Observing POET’s Day today. Starting the weekend with a gentle ride (29 out of 29 in Ride30) along the canal to the LBS. Spending the evening in front of TV with red wine catching up on episodes of Follow the Money and enjoying a teenager free house for a night!

Saturday: Long C-X ride with a pub lunch with the missus to celebrating completing Ride30 before picking up teenage daughter. If her hangover is anything like last time she’ll still be minging by the time we pick her up!! Saturday night should be relatively teenager free as she’ll go straight to bed to aid recovery – when do they ever learn?! Bike themed movie night: Inspired to Ride, Ride the Divide and The Flying Scotsman.

Sunday: Planning and MTB outing somewhere different – haven’t decided yet. Teenager is welcome to join us, but will most likely decline as she’s decided biking with her mum and dad isn’t cool anymore!

Monday: Missus is having to work so it’ll be keeping her company on her commute to work and a little extra loop home before pootling around the house and garage. Main objective to get the sea kayaking kit ready for next weekend after it not having seen any action since last October.

The trails have changed massively in the last 5-10 years, 26″ wheels just can’t cope

A massive assumption that we all ride at trail centres? Natural trails are pretty much the same as ever!!

Just ride and have fun!

If it doesn’t have to be bike specific, then the Montane Minimus is worth a look — a great 3 season all-rounder in my view, but you might want something a bit beefier for winter

Another vote for the practicality of synthetics for using most of the time in the UK. Like STATO the Alpkit 0Hiro is the go to jacket of choice to sling on over the top of muddy, wet, sweaty kit after biking, running or paddling. Only use it out of the back of the car. Won’t really want to pack it though as it’s a bit bulky, but a Montane Prism does the job there.

In the UK my down jackets are mainly used for posing in the pub, but come into their own in the Alps

Horses for courses I reckon … just think about where/how it’s going to get used

Excellent — thanks guys. Some good tips there. Time to get the maps out and look at the calendar!

In simple terms there are 3 options once the monthly payments have stopped:

1. Pay a one off payment to own the bike
2. Pay a smaller one off payment to continue to lease the bike for a further three years at which point for HMRC purposes it has been written down to zero
3. Return the bike to the company as it is still technically theirs, although I’ve never heard of anyone doing this.

You should have been given all of the info on the above by the scheme’s administrators.

If you continue to keep the bike without making any further payment you will be liable for tax on a benefit in kind.

Sound like your accounts department don’t fully understand the scheme. Go back to the scheme administrators or whoever gave you the voucher in the first place.

Nothing but first class experience through LBS with Whyte, Giant, Rock-Shox, Cat Eye and Topeak.

Massive fan of the LBS here!

Got disk brakes … these look like you need to thread through a rim brake mounting and that you need threaded lugs? Was looking for more of a clip on type

set out every weekend from the car park of every popular mountain in the UK.

Absolutely spot on there!

More like someone fit thought they could cane it up and down the Ben, but under-estimated the weather. [/quote]

I think we’ve all done that at some stage and got away with it like Northwind did.

I know for myself, now that I’ve been involved in MR and ML I have a different perspective on the risks involved in outdoor activities but continue to take them based on my own judgement (hate the phrase risk assessment!)which has been developed By making stupid mistakes in your formative years.

Switched to running tubless on CX a couple of weeks ago as was getting a bit pi**ed off with so many punctures running at low pressure.

Using WTB Cross Wolf TCS 700 x 33 and am perfectly happy with them both on and off road

LOL … deeply philosophical debate arising out of the use of a commonly (mis)understood expression!! :-)

@Mr Woppit … really? Hands up all those who have done something silly and got away with it!

Nah … don’t bother. We’ve all done it and next time you’re riding down Walna Scar or The Gap, or somewhere similar, just have in the back of your mind what the consequences of a serious off might be.

But then, we all take that risk and 99.99% of the time get away with it.

Being an ex MRT member I would say that the vast majority would disagree with NZCol. Yes, it is frustrating and annoying sometimes to be called out to rescue the unprepared, but what’s the alternative?

It’s all part of the commitment to being an MRT member.
I’m pretty sure that other emergency services from the Ambulance Service through the RNLI to the RAC all attend “unnecessary” incidents but still treat the injured parties with commensurate professionalism and so do MRTs

There but by the grace of God we all go.

a big +1 for Banjo Cycles in Newbury, although the Specialised Concept Store owned by the same people gets a big thumbs down. The guys in their have their heads so far up their *rs*s it’s untrue

+1 for Scotoiler UBS.

Used it all winter for road, cx and mtb. Great for minimum maintenance when riding/commuting everyday and regular washing /cleaning is too much of a faff.

It’s abit like marmite though … people either love it or hate it

@daffy: Ermm … that’s not quite how it works! The LBS sells the bike to me for £1,540 (taking 10% off the £600 difference between £1,600 and £1,000) and redeems the C2W voucher taking a £100 (10%) hit off the voucher value of £1,000 thereby selling the bike for £1,440 whilst I end up paying £1,320 for a £1,600 bike, the difference being made by the LBS discount and the tax benefits of salary sacrifice. (I did factor in the one off payment at the end of the monthly payments as well)

@balls … I paid £70 to continue leasing it for a further three years at which point rentention of title will pass to me and HMRC write it off as having zero value and thereby avoiding any tax liability for benefit in kind.

