The stuff on Kintyre is also called the 'Wee Toon Trails' I think. They're really short and easy. Not worth it.

Good map!

According to this book, you're missing:

Abriachan
Arran (not really a trail centre)
Drumlanrig (very good)
Mull of Kintyre (not good!)
Pitfichie
Jedburgh (not really trail centre, not great)

You can't really feel when you're about to unclip with eggbeaters. I tend to shift my feet on the pedals when cornering and so on and kept twisting out without realising. I prefer the feel of SPDs, although egg beaters are better for knees and in mud.

Don't ride Cheeky Stuff on Blacka Moor. This keeps coming up time and time again and there have been meetings about it. The land managers are getting pretty upitty about it. It's not as if the bridleways aren't any good…

As said above, Grigris are fine. Like anything, they can be used incorrectly, but are the ideal belay device in certain situations once you're used to them. Nothing to do with posing – if you're working a sport route it makes far more sense to use one than to use a 'normal' belay plate.

If you've never seen one used outside, I'm guessing you climb trad more than sport.

As for forums, again, as mentioned above, either UKC or UKbouldering. The latter is way more amusing.

A Tory?

Cheers guys, lots of ideas!

Probably a wee bit long for someone's who's hardly ridden in two months! Cheers anyway

Reply, dammit! (Please?)

I know I mentioned Sheffield earlier, but I thought I'd answer a point raised about it:

Yes, there's JE James and a few others, but they're almost all either useless for decent kit, appalling on the service front or roadie-focused.

It's crying out for a shop with some decent stuff and good staff. There's a reason people go out to 18bikes…

Sheffield too far? Nowhere I know of that's any good actually in the city. Since I've lived here I've had absolutely no qualms about going online for everything.

Nottingham have Evans and Leisure Lakes (I believe – no idea how good they are though), so a fair bit of competition. Chesterfield has an OK JE James. No idea about Derby or Leicester.

I've always just unseated the bead. Works fine.

I use schwalbe bmx inners because they're the only presta-valved ones I can find and because they have a nice lockring with a lip that fits in my schraeder-drilled rims nicely. Never worried about whether or not the core was removable.

I got them from Marshalls when I lived in Hertfordshire and Strada cycles in Bristol. No idea where to get them from now I'm back in Sheffield though…

EDIT – Size wise, the wider the better I reckon, just because it means that if you've got a tight tyre which pulls the inner around a bit, you've got more leeway/more to grab to pull it straight again.

Sounds slightly ridiculous (and probably is), but needle-nosed pliers on the main shaft of the pin with molgrips clamping them shut proved the only way to get the stuck pin out of Maguras.

Slots/filing flats for spanners/stud extractors all failed (well, I failed to make them work…)

Knackered the pliers, but saved the brake.

Yes it is cool that my wife knows who Julien Absolom is

Who's that then?

Not done it, but feeling exactly the same as you. Constantly wearing things out/breaking parts and a severe lack of spare cash means I'm not only going off biking due to cost, but I'm actively beginning to resent it due to the way it drains all my money.

The problem is that I then go out for a ride and love it again.

EDIT: Ha – I've also started running after years of deriding it…

At a guess, you need new bearings.

Therabands? I use them for climbing, as do plenty of other people. Seem to help loads with elbow problems.

I get them from decathlon, because I don't know anywhere cheaper and can't be bothered to use the net. About a tenner for a pack of three (different strengths) in some nice pastel colours.

Sorry mate, scratch that. I can't find it anywhere.

Mojo's the place to go though. I rang them before buying mine and they were pretty helpful about which cans would work and suggestions as to how I could bodge the HV can to work like the standard one. I'd give them a bell.

Don't turn your heating on over the winter and give all your jumpers away now (they need them – record numbers of thefts apparently!). Shiver yourself thin. Maybe.

More seriously, I'm firmly in the exercise AND eat well camp. Whap a search into google, read some training articles (like the Matt Hart ones on here – they're pitched at a nice, general level), or could you ring the guys you're applying to for advice (sorry, not idea if this is au faix in the military or not!).

One thing though – don't go for quick 'fad' diets, they never work.

And to echo what others have said about calories. Check what you eat really carefully. That salad you had – any fatty dressing?(I've just been trying cutting out dairy products from my diet to sort out stomach problems I've had 4 years – I really struggled at first as I had NO idea I ate so much. (Dairy, that is!) It's working though!)

