it may or may not be a high profit product for them

I think it’s great that Hope decided to make something that they wanted rather than based on an accounting IRR/shareholder value decision etc.

As they say in the video – the whole design & development process brought a huge ‘lift’ to the entire company.

As a ‘contribution to bottom line’ it may be minimal, but as a contribution to the Hope ‘Brand’ I think it’s priceless.

Anyone else down the gym to supplement their riding and finding it of benefit?

Don’t go to an actual gym, but I have tried to increase my use of ‘free weights’ for the same reasons you highlight.

It’s the big five-oh for me next year and whilst my CV fitness is still ok, I am starting to suffer with various old snowboarding/cycling injuries aches and niggles so I’ve been incorporating more yoga into my routine – I’m currently trying to strengthen and open up my hips a bit more.

Never been hugely keen on the idea of going to a gyms (although I would probably benefit from some coaching), but using free-weights and my own body weight with various exercises has definitely helped on the bike as well with greater joint stability and less arm pump/fatigue etc

“Shocks … pegs … lucky!”

“do you ever take it off any sweet jumps?”

Play through your speakers and record on your cassette recorder making sure Mum or Dad kept quite.

Or [depending on how much of the audio track you actually want] you could do the modern equivalent of this and just play the DVD on your PC and use something like ‘Audacity’ to ‘record what you here’.

Yeah – it can work out much cheaper in winter if you buy a ‘6 day Mont Blamc Unlimited’ as this includes Montenvers and the Midi.

pretty sure you can see grand jorasses from there as well.

Yes you can but a better view of the Grandes Jorasses and surrounding area can be had from the ‘viewing area’ a short walk above the Montenvers Hotel.

Good view of Les Drus from the hotel though – you can clearly see where the huge slab fell away a few years ago.

Anyone doubting climate change should take the short lift and then the steps down towards the ‘nose’ of the Mer de Glace and take note of each decade’s glacier levels marked on the descent … quite scary really – a few more years and it will just be a huge ‘dust bowl’. :-(

Footwear then, let’s assume we want to do this walk thing, I’ve got 5 10’s and the wife has plimsoles at best. Not viable?

Plimsoles not really suitable – Something with a bit more support. It’s not technical but ankle/arch support is useful as is a grippy/’technical’ sole

This is the ‘Dent du Geant’ or ‘Giant’s Tooth’ which is one of the prominent landmarks in the area – visible from the top of the Midi (looking out to the Periades) and from the Italian side of the ‘Massif’

Climbing barely supports any professionals

Actually I think there has been a rise recently in the number of ‘Brand Ambassadors’ in Climbing recently – particularly from Sugary Drinks Companies/Marketing Brands:

I note that Coca-Cola now have their first Brand Ambassadors in the Climbing world …

Chances of pulmonary oedema at that altitude are what?

Top of the midi is just over 3800m so whilst not high enough to cause the likes of HAPE or HACE during a short visit/gondola ride, it is certainly high enough to cause headache and nausea etc as B.A.Nana said. I’ve seen it happen to a few fellow snowboarders & skiers before descending the ‘arete’ … but then the arete can cause a bit of bum-clenching anyway! ;-)

How it affects you can be a bit of a lottery. Your susceptibility is likely to be genetic to a degree, but there is also some research that points to fitter endurance ‘athletes’ being at an initial disadvantage:

British Medical Journal

do the return trip to Hellbronner on the Italian side

+1 … if the weather is good then a trip across the Vallee Blanche via the ‘Panoramic’ cable car should be worthwhile. The Torino Refuge on the Italian side has recently been modernised with great views.

There is loads of good riding to the west of Chesterfield.
Its just Digby hasn’t found it!

I guess it depends on what you like to ride and where you like to ride.

For sure there is some ‘good’ riding west of Chesterfield heading out to the White Peak. The White Peak itself has got some good riding, but much of it is limestone ‘double-track’ linked together with big chunks of tarmac work – good for ‘gravel’ bikes as well!

