The Mrs snoring when she’s had a drink.

Sounds like a force 10 through a pin hole.

It drives me potty!!

Ditto the core strength stuff. Work on identifying weaknesses (usually the muscle that supports the ache/pain area – according to my physio). She also suggests an extended squat. 5 mins 3 times a day, if that is difficult use a book or something to support underneath the heels)

Works a treat!

Altra trainers here!

Have a pair for road and a pair for trail.

Nice and snug around the ankle and forefoot but the toe box is nice and wide allowing for foot to splay naturally. Road ones are zero drop as well but as all others say get some advice with the gait analysis.

You will be surprised at how your feet do really weird things when running. Mine was my left foot ‘waving’ between fore foot lift and heel strike. Very odd!

My missus has the same problem. (Works in local high school admin).

We are rural as well with same problem but the school can’t do anything, the contracts are let by the local council/LEA, any issues should be addressed to them as suggested already.

The number of calls that she has to field about school buses is enough to drive anyone up the wall. No pun intended. With parents blaming the school amongst a million other things!

There are different methods/styles to a squat apparently.

As mentioned already a good physio will help immensely especially in identifying biomechanical imbalances and suggesting fixes.

I also have a good sports masseur whom i see regularly who suggested the Asian squat for lower back stress. It stretches the whole back equally so I’m told and helps with other linked muscles, glutes, hip flexor etc

I do these for 15 mins a day (3 x 5min) sessions and works really well in dealing with stiffness and pain.

Might not work for everyone but do seek advice.

And if you can get a sit/stand desk, these are great!

It’s for my HT.

I like the clean look and simplicity of the design, not to mention the carbon drool factor but as pointed out it’s not as simple as bolting on all the existing hardware and hoping for the best. The practicality of making it work could be difficult.

Appreciate the insights, thanks.

Do it.

Things can only improve and get better.

@kerley kind of reinforces the point. What a miserable lot.

And yes it could be perceived as judgemental but this tends to be the rule rather than exception when out and about, not many roadies enjoying themselves, otherwise they they would be smiling and enjoying themselves?

I can’t equate not smiling to enjoying myself!

IME not that anyone is interested.

I ride a Stumpjumper HT with 1.5″ slicks for training on and pootleing about on the road. Same issues with back pain, uncomfortable ride, etc with road bike set up and thats after a bike fit and other measures to improve the ride. MTB is so much more comfy.

The roadies I see and that is most days tend to be uncommunicative, self absorbed, arrogant so and so’s.

It really doesn’t take much to say hello. You can keep your carbon aero fancy pants, look at me, all the gear no idea bollox and shove it!!!

Have 2 V70s here.

1. 2001 T5 185k in a nice shade of burgundy red. It’s the bike bus, emergency back up, tip run, do it all car. Refuses to die.

2. 2008 2.4D 5 pot. 130k. Nice drive. Bit lack lustre in performance but just does the job. Just don’t like the electric hand brake. Worst thing ever. 42mpg as well.

Parts are steep for major items but simple to work on.

Aldo Kane

@dirkpitt74 I normally use Shimano size 47 which for me is which about 11.5 but Endura show 47 as a UK size 12 so you would think it would be slightly bigger but not so, for me it’s spot on with plenty of space in the toe box, even more so than Shimano which comes up a bit narrow.

Get a nice pair of merino socks and it’s sorted. No complaints.

Although don’t go for the red ones…ugh!

Endura MT500 Burner clipless here!

Very nice to wear, good sole stiffness but not too stiff for walking/mooching about in.

No experience with the ones you are looking at but don’t look to too bad!

Cheaper than the ones you’ve listed and British brand too!!

Your’re grounded until you get the point!! Or no bike, try walking!!

Harsh but works for our youngest who does exactly the same thing you describe with his mates but out on ‘proper’ trails ues helmet almost religiously.

We even keep the injury photos of my big OTB at Glentress a few years ago handy as a reminder.

Shame the two uses have a huge disconnect.

Its a common theme with teenagers having memory span of a goldfish!!!

Elliot Brown!!

Reolink Argus.

Solar powered, nice and discreet. Can be set up with alerts email or otherwise, on or off and has a speaker in it with a siren.

So you can ask them what they are doing from phone.

Easy to set up too!

Ah! Purple anodising a thing of beauty, well, it was in the 90s. I used to have a pair of purple straights myself, swapped them for some Controltech Stix, I think, which matched the Quadra 21R forks.

