Cheers Guys (I assume you are guys?), I’ll re-read that website. I do actually have a very under used BC licence.

Its 4 weeks saturday.

I’ve run UST for several years and often run them at around 25 psi and its amazing how you don’t feel any extra drag. I would say that in even in mud the lower pressure works as there is better grip, all else being equal. My only experience of wider tyres was a set of 2.3s (not very wide I know but I am a jey) and they felt slower to me, esp climbing on rough fire roads and tracks. Much grippier but the extra rsistence relative to my usual 2.1s could be felt.

I would have though that wider tyres were worth it for trail and all mountain riding and heavy riders but when pure xc speed is needed then 1.8 -2.1 will be ideal, depending on terrain and rider weight.

I paid the deposit ages ago but have heard nothing about paying the remainder. I’m still up for it though.

What breed is it? If a rotweiller or other listed ‘dangerous’ dog then you would surely have more right to get angry. If its just a ‘normal’ dog with too much energy and a dumb owner then you are just over reacting. As someone else has pointed out the dog possibly feels threatened by you if you are shouting at it and generally giving it a hhard time. You shouldn’t punish a dog cos its been badly trained / fenced etc. Dogs have rights as well as you and your kid. What sort of bad relations with your nneighbours do you want??

30%.

so which is gayer – a cat presumably but a bit of an odd question i reckon. And i’m one of five kids so claiming to be favourite would be pushing it a bit.

No questions about lycra, moisturiser, pet shop boys, crying, fave book / film etc, hair dyeng, and does a Rapha shirt count in the >£100 question or is ‘sporting equipment’ excluded.

And why are so many of you surprised at not being gayer. I don’t see many gay / effeminate types out on the trails, at race, mountain mayhem etc.

Great thread but I still can’t inflate my racing ralphs onto stans Olympic rims using rim tape, wheel milk in the tyre to seal pores and around rims to help it stick to walls. Tried a track pump without the core and that didn’t work and now have just used a co2 cartridge but it went down in a matter of seconds. I have become quite good at getting ust tyres onto my 819 rims over the past 3 years but this is just impossible. Will be a new wheelset up for sale soon.

there is no shortage of great holiday companies – mainly run by really nice, hard working, knowleadeable, dedicated people looking for a lifestyle away from the grind of commuting, offices, office politics and so on. I can personally recommend in no particular order, Trail Addiction (Les Arcs), Bike Verbier, Toro Loco (S Spain), Freeride Sppain (also S Spain), Pyractif (Pyranees).

There are loads of others that look great that I haven’t been to – Cycleactive, KE Adventure and Saddle Skedaddle all run loads of great looking trips to E Europe, Morocco, Asia, New Zealand and so on. I have also ridden in Central Asia and Latin America but consider that is more cultural than great riding.

What there isn’t is enough time and money.

radoggair, you are probably right but the fact it has confused so many of us surely proves that is was a crap sign so the original post was justified. If it was as simple to explain as you suggest why didn’t the jobsworths use your choice of words instead of a mix of font sizes and so on. The initial impression is no access at all whereas allowing people in on rights of way is possibly a massive let off effectively greatly reducing the ‘keep out ness’ of the order.

Kenda Nevegal works well for me – a pretty perfect all round tyre for general xc riding incl in the Lakes. I guuess if you are really launching it downhill on a 6″ travel bike then you want something wider.

As for sealant I find the wheel milk from JRA very good.

Changing tyres is a bit more of a hassle than a trad tube and tyre combo but unless you have a real tyre fetish (and I know lots of people on here do) it is a compromise worth making. Lower pressures make smooth rolling and better grip and virtually no punctures. WMB always say its the easiest way to improve your bike and riding and yet so many people just can’t be bothered to make the switch. Really short sighted IMO/E

looks rather high and short to me but chainstay protector is good.

cable rub preventers eg helicopter tape. chain stay protector and lastly some photos of it looking clean cos it will never be quite the same as clean again

I had my helmet x rayed at A&E after a bad crash (where I only hit my head lightly and it was a brand new helmet!)… they were very good about it, but the radiographer was a friend of an ex.

well, what was the result?

The Cock Inn pub near Luton?

Sadly I cannot be so positive. I bought a pair last winter and the frames do not fit at all well to the extent they are pretty much unwearable. I’ve been wearing bins for 27 years and don’t have a particularly odd shaped head or face but the optilabs are very wide but with arms too short to grab my ears properly. I wore them skiing and the combination of strap and beanie kept them in situ OK but just plonked on my head they loook like some sort of sci fi contraption. Just far too big! Make me look like a bleedin’ fly!

I didn’t complain but just put it down to experience – somethings you can buy off web no worries but some things really do need to be worn first.

Service was great but overall I can’t recommend them.

