Not as bad as BP's.

Very good.

Ok thanks. Is it easy enough to do? I suppose it's a lot cheaper to DIY.

I've not been recently but they have certainly smoothed out the trails at Carron Valley.

Glad you're ok, good outcome. Well done for exercising restraint and not dragging him out of the vehicle and beating seven shades of s**t out of him.

Flats encourage you to learn technique better as you can't cheat by pulling up on the pedals.

Got a pic of yours?

I'll try and get one sorted and stick it on that other thread. It's the X5 so there's lots of scope for upgrading it and saving weight. I changed the Recons for Pikes and replaced the large chainring with a bashguard which has made it miles more capable. I hear what you say about the BB it really does handle very well. I find the low BB a bit of a pain sometimes on some of the techy ascents but I have no problem with walking a few bits anyway!

Maybe you shouldbd wearing a bouyancy aid too. You never know….

A bouyancy aid wouldn't keep your face out of the water if you were unconcious so a lifejacket would be better and probably a drysuit too to be on the safe side.

I hadn't ridden my hardtail for almost a year having got my first full suspension bike. Recently my FS had to go for repairs so I was back on the hardtail and absolutely loved it. You certainly feel more involved with the trail but I crashed a bit and couldn't keep up with my friends on their FS's. If I had to choose I'd go for the full suspension as it's more suited to the kind of riding I do but the hardtail is more enjoyable in some ways.

I went hill walking all day yesterday in the blazing sun trying to keep up with some Munro baggers then cycling for 5 hours today in similar heat. Discovered that a clump of vegetation was concealing a tree stump so I'm in a bit of pain. Nicely bruised and worn out for work tomorrow :-).

Ok thanks. I think I might get away with 317's and the weight saving would be nice.

I asked a similar question recently but it was quiet at the time so some advice now would be much appreciated.

I'm 12 stone and ride a 5" full suss. I ride mostly natural trails with small rock gardens and roots and I only do small jumps and drops. I like to ride fast but I wouldn't say that I'm particularly hard on the bike and I don't get many pinch flats.

So I'm wondering if I can get away with something like a 317 or should I go for something stronger like a 719?

Cheers.

I think we need to look at SOAC here (Scottish Outdoor Access Code) which isn't just a code but law. Cyclist have a legal right to cycle paths and we will continue to do so while we still have this right. There's no limit on numbers per group but cyclists do have a legal responsibility to avoid erosion and to give way to walkers and horse riders. You have to be willing to give way but more often than not walkers just stand aside to let you pass which is nice. If you're polite all is good usually. Stick to this and there's no problem so ro should keep his conservative opinions to himself I think.

My neighbours dog licked my leg wound when I got back from cycling tother day but luckily it had scabbed over. I'd like to think she was concerned for my welfare but she looks at me funny and barks a lot so I certainly wouldn't trust her. I usually get on with dogs fine but I think this ones been trained to hate men by it's lesbian owners.

Do I like punctures? I'm not going to even answer that question. I've looked at going tubeless but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. I don't get punctures much and they're not exactly difficult to fix.

I'm dying to do the Loch Muick route…………it is my nemesis…….this was our last attempt!!

This looks like the one starting in Glen Clova? I did it last summer and it was really good. The Capel Mounth descent back into Glen Clova was particularly fun but very muddy through the woods at the bottom. I expect it will be in good condition now after this dry spell.

Jonesesque girl getting wild and freaky with a big happy grin on her face from time to time..

Would that be like 'readers wives'?

I think I'm going to be sick.

Thanks went up there today and had a go at the Witches trails. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to doing the red dh soon.

Ok thanks. I thought the Witches trails would be free but someone told me it would cost £15 so I don't know where they got that from. Surely parking can't be that much?

stuartie_c – Member
A bit like this one. Cracking downhill despite the short interruptions. The last bit before Derry Lodge is just brilliant.

Is that Glen Derry you're cycling down in the picture? I used to work in that area but wasn't heavily into mountain biking at the time. Mountain biking was actually frowned upon by some of the estates round there but that was pre SOAC. When I think back to the paths I walked they must be amazing for cycling. Did you go down to Derry Lodge on the east or west side of the burn? I'll have to get up there this summer.

I did my most favourite route yet two weekends ago. The descent down Andrew Gannel Hill in the Ochils was amazing. A foot wide rut of a path traversing a 45 degree slope followed by technical rock sections with drops then switchbacks. Kind of scary at times but all the more fun for it.

Fixed it for you

Thanks, things are looking up. Do you know which pub he drinks in? I'll buy him a pint and watch the match with him.

