I’m going for the other t’Hora staple – a chameleon.

I dispare of people being so willing to part with cash (and by implication allow others to bring in the concept of payment for all) to trails, be they “trail centres”, purpose built stuff or shared RoW.

Certainly for trail centres they’re on publicly owned land, managed by a publicly funded organisation and usually part or wholly funded by UK or European Union money, almost without exception. Therefore, you’ve already paid for it through taxation and are continuing to pay for the infrastructure, organisation etc through ongoing taxation and Government budgets.

I stand to be corrected but am not aware of any direct (or even vague) link between income from car parking etc and money being put into trail maintenance / development at FC sites.

Better to put a little of your time and effort into the MTBing in general than roll over so easily to the concept of paying to ride, IMO.

The idea someone floated up about MTB paying for their “environmental damage” is flawed on umpteen levels, unless of course all other users are going to be subject to the same charges and in a proportional nature to their impact. E.g. horse riders, walkers, off roaders etc.

Of course most RoW (putting aside local variation in access law etc) are maintanined by your local authority which themselves are funded through Govt / taxation etc.

We’re already paying for everything.

Providing leisure and recreational facilities leads to greater activity amongst the population which reduce the risk of numerous ill health effects which in turn reduces the cost burden on state funded facilities (health care etc). Plus using such facilities usually involves buying kit, using local businesses, services etc which all in themselves contribute to the Govt coffers (from which the aforementioned organisatiosn etc are paid for) through various forms of taxation.

And yet there are those that think we should all be paying for the privilege to ride. Pffft!

P&L 8-)

Page 3 of this http://www.hopetech.com/webtop/modules/_repository/documents/HOPE-VISION-Email.pdf.

Look for their pdf light brochure (available through their site), it explains their approach.

To paraphrase – most figures are BS because they’re theoretical, we measure the actual, which is more honest, but we’ll tell you the “theoretical” figure that most others use as well to avoid knowingly underselling ourselves.

Not Hope’s fault Magicshine et al seem to go for the immediately more impressive theoretical figures on theior kit. People being as they are that’s the figure they’ll probably get compared with.

IIRC a number of other folks who seem to know more about lights (Smudge, Trout et al) than me seem to think actual is a better reflection of a light than theoretical. Statment of the bloody obvious there 8-)

Don’t think Hope can really be criticised for quoting both. To be honest hats off to them for a bit of transparency.

Further away but interesting stuff to be had in the various woods off the Leeds / LIverpool canal e.g. Buck / Thackley, Calverley, Spring / Esholt etc. And Adel.

Also worth bearing in mind that no one seems to hung up about cheeky stuff ;-)

Checked with Cotic and they said they were getting some replacement chainstays made up and would be for sale c.£175.

Eeek! Hopefully won’t need them 8-)

I currently (well nearly) have two :blush:

J’s (Mugboo, above) small, original and a medium, revised design (OS HT and earlier style c/stays).

The small has been lovely on the first few rides for descending. However, I’m 5’10” and I feel like my fat ass is hanging off the back of the saddle a bit on climbs and seated stuff. Even with an 80mm stem and the saddle right back on the rails. Will see.

Either a small or medium for sale at some point ;-)

Emailed you ;-)

If anyone would consider selling a set of the long / 150mm rockers to fot the last incarnation of the Hemlock (OS headtube) then I’d be interested. Subject to price ;-)

timsellors[at]googlemail[dot]com

Done. What harm can it do?

Before Mike did the Holeshot some of his team / mates used to race 4X on small PAs. THere was A guy called (IIRC) Paddy who’s, in the nicest possible way, a big chap. PA’s are pretty bombproof.

I had a Mk1 (complete with dinky tube behind the HT) and it was great. Didn’t find the HA too bad at all and liked it so much that hunted down a ti version (Morning Glory). PA’s are lovely bikes IMO.

Done already. Share it on Facebook etc please people.

Any one emithered the STW team to promote it on the news page?

Felling trees is all part of the industrial scale timber farming operations. Not that every area FC/E manages is commercailly farmed woodland, they also do forestry management (of PoS, recretional etc) areas as sub-contractors to others.

But for the majority of commercially farmed woodland you might as well rail against the tide as bellyache about felling and thinning ;-) Thinning is a fairly common practice as a result of initial (deliberate) overplanting. Like anything trees need space to grow best, “healthily” etc.

Problem with forestry is the timescales are so long you get used to all the trees being there and think it’s permanent whereas really it’s just one big area of “crop”.

Felling and thinning does, typically, make one hell of a mess though. Getting access usually shags the ground and consequently the drainage. Metre plus thick layers of discarded brash and off-cuts / discard covering the ground. Never a truer phrase than “breaking eggs to make an omlette”.

Done. Will get it up on SingletrAction’s site and Facebook page.

wilkingsonsword stainless steel job

Flash bugger ;-)

I’ve never had any success with those folding spades but if it works for you then great.

As for lubing a spade – you’re having a giraffe ;-P

I like Hope stuff but have been waiting for those bashguards for ages. Seem to take quite a while to bring stuff to market after it’s announced, but hey ho.

