Fair play for finishing, if I’d have felt like that I’m pretty sure I<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”> would have wrapped.</span>

I think there’s a balance to be had between pushing myself so i don’t get complacent and making sure i don’t endlessly chase difficult things to prove myself.  For me I’m happy with Enduro-gnar but  surfing is definitely well beyond where I have fun, so I don’t do it… Maybe Enduro is that thing for you?

Great find.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>Given the music and head attire I think I’d add, “practical, elegant and funky”</span>

I’d be more impressed if they took it off road though…

In the nicest possible way… Is this a troll? The answer is so blinding obvious.

Good luck! Am jealous.

Great, thanks all. I’ll get on the OS and make a GPX of @ebennet’s route. 👍

Thanks everyone, really helpful… I was hoping to be lazy and just follow the GPX and get the map out if it failed, but it looks like that’s not going to work if I want to get a nice ride in.

@crazy-legs.  Do you have any links for a GPX of a better route?  I’m not massively bothered if it’s on or off road gravel or trail, I’ve got an entire day of ‘no one else to worry about’ so my threshold for happiness is essentially getting very tired without needing to think about anything other than riding.

I’m hoping there will be evolution in the price.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>I’d love one (and I’m fit/healthy/reasonably skillful etc) for all the same reasons that other people seem to plus the ability to tow my son up climbs faster so he/we get more riding in our time window. </span>

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”> Despite all my reasons for getting one I don’t think it’d be my ‘go to’ bike and so £3000+ is too much and I’m scared of getting one secondhand.</span>

I am absolutely dreading my best friend leaving … and he’s only just gone 9…

I feel the same… but like @scotroutes said I’m sure I’ll change my mind after a few teenage years!

@SaxonRider what about planning a skiing/mtb trip out there?  You don’t have to stay with him/cramp his independence/style but you could meet up for a few days?

Freakonomics?

Do you have an old floor tile (ceramic not carpet!) knocking about? That’s what we use and it does the job.

Like the idea of the grill though, will try that.

Supported. Hoping beyond hope for a referendum on the deal (or absence of…)

General relaxing. Hopefully a long run one day, a long bike the other and a bivvy out in the black mountains Sunday night with mini_likes_food. Fingers crossed for a clear night.

I feel your pain. In the last 12 months, in three separate incidents, I’ve cracked my intercostal cartilidge, broken a rib and then cracked the cartilidge again (by mtbing, skiiing and running).  I am sympathetic.

Interesting to hear other people’s positive experiences I’ve had twotwo pa of Uberbike Shimano pads that came unstuck (in that the pad material came away from the metal backing) so I’ve steered clear. Since they’re such a critical part I’ve stuck with Shimano since but maybe I was just unlucky.

In case this thread pops up in any searches, Courcheval lift pass is free this year and it looks like the Tignes/Val d’Isere one is free of you get it from Val (the cost on Tignes is for the access to the pool and activities I think).

Obviously I’m going to suggest what I’m doing… Bourg St Maurice.

Lots of lift accessed riding/walking/running.  Isere river whitewater center (I’ve no actual experience of this, but run past it every day and the campsite there is rammed with paddlers).  Gravel riding everywhere, but you need to have good legs as it’s not very flat. Via Ferrarta and climbing close too.

9 hours drove from Calais.

Nice! 👍

Yup, you’re both right. My OP was just a result of me throwing my toys after expecting it to be free. Still free if you stay in resort and 110 Euros for 2 adults and 1 child for 6 days including activities (swimming pool, tennis etc) so good value.

8.51pm and no update, must be going well…

That’ll be the stand up paddle boarding!

There’s a stand up paddle boarding place near Worcester (Aztec adventure??). Can’t vouch for it but might be fun. Then warm up with a pub lunch?

If it’s successful please name your first born after me.

We had a Chariot CX1 second hand when out nipper was born. Used it as a trailer, jogging  buggy and stroller (with the additional wheels). Had the baby sling and so used it once he could hold his head and added some old  puffer jackets to hold his head at first (jogging round the track).