@johnhe yeah I get that it can look slightly ghastly and often look wrong when set up poorly but from a functional perspective this work for me.

What would be cool to see is a set on an eMTB then they could ‘honk’ the bar ends on the uphill when the battery is flat!!👍

I’ve used in the past, an SA version which is very similar in design to the Melvin. Twin jockey wheel arrangement.

Bit cheaper too!

No.

Can’t even begin to think how I would afford some of the overinflated, overhyped stuff, which a lot of folk seem to think they need, even though the kit outweighs their riding abilities.

eMTB bros at BPW comes to mind!!

Budget and value rule.

Would I miss it?

In the short term – probably.

The forum is always an interesting read in those small moments to occupy a bit of time such as on the karzee, waiting for the ads on TV to pass, teams calls, MIL repeating the same story, etc

Long term – no not really

2001-ish. Think the place in Todmorden had just opened and did an organised ride out from there. I was with Tim from Sideways (remember him, used to sell great kit).

I recall Chipps being obsessed with his coffee machine and perfecting the art.

Actually may have been a bit earlier than this thinking about it?

Uberbike Fatgrips.

35mm diameter with medium density. 150mm long.

Works for me and my large paws!

.50 between the eyes at 1km distance.

They would never find out! You could live in blissful smugness!

Bontrager Flare RT…flippin bright, charge lasts a long time as well!

No

Lynch for PM!

Really!

Would be in bed with Putin before you know it and the UK is the next Moscow suburb!!

Nukeproof Scout …end of!!

It’ll do everything you want and then some.

Feel for you mate. I was in Hereford a couple of weeks ago with a TIA, the folk that work there are ace! Even with them asking for my BP and blood sugar every hour during the night!!

But you are in the best place despite all the issues that the NHS have at the moment.

If in any doubt, yes!

‘Down country’,wtf is that all about?

More pointless marketing tripe from stateside that we’re adopting here or what?

My kids who are usually on point with anything MTB related and they don’t get it and they speak a language I don’t get anyway, grunts, shoulder shrugging and dunno are some that come to mind!

as @grantyboy says use them for cooking or get rid!

Put temptation in the way will probably only end in one outcome!!

@v7fmp – a good friend of mine is a functioning alcoholic, if you were to meet him for the first time you would never know!

His life is a book/litany (failed marriage, kids don’t want to know, etc. etc.) of everything that is wrong with the booze if it takes hold and can/will screw your life up. He is the first to admit that there is no thin line between thinking you are managing it and not, alcohol serves no purpose whatsoever! Its a social problem that we all think is acceptable but really is it? He accepts that he will die on his own in some place where there will be no help and no one will mourn his passing! Sad really!

Some really great pointers mentioned already.

What doesn’t appear to have been mentioned are the non existent health benefits. (Everyone rolls eyeballs!)

I’ve been off the sauce since Xmas last. Always been a drinker up til then but like a lot of folk, the last 2 years haven’t helped and just carried on regardless without realising the toll that it was taking. Never really drunk but topped up to the same level every day!

Its very insidious how the excess of drinking crept up on me without knowing, with the end result of high blood pressure and all its associated issues.

I would say that since giving it up the realisation has hit home that viewing the world through rose tinted glasses that drinking at that level and assuming all is is well, or any for that does more harm than good and doesn’t benefit anyone! Especially those closest to us, as described in detail by others above.

Suffice to say, things are improving slowly but hopefully careful management will reap rewards.

Sleep is hugely improved, the action before shut eye, blimey!!

We’ll see!

Einhell

Seems to be a tool for every job to fit my battery!

Being a pad brat isn’t quite the same! Unless you were forced to do bed blocks and show parades by your parents!

Who cares!

They are all a bunch of liars!

This is in no way condoning the alleged actions, but its easy to sit here and take the moral high ground with hindsight when we weren’t there so don’t know the whole story.

The rigours of combat can be some of the most highly stressed situations a person can be subjected to which can have a serious debilating effect on judgement and ability to reason. Given that these guys operate at a continuous level of anxiety and stress no average Joe in the street would ever get to or experience its little wonder the media are having a field day!

Not to mention the monkeys licking their lips with excitement at the prospect of actually doing some work! Other than traffic duty in Tid or Catterick (about all they are good for!)

Tobias Ellwood should be the next PM!

Ride a HT!

No shock issues to worry about!👍

Ditto Camelbak Skyline.

Perfect for longer days where it sits lower on the back. Higher up ones make my neck and shoulders ache.

Good airflow too!