I’ll be up for joining the fun. Not sure what bike I will be on, depends on a warranty claim I am trying to get resolved.

Swines the lot of ’em – The bridlways near me have all been destryoed this winter by ‘crossers, enduros and bloody ‘green laners’ in huge 4×4’s. They all know they shouldn’t be using them and as a result you can’t even walk them now let alone ride them.

Police/local authorities couldn’t be less interested. I think ^Harry’s suggestion may be the only way forward.

Rant over – Thanks for listening, I feel marginally better 🙂

@mboy – I have a 2007 Reign X0 and love it. The biggest problem I am going to have is finding a bike I like more to replace it with at some point.

I find I like the shock on the squishy side (plenty of sag) as the bike seems more planted. Oh, and turn off the pro-pedal. no need for that as the Maestro does a top job on it’s own. I have some ‘zocchis on the front of mine so can’t advise you on fork set-up.

The only negative I have about the bike is that the BB height is very low so careful pedalling is required. Other than that it’s the mutts.

Enjoy!

Lyme is not pleasant. Early diagnosis and treatment are paramount. I had to fight for it as my GP at the time was utterly dismissive.

I had the bullseye rash around 4 bite sites on my legs. I had pretty much every symptom going, I lost nearly 3 months of my life. After being admitted to hospital with a temperature of 41C I finally persueded them to treat for Lyme disease and made a slow recovery. I had several tests for Lyme disease and none of them showed positive. The test used to detect the disease in the UK is notoriously innaccurate.

That was back in 2007. I am convinced that I still suffer from the after effects of contracting Lyme. I never used to get ill and I seem to pick up every cold going and get hit hard by it. I also suffer from occasional joint pain which I never used to.

This was my experience anyway. YMMV. DEET all the way for me these days.

@righty – Nice link mate. As a super cheapskate I am going to have to try the super ghetto method now. Have you used it yourself? Does it work well in your experience?

My Giant Reign X is called “Lucille” – Same reason BB King gave that name to his guitar.

Why would i want to? Erm… Pass. Mate of mine is obsessed with buying british hence the question.

Happy with british design and company as manufacture would be a very tall order.
Good point about tyres. DMR or halo maybe?

@TJ – I am not saying that If I had taken them around Sherwood Pines a couple of times before they were 1yo that they would definitely have suffered any ill effects. I just wasn’t prepared to take the risk and was happy to wait until I felt that any risk was negligible. Even at a later stage my eldest wasn’t happy about the ride in the trailer saying he didn’t like the shaking.

That said, the Chariot trailer equipped with suspension that jms mentions sounds like a great piece of kit. My trailer is crap and has none.

Mine are both beyond trailers now though. My 4yo rides better than I do and can’t wait to get his hands on a DH bike.

I didn’t take either of my boys out in a trailer until they were at least 1yo. There is plenty of evidence out there to suggest that below that age the potental shaking/vibration is not good for them both physically (spine/neck injury as their muscles are so weak) and neurologically (shaken baby syndrome – possibly causing brain damage).

Not worth the risk IMO.

I can see I am going to have to arrange to visit the mother-in-law again soon. Sounds like you lot had a blast at the weekend. I was out in Sherwood Pines where it never got aboove -2C on Saturday morning.

Get a Middleburn 🙂

Kriega Hydro3. I have one and it is an amazing piece of kit. Currently on sale at CRC.

20 minutes ago. Chilly out there!

Recently: Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Mieville. Both are amazing.

Currently: The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks. The second book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy.

Mine says 17.1m but i forgot to turn it off so it includes the drive home to bracknell 🙂

Im 3 weeks into beard growth but will definitely keep it going now 🙂

What an amazing last ride of the year?! Great weather, trails and people. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to hook up with some of you again next time I am visiting the mother in law. If any of you find yourself up near Sherwood Pines please give me a shout. Great to meet you all, have a superb new year!
daim

Everyone is welcome dobo. The more the merrier i reckon. I am meeting atlaz at 9am everyone else is meeting at 9:45.

So apart from me, atlaz, forge197 and cinnamon_girl who else is confirmed? Oh and atlaz i have lost your mobile number 🙁

Phew! Social pace suits me 🙂 See you tomorrow morning!

@atlaz – Top banana 🙂 See you at 9am. We can pick the others up later.

Weather looking gravy at the moment as well. I’m riding Sherwood Pines again (very early) tomorrow morning so off to bed now.

I will be the chunky fella on a gold Giant Reign X. Meeting Atlaz at 9am (assuming he still wants to meet at that time) so will be going out for a quick pootle about and then back to the carpark for 9:45 to pick up forge197 and anyone else who fancies tagging along.

I hope nobody expects any speed from me as my bike is heavy, I have flat pedals on it and I feel like I have gained about 20 stone over the Christmas period. Looking forward to it anyway 🙂

I have a Reign X and the only bike I would consider as an alternative to it would be a Reign. Awesome bikes. Maestro pedals superbly uphill and the bike is a demon downhill. I have done a 12h enduro on my Reign X – bit heavy tbh but doable. A normal Reign would be great. I am 6′ exactly and my Reign X is a Large. The medium would definitely be too small for me as the large fits like a glove.

Daim

I’m using the Goodridge sealed ones in bling-bling white. They are superb. Shifting is silky smooth.

Mine was a nightmare to get off. Used an 11mm hex key in through the drive side attached to a breaker bar. Mate of mine held the wheel while I swung from the breaker bar. Took ages to free but it finally loosened with a very loud “crack!” Spray some WD40 in there to help it out.

Good luck! Thread is normal (Anti-clockwise removal from drive side.)

Sorry. I thought this thread was about LED ashtrays.

I’ll get my coat.