Well that didn’t work 🤔

Always liked Steve Worland’s (rip) one. >Herehttps://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/santa-cruz-superlight-review/

Test rode an anthem at the same time as my scalpel SE, the anthem felt faster but nowhere as capable as my scalpel. Shame as I quite fancied the anthem.

I have a 2018 Cannondale scalpel SE which is single pivot (leverage actuated shock but still a single pivot). Rides nice, is light, has 29″ wheels and isn’t too slack. Always wanted a Superlight but never got round to buying one, weren’t the last ones 29″?

This sounds more complicated than I thought. I’ll need to think about how much the car will cost me as surely I’ll only be taxed on my car based on the 20% BIK tax (based on the £2500) as opposed to my usual 40% tax rate.

True I’m only using the car for the once a week trip to the supermarket ‘click and collect’ but I think my wife would feel less happy losing our only household car.

Get my first Furlough pay tomorrow, it’ll be part normal pay and part Furlough so no idea of how much it will be, my wife is still working (albeit part-time) so should be ok for this month. I’m a high rate tax payer so will be capped at the £2500 limit. I’ve a company car so am I interested in the previous poster who managed to get his company car added to the Furlough scheme but can’t see how that would be allowed if you are already at the max Furlough amount, can someone help explain this?

Yay! Now I’ll have all day to ride my bike! Oh wait 😭

I hired a Colnago carbon road bike in Majorca a couple of years a go, I had no cycling kit with me so rode it wearing a cotton t-shirt, baggy shorts and flat pedals with trainers. The few roadies/triathletes I passed on the climbs didn’t seem amused. I got ignored by everyone bar the cafe waitress. True about cornering though, I had a couple of pedal strikes but nothing serious but could have been.

Recently cancelled my subscription but now have changed my mind and have subscribed today as I do not want singletrack to disappear.

Hope you all get through this difficult time.

You can pick the bones out of my previous comment/s but my main point is that e-bikes that look like Motorcross bikes (and marketed that way) would potentially in the long run not be beneficial to the whole motorcross scene as well as the mountain bike scene.

The average Joe wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between them so when (and it will be when not if) an accident occurs with someone being hit by an one of these e-bike/crossers (restricted or derestricted) then e-bikers and Motorcrosser’s will both be vilified equally. I can see the headlines now ‘e-bike louts run amok!’

Would this blurring of lines between Motorcross and e mountain bikes be also detrimental to Motorcrosser’s as well?

As not far from where I live there is a couple of areas where Motorcross type bikes are tolerated as they are on bits of land that are not popular with walkers (shale bings etc).
But if you had a high powered pedal assist bike you could use the adjacent canal to get to and from the bings increasing the likelihood of clashes with walkers. This could then create a clamp down on all motorised (bikes with motors) as it would be hard for the average person to tell the difference between them.

I must admit that I was very tempted by the electric Motorcross bikes that were on top gear a while back and I’d consider myself to be a relatively law abiding person. Imagine if you could buy one from Halfords for less than £1k, they would be very popular.

I’m pro e bikes in general though as most I’ve seen have been ridden by folk who would otherwise not be cycling and are being ridden in a law abiding way.

Actually this is making me feel sad as there are loads of well loved decent working cars under £1k which will no doubt soon get scrapped 😪

This £500 Micra is cleaner and in better nick than my 4 year old Passat https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002227613763

Suzuki Liana for the Top Gear haterz?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002207545243

In a horrid gold.

Golf GTI with a service history for £350!!!!!! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202003037984458

This is addictive, must not buy……

Wow! Just wow! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202002297870980

Fast, practical and cheap, what could go wrong?

Wonder if you could get an MGF for less than £500. Or some grey import craziness from Japan.

I’m liking the look of that Celica.

It’s weird that a company hasn’t just copied the Surly frames and then sold them cheaper than the Surly equivalent, after all a basic cro-molly frame can’t be expensive to build.

I don’t just mean the ‘brand’ I mean their frames look nice, are built to last plus I like that they can take bigger tyres and lots racks. Just too expensive and too heavy.

What year did the CEN regs come in? As my 2010 Cotic Soul and 2015 Richey Logic ride like a dream but my 2015 Genesis Croix de fer 2016 Stooge are both very stiff so I’m guessing around 2015?

Always liked the look of Surly’s and they make great single speed chainrings but in the UK they look overpriced and specs are pretty basic. Rode a Karate Monkey one time, I didn’t like it. Buy something a bit more special like a Stooge or something much cheaper like an On-one.

I’ve done omething similar before by mixing up 1/8 and 3/32, IMO it’s best to go for 1/8 chains as they’re so strong and cheap, best to maybe buy a couple as the postage sometimes is the same price as the chain! Have fun on your new bike, riding single speed on a rigid bike is one of the most freeing and pure forms of cycling fun you can have. Did I mention it’s dirt cheap as well?

