Christ, I’m more concerned now with what I should be doing with my feet ? All this heel down and lead foot forward seems more complicated than ballroom dancing, I’ve never really really given any thought any of this ?

As a general rule of thumb if things are any more complicated than a balloon pump I loose interest ?
I tend to hop on my bike and think about nothing ? That’s the great thing about going out on my bike ? The only thing I generally tend to think about is getting past the person in front and not letting any one pass, as I drift off into lala land an occasional STRAVA athlete belts past and brings me out of my day dream, sometimes when it hurts I count in my head but now I’m going to have to think about all sorts ?

Who invented this footwork stuff ? Is it a new thing ? Am I getting old ?
Do people still ride their bikes for enjoyment or am I the only person not getting paid for riding their bike ?

I thought the hardest thing about riding a bike was countering gravity by doing an un natural lean into the fall to counter the weight ? Now I’ve got to worry about things I didn’t even know existed ?

Riding my bikes great, over complicating it isn’t so great.

Its a warranty job so I’m not looking at spending any money it, fingers crossed ?

If it makes you feel any better comming off a MTB clipped in isn’t like having a comedy moment at traffic lights where you can’t get out, I’ve always found that being separated from my bike whilst riding clipped in occurs naturally usually at speed, I’ve had quite a few offs over the years and have never ridden confidently on flats as my feet also get spat off the pedals resulting in an un confident approach to jumps and obstacles etc,

I found that approaching stuff where my feet were in relation to my pedals was one too many things to think about and now I never think about it ? If that makes any sense,
If you are used to being clipped in it will be like a duck to water for you and it will inspire more confidence,

Cheers, I imagined it to be pretty stable on the ups, what’s it like going down tho and on the flats ?
I’ll also be riding Torridon, Wharncliffe as well as Alps & Ben Nevis range etc so not all smooth sculptured trails,

I won’t be racing or competing with it as it’s purely a recreational tool but I do get on with the Nomad of Old and really like the feel of it, I’m just concerned that a plastic bike in a strange wheel size with a DH orientated head angle will take some getting to if I ever get used to it at all ?

What kind of riding are you doing on yours ?

I was voting for which waterproof trousers, I didn’t even have the heart to open it as I’d just got back from a ride and had dust on my bike.

Words FAIL me too, but by virtue of your own stupidity you have just shortlisted yourself for the most Pointless post probably on the Forum not of the Day / Week.

Congrats on your cutting / pasting attributes and your prowess as self certified Mod,

And is it not “oh the Ironing” on STW ?

I’m just glad I’ve never seen small children arguing over a TV remote ?

For the record I don’t wear a track suit, I don’t posses a road bike and I don’t wear Jewelery.

As said a proper Styrup support strapping out of some good quality 3M Zinc Oxide tape to give it some support, some of that blue strapping that pro sports people use would also work a treat ?

Then try both the golf ball and ice bottle roller under the foot,

My word, in fear of swiftly diverting this topic right off thread !!!!!!!

I never drive my Caterham without wearing my Motorbike helmet which means that I’m actually breaking the law ?
I never knew it was illegal to drive a car with a lid on.

Max, I don’t think those are the reasons when some one decides to NOT wear a helmet !

Before I get self proclaimed modders cutting and pasting my post please read up on the reasons for and against.

Love it, been riding it for 20 years now and will continue to for as long as I can ride, North Ameica descent is quick and the polkodot cafe sells great bacon butties, it can be linked into al manner of loops and different permutations to increase the length of a ride, I’ve never done it in the dark though ?

That would be interesting

That’s a pretty tough days riding mate !

Get some sleep and in the morning remind your 9 year old over breakfast that if he hadn’t told the grown ups to put their helmets on then things could have been a lot worse ! Then tell the two of them he wasn’t swerving at the back but trying to pop wheelies, and after all that and when it’s all settled down think about yourself and wonder at what you will be doing when you are 76 and pray that you will still be riding…… Lastly remind the old fart its his round !

Just a thought ?

Why can’t you employ some one to head up the company that will surely give you the rubber stamp over and above what you need, of course that will mean that there is some one up top who looks like he’s running the shop but quite a few company’s employ this tactic.

