You could get a 06 plate Merc Ml for that kind of money. . Will be auto but trust me once you try a merc auto you’ll never want a manual again. Had mine for 4 years 40k miles and only needed a new battery. Bombproof and great off road with proper tyres. Avoid anything Land Rover unless you like fixing them.  A lot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OMEGA-Seamaster-Professional-Chronometer-Mens-Automatic-watch-Swiss-Made-Boxed/283080591118?hash=item41e8eb070e:g:SdAAAOSwVuFbW1zs

I think chris king is the way to go

was there last week and didn’t see anyone going down under the S Morzine lift but you cold see bits of the trail you refer to. Surprised at how much all the red/blue trails are are just berms  and table tops everywhere. got quite boring so we went to Samoens for the natural walkers path type stuff which were mega.

I signed on with a pals bank card once for ID to take up a ticket he had spare

There are people in this world who are genuinely as stubborn as oxen and cannot be told what to do. You must leave them to their destiny.

I do more road miles than anything else nowadays, but go mtbing every now and then sometimes wales, derbyshire peaks, and have a week in the alps once a year. Just bought a cx so that gets used for offload trails near my house the most. The main thing that killed my mtbing is the faff of having to drive 1-2hr to get anywhere with half decent trails whereas I can just go straight out the door on the cx or road bike and cover 50km in a few hours.

I got curious around 4 years ago, and took a punt on a secondhand specialized allez off ebay which I collected from its original owner and for £300 was a complete bargain as it had not been ridden from new! still had the receipt and user manual! did a few local rides near my house then signed up to do the Coast 2 coast ( which was ace)  and a couple of 100 mile sportives later and Im hooked, and do more road miles than MTB now. Upgraded to a spesh tarmac after the allez got pinched.

The Magnificent 7

1 26″ DH bike

2 26″ FS  carbon bling machine

3 29r Hardtail

4 summer road bike

5 winter road bike

6 disc braked CX

7 retro steel mtb single-speed from the 80s

Most miles are on the winter road bike but the 29er is the one i like the most

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-FG-403MS-Acoustic-guitar-with-brown-hard-case/263521826849?epid=1709280582&hash=item3d5b1ff821:g:ZngAAOSwuhFaRjEN

I’d be all over this if I was in the market

The hassle of getting a guitar set up are:

1. take it to the guitar tech.

2. Ask him to do a full set up. ( action, intonation, truss rod adjustment, fret dressing, new strings etc etc)

3. come back when agreed and pay for the work done.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t plan on playing live, a well set up guitar is a joy to play, and will likely mean you play it for hours, and that’s how you get good.

Id have a look on ebay or gumtree for a secondhand bargain and factor in £50-60 for a tech to set it up for you, brands to look out for are epiphone, takamine, tanglewood, and Yamaha. Always try before you buy with guitars, especially if theyre pre owned.

despite signing up I didn’t get on the list 🙁

The fact someone has posted ‘SCAMMER!!!’ on his pinkbike profile page says it all really.

Did you not inspect before you parted with the cash? Id hang it on the wall or give it the scrap man.

Im in! do we need to carry all our gear for the full route??

2nd the pirellis. Had continental before and squeezed 30k out of the set. Only went pirelly cos conti were out of stock

We have a skoda superb estate and to be honest its a great car, much more refined than the a4 we had before, full leather all the gadgets, and with tons more space.

2017 was a cracker with ride birmingham 100 miler being a highlight. Did basque mtb coastal holiday which was mega and the lincoln sportive which had a great sprint up the cobbles finish. Also did penmachno and landegla and the ard rock enduro as well as not buying any new bikes with the ethos of just enjoy the fleet as is. So 2018 has a lot to live up to.

Loose plan though : go to whistler for some mtb Do a cx race. Have a week Road riding in spanish mountains. Join a road club. Commute more by mountain bike. Buy no cycle clothing. Went a bit mad in 2017 with rapha gear! Sell the dh bike and Poss upgrade the yeti for a sb6 funds permiting.