If I was going to be pedantic though, I would point out that Barlow & Holmsfield are ‘north [west]’ of Chesterfield and Lady Canning’s and Blackamoor are in the ‘Western Approaches’ of Sheffield! ;-)

I grew up in Chesterfield and will defend it on many accounts but Sheffield does have alot more variety of riding on offer I think: from Bridleways, to steep woodland descents – and that’s not even including the Peak District National Park! (where seemingly only ‘certain’ types of mountain bikers are welcome/encouraged these days)

I don’t doubt that but there is heaps of riding on west side of Chesterfield Sheffield running up to the Peak.

Apart from the area around Linacre Woods etc there isn’t really that much riding of note on the Western approaches of Chesterfield – there is however, quite abit though on the West & North West side of Sheffield.

What was the first ski lift you went on?

Seemed a good topic for here as well!

SSV … gone … burned (quite a few times) … but not forgotten.

Once caught the ‘little fella’ whilst riding the button lift … :oops:

I still miss the Beanabout wagon that used to be at the Stanage Plantation carpark – they’d be out in all kinds of weather, likewise Jolleys at the top of Curbar Gap (who are still going).

The Beanabout wagon was great wasn’t it? I used to love getting a coffee and having a chat with them in the drizzle …

and +1 for Jolly’s – they’ve saved the day on a couple of occasions on 100Km+ rides when I’ve had enough of energy bars etc
(although I think ‘Louis’ is in for repairs at the moment)

but to answer the OP these days it can be anything from a couple of quid to a fiver upwards. I don’t mind if the coffee is good and the cake is [homemade] and fresh. I’m disapointed with ‘bean-to-cup’ machines and ‘celophane’ wrapped cake portions that are clearly quite a few days old which is sadly what started to happen at the Woodbine in Hope.

The cut/fit/pad/materials are way better than the Decathlon bibs (I have got a couple of pairs of the ‘good’ Decathlon bibs – they excellent for the money)

I’ve never tried Decathlon’s bibs so can’t comment on theirs in particular, but in answer to the question:

whats so good about them?

I would concur with ‘freeagent’ … ‘cut/fit/pad/materials’

I don’t get a ‘wedgie’ if I bend over
I don’t feel like I’m wearing some huge ‘sanitary towel’ or I’m sat on a canoe.
The ‘front bulge’ is neither ‘revealing’ nor ‘intimidating’ :-)
Steven and the twins get to ride in comfort
I’m sadly prone to saddle sores and the Rapha bib shorts are a massive advantage here
They feel pretty much the same after multiple repeated washes
The lycra doesn’t start to become threadbare, ‘translucent’ or ‘bobbly’ after continual abrasion and exposure to sunlight.
The legs openings grip nicely and stay in place without using silicon that brings me out in a rash.

In a nutshell, I’m a delicate little flower and I bruise like a peach so I like comfort in the ‘trouser dept’ on long rides – for me, Rapha Classic Bib shorts provide this! ;-)

Or, see my post above

Note to self … “must pay more attention to CFH’s posts … ” ;-)

Could be bike from the top or ski right to the bottom….

Sounds like a format for a new type of ‘Enduro’ … oh hang on a minute..

Click me!!

I just think that a lot of people must have a very large disposable income in ‘austerity’ Britain for companies like Rapha to exist

Or is it possible that some people just make informed choices about what they want to do with whatever ‘disposable income’ they may have?

Whilst I agree that Rapha RRP is not what you would call ‘cheap’, it does for many cyclists offer good ‘value for money’.

And in times of austerity whilst many people do indeed have to ‘cut their cloth accordingly’ there is also the ‘physcological’ factor of ‘treating yourself’. Wage rises etc may have stagnated, but people still treat themselves apparently by ‘dining out’; taking weekend breaks; buying a nice bottle of whiskey/wine etc; and buying items of clothing at the higher end of the market knowing they should be comfortable and hard-wearing …

I’ve just ‘replaced’* a pair of Rapha Classic bibs that are 10 years old, absorbed litres of ‘chamois juice’, done 1000s of miles (including training for and doing the Fred Whitton) and have outlasted pretty much every other item of cycling clothing I have owned – hence my readiness to replace them with the same!

*I say ‘replaced’ – they have now just been relegated to quick training rides/spares etc as there is still a bit of life left in them.