I’d say an ex Squaddie with several winters experience inside the arctic circle as a Mountain Leader, a jungle warfare instructor and a highly trained combat medic ? some one who has taught at an infantry training school such as Sandhurst and also taught at adventure training in Canada, The Apls, Norway, Brecon, Scotland, lakes etc would have the correct criteria ? Preferable Ex SF ! The French won’t like that.
Some of the military instructors quals are ranked quite high and are transferable in Civvy Street, but prob not in France ? But that’s where there may be some cross fertilisation as all the military stuff will be documented to the hilt and backed up by years of training and instruction.

He can take all the shit, maybe shuffle some paper and polish some bikes, you can then crack on with running the company and concentrating on the important stuff.

Just a thought,

Yes, Trail Centre ?
You get on your bike and follow a path ? There are no obstacles at trail centres or great big rocks strewn about the man made sculpted paths save for a few braking bumps in the berm sections where people can’t ride properly. Imagine riding at A trail centre and finding a rock the size of a football in the trail there would be hell on !
That’s why I said cut gate as it’s the most trail centre orientated route I could think of, you get on your bike and pedal it following your nose, when you get to slippery stones you can carry on to Fairholme or just turn round and come back across, cut right down North America for a trail centre ish descent altho be warned it is natural and not at all Free Ride.

The free ride part of comes in to play when you have to pop off a ledge to get round or over said none man made obstacle, or where you see fit to stop and admire a drop or a gap or a boulder strewn chute into a run that you are just about to discover,

Riding a bikes riding a bike it doesent matter what you call it, or how you cut and paste into thread,

Where do you normally ride if you find The Peaks not very good ?

I know mike reccomends washing up liquid above, I use PVA wood glue from a pot and brush it on with a pastry brush, it works pretty much the same I think ?

Fitting a tube overnight to compress the rim tape is a good Idea.

I wouldn’t advise Wharny unless you know where your going, I’ve been riding there over 15 years and I still get folk telling me its shit, you really need some local knowledge to link up a good loop, likewise Sherwood Pines, one extreme to the other there, in comparison the pines is very very lame.

As for the Peaks, I’d do cut gate pass, it’s an out and back route and you will struggle to find any better MTB territory, it was where everyone rode before the trail centres opened, the Peaks is a Mecca for all things outdoors and biking there is second to none ! Unless you take a trip to the Alps or Canada ?

Hopefully some one should be able to hook up with you and show you some trails.

Enjoy

I just use HOPE sintered in my Evo M4 brakes, they seem to last a long time and are definately up to the job, maybe organic for the dry weather if you fancy a change ?

Ride your bike !
Chuck it about, shift your weight around practice hopping logs manualing and front wheel wheelies and enjoy it.
This will improve your stability whilst you are actually riding, it doesent involve kettle bells and most importantly you don’t have to go down the Gym where strange folk lurk around touching themselves whilst looking in the mirror.

I don’t want to upset any one but your wasting your time, the earth has a core and so do apples, I was told this years ago, seeing as we don’t have one then what your actually doing is fuvking your back up.

If you have spare time then spend it on two wheels ?

HOPE fan here, can’t comment on any of the others as I’ve only ever had their Hydraulic brakes, I am impressed by their NO quibble customer care attitude and their brakes suit my kind of riding and the UK weather.

Next up Sealskin Socks ?

My Nomad is a brighter Yellow than the Yellow on the Bronson ?

Several of us think that this is because mine “Alu” and the 3 others “Carbon” are painted on a black carbon ? But the 3 carbon ones are definitely more lime than Flouro, they are still bright but a shade on the darker side.

I hope that makes sense, and if any one does know then please shed some light on this.

Cheers

Sod it, I’m going to download STRAVA to see what all the fuss is about, years ago I downloaded it but read some story about would be thieves finding out where you live and robbing your bike ?

I’ve been doing exactly the same as onzadog with regards to setting personal goals, if some one is in front of me I’ve got to pass them and I cannot be passed.

Also yesterday there was a guy pictured in Pink cammo Lycra !
Looks like he was on the tube, I bet this is his bike, looks like the suspect to warrant such a particular steed.

I think if you test ride a carbon framed bike back to back with an Alu framed version there’s no doubt that you will go carbon, I bobbed some RF SIXC bars on my steed about 2 years ago and the benefits were instant, although riding a pair of Fox 36 VAN RC2’s the carbon bars to the buzz out of the trail.

I’ve ridden higher end Santa Cruz back to back and the carbon versions just sit up to pedal input, as others have said they are snappier and respond well,

I’m still of the opinion though that Carbon is for the elite, like in F1 cars it’s fine for Lewis Hamilton because he doesent pick up the repair bill.
Like Contadores spesh, it won’t be comming out of his pocket because it got mangled on the roof rack.

