Currently wearing out an old conti explorer on the rear so that I can justify throwing it away. When that goes, there’s another one awaiting the same treatment. Only then will I be able to justify a nice fast rolling summer tyre.

So do you load chunks of map onto your phone? Does it take much disk/card space? Is it awkward to do?

I’ve been using Maverick on my android phone for a while – provided scan around the area I’m riding beforehand (preferrably on the wireless network at home) it happily downloads OS maps for easier access later.

Would using this MMTracker thing (also got some old MM maps on the PC) be a steo above?

Is that really him (stick man)? I was wondering whether the rangers were trying to discourage some of the tracks? The “sticked” paths I came across were the rubbish dump single track (opposite the North Road entrance to yer tiz and the singletrack leading away from the picnic bench.

+ 50 acre is great and the off-piste Leigh Woods stuff also good. Even the Orchard trail is rideable – your tyres make a great crunching sound through the dried-out swamp.

Tip #2: Don’t fall off that contouring trail at the bottom of 50 acre: you will feel silly sitting in the undergrowth watching the group behind you go by.

I got some flat bar shifters (R440) very cheap from Chainreaction a while back for that reason – they’re not always cheap but if you keep an eye out. Add in 2nd hand bars, stem, grips and brake levers for a pittance and it was certainly cheaper than changing the whole bike. If you sell the STIs (have kept mine in case I change my mind) then even better still.

Of course, if you want a different kind of bike – perhaps more laid back + bigger tyres, then a swap’s your best option.

Is this a glue-sniffing thread?

Are there any teflonesque sprays that you would recommend as a lubricant? As a lazy f’er the easier it is to use, the more likely I am to actually use it, rather than shoving dirty bike in the shed and hoping for a miracle.

Sloping grass so he didn’t need to pedal, running alongside with a hand on his back, holding on to start with, then lightly keeping him in balance by nudging when necessary, then letting go. That worked for my boy’s balance. Also think about using football shin pads or long trousers so that they don’t mash their shins on the pedals until they work out starting and stopping without crashing.

Monkeyspoon

I’ve used this site in the past to get an idea of what I’m letting myself into.

Managed to gracefully flip over the bars last time I attempted the first rocky bit of Cavedale. The (again friendly) walkers found it very amusing.

Machinery was still working on the trails just before 7 last night – they’re obviously in a hurry to finish them!

A Norwegian perspective on what went wrong. They were obviously unlucky with the crash but it’s interesting how the GB pace setting drastically reduced the odds of the Norway getting it back together.

Pardon my ignorance but isn’t there only a chainline advantage to doubles when they are spaced evenly? i.e. would not a triple with the outer ring removed/bashed not have these advantages? Presumably on specific double chainsets the lower is nearer the central point than the granny on a triple and therefore has better access to the smaller rings on the cassette?

Me, my weedy legs regularly scream for a granny to haul my carcass over sub-alpine molehills and the big ring keeps the bike ticking over on the road to the trails. I would consider the compromise of an alfine for a lazy maintenance-free winter though.

Thanks Mr Agreeable – the one along by the fence I presume?

Andy – this must be what you’re thinking of for LW.

Bikeplus for £20 each or £35 a pair.

Well, if you ignore all the other trails in LW, then yes, it’s all gone.

Are there any plans for the Orchard trail/Abbotts Pool, particularly that swampy bit at the top?

Is that the one with the off camber rooty bit? Be interesting to see how it turns out – the last time I rode it it was pretty knackered.

In last Tuesday night’s rain the new AC trails were excellent, even though I still can’t get the hang of the New Barn Wood roller coaster-esque bit.

Looked around Ashton Hill a couple of months back. Lots of jumps that looked impossible to us ground-dwelling trail plodders. Tried some of the easier chutes and berms which was fun. Definately worth an explore. Not sure how it would be in the wet?

Tonight’s the night when the deriders of Bristol’s new trails are proved wrong. All perfectly rideable in the rain.

Will probably need to wash legs with the garden hose afterwards, mind.

Maverick is free and uses online maps, e.g. multimap and you can get OS maps that way. If you scroll around the area you’re interested in beforehand, it will automatically cache the bits of map you want to save download time & availability on the trail.

I got the head-mounted magicshine light which came with a bag fastened with a popper (to be fair, it was probably intended as a bag to placed inside a camelback and it did last "popped" onto my bars all through last winter) so I'm also on the lookout.

Can't find any bags on DX but did find this at Magicshine UK which at least velcros on.

First I'm going to have a look for at those stem-mounted bags, perhaps to put my phone/wallet in too.