A few years ago I really liked the Razer MX as a very fast rolling XC tyre.

Blairadam Forest near Kelty has lots of unmarked but easy to find trails. Lots of Strava activity so go look for segments. It’s remarkably dry at the moment.

Devilla Forest near Kincardine is very flat but has some good singletrack hidden amongst the miles of fireroad. Again, check Strava.

Lomond Hills and Pitmedden, as mentioned above.

Also look on Trail Scotland for more ideas.

Haven’t used any Shimano brakes other than my XT ones but I’m very happy with them. There’s not much difference between those and SLX, which come in just under £100 without rotors.

What’s the verdict on their NW vs the also reduced Superstar NW rings?

I picked up a pair of padded shorts in a Lidl sale earlier in the year and they’re great. I wear them under a normal pair of shorts. Cheap and cheerful.

Replaced front external cam QR with an internal Shimano one and now my wheel doesn’t pull left when I brake hard. Best tenner I’ve spent.

A popular local hill is Dumyat (dum-eye-at) and there’s some good stuff in the woods around Stirling University and Bridge of Allan. Google “Trail Scotland” for more local info. You’re not too long a drive from Comrie Croft (45 minutes) and Carron Valley (30 minutes). No idea what’s up around Callendar and beyond.

Following up on the milk recommendation, chocolate milk (or similar flavoured milk) is good because it has a “magic” 4:1 ratio of sugary carbs to protein. Protein is important for helping your muscles recover, but just is important is sugar.

A wee bit of error adds up when taken both ways – your PR could be faster than reality and your recent runs could be slower than reality. Strava lets you export gpx so if you really cared you could look at the ride in different software (like Adze if on a mac) to confirm the trace or, more likely, see how imprecise the GPS actually is.

What a shame, Bryceland had it won until that last jump. I just find Gee so unlikeable.

I give my bike a look over at the end of each ride, so doesn’t take me long to get started. Get changed, fill up water, gloves, helmet and shoes on then I’m off. Ten minutes at the most?

Ordered a pair last week when this came up. Note the earliest estimate for delivery is 21st September and my order says estimated delivery date is 5th October. Bargain, but not if you need them right away!

In Perthshire you’ve got Comrie Croft which has a good selection of trails. Carron Valley is not too far, near Stirling, although it’s maybe not worth the drive. Fife’s very soggy at the moment, be ready for sloppy mud and slippy roots if you check out Blairadam.

Nice video – CV's looking good. Was there earlier in the year and couldn't see much for the heavy rain :(

I think the runway is great fun – it certainly is a lot steeper and faster than it looks on video.

Try getting into a top ranked Russell Group institution without A Levels….

I have no A Levels and got into a member of the Russell Group on merit of my two years at college. Maybe the Scottish members of the Russell Group just have lower standards :P

True, Scienceofficer, but that's not always desirable.

In February I bought a Charge Spoon that was out of stock and wasn't expected to be back in for another 3 weeks or something. It arrived 2 days later. A one-off maybe, but certainly can't complain!

They are called "supplements" for a reason – they are there to supplement an already quality diet. If you're already eating clean, healthy foods and get plenty of protein through meats, fish.etc then maybe it'll help you get in extra calories or whatever.

Whey protein isn't much different to chicken for example, it won't have any magic effect other than help you get more protein in. Creatine might have some benefit relevant to your goals, google it for some more information. Probably better you read it from the experts rather than us :P

The thing about creating causing water gain is true, but water weight is easily lost. Not a concern at all, unless you're in a sport where you need to meet a weight class. Heck, it varies so much naturally you probably don't even notice.

+ big platform
+ replaceable pins
+ very grippy
+ good value for money
+ appear to be very strong; have survived a few strikes with rocks

– those pins will leave a mark if you screw up jump and take a pedal to the shin… not that I've done that :oops:

Someones just pointed out that you burn off 200 calories an hour stood still, so if you spend 2 hours at the gym you have to take 400 off the 1800 allowed for the rest of the day.