You did say the 1980s didn’t you? I’m pretty sure it looked like that only last week…

“true style never goes out of fashion … ” ;-)

I never actually bought them myself – but in 1987, there was bugger all choice

‘what absolute twaddle’ … ;-) from memory, people aspiring to an active ‘leisure’ style in the 1980s were spoiled for choice with offerings from the likes of Le Coq Sportif, Fila, Sergio Tacchini and Addidas …

Not to mention the plethora of ‘shell-suits’ available in the North-West … 8)

infinitely preferable to Chesvegas (aka the ‘fighting capital of Derbyshire’)

Didn’t think it was that bad since the ‘Painted Wagon’ shut! ;-)

Sheffield gets excess kudos due to the mountain brilliant bikers connected with it. The Peaks area is brilliant ok to ride in.

Hope that helps! ;-)

Chesterfield is an odd one. It actually has some really nice areas to it.

Brampton, up Chatsworth Road and out towards Brookside/Holymoorside/Old Brampton/Walton etc are all decent.

The top of Newbold Road out towards Cuthorpe & Barlow also good.

and mountain biking, climbing, walking, gliding, and everything else, I mean, apart from that what has Sheffield got to offer that Chesterfield doesn’t?

Hate to split hairs but aren’t they all about the same distance from Chesterfield?

Not really. A big chunk of Sheffield sits inside the Peak District NP. Also the climbing areas like Stanage and cycling areas like Wharncliffe are much closer to Sheffield (and Barnsley for that matter).

Psychologically I always think of Chesterfield as the ‘North Midlands’ and Sheffield as being part of ‘The North’.

Unstone could well be the ‘Great Divide’ even though historically it was ‘Meersbrook’

Ronhills, which were ok’ish

No … they weren’t, they still aren’t … and they never will be! ;-)

HansRey – for European trips have a look at ColdFusion Chalets – they cater for the solo traveller and for Canada have a look at NONSTOP ski & snowboard for their 2 week improver courses etc.

There’s a bit of a (legal) trail hole round Hathersage, sadly.

True – unfortunately many of the old ‘pack-horse’ routes out of the valley were paved and became roads rather than byways/bridleways.

Like so may routes in the Peak District, a fair amount of ‘road work’ is required to connect stuff together.

In addition to JonEdwards’ suggestions, you could also headover towards the Ladybower/Howden/Derwent area. Either via Bamford (picking up the old ‘railway’ trail, or head up from Hathersage over to Yorkshire Bridge via Coggers Lane etc.

I remember driving through Hillsborough in North West Sheffield the day after the worst of the flooding – it was surreal – like a scene from ’28 Days Later’.

I did a 1:100 sailing ship once. Vowed I’d never do rigging again

Crikey … now that’s what I call rigging! That’s enough to cause a migraine!! Very impressive. Where do you park that?

Thanks john_drummer …! :-) Yep – the above bi-plane was done with EZ-Line and C.A.

A ‘needle-threader’ came in very handy.

More ‘involved’ than ‘easy-peasy’ I reckon! ;-)

Not sure about rigging a biplane though.

Quite enjoyed it myself … not sure I’ll rush to do the other one in my ‘stash’ just yet though …

On a backcountry trip a few years ago, we were comparing ‘personal First Aid kits’ and one of my snowboarding buddys commented that he carried a ‘nerve block’ in his kit as he didn’t trust anyone else to administer one if he broke his leg or similar …

He is a Consultant as it happens. :-)

Numpty question: If you pick out the panel lines with a pencil, do you lacquer over it?

Depends – if the model is likely to be handled in anyway, then yes – a final coat of varnish with ‘seal’ any panel lines & weathering.

I’ve seen it done where the panel lines & a bit of panel either side are painted black over primer but before colour coat

I’ve had mixed results with this ‘pre-shading’ technique – it works fine and is very effective on lighter paint colours but pretty much disappears with the likes of dark earth & dark green WWII RAF camo – especially after dark green unless I leave the green quite ‘opaque’ in which case the camo just doesn’t look right.

