My tips….

Assuming you take your own bike make sure you give it a good check over before you leave – the Alps will make any minor niggles into big ones.

If you don’t already have some fit bigger rotors to your bike. I had one trip to Switzerland where I had a 180mm front & 160mm rotor on the rear. I boiled the fluid in the rear & had smoke coming from the brake at one point. Once I’d gone to 203mm front & 180mm rear I no longer had this problem.

Consider the spares you might need…

I usually take the following spares (for a week): –
3-6 tubes
2-4 sets of brake pads (I usually fit new ones before leaving)
Tyres (pair)
Spokes (at least 8 – some front, some rear wheel)
Mech Hangers
Derailleur (rear)
Bottom Bracket
Gear Cables (2)
Any other parts which are specific to your bike & likely to be hard to find if damaged.

Any spares you buy there will cost close to double the UK price (I learnt this to my cost when I had to shell out nearly £50 for two pairs of brake pads in Switzerland 2 years ago)

If flying take some time to pack your bike carefully (I took off all of the following & packed them carefully: rotors (packed between 2 sheets of stiff cardboard), rear mech, mech hanger, pedals). I made sure I put pad spacers in the brake calipers. I used plenty of bubble wrap & some pipe lagging from the DIY store. I also strapped my knee/elbow pads to the bike.

I have a DHB bike bag which I’ve flown with about 10 times now – the only damage I’ve had is one bent rotor. A box from your LBS will work well – these seem to get treated a little better by the baggage handlers.

Sometimes the problems you get aren’t the ones you expect – on the trip I was on one of the guys had problems with the rear wheel thru-axle coming loose – at one stage he had to get somebody to ride behind him to check it was staying in place!

I’ve also been advised in the past to consider using an appropriate threadlocker to secure the various bolts of the bike to stop them being shaken loose (not actually done this – haven’t had a problem)

And most importantly – enjoy yourself!

Hi Harvey

If you get stuck for some spacers I’m pretty sure I have a couple of spare ones in my toolbox – happy to post a couple out to you if you’re happy to pay the cost of postage.

Hi Harvey

I have SRAM GXP BB’s on both my bikes – one bike has a 68mm shell and is run with 2 spacers (one 2.5mm on either side), the other has a 73mm shell as standard so no spacers required.

From past experience CRC don’t usually include a BB with chainsets. Having a single spacer & o-ring is not a setup I’ve seen since the days when I had an ISIS BB.

Hope that helps

Refund the money via Paypal – this will allow you to recover your Paypal fees.

Send the buyer a nice message saying that you would like to cancel the transaction.

Then via the ‘resolve a problem’ option send through the request to cancel the transaction.

The buyer should hopefully agree to this so you will then recover your EBay fees, so the only money you will be out of pocket for is the listing fee (if you paid one) – there is no way to recover this money.

If the buyer doesn’t respond to the request EBay will automatically close the case after a certain time & you will receive your costs back.

You are now free to re-sell the item.

Only other point to note is that the buyer can still leave feedback (including negative if they deem it necessary)

I commuted by bike to my current workplace for about 6 months (April – September).

My commute is 17 miles each way & I managed to get a route sorted which was about 40% A road, the rest on country lanes.

I estimate I covered about 2500 miles in total.

Positives for me were: –

1. Fitness (definitely the fittest I have ever been)
2. The extra cash in my pocket
3. The countryside views

Negatives were

1. Riding into headwinds
2. Having things shouted at me by passing cars (only happened once or twice) – for no apparent reason
3. Being knocked off (just once – fairly minor luckily)
4. Tiredness – I found if I wanted to ride weekends I could only manage 3-4 days a week commuting
5. It meant I didn’t ride my MTB in the evening (which I would normally do in Summer)
6. The A roads – difficult to avoid & weren’t roads I would choose to ride on for leisure

I now lift share to get to work & ride MTB on summer evenings.

The Gym/Leisure centre I’m a member of do circuit training classes.

These seem to work well for me & the class is different every time (class is 1 hour long)

If your gym offers them, then I’d give them a go.

I also once hit a collie – was out on an MTB ride but on a road section.

The dog bolted out from the owners drive & I hit it in its side – I went over the bars & landed on the tarmac (slightly downhill & I was traveling at a medium pace).