It's never happened to me when cycling. I always make sure I've got a healthy supply of donuts or something with me. It's happened to me when I've gone walking a few times though. You know when a short stroll turns into an epic adventure. I walked a freind into the ground recently when I was looking for new trails in the area to ride my bike lol. I didn't realise he was tiring until he said he just can't go on any more.

Found it. DH opens 15th May.

Ok thanks. I was up at the World Champs last year and most of it didn't look to hard accept maybe for some of the rooty bits. I just read on a website that the red won't be open until 'May next year' but I don't know when that was written.

I'm assuming this is in England? I seem to remember from my college days that some paths the farmer must not disturb but others he can plough and plant but you still have the right to walk it. This sign is an interesting one. He's may not actually be saying 'you can't go through the field' just that there's no visible path through it. Or he could just be encouraging walkers to go around the edge? If you want to know for sure you should contact the council who will have the 'difinitive map' which will show the paths and their classifications. Most councils have an Access Ranger who deals with this stuff.

The form I just picked up says I can claim for compensation but I'm not sure that applies to normal recorded delivery. Hopefully they'll find it anyway. How can they possibly loose a suspension spring?

When Scotland play a football match English people support Scotland. When England play a football match Scottish people support the other team. I'm an Englishman who's lucky enough to live in Scotland and have many Scottish friends. I usually stay away from Scots when there's any big sporting thing on though because they can get a bit childish about it. I've never understood it fully. People tell me it's because of the media and commentators but I think it goes much deeper than that.

Yeah it's a pain. I'm really disappointed about it and can do without it at the moment. It was a spring for my forks that I bought cheap because I can't afford a brand new one and now it's gone.

I don't think anyone signed for it. It has one of those 'signed for' stickers on it both parts of which are still attached to the package. It would be very difficult where I live for the postie to find someone to sign and as it's remote they tend to just leave it there. This isn't usually a problem but rules are there for a reason so maybe I can get them on that.

I'm hoping they have some kind of lost property system and that they can locate it. Maybe they'll say 'this spring' when I go down and ask about it tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Blimey! If Clegg, Cameron and Brown decide to settle it like that my money's on Brown.

They usually have to give you notice by law to enter the property. I very much doubt they can move any of your property even if it is against the terms in the contract. Maybe citizens advice or someone could help.

I have only bought 3 issues I think. Partly because I haven't known about the mag for that long and partly because I'm usually skint. I have really enjoyed the ones I have bought and found them more interesting and inspiring than other mags. I like the way they don't give stuff marks out of five and just say if they like stuff or not and it's all very unpretentious. I like the stories in it about peoples adventures.

Wow looks nice. I'm going to do Ben Lomond this summer. Anyone done it?

There's a nice circuit you can do from Glen Clova down into Glen Muick and back into Glen Clova again. I think it took me about 4 to 5 hours. I reckon there must be lots of great riding in that area. There's lots of paths up over hills around there but I've not had a chance to explore them yet.

Anyway, I live & cycle in Australia.
End of.

I was working with an Aussie recently in Scotland and he said that he hates our ticks more than the stuff he comes across in Australia. I think I would be more scared of the snakes and spiders the size of dinner plates hiding in my wellies than anything else though.

I find the best thing to do is cover yourself up. This isn't easy in the summer when it's hot but it's the only way. They usually crawl up your legs looking for a nice place to feed. I check myself thoroughly when I get home and put my clothes in the wash. Be aware that there could be lots of them on your clothes waiting to bite you.

We get issued plastic tick removal tools at work which are of no use for smaller ticks. Most of the ones I get I just pull out but this isn't recommended by the medical expert people.

My full suss has been squeaking for a while now and it only does it when I'm pedalling up hill. I thought it was a bearing in the suspension at first but worked out that it only does it when I pedal. It's in the shop now getting some things fixed and I've asked them to look at the bottom bracket cos I reckon that's where the squeak is.

TheLittlestHobo – Member

I think you're over analysing a bit and you're certainly giving mountain bikers a bad name. The incident with the woman and her children is unfortunate but I think that the other cyclists are entitled to ride the Blue at whatever speed they wish. Trails with the same colour grading vary greatly from place to place. The fact that the GT Blue has red options on it might be a clue to parents that this trail will be frequented by faster and more advanced riders. Hopefully she knows what to expect now and will plan her day out accordingly. I'm sure there will be some more gentile blue for them somewhere or maybe a forest track or something. Hope the child was ok btw.

What happens at downhill races? I've seen videos of spectators literally dragging fallen racers off the track which isn't going to be very helpful if someone's smashed themselves up.

Does anyone know a good place to find second hand bikes in Scotland?