Being an Accountant I can’t see why the C2W scheme is so misunderstood by some. Just think of it as £1,000 interest AND TAX free loan. Okay, so the LBS take a hit for the admin of the scheme and won’t discount or offer the scheme on sale bikes but that doesn’t affect the financial effectiveness to you, the buyer.
If, like I did, you go for a bike >£1K with some persuasion the LBS should discount on the difference. I bought a bike for £1,600 the first £1,000 on C2W which effectively cost me £780, and then got 10% off the remaining £600 so paid £1,320 in total for the bike. Around about 17.5% discount off the bike of my choice ain’t too bad a deal. Okay you might be lucky and pick that up in some sales in which case interest free credit card would work just as well but then it’s lick of the draw to get the size/specs that you want

Simply not safe …

http://justsayn2o.com/nitrous.dangers.html

No guard tabs on bike — didn’t think about that at the time as have been okay with putting mudguards on road bike without tabs.

just going to look at PDW

LOL…. was thinking of something a little more wholesome than shredded pigs arse :-)

Until last December I was using a Dawes Audax with full mudguards as a winter road bike, but then bought a Whyte Saxon Cross which at the moment is the go to bike of choice for commuting and weekend rides.

It’s fun to ride on canal tow paths, bridleways and farm/forest tracks and the like and it’s much better on the country lanes with all the crap and potholes than a road bike.

For me, one of the great things is that it gives me the opportunity to mix things up a bit and have variety in a ride especially at this time of year

Agree with P-Jay. Don’t skimp on roof bars. I regularly have 3 sea kayaks on the car — a few thousand quids worth of kit. Why trust it to a crappy £33 set of roof bars. Thule are the DBs IMHO

Surprised there’s only been one mention of a saddle fitting. Always thought it was a bit of a dumb-arsed OTT idea until I bought a new saddle from my LBS which was properly fitted.

No more numb-nuts or saddle sores!! :-)

Same here for me. I commute pretty much every day by bike. Although I might be looking forward to a long ride home, some days something just isn’t right and I high tail it the short way back.
Don’t beat yourself up about it…it’s supposed to be fun

don’t faff … just go for a winter boot. You won’t rgret it!!

Last year I gave up my love affair with my 15 yearold Scott Boulder which I never thought I would replace, but I’m definitely keeping my new mistress – a Giant XTC composite, although there’s some jealousy with my recently acquired Whyte Saxon Cross!

Kinda opened my eyse as to how much frame geometry and technology has changed and can really change the enjoyment of the ride.

Fortunate enough to have full on changing facilities at work so the obvious answer for me is to sacrifice the Monday commute and take a week’s worth of clothes in and cycle Tues – Fri bringing dirty laundry home each day.

Never got the commuting slowly enough to not sweat!

You’ll get as many recommendations as there are people on the forum!!

For what it’s worth, it’s a plus one for Whyte — my wife has a Whyte MTB (905, I think) and I have a Saxon Cross

But on the MTB front … it’s a Giant XTC composite all the way for me!

big +1 for Ultimate Bike Solution here. Keeps the drive chain clean and makes it easy to rinse the rest of the cack off. Got to be the top choice for commuting

I love my in laws. They come and babysit whilst we go an play on our bikes and cook the dinner whilst we’re out. We then open our presents and all get drunk together….perfect! :D

This article appeared on STW recently – worth a quick read:

http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/10-things-every-rider-should-have-in-their-pack/

Being an BC MTB Trail Leader, ML and a member of an MRT, I tend to go well prepared, but with a little thought and planning this doesn’t mean carrying a shed load of unnecessary kit.

Running tubeless doesn’t mean puncture free. I was very glad of my toothpaste tube and gaffa tape recently when I gashed a tyre at about the furthest point out in a ride the other day.

Even on a quick hour’s round the local woods on the commute to work could leave me with 10K plus push/walk back if I couldn’t fix a mechanical.

…….be a good Boy Scout and Be Prepared

Italian Lakes look like they’re ticking the boxes especially as it’s somewhere that said daughter has mentioned so we could spin it to sound as if it was her idea!!

@Ecky Thump…loved the description of your hols, especially the 6 days pretending!!

+1 for using a slime tube. Learnt from experience the hard way. The weight saving is pretty meaningless when you’re stuck out in the middle of the moors in driving rain and your spare tube has puntured straight away.

A tyre boot can come in very useful, especially as if you’re having to put a tube in a tubelss tyre you’ve more than likely got a rip or tear in it

Interesting …. Would have thought that gloop seals on an inside out basis rather than the other way round, but if I guess if there’s enough of the stuff sloshing around then it could work as you describe.
Always though conventional wisdom was to check the tyre for nasty sharp bits before putting a new tube in

Anyone used a Weldtite type kit in anger and had success? Looks a bit of a faff to me.

My puncture was caused by a rip. The thorn that I missed was obviously from a puncture that had been sealed by the latex previously and that’s the crux here ….not being able to clear everything out, but excellent tip with the cotton wool. Solves that problem perfectly, so I think its going to be cotton wool and slime tube for me — belt and braces

+ 1 for Latex gloves … top tip!

I’ve enjoyed the robust debate with you guys but as it’s POETS day am off for an extended commute home now so, I’m sorry, I’m going to have to leave you to your procrastinations.

In the meantime, I suggest you all read (or re-read) “Zen and The Art of Motor Cycle Maintenance” and you may understand the philosophical tenant of the original (albeit light-hearted) theory and not be distracted by debating whether or not I’m jealous or telling tall tales.

Enjoy your weekends!

njee 20 … re-read the post!

…. I’m definitely shit, but at least I own up to it!!!

ha ha Moshimonster …. you say in jest, yet how true you are!!!

This was aimed at your theory not your second post!!

Let’s drop the jealous idea … you’re missing the point

“Yeah OP, you’re a liar and a jealous.
“
ouch … some people are just no fun. Looks like I’ve touched a few nerves here!!