One pointer on choice of bike – she is perhaps just as likely to fit a man's bike than a wsd – it will depend on stature, so try both.

Why not though? .TDF riders are doing 5 – 6 hours a day on their bike with only 1 or 2 rest days all tour, and even then they ride on their rest day.

They do all start to look ill as the tour goes on though and there is a certain rate of attrition. That said sounds like you'll get round. It will be a bit more touch and go for me I'm afraid. Looking for a psychological edge. Perhaps small pork pies in the drop bags is the answer.

You're right. Maxxis Ignitor front; Larsen TT rear – worried that the rear could be a touch tacky in the dry or get clogged if its muddy. Stuff the training I need to change tyres.

I noticed that Planet x have some good deals on Look spd shoes at present.

Tried a few of these bikes over the past couple of years and finally settled on what suits me best. For long events/races I initially had an spec epic – the major advantage to me seemed to be that it could be pedaled fast over uneven trails with comfort. Went over to a ti hardtail, fancied a change and a simplified setup. In a back to back comparison the ht is a rougher ride if you sit in the saddle and pedal on trails – no real surprises. But once up out of the saddle I preferred it for handling, control, lack of pedal bob. The fs may have been a bit faster but I prefer riding ht.
For razzing around trail centers such as Cannock, trips to Welsh hills, Shropshire etc I had a five. Started doing more of these rides on the ti ht and found that I again preferred the handling of the ht. It also climbed much better. Build was a bit light so I swapped kit over from five to Sovereign. Now all my normal riding is on he sov with the lighter bike coming out for events. It is a relatively heavy bike, may slow me down a bit on steep climbs like Long Mynd but that's not a bother to me.

Often bundled with maps though – topo or road.

look at routebuddy

Like mine – the handlebar mount works well. Its a little bulky on the bars but very secure and convenient. I got the UK 1:50K map with it and have not needed any more detail. Don't know about 3rd party maps. Recent upgrades to the software have made it much better to transfer tracks to. I use 'walkhighlands GPS', online OS mapping to construct routes.

Fellow Ford Focus owner – just sold my Five as thought it was a bit overblown and took some of the fun out of the riding I do which is a mixture of Peaks/Welsh singletrack and local trail centres.

Sorted – thanks John

john ygm

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=39137

These Giordana are very good. Also have Assos but don't think they are better.

Don't underestimate how much time it will take to train a dog so that it will do what you ask and not be constant embarrassment in public – it's like having another kid. They are pack animals and as far as I can tell don't much care for being left alone. That said we have a cocker/poodle cross. Wife trained him +++ and is at home all day. He rides with us no problem and can cover 30 miles easily. Very athletic animal with limitless energy. Exercise is every, well most days, not just those you fancy riding a bike on. I agree with others who would not take their dogs to congested places like some trail centres at weekends. They can still be prone to some unpredictability despite all the training in the world. Don't expect too much when they are young – need time to mature – between one or two years. They can also find it hard going on very hot days. There will be a huge variation in what you get out of the dog depending on breed and temperament and you may find that you don't end up with what you wanted. I would look at medium sized working type dogs if you are going to get one.

Had a session recently at Woburn – Tony reckoned that I was over analysing my riding. Went out for the first time since then – head full of new stuff; promptly fell off! Nobody saw – so that was OK. Few rides since and its coming together. Foot work is better, linking berms better, jumps are better, moving across the trail better. Still plenty to work on but hey if I could do it all I probably wouldn't enjoy it. It feels good to improve a bit.

Kind of interested if you're still stuck. Never done Mayhem before. Not ridden off road at night before. And I'm a vet now. On the plus side I've done the CRC Builth Wells event and am training towards Kielder. Come with wife and kids (not sure if that is a plus or minus). Is there plenty to keep them occupied? Email in profile.

Just built up a 13" spec rockhopper pro for my 9 year old. He loves it.

