How long have you been trying to get hold of them?

I had a crash and snapped the arm off mine.  Sent them an email to ask if I could buy a replacement, they responded within a day or two. A couple of days later one arrived in the post FOC.

Did this for both my parents last year. It was pretty straight forward using the forms from the gov.uk website. Just needed parents to sign and independent witnesses. Cost £82 per application and took about 8 weeks.

Unfortunately my Dad passed away a couple of months ago but it definitely helped having it in place.

Cheers for the PSA.

Just signed my 10 year old up for the academy based on the criteria which he easily meets.

I was conscious about the age range as there’s potentially a big difference between 10 and 15 but he’s OK with it.

He’s recently moved up from a Vitus 24 which was much better suited to riding trails than the Frog it replaced.

Broke my collar bone 3 weeks ago along with my shoulder, ribs and vertibrae. All clean breaks, displacement less than 20% in multiple places which they said was within the tolerance to let it heal itself. Had my ribs pinned pack together though.

I’ve been wearing a sling (padded foam strap) and doing some basic physio. Also taking vitamin D supplements.

Had follow up x-rays on Thursday and all healing well so no plan to operate. Movement is getting better and off any pain relief. Advised to keep arm in the sling, avoid extending it above shoulder height and carrying on with the physio.

Got a follow up x-ray in 4 weeks time and expected to be fully healed up.

Meant to be in the Alps in 4 weeks too. The fractured vertibrae could mean I’m off the bike for 6 months though.

I’ve used private healthcare in the past for a hip injury and went from GP to surgery and back on the bike in 6 weeks.

Hope you make a speedy recovery

I’ve been lucky enough to have only suffered some minor injuries (mainly cracked ribs, broken fingers and various cuts and bruises) in 20+ years of mountain biking….until a few weekends ago.

New bike day ended up with nearly a week in hospital after a big crash resulting in breaking multiple bones, fracturing my vertebrae and collapsing a lung.
<p style=”text-align: left;”>It wouldn’t have happened if I’d been on my regular bike. I didn’t take more risks or ride much differently. It was down to a mechanical which, in hindsight, I could have prevented.</p>
I’m facing 8 to 12 weeks of recovery and at this stage not sure what the longer term health implications might be. This hasn’t put me off. I’m sure it will take a few rides to rebuild the confidence but will definitely be riding again.

Hope you make a speedy recovery

Despatch email received, tracking says mine will be here on the Thursday now 🙂 Hope the pedals arrive on time too.

Gradually moved east over the years, I’m just outside Newbury, no real need for a FS around here!

Work in Cannock & ride around the Chase quite a bit. Up in in the Lakes and around Exmoor frequently too.

Probably head to FoD next Saturday / Sunday or Swinley.

How about you?

Ended up going for the Reactor too. Roll on Friday.

They look like a bargain. I’ve been contemplating a full sus for a trip to the Alps in the summer.

My 10-year old is also bike mad so can see a lot more trips to BPW etc. in the not too distance future

Currently ride a Sonder Signal Ti with 130mm travel. Rear suspension aside, is the Reactor going to be massively different and suitable for the Alps or do I go for the Mega?

I had a replacement in 2020 aged 48.

I started to get a few niggling injuries & pains in my knee and achilles in my early 40’s. I used to run a lot, played football, rugby and ex-forces so just thought it was a combination of those things and getting older.

I was generally OK while I was moving but really suffered when trying to sleep.

Went to see the GP after a fall on a snowboarding holiday. This is when I started to get sharp pains in my hip / groin. Sent straight for an x-ray and 4 weeks later was having surgery due to osteoarthritis and having no cartlidge left.

The other side is worn out too and getting to a point where I’m considering getting it done. The surgeon said come back when it stops you doing the things you enjoy.

Went snowboarding in Feb and suffered from the same hip / groin pain, know what it is this time so can cope with it. Managed the Lakes Jennride this weekend too 🙂

I’d rather have fun in my 50’s and see what happens in my 70’s.

If you’re interested, I have a Vitus Nucleus 24″ for sale. 2021 in Grey and in excellent condition.

My son’s now outgrown it. He had the 20″ version too, brilliant bikes.

Don’t want to hijack the thread, started looking at our first summer bike holiday with my 10-year old and non-biking wife.

Sölden in the Ötztal Valley is one of the areas we looked at. @tuboflard don’t suppose you’d have any recommendations on locations, campsites etc. you’d be happy to share please?

Morzine was an alternative…

I’m near Highclere Castle, a few miles South West of Newbury.

It’s about a mile away from a decent network of bridleways including the Wayfarers Walk which takes you up to Walbury Hill / Coombe Gibbet (highest point in the South East) and the North Wessex Downs.

