From what was said in the recent thread on this the only difference between the two is the rct3 has got a “trail” mode whereas the rc’s are either open or locked out. I don’t think its worth the extra money for that mode so I bought a pair of rc’s from alltricks for an upcoming build.

I’m tempted to get the crew but I’m a little concerned by how fast the price has dropped! The reviews of it are really mixed too which doesn’t help.

Anyways I’ve got driveclub which is my go to driving game at the moment.

That’s funny that this thread has come up, I went to Cwmcarn this morning and although it was cold I don’t think it was particularly extreme, maybe 1c and my 36’s were also playing up.

They felt a bit stiff and lifeless the whole way around the trail, the rebound also felt very slow and I’ve not adjusted the forks since using them last.

I’ve never noticed them feel like this in the past and I’ve ridden in much colder places than Cwmcarn.

Sounds suspiciously like CTD……..

Also sounds like something I can live without.

I think I’ll go for the pike rc’s then, they’re £383 delivered from alltricks.com

Thanks for the info tenacious Doug, sorry if this is a stupid question but what is the trail mode? I can live without lockout.

I’m stuck in the same process as you wrecker, trying to decide on a set of forks for a switchback build.

At the moment it’s between a pike and the marzocchi 350cr’s.

Has anyone ridden a pike rct3 and an rc back to back? Is there much of a difference in performance between the two? There is a big difference in price so I’m guessing there is.

Why not get the best special edition console ever http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/12/03/playstation-4-20th-anniversary-edition-revealed/

There’s also a new theme on the psn store for the PS3, ps4 and vita that has the ps1 boot up noise.

Hi,

I think my ps4 is great, had it from day one and I’ve played it loads, there aren’t a ton of games but there’s more than enough to chose from if you’re jumping in now. Ps+ is a good deal especially if you’ve already got a PS3 or vita. Remote play on vita is awesome too. Share play works really well so far too.

The headset that comes with the console isn’t great so if you want to talk to people online it’s worth upgrading to something nicer and if you want to up the internal hd that’s a really simple process ( I did that before I even turned the console on)

Hope that helps.

Grim fandango is being re-released on playstation platforms sometime soon

I’ve been playing driveclub over the weekend and really enjoyed it so far, I think it’s a good balance of arcade and sim racing.

The few multiplayer races I have managed to join so far have been fun but I’ve found that they can quickly turn into a destruction derby race with all players intentionally crashing into you instead of trying to take a better racing line and out drive you but I kind of expected that.

If anyone wants to add me my psn name is Ashweee or if you want to join my club which was level 10 when I played last night it’s called 88MPH

Cheers,
Ash.

I’ve stayed with tweed valley holiday lets a couple of times and they were great, the apartment is really nice in a great location and the owners are both really helpful.

Their website can be found here http://www.tweedvalleyholidaylets.co.uk

I’m a fan of plasma blue with white bits like so….

Although if I was going to order the bike now I would go for sterling silver.

If you want an interesting and free game to play go to the psn store and in the demo section download P.T.

That pic is with the shock full of air and uncompressed. With the shock empty of air and compressed the cage moves round a little bit more but like you say I wouldn’t ever use anywhere near to full travel in that gear anyway.

Thanks for the reply, yeah I’ve let the air out of the shock and it shifts fine so I’ll leave it as it is. Cheers.

Hi,

I’ve got a 2012 older style alpine 160 so I don’t know how relevant this will be for you but I love it.

It feels great going down but it is a bit weighty and climbing can be hard going but if you’re happy to sit and spin away you’ll be ok. I’ve not ridden the new one or a 5 so I’m not sure how they compare to be honest.

I’ve got fox 36 floats and a push tuned rp23 on mine, I found the standard tune of the rear shock blew through its travel really easily which was why I opted for the push tune and it really transformed the way the bike rides, it pedals loads better but is still really composed and solid when going down.

If you’re anywhere near Cardiff sunset cycles are really helpful when it comes to getting demo bikes in for you to try out.

Hope that helps,
Ash.

Seems I’m in the minority of people who think Afan isn’t all it used to be. I went over the Christmas break for the first time in over a year and really can’t see myself going back.

We rode whites level and the trail was a bit of a let down to be honest, seemed like a lot of climbing for not a lot of reward, the new final descent was ok but not great. The showers are still pretty manky and the cafe is so sterile and soulless compared to how it used to be, oh and the food was awful.

I used to really rate it but not so much now, prefer cwmcarns two trails to anything at afan.

I’ve just got myself a saracen hack 2 for commuting duties, I think it’s great on the road, haven’t gone off road yet though.