If it’s your 9 till 5 profession then there’s a benefit to having carbon, but they aren’t used for 2 to 5 years in the hands of a pro they probably do that many weeks in fact days ?

OH MAN !

I forgot this one………. about 3 Years ago at the Chippy in Peebles John from “Johns Not Mad” Fame !

We had ridden GT In the morning and then the red at Innerleithen in the afternoon, i was so tired i didnt know wether to laugh, cry or just admire him, in the end i think i did all 3.

He was on Top form and going for it Big Style !

If you’re not the sort to get rid and not keep hold of things then you have probably just answered your own question.

If it were me and as you are asking for advice I would keep 1 bike, the one that made me ride it the most be that road or trail, I’d sell the rest and if when you decide that you want to come back to it you won’t have a quandary in which to ride.

Uuuummmpphhhhh !
Blokes in Lycra again, it’s just so wrong !

Munrobiker, I just spat out a mouthful of coffee,

I bumped into Janet Street Porter above Pately bridge, I even held the gate open for her and she still had a go at me !

Something about a speed limit ? And rights of way ?

Plyphon, have you ridden Cut Gate at full yacker ? There’s some hoofing great stones there that put a rather large slice in my shin bone last week, I’ve also seen an Ibis mojo up there sliced and a carbon Santa Cruz on the crags at Wharncliffe sliced, these aren’t stones there about the same size and dimension as a family sized plate pie.

Mines got invisiframe tape on and it’s not shy at gouging that out the way and denting the downtube, it’s only vinyl wrap not armour.

@njee

In what respect ?
The variation between a rigid Alu & carbon you mean or the variation between Alu full suss and carbon full suss ?

I’m interested myself as I’m liking the look of the GT gravel bike elsewhere on here, and fancied carbon especially if it looks like that one, obviously wait till no one buys one and take one from wiggle with a hefty discount on last years model in another 12 Months.

I know I said above I wouldn’t buy carbon but I think I’ve been had by the advertising moguls who described the rear seat stays as pencil thin and the square section chain stays…….

Sorry back on track,

We had one for our son and it had no brake, he learnt to balance on it obviously but he also learnt that space was important as no brake meant more involvement “somehow” and I’m certain it’s helped, he now rides a proper bike and still dissent use his brakes, which is scary to watch as they hurtle off on gravel.

He bypassed the stabiliser stage and just went straight onto a little Bike.

A brake would hinder things and probably do you out of a few comedy moments

I doubt you will shatter a frame if it’s dropped on a hard surface ?

Repetitive abuse will no doubt cause some damage, in my limited exposure to carbon it suffers more from lacerations, like a side plate sized slab flicking up and damaged the down tube, B/B area or the knuckle mount that attaches to a rear link underneath the B/B area like on a Nomad for instance.

I’ve never ridden a rigid carbon bike but assume characteristics are similar to a FS bike, they are less buzzy whilst still offering some flex and feel different to the same alu version of same design.

To get it right I think you would have to spend a significant amount on the frame and as has been said at a cost else where ?
Wheels ? Finishing kit.

If it were me which it isn’t I’d buy a nice Steel frame and enjoy the strength and movement in a proper steel frame, unles weight is an issue, then go Carbon.

I’ve found Howies Dyfi active shell pretty good, it’s got breathable panels in it and it just helps keep the chilling wind off.

As other sweaty buggers have said, not much point keeping the water out if your leaking.
I’d just echo base, mid layers and a Gilet.

Either that or buy a cape, a red one with a big S on the back ?

Dave

If you look at what I put I said Old not Slow ?

He’s not some one I follow on a daily basis and the last time I saw him was when he was racing a lot of 4X, I just looked at the picture and made a comment based upon how he looks now to how he looked then ? At no point did I mention speed or is that you thinking that Older people are slow ?

It’s just me then that thinks he looks old ?

There’s your answer then,

Either that or your occupying your time ?

Are you fueling up adequately ?
50 road miles is no mean feat and 3 hours off road must be nearing 30 miles at least ?

Loads of info on here about scoffing, you need to top up with snap whilst still riding and then a good feed afterwards.
As above your body will be repairing and your blood sugars could also be low.

If you need a nap have one, but look at supplementing something I don’t mean start taking protein shakes and that kind of shit but you need to add something in to your ride to prop your energy level up.

Hell fire, I’ve just looked and he’s also younger than me,