lad is ok, it must be gutting for him to miss out.

There are some many bikes available now that people can buy pretty much whatever bike style they want. The only real limiting factor is if you want something fairly niche but are on a strict budget.

And there’s no shame in being influenced by marketing, everyone is to some extent or other. The idea of having a bike that isn’t “overbiked” is a marketing concept, and that’s fine. I was influenced by it for my latest bike purchase, there’s no way I’d have considered it if it wasn’t for other people influencing me over the years.

I have the 200mm PNW Bachelor and it’s a really nice bit of kit. Haven’t had it long enough to comment on reliability though.

There are still plenty of shorter travel bikes that are available for tight twisty, relatively smooth trails. There just aren’t many 140-150mm bikes that are like that any more.

Bikes in each category are getting more and more capable. XC bikes are now pretty capable trail all rounders, and probably perfectly describe what you want. They just don’t have 140mm of travel. To replace the XC bikes there are the super hardcore XC race bikes for people who still want a bike built for pure speed.

It would be a pretty small niche for a bike company to make a bike with a lot of travel but with geometry that isn’t as suited to it.

It basically comes down to have a slightly longer back and maybe some pockets. The endura one I have also has a zip so you can take it off without taking your helmet off.

To be honest, I usually ride in an Adidas running tshirt that’s slightly too big for me (to cover my lower back). It’s better in the warm and means I don’t need two different kinds of t shirts for biking and running/gym. Took me about 5 years to realise that biking tops are a bit pointless.

@dazh – That puzzled me at first too, but I’m guessing that a bike that inspires confidence and feels like it has more travel can be disappointing if it doesn’t actually perform like one.

Having the downsides of a long travel bike when on uphill or flat trails but without the fun going downhill is possibly the worst of both worlds. I’ve just bought a short travel, slack and heavy trail bike so I hope it isn’t the case!

I quite liked the FlareMax when I demoed it, but I didn’t really have much time on it and I’m not a good enough rider to find its limits.

I found Dune hard going compared to Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt and Neil gaiman. As others have mentioned, The Rivers of London series is pretty good, and the Brentford Trilogy is also worth a look.

Have you read any Jasper Fforde?

I’d go for the one you tried and loved, unless there is a pretty big other factor (price, availability etc.).

Have you considered an offset mortgage? Means you can reduce your interest paid on the mortgage to 0%, but still gives you access to the savings if you need them, or decide to invest them somewhere else.

I bought my last frame because it looked nice and it was the style of bike that suits my riding (somewhere between XC and Enduro).

Most sports and games are a collection of utterly useless skills. Who’s ever watched pole vaulting and thought that was useful skill in modern society? Why doesn’t Rachel Atherton spend her time “getting drunk and shagging birds” instead of training all the time? Who cares if David Beckham was good at taking free kicks, what use to society is that?

It’s just meant as entertainment, and the prize money is just a reflection of its popularity. Shouting at people for having different hobbies and interests just makes you look a bit daft.

I have a lot of sympathy about the friends staying over at your house for the weekend, your wife should definitely have checked with you before asking them especially if you think the partner is a prick.

But the part about not attending the christening is a bit selfish in my opinion.

I feel so bad for them, the amount of effort required to set it up only for freak weather to ruin it.

Hope the locals are all safe too, those videos look terrifying.

They do a flat bar version of this bike, maybe find a link and send that one to him? It’s slightly cheaper and has the same sleek looks, but has flat bars instead of drops.

As someone else said earlier, Ribble do a similar bike too that might be worth considering.

Have you considered getting a keyboard for your iPad? I’m not sure if older models support them but I’m pretty sure the newer ones will.

There’s a pretty good podcast about it on the BBC at the moment: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2

Episode 11 is just the final 13 minutes to the moon with no commentary.

Have a google about what each colour does as they each work best in different scenarios. There’s loads of articles available on the subject; most of them are talking about road biking but the basic premise is the same.

Every review I’ve seen seems to mention they get dings in them, but still get great write ups. Is it the norm for most wheels to get dings, or are these just getting an easy pass?

If you like Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, then try Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, Tom Holt and Robert Rankin (probably in that order).

If you like a long XC trail centre route then it’s definitely worth a visit. Not much in the way of tech though (on the way marked trails, at least).

I can’t imagine 20mph speed limits being much worse than 30 for air pollution. But speed bumps are notoriously bad for it, as it causes cars to speed up and slow down a lot, which is obviously an inefficient way of driving. I’ve heard there are schemes to remove a lot of them so they the government can hit their target to reduce emissions.

Yeah, the 17inch frame would be perfect I reckon. I’m 5 9 with short legs and I just about fitted on a large, but a medium would have been better for me.

Is it available in the UK yet?

@dumbbot – did this dropper work on your Swarf in the end? Just ordered the same frame and was thinking of getting this dropper.

I think my favourite anti e-bike argument is the “instant gratification” one. I’m assuming they all walk everywhere rather than drive? Wash clothes by hand rather than use a machine? Walk up the Alps rather than use the ski lift?

If locals are saying that this kind of behaviour isn’t helping their cause, what makes people think they’re just moaning? Don’t you think they might know a bit more about the local politics of the place than tourists?

And it’s not whether it was actually dangerous or reckless, but the perception of it. People often find mountain bikers intimidating, so when we’re in public a bit of restraint is a good thing. Obviously go as mental as you like in the woods though.

Also managed to go over the bars on a steep rocky climb, to the point where I scraped my chin on the front wheel.

Not exactly sure how I did that, but I think I hit a small rock which stopped my momentum and I was leaning too far forward…