Where is Mark then? I’m also going for the Santa Cruz Hightower LT (‘Shaqster’) launch.

Anyone is allowed to repair their own vehicle on their driveway. However, if there is excessive noise (particularly any related noise post 11pm), enviro damage, vehicle detritous and they appear to be running a business from their property then that is an issue. If they happen to be tenants then they’ll likely be in breach of their tenancy agreement.

I have worked alongside a multi agency service / police force that deals with these types of complaints. We have evidenced breaches of the Environmental Protection Act to deal with this as reports of Anti-Social Behaviour, the other potent power your local council should consider evidence for is use of the Community Protection Notice (CPN). This power stems from The Anti-Social Behaviour, Police & Crime Act 2014.

The CPN is immensely flexible, the downside is that a decent number of councils woefully shy away from using it. Some councils gave designated authority for their relevant police forces to be able to use CPNs however this is patchy across the country. It forms a 2 stage process but breach of the terms of an issued CPN is usually a £80 or £100 fine. It can’t be appealed once issued and if not paid becomes a criminal offense leading to a criminal record… (I won’t go into the civil liberty arguements for or against this).

We’ve been highlighted as a national leader in appropriate and proportionate CPN use, various high profile Barristers and QCs in this field have referenced us, also used by the Home Office as good practice so my recommendations above are validated!

I could be wrong but am fairly sure YT bring their new bikes for availability in around February / March each year. You could be in for a long wait for the new range (from Feb 2018 onwards).

2018 SC Hightower LT (when it’s finally released).

Evil Reckoning

Orange Stage 5

Orange Stage 6

Whyte S-150 29 when it gets released in a month or two? Looks plenty aggro.

GX Eagle 1×12 was specc’d on the SC Nomad 4 Carbon C bike builder the other day but now removed.

Binno – Yeah, same as me, I too have looked at The Following but the lack of Boost rear wheel spacing and a PF92 BB meant that I’ve crossed it off the list for now.

I imagine Evil will be releasing an updated Following frame soon with 148mm rear and a threaded BSA BB but not sure when that is scheduled for. I also wouldn’t consider using a Following for XC racing so for me it’d be nice in more of an N+1 manner as opposed to a swap the parts over to replace my TB2! :-D

I’ve been waiting with baited breath since February for the upcoming release of the new Orro Terra Gravel C (carbon).

Looks like it could be an awesome bike for what I want (i.e. I sold my carbon road bike in Feb and want something more versatile for light off roading but still quick on the road).

The Terra C should be out later this month / early July all being well, seems like Orro are doing final shakedowns around the South Downs as I write this. They’ve slackened the HA by 0.5 a degree compared to the Alu frame and have also increased clearance for 40mm tyres plus has mudguard mounts on the frame (pretty unusual for carbon bikes these days).

Potential for it to be an awesome bike when it arrives. Think the Terra C Ultegra with Hydro disks will be about £2299.

Hmm, also interested in this thread. I currently own a TB 2 Carbon CC, it’s fairly blinged up so that I can use it for XC racing (approx 23 lbs) and as much as I dearly love it (it’s truely the best bike I’ve ever ridden) my heart is hankering after a TB3 CC…

The question for me however is how good the TB3 CC would be if built up to race XC, I’m not sure if it’s as capable as the TB2 for xc racing? On the more tech courses I would think the new frame would be superior but on flatter, less tech course I can’t see how it would as quick as the TB2.

Maybe the best option would be to keep my TB2 and build up a Hightower CC 29!? :-D

I find it intriguing that SC are being quite clear in not advertising the N4 as their new Enduro race bike.

I suspect that their marketing will be quite different for the release of the new Hightower LT 29. This will likely have the EWS badge attached to it and a focus on out right Enduro race pace.

If I was in the market for a Santa Cruz Enduro bike I’d hold onto my money and wait another month for the new Hightower LT to be released i.e 150mm travel 29er. ;-D

Heard this yeaterday and am still pretty shocked by it. Own a load of Soul:R records and have the most incredible memories of clubbing visits when his releases on either 31 Records, Soul:R or Metalheadz were all absolute top drawer time after time, so consistent with his stellar quality.

Dearly love his 1999-2003 era when everything he released was consistently close to musical perfection!

A very relaxed ditching, nicely done! At least the dog wasn’t phased by it.

Bloody incredible ride by Tom D. To still have a 30+ sec overall lead after the whiff of scandal today is proper hero material.

igm + 1

Wonderfully put and sorry to hear about the traumatic memories this re-earths from 20 years ago.

