Bump 🙂

Everything is relative! Its lighter than what I ride now, its heavier than my carbon road bike. 🙂

You need to make sure all your bikes fit you, no matter what their job, and then this problem will go away. I suppose. I don’t have this problem, as long as I use the bikes for their intended purpose. They are all very different.

Take your bike, fit some new 160mm travel RS Pikes which will make you never want to put the Fox rubbish back on ever again, and then hire a DH bike for a day to blast DH trails with your mates before going off exploring and having a much nicer time… 🙂

The good dreams to defeat the bad dreams is a good one, it worked fairly well with our eldest lad who has a vivid / annoying imagination! Add a comedy twist to his bad dream story line, to give him funny mental images to defeat the bad ones… good luck! Its gets better after a bit anyway IME.

Might be worth looking at Avoriaz? Everything on your door step once there including indoor pool etc. Not chalet accomodation though…

We will probably have a Capon – nicer than turkey and a more manageble size.

Mrs Ddmonkey watching Eastenders is what gets me into the garage in the cold to fiddle with my bikes.

Must dash – Mrs ddmonkey has got a Yoga class tonight 🙂

I am guilty of using the term “asking for permission” when what I really mean is checking if its a problem or clashes with something, I think its a turn of phrase for most rather than being literal.

David you speak with the least technically capable person in the free world – If I can break it trying to fix it I will. But you are right, I’ll confirm the issue with Windwave and then fix it as they advise, I hate working on forks though as I never have the right tools, the time or a clean workspace to get things done well. I’m sure a LBS will be able to sort me out in jiffy if I know what I need doing and its not just a fork adj.

Hmm doesn’t sound good – especially as brand new! I’ll contact Windwave direct, cheers all.

Cheers Mr Blobby – I need to re-read that Chris Bonnigton book on his Annapurna ascent, it was gripping.

Wow those stats are interesting:

Everest up to 2007 – 3000 summits and approx 200 deaths
K2 up to 2008 – 300 summits and 77 deaths!

I knew K2 was harder and more dangerous than Everest but I didn’t realise how much more dangerous.

There have been a couple of bad years on Everest since those stats finish so the numbers will have risen a fair bit since then.

A trip to the Alps may help with the speed thing as well? Bigger faster tracks are a good way to alter your perception of what feels fast and what looks difficult. Plus you will do so much more riding in the time available that you would at home.

I think that your body position on the bike is key in acheiving some of the things described above – drop your heels, get low over the bike (elbows up, arse sticking out) and get your head up. Then try to make your arms and legs track every undulation in the terrain, pump everything as you go and focus on flow (slow in fast out type stuff). Really let the bike move around underneath you and keep your upper body and head as still as you can.

You will start to go faster as you pump everything, I don’t agree with the “let the bike clatter through stuff” comments above your body has far more suspension travel in it that the bike – thats where the speed comes from.

In terms of rescues – Touching the Void shows how it can and can’t be done all at the same time I think.

And one guy who was left for dead for hours and hours was then rescued in Into Thin Air.

Red Bull don’t seem to think so – great live coverage of the World Cups this year.

I am very interested in this, two excellent reads: Annapurna South Face by Chris Bonnington gives a real insight into just how bloody hard it is to operate at altitude and made me think there is no way I would ever want to try.

Into Thin Air gives a great insight into why things go wrong on Everest and makes the point about high acheiver type people who are used to calling the shots and getting their own way and have a sense of entitlement because they have paid lots of money, and the clash with the more timid Sherpa’s who may say “you are going too slow you should turn around” but get ignored or don’t feel able to be more assertive. Also the numbing effect of altitude and exhaustion upon the mind and ability to make rational decisions.

Either way – you wouldn’t catch me going up Everest.

Depends how many kids you (or more accurately your SO)are planning on having, we now have 3 boys and even Mrs Ddmonkey has had to admit that I was right all along and a VW T5 is the only way forward 🙂

Nothing inherently wrong with an Inbred but are you comparing an apple with a banana? Set up which inspires confidence will make you ride better every time.

