knowing how long winded the upgrade (reclassification) to the Borowdale bash at Manesty was I think its very unlikely the walla cragg path will see a upgrade.I really hope a permissive route can be agreed to though, simply because its much safer than the road along Derwentwater to the climb up Ashness Bridge.The No cycling sign on the gate looks suspicious to me, and I feel its unlikely to be from a official source, simply because there is no other information on it.

It was a privilege to have known Michael, I did a few modifications to his wheel chair for him and a few jobs on his van, It was always good to help him out in small way, I will miss the chats about bike the bike Industry,and they way he perked up once we were talking about the projects he was involved in. I think the Legacy he has left with Orange Bikes, and more recently Identiti cannot be underestimated, and its good to know mountain bikers are enjoying bikes with Michaels influences that will be ridden well into the future and beyond.

Rest in Peace Mike, youve earned it.

I am using Rock Guards with 28 psi in the back 25 psi in the front and ride in the Lake District, I have gone up a few psi on my Lyrik fork as I feel my speeds descending have got higher since I fitted them, more so on steep rocky trails.

I am running a 160 mmm rear disc on my Orange alpine, and the rear suspension is much less affected by brake jack,I think locking up the rear wheel, even a small amount will upset a single pivot rear end, I think its best to be as smooth as possible, and use the front brake a bit more than other designs.Just saying like.

Theres some great advice on here as always, I was up Gaisgill beck last weekend, Lots of it has washed out after the last floods, Its still a reasonable gradient to climb, but you will only ride short sections.and its steep towards the end. Theres another poor weather option if you need it, from Buttermere take the short up and down bridleway west of Rannerdale knots,follow the road (B5289) Opposite lanthwaite green farm cottage head over towards Gaiskill beck short grassy path, but stay left onto a path that stays leveland follows the wall towards Swinside and ends on a back road to Blaze bridge, from here you head over Whinllater to rejoin your route.Great single track and we use it on our local night rides from Keswick

I was very lucky to get 10 days dry weather for the H550 last year, two of us did it a couple of weeks before the race. The trails between Ullapool and poolewe were by far the most epic of the trip crossing the fisher field landscape with waist deep river crossings massive hike a bike climbs with stunning single track. We swerved the postmans path taking the slightly further trails from poolewe to the tollie path, what a day, and fantastic route.good luck to all my cumbrian friends doing it this year.

once did it on a zxr750rr motorbike, it took a couple of goes to get round some of the tighter corners near the top, having to actually stop and roll the bike backwards to get round, the cattle grid at the bottom is tricky on a mountain bike never mind a road bike, I have maximum respect for anyone doing “the Fred” its a very underestimated challenge imho.

Thanks for the comprehensive responses, and a interesting bit of tech

In theory a shock-sh-borber should be cheaper to service than a overly complex fox damping circuit though or am I wrong

A bit of the route here from Pete Archer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYnyZ1Y_VWw&t=3s

I would park at Stonethwaite, from Lagstrath towards Stakes pass you have two options, The techy but fun Bridleway left of black moss pot or right of the river that’s a lot easier to ride, Theres a bridge at the end of the Valley where the routes merge, carry up stakes at the top you can turn right onto the cumbria way to angle tarn (boggy in places) or carry on down stakes into rossett turning right towards rossett gill. best descent is to Styhead pass returning via Seathwaite farm to Stonethwaite, epic day out that enjoy.

Ullswater foxhounds I would have thought

Thanks for a fantastic weekend Rich, I had a squint around the campsite for a bit of litter, but didn’t find much, I think its a testament to a great bunch of folk turning up, it will sell out next year for sure.

The Bridleway alongside Buttermere from Gatesgarth farm is good, best done as an out and back to Buttermere village where theres some great cafes, the gradient is good after recent repairs, and its nice and wide too, probably best done on a Saturday as its usually less busy, enjoy.

Hi, I have had a 115 cdi LWB Vito for seven years now, on the whole its been very reliable and I find it easy to drive with no problems in snow with winter tyres, Driving confidently helps, and carrying a bit of momentum has got me up hills and past fwd cars to my surprise.You can disconnect the traction control completely off (ASR) by holding your finger on the button on position two for at least 10 seconds, you should here a slight click, this has got me off frozen car parks a number of times.  On higher mileage vehicles things to watch out for are, Front wheel bearing noise, up until fairly recently it was £1000 for each side including labour, There are now aftermarket kits available for around £300 but its worth listening for any noise on road test. The glow plugs are another expensive fix and can snap in the head, check that the glow plug light goes out on the instrument panel, I used a specialist extraction company as a precaution and it saved on removing the cylinder head. A slightly notchy gear box (1st to second) was sorted by replacing a plastic nuckle thats fitted under the gear shift (available on Ebay). I also lubed up the gear cable mechanism under the gear box and it made a big difference. The antiroll bar bushes are prone to knocking (fitted on the subframe) but are a cheap and easy fix.The centre drive shaft UV joint has been replaced and rebalanced by a prop shaft repair company, When I first bought the van all door sills were coated with wax oil and so far the van has held up well but it is a common problem so inspect carefully.

Askham fell (moor divock ) just South of pooley Bridge is probably the best area, theres a nice steady climb from Askham village thats nice too. The Bridleway towards Howtown is a classic route and then back along the lakeshore road, climbing again from road head farm.

Rossett is much harder than Wharnscale, its a fast way up thoughts nobeerinthefridge says Langstrath (right of river) up Stakes pass turning right at the summit and then the footpath to Angle tarn is a good route, or you could do the Stakes pass descent into the Rossett valley, up Rossett Gill onto Esk Cause.

