Found this while looking for something else. Had to share!

Thanks CFH!

Craig Kelly #LetItRide :-)

Chris Prior died on Sunday. Met him in Fernie on a demo tour

Aye … sad news indeed :-(

Can’t say the same about my sparks,

What’s been the biggest wear & tear on your Sparks nedrapier?

I’m still on my original Spark Bindings from 2011 – although they are a bit ‘Triggers Broom’ as the Straps and Highbacks etc have all been replaced. 6 years of pretty heavy use is ok though I reckon!

I’m considering a pair of Spark R&D Surge bindings as a move away from the old pin system.

Hardboots eh? I’d be interested to know how that goes! … Will it only be a matter of time before you decide not to clip the two halves of the Splitboard back togther and buy some touring skis? ;-)

The problem of sitting on your arse at the top of a slope in the freezing cold

You’ve still got one foot still strapped in right? from when you got off the lift?
– Make a small ‘ledge’ in the snow with the board by using your leading foot that is still strapped into the board thus avoiding the need to get your bum cold sitting on the snow.

– Flick any snow out of rear binding with hand-in-glove.

– Pop your trailing foot into the rear binding

– ratchet up the toe and ankle strap and off you go!

It’s rare that you actually need to sit down. By staying standing you save time and avoid getting a clump of snow stuck on your butt cheeks.

#MaximumSteez

p.s. Flow Bindings = Slippers … comfortable but lacking in performance and can be a pain etc when full of powder … but if they work for you then that’s peachy!

Step on bindings are here!

I can’t help wondering whether they are a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist …

But I guess the winter-sports industry needs to keep ‘re-inventing’ itself.

Met Jenny Jones today at ski bartlett whilst getting my new bindings fitted

She is lovely isn’t she? and very funny! A great ambassador for UK Winter ‘Sports*’.

*I say ‘sports’ in the loosest sense … but then I generally think of skiing & snowboarding as a hobby or activity – or my obsession according to the missus! :-)

approximately, rattlecans x 10

I would say approximately, rattlecans divided by 10 as rattlecans tend to have more uncontrollable over-spray.

If I’m honest from my experience I would ask for either the airbrush or the compressor as getting both for £100 will mean a compromise on quality and you will be quickly replacing them, which is exactly what I did.

With the numbers of models you seem to be doing HtS I would suggest a compressor with a tank that will enable you fine-tune the pressure – detailed work requires low pressures and therefore less paint.
A compressor with a filter/regulator/water trap is preferable, but these can added.

In terms of the airbush I would suggest a gravity fed/dual action airbush.
I’ve got a few and the one I probably use the most is the Badger Patriot 105. It’s proved to be very adaptable and is easy to clean.

Spraying any paint can be nasty but Enamels and are perhaps the worse with lacquer based paints/thinners not far behind – good ventilation and filter mask is imperative if you value your lungs. A spray booth can be useful for applying base coats etc, but can be awkward for detailed work unless well lit.

I’ve had mixed results with just about most brands of acrylics with varying degrees of tip dry – although this can be alleviated with acrylic drying retarder.

With a minimum of practice results from airbrushing a model are night and day apart from brush work – especially over larger areas.

I’ve bought quite a bit of kit from Barwell Bodyworks.

They do a good compressor/Patriot airbrush kit for £170:

Airbrush Kit

I bought a pair of japanthers last winter which have been great

Bought myself a pair of these in 2015 from CTBM and they have been used on and off road for the past couple of winters … neither of which were particularly cold or snow-ey but still wet and low enough temps to justify a decent winter boot.

Mrs Doubtfire – allowed me to cross generations and introduce my daughter to Robin Williams. She loved Jumanji too.

Mrs Doubtfire manages to just about stay the right side of cloying sentimentality … with some great lines! “Carpe Dentum” :-)

Halo is very good but unfortunately I developed a skin rash despite giving the load an extra rinse, so now use Detol’s antibacterial wash … very effective at neutralising the whiff from ‘man-made’ fabrics etc

So don’t stick your merino in there

Halo and merino definitely don’t mix – I accidently left some merino socks in and they turned to ‘fuzzy-felt’

Tim March used to pick all the tunes for the Earthed series I think.

