In which case I was looking for a big fat tyre for the front, if anyone wants to buy ut , its theirs for 30quid posted.

Ed Balls here. horrendous human being

Since, emptying out the seat tube without fail after every ride, I get a year and a half plus out of the Shimano ones, which is just as well as they are a complete pain to change.

Sorry double post

My Mum has Tibetan poodle cross and he’s ace, so much personality on one hand but gentle and affectionate at the same time. He’s a total star, wish I had the time in our lives to have a dog (bone of contention in our house, no pun intended :-)
My mums put a deposit on a pure breed Tibetan as well as a friend for Digby.
I’d definitely get one

Real shame, I did the TransWales in 2011. Considered the trail masters (transwales replacement) last year, but thought I’d give it a year. I have to say John and Mike really know how to put on a great event. Things must be tough out there

+1 for the stanley knife blade. Only needs to be used gently to give just enough clearance gap

Same as normal shoe size for me. No stretching considering 3 years of getting soaking wet. They are true size slightly generous but not to the tune of a full size. Which is ideal because will be using a slightly thicker sock in most cases

OK, llandegla is very sterile and for most pretty uninspiring. But for the purpose of a last hurrah without going much out of your way on your way home on a Sunday and just having a laugh and a hoon about over jumps for a couple of hours without having to give it much planning or mapping or commitment, I’d say its a perfect spot. OK its not trail nirvana, but its a quick fix and a giggle after a great weekends riding (hopefully). But if you want to find the ultimate trail experience then look somewhere else

I am localish, if you are staying in Betws, then CYB shouldn’t be 40 mins away, 30mins at most, and its a better all day venue, although Penmachno is a good trail, but prepared to get wet despite the weather, as there is standing water everywhere all year round, especially loop 2. So if you are dead set on Penmachno and Marin in one day I would do Marin first and Penmachno last in the day, or else you’ll want either a change of kit, or you’ll be riding in orrible wet gear round the Marin, which drains much better than Pen. (Last 3 descents on Penmachno are brilliant and will send you back to your digs with big grins)

Drawn from Memory, by Embrace. It was a song I listened to when I was away abroad and I got the news that my Sister had died, in 2000. I am in pieces everytime I hear it even 13 years later.

85 psi +ve, 85psi -ve for me at 10.5 stone seems about fine to ride. I don’t quite get 25% sag at this pressure but I use full travel nearly every ride. I could go 80 psi top and bottom to get 25% sag, but then I’d be bottoming them out all the time, and I’d have to run compression damping to keep em propped up so I prefer them to not feel quite so damped on compression so I run them at 85 psi. Nice forks I prefer them to my old fox float 140’s for feel

Agreed my above statement, was not intended to start a debate about LBS CD megalomaniac online retailers its just fact. If there was 10% price premium in supporting your lbs then of course I would, when it gets nearer 30%-40% then I have to lower my ethical bar as I don’t have £30 or so spare to support a business simply on the basis of it not being a big retailer. I understand why they can’t compete, I just can’t financially afford not to go for the best price if its significantly cheaper.

Blimey, that happened quick ! They must have had some Endura stock though, I wonder what’s happening there. I was literally only looking at some Endura stuff a day or two ago. Dissapointed I like Endura stuff, but don’t want to pay shop prices. I know that’s a short term attitude, but when I can buy an Endura jacket for £50 online, or £80 full retail with no negotiation from a lbs. I tend to lose my loyalty

I have a Zesty which uses that standard. Zesty’s are known to go through BB like a dose of salt, due to the seat tube not draining. I drain my seat tube every ride now and am getting loads more life out the standrad Shimano BB71 or BB91.
I made a tool for fitting which works well. Using an old cut down cup from a knacked BB71 so it only pushes on the outer face of the cup and not the bearing. and then a threaded bar washer stack etc. And due to the fact they are plastic cups they push in nicely. No big deal. Getting old ones out is the real challenge though. In the end I just knock the bearings out of the cups whilst in situ in the frame, leaving only the cups in place, then very carefully with a very sharp blade like a stanley, cut through the length of the cup, stopping just before going through the cup completely and scratching the BB shell, then one tap from the other side and it usually breaks and pops out. Its a bit of PITA and no where near as easy as fitting an outboard cup but it works

After a bit more research I am beginning to realise that too

forgot to mention, needs to be suitable for 150mm travel Full suss trail bikes

I made use of some spare Stans 26er strips. Worked on my 29er wheels

What’s the fit issue you had ? Too big ? Too small ? I heard the Endura Mullets are big frame too

Yep, had a 323 gt , cracking little car. Also had a Fiat Uno turbo that was nuts :-)

I have the standard 26 rim strips, will see if they fit my 29 DT rims

2009 and 2010 for me too.
Its tough, made a better fist of it in 2010 by knocking the early pace off big time. Unless you are a climbing god, then my advice from learning from my own 2009 mistakes was to ride the Glandon so slowly that its seems boring and ridiculously slow, and then back it off some more :)
Went up the Alpe d’Huez in isolation in pre event training as a ride, and got up there in an hour exactly, Come the day, nothing can prepare you for the first two ramps when you have the Galibier and Glandon in your legs. Ouch. Its a great event though, amazing atmosphere, fantastic organisation too.
Oh and by the way, a lot of people disregard the Telegraphe as not a major challenge, or just part of the Galibier ! I thought it was as tough if not tougher as any climb of the day. An absolute b***h :)

I was stood on the top of the hill above the old hairpin at Donington Park for the 1993 European Grand Prix in the wet, where Senna drove what has been hotly argued as the best lap in a Formula one car in history where he came from the third row and passed everyone by the time he got back to the start line !

