Thanks folks. Sounds like Ralphs + Nics are good / popular combo, so I might go with Plan A. I'm used to the Nic and a Rocket Ron or Speed King, was just wondering if they're up to the terrain but sounds like you reckon they are.

catnash, how did you get on with the Fat Alberts? Agreed the Crossmarks don't look like the tyre for the wet, a mate runs them – great when dry (which it won't be…).

grievoustim, sounds like a neat solution – be good to have a look at a pic or 2 if you've got any, as I've some old Lumi halogens I could cannibalise for my Ay-Up bar lights.

epicyclo, ta for the news, looking forward to seeing it (although p'n'p from Oz /exchange rate these days makes them less attractive).

Did they say why they'd retrenched back to Oz? I was wondering if they'd reconsider opening up the franchise up here if it had just been a tactical withdrawal or was permanent.

Was going to ask the same question! Likewise this will be my TW cherry – running a week without changing tyres will be a new experience for me, I may get rubber withdrawal! 8O

I've been considering taking the tubeless conversion option but not having run them before I'm a bit worried I'll manage to cock it up :?

Was thinking a Nobby Nic 2.25 up front and Speed King 2.3 rear, but was hoping anyone who's done this before could comment on the relative rockiness / muddiness.

If sidewall cuts are likely to be an issue I was thinking of trying the Maxxis ADvantage as they might cover most bases and the 2.1s apparently come up as large as most tyres' 2.2-2.3.

Any help / experiences gratefully received!

Your daughter asks what LPs are.

Seems to be establishing itself as the most fun (big) event of the year, we had a great time again. The range of options / categories means there's something for all of us; don't know any other event where the fast folk are so polite too! Thanks to all involved with creating it and in taking part.

I think the change of the end of the bluebell woods section was a smart move as IIRC last year's had a seriously off camber rooty section which was a hoot then and would've been super sketchy at best (unrideable by the likes of me) in the wet.

Dammit, beat me to it with the Con Air "bunny" quote – surreal moment.

Love the Hudson/Vasquez lines from Aliens:
Hudson:"Vasquez, have you ever been mistaken for a man?"
Vasquez:"No. Have you?"

Ouch.

Had to snigger at timber's comment on the EA being out after 4pm, does seem very unlikely given the subterranean morale of their staff in general. :wink:

And also agree that it's more like Natural England jurisdiction now that SSSI's / AONB's were taken from the EA's remit so they now cover more like the old NRA/HMIP/Waste Regs roles prior to their merger.

But if these jokers were from EN not EA then I wonder if this signifies some shift in their approach to enforcement after a review of how the law might be interpreted? Kind of worrying if that's so :|

Yup, I’ve got one. It’s an elegant idea which probably could do with some improvements.

It won’t work with a MTB triple – the granny ring mounts interfere with the external part – even when I ground them off an old crank :-(

So I got the cheapest road HT2 double I could (a Sora) and that’s fine, although gauging how many spacers is needed is a balance (on my frame – an XTC) between a crank rubbing the chainstay and not enough axle for the non-drive crank to clamp on to.

It works better than my Surly chain tensioner when the going gets really muddy, and after all that’s usually when I ride the SS as it keeps me lazy on the cleaning. For other conditions, and if you don’t mind a potentially vulnerable part, a tensioner is as effective (and cheaper).

Somewhere between Van Halen/Coolhandluke/swadey’s experiences. Definitely get urged to go out otherwise I’m seen as a bear with a sore head and “get underfoot”!

Plus I’ve built her a seriously pink bike ;-)

And on the (rare) occasion when she has to do something which conflicts with biking I really can’t complain. “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.”

Schwalbe Mud Shark 1.5″ at the back and a Maxxis Medusa 1.8″ at the front for when it’s claggy. Trailrakers for when it’s more liquid.

I’ve got a Xen for the same price as a Hex which is great. The Indicator is also an excellent lid and even cheaper than the Hex.

Looks just like down here on the Ridgeway! Slogged through 3+ feet of snow carrying the bike for a while then sacked it to do a cut-down version of our regular loop but even that took 2.5 hrs compared to the normal 1hr 15mins for the full version.

It was great last weekend but we’ve had a fresh snowfall in the week and it’s partially thawed, so it’s too soft to ride on and too thick to ride through.

It’ll be gloopville when it melts though :-(

Speculative is the right word for you as the sender to refer to it, but I always think the word speculative has some negative connotations when I receive one being described in the letter as that i.e. someone’s trying it on (as confirmed by some of the responses here!).

This is about putting the recipient in the right frame of mind (sorry to go a bit NLP). Personally I’d couch it in terms of “I’m sending this CV to you on an informal basis with a view to discussing matters further, should my experience/expertise be of interest to you” etc etc.

Panaracer Cindercross as grippy as their 26″ equivalents.
Conti SpeedKings good if dry, fast like their 26″ version.
Would love to be able to get the Twisters in a 37″, they look great, but can’t find them in stock anywhere!

I have 2 sets, they’re wonderful. Very stoppy and very light. As r6ymy says, the service department is superb, Tony is a jedi. If you do want to bleed them yourself, I recommend their bleed kit, it makes it a complete doddle even for the mechanically-declined like me.

32 teeth – natural for humans

Me like.

Got the bar + helmet set-up of Ayups, they’re luurvely and plenty bright, great patterm. I keep getting cars slowing down wondering what I am ;-)

Ferdinando Scum & The Washbasins

Consultant to the utility sector, mostly water but some power companies. I try to help them make better investment decisions i.e. make better use of their customers’ (our!) money. A good place to be for a not-so-closet environmentalist :-)
Business is crazy busy but that’s largely a function of the 5 year cycle in the water industry, which is currently in the “all hands to the pump” phase. If the past is owt to go by, 2010 will be a lot quieter, and then it’ll probably all start to pick up again. A combination of the fact that utilities are essential services, and a never-ending stream of new regulations, means investment will keep crankin’ on for a long time.
Probably the kiss of death for the sector, saying that!