Ah yes – I think you are right cone to think of it.

I might have to dig out some of the old Earthed stuff this weekend to see how well it’s aged …

Chameleons Vox?

Saw Mark Burgess solo many years ago at The Leadmill before he started the Vox thing, but never seem to get around to getting to see them, although I only just missed seeing them in Valencia a few years ago …

I used to go an see loads of gigs but I’m getting picky as I get older as lots of people who go to gigs these days seemingly just go to say that they were there rather than to lose themselves in the moment … consequently they often spend a big chunk of the set having a loud conversation with their mates …

who owns the land they build all the trails on?

Much of that era of MTB films were shot in British Columbia etc and the land is ‘Crown Land’*, which means anyone is free to use it and mountain biking is seen as an important and legitimate recreational activity.

*apart from some of the Vancouver North Shore areas – which are often built on private land and have therefore become contentious.

*and the obligatory Whistler Blackcomb segment as WB were frequently major sponsors

I always rather liked the ‘Earthed’ series. I thought Alex Rankin captured something quite raw and the ‘post-punk’ soundtrack often added a little extra. 8) But maybe that’s just my age showing!

He does like ‘The Fall’ though doesn’t he? ;-)

Ts2.2 looks like the winner

You should be able to pick up the TS-2.2p for £200

I’ve just updated my TS-8 to TS-2.2.

I have to say that the TS-2.2 really does make things a breeze as I find it much easier and a lot less faff to get an accurate ‘dish’ and ‘radial’ true.

Expensive – yes … but still good value for money. (couldn’t justify the TS-4 however)

Great bunch of people, really can’t understand why they are still not government funded.

As I understand it, rather like the RNLI, it’s better that they aren’t state funded …

Bonus Pack – CD of Cover versions?

Motorhead’s cover of Bowie’s heroes …

The bongo spare is underneath; why on earth had anyone removed it?

My Pug Partner has the spare cage underneath … so someone nicked it so now I carry the spare inside. (strapped down to prevent it from ‘relocating’ to the front if I have to slam the anchors on!)

apparently I need to have my heel raised for some reason

It’s quite frequently recommended for achilles pain

Decathlon do some heel cushions for £9

Heel Cushions

I dont have issues with Physio’s or pre-conceptions where they are concerned. My issue is only that not all of them are good (some I have met are very poor IMO)

Sadly I’m inclined to agree – it would appear not all physios are equally competent at dealing with specific sporting injuries – their ‘bread & butter’ is still probably whiplash claims etc. although I’ve noticed an increase in Sports Physios in parts of the country associated certain activities, so perhaps things are changing.

Personal recommendations are always a good starting point though.

I do think though that Physio treatment is still unfairly maligned and dismissed in this country … on numerous occasions I’ve heard people say “oh yeah … I went to the physios but it didn’t really do much good”. When asked whether they actually did the suggested exercises etc religiously on a daily basis etc, they usually have to concede that they didn’t …

Frequently I think there is an expectation that a miracle pill or pain killer etc will sort out whatever the issue is – whereas the reality is the solution is likely to involve time, graft, pain and discomfort.

I’m not for one minute suggestion you wouldn’t put the work in to rehab your injury surfer … I’m just reflecting on situation vis-à-vis the apparent lack of good Sports Physios.

Surfer – Since I already know your thoughts about stretching from previous posts I was somewhat reluctant at first to comment.

However in the spirit for the forum:

What’s worked for me is eccentric raises increasing load over time, following a regime from a physio that involves doing the required number of heel raises everyday, gradually increasing the number of reps and eventually adding additional [free] weights. The gradual loading process is key as there are no quick fixes.

From memory it was explained to me that what you are aiming to do is increase the muscle strength of the surrounding tissue inline with your ‘bio-mechanics’, thereby decreasing the load placed on the relevant tendons and ligaments (which can become more fibrous and spongy as we age). A similar approach was successfully taken when I suffered from patellar tendonitis a few years ago as well

Heel ‘dips’ (rather than raises) seemed to aggravate the insertion point(s) and the inflamed bursar (caused by rapid over extension whilst bouldering).

