Got a set of Singletrack shorts and a set of Gore Fusion shorts and they are very similar sizes – go up one. Large here and I’m a 32 waist (on a good day)

Only time jockey wheels have been a problem for me is when they have seized. Things get really rough then. A good clean and lube sorts them though

I use my Vans Gravels, with a pair of seal skinz socks… seem to be plenty warm enough and the Vans do a good job of keeping the water out.

Exactly what I’ve used for the past 2 winters. Merinos if it’s dry, Sealskinz if it’s wet. My toes still feel like they are going to drop off though if it’s sub zero.

Just posed this question on BR. Shimano AM41s were mentioned by a couple of people.

I’m also looking around for views on the new 5-10 Freerider Elements

Interested in these myself, especially as Evans are offering them at a good price at the moment. £70 for the Freeriders and £83 for the VXi. Not bad for a brand new shoe.

My missus rides with Teva Links on – loves em. Very similar to my Vans Gravels – neither are that big and clumpy

Got a normal KMC X10 (the 93 model) the other week for around £19. Not bothered about a chain being super light.

Check out the difficulty level. I think the Woking one was tame on their scale – that may just be about climbing though.

It’s never going to be a technical even though

Have done the Woking one twice. Medium route on my own last time and long route with wife this year.

Well organised xc pootle around the countryside. Restricted to roads and bridleways though so nothing more difficult than a couple of very short hills. Biggest thing for me was it gave us a nice 25 mile loop that we now do every few weeks that starts from just outside our house and can be done in a little over 2 hours.

High5 freebies are good, especially if you sign up early.

The others may be different but I’d not travel to one unless I knew it was going to be a tougher route.

Alp X are usually a bit tougher/heavier and have more pockets. That sort of thing.

Mavic Eclipse. So much better than the Full Montys I had before :

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/product/37864/Mavic_Eclipse_LF_2013_Gloves

I never been into the Barn Cafe, it’s on the wrong side of the road and the bacon rolls at the main Newlands cafe are very good

Exactly this. Newlands cafe is very biker friendly – they should be as they getting plenty of business from us.

Trolls have a ride organised more or less every evening and some weekends. A mighty friendly bunch! Introduce yourself on the forum.

Tend to be Surrey/Hants/Berks border area so sometimes Swinley.

I can beat that.

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires,setting* off the flash bangs and disturbing themen disguised as bushes.

They obviously didn’t move far as we stopped at the top of a hill in the same palce later on and they all jumped out on another group of soldiers and started shooting at each other.

*technicaly shortcut off here did, but I was second so got the full brunt of it once it ignited!

Squaddies on Tunnel Hill eh….. think they own the place. Skulking around, digging and hiding in holes and scaring the crap out of you.

Zero Extreme for me – Berry ones. A quick rinse or two and you lose the taste if there’s just water in there the next time. Does stain the bladder though. Mine’s now orange in parts!

To be honest I always use the same ones so there’s no issue for me.

High 5 Zero for me. Usually the Extreme (caffeine) ones.

No energy but that’s what bars and gels are for if you need them. Gives more flexibility as most rides under 2-3 hours I’ll not need anything but hydration. Also the zero tabs are less likely to gunk up your Camelbak.

Only time I’ve had a leak through the seal is when the seal has deformed when you’ve screwed it shut. It’s just a simple matter of unscrewing and screwing back on. I check every time now. This used to happen on my Rogue and seems to happen more if you leave the top unscrewed between rides.

Don’t have a problem with the handle digging in on mine but you’re right about the fabric it is thin. The Charge is though their lightweight pack. My wife has the normal Charge and it’s the same.

Regardless, I think it’s worth putting up with for the one best feature – the ability to get to those side pockets without tying yourself in knots before giving up and taking the damned thing off to get to the pockets.

Can’t give any others but I can say my Phantom is probably the best bit of bike clothing I own. Looks brand new after two winters as well.

Worn on its own, it’s fine up to 7-8 degrees. With a merino base layer its fine for sub zero

Mine happened 3 or 4 years ago. Apart from painkillers for a month or so never had any more treatment. Steroid jabs and surgery were talked about but luckily it ‘got better’. I still get twinges every few months but have learned just to be more careful with posture etc.