I like their stuff and haven’t had significant issues with any of it. Other’s experiences may vary. Rarely hear a bad story about their aftersales.

As a company I like what they do. I know of a number of projects they’ve supported and they are very generous with us (SingletrAction). I’m sure they aren’t perfect but then (especially on the internet which as we all know is the source of exact fact and total impartiality) who is. I bet they’re a fair bit better than most others though.

Dug many a grave using one of them in the past.

Comment of the day ;-)

Each to their own and all that, “one man’s pleasure is another man’s poison” etc.

I’d just say about the long handled ones, just like any other tool where there are a bunch of variants, it depends which one you get. For some of the work we’ve done they are absolutely brilliant. Point in, one or two foot jump, pull back and cast (longer and more accurately than a “short” D handle type). A lot depends on the shovel blade, profile, angle to the shaft etc. Maybe try a different brand?

Sod it though, I should stop evangelising ;-)

From the sounds of what you’re digging through I’d try a pointy type shovel as they often break ground better than normal square blades (D handle, T or Long-straight). Only thing is that type of blade is often curved across its width and so doesn’t work quite as well as a slapper / tamper / compacter with the backside.

Never had that propblem with an Azada, the length of the handle (on the ones we’ve got) usually means the blade comes down a fair way from your tootsies. Not only that but they’re good at cutting through roots etc I found them better in many situations than a grubbing mattock.

If you’re going to give me a proper soil description I’d much rather it was to BS5930 or Eurocode 7 ;-P

In the end though it’s whatever works for you, isn’t it. Come up to Stainburn and you can try all our various stuff ;-)

Something like this is remarkably good for a lot of trailbuilding work: http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=10767656&fh_view_size=10&fh_start_index=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB%2fcategories%3c%7b9372012%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372021%7d%2fcategories%3c%7b9372063%7d%2fspecificationsProductType%3ddigging___planting_tools&fh_eds=%c3%9f&isSearch=false

Toolstation used to stock a really good one with a fibreglass handle (D handle or 48″ straight). The longer, straight pole style handle was much better and we ended up buying quite a few for trail building days. Were really good for pumptrack work.

Grafters / cable laying spades / trenching spades are a personal favourite too as being very versatile and better at doing most things other than simply “pure digging” in easy going soil.

Solid steel shafts are good for durability but can be quite cold (wuss!) and tend to be heavier and more of a chore to use for long periods. A fibre glass handle /shaft is a good compromise IMO.

Depends a bit what you’re digging and where. In the right situation azadas / chillington hoes are brilliant e.g. bench cutting trail in organic / mineral soils that don’t have a lot of bigger stone in them. See http://www.get-digging.co.uk/tools.htm. No use for tamping though.

I could go on about spades for ages :embarassed:

List of mounts from Hope’s site:

http://www.hopetech.com/webtop/modules/_repository/documents/HopeBrakemounts2011(1).pdf

However, given the choice, I’d just keep using the bike on a rolling lease until it’s worth nothing or I leave the company.

Employer has opted for Cyclescheme to do everything so this is the deal I’ve taken with them.

Only concern is if the “rules” get changed again. As the bike is still Cyclescheme’s for another 4(?) years it *seems* to put me a bit at their mercy.

Personally I would have preferred to take a BIK and pay the tax.

I’ll update when the bags arrive

Look forward to it.

Not in stock and Shop only in test mode. Have you bought / received anything from them?

At 180PLN (c.£40) for the saddle bag that’s considerably cheaper than the *cough*original*cough* Revelate design.

Is that a dig

Not at all. I was just struck that, as I started writing about the DL, how very un “flowy” the trail is compared to more “mainstream” trail centres (is Stainburn even a trail centre?).

At the very least iut would be ironic to recommend trails there for someone looking for smooth flow and floaty jumps.

Lets agree that all riding’s good 8-)

No worries, info on the site:

http://www.singletraction.co.uk/projects.php?page=Buck%20Wood

There’s always Stainburn. The Descent Line has been tweaked in places (nearer the top) to be a little more flowing and has the odd jump.

I doubt anyone would say it meets your original criteria but then I approach stuff like this with the idea that just being out with my bike is good, even if the trail isn’t exactly my bag ;-)

We (SingletrAction) built a skills spot at Thackley / Buck Woods (between Bradford and Leeds).

It isn’t perfect but it might be worth a shot if you’re “local”. Nice pump track there as well and some good old ragging round the woods trails too 8-)

Too scared by your firebrand attitude I expect ;-)

Whatever, IMO you’re a bit unrealistic about warranties / Jungle / etc but I hope you get a nice replacment and riding brings you joy, happiness and serenity.

8-)

Way to go with wild speculation and assumption there chap ;-)

Look, I kind of get where you’re coming from and poor service is never great. However, the point (as I read it) behind your post was that you wanted / expected stuff out of Jungle for a frame that’s 5 years old, has had at least 2 owners, who knows what level of use / maintenance etc. To my mind that’s unlikely and unrealistic.

I get your point about brand and perception but I’m not convinced by it, certainly not (from the info in this thread) that Jungle should have sorted you out. If it’s a sniffy attitude on the phone then fair play, being professional and courteous is always the proper way to deal with people. However (and at the risk of making a generalisation just as I’ve pulled your leg about, above), it’s a “two way street” i.e. be cool with them and they should be the same with you.