Just checked out the Cotic website and the purple Solaris looks beautiful, thankfully they don’t have my size.

The last bike I bought was a lightweight carbon full suspension 29er (Cannondale Scalpel SE) with the intention of doing some epic multi day rides bike packing, the furthest it has been is Glentress. It rides well but not to the point where daydream at work thinking about it and the trails I’m going to ride like I have in the past. Should have bought a Cotic Solaris and saved myself a grand. 😥

I always liked Ian Wright as a player and in some way felt bad that he played at a time when there were so many great English forwards so never really got a chance in the national team.

I like him too as a pundit especially when working on England games for his enthusiasm and passion.

He has (by his own admission) been a bit of a shit in the past especially to his ex-partners and to his children (he has 8 with 4 different partners) but then he says he never had many good role models which does make it hard to make the right decisions if you don’t even know what the right decision is.

For me, he is a perfect example that it is never too late to change your life, outlook and the way you treat others also that everyone deserves a second chance.

iPad with apple pencil using an app like Adobe sketch, you can turn out some decent stuff on it.

I enthusiastically say hello to proper roadies knowing I won’t get a reply as I’m riding in baggy shorts.

Similar to an earlier post, I have more cycling shoes than non cycling shoes.

I like the idea of mountain biking in a group but in reality find it to be slow and tedious due to the stop start nature of the riding.
Probably why I end up almost exclusively riding off-road by myself although I do enjoy riding on the road as a small group.

I’m interested in this one too, I had a similar set of requirements in 2018 and bought a short travel full sus 29er instead which is good but in hindsight should have got a lighter 29er hardtail.

After the Dakine recommendation I googled ‘Dakine jersey’ and was pleasantly surprised and will maybe now get myself a couple in plain colours.

However when I looked up ‘Dakine Flannel’ what popped up was baggy lumber Jack shirts with bright bold colours and large gingham patterns.

Is this really what people are wearing out on their bikes in the UK? If so I’m glad I don’t follow the fashion as they look (IMO) ridiculous, and make me think of Monty Python. But then I am an old fart.

I find Rab sufff good as they tend to have longer arms which is ideal on the bike.

I’ve had a Rab Borealis long sleeve hoody for years which has been amazing, used it for everything, it’s very thin and light but is also wind resistant.

I’ve tended to move away from mountain specific clothing as I think it is overpriced compared to hill walking clothing and don’t like looking like a power ranger which is probably due to the fact I’m now over 40 😲

Look for touring, commuting or gravel type cycle clothing, they tend to be made out of the same technical fabrics as the bright mountain bike clothing only in more subdued colours.

I’ve seen that Maddison, Endura, Mavic, Shimano and Rapha all have ranges that would fit the bill.

Or you could just buy hill walking type tops and shorts which is what I tend to do, some brands even make clothes which are designed for cross sports.

I’ve had a single speed on and off for the last 15 years and always rated the stainless steel chainrings from Surly and On-one, they both have quite long teeth which are great for holding on the chain although I’ll say it again, oval chainrings are really effective when used singlespeed and the absolute black ones are damn good. But if you like your chain quite tight I’d maybe just get an on-one stainless chainring, it may out live your bike. 😏

I love my oval chainring on mine, it’s lasted about 4 years as well. https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/black-by-absoluteblack-narrow-wide-oval-mtb-single-chainring/rp-prod131089

I’ve been once and my opinion of it was pretty polarised.

I liked the ease of everything being relatively close by and the ease of getting about, quality of the a amenities etc. But I did feel it all very sanitised and too controlled, like it’s for city folk to feel they’re doing something wild and adventurous.

I might go back if I got a deal or as part of a bigger group but for me I’d rather just book an Airbnb up in the highlands and take our own bikes and do what we want, when we want.
But then I have in the past been accused of being antisocial, which is partly true as I can’t stand large groups of people as I think it brings the worst out of people.

Sorry, struggling to insert an image from Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/433471532874767079/

Wondered where I’d seen that design before

Raleigh Pursuit sir? https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/133309564450?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=133309564450&targetid=856581560803&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=1007406&poi=&campaignid=6619152146&mkgroupid=95292828384&rlsatarget=aud-629407026905:pla-856581560803&abcId=1140496&merchantid=6995734&gclid=CjwKCAiA98TxBRBtEiwAVRLqu34atOEtBST4cKUnf-vmOBsFbwYjft1-Las1YbgrBKYS8j8iJwuFvxoCG9EQAvD_BwE

“Croix De Fer as a light winter road bike”

if it’s anything like my croix de fer then that’s the funniest thing I read today as mine is like riding an anvil with wheels. Although mine is a croix de fer 10 with a rack, mudguards, dynamo hub and lights so not the same as a 30.