The gravel riding is great when it’s dry, some tracks get a bit muddy in the winter. The roads are reasonably quiet and it’s easy enough to link up a decent ride for an hour or a whole day.

10 min to Newbury Station or Whitchurch Station is 15 min away, both an hour to London. Driving into London will probably be +1hr though.

Ex-Marlborough resident & now closer to Newbury. Agree with with IHN’s comment above. Hop over the M4 to Barberry Castle and there are miles of options.

You can also put a circular route together heading into Berkshire / Hampshire from Barberry Castle / Avebury though the Savernake Forrest and towards Coombe Gibbet, Donnington Valley which links back up to the Ridgeway. Lots of bridelways / byways & quiet backroads.

The bridelways are a mess at the mo. And won’t dry out for a while. Happy to provide more info if needed.

I have quite a few Fjern jackets, including the Orkan, and they have all been really good.

For biking I use the Fjern Skjold which has been perfect in crap / inclement weather. Lighter, more packable and cheaper than the Orkan. Only thing missing is pit zips.

Not sure about my BMI but At 5’10” & 11.5st the medium fits perfectly

I’ve got quite a few Fjern jackets & find their sizing pretty spot on I’m a 40″ chest & 32″ waist and all mine are a medium.

Another recommend what you’ve got…

I don’t video enough to justify the Go-Pro cost, I have had 2 in the past that have failed.

Ended up with an Akaso V50pro & haven’t been disappointed. Plenty of good YouTube reviews. They’re just over £100 but do come with quite a few accessories

Drove through La Rochelle last week & the roads are pretty busy. You could head over the bridge to Il de Re & out of town. There are cycle lanes but they’re pretty busy too.

The Atlantic was fine for paddle boarding everywhere we went, (travelled up the west coast) The wind did pick up at times & the headwind was hard going but the sea was pretty flat.

Portishead? Cycle path follows the River Avon into the centre, around 10 miles to Barton Hill. Takes you passed Ashton Court & Leigh Woods.

Loads of 1 bed flats with parking & should be able to find something in your budget.

Easy motorway access back to Wales. Mendips & Quantocks, Exmoor not too far down the M5.

You can tighten up the inner of the Zephyros, there are some YouTube videos showing you how to.

I have a Wild Country Zephyros 1, a little bit over £100 (£129) but a great tent. I’m 5’10 & can easily sit up in it. Porch area is big enough for kit. Reasonable weight at 1.2kgs & packs size is OK.

It’s pretty much the same design as the Vango Nevis 100. As mentioned above if you want more space & happy with weight / pack size it’s available as a 2 person.

Also have a Llanshan which gets the most use & worth the faff of seam sealing.

Been a few times, we’re taking the van down through Brittany & ending up at Ile de Re in the summer.

Have a look at the UK based camping / caravaning club websites (camping & caravan club) they have affiliate sites in Europe & are useful for advice on the area & travelling etc…

I’m 5’10” with a 32″ inside leg & ride a medium. Also fitted a 90mm stem

Had been deliberating one of these for a while (also the Broken Road). The tyre clearance,GX upgrade & price finally convinced me & I have one arriving in March.

The geometry / weight is pretty similar to my 10 year old Cannondale Trail (rigid / single-speed), which I still love riding, so expecting the the Rocky Road to be spot on for some bike packing trips.

Not got winter tyres but the local/independent tyre place recommended Falken tyres for my T6, Ended up with Azenis & not been disappointed.

The Falken Eurowinter also get some pretty good reviews & are just under £100 per tyre

How far do you want to walk? Some nice walks from Walbury Hill or Combe Gibbet (Highest point in Berkshire)

The Jack Russell in Faccombe, nice circular walk from there

Or the Crown & Garter near Inkpen.

Both pubs a short drive from Walbury Hill / Combe Gibbet.

Both really nice pubs.

Was about to suggest Bristol too. Brooks Guest House in Old Market is a great little place to stay & close to the Harbour. Clifton Village worth a visit too. Much nicer than Barf but I’m a slightly biased (rough) Bristolian 🙂

Had a couple of GoPro’s in the past & lost one, broke one.

Didn’t use them enough to justify a new GoPro so ended up with an Akaso V50 & more recently an Akaso Brave 7 both have been great.

There’s a guy called Redskull on YouTube who done some pretty good reviews in on them. There are a few versions of the V50 available now.

@eskay that’s me! How did you get on? Hope you had a good one?

Cracking weekend & such a great atmosphere all around the Lakes. Lots of really friendly walkers & other riders taking an interest in what was going on.

