Tories to retain power, but only just – not the sort of gains May was hoping for – slight loss of seats

Labour to make some gains, larger share of the vote than last time

SNP to lose a few seats (pretty hard for them to make any gains)

Lib Dems might gain a couple of seats

UKIP see a notable drop in the share of the vote – no MP’s

All other parties pretty much unchanged

I was one of the early voters around 7:30am today – footfall was the most I’ve seen at the polling station recently (more than the last GE and the EU referendum)

My vote was for Labour, my folks (both nearly 70) voted Lib Dem – my brothers (both in their 30’s) – not certain on their votes yet – one probably voted green, neither would have voted tory

Labour for me (tactical) – voted Tory last time for the first time ever (never again)

Plenty of reds and blues to keep you busy for a day, Sixtapod (blue) followed by Willy Waver (blue) would be a good starting point

I’m also not a fan of Rim Dinger (red), probably best to stay away from A470 (red) if you want to keep your wheels on the ground

If you do get tempted up to a black, Dai Hard is probably the easiest off the top, Enter the Dragon the hardest

My seat is a two horse race between Tory and Labour – currently it’s Tory

My vote is tactical to try and get rid of the Tory MP

I get this from some tubeless tyres but not others

Current the rear on my trail bike (Bontrager SE4 team issue – this is pretty worn so not that surprising) and both the tyres on my DH bike (Maxxis Minion DHR 2 and DHF 2 – it doesn’t get ridden that much so while the tyres are in good condition they are old)

The Bontrager doesn’t seem to lose much presure that easily – I’d just ignore it and continue to ride if I were you

The way marked trail is the Longslade Trail – one section is currently closed, but the rest is open – its possible to do the current loop in under an hour – it is easy to loop some sections twice to make it slightly longer

For the most part the signage is good, but it does completely disappear at a few points (I have assumed you will start at the official start point): –

1. Just after the closed section you do a climb initially on fire road, but turning into singletrack – turn right at the top of this hill
2. About 2/3 of the way round you reach a point where you cross a fireroad followed by a short sharp climb at the top of this section you follow a descent on the right – on the way down there is a very easy to miss left hand turn – basically if you reach fire road you’ve gone too far
3. There are no signs at the end of the trail on how to get back to the start/car park – turn left and head generally straight ahead – the car park is on the right

Easyjet normally charge £40 extra each way (don’t know if you’re able to fly direct from IOM or not), so whether this works out as £80 total or £160 I’m uncertain

I’ve flown plenty of times with my bike and thus far the only damage I’ve had is a bent rotor

Several mates have the Evoc bags and these seem to be the best of the bunch – the only negative I can see with them is they are slightly heavier than other bags, so can be a little limiting if you’re putting some of your riding gear into the bag

I have a cheaper less padded bag (same one for over 10 years now) – when I pack I do as follows: –

1. Remove rotors from wheels – I’ve created a cardboard protective pocket which they are put into (basically two thick pieces of cardboard taped together)
2. Remove Pedals and Chain (pack in bubble wrap in pockets in the bag)
3. Remove wheels and put into wheel pockets (I also tape some card to either side of the axle holes for extra protection)
4. Remove rear mech, wrap in bubble wrap and tape to somewhere between chain/seat stays
5. Get some pipe lagging (I actually used some laminate floor underlay I had spare (not the cheap thin stuff)) and put this round the frame, fork etc, taping it in place
6. Put a pad spacer between your brake pads
7. Pack my elbow/knee pads round part of the frame (usually use the velcro straps to hold it in place)
8. Remove handlebars (leave controls attached), wrap in lagging/bubble wrap and tape to the side of the frame

Just bought myself a Motorola Moto G5 about a month ago – pretty pleased with it (replaced a Google Nexus 4)

Reckon the battery would just about last three days, but I charge every two

Available for about £150

I bought a Nilfisk off the back of a similar thread on STW about a year ago

Came with a Patio attachment, which made cleaning it so much easier

Consensus at the time was the Nilfisk was a better choice than the Karcher for similar money

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/pressure-washers-karcher-vs-nilfisk

Stayed here before http://www.logcabinswales.co.uk/

Cabins are fairly basic, but it is about 5 minutes drive from Coed-y-brenin

Hope the OP gets some commission for this

Shorts ordered :-)

