Come on – You know you love a 26″ steel hardtail!

Hello.

I’m local round here.

Climachx and the Dyfi Forest in general has a wide range of singletrack, from fun and flowy to full-on hardcore. If you’ve come from trail centres, expect to find it rocky and slippery in the wet, as this is slate country! Each climb is 250-300m. Phone signal in the forest is poor, so don’t expect all mobile apps to work.

The Mach Trails are old-skool XC trails (now known as Epic, Backcountry, Adventure…) taking in vast views and landscapes. They are not technical in the modern sense, but If you know how, they can be linked all the way to Nant Y Arian making a great day out.

Useful links are:

http://www.Dyfimountainbiking.org.uk – maps and info for DIYers

Trail Forks – more of the off-piste stuff.

Facebook: Climachx Trail Page and Dyfi Mountain Biking Group for all your questions.

http://www.bikecorris.co.uk – for a guided weekend.

One Planet Llandegla had a cracking deal on an alu TR recently, I was tron between buying the TR or my Yeti. Give them a call, they may still have it.

Not any more. I bought it a month ago and can say I completely agree with all the above. Very stiff, very capable and above all, very fun. I changed the spec a little (1×10, Reverb, lock on grips), but otherwise it’s stock.

For reference, I’m 6′ tall and the Large is perfect fit.

If you’re in the market for a 5″ travel do-it-all bike, I would recommend one.

I roll on Continental Alpins in the winter. Very good tyres and noticeably better in the wet as well as cold.

Would recommend getting a whole set fitted, as different tyres / grip levels front to rear my result in premature locking of the rear wheels, so the ABS would kick earlier than necessary.

Start with the blue and work up.
Wear a full face helmet.
Pump your tyres up hard.
Make motorbike noises.
Enjoy it!

Don’t worry about the bike.

@dti.

I live near Aran Fawddwy and have planned a route. It will involve carrying, bogs and pain, but might result in a 7km descent.

Are you local enough to come try it?

Yes- They’re great. I still have some bought from Denbigh about ten years ago, and other than the barbed wire snags, they’re still dry.

Sue – I would offer to show you around, but I’m just packing up and getting ready to leave Conwy.

I don’t know what’s on your doorstep from Deganwy, but Conwy Mountain has all the wide tracks Mr Barnes has shown, plus much much more… You can make loops from 1h to 3h+ depending on what you include. The Fairy Glen pub does a nice pint too.

For winter, Marin is about 30 mins south, Penmacho (if you must), about 45 mins.

For Real Mountains (TM!), head west and UP from Aber to Drum and beyond.

To eat, Bisto Bach inside the town walls is great. As is the chippy!

Croeso!

Read up on the company. Learn what they do and where they're looking to expand.
Be interested in the technology/processes you'll be working on and ask technical (but not overly geeky) questions.
If you're moving work area, or stepping up, explain why you're doing so and how your current skills set will be useful now and to build upon.
Talk to them as people. How do they engage in conversation?
Use the opportunity to judge the company. Are there many stupid ties, do they have adequate hot beverage facilities, do people actually talk to each other!?

I've just been through this process, so good luck.

Back to the original question:

Yes, it's well worth doing. Go up the Snowdon path (roughly following the railway). Either come back down that way, or If you want more technicality choose between the Ranger or Rhyd Ddu. The Ranger is superb, but I'm yet to ride Rhyd Ddu.

Remember to plan for the weather. Take plenty of extra clothes and water proofs. It will be 10deg C cooler at the summit than in Llanberis. It will also be windy and probably raining. Oh, and although the guy in the photo looks like he's dressed for and having a nice XC ride, it IS steep and rocky. He's just a bit good.

Enjoy!

If you like the above, give Show Of Hands a look.

They blend folk, blues, rock, and roots with amusing and contemporary lyrics.

Seen them twice and can highly recommend

Have you thought of B&Bing it?

Cream teas and no armour? I'd try the Quantocks.

I had an Attack Trail.

I attacked. It failed.

Ho hum

This is an interesting topic, and one well addressed by DaveA in last month's magazine. However, before we all build the barricades and burn The Man, it's worth looking at how the similar River Access campaign in Wales is running.

http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64947

In a word, badly. This attempt at opening up access for all has resulted in the recommendation of costly kayak licenses, but no promise of extra waterways to use them on.

Image that applied to cycles? By going above the radar we'd be playing straight into the hands of the Daily Mail / Jemery Vine "Tax and plate all bikes" posse.