We both say it’s the best thing we had, used it endlessly for about 3 years then sold it for almost what we bought it for. We basically rented it for 3 years for £75 and it allowed to be be active together and continue have adventures.

If you’re an active family you won’t regret it.

Good luck!

Loved it. Especially the last tracking shot with the silhouette against the sun.  The FG has been on my to do list for a while, now’s it’s definitely on the 2019 list.

Thanks for sharing.

Argh, I’ve been hiding in a cave trying to avoid what happened. ITV player is rubbish!

I’m local too amd agree with all of the above.

The Ross trails are great, definitely worth a look and depending on where in Hereford you live can be 25 minutes away.

There’s also a Herefordshire mountain bikes FB page that’s welcoming.

Food!  I’d sell lots of food.

OP – did you try blowtorching the pads then giving them as little sand as well as dishwashering the discs?  That’s worked for me in the past. BTW, I probably wouldn’t inhale any of the smoke that comes off the pads!

Brilliant. There’s so much fun ahead!

I totally agree with @mattoutandabout. Now I tend to check out technical bits of trailwith my son (8), maybe help him pick lines, then close my eyes as he rides it, much less stressful!

I’ve got a 50mm uncut backer rod in the front and a 50mm cut in the rear (experimenting). The rear half  diameter rod was enough to hold the tyre on the bead and let me ride 2km back (carefully) to the car after tearing a knobble off the tyre and it going flat in about 10 seconds on a downhill. Getting the tyre off was a mare as the foam was holding it really tight against the bead.

When I did get the tyre off there were quite a few longitudinal cuts from the rim.

I’m convinced it’s worth continuing with the experiment, not least as I like running low pressures but don’t like dinging rims (and I’m tight!).

In my experience building a bike up from forum bits with your nipper is a great experience (although the amount they actually ‘help’ is somewhat limited!).

As people above have said, find a light 26″ hardtail frame some air-sprung forks then add the contents of the average STW’ers parts bin and you’re almost there.

Brilliant! Looks like perfect weather 👍

Oh god, that’s horrendous. So very sorry.

Nope, I absolutely blooming love it!

Dry, dusty and hot… Happy days.

Thanks both.

@ebygum. Yup, tried one of those and it’s nice and big but the tinkerer in me wasn’t to make a longer thinner one that has more buoyancy and less drag.

@macckruisskeen. Thanks, I’ll contact them.

Thread hijack.  Northwind, did you get the PM I sent you a few days ago ref a ride at the FoD this Saturday?

@scruffywelder

GCMG: God Calls Me God

I can’t claim credit though… I think it was the genius that is (was) Yes Minister.

Argh! Just typed long response then the forum ate it! I’m a 40 year old maths teacher so can empathize:

To summarise my long post, what about these options:

1) if you have responbility points give them up. Less money but less stress?

2) move schools, a new environment might help?

3) leave but supply to help tide you over till you find your feet.

Good luck.

Thanks everyone, really helpful advice, esp about the clutch drill and pilot hole.

My insulation is foam balls (:)) so I expect they’ll go everywhere, I’ll have my trusty Henry on standby.

Will go for the wall hole rather than the ceiling option as it means the run of pipe from the AC unit will be v short (and so less heat leaking back into the room).  It’s a rear facing room and I’ve got a guard thing so it doesn’t look like an escape hole from a WWII prison movie.

I’ll gird my loins (and my wrists) and crack on, hopefully this Monday.  Will report back.

I’d go for it.  It might be an expensive mistake but you’ll have fun and learn loads in the process.  I’ve done it a few times and none of the wheels have collapsed despite my best efforts.

Good luck!

So sorry to hear your news. It’s really hard to have both roles of grieving son and supportive son at the same time.

I dont have any great words of wisdom, but something a friend did was to  have a memorial service a few months after the funeral to give people a chance to grieve once the initial raw pain has passed?

All the best.

@kamakazi thanks. Just set that up on my MotoG5. Nice one.

I would follow my tried and tested approach of ignoring it. 9/10 time works like a dream. 1/10 times you walk home.

Or combine this approach with borrowing a wheel from a mate so if it does disintergrate you can at least ride once you’ve walked home?