Cheers. Not really looking for a base layer type thing to be honest. Will keep it in mind though.

@Liftman The problem is getting the softshell on over them. The sleeves on long sleeve XC jerseys ride up when I put the pads on, so not an option for me unfortunately.

Yup. They were great. Bought a pair of Hans Dampfs from them. The set of front and back were out of stock, but they gave me a separate front and back set for the same price as the set. Turned up when they said they would and great price.

I used a Metrobank card to pay for the stuff. Gives you a better exchange rate because there’s no conversion fee.

Quite like the Urge ones. Would probably get one of those if I swapped my Fox Flux out.

I have some Shimano M162s which get worn all the time unless it’s race day.

Love the M162s. Trying to scrape some money together to buy a second pair so I have a dry pair when the first one doesn’t dry out.

My dad vs me. I win by knockout in round 1. He never played any sport seriously. Drinks way too much, smoked into his 40s and never exercised.

My granddad however, different story. He’s 90 and blind in one eye and I’d still think twice before taking him on. He still tills the fields and rides his bike to the market everyday. I offered to pump up his almost flat tyres and replace his 1950s bike when I visited him last year and his response was “don’t touch it, there’s nothing wrong with it”. He’s the reason I played any competitive sport as a kid and continue to do so now.

You’re a legend gramps. I hope I’m half the dad I am to my kids that you are the granddad to me!

No problems with Monarch. We were on a bit of a red-eye though. Think that may have helped.

Flying with BA next month. Let’s see how they compare.

Pearl Izumi P.R.O, because you’re worth it!

I have the Select (used for commuting and MTB). I had the Elite before, but I sold it because I lost weight. It was pretty good too. Nice and long in the sleeves and toasty as a toasty thing and waterproof to boot!

The Elite is great, but the P.R.O is a better fit if you’re skinny.

One of the people on the uplift was saying you don’t need a DH bike to get down it, but it looks more fun with one!

Loving the full face and goggles too. You completely forget they’re on once you start riding.

PPS seems to make your standover the most important component
not great if you have short legs long torso. They have an HQ in Kingston now and the nechanic said they’ll be doing demo days soon.

@maxtorque

Just back from my uplift day. Incredibly fun. Already looking to book in for the next one. Flyupdownhill weregreat. Our driver was a really cool guy who was a rider as well and gave us some good recommendationsto warm up and later to challenge us.

We did 7 of the trails. Sheepskull was my favourite. Endo the least. Not a fan of the off camber switchbacks. Sorry!

Really friendly group of riders as well. Everyone I spoke to was really friendly and gave us loads of tips. One even offered to let us have a go on his DH rig if we fancied it! If you really want to push it I’d suggest asking someone if you could follow them to see their lines. Felt I was riding and committing to things the most when I did this.

One of our guys stacked it, twistwd his ankle and we had to stop. He’d have been alright if he’d done somr maintenance on his boke though. Found his QR coming loose on the rear for some reason. Spare set of brake pads wouldn’t be a bad idea as well if you’re heavy on them and the weather’s crap.

I have a mate who’s 35. Had a baby last year. So far he’s cancelled at the last minute on 3 riding road trips in the last year and several weekend rides too. His excuse every time, baby’s not sleeping.

Tried offering the opinion that there’s not much you can do about it. May as well let your partner look after it while you nip out for a ride for your own sanity’s sake. Got called a C-word for it.

Strangely, he doesn’t get invited riding anymore!

Still don’t get why some people seem to be of the opinion that you can’t go out at all once the baby’s born. Are they that difficult to look after?

So you had a FS, and then bought another – but barely ride it.

You becoming a Father has nothing to do with it, you barely rode it when you had a chance.

IMO Better to keep it for spares than sell at a £1500 loss.

I think b r speaks the truth. Harsh as it may sound. On the flip side, if you don’t need the money and you have the storage space then why not keep it. It’s your extravagance, enjoy it for what it is!

You could try swapping it for a road bike of equal value on this or other bike forums.

That’s probably it. Never had to do it before, so just need to have a look at how it’s done.

Do they need special grease or anything like that? Was talking to a lad here who owns a Santa Cruz and he’s saying they get special grease guns and marine grade grease and whatnot for them. Sounds a bit overcomplicated.

@mrelectric
It is the chainstay ones that are creaking. Perhaps I could just replace those, but I’m trying to find out exactly what my rear end rebuild gets me.

