Yep as cg says, Erlestoke is officially out of bounds, so would appreciate it if no maps are posted up (I’m in SPAM who organised last weeks event)

A couple of us go out of Trowbridge on a Tue or Thursday evening, either ride towards Bath or car/bike to Erl… sorry the ‘Plain’. Westbury White Horse area also has some tracks for an hour or so loop. Or a local wood for a short blast without hills.

ghislainlambert – congrats on your position in the race – I’m pretty sure I’m aware of what you are talking – 2 posns up from you. The rider in question has been in touch and all would appear to be OK.

Cheers
SPAM Biking

Thanks for the comments guys; I think all went to plan! A great day – a huge spread of prizes from Charge again and topped up with goodies from Giro & Mule Bar; thanks all. I managed 3 laps in amongst it all, one in the dark with some rather excellent For4th lights – thanks for your support aswell.

MBK Photography

Photos will be on there sometime soon hopefully.

Hope the dog enjoyed the can of SPAM, Graham!

Cheers Martin, SPAM Biking

Yep; 6 – 6 was good! Riding through the early morning mist, knowing you only had one more lap before stopping for a bacon roll and a can of cider!
Unfortunately, there weren’t enough others like you, orangeboy, to make it pay…..

SPAM Erlestoke12[/url]

Come and do this on Saturday, will show you the area around Erlestoke nicely.

Or alternatively head towards Bath. I’m sure Janesy will send you some gps routes.

This is the first year we’ve done the 6pm start and we did anticipate more entries. We took quite a few comments when we changed from the overnighter 6pm to 6am format to the midday/midnight saying that people liked the late start riding into the night, race and have a weekend etc. Unless we get lots of entries on the day for the 6pm start, it will be up for discussion I guess.

The sun is coming! She’s out there busting out a few laps now. She’s then racing all day, keeping going just as long as she can 😀
Bring on a dry and dusty weekend!

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Charlie the bikemonger – anyone used them?

I thouight maybe it was new sticker competition time….

Fin – Lock Inn/TT Cycles BoA? Me & Janesy have probably said Hi a couple of times on our way out of Trow’ over that way. Will have to stop and join you next time!

I’ll make sure you unofficially get an unoffical price at Erlestoke.
I’ll have a special tin of SPAM waiting as a prize for the top placed Vegan Cyclist…..see you at Erlestoke12[/url]!

Tubless tyre patch I had no luck with the strip type plug as suggested by Clubber when trying to fix a Beaver with a small sidewall hole; maybe the sidewalls are just too thin on Beavers – just seemed to make the hole bigger. Tyre off and repaired with a patch as above and it’s been great ever since.

Had you ridden there much before? I couldn’t picture riding around there for 4hrs. If you’re local and enjoyed that, I hope you’ve entered SPAM Erlestoke 12[/url]

Very nice, anybody want an old Virtue!
…but isn’t the Edict 100mm travel with the Virtue at 120/130mm; you best get some new forks as well Foxy 😉

I thought they were good to deal with, dealt with the same fella’ who kept me well informed. Two bikes pinched – one replaced the other full cash settlement via M&S. Replacement roadie was a Felt that took months to arrive because of Felt delivery issues and MTB wise I selected a Scott 29er that was listed as available on their web but then offered as 2 month wait. LBS could get one, so after a couple of calls to M&S and arguing over 18% discount for cash, full value in cash was paid & I built up a Niner from STW classifieds!

The one you posted obviously works with an Edict as well; got yours yet Foxy?

Yep, as per Jaz – Halifax regular saver here. You can save upto a £100/month for a twelve month period. We’ve then plonked it in a 4yr, 3yr and so on fixed term bond. By year 5 all will mature together and we’ll then have the one lump to….spend on bike bits! Oh no, thats the debt thread on the other forum. You can watch it online,but we don’t have a book for it!

I had a 2007 virtue 2 that did suffer the linkage issues described above and wasn’t the best design; bolts loosening, snapping, and threaded into the frame… I did realy like it though. But then the frame cracked. Saddleback (importer) had been very helpful with the suspension issues and they came up trumps with an 09 Virtue frame which has been absolutely faultless. Big change in pivot bolts and sealing; I can only assume this has been further refined since then.

Two new bikes here! One for the 6yr old, balance bike for the 2yr old and a telescope wrapped up for the 5 yr old. Down at the BMX track this am, no other bikes (new or old) in sight.

….well, you could expect some ice out there tomorrow! All set up and ready to go. Hope to see some of you out there!

