Idiots question – this is all lip synced? They seem to have mics on for the end of the tracks at least?

+1 for Russia.

Cyprus was good fun too.

Belgium – a bit mismisjudged bringing actual musical instruments to Eurovision, too slow too!

Oh it’s us, please get at least 1 point this year…

I do wonder how much proper journalism happens in the mountain bike world. Mtb is a pretty happy place, but if there was a serious issue like (and these are imaginary) high level athletes taking performance enhancing drugs, or a major manufacturer using child labour in the supply chain, which writer would want to risk their place in the magazine/website world for that sting?

I find a lot of content very safe and tame – press releases/reviews/tests/rides. I definitely skip pages in ST that just seem to be filler too. And MBUK is just waffle (I used to subscribe many years ago and quit). I do like ST though, it stands up for the right stuff.

Off road (reviews/guides) and pink bike (insight and comment) are probably what I read the most at the moment.

– Just because an issue only affects 1% of the population, it doesn’t mean the remaining 99% do nothing. I think someone compared this to wheelchair ramps earlier in the thread. We support those who need support. In this case just referring to people as they like to be referred. It costs us nothing.

– First world problem – I doubt it’s a just a problem in the first world, but even if it is, just because there’s a famine on another continent it doesn’t mean this isn’t an issue for people here and elsewhere. Boriselbrus wasn’t joking with the ‘head kicked in’ line, this shouldn’t be a threat for someone just going about their day.

Lol at Singletrack bike the radio 4 of the mountain bike world!

I wonder what station they have on in Singletrack towers. I’d have guessed 6…

I do really like the physicality of magazines. The extra thick singletrack that they did for a few years reeked of quality.

Content wise ST is definitely at the classier end of things. It must be difficult to think of content though, it’s either bike rides somewhere nice (which need to be really obscure to be interesting now), or be contemporary and informative without repeating press releases like a parrot.

I’d really like to see more industry journalism – what would the big players in the industry not want us to know about what goes on etc.

I’ll probably be committed to print copies for a while either way. Singletrack with a tea is me time, but I’ll grab a copy of cranked next time I’m at the FoD.

Standard Apple and Spotify are both very similar. Apple uses 256kbps aac, Spotify uses 320kbps mp3. AAC is a better codec, so in practice I found them to be very close. And if you’re listening on little headphones then you won’t notice any difference at all. They’re both fine for casual listening, even through small speakers. I was only switching between the two due to compatibility with other things (Apple didn’t work with chromecast for a long time). Spotify just works really well with everything.

I’m expecting his-res/FLAC alternatives from both. That’s where the fun really starts.

Anyway – pick your favourite and you’ll be fine 🙂

Thanks for organising the quiz – my scores were awful, I’ll read up for next time!

I Find it interesting how much they split opinion. It sounds like the used to be quite backwards in their design and have a reputation for that despite being one of the first to focus on big wheel trail bikes and geometry. Likewise they seem to have a reputation for being heavy but as I understand it their alu frames are not to far off the kind of weight you’d get from a carbon frame (and it’s not like they don’t crack either). People think they’re expensive but when you compare the frames only like for like they’re about the same as other uk made frames.

I don’t have any strong opinions on this, but I wouldn’t fork out for a huge £ one (my crush is Taiwanese made). I just find it curious that they’re so love/hate.

I’ve never done an invisiframe, but it that’s what it looked like I’d never buy one. That looks like bubblewrap. Plus it’s wonky in places.

+1 for changing them. I never liked the old helter skelter graphics. The colours now match, and look how the angles match the bird badge too.

I have a 3. Like above comments, you can get comfortably to the end of a day having done an activity like a bike ride after work without worrying about battery. If you just use it as a watch (no GPS/work outs) you can probably get 36 hours of use on your wrist but that’s no fun. Keep in mind that if you ran Strava on the watch it could save your phone battery instead.

As an extreme opposite example, I ran it on a road epic last year. I put strava on at 6am and it ran out of go around 4 in the afternoon.

So for a typical day, I’d say battery is fine, but you’ll be leaving the charger somewhere convenient just like you do a phone charger. The SE is probably better too.

If you do take up DickBarton’s suggestion above, please make it clear to the police I will not be in the fetid sex pond.

No breathing, but I have been told I can speak out of it.

Do you know when the next party is due to be? Perhaps I (and the rest of the forum) could join in the festivities?

Think I’ll give the hot tub a miss though.