Luckily I only got a couple of minor cuts & the bike was undamaged.

Lucky for the dog I wasn’t a car/bus/lorry etc.

I’ve used TopCashback for nearly 2 years now & have had about £450 in actual payouts now.

I agree with verses I find the cheapest deal, then see if there is cashback ontop of this.

Most of the time it does track – Only had 3 times where it didn’t – MoreThan, Legal & General & T-Mobile (annoying as I was meant to get about £140 total from these).

Items from EBay, CRC, Wiggle, Play & Merlin always seem to track & payout for me.

Your options are….

Another SRAM/Truvativ GXP BB (non-ceramic) – usually can be bought for about £20 – £25 (there is a ceramic one but IMHO you might as well just buy a CK – see below)

Superstar GXP BB (non-ceramic) – from memory about the same cost as the standard SRAM ones

Hope (choice of Ceramic £80 or Stainless Steel £55) + GXP Adaptor £9

Chris King (5 year warranty) £85ish & GXP Adaptor £32

As far as I know you can’t use a Shimano one

Tried one on a couple of months back after I needed to replace my broken Met helmet.

Unfortunately the shape wasn’t right for my head, which was a shame as I really wanted one.

Make sure you try one on before you buy.

In no particular order: –

Whinlater
Kirroughtree
Glentress

(I’ve been to… Glentress (black, red, blue & freeride), Innerleithen (red), Dalbeatie (red), Kirroughtree (red & black), Newcastleton, Mabie (red), Ae (red) Llandegla (Red with Black options), Penmachno (both loops), Gwydyr Forest, CYB (Beast & Tarw), Climachx, Nant-y-arian (both red), Afan (All 4), Cwmcarn (just Twrch), Brechfa (Red & Black), Whinlater (both Red & Blue), Grizedale & Bedgebury)

For me…..

North Face Trail at Grizedale (IMHO more fun to be had away from the signed trails)
Tarw Trail at CYB
Pheonix Trail at Mabie (admittedly I have only done this once, which was after 6 days solid riding & I was quite tired)

I have 3 Thule 530 carriers which I’ve been using for a couple of years now (including some longer distance trips (London to Scotland))

Found them very secure, only had a problem once when one wheel came loose in a very (and I mean very) strong crosswind.

Like those above I’ve also had slight frame scratches on the down tube.

I found a length of inner tube slides perfectly over the clamp & also apply a bit of heli-tape to my frames.

They fit any hardtail or roadie frame easily, but full suspension depends on the frame design (basically the height of the downtube – my FS has a u-turn fork so I get round this by winding it down for transport)

Five flights (in total) with Easyjet this year to/from Gatwick

No problems to report – bike turned up on all occasions – no damage in transit (I do pack carefully just to be sure)

Cost for the bike was £25 each way

Have flown BA once or twice & they took my bike at no extra charge (this was a couple of years ago & I’m not sure if they have changed their policy since then) – also managed to get Swiss Airways to take my bike for free

I used to have a set of Pearl Izumi Vagabonds (took 2 years of regular use before I finally wore a hold in them – I’d buy the same again).

I also currently own a set of Shimano road shoes & find Shimano shoes are a slightly tighter fit, whereas the Pearls were a bit roomier.

My Shimanos are size 7.5, while the Pearls were 7.

I’ve been running a double & bash setup for about 2 years now.

Mine is setup with a 24/36 front and 11-34 rear (9 speed).

This gives me a good range & I don’t miss the gears I no longer have.

If you can get a chain device at the same time then do so.

I’m not running a chain device (can’t get one to fit), but have dropped a few links out of the chain, so don’t drop the chain that often.

Not had Kyle Straits, but have had a set of Evos (knees) for about 18 months now.

Found them very comfortable, but as with all the other 661 gear I’ve bought (had shoes/gloves) they’re not that well made (been steadily falling apart for about 6 months now).

I wanted some POC pads, but even the largest size wouldn’t fit me.

Bought a set of these pre built earlier this year.

Included in the purchase were a couple of spare spokes for both front & rear.

Just measured them up & agree with Deveron53, 264mm for both front and rear.

Always get my pads from Disco Brakes (have had Juicys in the past & run Elixirs currently).

Have gone for the Ceramic Triple Life (Juicys) & am running Kevlar for my Elixirs – performance/life has always been great for these.