For dark colour schemes I’ve had better results with ‘post shading’ and various ‘Panel Line Washes’

New techniques this time

@HtS – have you had a look at Diego Quijano’s Encylopedia of Aircraft Modelliing techniques? There’s 5 volumes and it can work out quite pricey for all 5 but there’s some good stuff in there.

For sure many of the techniques are probably on various YouTube Channels but you’d probably have to spend a lifetime watching dross on YouTube.

Whilst ‘core strength’ in and of itself is clearly a *good* thing the ability to balance on one leg without wobble is more down to the stability of the knee joint – this can be enhanced with the use of balance/wobble boards and is frequently used in the rehab of knee injury.

Is even that true? Ankle/foot comes into it as well

Yep – google ‘ACL/MCL knee injury proprioception wobble board’

Of course the ankle/foot comes into it … and so does the core – the human body is a ‘system of systems’

Stabilisation of the knee involves (but not exclusively) the hips, hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus maximus and calves. If you do a one legged knee dip, these are the muscles used. Clearly if you have an ankle injury then the focus will be lower down the limb. Wobble/Balance boards often form part of physio recommended exercise for injury rehab for everything from the hip to the knee, to the ankle.

The yoga pose ‘vrikshasana’ or ‘tree pose’ engages these and more including the core abdomen muscles as your ‘other leg’ is placed ‘off-balance’

Someone with good core strength knee proprioception can stand on one leg and remain perfectly still.

Whilst ‘core strength’ in and of itself is clearly a *good* thing the ability to balance on one leg without wobble is more down to the stability of the knee joint – this can be enhanced with the use of balance/wobble boards and is frequently used in the rehab of knee injury.

We evolved as pursuit hunters who ran our prey into the ground, running is what we are meant to do

The lovely Prof Alice Roberts makes some interesting anatomical observations about the evolution of our species (assuming you accept the theory of evolution that is!)

In a nut shell standing upright has its benefits, but it also has its compromises – especially for the hips …

These ‘genetic dispositions’ often manifest themselves when we are 50+

No reason to stop running as you get older – just try and listen to your body and take remedial action if necessary rather than just trying to ignore it.

There seems no shortage of people willing to lap it up though eh Digby?

Very true … As Bing Crosby’s character in ‘White Christmas’ says:

“everybody’s got an angle”

@surfer … is this a new record for you? This running thread didn’t even get to the bottom of the first page before you’d started being deliberately argumentative, belligerent and antagonistic …

And no one has even mentioned post run ‘stretching’ yet … :lol:

lost both front teeth in road bike crash.
Medial meniscus tear and sprained MCL – snowboarding
Separated AC joint in left shoulder – snowboarding
chipped elbow landing on glacier – I could manipulate the ‘chip’ of bone for ages
badly sprained both ankles – one whilst running, the other on the mountain bike
various skin removal, lacerations, puncture wounds, blunt trauma and sprains – both on a longboard and a mountain bike.

It’s worth it isn’t it? :lol:

this one still ***** me up

Yeah … it was kindof like a ‘John Carpenter’ short film …

‘Sensible Children’ with the creepy voice of Donald Pleasence always spooked me …

NEVER mix Crossply and radial tyres.

That’s exactly the ‘Public Service Announcement’ I thought of when I saw this thread …shortly followed by Rolf Harris saying ‘Kids and water …’

Perfect timing CFH … thanks for starting what has also become my favourite reoccurring thread! :-)

Disappointing July weather means it’s time to start making plans for next season, including trying to make some improvements in fitness and flexibility …

On the subject of Reach for the Sky, a little obit to give some insight into Bader…

Sadly Bader was nothing like Kenneth Moore. In fact various recent books documenting the Battle of Britain (with the advantage of statistics from both sides) e.g. ‘The Most Dangerous Enemy’ by Bungay question the effectiveness of the ‘Big Wing’.

‘Reach for the Sky’ is still a great film though.

Has anybody else read the book of Das Boot?

Yes – it’s a great book – as is ‘Iron Coffins’.

I’ve also got ‘U Boat War’ which is the collection of photographs from Buchheim’s time aboard U-96 and the basis for his book ‘Das Boot’.

Sobering ‘primary source’ photography.