'Burn o' Vat' in Aberdeenshire would be could for this too.

Yeah do some natural stuff next time. The trail centres are nice enuf but if you're coming all the way up here you really should do some real mountain biking.

I think white but maybe red. I've got a red bike and I've put white grips and stem on it. Looks the bolloc*s. It'll have white pedals soon too.

rangers that probably give you gip in spite of the access laws

I wouldn't cycle it. I know we're perfectly within our rights to but the site is very important for mega rare flowers and there's lots of people there trying to chill out like. I want to do Ben Lomond which is mostly covered in Neds anyway. They just get out of the way and say 'Alright big man'.

location is a bit 'odd' – not a single sign to the place,

I guessed it would probably be in Carron Valley where you can also find Carron Valley Reservoir 😀

I must admit it's a bit of a pain to get to from the west and the roads are quite potholey.

I much prefer natural stuff and haven't been to many trail centres but I thought Mabie was really nice. It's probably the trail centre that's come closest so far to the sort of thing I like.

I use flats too and find you have to time it just right. Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack have a really good book called 'Mastering Mountain Bike Techniques' which says you have to preload the suspension by pumping it then lift the front then shift weight forward and let the back come up. Something like that anyway. Lopes say's flats encourage good technique, that's why I use them. I find my full suss harder to hop than my hardtail and much harder to rear wheel lift to. I think because it's longer and is designed to stick to the ground.

Here's hoping the bylaws to stop camping on Lomondside don't sprout….

It's a controversial one for sure but if it keeps the scum away that's a good thing. People travel from all over the world to walk the WHW and they find themselves walking through sh*t infested rubbish tips in certain places up the east side. Is this what we want people to see when they visit or to see ourselves even? Have you ever been to Sallochy on a Monday morning for example? I think a lot of the problem is SOAC giving people all these legal rights when they don't know how to act responsibly. SOAC works on the assumption you have some level of intelligence but many of the people who visit the countryside haven't even heard of SOAC.

I have to agree though that it's a real shame for the responsible camper. Hopefully the police will turn a blind eye to those doing things correctly.

It doesn't sound like the sort of place to take a wheelchair unless maybe it's a child's one with off road wheels. You'd think there'd be a good reason for them doing this though wouldn't you? Seems like a terrible shame though.

I once spent a winter working with an upland footpath team and one of the golden rules with upland paths is: 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. If you do too much building then you loose the natural feel of the path. The main aim is to help reduce and repair erosion and provide a walkable surface in areas where there isn't already one.

I asked a similar question recently about scate boarding trainers. I got some DC's from TK maxx and they do the job very well. I went for ones that looked like they will dry out quick and mine do and they're nice and grippy. Other good makes too.
Scateboarding trainers

Travativ XR is 35mm and because of the single bolt steerer clamp, particularly suited to short steerer lengths.

Thanks it looks good. I've been very pleased with my Truvative Team stem (80mm). Very lightweight and stiff. I was hoping to get something around 50mm though but could go for the 60mm maybe.

I'm 6ft 2 with quite skinny legs so I'm wondering what would be a good size to go for? Thanks. Kyle Strait 661's that is.

Straddle my 21" Giant

I think I might be going as an 80's stockbroker and making myself a big mobile phone. Keep the ideas coming in though please.

This is all getting a bit odd.

Officer and a Gentleman was 1982. Navel Officer dress whites. Can't fail to pull

Thanks but I'd rather attract attention from the opposite sex.

Yes get trained and get the protective kit. A mate of mine's helping me with some soon cos I've got a few fallen trees and other bits I want taking out. Stihl's are nice and smooth and easy to maintain. Husky's rev higher and cut faster but are a little fiddlier to maintain in my experience. There's probably other cheaper makes out there if it's just for the odd bit of cutting though.

Not sure a mullet and a suit work together…

Yeah it's probably a bit of a fashion crime. I'm thinking slicked back hair with some nice red stock broker braces i've just seen.

