We’re certainly never going near Puke Hill.

Why?
That’s what I rode up thinking I might catch you lot the night I confused the canal with the WoL. Half way up a runner told me you’d headed along the flat to the reservoir so not having a picnic hamper or a fishing rod with me I just continued on and up to the top of Harbour hill and descended (maidens?) to glencorse reservoir.
it was shite. but perfectly doable on road tyres ;)

Lol. You’re saying the Shitelands has more variety than the entirety of the Lammies, Saltoun, humbie, kinchie, Woodhall, Butterdean, Winton, Ormi, Faside and Carbs? (not to mention gosford and all the shitey beach riding behind it)
M’kay.

#PissUp
#Brewery

That’s not ignoring me TJ.
You’ve followed my advice to the letter.
thanks for your cooperation
;)

You shuld have a wee shot of mine. Nowt to do with handling

Please stop dishing out poor idiotic advice.

No you haven’t TJ
The “best” conversions do NOT ever ride as well as a well designed mid motor complete bike/frame.
You are not someone I’d ever listen to on advice about bike handling. and neither should anyone else.
you know fine why.

DIY bolt on conversions are all shit

buy a mid motor complete bike with a good motor that senses torque, cadence and speed delivering smooth intuitive assistance.
for commuting, a shimano mid motor hardtail with slicks is ideal.
for actual road. buy the lightest mid motor Eroadbike you can afford.

Oh.. and derestrict them. 15.5mph is a stupid assist limit for the road. (it’s 28mph in the states… which makes a lot more sense)

I’m not wearing a **** helmet to ride to/from/in the Pentlands either.

The Pentlands is pretty dull Nobeer. (even on slick tyres). certainly not worth an hours drive nevermind 3.
Arrange an Embra/Borders weekend ride somewhere down the Valley. (I’m generally free every second weekend)

Helmets?
Seriously? What for?

Is the geometry right up there? Is that really ideal for tooling around in the woods or only if you are richie rude? They just seems massive!

Richie actually rides a comparitively short reach enduro frame with a fairly modest H/A

Thanks for the replies. One of my big issues is I struggle to find a good fit on modern geo bikes. I’m borderline L and XL height and everything is slightly too small or slightly too big. Long back and average legs don’t help either. That has moved me off bike permutations.

What on earth are you talking about?
There’s usually no more than 20mm difference in reach between most brands sizes.
Also unless you’re really short old geometry shorter reach sizing is still available by
simply buying a size (or two) down. You’ll then have a bike that fits like your old bikes in reach but has more standover and more room for a longer dropper post

it’s not an issue at all. it’s an excuse.

Albert can dream…

“thing tha feem toon”
;)

Mibbie next week. I’ll be watching Soso’s debut in goal for Hearts against Hibs.

Who the **** cares?

I bet riding behind someone pissed from the night before on a 26″ 4X hardtail with street tyres would have been MOAR fun.

Had you bothered to mention you were heading down.

#Pissup #brewery #FknHipster

Any top tips from the locals?

You’re massively overthinking it.

you’re welcome!

From the guy who genuinely couldn’t organise a piss up in an actual brewery?

Thanks for waiting. And apologies for being nowhere near you by 6:30.
Rain was heavy AF in riccarton/Sighthill at 6:30 (I know.. I know.. Canal? Water of Leith? All look the same to me)
Got to Bonaly about 15mins later and it was dry. Don’t remember the names of any trails, paths or hills in the Pentlands anymore but I
headed straight up the (middle) dull wide steep surfaced track. Through the gates to the very top of whatever hill it is you can look down on the two reservoirs from and descended the other side to the big reservoir nr Floterston. And home via auchendinny.
Saw and spoke to a couple of other no mates mtb riders but no sign of any Gravel riders.
Might be along next week if I can work out how to get to Bonaly not via riccarton.
Turns out 10 out of 10 Embra canal users don’t even know where Bonaly is.
.

Keep at it.
17 years back I had a really bad injury. 9 months in plaster and many years of physio) and had to learn to ride switch. Almost fully recovered I’m now ambi footed. Jumps, drops and turns.
Regular is still stronger though.

Haven’t rideen there for over 3 years myself. Mainly because most of it is shit and it’s a 30min drive from me. ;) But I can just make tomorrow an extended commute home.

I’ll PM you.

Better at riding than lotsa fingz TBF.

To make it there for half 6 I’d need to come along on my E-commuter (slicks shod Emtb hardtail) . Should even the balance for riding with Gravel racers tho. Eh?

What route are you thinking?

Kinda relieved no one’s actually named a time or place for tomorrow’s ride to begin from.

