Whinlatter is reckoned by them that live there to be Red+, significantly more technical than a red usually is. Plenty of roots and some supersteep entries into berms. If your mates are slow/nervous I would do just one of the loops first and see how they find it. The gauge whether you want to be going off to ride further.

FFS!

I decree from this moment on that the word 'mountain' is removed from the sport currently called 'mountain biking'.

Horses for courses and all that but complaining a trail is too rocky is kind of missing the point of mountain biking isn't it?

As great as trail centres are it strikes me we're starting to rip apart one of the fundamentals of the sport which is that it's all about adventure.

I can't see how this can be the cyclist's fault if they have right of way ie: on the road, not going through a red light and incident didn't happen on a pedestrian crossing. London pedestrians do this all the time and you do learn to ride defensively and be very very observant but really you can't put liability on the cyclist when a pedestrian ignores both the Highway Code and common sense. Can you??

'But the grocery empire struck back'. Sometimes I think being a journalist can be soo much fun :-)

What a tit. There's no serious point to be made, he's just going to get laughed at.

I gym 2-3 times a week. As above, better upper body strength plays big benefits on long downhill runs. You'll be amazed and how much easier it is to control the bike when you have strong core muscles

Mine was similar to Tonylem's – 'tenting' they call it when it's nearly breaking through the skin. My specialist decided to pin and plate. Which means now it;s all over and I have a sizeable scar, the bone is dead straight and no discomfort when wearing a rucksack, which is good cos I do loads of walking/mountaineering as well as riding…

Be glad you've done it now summer's over :-)

Rampage 2.35 F&R here. Sorry no pics. These tyres are solid – roots, loamy stuff and rocks all good. I used to run 2.25 Cinders – good on rocky stuff but they do break out rather suddenly on softer stuff

Think about running or cycling for your commute. Not the same as the MTB, sure, but great for fitting exercise into a busy life, keeps the weight off and the stress down. If you're working 12-13 hours a day isn't that beyond your contract? Anything you can do to make those hours same as a usual working day and then maybe you can exercise in the evenings.Or poss your hotel will have a gym so you can do spinning classes, swim or exercise bike?

I have Pro2 with EN521 on my Five and they take plenty of hammering (mainly Surrey Hills but this includes some light jumping + Peaks and Lakes). I'm not a heavy rider (80kg) but they've been rock solid for the last 6 months… happy enough with them to get the same again for my hardtail

I took my 10k PB from 42 to sub-40 by joining a running club who ran track sessions.

benefits
No need to build your own plan – you turn up and they coach you as a group
No need to find the discipline – just turn up at the right time each week
Easier to push yourself – just use the group effort and your natural competitiveness and you'll put in way more effort than you would on your own
Get talking to other runners and gather ideas from them (much as you can here, but more detailed conversations)
Run in club colours when you race – you want to represent them so it's a motivation to run well on the day + you'll get more people shouting for you

Also I always run faster in a race than I would on my own – natural desire to achieve. So maybe run a few races over a few months, aiming to reach a certain target time each race – getting faster each time and making a progression to your target sub 40

CycleSurgery Holborn for spending about 6 hours sorting out the bearings on my Five but only charging me for 2 hours

BikeTreks for sorting out my freewheel and spending time checking the bearings and refusing to take a penny (that was Gareth I think)

My four-year old godson is the proud owner of a Metallica t-shirt that I bought him for his birthday. I've taught him the Metal salute and everything ;-)

I rode past that and clocked it last Friday and wondered the same. Such a waste for a top qual frame like that to be scrapped. I think the law is if you find and pass onto the Police and no-one claims in 28 days then it's yours. Maybe speak to Local Police, ask them how it would work in these circumstances and see what happens? Sadly taking it, even to bring it back into use, would be theft :-(

Re the OP, this is all really simple. It's about taking a mature attitude and trying to understand others' needs rather than our own perceived 'rights'or desires.

The land is owned but the owners and managers are generous enough to give us access. If we respect their requests, we get to enjoy some great riding. If we don't show ourselves capable of respecting other people's needs: the owners, managers, walkers, horseriders etc then we risk losing access and great riding.

This would also be a waste of all the hard work put in by Redlands, dig day volunteers and everyone else who has been involved in getting us to the delicate balance we enjoy today…. so PLEASE people, think of the bigger picture, we have a huge amount to lose if we can't show a sense of community

My thoughts FWIW:

1. Keep your job – it keeps the money coming in at least
2. Write down a list of 10 things that make you happy. Do them regularly to keep your spirits up.
3. Remember the positive points to your situation: I'm trying to change career too but I stick a job I dislike cos it means I can go riding whenever I want and when something needs replacing or a trip somewhere distant gets organised, I can do it without having to worry about the cash
4. Consider a career coach if you need help finding a job you really want to do
5. Get this from Amazon HowToFindAJobYouLove

I had this a few weeks ago after pulling the freehub off by accident. The pedals would carry on spinning after I'd span them, whereas the normally stop and the wheel carries on it's own. If you tried to rotate them backwards, the freewheel wouldn't rotate freely and the chain lifted off the cassette.

I couldn't work out what I'd done wrong but the LBS sorted it in minutes – as above it was a seal that I'd not put back properly. Not major. If you can't sort it your LBS should be able to very quickly….

