Dunkeld was misty, wet, ridiculously slippy and as steep as ever.

Flats on the DH bike, clips for everything else.

The Torridon Inn was happy to feed us despite the fact we turned the place into a small lake.

Trail bike by a country mile and since I bought a new one in October I’ve not ridden any of the other bikes.
Croix de Fer has been used to commute when my car is in for service.
Road bike purchased in August used once 😳
DH bike purchased in January used about a dozen times.

Is there anyone who’s ridden Golspie and thinks there’s a harder trail centre climb?

I’ve ridden……..here we go…….. Golspie, Balblair, Learnie, Moray Monster, Pitfichie, Glenlivet, Laggan, Glentress, Innerleithen, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie, Drumlanrig, Kielder, Whinlatter, Grizedale, Dalby, Gisburn, Llandegla, Coed-y-Brenin, Penmachno, Marin, Cymcarn, Brechfa, BPW………and probably some others I’ve forgotten about.

Golspie is the hardest.
A little section at Balblair is next.
Then the steep bit at Kirroughtree, only because it is loose.

Variety.
I seem to have got myself into a routine of doing the same local trails and doing road trips to the same places. The local stuff is ace (Scolty Hill and Bennachie) and the trips are to places like Torridon, Dunkeld and Innerleithen, but I feel that I need to broaden my horizons before things get a bit ‘samey’.
……..oh, and more uplifts.
……..oh, and go riding abroad again.

So, variety really.

More than last year for me, but not enough variety. 2017 will be all about riding further afield.

A nice and tight roadie top with secure pockets so nothing can move around or fall out. Tube and pump will be taped to the bike.
If I’m riding anything techy the backpack goes back on as good roadie tops are too fragile and expensive for the inevitable crashes.

About once a month and I pay £12. Aberdeenshire.

It’s definately an investment as, if I leave it any longer, my hair does this:

Lactic Ladder at Golspie for me.
It’s not massively difficult to ride other than a few tight switchbacks and a few awkward sections. The difficulty comes from it’s sustained nature, the 750ft of climbing you do to get to it and the 400ft of climbing after it.
I’m sure there are places where conditions will make a climb harder than Golspie, but Golspie is just hard every time.

2.30am tonight and I’ve volunteered to go in on Boxing day if necessary.

Pork scratchings (the ones like what wobbliscott recommends) and a kebab afterwards.

More weekends away and explore more. I appear to have got stuck in a loop of riding the same places and routes this year.

zinaru – Member
hairscary! thats steve milne!

It is indeed, along with JojoA1. Both ex’ish members of this forum.

This photo of two friends sums up why I ride bikes.

When I was younger, Marti Pellow.

I’m struggling to criticise grass/logos/hose length/colour choice/bar rotation.

Front brake hose on the outside of the fork!

Chromag

The Smiths
Depeche Mode
New Order
The Jam
The Clash

A new bike.
Over the last few years I’ve spent a fair amount of time and money getting my old bike ‘right’. The new bike felt ‘perfect’ off the shelf, well, handlebars have been swapped.

According to an ex, I was born middle aged 😐

‘Flat White’ and ‘Community Service’ at Golfie were perfect yesterday.
I had intended riding the stuff down to Walkerburn as well, but everytime I got to the start of Flat White I could not ride past it 😳

jam bo – Member
hope that didn’t end up anywhere painful!!!

To be honest, I think that the bike and myself had gone our separate ways when the damage happened.

I need to lay off the pies

Done.

stu170 – Member
Tornado aircraft, have both a “bastard” panel and pipe

Jammed into Zone 19 doing an In-flight re-fuelling probe change by any chance? I nearly drowned in Avtur the first time I did that job.

Ming the Merciless
Riding wise not feeling it as was on nights last night and my coordination is rubbish today.

I always feel a bit spaced out the weekend after nights. I’m tempted to take the financial hit to feel more ‘with it’ two out of four weekends.

‘Big ring stress’
Makes me giggle and wince at the same time.

Scolty Hill tomorrow for some frozen, fast running trails.

Dropped my car at the garage at 3am this morning and cycled the 10 miles home with the temperature at -6*C……..painfully cold.

Stu Allan’s Old Skool Nation on Mixcloud for me…”large”

https://m.mixcloud.com/stuallandj/

I finished my contract early on a Z3 as the screen is too fragile and I wasn’t prepared to replace it again. Both times it cracked it started at the power button……first time was a drop from about a foot onto dirt the second time it just cracked on its own.

If the local trails are properly crap I would drive to the decent trails or ride a road bike from my door.

scaled – Member
I don’t think mine have ever lasted 3 years undamaged

😳

Having done a few stints as a ‘pit bitch’ at this god damn stupid event I would mostly agree with what TJ and Trailrat have said.
A rider not having to think about anything is important.
Make sure that the food you take is food you want to eat.
Dry clothes for each time out seems to help the riders motivation and having warm puffer style clothing for rest periods helps.
If you are going for a placing someone should be working out when riders are due out on course……..at 3am, when your brain is fuzzy this becomes difficult.
There should be someone waiting to take the bike from a rider at the end of a lap who will have it clean and ready to go for the next one.
Don’t overdo the amount of support crew, as you end up with support crew supporting support crew etc., one to look after food and one to look after bikes is all you need.
Have your bike of choice (any bike will do…….singlespeed is probably best) in perfect working order before the race, rebuilding a rear xtr hub at 2am is not nice………I’m looking at you Cynic-al!

Be thankful of good support crew, it is hard work for them too.

………and I’m helping out again this year 🙁 😯 😆

The same place as Ton.
The previous night had been a session with the owners of the Sligachan Bunkhouse (drinking cider from a rams horn at 3am) and this place really was, as he says, an oasis.

I get something similar when I ride a road bike and try to put a lot of power down for any length of time. The physio reckons that the hip flexors etc on my right side are not up to the task of keeping my knee running true and it eventually wanders inboard.
Since starting the exercise plan I’ve noticed how much more stable my right knee feels.

If they’re insisting that you shave and won’t stump up for the extra PPE get them to sort you out with a STW approved shaving kit, or maybe stop off at the local Turkish barber every morning and put it on expenses.

Seat Alhambra. You could remove four seats and have loads of space for bikes and gear. I’ve removed all five rear seats which gives me enough room for three bikes, loads of gear and to sleep in comfort.

The used, abused and thoroughly trashed thing I handed back at the end may incur a few charges.

I recently purchased a Vitus Sommet that came with WTB Vigilante and Trail Boss tyres fitted. As a Maxxis fanboi I immediately ordered a Minion and DHR2 to replace them, the Maxxis tyres are yet to be fitted as the WTB tyres are really good.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be going for a Convict light high-grip on the front and a Vigilante tough fast rolling for the rear as the trails gets crappy.
The new WTB range looks really well thought out.