I’ve only half read this thread because it’s moving to fast, but cross referencing a couple of points from Kelvin, would the same demographic that can’t afford to pay £15 for a card at every election be the same demographic that don’t typically register to vote? The poor/young etc. When I was skint in my younger years £15 wouldn’t be in my disposable income, and I like to vote. There shouldn’t be an economic barrier to a democratic right.

Stage 4 Evo frame (stock colour, Fox Float DPS Performance) £2,200

Cotic Flaremax UK release (RS delux select shock, 2 colour options) £2099. CC DB air IL for £100 upgrade.

I’d sat that quite even. Cotic also has Taiwan made frames, and offers full bikes for much less than 4K.

I do appreciate that Orange sell via proper shops though. I still really like my local and they need bike sales. So it’s no surprise that Bird etc smash them for pricing (build location + direct). The Santa Cruz example is interesting for showroom sales. I can see the attraction of a Santa Cruz as I can turn on the tv and see someone winning a downhill race on them. DH for me is the main sport I follow, again orange had their heyday, but even the old orange pros are on Santa Cruz bikes these days!

I’ve always liked them personally. I’ve no doubt that like most bike brands right now they’re selling everything they make. From what I’ve seen (and I own a crush) everything is good and well built, but went elsewhere for a FS myself. I’m just surprised they’re never mentioned on the forum as a recommendation more often.

That pink bike article comment page is v funny.

+1 for beg borrow and steal for a while. Looks like there’s should be demos available this year so have a bit of fun before getting the credit card out.

RIP Barry. Sorry to hear there’s one less biker on the trails.

Well done OP for doing what you could.

The great thing about both of those two companies is you could call either of them up tomorrow, speak with someone who knows the bikes inside out, and give their view on whether the frame would work with your shock. You’re paying top £ for premium British brands, you may as well make the most of the pre sales support that goes with with that. I’d start with that.

I actually used to work for one of the larger companies a long time ago as an advisor. I can honestly say it’s a very mixed bunch. There were some individuals who I’d trust enormously and would have the sort of industry knowledge and experience you would want and need when buying a home, and others who were every kind of rotten.

It sounds like you’ve found the less competent ones sadly. But they’re not all bad.

Awesome – more than happy to be proved wrong on that one.

Maybe Canada is just ahead of the curve compared to the UK. Hopefully we will follow.

Nice to know there’s another terrible cowardly rider out there 🙂

Great question ^. I feel a bit better not knowing the answer myself. I think things are slowly, over decades, getting better though.

I think this whole gender/sport thing is pretty baseless. A few people have mentioned football and whether or not they take an interest in a ‘boys’ sport. In the US and (NZ/Aus I believe) the men are usually playing oval shaped ball games, and football is seen as the girls sport. It’s all a societal construct. Plus women’s rugby here is hugely popular now. So I really don’t buy into guys sports and girls sports, just attitudes in each time and place. It’s also fine to not like football.

Speaking anecdotally, I’d say that women’s sport has been a real winner over the last decade, but cycling (especially Mtb) has mostly missed out so far despite Trott/Pendleton/Atherton etc.

All I can see is that all the sports that I’d think of as being comparable to cycling have a much broader range of participants (running/hiking etc). I don’t get how cycling is seen as being different.

Actually that point from Vicky was particularly interesting as I think Mtb/cycling is a great sport for people who like sport but hated PE.

I ordered a copy of in invisible women. As recommended earlier in the thread.

Only if it completely out of your own free will, and not as a result of subconscious social conditioning.

If there’s a choice, I’d definitely recommend doing something else with your evening.

Who cares? I care, and I think others will too. You’ve illustrated a very good point there, I think that what ever the driving force it is that you’ve identified above is at least worth knowing about. The current generation of people may be happy with their outcomes, but I for one don’t want to see participants being lost in a way which affects demographics unequally in that way.

If girls/women are finding more fun elsewhere, then that’s fine, I’m not about to wrestle them off their horse and make them enjoy cycling instead (although it would keep the bridleways cleaner), but I think it’s worth listening to the people who have had the experience of being a minority in cycling and why others like them may not be so inclined to stick with the hobby. I enjoy cycling, and I’d like others to as well. I want my sport to be inclusive, and not selective. Diversity is a good thing and asking ourselves why we’re lacking it is important.

I suspect that there are cultural/societal aspects which drive that far more than the activity itself. And if that is the case then… maybe as members of the cycling community that could be something that we get to influence.

