It didn’t appear to be sold out the other day. Maybe the extra cost has reduced demand?

I must admit that I was a bit surprised by the new camping charge -and had overlooked it until the event info email arrived.

I briefly considered bivvying out, but then just paid for the camping for the ease.

Use of a compass and navigating/sense of direction/way finding is one of those “Life skills” that people in the past often just did that is being/has been lost due to the advance and availability of technology.

If you don’t ‘exercise’ the brain with such activities, the skills are lost.

I very rarely use a gps for way-finding, but then I enjoy the process of either “following my nose” or looking at a route in advance, picking out a few way-points and then setting off there by whatever mode of transport.

Almost any bike can be ridden successfully at a trail centre or down a mountain, within certain limitations.

My 100mm forked 29er XC hardtail on 2.35 Nobby Nics has been ridden on all kinds of terrain. I don’t crash it any more than any other bike ;)

It’s all about weight distribution and attacking the trail.

As somebody once almost said,

“It’s not about the…” ….head angle.

This is a good read:

1996 on a then-knackered 1989 Raleigh Mustang on Panaracer Smokes 2.1’s that I had trimmed down the side knobs of the rear tyre to prevent frame rubbing due a slightly buckled rear rim!

We had to give up half-way around as my mate’s supermarket bike broke in a number of ways.

I’ve subsequently ridden it on all kinds.

On the subject of new bikes v old:

My 2007(?) Kona Dawg full susser on Mk1 coil Pikes is good fun on rocky stuff, but like a very heavy museum piece and less good on smaller stuff. Plush it is not.

It was best on a DHX 5 coil shock rather than the current RP23(?) air shock, but weighed even more….

My 2003 Kona Stuff (in singlespeed or geared guise) hardtail on Dual air Rebas is still a fairly light, great bike to ride.

It would be interesting to hear what was being said.

At least the article confirmed her age, her job, the fact that she is a mum, that she was visting her Mum in hospital and that it ruined Mothers’ Day.

FWIW, I cycled down to that very hospital when my son was in for an operation and the behaviour of some car drivers towards me was appalling. I became quite angry about it, although did not get involved in any fracas.

The roads of Manchester city centre are a horrible place to ride.

I must admit that I’m not a Mum and it wasn’t Mother’s Day, but could somebody write a news article about it please?

^^ just keep pedalling hard

Haha.

Before the start I had been hoping for a top 20 finish, but I didn’t help myself doing that.

Make that 27th, not 26th! D’oh.

Grrr.

I was one of the people who went wrong. It certainly wasn’t cheating!

In the cut and thrust and tunnel vision of the first lap I (and some behind me) followed a chap I was chasing the wrong way after the ride down the boggy stream descent (failing to turn left onto the “trail centre” singletrack) and ended up doing an extra loop before arriving back on the course where we had left it.

Annoying as I must have lost a fair few places, as others around me were going at a similar pace.

I ended up in 26th.

I passed Binners twice, at exactly the same place each time.

I entered some of the local XC series (Midweek Madness) this year. As a moderately fit (but definitely not a racing snake) bloke of almost veteran vintage I loved it. Entry fields were quite variable in number, not helped by the often terrible traffic at rush hour around the Manchester area.

Some of the courses were easier than others, but there was a wide range of ability. I entered the “Racer” category, due to peer pressure and ended up racing people of similar ability. I lapped a few people and was lapped by the (VERY FAST) podium finishers.

I also did a few evening club TT 10s this year, which I also enjoyed, in a different way.

For me, as a husband and father of young children, midweek evenings are preferable to weekend afternoons. Local races are also infinitely preferable to distant ones.

I have done some weekend day MTB ‘marathons’ this year, but again local and early starts are better for me, allowing me to get back home to do thigns with my family.

I’ve not actually done any CX races (although I would like to, and would probably like it) mostly because they are mid afternoon on a weekend day …and partly because I would need to re-configure my commuter for the purpose.

thestabiliser – Member
Goddam leftie handwringers getting in the way of good old fashioned xenophobia, bunch of bloody pooves the lot of ’em

The Sun blow with the wind and they see that the wind is currently blowing in a very nasty direction.