Like digger95 mentioned, a warm-up is always recommended – just to get the blood circulating and the body/muscles warm.

Tight calve muscles (with quite a bit of ‘scar tissue’) were also an issue in my case. These were alleviated by stretching & yoga. In particular ‘Downward Facing Dog’.

I also used ultra-sound. A foam-roller didn’t seem to help much in this instance, but a ‘lacrosse’ ball (although very painful) did help with the ‘trigger points’.

I suggest seeing a good sports physio – leave your preconceptions at the door … we possibly only have limited time remaining doing the things we enjoy so make the most of your time and if seeing a good sports physio and doing the recommended exercises every day gets you back doing the things you love, then in and of itself it will have been worthwhile – and certainly more positive than arguing on a forum! ;-)

Good luck with the rehab.

Oh … and anecdotally Kilian Jornet stretches. :-) :-)

I finished in just under 27 hours for the 121km and 7,000m of elevation.

Congratulations ciron! well done indeed! 8)

A key is all I take, either house or car.

I pop the back door key in the ‘key safe’ to avoid having to take it out for a run!

Unless I’m running some distance remotely I don’t normally take anything apart from a cheerful disposition and my now obsolete iPod Shuffle loaded wiv sum bangin’ choonz! 8)

Looking at the website I’d say it was the TDS we saw.

It’s all quite humbling watching it though isn’t it?

weren’t a number of the ‘Sweary Northerners’ Team Orange/Orange Factory riders?

a couple are.

I wonder if Greg Minnaar slagged off Santa Cruz when he snapped a frame when he hit that post recently … ;-)

We sat and had a sandwich next to one of the official stops in Bourg Saint Maurice on Wednesday and watched them come through

That was probably the 300Km team run – PTL: La Petite Trotte à Léon

… which is just insane

The actual 166Km UTMB starts today with the first batch expecting to finish in around 20hrs.

one of the older sweary lot is on his third orange. other 2 snapped.

Mmm… weren’t a number of the ‘Sweary Northerners’ Team Orange/Orange Factory riders? … that’s how they were listed on ‘Roots & Rain’ anyway

Those Sweary Northerner’s videos from a few years ago were like an advert for Orange Bikes … so I find it kindof odd that they should slag them off so much … which if true is not really appropriate behaviour for ‘brand ambassadors’.

.it’s as accurate example as you are going to find especially with orange still constructing bikes now as they did in 2002….

But are we talking about the cost of Orange frames or the cost of complete Orange bikes? And the huge hike in prices of rear shocks etc?

From memory the cost of a Patriot frame only (with an awful basic rear shock) was just shy of £1k in 2002. Factoring in inflation, that would be about £1.5k in 2016. Add in a bit extra to reflect the change in shock prices and the difference isn’t that huge I don’t think.

The big increase in the price of complete bikes is in part to do with cost of imported components which have increased hugely over the past few years – and likely to increase even more over the next few years …

According to the BOE inflation calculator £2500 in 2002 is worth £3700 in 2016…

yes – but that’s only part of the picture isn’t it?

Which is why I said ‘all things considered’ …

Using the BOE inflation calculator alone shows that a pint of Guinness costing £1 in 1984 should only cost £2.95 in 2016 whereas I’ve been regularly paying anything from £3.80 to £4.80 for the past couple of years.

I bought myself an orange MrXC XTRa in 1999. Full xtr, bling manitou forks, titanium bits, etc (it was the first mrXC sold, and looks pretty close to a new 5 as well). Cost £2999 (from memory). In today’s money, that’s ~£4800 – which seems to be the approx cost of the equivalent today

I was just thinking along the same lines.

I paid £2.5k for my Patriot SE in 2002. Fastforward 15 years and circa £5.8k for the modern equivalent of a Alpine 6 Factory is probably about right all things considered – the frame alone is £1,895 (which is on a par with what I paid for my 2014 Alpine 160 c\w CCDB Coil).