Hey ho 8-)

Not sure what the OP expected but Jungle seem to have taken a reasonable and fairly understandable position on it. Anything discount-wise you might get from them would be down to goodwill but then you’ve come on here to flame them so ………

But go on, tell me what difference there is between spacers and a tall stem, or between spacers and a riser? As long as the control surfaces end up in the same place.

I alwways thought lots of spacers was a bad thing as they had a tendency to shift slightly with impacts to the forks and could loosen the preload on the headset.

I have no idea whether this is *fact* but it seemed possible. I am ambivalent about the whole HT length thing though (actually, I can see a shorter one is, on average, probably more versatile).

And the thread rambles on, mleh.

Top goatage there on the res’. Impressive.

Brant donated a Blue Pig frame to us at Singletraction as a prize giveaway so he’s not all bad..

To be fair to him he’s donated 2 frames – Mk1 Blue Pig and Piglet ;-)

As for the rest of this thread, mleh.

Couple that to £4.97 an hour, sh*t hours, horrible customers with worse attitudes, no career prospects, and having to work for some prick who probably hates cyclists and you by extension and you’re on your way to figuring out why some *might* lack enthusiasm from time to time.

Oh boo-bloody-hoo.

I’m with Mr Salmon on this.

Agree with what nbt and others have said re: balance bikes and trailgators.

Never used a tagalong but hae had so much success with trailgator and seems so much more versatile and better opportunities with the kids that I’d not consider a tag’ now.

Stability and durability issues with trailgators seem to be fitting related. Make sure you do up the bracket on the kid’s HT tight.

the Chairman of which seems a little unsupportive and dismissive of my simple wish that riders act responsibly

ROFLMAO :lol:

If you can, try to differentiate between my view that posting on here to bemoan litter is pointless (which I’ve tried to explain) with the idea that I might, in anyway, condone littering.

Hey ho, it takes all sorts :roll:

I’d suspect you’re best talking to Sam at Sungular for recommendations.

How is it shagged and how did you manage to do so?

I disagree. This isn’t just grass it’s all sorts of semi-wild vegetation. Keep the vegetation back a bit and the riders will usually counteract most “verge creep”. Several years of growth will significantly impact a trail, all other conditions being equal. Some plants are buggers as well for establishing at the side of trails and then encroaching e.g. gorse, bramble etc. Give ’em a good hard cut and, whilst looking a bit harsh at first, things will stay clearer for longer.

Possibly because this year it’s

g[r]ass flicking the ends of the handlebars

this year but next year it’ll be considerably closer ;-)

Screw it anyway, if you’re riding so slow as to “enjoy” the foliage you’re not riding fast enough ;-)

No point in using a duel ring – you might as well use dérailleurs as you loose one of the best bits – fixed centres chain and you would need a rear mech or a tensioner that can take up a lot of slack.

I have one and its great bar the slightly restricted gear range – same as a 1×9

IMO, this is hogwash, although TJ’s not the only one to say it.

There are all sorts of benefits (significance / importance being highly subjective) to Alfine hubs that are not purely limited to whether you don’t have to use a sprung tensioner / rear mech’ equivalent and the chain line.

As bikes are broadly speaking toys-for-boys and if you want to try a dual ring set up go for it. I still wonder whether the 11 will have enough spread for me and off-road but have decided to try it with a single ring and only fiddle around if I perceive the need.

8spd on a roadrat, 11spd waiting to be built up on MTB.

Liked the 8 so much for its simplicity, lack of maintenance, bung-it-in-the-shed that splashed on an 11. If I can ge teh same ease and useability out of the 11 on an MTB throughout the year I’ll be in hog heaven.

Personally, as a non-lover of road bikes and with less inclination and time than I used to have for bike faffage, I think Alfines are great 8-)

Avoid Peter gratwick like the plauge. Never got my ck headset and after 3 months of chasing and then finally posting on his Facebook wall to him I got a cheque.

See, there’s always two sides to every story. I’ve had no issues with Pete, pleasant to deal with, I got what I wanted / asked for / was agreed and at a price I was more than happy with. Personally, I’m not bothered if he’s a serial bike buyer / splitter. I accept that might be a (small) issue for STW but it’s shades of grey IMO. I doubt his “business empire” challenges Leisure Lakes or the like ;-)

Then again I’ve never subscribed to the “favours” sort of feeling some people seem to think disposing of stuff thru’ the Classifieds on here is. Incidentally, nor do I subscribe to slipping STW anything for using the Classifieds.

As the Duckman / Andy exchange, above, indicates – two sides. The only (sort of) clear cut cases are the ones where someone has royally fleeced umpteen people – I can’t remember the names but there’s been a couple of well (forum) publicised situations over the years. But they’re the exception, IMO.

I don’t blame STW for not wanting to get into management and regulation of the classifieds, what a PITA. Personally I doubt there’s that much rip-off going on, certainly given the likely number of sales. Still, folks make more fuss over the limited negative experiences as it’s human nature.