Had several different fabric/velcro type chainstay protectors. I’ve had Lizard Skins, Bike Ribbon (from CRC) & the CRC branded ones.

Of these the Lizards Skins ones are the most durable, but do fall apart in the end. Stitching has been not so good on the Bike Ribbon ones. If you go for anything other than black, then they’re more likely to get marked with whatever is on the chain (happened to my red one).

I’ve had two Boardman Pro Hardtails (the original was a 2008 & I got a 2010 model in April last year).

I’ve been very happy with mine, but it is well suited to where I live in Kent (some singletrack, but not too technical), it’s good for covering the miles at speed. The only issues I’ve had were down to poor gear setup at the point of purchase (snapped chain on the first ride out).

The only bits I’ve swapped out have been stem (shorter), handlebars (wider), tyres (not a fan of contis), wheels (fancied some Hope hubs – nothing wrong with the standard wheelset) & saddle (which is best described as very firm).

I’ll also throw in my opinion on 29ers – I took an Anthem 29er out on a demo day earlier this year – I was surprised 8O by how capable it was for a shorter travel FS & I can see the point of 29ers. However I’m not going to rush out & buy one. IMHO they are better suited to certain conditions & taller riders (I’m below average height), while a 26er is a bit more versatile.

I’m selling a Riva Tesla Mag Trainer (9/10 in Cycling Plus Magazine – highest score in the test).

All Turbos will make some noise, but this one’s on the quieter side of things.

It’s had 1 winters use – I just tend to spend more time in the gym nowerdays

If I were buying another one tomorrow, this is the one I’d choose.

Yours for £80 including shipping via courier (can provide pics if needed)

I did Mach 3 about 2 years ago now – route is very much an XC route (fair amount of fire road & some sections which might get a little boggy, some nice downhils), but I still enjoyed it.

If the signage has been taken down it’s since I rode it, but I will say some of the signs were not very visible any more (sun exposure had faded the colour quite a bit)

I’ve been a couple of times now & I would go again.

Whether it suits your riding depends on what you’re into.

The route has some decent singletrack & a couple of optional harder sections (smallish drops of around a one foot & a freeride area with a bit of woodwork (not that high) & a few jumps (mostly tabletops – nothing too extreme). I’ve always taken my hardtail & left the full sus at home.

The route isn’t that long, so you should be able to get round twice comfortably inside 3 hours.

Remember to take your change as the car park is £8 via a Pay & Display machine.

If you want something more gravity fed (4x & DH) then head to nearby PORC.

100mm XC Hardtail, weighs about 23lbs (and has shed weight in the last year)

Reason: I live in Kent & the terrain isn’t sufficient to justify anything more & less maintenance for winter

150mm Full Suspension, weighs about 32lbs (my guess & has gained weight in the last year)

Reason: Riding overseas, away days/weekends in the UK, getting airborne

Had the same problem

Sent it back on warranty.

2Pure sorted it out FOC

I’ve run SRAM GXP BB’s for about 5 years now & find that they generally last me about 9-15 months depending on how much riding I get in (in summer about 3-4 rides a week, in winter 1-2 a week)

I guess it depends on how long the current one has lasted. I have been thinking more & more about switching to either a Hope or a Chris King (the 5 year warranty sounds great – especially for a BB – plus one of my mates has one & he’s been very pleased with it). The less time the GXP lasts the more sense a CK makes.

I test rode one of the Giant Anthem 29ers at an Afan demo day earlier this year. Went in with an open mind (I have a mate who has one & thinks it’s great (he is very tall), but I’m under average height so wasn’t sure it would suit me).

Climbing & descending I did notice how easily it rolled over obstacles & it did have a noticably wider turn on bends. What did surprise me was how fast I could go downhill for a bike with only 100mm travel (well it felt fast) & how it felt at least as capable as some of the other 120mm & 140mm bikes I took out.

It’s wasn’t enough for me to go out & buy one, but I can see the point of them.

Agree with kayak23, I didn’t think much of the Tarw especially the long fireroad descent near the end – not much fun :-( Other than that the Beast is a much better trail :-)

For a second day I’d consider heading south for the Cli-machx trail (near Machynlleth), which is worth the drive

Set of Elixir R’s came on my (now) 18 month old hardtail & performance has been great – only had to replace pads & re-align the caliper once or twice (straight forward).