The chances of me buying an ‘off the peg’ bike these days is pretty remote and I fully appreciate that it does seem like a lot of money for an initial outlay but then Mountain Biking has never been a cheap hobby has it?

Running to slowly (pace which offers no “training” effect)

everything is relative isn’t it?

It’s the UTMB this weekend!

Lots of runners who have trained to run at a slower than their marathon pace, running slower than their marathon pace over 166Km and nearly 10,000m of elevation.

Kilian Journet is back running the UTMB – first time since 2011

Been out in Chamonix during the UTMB on a couple of occasions and watched [and cheered] many of the runners over the final stretch to the finish.

Quite humbling to watch really …

Just had this on one of my local trails.

I don’t have a problem with folks building etc as all trails are ‘organic’ and change over time, but it’s annoying when they:

1) Widen and open up the entrance massively – so advertising the trail to everyone! (this particular trail has been contentious in the past with people blocking the entrance with branches and sabotaging the lower section with glass etc)

2) Digging to actively block off the existing line – to me this is just lacking in consideration. By all means dig and develop new stuff, but don’t be a dick and just block off something that’s clearly in use by others.

Trying to find out who the culprits are so I can have a quiet word.

I’ve been using the Petzl Tikka RXP for a few years now.

I think it’s now called the Reactik.

USB chargeable, spare battery pack available. It reacts and adjusts to levels of light to conserve battery etc and this can be customised with software.

Not too heavy for running and with a comfortable strap.

but that doesn’t change the fact that the majority of human beings are sexually dimorphic.

Not everyone is ‘binary’ at birth. Take for instance someone who is born with androgen insensitivity syndrome. Chromosome wise they are XY but physically they present as ‘female’ so are frequently ‘assigned’ female.

Much of the understanding about ‘intersex’ has occurred in the period after the second world war so we are still only beginning to fully appreciate the number of variants – although there is no getting away from the fact that some harm has been done along the way in order to concede to the pressures of a binary society.

Great Alan Bennet link there, that’s quite lovely.

It is isn’t it? :-)

Public Service Broadcasting (The Band) released a ‘tea-towel’ showing a map of all the shipping forecast areas of the UK. It really is rather splendid and perfectly compliments my ‘Sisters of Mercy’ tea-towel and my Joy Division Oven Gloves … ;-)

Alan Bennett reading the shipping forecast a few years ago:

PeterAndDudleyChipInTheSugarBowlMamSaid

Stephen Fry reading a ‘version’ for Mark & Lard:

KnitwearForecast

:-)

There is no better marketing than denying there is any marketing going on.

Actually I think the ‘recieved wisdom’ is that there is no better marketing than ‘word of mouth’.

…and it would appear that Hope have indeed managed to get folks ‘chatting’ about their new product! ;-)

Hope aren’t stupid, they will have done the numbers and be making money on this

From memory this isn’t how they structure their financal/ business decisions.

I recall from a few years ago, an article that said they ‘lease purchase’ many of their CNC machines and run them constantly until they have ‘paid for themselves’. They can then be used for R&D and experimental projects etc

During the video they make a couple of light-hearted references to how much the Hope bike project ‘cost’ and accountants etc

Whilst I’m sure Hope won’t be ‘losing’ money on this venture I think it’s refreshing for a manufacturing company to look beyond the purely ‘contribution to the bottom line’ decision making process.

Something that is perhaps only possible these days with a ‘privately owned company’.

They received a free DTI report some years ago that said that the owners could make considerable more money for themselves by outsourcing all the manufacturing to the far-east.

Hope threw the report in the bin …

They didn’t want to make money … they wanted to make a bike! 8)

Blue Steel strength and conditioning is at the Hallam.

Great stuff – thanks very much for that ianfitz!

have been doing a weekly strength & conditioning course at Sheffield Hallam that’s aimed specifically at bikers

Sounds interesting – Have you got anymore details JonEdwards? My ‘google-fu’ doesn’t seem to be strong today?