@Bro1968 – I’m assuming you were my riding buddy for the weekend? It was great to meet & ride with you!

djflexure – A pleasure to meet you & your son at the Cafe in Coniston & join you on the ‘big push’ up Walna Scar (I was on the Purple Stooge)

Helen.and.hills – I bivvy’d not far from you & witnessed the skinny dippers! I thought I dreamt the bongo’s, wasn’t someone wailing at some point too or did I dream that? Great write up

ton- Pleasure to meet you too

No expert but had the same problem, router at the front of the house & no WiFi in the workshop. Bought a Tenda Nova MW6 mesh kit (as recommended on here) Easy to set up & works perfectly

I’ve had the Flame’s Creed Lanshan 1 for a couple of years & it’s been faultless, I’d buy another.

I use the Bearbones carbon poles which are in 10cm sections, also have a couple of 5cm sections. Perfect for packing away & carrying a couple of spare sections just in case.

Decathlon have their Trek 100 on sale at £19.99 at the moment, I have one which I use bikepacking & it’s fine.

A bit more than you want to spend at £80 the Fjern Husley from Sportspursuit might be worth considering.

My physio has has been really positive about long term recovery & hasn’t said anything about not being able to run, snowboard etc… She has encouraged me to be as mobile / active as I can be but very clear on what I definitely shouldn’t be doing. 4 weeks post op & I’m walking for around 2 hours a day, no crutches & no limp.

I spend a lot of time sat behind a desk or in a car which has probably been a factor in my hip problem. I happened to come across a Ted Talk by a Roger Frampton on why sitting down isn’t good for you. I now have a desk which I can switch between standing & sitting (also use a wobble board to stand on) I’m not back at work yet but my wife has been using it for a couple of weeks is a convert.

Cheers all! Got a list of stuff to do & questions to ask the consultant/ physio…maybe I should have posted this pre-op!

Day 5 & so far so good. Managed +7 hours sleep, did have an hour in between 2x 3.5hrs but was quite comfortable reading. I’m settling into a routine of physio, resting etc. which is really helping.

The thought that I’m ‘wearing out’ is at the back of mind – Rhys & Duncancallum thank you for the offer offers for additional advice, I might well take you up on that in the next few weeks.

I’m going to speak to the surgeon about options for the left hip & see if resurfacing is a viable option.

Murray – If you read this I hope all went well with your wife’s op yesterday

Thanks all for the info & good luck to those that are waiting for an op.

Hasn’t been too bad tonight, slept from 10:00 to 3:30 but was much more active yesterday & was pretty knackered, everything takes a lot of effort.

Argee – I had to stop running a few years ago due to other injuries but never put 2 & 2 together that my hip could be the cause, now my gait has been corrected I’m hoping I might back to running at a later stage. Riding tailed off too, took a week to recover from a Sat/Sun ride. Walking has been OK though & was still trying to do 5 to 10 miles a day with the dog up until the op.

I’ll need the left side doing at some point too, hoping it’s a few years off & will be doing what I can to prolong it.

Thank you Ahsat appreciate the response

Bob/Whitestone – We’ve met before on a couple of the Bearbones rides & Lakes Jennride, unfortunately not really said much more than hello…will introduce myself on the next one.

Thanks Bob, I’ll have a read through your blog today.

I know what you mean about sleeping on your back, something I struggle with too.

I’m on a months course of blood thinning tablets, touch wood there won’t be any problems there. My Dad’s had blood clots following surgery in the past but he was a smoker until he turned 60.

How much were you walking straight after your op? I was expecting a 3 night stay in hospital but was discharged after 1 night which was a welcome surprise but I’m conscious of things settling down initially & don’t want to overdo it.

Thank you Mr Whyte

He said it should be back to normal within about 6 months & no reason why I wouldn’t make a full recovery. I made sure I kept as mobile/active as I could pre-op which he said would be really beneficial in recovery.

The physio was great, she snowboards & has a hip problem which will need replacing too. She was very positive about getting back on a board although I think I’d be a little cautious on the slopes.

I think I probably had symptoms mid 30’s, I did have a pretty big crash & assumed it down to that. Hopefully you’ll be able hang on a while.

I coach my son’s football team & realised it was something more serious about 12 months ago when I couldn’t kick a ball anymore so you’ll know when the time is right.

Good luck!

Thanks TJ / Andy

5 miles at 83 following 2 replacements in a short space of time is some achievement.

My wife’s got the painkillers organised too & raised toilet seat, which I’m really looking forward to trying out 😉

The surgeon said the hip pain would be gone instantly, which it has but it would feel like I’d been kicked in the arse by a horse. Having never been kicked in the arse by a horse I didn’t really know what to expect but I will make sure I stay well clear of them in future!