Maybe we should start by listening more to the people who have had this experience for themselves. Thanks to the women who’ve commented previously.

I’ve had my eye on these being released for a while for this reason.

I’m waiting for a few details to be confirmed. Apparently there’s a few issues with privacy that they’ve had to iron out, e.g. making sure that you don’t sneak one into someone’s handbag so you can track them against their knowledge. So I think that if the tag is far away and a device picks it up, the device would need to grant approval to send the location of the tag to you. I don’t think a bike thief would do this (sadly). I think the tag also makes a noise. Again, I’m not 100% sure on all this, but it’s what I understand so far.

I’m making a lot of guesses here based on the info in the press videos. I’m hoping it could be what we’re looking for though.

£3k buys a lot of bike. Although I wouldn’t spend it unless there was was something I really wanted.

How about a total revamp of the current bike? Send the suspension off to TF for a service and maybe an internal upgrade, stick some new wheels and tyres on there, and maybe upgrade few worn out bits of kit. It’ll be due a cable change anyway. You could do all of that and only spend a few hundred £, but it would come out looking like a new bike.

That’s nice to hear. The facilities there are really great. It’s a really good trail centre in general. That’s just what I happened to experience last weekend.

I think a lot of cycling venues aren’t particularly female friendly due to the users. I was at the FoD recently which looked like a stag do. I even had to swerve round one who had stopped to take a piss on the trail.

If I was female I wouldn’t feel comfortable going out for the afternoon alone with the atmosphere you can find in mountain biking sometimes.

I think very highly of Tahnee/Rachel etc, hopefully they’ll leave a legacy that changes things.

I have Eye Pod glasses. They’re as described above (5 different lens types, polarised etc) and have inserts. They work well, don’t slip, and I like them a lot. For ~£100 they’re great.

I can’t imagine riding with my reading glasses on, it sounds terrifying.

Those sound like Rev grips. Apparently they’re great, and I think they come in 2 hand sizes.

I have my eyes on the Ergon 2 fat or whatever they’re called though, just for budget reasons.

I have a pair of Eye Pod glasses (google them). They’re not ski goggle style, more typical cycling glasses, but well priced and very comfy to wear and don’t slip when you sweat. My prescription is odd, but still works in their slimmer lens. They definitely keep the wind out, definitely more eye coverage than those reading glasses. Check them out if you’re open to that style of design.

I’ve had a HT since 2014 when my Lappierre got nicked and I couldn’t afford to replace with another full susser. I’m not a particularly skilled mtber, but I’ve taken it down several medium level DH tracks in the south UK – a good HT won’t hold you back. If you’re used to jumping I’d have thought you could definitely make the most of it if it was the right HT for you (I did a little reading on the fuse but can’t comment too much).

For anything footpath level of difficulty I’d say can be done on an HT and there’s fewer things to worry about in cost and upkeep. FS can make your local trails a bit easy sometimes.

That said, I have a new rig on order to help with those rocks and roots at the Forest of Dean.

Borrow/rent one for the day and see if you like it 🙂

I’m quite looking forward to this magazine arriving. Partly because reading it sounds like watching a Christopher Nolan movie.

This is such a great comment, thanks for posting this. It’s definitely given me a lot more perspective.

This is one of the reasons I keep an STW subscription. Most MTB journalism now is basically subsidised advertising in disguise with varying levels of quality. If content is free, it’s usually promoting something. Quality and impartiality needs to be paid for somehow.

I sometimes put GCN on when turboing, and Ashden is very likeable. Agree with above on GMBN being 90s MBUK in video form (although my mbuk days started in 04).

I don’t know much about either model, but typically I’d recommend Leisure Lakes and Merida vs Carrera/Halfords any day.

The staff at LL should know what they’re talking about too, so can help with sizing etc. But I agree with the point about from gauss about comfort and service being a priority.

Merida make a lot of the Specialized bikes I believe too in their factory.

+1 for Madeira cake too. That stuff is nice.

Have a look at Wolfpack tyres. From the same designer who developed tyres for the Conti/Spesh/Schwalbe premium compounds who’s gone solo. The Trail model looks very similar to a Nobby Nic, but should be around 3/4 the price compared to the top level Addix NN (Cross and RR also look similar). I’m looking into both options at the moment.

Completely different to enduros of course, but could be perfect for ‘down country’.