I was there last weekend. Skyline open until just after On the Edge. Then well signposted (and rocky) route back to Deadwood to the end. The Wall is open with some small closures (mainly 323 section). Whites level climb is open with a very minor diversion after the first main section of the climb (this is very muddy so take care). At the top of Whites climb – black run all open. Windy point and Energy are open. Goodwood and Darkside are both closed. The Whites level run ultimately stops at the end of energy then there is a big slog up past the black run, past the end of the whites level climb and then joins Deadwood on Skyline and finishes with Peregrine Ridge and Jetlag. Hope this makes sense. Still a heck of a lot of good riding. Check the video I made of last weekend here: Afan Sep 2012

Met this woman, have no idea what her job was, she gave me a lecture about stopping or cutting down on burgers,and fast food(i dont eat them), cut down on alchol (last drink of alchol was 1993), then she shoved me a pretty plastic plate, with nice icture of cabbage and other greens on it, and gabve me another chat about portion size etc.

This is the NHS dietician. Nice people. Most of their advice is OK for the average person. Personally, I got myself a sports nutritionalist who know about Diabetes. What a difference! I am outperforming all my mates whereas before I was lagging behind. Don’t get any of the post ride issues in terms of abnormal lows/highs. Also, check out US Diabetic dietry advice. Way more advanced than the UK/NHS. Cutting down on the refined Carbs is the way to go….

I’ve been type 1 for years (now 46) and just did two days in Afan MTB’ing nearly 60 miles of singletrack. And I eat cake – but only when I MTB. Get some advice on what you have – there are so many symptoms that may (and may not) be related to Diabetes. I moved away from my GP for diabetic care (now under Kings) as the GPs are too – as the name would suggest – general. But being a diabetic is not the end of the world.

Well – report back from the weekend in Afan and I can honestly say that it is well worth the trip.

Day 1 – 44 miles. Started with YWal climb. Then across W2 link and climbed the fireroad back to the top of the Whites Climb/Black Run start. Hit Skyline and followed – without diversions – to ‘on the edge’. Then really skittish diversion back down some super rocky sections to end up at Deadwood, Peregrine Ridge and JetLag – all running well and super technical. Coffee and Cake in Skyline Cafe then Whites level climb, windy point, W2 back to yWal. Note that 323 section is closed but everything else is running super.

Day 2 – 15 miles. Whites level climb, then down windy point to Energy, which is open and running well. Goodwood and Darkside closed due to Forestry Commission Wales work on Larch Disease. Big slog up to the Black Run then slog up again to the start of Deadwood and back round the end of Skyline again.

All in all, still really super trails, still worth a visit. Saturday was warm (t-shirt weather all day) and Sunday was cold, wet and grey. Typical autumn weather in Wales really.

On the trail closures, these are not as bad as some comments have mentioned. Diversions are really clear and well marked. The local businesses really need MTB support (they don’t get much from the forestry commission it would seem). The main reason for the closures is Ramorum, a pretty bad fungal disease that effects the Larch woodland in not just this part of Wales but all over the UK. 600,000 trees have been felled so far and the disease is believed to be ‘under control’ but it can be transferred elsewhere quite easily (think of it as a Larch tree equivalent of foot and mouth so wash your bikes!). So credit where credit is due, at least the majority of the trails are open and when you see some sections of the trails (e.g. Darkside – now to be rechristened Lightside!) the impact of removing all of the Larch is pretty alarming.

Well – I’m going to ride it and will probably do a gopro vid as well – will post here in a couple of weeks!

Hang on – there must be some corners cos we went out and came back via different routes so we must have made a few left and right turns along the way! Guess I didn’t catch those particular bits on camera……. :lol:

I nightride all year round – mainly due to work!!!

Cool! Cheers for the info……

No – I straightened them all out so I could go faster! :D

Not me – after looking into the issue – it is down to the music and the restriction that YouTube then put onto the video. Something to do with syndication – which I can’t change – unless someone knows how to do this (the option to make it available is not on the advanced settings on video editor btw)…….

I have the Shimano winter boots and they are fine. Never had a problem and kept the toes toasty on one -11 Sunday am ride. Bought off Merlin and got a good deal.

I’m still going to make the trip – B&B was all booked and W2 looks like it could still make a good ride. Possibly do Sat in Afan (sounds like we could do the whole list of open trails) and possible Cwm Carn on the way back on Sunday. I have not ridden Skyline before – but have done the others a few times. Even so, trying to understand the (hand drawn) diversions on the web-site is challenging to know what is rideable and what is not. Also, some of the diversions looked like they were in place for a short period of time but are taking months/years longer than was originally anticipated. :?

Didn’t break my bars but broke my Easton EA70 stem – lengthways! Thought my grips had worn loose until I realised my stem was just about holding my bars in place.

Cheers for the update guys. Might have to do a combined W2/Whites/Skyline combo by the sound of it. :D

Have the shimano boots and never had a problem with them (including no water running down into them). Overshoes – great on the road but rubbish off road, particularly when you have to get off and trudge through a swamp!

Yeti ASR – once ridden you will never go back….

If you are stuck for ideas to do – this is a quick vid I put together from my trip to Cornwall in April this year…

Cornwall 2012

Cardinham has some good stuff – also Bishops Woods and Hustyns woods near Wadebridge (just off the Camel Trail between Wadebridge and Bodmin).

… but once the tour is over – let’s get back to MTB stuff. Either that or show me some pictures of a roadie on a road bike doing singletrack downhills…….!!!!