Pad fitting is much easier than my old Juicy’s, have also bought a set of Elixir 5’s for my Full Sus (for about a year) & have coped well with all I’ve asked of them (including all mountain riding in Italy).

Also now running Domains (had them for about 3 months now), was originally looking for a set of Lyriks, but a deal came up on a set of 2nd hand Domains, which was too good to turn down (£120).

They are noticably hefty weight wise (I have the coil u-turn ones), but the performance is similar to the Pikes they replaced.

Had two sets of Reba Race’s over the years (my current set are about 18 months old & I had a set on an earlier bike which I ran for about 2 years) & have been very pleased with them.

No problems/faults/issues with them so far & all I’ve ever done is service them myself.

Based on what I sold a set for you should be able to get one for about £200 (mine were standard QR), you might have to pay a bit more for a bolt through fork.

Did the same as you a couple of years back & switched from a triple to double & bash.

I’ve always used the original mech/shifter arrangement – I just adjusted the limit screw to prevent the mech being able to shift up onto the top ring.

I did this last winter & will be doing the same again this winter.

I stuck to three main activities Spin Class, Gym (with about a 60:40 split between cardio & weights) and Circuit Training

I was advised to stick to low to middle weights & aim to do build the amount of reps I was doing rather than increase the weight.

Circuit training definitely helped my core strength & I felt it did aid my biking too. Of the three main activities I did I think this was most beneficial.

Unfortunately they’ve sanitised the start again to remove the corkscrew, so the start is just a quicker non technical roll in.

The berms at the end are decent enough, but nothing difficult about riding them, easy to carry speed through them.

Top section was much better when it had the corkscrew & the tiered drops.

Was also at Glyncorrwg last weekend & oddly enough in the cafe the same time as the guy who lost his wallet!

Did a full loop of Whites including a Black run followed by a climb back up to the top of Whites, another Black run then round on the fireroad to the Skyline descent.

All open & not as wet as I expected given the rain that fell in the preceeding days. Signs indicated that several sections of Skyline were shut.

Also heard that the Skyline will remain open for about a year beyond the previous closing date due to delays with the wind farm.

Also have a Mountain Morph – had one for a couple of years now & it’s been great

Got a little squeeky at one point, but took it apart & gave it a spot of grease & has worked perfectly ever since

Can easily achieve a 35 – 40 PSI

I own three Thule 530’s which are attached to my Thule roof bars on my small hatchback (these are the the type where both wheels are left on)

I’ve carried everything on them from Roadie’s through to 160mm full suspension & have used them for short trips aswell as further afield in the UK.

I haven’t had an notable issues with any ‘wobbling’, the only time I had a minor issue was when I was driving along in a very strong crosswind, where a front wheel came slightly loose in it’s binding. I do find I have to watch my speed a little, but can do 70mph with them fitted.

I have noticed a drop in fuel economy, but by comparison to the rear mounted rack I had previously the bikes are much more secure.

I also had the same issue with the frame being scratched as described by suggsey, but I heli-taped part of my downtube on all my bikes, which sorted the problem. I also slid a bit of inner tube over the clamp jaws.

In terms of fitting I have found that it can sometimes be a little difficult to clamp some full suspension frame designs (basically the more travel the harder they are to get to fit)

I would buy the same one again if I was starting out new or perhaps go for the next Thule model up (591), which I’ve been told is a bit of a better fit for full suspension

My last four bikes have had SRAM drivetrain fitted, mostly X9, but the odd X0 and X7 part here and there.

Reliability wise I have only ever had problems with the shifters. I have had at least four X9 shifters (non twist shift) where this has been an issue (2 front, 2 rear). Basically when you press the shifter to shift up in gears (pulling the gear cable) then the shifter ‘gives’ & will not shift up.

Sometimes this has happened on a relatively new shifter (one lasted about 4 months), but I’ve also had it happen on a shifter after about 2 1/2 years trouble free use.

Oh and if you need to replace the jockey wheels on the rear derailleur, then they are more pricey than it you had a shimano setup.

I stick with SRAM gear as I prefer the shifting action.

+1 for warming either the tape or the frame before application. I found that (particularly if it was an unusual shape) it peeled off much more easily if I didn’t warm it before hand.