I spent a good few hours trying to get tubeless working on a set of Stans Arch Ex’s last Sunday with no success

Tried three different tubeless valves (the final one seemed to be OK, but then the bead would no longer seat)

Two different tyres (High Roller Lust and High Roller Exo (TR))

I used a charger style track pump getting up to 200psi with no luck

The rim tape I’m using is gorilla tape

I also run two sets of Mavic Crossmax SX’s (sealed rim) and these seem to go up without issue using the charger pump, sometimes using a normal track pump

I bought mine second hand a couple of years back via Pinkbike

No issues with it – decent condition when I bought, only replaced wear and tear items on it

I don’t think there is much point buying a new one with so many decent second hand ones about

Yep – I’m comfortably into double figures for the number I’ve used (Peaks, Lakes, North Wales, South Wales)

I always take an actual OS map as backup (can be particularly useful if the route map has a bright highlighter line across the route which can make distinguishing detail a little challenging)

Generally they’re good, but sometimes the route would be better run the other way round (Garburn Pass springs to mind where we rode (pushed) up the technical descent only to ride down the bland fire road on the other side)

Thanks lardman – that’s certainly helpful

The shock is fitted to an Intense Tracer 2

Since is is actually pretty much too long for the shock anyway it was already preloaded even with the preload collar fully wound out

In order to remove I had to partially compress it then flip the retention collar out with a screwdriver

I’ve already ordered and fitted a 350lb (x 2.5) spring (based on spring calculations) which has a free length of about 143mm & fits fine – also seems to be about right for my weight

I think the TI spring is probably a 450lb or 500lb as I haven’t come close to bottoming it out

I’ve also measured the spacing between the coils which is approx 16mm

I have now managed to take a few pictures

All my bikes are still 26″ – no desire to change them any time soon

I’ve got three fully built and one in bits

In fact I’ve just pretty much finished building up a new (to me) 2013 Transition Covert :D

SouthCoastSuspension did a great job for me when my KS packed up after 3 1/2 years use

My service including a few parts which needed replacing came in around £50

None in two miles for me (not an off road commute)

Thanks for the replies

poah – I’m not convinced that it is a 2.5″ stroke as the 152mm free length is actually slightly too long for the shock

When fitted the preload was wound completely out & in order to remove the spring I actually had to slightly compress it to remove the retention clip/plate

Onzadog – any chance you could provide a little more info on how I go about doing this in practice?

I’ve used Mojo & TFTuned in the past – all good – no complaints about either

My last two services have been done via Grant who runs http://www.southcoastsuspension.co.uk/

I’ve been very happy with his work & can definitely recommend him

You can claim against RM for lost parcels – standard cover for 1st and 2nd class non-recorded is up to £20, so you’re comfortably covered (assuming you have proof of posting).

I’ve had a couple of things go missing that I’ve sold in the past & I claimed & got the money back without issue (claims form from a branch or claim online).

I’ve also had a couple of very slow deliveries via Royal Mail (last one was early January this year – took about 10 days to arrive but got there in the end).

If you do want bike park passes they usually do an early bird discount, normally available til mid May at reduced rates

Remember Top of the World tickets only allow a limited amount of riders per day and cost extra on top of your normal pass

I went Summer 2015 for 2 weeks, when the exchange rate was better than it is now (about 2 to 1), I’d budget £2.5k for two weeks.

Probably best to avoid Crankworx as accomodation prices go through the roof

I’d echo the comments about the riding outside the bike park – I spent a couple of days riding in Squamish – my favourite trail accessible from Whistler was Up Up & Away

If I went back, then I’d be aiming to do most of my riding outside the bike park

I did one spring/summer with a commute of 16 miles each way.

I found I could only manage it 3 or 4 days a week without getting too tired.

Did boost my fitness & no matter what what you plan it is likely to turn into a race against yourself at times. I managed to get to work in just under 55 minutes and home in 45 at my fittest.

Used the 1-2 days I did drive to transfer fresh clothes etc.

I deliberately worked out a route which took in more country lanes where I could – this increased the distance ever so slightly, but it was a much more pleasurable experience.

