Has non one mentioned soaking yourself with water every time you open the boot!

Love my 08 Type-R, absolutely massive inside and build quality so much better than friends Fords. Much to recommend…

Pilates has done wonders for my strength and flexibility – no more sore back when riding.

My class is full of guys slightly older than me who have injured their lower back, glad I’ve hopefully got in early enough to avoid problems in future!

I went for a cheapo non-touchbar version of the new pro. It’s lovely (in space grey) and I don’t particularly feel I’m missing out.

The only annoying thing is mine only has two USB-C ports and I’ve an ugly mess of (expensive) adapters to make it play nicely with my screen, ethernet etc.

I are up in north Wales, though a bit further west than you are suggesting. Moved there when I was 9 and loved every second.

Where I was, the local primary was welsh speaking, but after some lengthy negotiations I got a place at an English speaking primary not too far away. Secondary school was English speaking, which I think it probably still the case for the majority of secondaries.

We moved into a welsh speaking village – and this certainly created some barriers with the local children, so most of my friends were from school and a bike/lift away from home. I’d seriously consider whether this would suit you and your children, as can be a bit of a bind for parents until the girls are able to travel around independently.

Other than that I thoroughly loved growing up there, access to the mountains and coast gives so many options that I’d be back there in a flash if suitable jobs were available.

You should have a chat with the guys at opendesk.cc, it’s what the cool kids are doing…

Thanks for sharing, this is a trip I have in my near future so looking forward to reading your experiences along the way.

I promise to leave feedback!

I’m with Ollybus, riding a CX with some middle of the pack tyres has opened up huge amounts of fun, scenic mixed surface riding from my doorstep. Maybe a 29er XC bike would do similar, but I only have a heavyish full-sus as an MTB. Makes my commute a lot less boring too…

Tubeless Schwalbe G-One’s are a lovely compromise.

MC2, MC2, it’s always the bloody same!

I was looking for similar and was advised that the Iberital was all very well if you’re only going to use it for espresso, but we switch between espresso and drip so need to change grind settings regularly.

It’s much better having a stepped grinder for us (has numbered ‘clicks’ to change grind size), so went for a Rancilio Rocky with 60 odd steps. Ultimately it’s not quite as good as a stepless grinder, but stepless takes an age (and quite a lot of coffee) to set up each time.

Horses for courses innit.

I’ve got a 26″ chameleon up for sale shortly, it’s got an EBB to manage the SS’ing and is disk compatible. I’ve been running it as a SS XC bike for a few years, so already built up with a Hope SS rear hub.

The only thing is it’s a size L, so unless you’re tall it might be too big to chuck around a small track – would work for me but I’m 6’3″…

Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll send some pictures, I’ve not thought about price yet but would be within your budget.

My memory from that crash ^ (seen from another angle) was that the driver was already out of the car when the following truck arrived, and waved them on – they are clearly slowing to see if there is anything they can do before taking off up the track.

The sportsmanship often goes above and beyond, with competitors towing each other 100’s of km to get through the day, and is part of the magic of the race.

Also very excited here, my favourite sporting event of the year.

I have no idea how anyone gets a bike around the course, the days are truly epic especially for the privateers. But oh for that amount of space to play in…

If you fancy losing hours and hours there is very comprehensive coverage of the bikes (in pictures and text only) on ADVRider[/url]. A lot of the privateers post threads showing the preparation and a blow by blow account of the stages, plus quite a few past competitors provide some insights into what’s going on. Thoroughly recommended for those with a deeper interest, but you will lose days to it…

Braaaaap.

I’ve loved my CAAD10 105 as a commuter the last couple of years, will definitely be looking at a 12 disc as soon as funds become available. I did get a good deal on some nicer wheels when I bought it though, the standard Shimano’s were heavy and flexible.

I’m with you OP, the bike needs to look good and be fun to ride. Cannondale certainly know how to build an alu bike.

I tend to go guardless in the summer months but use Crud Racers in the winter (or in fact the whole of this summer!). Not had any problems with them all this time.

It might have been one of m neighbours asking about the mouse racing. It was a massive drunken fundraiser in the village pub. Friends from Oxford couldn’t believe what they were watching…

I’m not aware of any regulations being broken, the mice were in no way harmed (just a bit deaf at the end of the evening).

