What are the best races in the South/South east I should be looking to try beforehand to gain some experience?

I may have an unused 152mm sram chainset which I bought for a project before Xmas and probably won’t end up using.

Is this week by week approach worth trying?

http://www.redbull.com/uk/en/bike/stories/1331644388920/dan-atherton-s-mtb-enduro-training-tips

cheers_drive – Member
Are you training to race? If so I suggest you will need to get a road bike in order to get quality training so I’d get a Garmin.

Of sorts, yes. I have entered the Tweedlove Enduro and fancy entering a few more Enduro races, but I’ve had road bikes in the past and didn’t enjoy it enough to keep at it. Time is a very precious commodity for me and I’d far rather grin and get muddy for the 3-5 hours a week I can ride, then grimace and risk being hit by cars!! Each to their own and if I didn’t have to go to work I am sure I’d have a road bike again, but for now the gym and 1-2 mountain bike rides a week is all that time allows.

Thanks for all the input – might try and find a used 510 to see if it works for me and then splash out a bit more after that if I like it.

I use to live and ride in The Chilterns. I now live and ride in the Tweed Valley.

To give you some perspective. On Sunday we rode at the Golfie, only did 13 miles but over 3000 ft of climbing (and descending). The longest descent we did was a ‘stage’ often used, Repeat Offender (top, middle, lower), a mile in length and 947ft of descending.

https://www.strava.com/segments/8228187

Also, big tyres at lowish pressures will come in handy.

Very handy – thanks. I rode Glentress last September – just looked back and at Glentress I did 21.5 miles and 3760 ft of climbing. It was certainly a lot ‘bigger’ than the usual Chilterns stuff.

https://www.strava.com/activities/385485957

Loved Peebles – the Highland Games was on that day so ended a great day watching the pipe bands marching through the high street! Lucky man…

Just looked at that segment – Wyn Masters in 5th place!!

Quick question re rest days if that’s OK. Should a rest day involve zero cycling, or is it OK to potter around at low speed instead of walking? I commute into London via train and either walk or cycle the 1 mile at either end – should I walk this on rest days or is a slow paced, suited and booted cycle no different?

Thanks again

http://forums.mtbr.com/santa-cruz/2017-tallboy-lt-988495-9.html#post12193734

I’m just about to advertise my daughter’s no-longer-needed Likeabike which has suspension and is very cool. Previously had a Hotwalk which didn’t go as low seated as this and obviously wasn’t as comfy. As used by Jackson Goldstone and seemed to give him a good start on bikes!

http://www.likeabike.co.uk/m3b0s337p8/LIKEaBIKE-Jumper

Was going to stick it up for £60 plus postage?

Thanks for the input. I only ever did local XC races when I was a teenager, so suspect the whole race-pace thing will come as a shock to the system! Although I will be pleased to just finish it, I’m doing it with four mates, one of which is/was a top national level DH racer so the competitive side will start to show I am sure!

How long are the stages in terms of distance and descent?

Make of that what you will
I make that a co-incidence.

:lol:

well that’s conclusive, all we need is one more anecdote and it’ll be an internet FACT

EDIT – and one popped up above in between posting

I’ll just post it again if you want, then it becomes FACT even quicker!

I used it for years and never ever got a cold, even when everyone at home did. Ran out in November and just didn’t get around to getting any more (or the wife didn’t more accurately!) until January and picked up man-flu between christmas and new year which took about 3 weeks to shake off. Make of that what you will, but even if it’s placebo (I am of course a super elite athlete so perhaps that’s why) but for 20p a day I’ll keep taking it.

Never taken the time to think about this. Last half dozen or so have been owned two at a time

1987 Renault 5 GT Turbo
1992 Renault Clio 16V
1995 Fiat Punto GT
1999 Citroen Saxo VTR
1995 BMW 318is
1998 TVR Chimaera
1995 BMW M3 GT
1997 BMW M3 AC Schnitzer CS
2005 BMW X3
2007 BMW 325i
2007 BMW 130i
2005 Range Rover Vogue
2006 Honda CR-V
2011 Mini Cooper D
2013 BMW M5
2014 Golf R
2015 Audi S8

So 17 cars in 20 years.

Medium I’d say. I’m 6′ and rode a large. Maybe check the geo charts as the large will be longer – juts make sure the stand over height is ok.

Cedric riding one here on Instagram[/url]

Rumour has it that it that the Hightower LT will be 130mm travel, long and slack with boost hubs so 27.5+ compatible..

Lots of excitement on the MTBR SC forum. Shipping next month apparently.

They’re great. Not quite as long and slack as some newer stuff, but the still ride really well. New one being launched this week in Peru I believe so I’d expect old ones to drop in price unless they already have.

Bugger – just had an email saying that Bike24 only have one in stock rather than the pair I ordered!

http://www.bike24.com/p299920.html

The slickwire kit looks very much like the old Gore Ride-On? Brilliant stuff if so and ideal! Will buy a few sets I think at that price.

