Stanley knife / cable cutters work just fine

I dont normally go for crank bros stuff but my multitool has lasted forever. Has everything on there i need, and the chain breaker actually works just as wel as my Park chain breaker. Dosent look bling though, and i dont know if they even make them anymore

Edit: the one i have is a much older less blingy version of the one below

Live on the wild side and flip a coin?

Bike Components for tyres everytime. Loads cheaper than in the UK; I buy in bulk (usually 4-6) which lasts me ages, or order with other bits I need to offset cost of delivery

Its not particularly new method of insulation. On the continent they’ve used this system widely for 40 years +. Have a look at Solix or Sto for more info on available systems.

I’ve never bothered and yet to have any come loose

yes tree felling due to disease. The place won’t be the same again

I’d choose the DH trails at FOD. More options to mix and match. Wouldn’t bother with the XC loops at FOD as I find them very dull. Cwmcarn and Cafall are ok but limited options to mix things up although I would opt for doing the DH runs on both as the final descents

There’s a few ways to go about it and some of it may depend on if you want/need to comply with B Regs.

If you’re really keen on keeping the lath & plaster, you could install insulation between rafters to full depth, install your breather membrane on top, fix 38 x 38mm counter battens to the rafter and then install your battens and tiles/slates on top. However 75mm deep insulation wont get you anywhere close to the min requirements.

To increase insulation, remove lath & plaster (or potentially clad over it) with insulated plasterboard- thickness as much as you can really. Have a look at Kingspan K7 and K18 boards. You can download PDF literature from their website.

You don’t have to use counter battens but if you don’t you’ll have to leave a gap which reduces your insulation thickness

Ive only had to do it after cutting hose or damaging remote. Youll need the kit but its easy, have a look at the RS videos

Things to check before warranty: seat post clamp not too right, bleed (easy job), air pressure is at 250 psi

Ive got the tools shown in the complete kit (bought from uk bike store as cheapest at the time- may be worth a look). The proper tools do make it easier although ive done it easily enough with a socket set as mentioned above. I bought the tools as all my wheels have hope bubs but if its just a one off now and again id just use a socket set assuming you have one

Although your weight is average, or even considerably less than the typical STW’er i’d get the best brakes you can as i dont think you can be over braked.

For the shimano v hope argument, ive got both on different bikes and prefer the hopes by miles. Seriously underwhelmed by the xt’s after the rave reviews on here. Good for the money yes, but nowhere near as good as the hopes in tems of performance or quality

Im not convinced by chain rotation either. I wear chain and casette down to the ground until both need replacing, which tends to be once a year for my milage and riding conditions. I never have any issues with chains slipping and the first sign i get if ive left it a bit late is if the chain snaps (when i know its already way past the 1.0 stage). A few of my riding mates on the other hand are convinced they are saving money by changing the chain every couple of months, and inevitably now and again they will have left it too long and the new chain skips on the old casette which means they fork out on a new casette too

Happened a couple of times over the years. I used a hacksaw to cut a groove in the bolt head then used a flat head screwdriver. Despite the bolt being so small it worked surprisingly well

I have XT and Hope V4’s. Hope for me everytime for feel and power. My mate has the guides and although he likes them he does faff about a lot when fitting new pads and they squeal a lot too

Last stuff i bought was from clas olson, cant remeber how much but was significantly cheaper than b&q at approx £1 or £2 and when i tried to renew it it pulled off the powder coating from the rim!

Eight quid apparently. Mug!

Correct me if im wrong but thought RS was 2 years warranty?

Ive got one spare too if anyone else is looking

Im planning on doing the same. Mm or hd up front with the rr out back. My mate ran this combo last year and he’s a bloody good rider and much faster than me so this is good enough reason for me :-). Been running mm front and back through winter and previously hd front and back but fancy something less draggy this summer

Its just a fashion thing

Just like disk brakes, dropper posts, front suspension, rear suspension…etc ?

Found them slow and useless. Cancelled order and managed to get bike components.de to price match. Delivered within 3 days

what Phil said with Ochy thrown in

You can forgive that to an extent; DHers tend to be a lot more familiar with the intricacies of uplifts. It’s what they do – whether they race or just doss about on uplift days.

agree to an extent but once you’ve been shown how to load the bike onto the trailer and put the straps on once I can’t see the need for faffing for 10 minutes plus. Its not rocket science, but the mentality of riders at each venue is different I guess

Yep, they’ve got a lot to learn from the likes of Antur Stiniog. Fast and efficient and drivers constantly communicating to each other. What I also noticed at Antur was the riders being far more efficient loading the bikes on. I seem to wait forever in the back of the bus at BPW for other riders to stop faffing even if im nearly that last to start loading the bike onto the trailer

As above hit and miss. Best time to get on the uplift is first thing whilst a lot of uplifters are still faffing / posing in the car park. Last time I did the uplift (on a weekend) me and my mate had the bus to the top to ourselves. After that later in afternoon is a good time as many leave early but youre likely to get a space throughout the day if youre happy to wait. You may not see your mates all day though as you might be out of sync

stop over thinking / worrying about stuff. Just ride your f***ing bike

edit: 🙂

If its sealed now just pump it back up. No need to top up sealant unless youve lost loads. Are you really going to make a trip to the lbs just for a puncture? Better to spend the money on the bits you need and sort it yourself imo. The internet and a bit of common sense is all you need

In a few years of tubeless ive only had one incident where the tubeless set up failed to work and that was when a spike punctured the tyre twice. One of the holes was right on the rim / bead which can be hard to get sealant to (especially when air is pissing out of another hole which im simultaneously trying to seal). Some punctures are harder than others to seal depending on type of puncture (thorn, tear, pinchflat) and location of puncture.

If your back home now and wondering how to fix your tyre if the sealant doesn’t work on its own you can use a bit of super glue, glue a patch on the inside, or use a tubeless repair kit eg sticky worms

How big was the hole?

Ccdb coil on my five. Dosent have a propedal and i dont feel the need for one. Very rarely use the lockout on the pikes either

Never paid over £30 for proper schwables from the germans

True

If you set the ccdb coil up properly youll have virtually no pedal bob. Ive got that set up and never felt im missing the lockout from the rp23 it replaced

Cos its more bling 😆

Keep the coil shock but change to ti coil if you havent already

You need to pay

Not done the uplift there yet but ive ridden most of the DH tracks in a day by pedalling up. Some trails we rode several times so with an uplift im sure youll do most.

Café: foods ok but due to the queue id take my own food.

No way is that a red trail. Barely even a green imo