Am I missing something here?

The road is not wide enough for two cars plus a bike. So how would the cyclists riding in-line change anything? The road is STILL not wide enough. Moving to single file merely invites the car into a dangerous place.

spacemonkey – yea that’s the one. Not all that well publicised considering how many people they are expecting.

Richard of Allbikedup.com will have a fun pump track (like the one they have the bike show) and there should be other stuff going on to amuse.

I hate the control obsession of it all. The test event was bad enough. So my plan is to watch it come through the High Street and enjoy the party atmosphere, and then cycle down to Denbies and watch on the big screen in the Bike Fest.

Walking from Dorking to Box Hill would be easy and a better bet than cycling, imo. I’ll have a bike with me only because I don’t live in Dorking.

If you try and relax your hands, you end up still focusing on your hands too much. A good thing that usually works is stop thinking about your hands completely (after you’ve paid attention to making your levers comfortable etc) and think exclusively about riding on your feet. Just let the bars shimmy about in loose hands.

Also agree with building up progressively and staying in a control frame of mind. Speed will come, don’t force it because even if you get fast by being frightened you tend not to learn in that frame of mind.

Also agree that belly button steering is a good thing – again, you’re pointing your whole self and the bike with you, rather than thinking about wrestling the steering.

I think Cavendish has made a pretty damned good job of poaching other riders’ lead-outs in the past, and he’ll happily do that again. Plus if he is a bit lighter and more all-rounder-ish he’ll be better able to protect himself from other riders getting green points in places other than bunch sprints. So even if the team focus more on Wiggins (which I think they should) that doesn’t rule Cavendish out.

Probably as soon as one week into the tour I think the team will decide if Cavendish is going all the way to Paris – my point is that I don’t believe they have already taken that decision, or at least I’d be surprised if they have.

Cav wining green is a British TdF win. Not GC, but a win nonetheless. Even if Cav wins a few stages but is not consistent enough to get the green, that is still well worthwhile, from the team’s pov. Wiggins is going to score well in the tt, and try and hold his place in the mountains – I can’t see that having another rider instead of Cav in the team is going to do much to alter that picture.

I hadn’t read it, but have now. My opinion is unaltered really. If anything influences his tour prospects, it is the possible split in support for him and for Wiggins in the tour that takes the shine off his green jersey ambitions.

Whatever happens it’s going to be a great summer for cycling.

In what context? In cycling terms Yes. In negotiating your next cereal advertising deal? Not a chance

He is a cyclist!

I don’t doubt that he wants both tour and olympics, but if it’s either-or then the tour wins by a mile. Plus the small teeam size in the olympic race means it will be very difficult to deliver Cav – basically every other nation will be trying everything they can to thwart him/us – and we don’t have enough men to cover every eventuality. The worlds was easier in that respect – and it still wasn’t easy!

The tour is way way more important than the olympic road race. I don’t believe Cav would prioritise the olympics over green in the tour.

Thanks

Trails built in the manner that many consider boring (ie. designed to shed water slowly, rather than channel or catch it) are doing better than the other fun stuff like Supernova.

On the one hand its all good splashy fun, on the other hand there’ll be nothing left in places if ridden willy-nilly. In between those two points of view there is some sensible middle ground.

I’m not riding much at the moment, but I can give you an conditions assessment because I’m out in the woods every day with the dog. Put it this way – it’s wellies all the way at the moment and for the forseeable future! I would avoid the North Downs completely because its claggy clay, and Surrey Hills will be navigable but not exactly sustainable. Even though Barrys and (to a more limited degree) Yog are built to drain and therefore hold up a bit better, there is a limit to what a trail can withstand when it’s not much more than a pile of sand. As mentioned, logging operations are not helping.

Ultimately, I suppose, nothing too bad will happen – you just have to decide on a personal level where you draw the line. A nice walk is always an option!

