+1 Cotic Soul

Truvativ Holzfeller stem

Bit of a let down in the end… :-/

Beautiful and technically executed to perfection but lacking so muhc of the soul and story in seasons. It's like gratuitous slow-mo money shot after slow-mo money shot that after 10 minutes it just starts to wash over you.

New Zealand segment saved it.

My recommendation of the Blue Groove usually goes down well because unlike the High Roller, the Blue Groove is very progressive in terms of grip as you lean over. It might not be the outright grippiest tyre in the turns but it's very grippy all over at all angles.

In that respect it's quite a confidence builder because you can keep banking it over a little at a time and gradually build speed and confidence.

Ah bugger, too late now.

Done this but got to wait for my itunes voucher to actually be sent now 🙁

I played MTFU at the weekend because all I had was really bad heartburn – 24 hours later after what felt like a heart attack I was in an Ambulance and later diagnosed with Pericarditis and Myocarditis.

I'm probably going to Man the **** down a little from now on when it comes to illness I think…

Congrats mate, week 16 into our first here, exciting times!

Just chill and shower her with attention, and if you don't already, pull your finger out at home 😉

KT: makes sense, we're sorting the spare room now so I can retreat if need be when it comes, no good the dad being a useless wreck at work and losing his job!

Funny, my IO didn't stay rigid for long either! Second the comments about how nippy it is on twisty singletrack – great for the local 'squirrel' trails!

Kenda Blue Groove Stick-E

I only see one pic 🙁

Unable to offer accommodation but if you pass Bristol I can be on hand to top you up with supplies, put some lunch on or whatever and I'd be keen to ride out with you for a bit, maybe ride on the front and break the headwind for a few hours 🙂

+1 Fenwicks 1:10, leave and rinse. Then hot soapy water, normally turtle wax car shampoo. Dry with a rag and buff with GT85.

Any proper SPD shoe like that WM61 is lethal on flat pedals.

My wife likes her Shimano AM40s… but they cannot be converted later.

Most are going to say pure flat. Although I prefer one notch (if the clamp has teeth) of nose pointing down.

I really like them as a marathon tyre – but yeah, not a great general trail riding tyre.

My trackstands can only be measured in seconds, not minutes. 😳

A genuinely usable/rideable £350 mtb, pref steel, rigid, geared. Like an old Kona Hahana/Fire Mountain…

A mate of mine cracked the stays on his ('08) at the end of a full week of North Wales trail centre riding, playing catch up (scarily and admirably so!!) with 140mm trail bikes all week. Probably a fluke break but he was deffo riding it to the limit.

It's not stiffee/456 tough IMO…

Normally with these types of posts the OP is overreacting but taking a bike in for a job and then not being able to do that day is pretty poor.

IME standard practice is to be given a day when they can do it (which might be 3 or 4 days time) and you take the bike in there and then.

(evidently my first comment was not OTT enough, but i object to having to qualify my words with a #winkysmiley#)

SOOBalias – I think this needed to be a bold blinking marquee in order to get picked up by the subtle sense of humor detectors…

25.5lb with M520s, 56cm

Don't use adjustment layers, the whole point of them is that you can tweak them later rather than commit. If you then want to save as jpeg you have to flatten them before it can save as a jpeg.

So just use normal adjustments (Image > Adjustments) and you shouldn't be bothered with having to go through the save prompt.

If you don't want to use a PSD fine, but don't expect to be able to use all of Photoshops features properly. It's like you're saying photoshop sucks because jpegs don't support all the lovely tools they've created.

I think most of us are of the opinion that all one needs is a nice bike and time and a place to ride it.

I can live by that!

I've got some Gore ones that are nearly 3 years old and not showing any sign of giving up. Worth the cash…

I'm amazed at how aggressively and openly 'left' STW is, I figured that with everyone being wealthy IT workers with Audis and Yetis it would be a little more representative on here given the way the vote actually went.

Get an F1 chassis designer on the job and I'll buy the parts THEY design!

😯

Probably a Blue XC Carbon, DT Swiss fork/shock, XX…

Fail isn't something you make, it's something are. 😛

As well as your body taking a battering, there's the bike too! Bike maintenance time will go through the roof. And if you're already short on time, which you will be training for 24 hour, you're then going to have to cram maintenance in. Road bike is a god send!

Also, MTBing will have a lot of coasting and freewheeling so you'll have to ride longer to get the same workout, and then the climbing effort can be too extreme in terms of exercise when you're trying to build a solid base.

I know it's boring but fairly flat, really long, fairly slow road rides is what you need until you can go for 6 hours+ with ease, it's what I was told and it seems to be working.

Wheel rammed by car, punch in face seems fair tbh….

I'm 5'8" and currently testing a 56cm Croix de Fer, it feels a little big and I reckon I'd be happier on a 54cm. With that in mind I would have actually said 56cm for your height.

Can you try a 58cm?

Platinum here. Hard wearing, and even leave it on when spannering the bikes. Looks slightly roughed up but not battered, I really like it.

1. I do.
2. Probably not a lot, what bike is it? Deffo not 180mm if question 3 is anything to go by.

Although you could easily skip the blue section as it's just a big climb which slows you down, where as on green you can keep the pedal to the floor the whole way, so to speak.

The blue extension might be a big climb but it rewards you with the best descent of the whole green/blue loop!

Yeah, Brechfa is only as dangerous as the amount you lay of the brakes…

The red is actually tougher endurance wise, lot more climbing. I'd say the black is a little stronger in terms of 'gnar' factor – but only in that there's more stuff to break newbies if you ride it blind and clueless – but based on what glenp says, if you can ride the red comfortably, the black will be a piece of cake too.

the geo isn't as exciting

Not strictly true, lower BB and lower centre of gravity make it feel noticeably faster on singletrack, and being a bit steeper in the head angle makes for more responsive handling. Everyone is "slack slack slack" but if you're riding 'normal' trails it just makes the bike handle like a barge. Given the intended use is "from tow path to XC", the Five is just going to dull everything down as well.

Should be able to get a demo of each easily enough, just ride them and pick what you like!

However, have you considered something lighter and shorter travel again? Latest Giant Anthems for example are very 'rideable' despite their racy intentions… I've been testing one of the Pronghorn 100mm race bikes and again, very rideable. Not like race bikes of previous years.

You really need to start getting some demo rides in.

Ride the Blur and the Superlight and decide which suits you and your riding more. Then start looking at bikes similar in weight and travel and go from there.

Those bikes listed are quite varied, Enduro burly and heavier, then Blur, then Fuel, then Superlight.

Ha, my wife makes me sleep in them as my nose whistles without!

😳

They do work in that the airways feel noticeably more open. However, the flaw with exercise usage is that as soon as you really start breathing heavily you're probably mouth breathing – or snotty nose kicks in!

Yeah, I reckon Rob quitting on the WHW would no doubt have been one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make, and his prep was immensely good in the build up.

Conclusion, WHWD is a mentalistic ride!