Doh!

Having seen the recent prices of santa cruz bikes from £4k- 10k. And see people actually buying them. And the cost of enduro entri £70+ I am not in the least surprised that tyre prices are so high. Becoming a v rich mans sport is mtb.

at 42, I gained a penchant for tailor made suits, and now have 3. 2 of them made in Vietnam whilst there on business in the most outlandish colours I could find.

ill give it a go an report back on progress!

used em for recently some oakleys, and a deraileur and shifter for a 1×10 conversion.. all arrived within a week

just popped the lid off this: http://www.decanter.com/wine-reviews/france/chateauneuf-du-pape/les-courlandes-chateauneuf-du-pape-2015-13985
will be gone before bed time

I have a Whyte 629 and and of all my fleet this is the keeper. Great fun smooth ride , feels like I’m in the bike rather than on it!

Ive got 2-3 26″ bontrager tubeless tyres 2.0-2.2 width xc knobbly type in my workshop I could do you a deal on?

basquemtb winter enduro looks good for last week nov 1st week december

42 now. Wil be 61 when it’s paid off. BUT we could sell it tomorrow and buy somewhere smaller in a less desirable area and live mortgage free. Her indoors is a bit posh though and has frowned upon that idea.

I got the 58 and at 6’2 while its a little stretched ( it is a a racer after all) , the 56 was too cramped so for me 58 was ok.

I took a flyer on a set of used 26″ enve am on chris king hubs for £480 off ebay. On inspection they were pretty much unmarked and after a quick service of the hubs now spin like new. a couple of ard rock enduros, local xc blasts and a week bombing round the pyrenees later and they run like a dream. I figured at that price it was worth a punt cos the hubs alone would be worth £350 in any case and ill just rebuild with new rims if i ever prang one.

just unpacked from a week with basquemtb and can confirm my suspicions that 26 is alive and well, at least with me as it was being the only rider of 10 plus 4 guides on 26 inch wheels yet I still had the most amazing time. Now planning next years jolly with the lump of cash I’m not spending on a new 650b. And will be taking the 26r!

haven’t ridden it since 2011 when it was just slogging round a muddy field. kind of lost interest to be honest but could be re-enthused if the course was actually a bit mountain!

I’m etihad/emirates all the way baby. if we fly business it kind of becomes part of the holiday experience!

im ok with the flights, go long haul with work a lot.
Morocco, now there’s an idea…

ive been procrastinating over going 650b for 3 years now. I’m on a ’11 plate 26 inch wheeled yeti asr5 which just refuses to be anything less than awesome and with the equivalent 650b going to be north of £4k im going to procrastinate for quite a while longer! will i really notice £4k more awesome for 1.5 inch more wheel front and rear? plus ebay’s chock full of good nick 26r bits too if anything breaks….

did 4 runs without uplift when i went, the climb is quite ok and certainly gives you a good warm up/ work out before shredding the reds and blues.
Was on a xc trail bike tho would hate to do it on a dh rig!

since swapping my A4 avant for a full size merc ml ill never go back, acres of room inside, great for road trips, weekends away and get all our stuff, bikes camping, dogs, whatever in the back, over long distances super comfy to drive, ( done scotland, alps, cornwall) high up so great view, and 30mpg. sure they have high running costs but its only money..and if you buy used the depreciation hit isnt quite so bad.

peepshow series 1-8, FARGO when its on, jeremy Jones snowboard movies higher, further, etc. Fawlty towers. Sherlock. Breaking Bad. some music documentarys on eagles, stones, etc. Bill Hicks stand up from way back…I love it.

ran MAXXIS High roller 2 front and back exo, set up tubeless, 35psi in each same as previous year only on carbon rims and had not a jot of bother.

I find a gruff Scots dialect ‘oot the **** road!’ works a bit better

I certainly got one of these when i got stuck in the swamp on stage 3.. was out the way sharpish as a large beard on wheels flew past me!