Just doesn’t feel like cycling to me, whenever I’ve been the best bit was the cycle home from the gym. Might take it up again in the winter to try and keep the belly size down.

Although I prefer riding the fancy road type exercise bike in the gym, you can ride pre programmed routes, still very sweaty though.

I work in Dalkeith so a ride after work would be awesome! Tuesdays and Thursdays are good for me too.

Was also thinking of building my 26 inch Soul back up but mostly to be used on the turbo.

I’ve gone back to singlespeed on my Stooge so not sure if that’s on trend? It is setup 27.5+ which is on trend? One thing is for sure though is I forgot how knackering riding singlespeed was/is.

If we’ve got a big ride planned my pals agonises over the weather as the date of the ride gets closer yet unless it was crazy dangerous weather we’d still be doing the ride.

I generally try to ignore the weather and just enjoy the ride, if it just happens to be good weather when I’m out on my bike then that is a bonus

As for mountain biking being a summer pastime I’d couldn’t disagree more. I exclusively ride off road in the winter as 1. I’ve had a couple of falls on icy roads when winter road cycling.
2. I have the trails all to myself
3. There’s no brambles, midges, clegs nor nettles in the winter
4. It is more challenging than summer riding

One year I was riding down Spooky woods in fresh snow drifts and was falling all over the place whilst laughing our heads off, my pal and I both agreed that although it was the slowest we’d ever ridden Spooky woods it was the most fun.

Best trail conditions for me after when the weather has been dry for a week or 2 then it has a brief rain shower. Just the right balance of grip and slip.

Concerning Pinot’s consistency, the same was labelled against Thomas before last year’s TDF. I believe to win the Tour(or any Grand Tour) you need a large slice of luck despite how good you are, I just have a feeling that the stars are coming aligned for him. If it’s not Pinot then it will be someone not even on people’s radar like the year Carlos Sastre won.

2 points.

Point 1

I think Thibaut Pinot is in the form of his life and I’d love it if he can pull off the overall winner.

Point 2

It’s about time we had a French winner. I read (a while ago) that Brailsford wanted to win the TDF with a French rider at some point, I think partly to prove how strong his team is (and tactically good he is) and partly to force the French public to if not love Sky/Ineos then to admire them. Of the current top French riders I think Brailsford could make TDF winner out of Pinot, Bardet and Alaphillip. Plus a certain Monsieur Alaphillip is out of contract soon, just saying.

I’m riding this again this year for the 2nd time and I’m super excited. Bit anxious on what to wear though 😬

That is mighty scary, I’ve managed to break 2 LX chainsets in a similar way to the one in the above photo and a I’m not particularly heavy or strong. I’ve used other Shimano chainsets (amongst other brands) with no issues for the last 14-15 years and that’s riding on road, off-road, geared, single speed and fixed. I think there was a thread before on singletrack about serial crank breakers and from my recollection there was an example of pretty much every make and model of crank breaking.
However I do believe that the lower end Shimano cranks (not hollow formed) are more reliable due to them being made with more material but people want lightweight so seems you need to pick between strength and weight

Wonder if you can fit road chain rings to a Saint cranks?

Scary biscuits!

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-paid-vacation-time-is-different-around-the-world-2018-7

Ive had them upto 60 psi on 32mm tyres before with no issues, must have missed the max psi rating. Although i’m not super heavy and I like to think I ride quite lightly off-road.

I’ve Stans Grail and theyve been pretty good but I did pick up a couple of dents when touring offroad but then theyre not really made for that. Been true for the last 2 years of mixed riding.

I’d maybe try tweaking your Anthem before looking at other bikes, like:
– Wider bars with more up and back sweep
– Bigger front tyre with maybe a wider rim fitted to your existing front wheel
– Shorter stem
– Change your fork for one with a little more travel

I’ve a cannondale scalpel SE which I – recently – bought for multi-day rides in Scotland, I think it fits what you’re after pretty well. Although I’m generally a big believer of riding what you already have (which in my case was a rigid 27.5+ Stooge) but I was seduced by the scalpel and had to have it 😎

Oh and not being able to breath with both mouth and nose (I think) is a little strange, although I only learnt to control my breathing when exercising in my late twenties but I blame that on having asthma as a kid.

Anyone tried the Graeme Obree way of breathing? I tried – a bit – but found it too hard/weird.

I do use a self hypnosis thing using controlled breathing to help get to sleep, it does work, feels kind of like shutting down a computer before turning it off.

If I had my own house (literally just for me) it would be a stone bothy type with flagstone flooring, bare stone walls and a wood burning stove with high back chairs around it. Might get one, one day. 🤞

Definitely the size/type of house matters. We’re lucky as we have a garage and a separate entrance to the rear garden as I can remember as a kid our house only had the one entrance with no hallway and my mom was forever mopping and hoovering to keep on top of the detritus I would bring in. No dog in our house but we would reconsider this once the kids are old enough to help look after one.

We don’t have carpets in the lounge, kitchen, bathrooms and dining rooms which I think also definetly help keep the house looking tidy-ish.

Agree a home should look like people actually live there.