Peaslake popularity is def a problem. There are local people who would rather do without the village shop if they could get their peace and quiet back. Parking somewhere totally different and stopping-by Peaslake on the way would be a great idea.

My sympathy is a a little restricted, because a lot of the local people don’t really want there to be any local business at all, but even so…

I use the big fireroad usually (right out of car park, then left on big track) – couple of reasons: it is a very even gradient all the way up, which makes it a nice warm up; and there is a good view and a chance of nice sunshine!

By the way, if you start off right and then don’t turn left up the track but just go straight (narrow gulley through the bracken) you go past a pond… just keep going, bearing left rather than right… that short-cuts you to Barrys if you want.

What does “light xc” even mean, and how does it make any difference whatsoever in this debate? You said it right to start with – low key is good, big and built is bad! No-one can reasonably expect there to be race-course tracks through the public woods.

If anyone wants to do a competition then why not just organise it at a suitable venue?

Steel Deore for middle and granny. Last forever at minimal cost, and no-one can see them anyway.

A little bit of air in the new tube – just enough to make it “round” and go up inside the tyre, rather than any getting under the bead.

No tyre levers to put tyre back on. Get the bit of the bead that you fit first (start at the valve) right down into the well of the rim – keep pushing it down all the way round and then go for it with fingers or thumbs to get the last bit of bead on.

Double-check that the tube is fully in the tyre and not snagged under the bead before you inflate.

EDIT – I’d be able to freewheel faster than them, weight would be an advantage there – freewheel comp down a straight road I’d probably beat them!

Think you might need to check Newton’s Second Law of Motion!

Being heavier will not make any difference, presuming the road is smooth. If anything, being bigger will give you more drag and make you slower.

Get some Project 2 rigid forks and a nice fat front tyre. Cheap solution – fun in a different way – makes your ht lighter and different to your other bike.

It ruined my old Explosif, and I only went to 100mm.

I like a bike that turns – it’s not as if the bike kept jumping into the undergrowth with the correct length fork. I’ve got 80mm rigid forks on it now, with flat bars and flipped down stem – ok, so that’s about as committed as it gets, but it is still a long way from unrideably twitchy.

I’d get some short fork, or some that you can adjust to get just-so.

I think it would be sensible to separate the two issues here.

1. You had a bad thing happen with that individual frame – there is nothing at all to say that this is somehow intrinsic to Genesis in general, or all Genesis steel frames.

2. Your experience of customer service was poor – different thing, and not good.

Can’t comment on the steel hanger etc, except to say that nearly all steel frames have an integral hanger, and if you have cracked the hanger without knowing it then the force of changing gear can be enough to put the mech in the spokes. They should have replied though.

Anyway – we have rather a lot of Genesis Cores, and I really like them. They get ridden by all-comers and haven’t let us down yet.

You won’t feel the difference if you move the saddle just a few mm – so do that, have a couple of rides, then do it again… until you get to where you need to be.

I agree that forestry work makes a massive mess – but there again it is their land to make a mess of! Plus it is relative – the woods will recover in their own time.

If it were a SSSI it might be different – having said that the woods between Abinger Common and Friday Street are SSSI and Wotton Estate have made a right mess of that and nobody is prepared to bring them to account for it.

Haven’t read the whole thread – but for what it’s worth I don’t go out without:

Puncture kit
Pump
Allen keys
Chain tool
Phone
Spare shirt or waterproof
Money (pubs need money – well unless it’s my local!)

I’ll happily go without spare tube – usually patch on the spot anyway.

A misunderstood aspect to it is that although you can make a case for different styles and approaches, there is a good reason to have one very reliable way to get a beginner up to speed quickly and safely (for example). The CTC “system” takes something like this approach – there are certain principles built-in to it, but the way that an individual delivers the content means that each can have their own brand of instruction.