Hi Graham

Having done it three times I consider that a map only would be just as good and if that saves you guys time, effort and money then so much the better. I was particularly impressed with the map quality this year.

I also like the intro – ‘on behalf of the committee’ – very Communist Party c. 1925!! Or should that be Smersh?

fry bacon, onion and garlic and then add scrambled egg mix to that, again with nice granery bread toasted. Season to taste.

I think they are good as part or a range of provision including nuclear, clean coal (if the scientists can crack that particular nut), hydro, tidal and perhaps even bio mass / rubbish incineration. The bit about using less is also key.

Why is electric cheaper the more you use (and gas too)? Surely that is subsidising people with big houses, not enough jumpers and too idle to turn off lights and stuff. This is no incentive to use less is it?

Peter Hopkirk and Flashman are some of my fave reads. Central Asia just amazes me perhaps more from a geographical / cultural point of view rather that history but the Great game was fascinating. The bravery of some of those Empire guys was extraordinary. And its still going on now, Russia, China, Kazakstan, India, Multinationals etc all looking for oil, air bases to bomb Afghanistan from etc. Gripping stuff, great food, amazing landscapes, beautiful old caravanserais etc. Well done Flashheart.

a pint of milk or a recovery drink (I find milk is better as well as much cheaper) taken asap after the finish, a good stretch and then as much sleep as poss. The older you are the more you need to rest and not abuse body by intensive exercise and cr@p food after a race.

speaks English, over 12 yrs old, didn’t train at Dixons, doesn’t think the world revolves around jumping and has some interst in customer service. Luckilty there are lots of great bike shop people but none of them work at Evans in London. (IME).

I ride the same as you at present and have some olympics / DT 240’s on order so feedback is useful but at only 68 kg it will be my clumsy riding that knackers them not my body weight.

For me what made a difference was big, steady rides in jan through to March, 60-90 miles every sunday with one tea break and an ave of 15-16 mph with a few hills and winter weather. Builds great base fitness. Once spring arrives I can’t resist getting on the mtb and having rather more fun rides.

I suspect hard 2-3 hour rides (ave 17-19 mph) could work too but frankly i’d rather mtb (race?) for intensity.

I know I should chill out. Everyone tells me to so it must be true. Its like slow drivers in the middle lane of a motorway when there is nothing in the left lane. They’re to$$ers too.

Was a great ride apart from the slow and won’t keep left brigade on the first hill. Why do such plonkers rush to the front? I wasn’t actually that far back myself and there are these idiots, incl on cx bikes hyper ventilating up the first rise. V annoying.

I last did it two year ago when was v dry as well but 30 mins quicker today – it did seem easy today but is that just my imagination? Much of the route today seemed familiar albeit in reverse!

can anyone recommend a good b+ b around winchcombe?

most mountain bikers I know can’t tell an oak from an ash or a sweet chestnut from a beech tree, a hereford from an angus, a buzzard from a red kite and so on. There are several degrees to appreciating the countryside.

the southern half is best and there is a v good campsite at Ninham with a bridleway running straight through and up onto the downs. not sure what pubs are in walking distance but must be some within half a mile.

i recall they worked Ok but going tubeless is the best answer IMO/E

Blandford Fly is yuk and I’m a member of CAMRA. Beef with ginger and onions would be nice.

thats not much riding for 12 hours of training! I would ride more, three weeks getting progressively harder then an easy week; a mix of long (3-4hrs +) and easy with somr sprinting sessions. A bit of pilates or yoga is no bad thing if over 30 and maybe some weights if over 40 to compensate for muscle shrinkage at that age onwards. But basically ride and you will get pretty fit for a normal bloke. If you aim to be pro elite then you need professional coaching not a forum.

For what its worth I keep fittish (top 10-35% in most races) on 5-7 hrs a week with the odd longer ride. And stay off the pies too.

In summary its a tough ride and you need to be well trained and rested and pray for dry ground and a westerley wind. Food; I carried a bottle of powder, a few bars and a pork pie and the water taps are plentiful; you shouldn’t need more – check the BHF map given you – you don’t need to go asking at houses or buying food en route. I think the key to a good time is not stopping and as soon as you crest a hill get it in the big ring and keep peddling. A small effort on a descent will make up more time than a bigger effort on a climb.

You’ll be fine with that training in your legs by June. I find a really good night’s kip makes all the difference. The hostel is really noisy with creaky floorboards and everyone going for a waz every 10 mins and left me feeling v tired but next time I stayed elsewhere, had a full nights kip, left at 7.30 AM not the 6.00 that BHF recommend and had a much better day.

After the terrible rain on thursday night i thought i would give it a miss but i gather it was ok after all. ho hum! I enjoyed my 80 mile road ride really.