Old post I know, but I just wanted to add to it as I found the thread when looking for Garmin deals and it resulted in me finding a bargain..

If the STW discount is the same as perks at work, there are some pretty decent discounts on quite a few items at the moment, including 25% off the solar versions of the edge 5/8/1040 and a load of watches. Just picked up a 1040 solar for £472!

Nexgard “Spectra” covers round worms as well as fleas and ticks. It doesn’t cover Tapeworms though so, depending on where you live, you still need to treat for this occasionally. Very effective against fleas/ticks though (as is the standard Nexgard chewable)

I’m not aware of any problems with Nexgard but we don’t stock it so I could be wrong.

Edit again – interesting article on Fipronil there. I wasn’t aware that there was such a problem with it but the fact still remains that topical treatments like Stronghold (from a vet) are absorbed more quickly and don’t wash off as easily. Or stick with an oral treatment (Bravecto/Comfortis etc)

There’s never anything been available for dogs that does everything (Fleas AND worms that is – Broadline is for cats only).
Don’t waste your money on herbal stuff – if you’re lucky you won’t get any flea problems but you could say the same if you just did nothing/sacrificed a goat every day and you’d have the same chance of staying flea-free.
Worming is more of a human health hazard though so you really should be using something effective, especially if you have young children or take your dog for walks in public spaces.

edit – just read the bit about foxes. Definitely need flea prevention then to avoid a population build up in your house. Fipronil based products from the pet shop are ok but there’s more effective stuff available from your vet. The topical treatments particularly toxic to aquatic life (and cats) are the permethrins – mainly confined to cheaper pet shop spot-ons.

Last minute decision for me – entered this afternoon. I’ve done some of their other events and I’m expecting the same chilled out, grassroots atmosphere.

Haven’t ridden Grizedale for years n years though so I’m looking forward to it.

And it’s the Lakes; of course it’ll be wet..

Cheers OP. Shorts and tops ordered last night.

It’s a couple of miles drive towards Dolgellau. It’s actually on the trails – near where the dragons back and minotaur trails intersect.

Owned by Talktalk/Carphone Warehouse so standard for them really. Great deals and fine if it all goes well. Any problems needing any sort of customer service though and your up the proverbial creek.

You can’t in the main car park and they’re pretty strict on that. I’ve seen folk parked up in campers in the smaller car parks down by the river and they’re free to park in too. No facilities though

Incidentally, as a comparison, my brother ordered a hard tail from Rose Bikes, advertised as ready for delivery in 1 week – latest estimate is 1 month!

Just sayin’!

Ordered a Strive at the start of their TdF sale. Got an estimate of around 2 weeks wait but it arrived 1 week early :)

Still got a 2011 714 (with a couple of Bos upgrades). It’s done everything from local XC to the Mountain of Hell and takes it all in it’s stride. Absolutely love the bike and it’s still going strong. It hasn’t even snapped…… yet… ;)

If you don’t mind me saying, £700 seems a bit steep for a 5 year old bike though, unless it’s in fantastic condition..

Glad I caught the end of that, just!

What a run – great to see him finally win a World cup. Top bloke :)

Nothing here :(

I’ve had an on the spot fine in the UK for obscuring my number plate with a bike rack in the past. One of the many reasons I now have a tow bar

2 problems I’ve had with mine (an early one), both relating to wet weather are the random locking of the screen and a complete freezing up of the altimeter – it would appear the little hole for it clogs up in shitty weather. As the 1000 solely relies on the barometer for altimeter readings, you get a flat or random profile which can only be adjusted post ride (using mapping software or Strava height correction).

Fantastic bit of kit otherwise and a huge improvement on my old 800 but very frustrating at the same time.

I think a lot of the current programmes would be much easier to watch if they weren’t dubbed into English using cheap-80s-porn-film-style voice-overs!!
And if the picture quality was a bit better as previously suggested. All very amateurish which is a shame.

Garmin vivoactive. I like mine

Vivoactive here for similar reasons – I wanted something that recorded my general activity through the day and had gps/hr capabilities for the odd bike ride. Garmin connect links to strava pretty easily too.

Another steel Sherpa owner here and, if money wasn’t an object, I’d order one tomorrow. Love mine and they’ve sorted the 2 bugs I’ve got with it – corrosion and less than ideal rear tyre clearance

Not a bad programme on now, following the Hannahs through a season of dh. It’s 2013 but still good stuff.

Definitely can’t complain for free anyway :)

Keep an eye on Amazon – the price regularly flucuates and was down to £89 last week. I nearly bough one but went for the Vivoactive for a bit more.