So then a brief Leicester update – I’ve continued exploring East of the city, had a lovely 45km spin yesterday taking in the Roman road gravel tracks out to Glooston, thoroughly enjoyed it out that way (the lovely bright Spring sunshine helped). The mile munching 29’er xc race bike seems a pretty decent choice for the riding round here.

Also had a family walk round Bradgate Park last weekend and saw a couple of cheeky mtb’er pushing their bikes up the main hill just below the tower, I presumed that they weren’t going to push back down! ;-D

Anyway, thoroughly enjoying the exploring at the moment. Will contact some of the Leicester based STW’ers above to see about a local ride (JamesD – in a few weeks I will look to take up your offer of S Nottingham trails). I’ve also pencilled in the upcoming FNSS XC races so look forward to giving them a try (won’t make tonight’s though).

I don’t to be the new guy that stirs the hornets nest but how exactly have cyclists been barred from Bradgate Park when there are clearly marked bridleways extending through the location? Even the Westonbirt National Arboretum in Wiltshire has accessible bridleways running through it… How is Bradgate more exceptional than the National Arboretum??!

Dannyh-useful to hear, I will get round to NW Leicester to check some of that out, sounds good. I enjoyed the Houghton on the Hill location from a scenery point of view but agree with you, somewhere more to get the miles in.

Am planning following NCN64 to Melton Mowbury and back at the weekend, again to familiarise myself with the area really and enjoy the views along the way.

Thanks for the ideas chaps. I went for my maiden explore yesterday and ended up out round Indersby/ a few miles short of Hilton on the Hill. Didn’t really find any off road stuff but useful in starting to build up my mental map of villages / connecting village lanes. I also saw signs for Cafe Ventoux in Tugby, looks like a nice mid ride stop off.

Thanks also for the FNSS suggestion, looks ace for a local series. Courses appear rather 90’s xc from the pics but am certainly interested in giving some of the rounds a try, the ethos of the series looks great!

Thread resurrection – so I moved to Leicester last week from the rolling Oxfordshire Chilterns & Cotswolds. Am a keen xc racer, happy to head out on all day xc rides of up to 100 miles. More than happy riding into rolling countryside and natural terrain, doesn’t have to be mega tech or anything to put a smile on my face, am fairly easily pleased! ;-)

Which STW riders are still on here? Any Leicester mtb club rides I could join to get some local routes and riding buddies?

I can recommend the Uberbike jockey wheels (I used them on a SRAM rear mech) – I bought some bright green ones to match my wife’s lime green Genesis High Latitude 29 frame and they’ve worked a treat (both functionally and aesthetically).

The new Orro Gravel Terra Carbon comes out in April. They’ve upped the clearances compared to the alloy to allow 40mm tyres. Looking forward to seeing the finished frames, the protos have some nice features.

The Southern Yeti – I think you should divulge that your Zwift profile is set up to be a 40kg, 15 yr old girl thus ensuring some category wins.

*cough* E-sports doper! *cough*

;-)

Blitz – if I were in your shoes I’d be purchasing a set of the new CRC own brand wheels, Prime. Various incarnations have received glowing reviews in Road.CC etc.

CRC did have a 10% discount across the range up until last week so I expect this will return again soon, this turns into a 20% discount with BC code so the £249.99 Prime Race wheelset would be bang on £200 which for a 1530g, tubeless ready wheelset is pretty impressive.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/prime-race-road-wheelset-2017/rp-prod142943

There’s also the £204.99 rrp Prime Competition wheelset at 1580g which would come in nicely under your budget with BC code.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/prime-competition-road-wheelset-2017/rp-prod142937

Jonnyboi – that element formed some of the initial discussions with my manager a month or so back. I was willing to offer myself as an advanced, potentially easy salary saving within the upcoming restructure had they wished it but they weren’t prepared to lose my role that way.

Thanks all for the comments and feedback, certainly interesting to hear the experiences out there.

It’s absolutely my intention to continue working totally professionally in my role and maintain the good working relationships that I’ve built up over the years. I DO NOT want to let any of that unravel over the next 2 months.

Schweiz – haha, lucky you! 8)

Funnily enough there is an incoming restructure here in the summer and staff numbers will be reduced. I don’t know that my role would be altered but I know plenty of staff who will be affected. I just happen to be leaving a few months before that process commences.

Enjoy your holiday but I wish you all the best being on the island in August. We went end of April / Early May 2015 at the very start of the season and were surprised how busy it was. Enjoyed a lovely week there, 22-25c each day however all the main viewing points were by no means quiet. We stayed in one of the cave type hotels in Imerovigli, nice to have brekkie next to the pool each morning overlooking the caldera from up high.

Akrotiri visitor site is well worth a visit and we did enjoy a day long boat trip with volcano trek stop off and dive off the boat and swim over to the volcanic mud pools.