As above, but try moving the bars back towards you a few degrees, your hands should fall onto the grips without undue pressure between the thumb and forefinger,also move the brake levers into the grip a little can help too. hth

Sligachan to the coast is a great route, I thought the Qurang was a bit disappointing buts its worth doing once , its a bit short and tricky to make a day ride, enjoy its a stunning place.

Thanks for the offer Postierich I may take you up on that, I have done the borrow dale bash and the Qurang single track on Sky with a bob trailer no worries 8O, although realistically I will be following the Lochs and glens in the central to western highlands I quite enjoy researching the routes to make sure its passable.

I know the fat bikes can be a bit ponderous, dare I say it slower compared to conventional bikes I might go for a 29+ set up as it is closer to the cross bikes that a few friends have,not really sure what I want yet.thanks for the replys

attempting to look busy as a warehouse assistant supplying high pressure washing equipment to the whisky distilleries, Its actually a much better job than I could have expected, with lots of variation and a MD that lets us “self manage” and “use our initiative’. 730 till 5 with weekends off, that will do me thank you very much living the dream.com, and can’t complain.

I have used BETD for years, excellent quality and well machined

Just out of interest, for the industry insiders, How many deals are secured with finance as opposed to a cash sale?

*looks at large old glass whisky bottle full of pennies*

“Which Vito are you downsizing from?”

Its a LWB Vito sport 115 so it has plenty of go and I think I would miss the engine, Its been a great bit of kit but has cost a few quid over the years but looking at the VW T5 forums is no worse than any other out there with the exception of a bit of corrosion here and there grrrr.

I originally bought the van as a great social tool for mtb road trips and it has served me well, however all my mates have now discovered vans and bought there own!! no need for five extra seats now then 🙄

Thanks for the replies folks some interesting info on the injectors, I recently had the Heater plugs replaced using a specialist removal firm, they said the 1.6 caddys were prone to the injector problem and the bigger 2 ltd engine was the better model reliability wise.

Id say do it but avoid The Beds fell Knott option its usually very wet even in summer, the high level part at Boredale Hause shouldn’t be too bad but it will be just on the snow level, ice is forecast tonight so it could make the lakeshore path interesting, enjoy, its a cracking route, do it clockwise.

Such a loss, Nick has one of those personalities that makes you feel great about cycling, and Charlie was inspiring the next generation with the same dedication and passion for our sport. My thoughts are with Nick his friends and family.

I was up Helvellyn today, probably the best conditions i have ever done it in,a Hard frost made the trails very fast indeed, with very little ice too

Yeah what Martin says,Cross fell is probably the most exposed route in the area, High cup nick (out and back)would be a better option, Or the Askham fell moor divock Bridleways,ullswater singletrack are good all year round.

Doing the cross fell route is probably best done may to july before the Bracken gets High and after a week or so dry weather,nipping up the great dun fell road to the radar station and then over little dun fell is a quick version of this route and then do the Bridleway to Blencarn. In good dry conditions its a corker, with few gates, high speeds lower down and some stunning views from the top,Theres a good pub,campsite, yoof hostel and cafe in Dufton village.enjoy.

Making sure any oil is the right specification (SAE) for your engine is key, after that its down to how deep your pocket is,I would say coolant is often the most miss understood liquid in your engine in terms of long term trouble free ownership,Get this wrong and it can get very expensive as internal parts corrode due to the wrong type of inhibitors to gasket/metals (used in the engine) are used.

Good on ya, Ive seen quite a few recently up here in the lakes,and quite a few riders looked like they were new to mountain-biking, nice to see,enjoy

I dont bother with Muc off, but find Traffic film remover much cheaper and just as good, I spray it on a wet bike,let it soak in a while and then wash with a good quality car shampoo.rinse off with plenty of cold water job done

Great photos and write up munrobiker,looks like you took a unusual descent off grisedale pike though 😯

Yeah I agree with the above,lots of long pauses,no leading or researched questions just crazy, Martin would make a great host for next year or at least someone with a bit more focus and interest in what the audience actually want.

I enjoyed the films though and love the format of the event, long may it continue raising money for a great cause.

gutted to see this…

When i first bought my van (vw t4) splitting fuel costs and sharing the buzz and banter of travelling into different areas to ride was a big part of the mountainbiking scene for me. over the last few years all my mates have got vans and sold the car, everything from peugeot experts, citroen belingos t5s vitos transits etc etc. Once youve had a van you wont look back,they are so practical and make riding through winter so much easier.
Having a full service history would be my choice, get one with a tail gate rear door too,and buy the best you can afford.

Best one yet, some great new Ideas too

It will be as dry as it gets (for this time of year) as the weathers been great all week

I enjoyed the event, it seemed well organised,Its just a shame they couldent have found a better uplift track, the jeeps were a waste of time, and I think a massive fail for a major sponsor.

The 8 wheel Argocats seemed to be better at towing the bikes up,also bulldozing the road up with a D8 catterpiller must have cost a fortune and simply exposed the clay soil underneith making it worse.

If youve rounded the Bolt, your next option would be a Torx socket thats a good tight fit, hammer it in fully, also apply a bit of heat with a heat gun until its hot,or try a lots of hot water, use gentle force until you feel it turn.

If this fails your looking at drilling it out, but be very carefull not to damage the frame. HTH good luck

The start ans finish are very difficult to access,parking is limited for spectating and its a fair walk up from the village getting there early might be a good idea