200 * 24 = 4800. No chance. Your metabolic rate is not that high, unless you weigh about, gosh, 350 lbs. And I stand by what I said. Anyone sceptical about this can measure it themselves.

The calorie estimations on cardio machines are hopelessly optimistic. The real value is 1/3 to 2/3 of what it says.

thisisnotaspoon,

I don't think it matters about your calorie estimates. Seems like you're eating a decent amount of food. I'd be tempted to eat more for breakfast though. I probably eat more before noon than you eat in a day! :p

Stick with it, if there's no change after a further 3 or 4 weeks (it takes time…) then have a look at making changes to what you are eating. Don't worry too much about changing how you exercise, it's only a small part of the equation.

Foods like vegetables and nuts will help keep you feeling satiated for longer. Eating healthier in general I find tends to help stop cravings. Drink more water also. Sometimes what you think is hunger is actually just thirst.

I like mixing fruit with yoghurt. My favourite combinations are strawberry & banana, and raspberry & blueberry.

Could just be fluctuations in your weighing. Water can have a pretty massive effect on weight and varies all the time.

Focus on a measurement that tells you more, such as body fat %, tape measurements, or even just photographs.

Maybe the bearings under the Earth's tectonic plates are the wrong type, they no longer move freely, and this is causing the earthquakes you believe are a sign that the world is ending. This is your area Kaesae – discuss.

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Duncan, that dirt jump pic on page 7 is awesome!

I learned how to track stand.

How? Eat healthier. How long will it take? Give me an axe and you'll lose weight pretty quickly. Which limb do you like the least? ;)

With the magazine it's only for 3 months, so you haven't really wasted your money – you still get a full year or whatever.

Usually about 2-3 hours on a Saturday and Sunday, and about 1-2 hours on a Tuesday or Thursday (both if I have time).

I've done about 3 hours every day for the past 7 days, though. Gotta love being on holiday :D

A shaker bottle with some scoops of protein powder and some finely cut oats. Add water when you're ready to drink. I also like chicken sandwiches – it'll keep for a lot longer in your car / rucksack than you think!

Or find a shop and buy some chocolate milk. It's magic post-workout – a pretty well kept secret amongst weight-lifters.

I'd avoid the peanut butter and jelly sandwich idea (as delicious as it is!), the fat in the peanut butter will slow down sugar uptake which isn't ideal after exercise – you want to make the most of the small window where insulin is on your side :)

Diet. Weightlifting. Cardiovascular exercise. In that (decreasing) order of importance(in my opinion).

I believe that if you get really anal about what you're eating (like bodybuilder levels of macronutrient precision, keeping food logs, eating really clean.etc) you don't even have to exercise to get results. But exercise is fun, and what little muscle we have makes us look good nekkid, so why'd you want to do that?!

Virtuous – The first MTB film in HD.

If you like riding in the Alps you'll love it (and if not it's great anyway). My favourite film by far!

+1, really nice.

+1 for preferring to heavy rain to strong winds. Has to be said, though, I felt almost godlike on the way home with 20mph winds behind me!

Mavic rim names:

EN/XM/XC – enduro/freeride, cross-mountain, cross-country

First digit:

1 – entry level
3 – budget
5 – mid-range
7 – top of the range
8 – UST

Last two digits: internal width (mm)

So the 521 are a slightly higher quality than the 321. The 521 are about 30g lighter too.

Strength is all down to wheel-build quality, but the 521 should be stronger I think.

Nice find – will have to keep an eye on this :)

Avoids the unnecessary impact on your joints, eliminates the braking effect caused by having the foot land in front of you, builds stronger feet, and is anatomically "correct". Why people run any differently I don't know…

I clean the bike after every ride if it's caked in gloopy mud. It's part of being allowed to keep my bike in the house :P

when I reached the off road stuff it was warming up and the ground was sucking me in.

Same! Nice and fast heading out over frozen ground, but a heck of a slog coming back. Didn't help that the wind had picked up either :P Legs are like jelly now, not felt this tired in months!

Was paintballing instead today. Still mucking around in a forest all the same, though!