You probably know this already but this is worth a read:

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/health-cycle-away-from-stress-22726

Also worn that particular t-shirt. Go and chat to the doc about it to get their view on your condition and then decide whether to talk to management. My particular management wouldn't have listened until I had a doctor's note in my hand. Yours, hopefully, are nicer people.

I tried to deal with it myself by just more riding but all that was, was a sticking plaster. Also, people around you e.g. work colleagues may not understand…

I got given 2 weeks off. Went on a Welsh road trip. Felt ace for the first time in months. Came back and gave my notice and freelanced for a while and financially, had the best couple of years of my life. The time off gave me some perspective and was a huge help in clarifying my thoughts.

Good luck…

GlenP – I did a skills session earlier in the year with a mate who's a guide and am now just trying to consolidate my technique and build up the confidence to do the bigger stuff.

I've tried in vain to find somewhere in Surrey Hills to find a suitable practice spot so I may yet be in touch re a skills session ;-)

I've signed. It's a designated AONB. Why give it a designation which says it's to be preserved cos it brings pleasure to people. And then ignore the designation?

I know it's slightly off brief but the stock Cotic Roadrat is a lovely bike to ride. Singlespeed but tbh other than fast departures at the lights, I don't have a problem in London – not a lot of hills round here really!

I've lived in London for nearly 9 years. It's ace if you like a city lifestyle but very poor for mountain biking. Surprisingly! I've got bored of it taking me 90 mins to drive to Surrey Hills to ride my bike for 3-4 hours and 90 mins to get home again…

Email in profile if you're interested in a pair of Pace RC40s 2nd hand? 6 months use only, excellent nick with just a few chips here and there. Adjustable from 100mm to 130mm, rebound, lockout and compression.

You're going to be a very happy man, great bikes :-)

I have a 2004 frame which is 130mm at the back and running Pikes which are stiff, plush and turn out a sweet head angle with 70mm stem for speed of steering.

The smug knowledge that the people who think you're wierd for riding bikes in the woods will never know what they're missing :-)

I'm finding 2.35 Panaracer Rampage to be lots of fun right now. You need wide enough rims tho

So in summary:

1. Having fun
2. Doing something that feels worthwhile.

I think I can see what I'm doing wrong! Also thinking about ditching London – as much as I love the buzz and Surrey Hills are my local riding, London can be a way too work/status focussed a lot of the time… I'm still playing through yesterday's ride in my head :-)

5'11'' running an 18 frame. Used to have 90mm stem with 130mm forks but recently changed to Pikes (140mm) which left the steering too slow. Now have 70mm stem. Easton EA70 alloy bars, 2 inch rise. And inline seatpost… fits good for me :-)

InfoUK@Oakley.com

email these people. I snapped my Fives and as they were discontinued I got the offer to replace them with something like a 40% discount which I was happy with. I lost a nosepad from my Half Jackets and they're sending me spares for free

GlenP – cheers, I'll be in touch. As it happens I was chatting to Richard about some other stuff the other day (unless you are Richard?).

I take your point about doing things in the right order but reluctant to shell out too much ££ in times of shortage and from my previous session have been shown all the basics already – just down to me now to practice it all… (manuals, pedal assisted front wheel lift, small drops, tabletops, pumping etc.. ) maybe we can discuss and work out the best starting point?

Cheers…

Alternatively Glen P – how much would you charge for a dropoff session?

cheers Glen P. To answer your question, I did my skills session with a mate who works in the Lakes.

I did Telegraph Road on Sunday – all good stuff cos they're all relatively low – 6 inches or so at a I guess and I'm comfortable on that kind of height.

I've been to Judges Seat but can you remind me how to get there in relation to Orange Clawhammer/Xmas Pud?

ta

I'll have my thread back now if you don't mind :-)

I mean drops. As in, no way of rolling, the only way to go is committed, front wheel in the air, makes for good photos and very popular with the fit girls…

Any ideas of a good location…

It looks like the pads on one side are more proud than the other – I guess tightening the maxle may be pulling the disc onto the pads. Before the pads were stuck out then I guess this wouldn’t have been a problem…

I’ve emailed Hope – be surprised if they’ve put too much fluid in but it does sound like that could be the prob…

Disc fits in ok, with wheel on the bike. But gap too narrow to allow the wheel to spin…
Not sure what I’d find out taking the caliper off the bike. Can you explain further or am i being dim ?

Cheers all, thanks for sharing and offers of a chat. Will take you up on that if needs be. He wanted to talk about work mainly – normal stuff as suggested.

MidLifeCrashes – thanks v much, OU piece makes a lot of sense…
Cynic-al very valid point, thank you!

Thanks all for the info you lot but please keep the debate going – far more interesting than the day job :-)

after the previous 2 albums I thought they’d lost it (in the studio at least) but this is smashing. Songwriting not as strong as previous but the b@astard cousin of Justice I reckon. Very relieved they still have it :-)

you should :-)

Rich, you did what I did on Easter Friday – up from the carpark, pitched tent by Lly Cau, up and over Sat am before everyone else crowded the place out. Got some smashing pictures of the cwm at 6:30 am. Great trip… glad you enjoyed it.