Dont’ understand the concept of coalition?

Watch Borgen[/url]

Though I’m kind of relieved to see I’m not alone in my opinion of the Lib Dems, sometimes I’ve felt like a lone voice defending them from the big deal being made about the tuition fees thing (for anybody who wants to argue, I’ll still make the case that the current system is far more fair and progressive than the one in place in 2010).

Quite.

The Lib Dems were held to a higher level of account than the other parties and seen as different. In fairness, they were a good coaliton partner.

Voting Labour because you grandparents were coalminers or dockers or voting Conservative because your parents did doesn’t make much sense to me.

mikey74 – Member
Hmmmm you mean the “unpricipled weasels” who, whilst part of a coalition, stopped the Tories from going full-Tory? I think now they have sole, uncontested power, we are seeing the Tories in their true colours.

I, for one, would be interested to see what they have to say at the next round of elections.

IHN – Member
unprincipled weasels
Principles are useless without power, as Labour will prove after the next general election.

The Lib Dems get/got hammered for being in coalition with the Tories, but people forget that many of the achievements that the Tories take credit for (like the £10k+ tax allowance) were actually Lib Dem policies. And they only got those policies accepted by compromising on other things (like tuition fees). That’s what you get with coalition; compromise. And there’s never a perfect compromise.

*edit* and what Mikey74 said

Quite right.

Your typical educated, “centre-left-leaning” (if such labels mean anything) STW forum user would be far better served by Lib Dem ideas than modern Labour. Since when was “extremism” useful for running a country?

The Tories’ mask has fully slipped now and it isn’t pretty.

Take the bike and boots.

Good weather? ride the bike.

Bad weather? scrambly walk.

I have still not read or heard any good reasons for us to leave the EU.

I fail to understand how so many people were convinced to believe that the EU is such a terrible thing for the UK.

I also fail to understand how the government can keep up the pretence that a large proportion of the population voted to leave, when there was only a small majority, leaving a very divided nation on the verge of doing something totally ridiculous.

Let us never again have a referendum for the masses, on a permanent decision, with a threshold of only 50%

As above:

Don’t miss the aviation/transport building at MOSI, it is over the road from the entrance. Children (and Dad) love it.

My children also really like the Manchester Museum, it has a massive collection of stuffed animals and some dinosaur skeletons.

Imperial War Museum

-Man Utd at Old Trafford is also just up the road from there if you must.

kelvin – Member

feeling wise we are happy, well at least I am over the moon

Well, as long as those that take pleasure in the suffering of offers are happy, it’s all going to be worthwhile.[/quote]

“Voting out” has given a warm fuzzy feeling to quite a lot of people (not to mention encouraging the people with Xenophobic tendencies to express themselves) and their view that the innately superior UK (England) can “take back control” -of what, is not clear.

Actually leaving the EU may not maintain the warm, fuzzy feeling, and that might take a while and is a bit complicated anyway….

The nation (well, a small majority) voting out has given a distinctly unpleasant feeling to a lot of other people.

gummikuh – Member
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/10/18/brexit-death-of-british-business/

Yes, but no but…. It is all the fault of the EU, because the newspapers and governments have always blamed them (and it must be accepted at face value).

Due to the overwhelmingly small majority of the learned electorate voting to leave the EU based upon sound political, social and economic thinking, we must now cast off the, er, shackles (and large benefits), of our EU masters, er, comrades (in a right wing kind of way) and get behind our glorious, working-class warrior EU leave-favouring (rather than the majority of MPs and educated people who would prefer to remain) Tory leaders.

chrispo – Member
I fancy racing on a hardtail next year but stuck on tyre choice.

On the one hand, I’m good at tearing EVO and EXO casing tyres even on a FS.
Maybe bikes are just not hard enough for you?