Just ordered one from Works so will report back once it’s fitted.

Just spotted that I said BPW in my original post instead of FoD so apologies for any confusion.

Thanks guys. Booked the uplift and will take my winter tyred Bronson so we can do some pedally stuff if the DH trails are too gloopy. I love Aston Hill in the wet as it really does fine tune your bike skills so happy if it’s wet as long as it’s rideable. Frosty would be even better!

My XX1 chainset is the GXP style direct mount so doesn’t use any bolts anyway. I think I’ll go works as I like to buy British where possible.

Thanks

Anyone….?

Maybe travel out with a bike bag as your luggage – often plenty of room for clothes and lids in them once a bike is in too.

One of my best mates has this – happened about 3 or 4 years ago and they thought he was having a stroke as it was very extreme. Probably took 12 months to come back to some sort of normality and I’d say it is now 85% fixed and unlikely to get any better. If you didn’t know him from before, you’d never know, but the first 12 months wasn’t much fun with a sore eye and floppy mouth. He used to hold it a lot when talking or lean on his hand if at a table (unsure if this was conscious or not) but doesn’t anymore.

He’s never ill and wasn’t massively stressed or anything at the time – had some bad headaches before and a lot immediately after, but that all subsided.

It’s my local to work shop so I pop in there regularly. Some bargains to be had for sure!

Great place for a lunchtime coffee and hangout.

I’ve got a Bronson V1 which I still love riding but have an itch to change. I’m going to hold on and see what the new Tallboy LTc is like when it appears – suspect it will be boost rear end so could run as 27.5+ or 29. If it follows the current trend of being longer and slacker, it could be a real weapon.

ndthornton – Member
Tempted by a Polo
Does there stuff come up small – I often buy a medium and wish I got a large (even though I’m clearly a medium sized person)

No not in my experience. I’m usually a medium but sometimes buy small in Ted Baker polos so as to best show off my rippling torso…

Thanks

peekay – Member
Hughjayteens. If the OP is not interested, I may be.

My email is in profile if you want you drop me a message.

Thanks

peekay – Member
Hughjayteens. If the OP is not interested, I may be.

My email is in profile if you want you drop me a message.

Thanks

I’ll try and dig it out tonight and check the exact specs. Go away on Saturday morning for 10 days so might not be able to sort anything before I get back though.

I’ve got a brand new one in the box still which I’d sell – 30.9 – can’t remember any other details but let me know. Bought about 18 months ago for my Maverick but I then bought a bike which came with one.

My two girls shared in our old house. Eldest was six when the little one moved into a cot in her room and she loved having her baby sister in her room. Thankfully both are/were good sleepers.

My son was almost four at the same time and I think she’d have been fine sharing with him too so I wouldn’t worry about it too much – if they’re both sleeping the night through before you do it I don’t see any issues.

Sat Nav without fancy 3D graphics. Works,but not as pretty as the pro version.

Just signed up for The International… First race in 22 years so slightly apprehensive!

Good work! Keep us posted.

I guess rim width plays a big role. The Loki had 50mm wide rims on it and the 3.0″ Maxxis Chronicles were MASSIVE – much bigger than my 2.5 dual ply minion DH tyres both in terms of width and overall balloon-ness.

We went from a rear mounted Hamax for the first kids (they didn’t seem to like the view of my bike and I found it made the bike quite unstable, especially, when stationary), to a Wee Ride (fitted OK on my wife’s 15.5″ Specialized Myka but no way was I fitting it on my Carbon Santa Cruz!). She disliked it as it made her hips hurt with the knees out style and was only safe to use when I fitted a Reverb for her so she didn’t have to dismount when she stopped, so I bought a used LOCT I bought from here.

Couldn’t be happier!

See mini review here http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/my-slowest-but-most-enjoyable-swinley-ride-ever-loct-test-ride

I’d suggest trying to find a used LOCT – such a shame they don’t make them anymore.

Junkyard – lazarus
If they can afford the newer vehicle it because they are making more money . They make their money from customers
I prefer not to help them

Do as you please in the same scenario but lets not pretend the more expensive vehicle costs are not passed on to customers.

Who decides what is allowed? If he turns up in a new transit, should be be turned away for not driving a 20 year old one? If he has a 20 year old one, should be not be turned away for not having a rickshaw?

Everyone makes money from their customers – do you go to work for free? Should your employers customers not object to the fact that you earn enough to have a roof over your head and own a bicycle?

That really is one of the most ignorant things I have ever read on STW and that is saying something!

Junkyard – Member

I turned a builder away who turned up in a brand new merc van without a quote as his prices would be to high for me as I know how much they cost.
Prejudice for sure but that money has to come from their customers

Given that a brand new van is likely to be leased, the Merc might only cost £150 a month or £5 a day more than a Transit. Maybe he did charge an extra £5 a day to fund his lavish taste in vehicles, or maybe he was just good at his job and always busy!

How very STW….