I have asked myself the same question many times as I also earn a fair bit over the nation average yet don’t feel that I could afford a new expensive car.

The question was partly answered when I re-mortgaged with FirstDirect and had a phone application where the very nice lady went over my bank acct during the process.
She was amazed that I had no bank loan, no car, loan, no lease, PCP, no maintenance, no credit card bill etc. It seems we are in a very small minority in saving up for things before we buy them (house excluded of course)

We save money every month and have a enough to live on for quite a while should something unfortunate happen – very very few people are in this situation and live month to month. If I took most of our savings and didn’t overpay the mortgage (even better switch it to I/O) then I could pay for a very expensive car.

I did the 75k and at the second feed point wished I’d done the 45 but it was the furthest point from the arena so there was no choice but to plow on.

It was of course rather warm and I struggled a bit trying to keep hydrated but we complain about the bad weather often enough so it was nice to have a cracking day.

Very well organised and great to see a real mixture of people and kids out.

I’m doing it – doing the 75k route
Driving there from Warwick on Sat morning.

Can’t decide whether to take my FS Yeti or Ti Hardtail. Nice problem to have.

Should be a fun event plus I’m picking up a new frame and bits on the way home.

He needed the support last year whereas Froome yesterday was fairly strong in keeping the Movistar pace and also dealing with GC threat rider attacks

Not disagreeing with anything you say but it could be put that Wiggo had support last year so used it. Had Porte stayed with Froome yesterday Froome would have used him.

No question that Froome looks more comfortable in the mountains and he certainly showed a lot of strength, tactical awareness and composure yesterday that Wiggins hasn’t had to show (whether he could have coped is always a matter of opinion – what isn’t is that he would have coped in the same way).

For me the most interesting and enjoyable part of the race is my 13yr old daughter asking questions and being riveted by the stage yesterday.

You can’t call Wiggins a one trick pony when he won the Tour last year.
One trick ponies win the other jerseys :-)

As Junkyard said he didn’t crack last year when he properly prepared and was ‘ready’ for the tour where Froome struggled on some stages in the Vueletta.

I agree it would have been good to see them on different teams – Roll on Tuesday.

Fair point but Wiggins rides mountains differently.
He doesn’t do the accelerations like Froome can do /respond to but last year when Nibali attacked like Quintana did, the Sky boys just kept the same tempo and rode back to him.

Froome is better suited to this years tour but I think Sky have the squad and, now, experience to win with Porte or Wiggo had Froome had an injury and wasn’t able to ride.

It’s all opinion and all that really matters is what happens tomorrow.

Back to the original Q – it’s clearly impossible to know if Froome could have won last year and whether Wiggo would have done as well this.

What is clear is that working in support of a GC contender is very different to being one. If you have a bad day as a team member it’s not the end of the world where it is as team leader.

Riders after GC need to think about tomorrow and next week when riding, need to be measured and make sure they expend the minimum effort for the days objectives.

Example A is Mr Porte. He was stellar helping Froome get into yellow and himself in second but couldn’t back it up today as he pushed so hard and didn’t recover. Froome did recover but had 2 team mates to help him for all bar the last part of the day. It would be easy to say after Saturday that he could have beaten Froome had he not held back after pacing etc but it would be wrong.

So you can’t take one days result as an indicator as to whether a ride could do better than the leader. Being a leader and winning is far more than one days ride.

It’s a team effort and it’s more realistic to say that any of Froome, Wiggo or Porte could win this years tour – but they’d approach it in different ways.

The universe has no real relationship to that equation – it doesn’t rely on it or hang together because of it.

All science is a guess, hypotheses that people come up with with a made up set of rules that we then use to try and predict what will happen.

The fact that the equations seems to predict some stuff we can measure means that we trust our lives to them.

It’s the best guess until a better one comes along.

That sounds like a plan.

Ta

Bump in case anyone else has any info.

Hmm

Mountain lions make that road loop look inviting.

I was thinking off road – I had Marin county in mind but happy to be guided.

What FuzzyWuzzy said above.

I bought some of the gore ones in his link and they are great.
Good fit, reasonable padding that doesn’t feel too think. Light material so you don’t get too hot.

Best gloves I’ve worn in a very long time.

Someone actually read it
I guess I need to edit that bit… or not

lol – it felt like you were the last one – my apologies :-)

My write up

http://ramblings.me.uk/

I enjoyed it :-)

All the important ones are working.