Also – don’t forget that the majority of people going for skills sessions would be mystified by most of the talk in this thread – indeed, the majority of them have never heard of STW. Typically people have maybe had a go and fallen off a few times and want some structure to the way they are riding (rather than random trying things and finding out the hard way). Plus – a session is about the price of a pair of nice tyres, and way cheaper than a shiny pair of forks – so it’s kind of easy to give it a try in that sense.

Skills such as flow and trail interpretation, don’t have a right or wrong, only preferences. Coaching of these skills will be biased to what the coach prefers, not what the person who is being coached prefers.

Well, not really – most people that go on a skills course are looking for answers. If they already knew what they preferred they would probably have found a way to do it themselves. Or to put it another way the rider will hopefully arrive with an open mind, and the instructor will also be open-minded but constructive.

Think you’ll find the Hitler vid will have been taken down because of infringement of copyright – nothing to do with the subject!

won’t make the front cover with your elbows tucked in

Quite so. Nor without jamming the back brake on, or the photographer tilting the camera 45 degrees.

Ah, good points joolsburger. Just remember, it’s a bit like:

If a middle manager rides in the woods and leaves no marks, does it matter?

Or the more traditional; if a tree falls in the forest and no-one is there, does it make a sound?

Or my preference; if a man speaks and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?

Just remember the 6 coaching clichés and you’ll be fine……

……heels down, knees bent, elbows out, beard up, heavy feet & light hands Made me chuckle, cheers.

Good advice too – although personally I think you can safely forget all about your elbows.

No reason to be nervous! Keep a little bit of energy in reserve – there are a couple of long-ish climbs at Llandegla, and if you puff yourself out fully you’ll e missing the last little bit of concentration needed for the downhills.

What dtp said really – ride your own ride, keep your head up high and your eyes as far ahead as possible. The terrain is not as bumpy as CyB – bit more swoopy like NyA.

Wouldn’t it be the case that if you were an ‘official’ guide, you’d need to obey local access agreements and therefore not ride cheeky trails?

Yep. There are actually quite a few miles of “legacy” trail on Holmbury Hill alone – plus we’ve got the extensive network on Pitch and beyond, not to mention Leith Hill. For years we have been working in a fully open way with the land owner and the ranger. Richard and I are both local born and bred (I was born in Friday Street (now live in Abinger Common), Richard is from Shere (now Holmbury St Mary)). We both also walk on the hills and are about as tuned-in to the issues with regard to courtesy, parking, trail damage and maintenance, and the local economy as anyone could be, I believe.

Thanks for the nice words, vd.

To be honest it doesn’t matter so much if you accidentally ride a cheeky one – it matters very mcu if you build one though!

Don’t build anything.
Try as hard as you can to leave no marks.
Ride aware and be ready to stop.
Slow down (right, completely down – or stop even) when you meet people.
Heed all notices and signs.
Park considerately.

Just that would make the situation much better, if only everyone would do it.

Oh – and a modest donation to The Hurtwood would be money well spent, regardless of mountain biking or not.

Some are better than others, I agree.

Better at being stealthy.

Fair enough – I wasn’t there. No – I’ve never been mugged.

Just one of my many high horses. Cyclists don’t realise how fast it feels to everyone else. Nor do they (generally) realise just how much other people appreciate it if you stop completely or drop to walking pace.

Well slow down properly then.

Jeez. Did anyone ever consider that they might be being asked to slow down for a reason? Just because you don’t see the reason at first glance, doesn’t mean it’s not there. And even if you can’t see the reason yourself it’s all subjective.

So this bloke asks you to slow down. So you don’t? And you wonder why he got agitated?

Why not just slow down?

Worth going to Swanage purely because it is near one of the great pubs. Square & Compasses at Worth Matravers – pubs like this are dying out.

The ride from Corfe Castle over Nine barrow Down to Old Harry rocks and then down to Studland beach is also great. Steam train from Swanage to Corfe. Corfe Castle itself. Brownsea Island. Swanage is ok in a Punch & Judy/knotted hankie way.

So. Yea.