I had to stop running and started mountain biking. It’s actually been good for my back – strengthens up your core muscles no end. I can though see how a road bike would make it worse.

Montane Singletrack here. Possibly slightly bigger than apple sized but certainly does the job. It’s a snug but not tight fit and long in the body and arms.

Similar sizing to Gore – I have mediums in both.

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.ice?ProductID=CCAM0101K1

£60 the cheapest I’ve found

Opposite to Jim, I’ve just swapped a Rogue for a Charge LR (smaller version of the Volt) as I needed a bit more space, especially come the winter and wanting to stash an extra layer. Once you put pump, tube, tools, phone etc in it the Rogue is full.

The Charge LR is a bigger pack but with the lumbar bladder it doesn’t feel it and slides around less especially donwhill. Easier to fill than the Rogue but only because the hose is detachable so you can take it out to fill. Also with more padding between you and the pack (vs the Octane I think) I haven’t noticed the tools when I’m wearing it.

Not bought anything for around a year but it was snug back then. Large shorts are fairly tight around a waist that fits into size 32 jeans.

I must have serviced 20+ sets of Fox forks this year (I’ve done 3 this week). I’ve probably seen the inside of more forks in general than all but the Big Boys like Loco and TFTuned.
I’ve only ever seen one set of worn Fox forks which are actually sitting in my garage as I type. They’re 8 years old. I’ve done the seals and a service and I reckon they’ll go into double digits as they are. Which is pretty good in my book

Was worried when I read that Peter. Then I read the age of the worn forks. Guess mine were the other 2 sets this week!!

And no bullshit in his post. He’s done 2 fox forks and a fox shock for me this week.

I live a few minutes down the road. Will keep an eye out for the Astra. Assume the scuffs are on the nearside wing?

200 employs auto/intelligent sampling. Which means less often in normal speak.

I’ve no doubt it underestimates your mileage as everything is straight lined. Doesn’t seem to make much of a difference on Strava though as it still matches you nicely to a segment. I find mine really accurate apart from the sampling issue and almost all of my trail riding is in the forest.

Seem to remember SS reckoning that theirs are much the same as everyone elses ….. apart from ODI.

Moved from SS to ODI X-trainers and couldn’t be happier. Twice the price but in the scheme of things what’s an extra tenner on the price of a bike?

Got the Oxford one myself as well but only use it after pumping up a tyre. Give the tyres a squeeze before a ride just to check things haven’t got out of hand.

Another vote for knee warmers under baggies. They come just up to where my liners shorts come down to so in effect 3/4s

Moved from Endura photochromic to Oakleys. The Enduras were every bit as good in the bright sunlight but would never go as clear. You always knew you were wearing them as well. I forget I’m wearing the Oakleys and they are especially good when constantly moving in and out of wooded areas.

My Gore Windstopper ones have grippy silicone bands. Nice and warm too

Did the Woking one last year – well organised and good value. Course was a bit dull though – lots of road and bridleway. Managed 25 miles in just over 2hrs and I’m not that fit!

Still, I’m sure others probably have better routes but that would be what I would be checking first.

Got some Gore Windstopper ones which are nice and toasty. Went a couple of quid over your limit though

Windmill Hill – just over the canal from Tunnel.

Lots of roots and short sharp hills. It’s a fairly tight course compared to the other Gorrick routes. Was there a couple of times over the weekend and apart from the odd swampy bit in the valley it’s pretty dry and rolling well.

X0 triple

Had a look around at these recently – got some Radars coming for Crimbo. The best Oakley photochromic lenses for low light seem to be the clear black iridium lenses. They seem to have a wider range than the others.

My missus has some prescription ones and they go pretty much clear. Great for in the depths of the forests. Not sure about night rides but should be fine with decent lights.

French Revolutions is good but not really tdf. Have Race for Madmen next on my book pile. Comes highly recommended

Dropped by Wiggle too a while back. Shame as they are the brand is turn to for most stuff

Icebreaker merino. Half price if you follow the link :

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-icebreaker-oasis-crewe-200-merino-baselayer-2999

double post