I had the same problem and also have a Trance X. I got round the prob by getting a Truvativ Team stem which has a single bolt attachment instead of 2 bolts. I might be selling this stem if I can find a suitable 50mm replacement for it. It's 80mm.

I've worked on farms in the past and have found bulls to be quite docile. I wouldn't want to risk annoying one though and wouldn't stand in the way of one getting his hole. My grandfather was once rammed through a gate by a bull and badly injured so there must be some truth in the rumours. I certainly wouldn't ride anything faster then walking pace through them though as any cow or bull is likely to be a hazard if spooked.

One of the golden rules as with horses is to stay away from the back end as they could kick out at you.

Try this:

Here

I've had the same problem being a big gangly. I wore my knee/shin protectors twice and hated them so much. I'm just going to get some knee pads and try not to do my shins in.

Real World Cycling/Enduro are the best

This is where I've ordered mine from too. You need to make sure you order the correct ones obviously. I'll let you know how I get on with fitting mine.

But, even very basic frames can do the job perfectly well

Yeah. I have an ex hire bike (Schwinn Mesa GS) which is a bit too small for me but I love it. I'll be hanging on to it and upgrading it with good quality parts.

Bit of an update on my Trance X. I put 140mm Pikes on it and it goes much faster in every scenario now. Far better than the Recons it came with. I identified a problem with the top bushings on the rear shock where they had worn and seized a little so I wasn't getting the most out of it. After greasing these it feels way better and I'm just waiting for a needle bearing kit to arrive to replace the dodgy bushing system.

skin so soft for hands that do dishes.

Are you buying from wheelcraft? I notice your in scotland? If so just ask big al. He's never given me bad advice about wheels!

Yep you guessed it! I will go and consult the oracle.

Ok thanks. I have one on the front and it seems fine. My local wheel builder uses them too so I'm looking to get a new rear wheel built for not too much. Can anyone recommend a good fairly light rear hub that will last and not cost loads?

My back tyre is getting quite worn down the middle which causes some wheel spins uphill but seems fine for cornering at the moment. I'll probably bin it once I loose a lot of uphill grip.

I've also got back into hillwalking again recently. Now I find going up the hills way easier than going down them. I think maybe cycling exercises the muscles that are good at walking uphill but not the downhill ones. I felt like I could climb all day but going down I felt like a 90 year old.

I find that staying fast and loose and lifting the front wheel over as many of them as you can helps.

Alternatively, buy your wah-wahs from superstar components

Nice one. Are they identical pedals other than the logo?

Possibly easier depending on how far away you are from the shop. As for 'advice' it's seems to me that this forum is more about opinions than advice.

Yeah good point. There is one bike shop I go to that's full of experts, characters and helpful people but it's a bit of a drive away. The shop I got my bike from probably know less about the bike than I do and it's a struggle to get good advice. Forums can be useful for talking to folk who own the same bike and components.

I buy stuff online if I can because it's easier and I know what I'm looking for. I'd like to support my LBS more but I find that the advice I'm given on this forum is much more useful.

Brilliant! Thanks! I really like the 'Pints and Pipes' tune but it was really difficult to find by googling the lyrics. I don't think they're a very well known band.

At this early stage I've ruled out Lincolnshire….

It could be the Wolds.

It would be nice to have ones that take less than a week to dry out and provide a bit of feel for the pedals. I use Nike's at the moment which take about 4 days to dry out and you can't feel much.

Thanks I'll check out those other brands too. The ones I liked best today in TKMAX were Adio Kenny Anderson for £25. They seemed a bit grippier than the others and were quite bling too. 😛

I went from 100mm to 80mm and noticed a difference. Soon I'll be going down to about 50mm. It depends what kind of riding you do really. I like my bike to perform better going downhill so I'm setting it up that way.

GiantJaunt – you still need a firm spring for your pikes as I have one for sale at the moment?

No but thanks for asking. I eventually got one.