Having grown up in Newlyn & Mousehole (Cornwall) I have to say that as lovely as the Santo sunsets are they’re not as impressive as a good Sennen beach sunset! ;-)

Thanks all for the above, a useful STW reality check.

To clarify – I most certainly don’t want to burn bridges, especially as I’m leaving on good terms, I also most certainly wasn’t wanting tears and tantrums begging me to stay (although when I announced the news to my team mates yesterday some of them cried!). :-D

Just picked up on this thread, wishing you the very best for the road ahead Juanking. It sounds like you have an absolutely wonderful surrounding of family to help you through this.

Beat the battle that lies ahead, we’re all rooting for you.

My 78kg-81kg weight equates to me running 29×2.25 tyres at 21-22psi F / 23-24psi R tubeless (Rocket Ron Evo Snakeskin / Racing Ralph Evo Snakeskin).

I’m personally still a big fan of RaRa’s as a 2.25×29 rear xc tyre.

Why 35psi though?! I run my rear at about 22-23psi (tubeless) and would find them skittish any harder.

Capra Carbon frame now available in size XL for the first time is the main addition for the 2017 range, still a very short TT for us gangly types though.

Thanks all, my head has been saying the 38mm (the heart strings saying the 55’s!) so I imagine the 38’s are what I’ll end up going for.

Crashtestmonkey – *waves back* – this posh wheel thread has developed following our local forum discussion and my initial searching for a new set of Winter wheels… my wants vs needs have become blurred and escalated somewhat! :-D

LIDL for us on the basis of: 1) better choice of fresh fruit and veg, 2) better instore bakery goods, 3) significantly wider array of world food items.

At this time of year there is also the added need to keep topped up on mini stollen. It’s more addictive than most Class A’s!

Zac Golsmith MP resigns but will run as an an Independant and Tories deciding not to launch a candidate in the Byelection. Hmmm.

I raced the Southern Series in 2014, was chuffed to finish 5th overall in the category and got to know a bunch of really nice chaps whilst doing it. I have to say that bar one or two overly serious lads the atmosphere was relaxed and I felt there’s abit of a community.

I will say that the chaps who finished around my series position probably should have moved up a category but 2 seasons on they’re still racing the same. It comes down down to personal choice I suppose and theres a nice feel of a group of mates wznting to race each other but for the pure accesibility of the sport and for giving others a chance they probably should move up a category by now – the same names were in the mix for the 2016 series.

I didn’t race xc in 2015 as I was doing a charity annual mileage challenge and the racing weekends didn’t fit with this. I raced one Southern XC this year, crashed into a tree and creaked to the finishline in 9th with only one arm properly working. Have spent the rezt of the year just out enjoying my riding 3-5 times a week.

In my mind there is a big current shift over to CX racing. This might be to the detriment to XC racing in the short term as I recognise a whole host of XC names in the Central CX and Wessex CX leagues. However, people like new challenges and I’m sure a good proportion of riders will return back to XC in a season or two or just end up doing both.

I work for a Community Safety Team that’s currently nominated for being the best in the country. We use a couple of PSPOs, infact we introduced the 2nd ever adopted PSPO in the country bacj in 2014.

A large proprtion of our work is with the homeless communities in our city centre. One of the reasons we’ve recieved the award nomination is for the levels of support we offer. Yes we have the ability to issue fines but we generally tend not to, offers of support will always come first. Issuing a fine to someone that cannot pay it is futile. We do not fine people for being homeless, however if they’re exploiting or coersive within their social group – we have a decent number of homeless people pimping others out, particularly young women and young men with drug habits to pay for – then more structured work and evidence gathering is undertaken.

The work has really touched me over the years, it’s incredibly moving when we are able to claim success and progress someone from the street to a supported accomodation. It’s bloody tough at times and in honestly I’m now slightly numb to the names that drop off our weekly tasking sheets due to sadly passing away.

In relation to Jambalaya’s ignorant comment. Our main, central emergency night shelter is loosing ALL of it’s grant funding within the next 3 years. If this was to close we’d loose over 60 bed places. I met the Chief Exec a few weeks ago and their sole purpose right now is to stop the potential closure. Government policy in this respect seems incredibly shortsighted.

36t round, 11-40, 29er 120mm/100mm xc FS. Mostly use only as my XC race bike, bit of sunny Chilterns singletrack, the odd Afan visit. Whippet.

Jamba- the recent London Mayoral campaign by Goldsmith was a poisonous, vicious Islamiphobic campaign not really seen as overtly in Britain before. So, yes it was ‘off the charts’, that’s exactly why the Tory leadership were so critical afterwards.