Full Sus – tick
Ti Hardtail – tick
Road – tick
Retro HT – tick
Pub bike – puncture
Singlespeed – not built

so 4/6

Off road on my own I take music with me.
Sometimes I listen to it sometimes not – depends on my mood.
Usually have fast paced music that makes me ride fast so if I’m feeling relaxed I like to hear what’s around.

We have just finished having our family and ensuite bathrooms re-done (both at the same time). Also had a neighbour had a bathroom done with homebase.

We looked at 2 local bathroom places who do the design, supply and fitting and decided in the end to go with a local chap who has done the project management and recommendations for plumber, electrician plasterer etc.

Neighbours had a nightmare with homebase – so many things not done right and it took an age to get it fixed. They had a like-for like refresh where we have had walls moved, lights changed etc.

Ours hasn’t been perfect but the our chap knows what we wanted and ran every decision past us. He has gone out of his way to make sure things are right. The problem is finding someone you trust who has the same view on what is an acceptable finish.

Aha – the truth of the slow laps is out.

Last year it was someone taking photos at sunset. This year it’s a team member having afternoon tea halfway round a lap.

IT’S A RACE !

:-)

and my 2p.

I think on balance Gatcombe is better than Eastnor.
The camping being tighter meant we were a lot closer to the arena. There was enough space and it was flat and nicer to camp on.

The course will always be never good enough for some people but it has to have something for everyone. Mayhem is a very inclusive event and so it has to compromise. Apart from one climb early on there better/fitter riders cleaning the climbs on every lap I rode.
I liked the slightly shorter course as is makes it easier for the more novice riders and provides more laps for those that can get round faster.
We had novice riders camping with us who found it challenging and more experienced riders who found it technically OK so had a fitness challenge.

I liked the Redbull timed section being downhill for a change and recording all through the event.

The easy/hard options were fine.

Thank goodness transition was covered.
Toilets/showers were fine from my experience

It would have been nice to have the course go through the campsite but it wasn’t possible – fair enough.

Things that need to be fixed IMO
– you can’t ban washing your own bike (which I understand) and only have 6 bays
– Not letting some stalls sell direct isn’t on if Wiggle don’t bring enough stuff to sell (But Pat needs them as a sponsor)

Overall Pat and his team need congratulating. It’s a very well run event and they need support to make sure this event stays as a regular while others cancel or take years off. It’s not an easy thing to put together and I do wish some people would quit the moaning and critisism. This is an endurance event – it’s not meant to be easy.

Well I believe they are providing the bike washing facilities at Mayhem in 2 days so if we get enough rain there will be lots of people who can provide feedback.

Mayhem has always been first come, first served – hence the reason I take a day off work to get there early to make sure we have room for the 5 teams that will be camping together.

We also tape off a largish area but with 21 people taking part that’s a lot of cars and tents.

I expect a lot of unhappy people if we have a much smaller camping area – which we have.

bordering on throwing up, at some point on most rides
Why?!!!

Usually because I’m racing onewheelgood up a climb and as he’s never beaten me on the final hill of our usual ride I feel it’s my duty as a friend to make him feel old and inadequate.

We’ve just had 2 bathrooms done and decided against the wet room approach for most of the reasons above.

We went for a large walk in shower with a sliding door which means you keep warm while showering which in winter in a wet room you won’t be.
A decent in-line extractor fan above the shower area keeps the condensation from filling the whole room so it dries quickly.

It’s a much, much better solution for a roomy shower than a wet room. You can then spend more money on a really nice shower\screen etc rather than an expensive floor.

46 here and similar to most other oldies who posted.

I usually push myself as far as I can, bordering on throwing up, at some point on most rides. Max HR I’ve seen is 192 and I usually get above 180.

The in-laws told me at the weekend that middle aged people who do that will die, ‘cos they read it in the papers, and so I shouldn’t do it.

My responses included:
– You don’t read of the thousands of similar people who push themselves and are perfectly fine.
– We all die at some point and if I croak after getting a sought after KOM then I’ll die a happy man.
– I’ve not killed myself yet

and ended with “Off on a ride now and hope to see you later”
Came back grinning like a loon.

I find a HRM useful to know when I’m ill and to check on my recovery after hill reps. Unless you have a heart defect I reckon it’s hard to kill yourself by pushing hard (ignoring taking stuff ala Tom Simpson), but don’t quote me if you succeed.