I thinking (hoping) that Froome will attack on alpe d huez tomorrow but will G have team orders to assist Froome? If I was G I’d sit on Froomes wheel all day. I think G looks in better form than Froome.

Just to say that I absolutely love the racing today and I think you shouldn’t be writing off Dumoulin or Nibali just yet.

I also have the terrex, I like the extra grip at the front and back of the sole. They’re well made with tough uppers and look like normal trainers.

I’m not blown away with the grip compared to my old Teva and Sombrio but they don’t slip unless covered in mud but then don’t all flat shoes slip then? (maybe a different compound to mtb 5 10′ as I know 5 10 make a few different ones).

I looked at 5 10′ but didn’t like the looks, cost and according to reviews poor longevity and sponge like quality.

Why can’t somebody can’t make a lightweight, well made, grippy mountain bike shoe that isn’t £100 is beyond me.

After watching I immediately rewatched the first scene. I enjoyed it.

Maybe the question should be how many bikes do you actually ride regularly or which bike you would keep if you could only have one.

The bike I’d pick isn’t my favourite (in fact it’s probably my least favourite), but is a jack of all trades master of none.

My favourite bike to ride is either my Stooge or Ritchey Logic.

6 year old gravity dropper works fine in the cold, I regularly night ride in the winter where its below zero.

5 bikes.

2017 Kona Paddywagon – fixed road

2016 Stooge – singlespeed 29er

2015 Ritchey Logic – Road bike

2015 Croix de fer – setup for light touring – Dynamo hub, lights, rear rack and guards.

2012 Cotic Soul – 26″ with 120mm Reba forks and 1 x 10 gears.

I ride all of them throughout the year but I would like a lightweight marathon bike like a Scale or Scalpel but funds don’t allow.

Can’t believe no one’s recommended high roller 2’s

It wasn’t long ago that high rollers were the standard go to tyre.

I’ve a high roller 2 on the front of my Stooge with and ardent at the rear both 2 3″,  I like.

How come an alternative to F1 isn’t out there considering that most fans of F1 aren’t happy with the direction it is going.

How about launching unlimited racing?

Only criteria is that you have a budget cap but you can do what you want after that.

Loved it!

Just needs a model millennium falcon gluing to his visor for full hyperspace feel.

Can’t believe that the video was only 7 minutes long, there’s a lot of riding on that descent.

I’ve nothing to add other than I’m very interested in this as my Garmin could do with replacing.

Early night. I’m not into new year and my kids are not old enough to stay up till the bells.

Baa! Hogmanay!

Early night. I’m not into new year and my kids are not old enough to stay up till the bells.

Baa! Hogmanay!

Also loved this vic and Bob special

Anyone listen to athletico mince?

It’s what can be achieved with no censorship, editing and – to my surprise – vic reeves.

Love the ‘gangs of the EPL!’

This is why I like shimano brakes because of their pad to disc clearance, now if they did spare parts then they would be unmatched in my opinion.

About cars advertised mpg figures (I know they’re achieved in a lab), in my experience than can be achieved (or very close) if:
a) you drive like you ride a bike around town (no hard accelerating or braking, freewheel towards to red traffic lights and try to anticipate the traffic ahead)
b) Stick to speed limits
c) Change gear regularly to match the cars speed
d) If your car has stop/start then use it.
e) Don’t carry 100kg of crap in your boot
f) regularly maintain your car including checking your tyre pressure regularly.
g) own a car suitable to your needs and not your latest whim or bank balance.

Sorry about my moan but people who drive about 10mph over the speed limit (and nose to tail) then complain of poor fuel economy really annoy me.

From experience small petrol engines with turbos are great around town but next to useless in the ice and snow (the polar opposite of a 2.0tdi+ engined car)

Interesting the manual in my 150bhp 1.4 bravo said not to let the turbo warm up and cool down pre and post drive as I had always understood was the right way to treat a car with a turbo

Not an adventurous eater so anything fishy, even a squid ink appetiser.

I think the one horrible taste that comes to mind is of a 9V battery that my brother got me lick one time.

I’m very impressed by some of the crazy s##t you guys are willing to put in your mouth though.

I’ve tried to follow footpaths in the borders before (close to Duns) and farmers have kindly put electric fences along the walls so after walking for half a mile across a field you have to turn back else risk getting an electric shock.

Love the cinematography and music. The attention to detail is brilliant but the new Sophie is awful, her accent is all over the place,more Irish than West Country.

And Simon & Garfunkal lookalike baddies is genius.

I’ve found this also. Tradesmen are unreliable mostly because there is a shortage of good tradesmen and the good ones are scared to turn work down.

I think it stems from that the building industry is at the sharp end of any economic movement. And at the moment there is a bit of a boom after a good few years of a slump, this means tradesmen are weary of turning down work as they know (from experience) that the next economic slump is never too far away.

It doesn’t help that the whole building industry is not great at investing in training the future tradesmen so when things do pick up in the economy there is a skills shortage. Hence why we end up with crap (pretend) tradesmen or/and immigrant labour to fill the shortfall.

I do have an idea of how to sort the whole ‘feast and famine’ phenomena that the building industry finds itself constantly in but maybe that’s for another time or thread.