I’ve done close to 600km on the bike. Which doesn’t seem like much at all.

May see if I can get Canyon to supply the bearings and get the LBS to do it, but I don’t want the warranty voided because I’m planning on hanging onto this bike for another couple of years at least. It’s a great bike.

Well, to be fair to them, they’ve gotten back to me now. They’re quoting a total cost of £218.40 for a full rear end rebuild including parts. Trying to find out what that gets me, because that sounds pretty damned steep.

On the plus side, they say it will feel like a new bike when I get it back! Not sure if they think that is a good thing because the better my lap times get the older the bike gets! :)

What does the equivalent Canyon cost?

Try posting in the wanted section.

Else see if you can get a small On One frame and transplant components?

I’d use the absolute max. Gives you more room to push yourself.

You’re welcome.

Finish quality has been fine too. Don’t forget to fit a chainstay protector if you get one. Hers didn’t come with one fitted and it didn’t half clatter on the first ride.

I rode the SDW on the missus’ On One and it was fine. Only problem was with the Rebas clogging up due to clearance and wet chalk in the rain, but narrower tyres would fix that (I had 2.25″ ones on).

Took it to Wales a couple of times. It rides fine there.

She took it to Aston Hill once. It was fine on the Red run and the XC trail. She got halfway down the black DH run and decided to call it a day though. More a confidence thing than what the bike’s capable of I reckon.

Some forks with more clearance would be ideal. But I quite like the 100mm travel. Makes you feel more connected to the trail I think.

Anyone been to Hafjell?

No different to what I’d recommend as a first MTB to a mate, or to someone new to the sport, but looking to take it seriously.

Depends on your budget really.

Blue is great for a couple of laps! Hit it before it gets too busy and you’ll be laughing.

Don’t waste too much time pining about the ex. You have a Yeti, and you’re in Australia. Ride the bike, meet new people, and enjoy being single while you are.

I’m sure someone better will be along as soon as you want them to, IF you want them to. People having fun are always more attractive, people riding bikes and having fun are even more attractive!

Good luck with it all.

Cheers for the responses.

I only have one road bike so swapping pedals isn’t really something I want to do. Perhaps it’s time to start saving up for a commuter hack with drop bars or something.

@cakefest Did they still have the rubber feet on them?

Sorry, meant W2 is 44km. We didn’t do the new trail Cognation have built.

There’s also a muddy mess that is being used as a detour which we had to push up.

Wall is 44km with approx 1000m climbing. It took us 5 hours with a 1 hour break for lunch at the trail centre canteen. Waiting around for the enduro riders to finish a seeding run, sorting out a number of mechanicals and one rider getting injured and having to go home.

I reckon if you’re pretty fit you could do it in under 3 hours. Else just do it as an all day ride type thing. Wrap up warm, perhaps take a spare pair of socks, and take some food.

None of the stuff we rode yesterday was anywhere close to a DH run.

It’s more of a fun, point the bike forward and go fast type ride. You’ll probably be held up more by his climbing ability (or lack thereof).

Twrch is the only other Welsh trail centre I’ve ridden! I thought the final descent was pretty cool after a struggle up the icy track to the top. So may have coloured my perceptions.

I think I prefer it over White’s Level because it’s got a few more berms I reckon. I like berms.

W2 yesterday, Twrch today. Both on a 120mm bike.

Twrch is way more fun on the descents. Climbs are more technically satisfying on Twrch too.

Cwmcarn it is then! Cheers guys.

Back to the M4.

We just want something easy to follow, within driving distance of Afan (10 mins from where we’re staying). We’ve had a long day today and don’t want a full day in the saddle tomorrow, but it would be cool to experience a different kind of riding we could do in a couple of hours and jump back in the car abd go home afttrr.

Exploring the non trail centre stuff in Wales is on our list. Just not today. Don’t mean to offend anyone’s sensibilities.

Awesome. Thanks people.

I know someone who has and someone who’s in the process. They’re both satisfied with results so far.

Usually you can self certify for 5 days absence. Any more than that and you’ll need a doctor’s cert I believe.

In all cases you’ve usually got nothing to worry about if you keep your employer informed and you’re honest about these things. If you don’t trust them, or they’re incompetent then make sure you have proof. E-mails, text messages and so on.

Some companies also bump you into statutory sick pay after a while. Keep an eye out for that.

Am using a Racing Ralph tubeless with a Roval wheel, but they are TL ready tyres on a UST rim.

Wear it and say it’s religious.