Cause there’s a Brit with a yellow jersey on? I am an ex-Roadie but I have yet to be completely expired of roadie ways – so whilst I may ride the muddy trails I do follow the yellow, green, white and polka dot avidly. Damn – it’s hard to give up and, let’s face it, a bike is a bike…..

Fully interchangeable – I just add a pair of baggies over the top……

Bib and tucker – once you have pee’d!

if you know where to look and how to look there are videos available….

You need something to watch – I am watching breakfast TV and re-runs of The Professionals on Freeview – it’s like watching paint dry! :-)

Sorry – but my ‘stealth’ black with some white bit Yeti ASR is the prettiest thing I have seen……

I’m doing 30 mins on the turbo every morning before breakfast as part of a fat reduction regime. I wasn’t particularly overweight but have managed to shift pounds by just sticking to 30 mins a day and then doing some big rides at weekends on the MTB. I am amazed at how much more energy I have on the bike since doing this (been going 6 months)and getting up hills has become much easier. But I have to say that investing in one of those sweat catchers was the best investment made!

I ride the Osprey Raptor – switched from a Source Freeride (not sure if they make these any more). Both are great but if I am out for just a quick run – 1-3 hours – I tend to do the roadie thing of stuffing things in my pockets on the back of my top. I seemed to be getting more an more stuff in my backpack and it became a real dead weight. The freedom afforded by just having a water bottle, spare tube, pump, gel and patches was amazing.

Because my son wrote this poem when he was 11:

“It was Sunday Morning
My Dad woke me up
We were going on a bike ride
I got my bike out and my drink out
It was a bright red sky
It looked like the sun was bleeding
Then my Dad and I set off
We got to the woods and there was a big hill
We were at the top
Just before we went down we saw a bunny hop
We went down very fast
It was cool having the wind in my hair
It was like flying
We got to the bottom in seconds
What a rush
We cycled off into the sunlight
Me and my Dad,,,riding,,,riding…..”

Don’t think I could have put it any better – priceless!

Sounds so simple! I know it is – just need to apply the same rigour to my diet as I do to my training / Bike Maintenance. I did Dafne so I just need to stick to it…….probably my eyes are bigger than my – nope – scratch that – my stomach is bigger!!! Next weigh in – pre-xmas……

Another big question I have for Type 1’s is how do you manage your weight with all of the carb inputs/outputs and insulin you have to contend with when exercising. I am not dramatically overweight but I do not feel that I am at my optimum riding weight (5’10 – 12.5stones in old money – would like to be 12stones or less). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks everyone – some really good advice here. Good to see that there are others doing their bit to control this condition rather than the condition control them. This has always been my philosophy but I do know that when out on a super long ride – Type 1 Diabetes has a habit of kicking you when you least expect it (e.g. Snow riding around the North downs last winter – I hit the wall big time!). I now know that the extreme cold impacts me. If there are other pieces of advice – please keep them coming in – I am sure it is all good and will help, even though we all react in different ways to excercise/heat/stress, etc.

Yes and No.

My ration is about 2.5 to every 10g of carb, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The impact of cycling seems to be quite big in terms of how I might need to adjust and there doesn’t seem to be a rule of thumb that I can get to work – but it does look like more trial and error then. Does anyone experience an ‘afterburn’ – i.e. the ride still has an impact on post ride ratios?

Jelly Babies – great idea. I am cutting insulin but do you use any formula here (e.g. out for an hour – drop by x; out for 3 hours – drop by y)?

On the bridleways around my area we need to give way to walkers and horses if you are on a bike. So unless you ride a ‘bike only’ trail (which still doesn’t stop some numpty walking up it) we are the lowest level of acceptance on any right of way. Cars/Motorbikes/Buses/Taxis get the roads. Walkers get the footpaths/bridleways/etc. Horses get the bridleways. We get Bridleways and have to give way to walkers anyway. I met an Major type on a bridleway recently, map on string round neck, walking poles – shouted at his wife to stand her ground when they saw me approaching (which was not very fast) and linked arms across the not very wide trail. Damn it – when are we going to get a voice and raise our standing on some form of right of way above other users!! And don’t even get me started on pathetic cycle lanes on roads!!!! Most of them are useless and downright dangerous anyway……..Lots of walkers on bridleways today. Out in droves. I sometimes long for the bad weather so that there are less walkers out there. OK – Rant Off.

Went out before seeing the 6NM torque! Oh well – bike worked well – nice downhills and no loss of confidence. If the other bolts are too tight I might contact hope and see if I can get as lucky as Mr 5 0’s mate…..

BB is quite high on a Stiffee.
And this would be a problem because…..?
Because it was on the Prince Albert? (and the stiffee is higher)

Oh – OK. Doesn’t pose a problem for me though but if it is for you then maybe the Stiffee is not the best option….

BB is quite high on a Stiffee.

And this would be a problem because…..?

Great advice – thanks. It is the 6 bolt version – will take it out tomorrow. Seeing Peaty’s bolts missing on a downhill rig has given me a bit more confidence. If another goes then definitely a call to Hope.
Cheers…..

Why not go for the Cove Stiffee – 140mm Fork and really hardcore. I took it to Afan and it was really great fun. Classed as a Freeride frame – but I use it as my winter bike – XC, Dirt Track, Epics, it does it all. If you like the Handjob – then the Stiffee would be the logical choice!