EDIT – I've not really said anything here, have I?! What I meant was, go over what you eat again and keep up the exercise – but perhaps following some really structured advice (you're running stuff is good, but probably not enough to loose weight, assuming you're already relatively fit from biking). Unless you're entirely muscle, you will loose fat it you consume less energy than you expend – but you've got make sure you're still eating well.

I think I've got an almost new one (5 rides?) that came off the RP2 I put on my Prophet (if you're thinking of putting it on a Prophet, don't!).

I'd have to check, but you can have it for £15 if you want/I still have it.

Failing that, I got my low volume one from mojo. It was about £30/35 plus postage, I think.

EDIT – just read the single pivot bit. On my prophet, the larger volume meant I raced through the travel really fast. Much improved by putting the standard sleeve on.

I've used to run Louise FRs. Brilliant brakes, but a right pain in the kneecap to bleed. I think the reservoir seal has gone on both of them though. I should really get round to fixing that, as they were great brakes.

Now on shimano – much easier to bleed, just as good on power but don't feel quite as nice.

Fingers of steel. Or, in my case, molgrips. You could wrap something around them first, but I never bother and mine are fine, if a little scruffed.

Rub them with a copy of the Angling Times?

I banged my knee yesterday. It's all stiff now and hurts when I cross the road. All considered, I reckon it's (probably) ok if you're finding walking tough!

I would add 'Chin Up' and similar comments, but you don't seem to need any help on that front. Amazing!

All the best,

Tom

Ahem. I DO go to Afan for the cafe.

The trails are good, but no better than plenty of other stuff in the area…

…and the thought of a massive plate of spicy potatoes goes a fair way in helping me decide where to ride.

Shame.

What's the best cheese to hide a horse in?

Mascarpone.

Mega affinity is when you don't qualify high enough for the main mass-start races. It's essentially just a timed run down the course.

In an attempt to fill you with confidence – I find pairs easier than riding in a team.

Ride one lap on, one lap off and keep doing things in between laps – EATING (!), cleaning, sorting kit, getting water etc ready for your partner when they come in. This means you never switch off or really cool down between laps, so each time you go out, you feel fine. (Unlike teams, where I never manage to warm up enough and every lap feels like death.)

Other way around, without a doubt.

You could also turn R at the crossroads by '3' and then go over the A57 at the bottom and try and clean Hagg Farm as a climb – although what you've planned would be almost as good.

I just got an rp2 pushed. It literally came back yesterday so I’ve not ridden it yet, but TF mention in the comments sheet that goes with it that you can feel a slight knock between compression and rebound for some reason or other (sorry, it’s late, I’m in bed, the bit of paper it’s downstairs… hold on, that’s not the attitude!)

Right. I quote:

“As we have fitted a firmer platform, you may also feel a slight knock between the compression and rebound strokes as there’s more resistance from the shims”

So I guess it’s normal! (Give TF a call if you’re worried?)

Cheers! Ironically, it turns out that after asking that I can’t actually convert my air u-turns to coil anyway. So it would appear I’ve wasted everyone’s time… Sorry!

No start numbers up yet though.

Fine, but what if you are on slow straight sections where you are relying on the centre of the tread?

Well, if you’re on a slow straight section then you’re not cornering…

I thought it was shut at the moment for felling. I might be wrong though. Give the bike shop (pedalabikeaway?) a call before you go, just to be on the safe side.

Not me, it would appear. I was busy making plans for the weekend after this when it was pointed out to me that I will be in the alps then… whoops (and woo!)!

Very easy to pinch puncture, even running tubeless.

Good apart from that.

Yeah, I miss them too. Lived in Sheffield and Bristol, but still hanker after dusty summer rides, darting along any trail that takes your fancy, flying along looong stretches of woody singletrack…

However, I am struggling to sympathise with someone who lives in Vancouver!

“Whiskey Chaser”

Ha ha ha! Nice.

On the tyre levers note, I’ve found Pedros tyre levers to be superb (the wide, fat ones). MUCH better than something like the plastic park tools ones.

And you can get them in orange.

Let’s hope you don’t get a puncture…

Took me about 30 minutes to get a similarly tight tyre off the rim in the cold/wet once. That was fun.