I have a set of both Flow and Arch EX, both running Maxxis Ardent 2.4 tyres – ride both fairly hard and I have had no problems with either so far, I am sure that Arch EX are fine for all-around use.

Try Ride Morzine as well they should be able to sort you out.

It all seems a bit sad and pointless, a bit of a waste really. People die trying to summit other peaks of course but everything I read about the climbing season on Everest these days makes it sound like a zoo and another disaster waiting to happen.

Californians, or Spaniards. They have that really nice dry powdery mud.

go boom titty boom titty boom titty boom?

Well Goodness Gracious Me!

You have to treat it as a fun day out in the mountains instead of a race or a quest for the best tracks ever and then you enjoy it. If you are just after the best riding you can find or going as fast as you can then avoid it as it will annoy you, you are better off just riding what you want on a less busy weekend.

I have had a couple of pairs and I think tey have lasted very well, several years. The older pair is a bit tatty now, rubber coming away on top of the toes on one. Otherwise they are pretty well put together.

Its a fun MTB event, you’ll see a lot of the Portes Du Soleil, you’ll see some lift queues and either hold some people up on the trails or be held up on the trails depending on how fast you ride. If the weather is good its a great fun day. Beware the angry Swiss farmer near Champery, he fired a rocket a me once…

I agree with the earphone comment – you need to engage with your surroundings as much as possible, situational awareness. Playing music in your ears is dulling one on your key senses.

OK thanks for that – they are still in the pics on the SDG website. Perhaps the Snow Camo / Black one is the better option. I have owned one the past and really liked it but as you say does get a bit soggy in the wet. Fun though. 🙂

I came within a couple of feet of going over a cliff in the Himalaya’s in the back of a lorry when I was 22. The lorry crashed and rolled onto its side right on the edge of a 200ft drop into a big river at about 14,000ft in the mountains. Genuinely thought I was going to die for a few seconds. That changed my outlook on life quite a lot.

“Devil Drug Monkey!” From the Sun… 🙂

Bump. Anyone?

Yes – I find a nice stem just sitting there is a real tempter….

The difference between someone who is a good car / bike / other vehicle handler and a someone who is a top racer is amazing, its a mindset thing as well as a skill set thing I think. Being able to push speed to the limit but not over the limit, particularly on variable surfaces is a real art, totally different from being able to do tricks or stunts.

Its been nice to see Kubica do so well in the WRC tier 2 class and get some top 10 placings overall, given that he will never be able to get a F1 drive again, he clearly loves rallying and is a bit better at it that Kimi 🙂

IMHO its better to ease off the front brake in steep rough stuff, so the fork is diving less and your weight is not being pitched forward. Obviously if you have to stop the using the front and rear brake 50:50 should be fine.

In order to get more comfortable with the front brake try doing endos or stoppies on the flat and also try rolling down a steep bank as slowly as you can without locking the wheels – you’ll be amazed how slowly you an go down really steep slopes if your weight is well back.

The main stopping power will come from the front brake generally in all situations as that is where the load and therefore the grip is. You will only go over the bars if you lock it up…

“bollocks tits and arse and peacocks on the roof”

Sounds like a great party even if it is 67m below sea level.

I’ll have to pluck up some courage and have go this winter once the bikes are packed away and the snowboards have come out 🙂

Do it! Even the most rubbish day at work can be made slightly worthwhile with a bit of a bike ride. I now do about 100 miles a week commuting by bike whatever the weather and its made a huge difference to my general well being. I used to be stuck on train and tube and that was grim. No decent shower facilities at my work so I try to under dress where possible and have clean trousers & shirt to wear at work. The worst days are warm wet ones, I prefer to get wet from the outside than the inside generally but its not ideal on the way into the office. But never a big problem.