I got my oldest a Halfords special for 100 down from 160 for his 12th last new year. I didn't think he would be brave enough to hit the skate park seeing as it's a teenager hang out. The stickers were ripped off and replaced and we've done a few upgrades. He does all manner of tricks now and the kids call him Dave Mirra who I think is a good BMXer. Needless to say there will be a new betterer and more expensive one along this birthday but it's money well spent I think. Of course he wanted an all singing and all dancing one to start off but I told him that he could just put up with the Halfords thing until he could out ride it. That only took about 3 months. I'm glad it went that way because it could have been an expensive garage ornament.

AJ that frequents this forum is a guide working around Aviemore/Cairngorms area. Haven't seen him post for a while though.

Pete Doherty's Babyshambles at T in the Park 2-3 years ago. Complete w'nk. Overhyped druggie waste of space. Had to leave after the 3rd song I couldn't bear it anymore. Shame cos I actually liked one or two of his songs.

Do you know I have never considered Laggan as a night ride but I really fancy it now. I will be teeing that up very soon now.

I'd be up for something at that time, one if not both days.

+1 for swampies. Great on wet roots and I humbled far better riders in the snow last year. You'll get fit with them on too!

Tempted mate but not quite ready for that yet. I'll accumulate smartie points till I'm fit and blow them then. Mind you after getting pished watching MacFloyd last weekend and then pisheder watching the cult in Embra on wed I think I'm probably in negative equity to start with.

Dave, as long as you've got the order and don't sell out!

Swavis, Hot orange summer season. I've become a slut for them. Good luck at Relentless24.

Swayndo, Pulled a calf muscle playing rugby 4 weeks ago so not up to anything more than a blast round the woods at the mo. Was at docs today. Good news is my achilles is ok, the bad news is it'll be another 8 weeks before I'm back to normal. What you got in mind?

kukuruza – get your own lines!

yet to see an LED setup which compares to my L&M ARC

These are the HIDs to which I referred. All replaced by either AyUps or DX lights now.

Ladyhill in Elgin. 30m vertical of bone shaking, filling rattling, uneven and mismatched steps and stairs. Might headcam this weekend if I remember, been meaning to do that for a while.

Was just about to say. We do club rides twice a week at night and there used to be a dominance of HIDs. Once the Hope4s and Ay Ups started appearing the HIDs were starting to be outclassed in both performance and practicality and faff factor. I don't think anyone uses them anymore. The last time I saw one it died mid ride and couldn't be resurrected even after multiple battery changes. So, in answer to the original question – YES!

stick to carn ban more route! only real worthwhile descent up there after doing that climb!

There are people who, if you meet them up there, act all shifty and then disappear once you go down the CBM descent. Further invest has revealed 2 descents that are supposedly up there with it. I have yet to find someone who will show me them. looked quite snowy up there as I passed today.

No reason why you couldn't do the Southern one – it is actually a path on the ground and not a figment of OS imagination.

Made a point of finding it last time I was up. It's more of a grassy clearing than a track and didn't look much fun at all compared to the other path. No brainer.

I got a last year model Altura Night Vision for just over 40 on ebay. Like it so far but haven't had a really wet ride to test it yet.

TLR – it's the climb up Ben Aigan. October last year with Chipbutty of this parish.
2nd one is top of Glen Feshie before you head back down through Inshriach and Bhadan Dubh.

Yowsers! It's gonna have Hope M4s and 180/203 floating rotors but otherwise it will look something similar. All I need is a seat clamp and some lock ons and I think I have everything – except the frame of course. Ta for that, looks good and you must be really really bored!

There is a cold front slowly making its way down with the end of the summer on it I think. Tomorrow it will be 0 up here and 17 down on the south coast just ahead of the front!
I wouldn't swap the weather here in Moray for anywhere else and given that I travelled the world as the son of a serviceman and then did 23 years myself I've experienced an awful lot of it. That doesn't explain whether I'm a glutton for cold pish weather or whether the weather here is nice and I'm not telling.
Captain that doesn't count. Strike it off the list. If your bike can't stand unsupported in the snow it isn't a snowy ride! I had 17 last winter. By this time in Oct I had done 2!

Bollox. I appear to have just got the Orange in 20". She's gonna kill me.

DeVs – screw you buddy!

Honestly, move away from the Summer Seasons. Some ****t keeps leaving this one around my property.

It has made my other bikes gather dust. I think it would look rather nice as a SSSS (singlespeedsummerseason) whilst one of those orange babies got the gear treatment built up nice and slow over the winter ready for the ahem summer season..

I'm a big fan of Conti's. Verticals are, IMHO of course, the best front tyre ever.

I bet you like olives and marmite too. 😀

Don't get one they're pants. The new orange ones are particularly pants. Stay away. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I've got a German Supermarket one the same as the Gelert and another older one. The older one has lasted nearly 3 years but I had to wash it recently as it was humming. The Gelert style one's bite valve was pants so I've swapped it for a Tesco bladder but otherwise great bits of kit. I think the sport is expensive enough without paying over the odds where it's not necessary.

If you can stand the neck of wearing cheap label stuff Aldi and Lidl kit rocks. Lidl spd shoes check, aldi gloves check, Aldi waterproof check, Aldi running trousers with reflective patches check, Aldi skullcaps check, compression tops check. It's all as good or better than stuff you'll pay a lot more for. Their pumps, however, are pisher than a pish thing on a pish day when it's pishing down.

Just make sure that 75cm is long enough for a front hose. Formula used to sell some OEM brakes at this length and some people were caught out by it on longer travel forks.

That's an absolute steal. It must be grant funded too.

Well that beats a rat, rabbit and a squirrel!

2-3 quid suggested donation tops I'd say and I don't go to many. Mandatory fees and traffic wardens checking cars just smacks of job creation and would result in me voting with my feet, er tyres.

I hate this forum – it costs me money. Orange or lemon? It's too much for a man to take.

Hey Spudgun1 the Moray MBC ae coming through on sat to do the trails around the mast. Email me if you want to hook up for a ride. We might even have one or two white settlers with us so you won't feel too outnumbered 🙂

980 works for me. Or XT.

Will I die if I use a normal Deore 32t ring or does it have to be one with no ramps etc?

Why was the squirrel on a fake?

Bit of road kill positioned for a "disk brakes are dangerous to wildlife" photo opportunity.

CFH – Only once? You need to get out more!

Wasn't there a fake similar to this in MBUK with a squirrel a while back? It's only a matter of time before I have a rabbit strike. They are suicidal in my lights along an old railway track – sit frozen till I avoid them and then jump in the way!

Don't you go doing it without inviting me Mr Swavis!!!

Greased up inner tubes are grippier than Verts. Can't go wrong with HRs IMNSHO.

43 and still playing rugby and playing on my bikes. Injuries take a bit longer to heal but there's no reason to stop really. We don't stop doing stuff because we get old, we get old because we stop doing stuff!

Front brake cable needs to be rerouted inside the fork.

Yep, providing you check the everybody can see this thingummy jobber.

Getting fit for skiing is exactly the reason I started mtbing. It works too! My first run of my first bike fit ski holiday was from the top of Solaise down to Val d'Isere non stop, something normally only achievable (for me at least) after at least one week's skiing. I find gnarly downhills on the bike work the same quads as skiing so I try and lead with the wrong foot forward as often as possible to balance things up.
I don't understand the OP's sadness about the end of summer, autumn and winter riding is just as good fun! I got 17 snowy rides in last winter and it was brilliant. Come to think of it the 1st was Carn Ban Mor on Oct 4th so almost exactly a year ago. It must have been colder last year!