Perhaps a larger scale Kinder Scout movement would gain attention…

2nd the Octavia 4×4. Used one when working in Scotland and it's surprisingly capable off road, handles well on the road and never dropped below 45mpg.

I've got a 2.0 Vivaro. It's my 5th van, and I'm very impressed. Good power nice and low, tidy handling and reasonable mpg (av 33 in a hi top).

My only caution with that particular layout is that pedals will destroy your kitchen and seat in a very short time. Also, it looks like you'll struggle to get more than 2 bikes in, and when they are in, you can't sit in the back and have a brew!

I prefer a separate "bike garage" across the back, leaving the mid camper-van section relatively mud free.

For that price it looks good value, and you can always move the interior around if you need to.

Earl. Yes, she's right. A few years ago when an uncle crashed his car, his chainsaw left the hatchback boot through the windscreen.

This is why almost all trade vans have bulkheads.

Most modern estates have lashing eyes, which I would use for securing anything loose, especially heavy.

Alright mate,

I'm busy Saturday, but Friday sounds good. Drop me an email on dvevans2003 [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk and we can arrange something.

Hope this weather clears up by then!

I’ve just returned a T5 174bhp and am about to buy a replacement. The T5 did about 33mpg on average, dipping under 30 on a brisk run. Front tyres lasted 20k. Servicing was on the company, but the light came on every 14k miles (so ignore the claims of 20k intervals, even on synthetic oil).

It was amazingly fast, but I’m going to try a Trafic before buying my next wheels.

To help with the original question:

“Am loving hardtails but fancy something a bit quicker on the downs.
However, it also needs to go up!”

If you love hardtails, I’d say forget 150mm travel as 4 inches is the new six. Try an Orange ST4 or Cannondale Rise/Rush with nice wheels and as good a build as you can go. Should see 25lbs of very fast ride for that.

It sure is good stuff. Where’d you buy it from?

I’ve had some Thor Summer MX gloves for the last year. Good fit, breathable and sturdy.

Can’t point you to a supplier as I bought ’em overseas, sorry.

Twiglet Monster- Maud is fantastic!

Here’s my “chipshop-optimised” ride

Rat-Look Marin

Shonky chain tensioner, now with Jubilee-Clip Adjustability (TM)

Just need some brown bar tape and a carrier to complete her

Sandwich – thanks for maintaining the legendary STW pedantry standards. I could counter that its appetite for front tyres did affect grip… ;)

But, yes, traction is the issue. Grip is fine, even in the wet, unless you do something really, really stupid.

I’m liking the choppers.

I reckon a cool bike either looks like has been, or is about to be, ridden right into the ground!

My Rat-Look Marin

Not driven the Merc, but have run a T5 174 for 12 months and 28k miles. It simply rocks.

Handles like a mediocre car, but has hyperdrive acceleration, especially at the top end and a great 5 cylinder sound. Mine’s a workvan, not a Sportline, so makes an excellent hustler! Fuel averages 33mpg, but not <29 even on a fast Scotland-Wales run. Front tyres lasted 22k. If you can find one, try a 4motion as grip in the wet is the only vice I can think of.

Whistler, Verbier, Les Gets, Nepal. I have a teleporter.

2nd the Castle Inn, but remember it’s about 20mins out from Brecon. If you’re feeling flush, try the Griffin Felinfach. You won’t be disapointed.

If the owner’s a Welshman, I assume you’re talking about Innerleithen. Never stayed in the cottages, but the hotel is top notch with great beer and live music on Thursdays. The bike shop nextdoor is ace, too.

Love the shoulder carry shot. That’s real biking!

Any Alfa V6?

Big, leather lined 166?

Or 80’s ugly 75?

Just got some raceface baggies that might fit the bill. They’re not lycra, but neither do the flap about. Some kind of stretchy fabric. Definitely the right size too.

Very impressed with my Soul. Medium with 65mm stem makes for lively handling, but still climbs well.

Sigma again

Enjoy gittin down and dirty

Had one for a few years and find the “hump” gets too big when it’s full. Would rather a wider but lower profile bag.

Condolences

Rode one the other weekend and loved it. Happy shopping!

Bad luck. Just sold an scruffy but functional Kona for that sort of cash. Keep asking, there’s plenty of bikes out there too old for fashion but not “classic”. Check Adtrader.

Just make sure you keep driving past Cadair, Elan Valley and the Beacons. They’re all crap.