Signed up with another couple of club riders. Slow and steady is the plan. Might find it tricky after 70 miles when I am only 3 miles from my bed!

I don’t know of any tyre that has opinions so poles apart. I have run a pacestar one on the front which is now 2 yrs old. It is getting a little worn but has done multi-day trips with no problems. Maybe the rocks in Scotland aren’t as sharp as elsewhere although they also managed a week in Les Arc. I have just switched to a Mk 2 and will be interested to see how it performs. As a general trail tyre I like it but less so for steep  stuff where it is less confidence inspiring then a Magic Mary. On the other hand a would prefer a NN to a MM for a 50k day out.

I am with thekettle. I like the lever as it is easy to alter the position so it is comfortable. I have had no issues with any sagging after 15 months. It was a pain to route through an Orange Segment frame but I am not sure any other internal post would have been easier. Setting it up was easy with a hint from the Singletrack review about getting the accuator position right.

My saddle return has always been leisurely but it is one of the earlier ones and I think a new cartridge has speeded it up a little.

Stick

Nina Nesbitt?

Laps aren’t long but ok if you have 60-90 mins to spare.

Bkool turbo £215 at Tredz with £40 off voucher.

Now that’s an idea I hadn’t thought of, maybe should wait and see if he gets hold of his parcel first.

I was wondering if the lockers at the train station were big enough to stuff a padded bike bag into. I cannot find any info on the size of the lockers. I don’t think I will have time to find a bike box for the return trip.

Thanks for the info. Good news that you think the times are realistic. I need to see how I recover from a fracture but all being good still hoping to give it a shot late spring.

I have John Lewis Premier home and buildings insurance. According to a customer service adviser they don’t need to be secured if in a locked garage and they don’t stipulate what type of lock needs to be used when away from home. This is also what is written in the policy document. I presume this is a different type of policy from what is mentioned above. Hiscox was more expensive for less cover for me.

On one Elguapo?

For the price Viking Vistron 8×32 or 8×42 are hard to beat, price around £140-170

Hi Anus, I have been following your write ups. It looks a great trip with some impressive tracks. I think we are a little further West and hopefully less full-on descents,I think it was day 6 in particular that looked a little testing. From your experience of riding in that area do you think the times for the days on Moveyouralps sound realistic? We are reasonably fit but not racers.
How do you manage to get to the start and the end of your ride?

Yeah, I had a good look through the Moveyouralps website. I was a little worried about their timings. 65km and 35km seem to take 7 hrs with pro rata climbing. Good site though. Thought we would fly to Marseille, train to Sisteron, cycle to Nice and train back to Marseille. Need to work out where to leave bike bags. Planning on travelling light and using guest houses etc.

Any help from the evening crowd?

Mine have arrived and are UK sizing.

It says on some of the descriptions that they come in UK sizing.

Does hanging then up by the wheel have any effect on the disc brakes? I presume not but keen to here from those who use wall hangers regularly.

I have been using it for 6 months. No issues apart from the slow-ish return which you get used to. Much less wobble than my gravity dropper (not that I notice it when riding).

Sharkbait – how did you get 4GB data, current £9 offer suggests 1GB? I am with them and get 750mb, 1000mins and 5000 texts for £10 and due renwal.

I have found them a delight compared to vodaphone.

Ah, my mistake. Oddly enough and probably because I never knew the old path I have less of an less of an issue with upgrading walking paths. However the land rover track across the plateau just feels wrong.
We did the Ardverikie loop on Sunday and the bit along the River Pattack is one huge industrial site presumably for a hydro scheme.

http://www.hilltrackscampaign.org.uk/index20.htm

The landrover track up is OK as these things go but it extends from Mullach CB to Carn Ban Mor and given its construction I don’t imagine it will disappear into the landscape soon. I was wondering what it was for – stalking?
I thought there was a move by the JMT etc to push for more scrutiny of any new track proposals into wild areas.

Thanks for the help. Great fun ride, very dry but unfortunately the cloud was too low to get a decent view of the drop down to Loch Eannaich from Sgor Gaoith. The ride from Sgor Gaoith to the valley floor was fantastic. Rocky at the very top to a narrow rut/path with almost shoulder high heather in the forest.

Happy to navigate but I have an etrex gathering dust I thought I must try and justify its existence 🙁

Weather in Scottish Southern Uplands has been dry and dusty for the last 2-3 weeks. I know they are only up to 700m but riding has been excellent.

Cheers Sanny, it was your article that got me thinking. Now only need the weather!

All the info is on their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/trailfairies/

I have a 2012 220d. Very easy to drive and comfortable. Enough oomph for overtaking but nowhere near a BMW 530d. Plenty of space to carry a bike or 2 with seats down and front wheels off. Get about 50mpg on a 35 mile commute on mainly country roads. Without much love and attention it has worn its 65 000+ miles well.

The Wine Society

Excellent quality, deliver to your door and regularly wins retailer of the year.

I took the plunge. So far all good. The return is a little slow especially compared to my gravity dropper. The Singletrack review was very useful as I had to adjust the bottom to get it to work properly. Otherwise very pleased with it so far……

Thanks for all the opinions. Those that have the post , do any of you have issues with the slow return?

Mickmcd-that sounds promising and is keeping with a couple of longerterm reviews(about 4 months). I may be naive but I think CB have improved. The ascender is still tempting. I see there is a post on this page that confirms may bias regarding reverbs.

CB have a lot of ground to make up. I wish my gravity Dropper fitted as it has been bombproof. Alternatives are Brand -x ascender, £115, heavy and no longterm results or a Specialized Command Post. Reverb looks too expensive for a stealth one and I am still unconvinced about their reliability.

I also rate the RSP ergo. Switched out the Salsa bars on my rigid Surly Pugsley and now much more comfy. Also <£50 at Tredz with a voucher.

No problem at all with a 2.35 Hans Dampf on the mucky off piste of Glentress this weekend. Had mine for nearly 2 years and still love it.

I love my Sugoi RS. Wind proof, ok in a shower, soft against your skin and when the temp drops just add a base layer. Can be had for <£50 if you search.

The gravity dropper help section is excellent and has got me out of a hole a few times. The tolerances seem reasonably tight and half a turn here or there can make all the difference.

Thanks for all the suggestions, have gone for the Balvennie Caribbean.

As for the Macallan, I think its value is rarity rather than the whisky so cashing in and getting a couple of nice bottles as kcal suggest seems the best idea.

Thanks for the suggestions. The Balvenie sounds promising. Had a bit of a shock when I looked up a bottle I was given as a best man a few yrs ago. 25yr old Macallan anniversary malt in a wooden box – scary. Now the wife says I should sell it but should I drink it??