Link below

Probably the best lap in an F1 car ever

A close second was to be stood at the side of the 18th Green at the Belfry when Europe took the USA apart on the final day of the 2002 Ryder cup. (The Paul Mcginley putt year)

Yep 140mm forks are a small Neo guard. I prefer a crud catcher though, for the same reason as above crap accumulating round seals.

I was there with work a few weeks back, cant give advice on things to do etc as was on a work visit so couldnt do what looked like a fun city justice. Only thing I can say in advice is take cash, I was suprised to find so many restaraunts not willing to take Credit cards, due to some sort of geman regulation affecting how long small business will wait before they get there maney from the CC companies. A lot didnt tell us until we got the bill. You’ll be ok in big chains etc, but we struggled with smaller independents with CC’s. Some great food to be had for not a lot of money so who cares :) If you want a really good steak, (not cheap, but good) we went the Block house

Is it easy to toggle through with winter gloves on ?

Pair of WTB Bronsons on mine in 2.3 cracking tyres. Front end breakaway is progressive and recoverable usually, and not the “wow this bikes on rails one second then sat on the floor poking mud out of the vents in your helmet with a stick the next”

I’m my biggest critic

Thats not true Whytetrash, we could be way more critical if you want :)

I use the main long stay at Birmingham regular. If pre-booked its pretty cheap – Is a very short walk to the terminal (so no buses) and the automated prebooked entry exit system is a doddle, whats not to like

Flame grilled steak McCoys

+1 for contacting Hope, ace customer service. Dont even bother about trying to fib about the age or usage. Its my experience with them that if you are honest and decent, if they can help you out with their products they will.

Thats not a saturday night slugger then, or let the Mrs drown it with diet coke sort of drink :)

Half a bottle of Madeira cask aged Penderyn. So hardly worth taking a picture.
Recently explained my penchant for welsh whiskey to a scotch whiskey seller. He scoffed as if I were an imbecile.
Harsh, but fair ? I mean about my whiskey choice, not about being an imbecile. (which is probably right :)

If its like little bits of string then its fine. Conti GP3000, 4000, GP attack and GP force all do it. Its really annoying for such expensive tyres but its fine, its not a structural part, its just a material type strip thats at the bead that they put on to protect a bit more, and the edges of it get frayed and little bits of string come off. Never had a set of the Conti GP series that didnt do exactly the same.

Anyone done Moel Siabod. I’ve got a route for that. Worth doing

I am local to the area, and yes the Siabod route we do regularly, its worth doing, start a the marin car park, do the first half of the marin, link off to the Siabod loop, and rejoin the Marin at the Ugly house climb. A good 3 hour ride, taking in a good mix of different stuff.
The rutted double track on the flanks of Siabod will be wet I guess but its not deep mud and can still be fun, highlights are the short rocky descent back down the old riverbed to the road which is great, and trying to clean the short steep rocky climb from Dolwyddelen. Pretty easy in the dry, really tricky in the wet :)

I have done a few years of doing as many marathon style events as possible. This year so far I have done none, with the view that I may do one or at most two by seasons end. Its hard to know what to suggest to the organisers to change things, but for me the formats just had its day. Of course the vile weather hasnt helped motivation, and the tempatation to “see how it looks by Thursday” and then get an entry on line, hasnt helped becasue its too easy to back out.
When I first started doing marathon events the novely and buzz of simply having a number on your bike, an official start line and the element of competetion was enough to justify doing them, but when that novelty wears off then you are just left with the attitude of “well I could come to the Dyfi forest / Coed Y Brenin / Whinlatter / Long Mynd / Scottish border trails etc etc and ride all this for free next weekend. And I know thats become the thinking of all the guys I ride with that used to come en-masse to these events. I think the concept mentioned earlier about possibly running an event on a Saturday and having a social / band / beer-up on the evening may appeal.

I enjoyed it, uses some of the best descents on the trail centre. Dependent on your aims sensible choice of bike is advised. Rode last year on a 100mm specialized epic, but am going back this year on a 140mm trail bike ! Ok I know some of the real quick guys will ride carbon hardtails or 100mm race bikes and be quicker downhill and uphill than me, but for the average joe like yours truly, some of the technical descents were tough on a race bike

Congratulations, its a real head spinner.

Only an opinion. But, I had a 125mm KS for my Zesty, sold it after 3 months. Didnt see the point, More weight and just something else to go wroing and have to look after. If all of your riding is technical rocky, testing your limits of technical riding then simialr stuff to the Sweary Northeners type of riding then I guess it may be worthwhile, but then again why not just drop a regular post using the QR ? I’d sometimes come home from a 3 hour ride and realise I hadnt dropped it once, and it still needs a clean, cable lube etc etc. Othertimes I would be conscious that I should use it more, come to a section where I thought it may be useful to lower the seat and find it never dropped properly becasue of a sticky cable or something !! And then proceed as normal, go home clean and lube for the next time it decided to not use it :)
I miss it in about 2% of my riding, which is mainly where a section has particularly steep or techy bits followed by pedally flat or uphill sections where its not convinient to stop manually lift your seat back up. For me it surely wasnt worth the money, extra weight, and the hassle of owning another mountain bike part that requires maintenance, servicing, cable cleaning for the very few times I used it.
Having said that I dont race Enduro type stuff, I would think its essential for that when you are against the clock and you need the saddle up and down during a mixed sections.

There’s been some great help here. Starting to wonder whether the mega is too much bike for what I need, as my riding is mixed between general xc, trail centres and a fair bit of more technical natural stuff here in north Wales. My mate recently picked up a sale 5 spot for 800 quid ! Anyone know of any deals anything like as good as this ? Also saw somewhere that has a 575 for a good price. With the new hopefully more reliable alloy back end. I looked into the stumpy evo as it sounds ideal, but no medium sizes. Anyone know of any hecklers on a good deal either ?