Got the frame here – haggled a bit – £80 or so delivered.

http://www.bikescene.co.uk/Specialized-Rockhopper-Pro-Frame-1681-92-0.html

Just let my Five frame go and bought a Sovereign. Absolutely love it – definitely the right move for me. I had noticed for a few months that I much preferred the feel of my lightweight xc hardtail to the Five. Direct acceleration, no bob, fewer pedal strikes, better handling all round (in my hands at least). Made myself take the FS out a few times (Cannock, Dalby, Glentress this year) but it just felt a bit 'bloated'. The Sovereign is no lighter than the Five, climbs fine – it is a bit weighty; but I feel more in control without the extra dimension of FS on tight woodland runs such as those at Cannock. Its reasonably slack and feels right at home on steeper descents. Like it so much just did a four hour xc run on it today. I did detour into the woods halfway round to find a few small jumps though. So no you are not mad. I'm sure there will be people on here who ride differently and get more out of FS than I did.

He's doing the Zion for £50 more – why not just go for that and have peace of mind? I have one and as Tony says 'they're great'

Cheers. Yes we'll definitely camp. Invested in a trailer tent plus good to be outdoors for a change. Have done Ile de Noirmoutier a couple of years ago; its in the Vendee – flat with a good cycle network – would like to explore somewhere different this time. I was a bit concerned that the South would be heaving but a week at the beach will be compulsory, could be Brittany though. Keep the suggestions coming and I'll check them all out and try and come up with a good itinerary.

Probably 75 for me

Updated my iphone, new contract etc – took it Kayaking. Declined offers of waterproof bag to hold it for trip. Took a swim – phone totally @£%$£^. Thought bugger. Went into Apple shop and they replaced it for £100. I considered this a result. No insurance.

I have used Maxxis larsen ust at cannock to good effect at 35psi

Van Nicholas Zion

We had the same thing – it was really tight with a volvo 850 and buckling up was terrible (ended up with extensions to the seatbelt clip which helped a bit).
We then moved to something with 3 seats at the back – first s-max then galaxy – and it was a whole different world.
I would suggest that you might be OK if you can find relatively narrow baby seats – once they are installed you shouldn't have to undo them much as they'll have a five point harness. Many of the seats are relatively bulky though so shop around.
Good luck.

Came off at Cannock last week in the loose stuff. No damage – POC VPD knee/ shin (as I sometimes ride flats). Not had them long but very impressed so far.

Built up two bikes over winter: a Five + a lightweight short travel hardtail. Rode them both around the new course at Cannock last week to compare performance. Was surprised how much better the hardtail felt. More lively and direct. Perhaps full sus bikes really come into their own when the ground below is very rocky/uneven. Not that much of my riding fits into this category at present. Perhaps it will as the braking bumps develop at Cannock! Anyway I'm probably consistently overbiked on the Five. Quite like the nippiness and direct feel of the hardtail. I have put some more air into the Five's shock to try and stiffen up the rear end – will see if this works. So if you're used to hardtails I wouldn't automatically assume that a full susser would be better for the type of riding that you do.

+1 for Nuun. I also started taking them the day before longer rides. No more cramp.

Cheers guys – got some great riding to go at now. I'll let you know how we get on.

Cheers Abductee – email in profile
I had already packed the waterproof socks and shorts

Thanks guys – I've got the 1:25000 ready. Looking for XC, singletrack where possible, some nice descents. Rides of 20-40miles. Try and avoid anything too messed up. I know the whole area is quite peaty so prone to be a bit wet at this time of year. Can drive to find good ground or consider doing a one way trail. I used to live in Newcastle and rode around Rothbury, Keilder quite a bit but not further North. We had a great Autumn holiday in Wooler 16 months ago but did not manage to hit much good legal singletrack. The best descents were when we were aborting rides in bad weather down footpaths (which I would not normally plan to do).

[College valley is a fireroad climb in a spectacular setting and most excellent cruisey descent] Can I ride into/ out of College Valley at the top end? The brideways seem to stop and go on as footpaths only.

[Not Westnewton perchance?] We are at East Set Byre, not sure if this is Canno Mill (which looked nice the last time I cycled through a couple of years ago).