More recently I’ve been running a Hans Dampf, but as the edges have gone I’m about to try a WTB Vigilante, which was excellent as a rear tyre on a recent Alps trip and is showing barely any wear.

We looked at the Allroad a few years ago but went for a standard A4 quattro – it seemed like a lot of wedge for some styling and 25mm taller ride height. The A6 allroad is a very different car to the standard, but the A4 seems more just s styling choice.

Normal A4 quattro perfectly capable of pulling a trailer through a muddy field!

I had a pretty terrible day when I followed some friends around that route. It was just one of those days where I wasn’t feeling it, certainly wasn’t expecting to carry my bike that far (my own fault for not asking), took a big chunk out of my shin and couldn’t get into my groove on the decent at all.

7 years later I’ve got over it and am probably mentally prepared for another go, so put it in your diary for 2022!

Strangely, I had another similarly awful day with the same people out in the Alps last year. Must. Find. New. Friends.

Should be close here, political allegiance aside we’re hoping to put an end to Rees-Mogg’s political career after a single term. I cringe whenever the idiot opens his mouth as all of his views appear to come from 1932.

Particular things that come to mind were his recent vocal opposition to three-parent-babies (and it seems science in general), and defending his need to work at his hedge fund 40 hours a month when he’s supposed to be working for the public good…

It was on a private plate at some point in the past, then changed back to the original registration, and then on to another generic type plate that was geographically local to the dealer.

Slightly muddy, but I don’t think enough to concern me…

Thanks for the reply’s all.

I was just thinking that if the original owner still had a key they could walk up the dealership and walk off with the car, though if they re-code the keys then it wouldn’t be necessary.

HPI check comes out clean and the plate change is all legit, I’m just wondering why they did it.

SC TBLt

It’s worth noting that on the Crud’s there are a load of spares available on the website. I’ve managed to smash both of mine in the last 12 months, one on a large stick that got jammed in there and one drivetrain catastrophe.

£6.50 get’s you a new centre section, which is obviously much better than having to fork out for a whole new set!

I got a Push tune on mine from TF, worked a treat.

I’d definitely have a look around the villages of the Chew Valley directly south of the city. Chew Magna itself is pretty expensive (to buy, no idea about renting) because it has shops and a cafe etc, but the villages within a few miles are very pretty, have great road riding and are a short hop over the (admittedly large) hill into south Bristol.

We’re not all Tory voting Range Rover drivers, I promise!

I’ve been working on a Code 6 house in south wales. The bike store is getting installed even though the owner is paraplegic!

At least it’ll be a handy place for him to store his spare wheelchair(s).

In all honesty it’s good to set such a high standard. As ever the programme was edited to focus a bit too much on the few points for flowers, and not on all the points for energy performance and impact on the local environment, which are actually the bulk of the points.

The fact that they had missed some points for the site set-up at the start was unforgivable, the inspection regime is very rigid. Hard as they are to achieve, you have to over-budget on the points, assuming that you’ll miss some along the way.

I wasn’t overly impressed with the outcome, but it was tidy enough. Clever in the use of space and tall floor to ceiling heights made it look bigger than it was. I do have some reservations about the thermal effectiveness of that big concrete wall, but would be interested to see some energy figures once it’s been occupied for a while.

Much as everyone else is saying it’s great to only do four days. My partner and I both work four days so that the little one only goes to nursery for three days a week, which seems to be just the right balance for us.

Depending on your work you might find you feel like your trying to fit in a lot of work. My job is mainly deadline focussed and so I have to be more focussed to get through it all, but then I’m generally less tired/more motivated so this mostly isn’t a problem. Occasionally I have to pick up a call or send an email on my day off, but it’s certainly not intrusive and if we’re out having fun then work gets ignored!

You won’t get better one to one time with your children, so I can’t recommend it enough.

I don’t know if you’ve had chance to ride an LT? I test rode both and, for me, the small disadvantage climbing was massively outweighed by the big grins going back down. The XC just doesn’t give me the same level of confidence going down over rough ground.

I’ve used mine in the Alps, done UK marathon, trail centres and bombing around the woods, it’s bloody brilliant at pretty much everything.