Last years model which is what I’ve got can be had pretty cheap online too.

http://m.evanscycles.com/products/saracen/urban-hack-2-2013-road-bike-ec043453

The eBay seller I bought from is called ukprojector they’ve got loads of go pro cameras and accessories listed.

Yup, I bought a hero 3 silver from an eBay seller when they first came out for about £60 less than the rrp. The camera arrived pretty much the next day, it was in all the retail packaging and strangely it arrived in an amazon box with an amazon reciept.

I also ordered my original go pro from an eBay seller in the U.S and that arrived really fast too, they did me a great deal on the camera and chest mount.

I’ll have a look through my eBay history and see if I can find the seller I bought from.

Ash.

I’ve got a cube reaction gtc pro but mine is a 26er. It does feel a bit too racey to me, the rear can feel quite harsh from time to time. I’ve replaced the the stem for a slightly shorter one and changed the flat narrow bars for some wider risers which drastically changed the way it feels, its much more comfortable now but it is still a race bike really.

Cheers,
Ash.

Afan is about 60 miles from me and I don’t think it’s worth the journey. I rode whites level over Christmas and the tree felling that’s going on means the trail is nothing like it used to be and there are a couple of diversions too.

Well I’ve got some mavic crossmax sx’s on my alpine 160, they seem pretty tough, go up tubeless really easily and are way lighter than the standard wheels (they also look rather nice which is a bonus) but they use fancy non standard spokes which could be a pain and they’re quite expensive for what they are.

If you’ve got the original wheels why not get the hope pro 2 hubs laced with a different rim?

Not the best picture but it’s all I’ve got. The bike looks 100 times better now with white wheels than it did with the original black wheels.

Try john b, critical music and ukf for drum & bass, especially the technimatic ukf podcast, I can’t count the amount of times I’ve listened to it!

If you want some house and garage check out kissy sellout’s podcast.

I love my alpine 160, its a great do it all bike and the new one is supposed to be even better, heres a couple of pics of mine

At the top of CwmCarn

After the Fod enduro1 round this year

Outside the chalet in Les Deux Alpes

Cheers,
Ash.

Here you go http://www.acecosportgroup.com/shop/k-edge-chain-catchers/road-clamp-on-chain-catcher.html

Those videos are mine 🙂 I had a great day even if the conditions weren’t the best. I was number 189 btw.

Cheers,
Ash

Found it on the sunset cycles Facebook page.

Sunset cycles in Cardiff had one of the new frames in the other day, it was black with orange graphics, looked pretty good in that combo. I’ll try and find the pics now.

Kendo – The tyres are hans dampf 2.35’s, they do look huge in that pic to be fair!

Jeffus – Yup that’s plasma blue, it’s an awesome colour, very bright all year round. If you’re anywhere near the southwest you’re welcome to have a spin sometime.

Here’s a couple more pics.

Cheers,
Ash.

Hiya,

I’ve had my alpine 160 for about 18 months now and I absolutely love it, way more confidence inspiring than the trek fuel ex I had before this. Its ok at climbing if you don’t mind spinning away but it really shines on the descents. I’ve spent a fair bit on mine to lower the weight but still wanted it to be quite tough. In the standard spec it is a little heavy unfortunately.

Be rude to not add a pic 🙂

Hope that helps,
Ash.

Have a look at the O’neal Airtech at-1. I got one last year for my first alps trip and it was great, really well ventilated and the magnetic buckle on the chin strap is great.

Good choice, I got myself a set of sx’s over Christmas and I’m dead chuffed with them.

When I’ve been to gt and inners I’ve satyed here: http://www.tweedvalleyholidaylets.co.uk

The couple that run it are really friendly and helpful, inners is a 5 minute ride up the road and gt isn’t too far to drive.

We stayed here last year http://caegwynfarm.co.uk/ and we’re off there again in may.

The rooms were really clean and comfortable and the breakfast was great.

For £1 they will give you a lift to the local pub and you get a free minibus drive back.

Also coed y brenin is a 5 minute ride down the road from the farm which is another bonus!

Cheers,
Ash.

Thanks for the positive comments on my alpine 🙂

When I was ordering it I was very tempted by neon yellow but I found it a little too bright and I’m definitely not good enough to pull off neon pink so it just had to be blue for me.

Cheers,
Ash

Excuse the naff living room pic but it’s the only one I’ve got.

Plasma blue with white bits.

Ash.

Hiya,

I’ve literally just got back from the fod, it’s a bit boggy in places but the rest of it was fine. It was very busy though and will be even busier tomorrow as the 661 mini dh race is on.