Shit! Sorry I didn’t recognise you.
We’d just finished cooking dinner and went in a bit later.
the water was lovely!

try 27% sag and one click less rebound Sofa boy

;)

choose life. choose a gravel bike, choose matching luggage and stupid shaped handlebars, choose a shitty hipster beer and a burger from an industrial unit that only opens one and a half days a week.

Why the **** does riding bikes have to be organised around the opening hours of the hipster homebrew warehouse and occasional burger van when it’s pretty much impossible to be further than 400metres from the wids, the smell of take away food, cheap bevvy and weed at any point in Midlothian?

Bunch ay doss ****!

;)

None.
I’m not prudish in the slightest or easily shocked.

No sweaty men in Lycra inside?

Basically that the hub is supported properly* Dom. it’s kinda odd that you’re snapping and bending hub axles just through normal mtb use. Were either of your hubs run with bearing play at all?
interested in whether your thru axle had sustained any damage from the hub axles snapping/bending. I assume your thru axle a standard straight 12mm section design.

* eg Mk1 Hope proII (IIRC) rear hubs axles used to fail pretty regularly from not being supported properly on thru axles.

translation for non natives like Jimmy
Ramorra? = Is this happening tomorrow old bean?
and if so, What time?

I can stick some gravel in my pockets to throw over my shoulder infront of any **** that turns up on a luggage strewn curly barred hipster chariot.

I wouldn’t buy a cytronex. front wheel drive is horrible. The motor is weedy (Cytronex call it efficient) and the 180wh battery capacity (range) is really small. (how they manage the lightweightness)

a mid motor (or rear wheel drive) bike (road or mtb) will be a little heavier. But waaaay nicer to ride.

I’m a couple of years older than you and commutting apx 120 miles over 4 consecutive days on a Shimano E7000 equipped hardtail with fast rolling (but quite heavy/tough) 2.0 schwalbe big ben tyres. it’s 44lb with mudguards and a pretty heavy 150mm fork. Sub 40lb would easily be possible by fitting a rigid 29″ fork and 700c road rims/tyres but it’d be more business and less fun for me built like that.
My commuting distance varies between 10 or 20 miles each direction (depending on where I’m sleeping) the terrain is undulating and I have the option of making half of it off road when dry(ish) whatever route I choose is slightly less elevation than yours.
The journey time is quicker than I could ride on my roadbike fully lycra’d up at threshold. but I ride in in ordinary clothes and arrive each morning not in a sweaty mess. On the way home sometimes I do put in a big effort. Sometimes just piss about taking my time pulling sweet mannys for the laydees.
I still ride mtb on my days off and in the evenings. Much as I love it my road bike is ridden pretty rarely now though.

My gravel biking is more “mountain biking from the ’90s”

It really isn’t

throw your new bars on here

and walk away ashamed of yourself for ever buying them in the first place.

90s mtb was the early years of hucking, dirtjumping, duel, 4X and 5 minute long gnarly natural DH not fitting half a steering wheel to a cyclocross bike and poncing about on fireroads with bike luggage.

Yes. I have tried those exact bars. They’re awful and would ruin the handling of every wheeled vehicle bar a wheelbarrow. If you truely want to replicate 90s mtb get a little 100mm hardtail with decent set of 710mm risers and continue riding properly until you need too many pain killers to.

Ramorra?

What time?

Same bike Dom?

is there an issue with the thru axle?

Remember the old Wednesday night TBC night rides.

No.

Riding with you I do enjoy though.

Hipster beer?…
meh bleurgh!!
Phew… says the tap room is only open Fridays and Saturdays
a nice bland cold lager in the Dean it is then, eh?

Tues or Thursdays and I’ll come

Try urban dictionary

wikipedia was written by a cantankerous old man who rides a tandem

it does what RS description says it does

yes.

Strungover

google “STRUNK”

not really
a poppy set-up needs firmer support so is rarely ever STW sissy wrists “plush”

yes. I’ve tried megneg.
too strungover to describe it tho

flat bar commuters always remind me of my 5 speed 1978 Vindec racer. (we all put motocross bars on our racers, wheelied everywhere and rode them down the woods and on ropey jumps)

My commuter is an Emtb hardtail with 2.0 Big Bens
Emtb hardtails are horrible for anything other than getting to work fast sweatless BTW

#Strungover2FK so excuse my pointless waffle

It’s pretty funny an endurance rider who rides with half of Millets strapped to his bike think’s he has somehow devised a mtb course a strong experienced mtb rider with a 15lb heavier bike won’t be able to get round. ;)

Toe overlap and sizing may be the least your worries riding this stunner in public

#Chickmagnet

;)