I had the one on my TallboyLT Pushed, just like citizenlee, for much the same reason. I concur with his view that it’s like a completely different shock, sits up much more in it’s travel and makes the bike feel a lot more sprightly. Highly recommended.

…and if you can’t get the threads out then I’m sure 5 bolts is plenty. At least I hope that’s the case as I’ve at least one rear brake running like that!

I hate to mention it, but I think that if you were turning it into a new residence you would have to meet the building regs for thermal losses etc. Good luck with that!

I could be completely wrong, but either way heating a large volume like that without spending a fortune on insulation would be a massive ongoing cost. Unless you build an accommodation block inside the big volume?

I got a set of 2013 FOX 34 Float CTD’s last year and haven’t been all that impressed with the damping. They dived into the top of the travel too quickly and also getting a decent compression performance without messing up the small bump sensitivity was impossible.

They’ve just been Pushed and they are like another fork. Just what I wanted though lost the simple CTD functionality to gain proper high and low speed damping control. They are great now but obviously it’s an extra cost, it depends whether you like the original tune.

I hear great things from everyone who has Pikes, but not ridden them myself so can’t compare.

I’m definitely keen to try the X Fusions, as I hope that they’re like an old school fork before they got too clever!

jonnuk, there are loads of lanes around Bristol, you can easily go out for a few hours around the Chew Valley and then link into all the tracks around Wellow and Peasdown south of Bath. In the dry they’re a pleasant cruise, in the wet there are some tricky old sections (and one hill that repeatedly defeats me).

The Bristol TRF do know a lot of completely legal routes, not sure what the rep you were talking to was on about.

You can’t beat mid-Wales for some long days out, but for a couple of hours out from the front door down here is actually really good.

‘Orange 5’ rider.

I love them, and have since I got my first scrambler as a 5 year old.

Didn’t have the money, time or space when I was in my twenties, but then got my license a few years ago. I had agreed that I wouldn’t get a road bike as the other half is a medic and said no, so bought a road registered enduro bike which I somehow convinced her was ‘slightly motorised mountain biking’.

It seems a good compromise, it’s a hoot to ride and race and in all honesty is slow enough that I’m unlikely to do myself much damage, especially given the rural backlands I ride in to get to the green lanes. Love it and couldn’t imagine not owning one now.

I remember an interview with Bradley Smith when he moved from Moto2 to MotoGP, the first thing he had to learn was to think faster, only then could he learn how to get the most from the bike.

They really do have different brains to most of us, but they obviously have to train those synapses as well as the body.

To get back to the OPs point, we’ve just had the underwriter significantly reduce the amount the bank had agreed to lend us. Apparently using the new rules they are making some very conservative assumptions about the state of the economy and our earnings five years from now.

I hope that we’ve picked a very conservative lender, and so will be shopping around for other options.

I’ve been told that there are many people in the same boat, and now really wished we’d found the right house three months ago!

I’m tempted by one of the Inov8 waist packs that have a horizontal bladder arrangement.

It seems that the bumbag is making a return to fashion! Or I’m getting old and not caring about fashion any more…

What’s the difference between a buffalo and a boson?
Almost the entire buffalo.

I got my daughter a Bontrager Little Dipper from my LBS, it fits really well and seems comfy as she actively asks to put it on. It also has flowers on which is big hit with her (boys styles also available), which is not to be underestimated if you want to avoid complaints!

I’ve only had a quick spin on one, but found the combination of fast rolling tyres and some bump absorption more akin to a (very) short travel full sus, without all that faffing with boingy bits. The traction was awesome and nice round tyres made for lovely cornering.

I’m not in the market for a new bike at the moment, but will be seriously considering one of these to replace the SS hard tail. If only just for giggles…

For accommodation we stayed here El Rancho Fandango, it’s on a quiet street but only a couple of blocks from the strip.

The apartment was really well finished, clean and had loads of space. Booking was a bit testing as it sometimes takes a while to get hold of Candice (phone booking only) but well worth it.

I have one for riding motorcycle enduro that has several compartments and is well padded, it works well and is comfortable. Mine’s a UFO but Kriega also make some really nice kit.

I occasionally use it on the MTB and really see no problem except that is clearly (^) a major fashion faux pas.