The common thread through the film was the continual misinformation and the ever-changing “enemy” -illustrated by the people who’s status’ oscillate between “most evil middle eastern dictator” and “friend of the West”, with long-term repercussions.

Trump is an example of somebody who hardly even pretends to be telling “the truth”.

The film is of a Curtis style, and there are some non-links made, but the film is a good one, with some very interesting clips.

It reinforces my view that we should always question what we are told, and not just look for a simple answer to everything,

bikebouy – Member

Aristotle – Member
Not all leave enthusiasts are like that,

Ohhh Yes You Are.[/quote]

I hope that you’ve not mistaken me for a leave enthusiast! 8O

Not all leave enthusiasts are like that, obviously, but there are a large number of nationalist types out there, who simply believe that the EU are the route of all ills and a threat to them in every way. Such people might see the treason petition as reasonable.

Rational leave enthusiasts believe that there are better business and legal practices available outside of the Eu.
-These people are unlikely to support the treason idea.

I would like to remain in the EU, but wouldn’t suggest rounding up leave enthusiasts and imprisoning them if the best happens and we stay in the EU.

Don’t underestimate the number and idiocy of the Nationalist hordes.

Interesting stuff.

It weaves together a lot of different events and suggests a few interesting ideas.

Thought provoking.

Schwalbe Durano Double Defense are the logical answer.

Yes, excellent tyres.

There is some superb riding around there.

The point about ability is a good one. I love rocky and steep Lakes riding, but I have been there with other people who loved it and others who absolutely hated it -They didn’t like the hike-a-bike and walked much of the downhill.

“…but less than 1% of fracking directly responsible for earthquakes”

Tremors are of varying severity too, folks.

I really can’t get angry about this.

Yes, there is an argument against burning more fossil fuels, but as a method of extracting gas from the ground, ‘fracking’ is established and is not the scary thing portrayed by some.

The above-ground impact will be minimal, as shown on the earlier photos. Fylde will not become covered in nodding donkeys and smelling of crude oil.

The road traffic impact will probably be relatively insignificant too, compared with that of Blackpool.

Ok, it just seems like it, then!

nbt – Member
Yay, welcome to the club Binners! Took me bloody *years* to get on’t t’chain

And now the dulcet tones of Mr Marple are on the show seemingly every week ;)

Brooks Pure Grit

4mm heel drop, very comfortable and grippy for off road ‘trail’ running.

1989 for my sparkly red/black Raleigh Mustang SIS, aged 12, but I had been riding off-road on a Raleigh Grifter, a Raleigh Strika and a Raleigh Small Rider before that.

…There were a lot of Raleigh bikes in my family.

ps. Apparently, the weight of a typical Grifter was 35lbs

Something like a CX/gravel/tourer that can take a 35mm tyre will do the job fine.

My commute involves 2 dirt/gravel tracks and A glass/debris strewn A road hard shoulder and 28mm Duranos have been superb.

As above, I too have a Crosslight which has done 1,000s of miles. It has rim brakes, so the wheels have been replaced a couple of times, but not really a problem. I use panniers and have a fairly strong rim on the rear wheel.

Were you riding along with him and shouting instructions or does “we” mean “he” and you were watching from the sidelines?

Why do I get the impression that some people have been convinced that dropper posts are now a “must” rather than a convenience?

Changing seat height as much/more than changing gear on a multi-geared bike?!?! What? Over-thinking it?

As said, I own a dropper on one bike, but have and do manage to ride rough terrain better than many people, without constantly adjusting the seat height. I use my legs.

“Pedalling height” is fine most of the time. Toppling doesn’t occur unless really steep.

Ps. Having the seat fully slammed down for DH reduces the available leverage points for moving the bike around.

I certainly don’t drop and raise my seatpost for individual corners!

Then again, I rarely drop my non-dropper posts

Having thought about it more the dropper also allows me to have the seat at a higher than typically mtb, “road” height for quick pedalling, and at intermediate heights for other places, as well as the fully down for the steepest sections.