My current commute is much less & I have no issues doing this every day of the week, all year round by bike

I’ve pretty much just finished building a new (to me) 26″ full sus

I’m not interested in 650b as its alot of money for no real benefit

Running three/four 26″ wheeled bikes currently & have no desire to change

Killing off 26″ just means I don’t buy new bikes any more – if I did buy new I’d want another 26″

Happening in Milton Keynes too – I’ve had two messages for different parcels one appears to be in Skipton, the other is in an unknown location

I’ve just gone 1×11 (Shimano SLX mostly)

Decided to switch for a couple of reasons..

The chain used to occasionally drop off the granny ring & manage to get stuck between the crank & my ISCG tabs
It also had a habit of getting wedged between the middle ring & bash guard
My 10 speed drivetrain had worn out, so I needed a new cassette, chain & chainrings anyway

No matter what I did adjusting the front mech I could never eliminate these issues

1×11 has been running pretty well for me – shifting is excellent, but I have dropped the chain twice in four rides so I’ll be fitting a top chain guide (I do have a NW chainring)

Thanks for all the replies – certainly helps with giving some direction on how best to proceed

totalshell – if you were nearer I’d be taking up the offer – I’m in Milton Keynes

Thanks for the advice

pedropete – the house was built in 1985

I haven’t used the fire since I noticed the heat build up issue

The minimum standard is usually that you have to be able to control your speed and link turns in order to get down the slope

I did a two part learn to board session (basically two evenings) at the MK snow dome – I’d do the same if I was starting out again now

I’d probably avoid the board in a day course – you’re likely to fall over a fair amount & it is pretty tiring – I was ready for a break after my first evening lesson (3+ hours on the slope)

One of my mates has one – he’s 6′ 6″ & rides an XL 29er & is able to fit this in fine

He’s has his for about 18 months now (think its a 2012 model) bought direct from VW (low miles very clean).

He’s had a diesel injector go (about £500 for one) & this seems to be a common fault with Caddys – he told me he wouldn’t buy another Caddy

Just checked – you can still double up your clubcard points

https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/boost/evans-cycles/UK-004166.prd

Got in for the Saturday Enduro

Just showed up as unavailable for me

Two mates were also trying at the same time

One managed to get a slot & bought for all three of us :D

I’m pretty decent at it I think

I’ve had a couple of LBS’s deliver sub-standard work, so this has led to me buying the appropriate tools & teaching myself most things

In the last couple of months I’ve done a lower leg service, replaced some cartridge bearings in my front hub, bled all my brakes (just for fresh fluid – they didn’t need doing) & lifted the seals & packed fresh grease into my bottom bracket bearings

My experiences…

The last place I live had limited off street parking – I had to park on street – everyone who lived in the surrounding house accepted that it was rare you could park in front of your house & just got on with it.

Where I live now the space outside my house is rarely occupied – I have a drive & garage (these were things I made sure I had when buying the house)

Where my parents live people are pretty possessive of the space outside their houses, however they rarely actually use the spaces (most have reasonable sized drives) – this only really causes issues when we all show up for a family occasion (5 or so cars is the norm when this happens)

I regularly travel to Westcott (near Dorking) to ride in the Surrey Hills – several of my pals have had their cars keyed parking there when parking outside peoples houses – it seems there is somebody really objects to cyclist & wanders round keying any car which looks like it belongs to a cyclist. The worst being when “lycra w*nker” was keyed onto the boot of one friend.

Yes – I did, though I do pretty much every day of the week

I think the last time I didn’t ride was when we had some appreciable rain in June

Pros

Cycling to work pretty much every day – 15 minutes & its a nice route
Salary rise every year without having to ask – typically 3-5%
Only ever work my core hours – no expectation of overtime – leave the house at 8:30am & I can easily be home by 6pm
Fairly relaxed working environment – I get on with everyone I directly work with

Cons

No pension (or other benefits)
Limited training availability
Not really much room for promotion to other roles
Pay seems to be a bit below the market average
Job can be a bit samey on a day to day basis
Cashflow is generally a problem most of the time – got paid late earlier this year
Few people who I don’t directly work with that I don’t get on with (they are best avoided)

Nirvana Cycles in Westcott do a Saturday shop ride leaving at 10am – it’s intended to be ‘freeride’ – basically it’s jumps practice with a bit of trail riding. Usually gets back to the shop around 1 – 2pm. If you’re gonna show up make sure you’re on time as it normally departs promptly.