Don’t forget ear plugs, they can make or break a trip! The clear silicone ones work well.

Continental saying their tyres are 3 or even 4 (protection) ply is very misleading…yes their tyres are made out of that many plies (layers), but do not confuse that with double-ply DH casings. Confused? So am I!
The weights speak for themselves.

Minion DHF 2.5 EXOs seem exact same width as HR2 2.4 EXO to me BTW.

Thanks for that.

I hear all these good reports on the Rubber Queens…I hate them! On the front at least. The knobs along the edge of the tyre are zig-zagged, if that makes sense. I found them to just let go when leaning the bike over. I’ve got used to Maxxis’ Minions DHF’s and High Rollers with continuous knobs along the edge.
Have you tried a DHF on the rear? Maybe not as draggy as a HR2?
I’m pleased to hear the Minion Exo’s are not as wide as the HR2’s too…I think I’ll be trying a set, 60a rear and 42a front for my winter tyres.

Man up!

If you fancy a Triton and you’re wanting something out of the ordinary or complicated. Get in quick…his prices don’t change much between the options and I think he’s only going to start doing basic frames due to time/money ratio.

It’s not as clear cut as that…it depends what’s causing your back back in the first place.

The route you’re looking at takes in Swindale doesn’t it? The last time I did it it, I said never again! The rest of the ride was OK, Swindale though, the ground was just wet/muddy enough to stop you from riding up the slight incline. It ended up taking two to three hours longer than we thought! For some strange reason my GPS kept on telling we weren’t on the right path while going through there too…a few other folk said that had happened to them as well.
I think it took us over 8 hours! We thought it would take 5-6 and we were both quite fit. It’s only 60k too. There are some much better routes in the Lakes, but you do say you’re looking for an XC route. A lot of others could have some fairly technical sections.

You can use a 650B wheel on a Lefty anyway. That’s why I bought one, so I could use any wheel size…I would need to add a spacer to use a 29″ wheel, you don’t need one for 650B though.

Rather than have to protect the fork stanchions, let the air out of the fork and cable tie/tape the brace to the crown. 🙂

Will you still be doing a ride if the weather’s not so good? If so, do Iron Keld, Hodge Close and Loughrigg. It doesn’t gain much height but is a good one to do when it’s wet and you’ll only have to bike a short way to join on to it.
If the weather’s nice though, do something else.

anc – Its not a route we do often cos the hike’a’bike at the start is harsh.

If you’re saying that, what do you need to get up there? Ropes? Hike-a-bike doesn’t normally put you off! 😛

Have a look at this one (youtube vid). No welding involved, just some old stems and tubing for the chassis. You could put whatever kind of top you wanted on it.

I haven’t been, I’ve had shorts from there though. 😛
I’m sorry too.

😆

Northwind – Member

I think it was Ian Potter from A Quick Release that told me the Darcy Turenne Tits and Ass Technique. Point with your tits, and your ass will follow. Simple and effective, sped me up a lot in wiggly singletrack
You’re better twisting your hips and pointing with your d$%k!

😆

Forget about the numbers, does it ‘feel’ too big?

There’s only one place to buy them.

OP – You could always use a King Cage top cap cage mount. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it would work if you use a bottle battery.

Was riding up a steepish climb today, probably a good metre and a half wide. I saw a couple coming down towards me, so I went as far right as I could, to give them as much space as possible. The bloke seemed to head towards me and tried to catch the end of my bars with his hip! I shouted some choice words at him and he didn’t even have the decency to explain himself or argue back.
What’s up with morons like this? It’s been a nice day and they’re supposedly doing what interests them. Why are they not smiling and full of the joys!?! A lot of the walkers you come across do seem to be proper miserable and cantankerous $£%^s.

It was also the Lake District Mountain Trial today too, this took in most of the trails where I was riding today. If I heard a competitor coming up behind me on the climbs, I’d make sure there was room for them to pass or I’d get out of their way. On the descents I’d give them a wide berth or shout up…half of them were cheery and the other half wouldn’t even acknowledge us. A bit of common courtesy goes a long way. Would the same miserable folk blank someone who holds a door open for them or flashes them through on a narrow road? 😡

Could you not strap the battery to the bars?
As you’ve said, you could always go for one by Exposure. Are there no deals to be had on last years models? The light you’re looking at isn’t exactly cheap either. Now my lights are all-in-ones, I’d be hard pushed to go back to battery packs too.

Live squid eating! Quality! 😆

It was on Wikiloc. There was a link to a write-up too (in Spanish). 😀

Ha, I should have know to look on Wikiloc myself…I had to use it when I was in Spain last Christmas. Cheers.

so I’m not exactly stupid.

You’re not clever enough to hide your swearing a little better!

Look up Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. 😀

Don’t Terra Nova make another line of tents under the name ‘Wild Country’? They’re basically the same, slighter heavier materials are used and have sensible pegs…Field and Trek usually have the best prices on them.

Look here. They’re made by a company called Fast Suspension who are based in France.

Edit: Just remembered, Rockshox already offer somekind of Ti Nitride coating on their high end forks. Similar in colour to Kashima coat too.

Trekster – YGM

Just wondering if you’ve already done the four passes? Warnscale Beck is an itch I need to scratch sometime!

I did Whiteless last night, going up from Gasgale Gill. I’d done the descent before but not going up from Gasgale. There’s quite a bit of hike-a-bike, you say you expect that anyway. The descent is quite loose in parts and even though rocky, it’s more solid rather than boulders…it’s definitely not easy though, mainly because it’s hard to find the right line at times!
All the descents off Grizedale Pike are rideable, as is Causey Pike.
Top part of the descent.

YGM, forgot to say that the start point on the map is free parking. Can get busy but won’t be a problem early on.

Boardstupid – Have you got a GPS? If so, I can email you the best route.

At work, I used to find tools inside machinery from the hire centres. Usually Snap On stuff too. Found a few ratchets, spanners and allen keys…cheers!

alexathome – Member

What is the best method to carry a sandwich so it doesn’t get all squashed?
I find the empty boxes from Nature Valley muesli bars are good for two sandwiches.

Potatoes with salt and olive oil.
Savoury rice cakes.
Both videos by Dr. Allen Lim. His book, ‘The Feed Zone’, has some good recipes in it too.

What kind of weight are you? I could eat what you eat in a day, as a mid-morning snack, especially when biking is involved. I would say you’re eating too little, even if you weren’t commuting by bike!

You use the lock-ring that came with the cassette…the CK ones don’t come with the hubs and are extra dollar.
Beaten by seconds! 😀 I must be poor. I’ve the CK alloy one, I couldn’t justify the Ti one. 😐

I can’t understand folk who stop riding when they’ve got something coming up?!? You could be killed in a car crash or run over by a bus tomorrow. I’ve known folk stay off the bike because they’ve got a biking holiday coming up! Most of these folk have never even had bad accidents before either.
Unless you’re downhiller with no regard for your own safety, keep riding, life’s too short!