Here’s mine, great bike, really enjoying it. About to get some carbon forks and go 1×10; also with flat bars now. Need to take a new piccy – that one from back in bluebell season when the bike was new (to me). Built from stw class’ apart from new wheels. Paint work seems to have held-up pretty good on mine.

Likewise, Scott Forbes on a 26″ Whippet blasted around our SPAM Winter Challenge[/url] last year coming in with a good time-gap over a chasing pack of CX riders. That course with lots of gravel tracks and a fair bit of tarmac would be ideal for CX bikes I’d have thought.

fettling – Member
Would be very interested to know out of all the broken chains I saw how many were 10 speed though!

I snapped a chain on lap 1 and my mate on lap 4. Me on a 29er, mate on a 26 f/s – so we had an even handicap there.

Although totally different but basically the same – the carbon back end of my 2007 Virtue was faultless – it was the ally’ front triangle that cracked!! The good people at Saddleback saw me good tho’.
Now, do you reckon there’s a 29er Edict on it’s way?

So, are most of these additions of drop bars to frames previously ridden with flats? Just thinking that banging a set of midge bars or the like on my Niner EMD would make it a bit stretched – even with a short/high stem. Ridden a large Swift and sizewise it feels spot on with flats; would the consensus be that if starting from scratch a medium would be better? (…..or a large Gryphon!)

I’ve been sat stroking my Movember ‘tache thinking the same thing.
I’m considering the Kona Honky Inc on the CRC sale.
But could I bring myself to do as per Sheldon to a brand new frame?

Gurt big stick method

I like mine! Now got a wider flat bar on it. My first and only real experience of a 29er so nothing to really compare it too. Nicely put together frame; got mine 2nd hand (from stw ad) for a good price – new price does seem slightly steep.

stop it Dave……it will be an ‘Epic’ mistake!!!!!!
Although, a Whyte would be nice 🙂

I like my RX’s, great brakes; got them cheap off a mate 🙂 The red anodising didn’t match the gold bits on your bike anyway…..

We’ve made use of some of the firmer tank tracks/Imber Range and the road out through Imber for the past few years and minimised the muddy slogs – not the most technical challenge, but a good off road ride.
As I said up above, Andy, dates didn’t fall well and didn’t work for our traditional early Jan date. We did discuss trying to run it between Xmas / NY; but difficult to gauge how many club members would be able to commit time to set-up etc.
Be heading down your way, Foxy, for a proper start of year mudfest at the Newnham event!

Yep – a few on cross bikes last year. If I remember correctly they hunted in a pack, but still didn’t catch that speedy On-One rider who led everyone home on 26″ wheels!

Hope to see lot’s of you there. It was a tough decision to bring the event forward from our traditional early Jan’ date. The date was changed due to the way the weekends have fallen this year for Christmas & NY which is the period when the MoD open up access over the Imber Range’s.

Nice pics tollah, speedy upload; Go SPAM!(above). Was it you taking the pics on the downhill section nr the end, probably about 2 / 2.15? Had a couple of big flash bursts, so didn’t think it was your average compact camera.

Yep great course, really enjoyed it. That really was some fine mud – I think I’ve got most of it off me, clothes and the bike…..bathroom & kitchen, well they could probably now do with a clean

Agree – liked the 26″ versions for the dry/damp and now gone 29″ with them. As per reports of any 29 tyre, don’t seem to be worried by the mud so much and have been good through the muck so far.
Got 2 26×2.1 Ignitors for sale in the classifieds if of interest to anybody.

Yep – I’ll be there in a SPAM top. Looking forward to it; competitive talk above!

The drysuit seal works great. Possibly I went OTT at the brecon beast last Sunday; but in order of application….drysuit cuff, Bonty overshoes, sealskin socks, shoes. After 5+ hrs in very wet conditions I finished with dry feet; my mate poured about 1/2 pint out of each of his sealskinz socks!

Should be a couple of SPAM shirts on Old Bristol Rd, then dropping down into Wells for the finish.

Now with wide flat bars. Recognise the frame Ron Burgundy?; pic above of the nice replacement you got yourself!

Swop you my old DT 240 hubbed/717’s for the Rovals. You could have some nice standard spoked rims built onto them! No idea how heavy.

What you doing now Dave????? You’ll only break something that light!
I’d talk to Just Riding Along, who put my 29’er wheels together.

For £400 you could buy my old Felt HT – save a whole heap more weight than 300g on a pair of spangly wheels for the Epic!!