[There is a route going inwards behind The Cheviot and coming on top near Windy Gyle.] Sorry br must be blind, can't find Windy Gyle. Is this track coming from Wooler? Is it one way in and out?

[Coquetdale is a drive away but beautiful] Agreed. We plan to do a short ride each morning in our locality (grandparents looking after kids) with one or two bigger rides which could be further afield (Coquetdale, Breamish Valley, Alwinton etc).

Thanks again!!

One last go – anybody out there ride the Northumberland / Borders area.

Satmap works really well for me. Got the whole of the UK on 1:50000 which is fine (no need for 1:25K). There are plenty of online sites to plan routes on and then download to the unit. Then you just follow – impossible to get lost. The GPS always shows you where you are in relation to your trail, with an OS background. Satmap also run their own map site(although the visible map area is a bit restricted compared to others).
The trouble I find with maps is that you need to know where you are – which by definition is difficult when your lost. I've been on top of some Welsh hills when the mist has rolled in looking for paths that are present on the map but don't seem to exist on the ground. I've followed instructions that take me 'up to the gate' – only to find that there are three gates to chose from. With the Satmap you know your keeping to the trail, even when all you see is a field full of grass/ sheep with no landmarks. I always carry a map + compass (just in case) – but have not yet had to get them out.
I know you can do all this stuff with a compass and a bit of brain power but I prefer to not have to stop and figure out where I am so often – I prefer the riding.
Also comes in handy when we go out walking with the kids. I know they can go for about five miles, so we do five i.e. don't get lost and do seven.

I've had a ridgeback genesis day one for perhaps five years now. Not sure how much the bike has changed. Used it as a commuter. It has a nice 'racy' frame with 700c tires. Swapped from a triple to a compact which works much better – not the continuous need to change gear. Flat handlebars with tribars added to cope with windy days. Took it to Australia for a year and used it as my road bike as well – generally able to keep up. I've quite enjoyed it really – especially once the triple was gone. It is heavy but also affordable so I don't mind chaining it to a bike rack. I've ridden it quite a lot and am definitely fond of it, although best on the flat. Using it less now as I don't commute anymore. If you fancy a cheaper alternative in nice condition with a few improved parts then let me know (email in profile).

I find Merlin, Bonthrone and Wiggle generally quite a bit quicker than CRC – not that CRC have been unreliable in any way. I guess its nice to have a choice.

We cycle a lot with our children – most weekends. They are 8, 6 and 4. My six year old daughter has the Isla Beinn 20 small. Ridden it for 12 months now. Expensive at £200 but as i said we ride a lot and I have another daughter who will use it after wards. These bikes are really nice for kids and I consider them a huge improvement over the specialized, giant, trek equivalents (some of which we have owned). The major difference is the weight. Most kids bikes are as heavy as my own. The isla bikes are nice and light. There are other good features too (gearing and brakes) but weight is the major advantage to my mind. Age 5 or 6 my daughter could manage 20 miles off road at a reasonable pace – and enjoy it. My son who is a couple of years older has had a generic model from the local bike shop – built in Taiwan. This cost less than half the price of the isla bike. I picked it as it seemed to be reasonably light, in comparison to other models from better known manufacturers. He has done really well on it – manages 30 miles, has done follow the dog at Cannock several times with me. So I don't think you have to spend loads but I would pick a few bikes up to see how heavy they are. Also, it seems obvious but get something that fits – don't be tempted to go large – as I think that this just puts them off. Hope this helps

Use M4s on my orange 5 and X2s on my hardtail XC. Seems about right.

Booked with Mike at Big Bear Active in the end – looks like excellent value. Will try out the other suggestions in time I'm sure. Thanks again for the help!!

I'm the same weight and just got the 355 hoops. Wondered whether they'd be strong enough. Initial impressions are great. They seem perfect for XC.

Thanks for the advice. I've dropped Ed a line – although I see he has a fully booked course on the Sat. Otherwise I'll try Whinlatter or the Dales Centre.

Have you been out with them before or do you know anybody who has?