I did a PhD about 20 years ago now and had very similar first year feelings and so did a fair few of the people in our research group.

Several quit when things got tough, when they got no results, when the subject became boring, when they just got fed up with it.

I had several periods of being down the pub and riding my bike. I also had periods of doing all nighters as I was getting somewhere.

Looking back a PhD teaches you how to get through these times, how to push on and make some progress when it’s easier to run away – writing it all up is the worst part.

You need support – talk to your supervisor, take a sideways look, do something related that you can use in an introductory chapter – it will make a refreshing change from the exact stuff you’re working on but still add something so it’s not a waste of time

or

ride your bike every day for a week, 3 years is a heck of a long time so a week is nothing but if you want a doctorate you have to get over this.
For me not quitting was one of the better decisions I’ve made.

I ran Ralphs front and back for ages in all conditions and they were brilliant in all but really bad mud.

I now have gone tubeless and have one bike with Ralphs and another with Nics.
Nics are certainly draggier on the road but for me not that different in the dry. In mud they are better than Ralphs, as you’d expect.

My conclusion is either Nics or Ralphs are great do it all tyres with a large overlap of riding they work well on. Faster terrain favours the Ralphs, wetter the Nics so choose depending on what’s most likely.

I just switch bikes.

I’ve bought cheaper ones in the past and never got more than 6 months use before something broke.

Got a Park tools one now and had it 18 months and it’s still fine.

It’s not about if it cleans better, it’s about how long will it last.

I agree with a downhill finish – the last 2 years have been depressing on that front where previous years before that you would swoop down into the arena forgetting the pain and end on a high.
I got the impression that the course is sorted, so fingers crossed.

Bike washing will always be impossible when there are so many people needing/wanting to clean their bikes.

Given the likelihood of rain, the handover area should be covered. In the middle of the night in wind/rain it’s not great to have no cover.
Equally if it’s hot you need shade.

The arena layout should make sure that riders have to go past all the stands to get to the handover area – last year did this but previous years must have been maddening for those stands where no-one rode past.

You’d be better off hitting fewer places and riding more IMO.

Picking the best is very subjective, but the best I’ve ridden would include The Beast.

I’d have thought the range of possible costs is going to be very wide for such brief descriptions and on your preference for quality.
We are currently having our bathrooms done and the labour quotes alone differ by 100%.
Choice of materials and finish can alter the costs dramatically as well so your real world may be totally different to other peoples.

We spent ages researching all the changes we’ve had done and ended up doing half as much as we were going to to get the best/reliable tradesmen and decent materials.

Persuade him that he needs a HT and he will get a better bike that will need less maintenance.

If it’s CTW then he’s unlikely to be able to buy from Pauls (which do great deals) If he has to have a FS then I’d get the Boardman – very hard to beat in terms of value for a current year model.

I was there doing my first solo after 2 years in pairs.

Cracking event, the course was great, very well organised as usual and perfect weather.
The last lap hurt but it was very enjoyable.

thanks to Pat and his team (and the singletrack people) and lets hope he can attract some sponsorship for next year – count me in.

I always wear a helmet as does my wife and daughter – even if it’s just her riding around the pavement outside the house.

No helmet, no riding.

My Honda Accord takes a frame sideways so you can put 3 bikes in the boot without lowering the seats. If there are 3 people I’d drop the 30% seat and use it for bags.

I don’t but am seriously thinking about it.
I use it quite a lot but it’s a bit too much for features I don’t really need.

I want to support them buy paying but can’t quite justify it.

I think weight does matter when you compare a 32lb bike with one 10 lbs lighter.

a pound or 2 makes little real difference.
What makes a bike too light or too heavy is dependent on budget and what you want to do with it. Too heavy for a race XC machine is 25lbs, too light for a DH moster is 25lbs.

My Yeti is a smidge over 25lbs

I have a KCNC SC Wing stem – 80mm on my Ti hardtail. The whole cockpit is KCKC.

Stiffness is fine and every so often I get a slight creak but I’ve not died using it in the past couple of years and if you’re a weight weenie it’s hard to get better value.

Depends what criteria make it the best…

I have a 56 plate Honda Accord estate.
That model has the biggest estate boot, it’s very comfy and as it’s a Honda it won’t go wrong.

It’s not a sports car but it’s also not slow.
I had a towbar fitted so it can take 4 people, plus bikes plus kit.
Seats fold to almost flat in one move so it’s easy to put more stuff in.

When I replace it I’m getting another.