Had mine (green) for over a year now. The full sus rarely gets used any more as the Sherpa can cope with most stuff and is just great fun to ride. I’ve got 120mm Floats on mine & wouldn’t want anything less (imho). Great angles for descending and still climbs well.

Clearance on the chainstays isn’t massive – it’s my only issue with the frame. 2.25 tyres fit ok but a 2.3 Vigilante rubbed when pushing it.

Gun rack? Nice :) And don’t worry, Mrs fbk will be slower than me ;)

Great, thanks for the info – that’s certainly the place that comes up top on search engines. I’ve seen a few packages that either focus on Mashatu or combine that with South Africa. The only other option Ive found was another UK company who do tours to Namibia.

Not sure my other half would fancy Fatbikes and sand :)

Oh, and you do tend to get what you pay for with dry food in particular. Something that costs around £10 for a 15kg bag, isn’t likely to have much in the way of quality ingredients in it!

Common problem and one where diet can make a huge difference. If used properly it can avoid surgery. Or a life threatening blockage for that matter – male dogs can get crystals lodged in the urethra. Definitely worth sticking with a prescription diet, at least in the short term. Long term diet depends on the individual dog but you need to get those crystals dissolved first.

Hard to say without seeing the xray but just strapping the foot up would be the treatment of choice for a simple fracture. Always difficult with a very lively dog though – you can splint the foot but that can present other problems in a very active patient. To be honest, taking the toe off sounds severe but it may be the best option for all concerned.

Edit. It’s always worth speaking to your vet about it again though. If you’re really not keen to amputate, I’m sure they would be happy to try alternatives.

Pedros here – they’ve been the default level fo DH tyres for years.

These were at the Cycleshow though and looked interesting/very tough.

The Trailhead in Shrewsbury make their own trail tool Here

I know the guy who makes them and they’re top quality.

To be honest, if you’ve got 2 dogs who initially like food then start turning their noses up at it, the most likely thing is you’re giving them too much of it. Ok, if they refuse to eat it for days at a time or start losing weight, its time to change diet. For the most part though, if a dog’s hungry, it’ll eat what’s put in front of it, especially if there’s more than one in the house.

It always fascinates me that people think a food must be good for a dog because they wolf it down quickly. The reason a lot of tinned foods are so palatable is due to salt/sugar content – the equivalent of fast food for dogs. As for protein levels, dogs are Omnivores, not carnivores and high protein levels can lead to more problems than they solve. Yes, in rare circumastances, you can get intolerances to different ingredients including grains but, for the most part, they are fine.

I could go on (and on, and on :) ) but my advice would be pick a quality food (Royal canin would be my choice but most of the above suggestions are ok and Chappie is alright if you’re on a bit of a budget) and stick with it. The more you chop & change, the more fussy you make your dog – it’s quite easy to train a dog to be fussy by “rewarding” them for not eating what you first put down.

I’ve just added a Lumen 800 from MTBBatteries to my helmet – it’s more than enough for most situations and the battery pack either sits on the back of you helmet, or in your back pack if you want things light weight. Nice powerful spot with a bit of spread – perfect with a bar mounted light

Have a search for Freeride Madeira on here – there’s lots of really positive feedback.

We had a week with them in the spring and they were fantastic. The riding round there is amazing but you definitely need a guide and a means of getting to the top of the mountains :)

Cheers OP. Stans & Mucoff Nano gel for a bargain price.

Bizarrely, the invoice marks the code as “15% off accessories” but it has indeed taken 20% off – happy days :)

Signed. Thanks the the heads up – I’ve used that route a few times and it would a real shame if it was lost!

I had the same problem – I can confirm the Aqua2go kit is retrofitable to a v15, although you’d need to replace both bits of the hose connector. I got some bits from from a guy on eBay and some from CRC. CRC still have a few bits but the eBay guys seems to have stopped trading.

Sorry I can’t be of more help.

It’s been on the cards for a while really hasn’t it? Always been a contentious trail and, the more popular it got with bikers, the more likely there was going to be friction.

We rode it a few years ago and were stopped by quite a few folks claiming we shouldn’t be there – they were wrong at the time but it is a very popular walking trail.

You won’t regret going with Freeride Madeira. A group of 8 of us spent a week with them earlier in the year – Fantastic riding in an amazing place. You wont’ believe the variation in terrain in such a small place and as technical as you want it to be. Great bars at the end of the day and lunch stops too if the mood takes you :)

Cracking day at Welshpool today. There’s something great about the small airshow, hillside backdrop and reverb of engines down the valley.

Such a shame to think that’s the last time I may see her flying

We’ve just come back from a week in Madeira with Freeride Madeira and can totally recommend it. Amazing scenery, cracking riding and surprisingly cheap, especially given the current exchange rate.