Ille sur Tet (near Perpignan), it was sunny and the trails were dry :D

I wouldn’t say that the UK dominates in DH, Male world champ, world cup champ etc are from elsewhere, France has better juniors and probably more depth of talent. Even in the women. there is no one after Rachel Atherton.

I cant think of many sports where any nation truly dominates.

These are perfect for bikes: http://www.oxygen-camping-cars.fr/fr/7000-c.aspx

I reckon anyone who is going to hire a camper will want a toilet, there is no point in having a nice van and going out in the rain for a S…

Frankly, I can’t fathom why anybody would want to live in such a place.

Yep, its crap. Currently in the South and the weather is horrendously sunny, the trails are way worse than anything in the UK (and too dusty), the council run DH and BMX tracks are rubbish and everyone is asking if they should move to Surrey!

I cant imagine it will work out much cheaper once fuel, tolls, depreciation etc etc are taken into account. And, the journey will be slower and less comfortable.

I am not sure I would choose Prades or Vinca as a summer holiday destinations, the riding is pretty good but its not that nice compared to higher up in the mountains. Les Angles/Font Romeau has a load of other stuff to do as well as biking, it is also a decent temperature rather than the valley which can be very warm in summer, the municipal camp site at Mont Louis is really nice and fairly cheap but book early. Alternatively, Ax les thermes has an uplift and some good XC on the plateau opposite the station and it has a nice free campsite on the road up to the ski resort.

La Molina and Andorra are also options but not much outside of the bike parks.

Les Angles in France would be a good mix of easy rides plus lifts.

I noticed that Manorlands ( charity hospice) in oxenhope is offering camping. It’s pretty close to the climb over to hebden, you get to support a good cause and its an easy ish ride to somewhere for day one as well.

£2k for five days of riding is ridiculous.

Hell yeah, especially as the first day will be spent getting over jet lag. I would not travel all that distance just to ride for 5 days in MOAB even if it was half that price, yes the scenery is amazing but the riding is no better than a lot of places closer to home: Colorado provencal near Apt, Terre noire near Digne les Bains just two (cheaper) examples.

I spent a whole summer riding in the pyranees for less than that (incl lifts)

Love the TLD paint job on this:

Non evo version:

la Moulin at Venosc
le Lac at Matemale, les Angles Pyrenees Orientale
Municipal Mont Louis, Pyranees Orientale
Municipal du Bois des Alberts, between Montgenevre and Briancon

Come after the 10th according to this

Yeah, I saw that :( . Unfortunately everywhere in the south will be wet so I will have to suffer for a few days wherever I go.

people have been managing quite well in the mountains before training was invented. I started winter mountaineering when I was 16 with a friend marginally more experienced. We read up, we talked to people, we bought some gear and did some reasonable standard winter routes. Nobody died.

I was going to post something similar. The obsession with doing a course for everything nowadays is a bit sad.

Really? A big bag of tenners? Do you not own a house?

I had a friend who bought a Lamborghini with a massive wad of £50s, he paid cash for everything and was not a drug dealer.

One of those pre paid credit cards is probably the easiest option.

Jump bikes are quite long, might be a bit big for a 10yr old. If it fits though, way better choice than an isla bike.

I like the look of that F430, especially as you can get a lat pull down machine and dip bars for it (at fairly reasonable prices).

I would definitely go with a cage over a rack if I was training on my own at home. I cant see how the rack is more versatile either.

Thirion @ Valnord

Shirley a Scott spark is what the man needs?

Doubt it, possibly the crappest bike I have ever ridden.

If you were thinking of the transition double, what about the YT play?

http://www.yt-industries.com/shop/en/Bikes/Dirt/Play-Dirtjump

I mean, there’s 7 Billion people in the world now (so we’re told), so that means if you’re 2 standard deviations above the mean, you’re in the top 315 Million at something in the world…

How many activities are practiced by everyone in the world? It is pointless measuring position against 7bn when only say 1m (or less) people practice that activity.

I’m merely “above average” at statistics…

Really?

“Most things are relative aren’t they? Sounds like Peterfile was well above average at snowboarding, just not international level. Surely that still qualifies as good though?”

It depends on how high the standard was elsewhere. If the standard was poor in the UK and internationals are doing badly against any number of random Continentals, Americans etc, than being in the top 25% is no big deal surely. You cant really just look at a national level, the Saudi Arabian snowboard champion is likely to be pretty crap in absolute terms. The guy qualifying 90th for a world cup DH might usually be the best rider in the bike park but, he is crap when compared to the top 10. etc, etc.

So, I reckon to be good you need to be in the group above +2 Standard deviations from the global mean for whatever it is you do. Therefore, most people will never find anything they are really good at, above average maybe but that’s all.

I have climbed E5, but as a lot of people I know climb much better than that I didn’t consider myself good. I guess by UKC standards I was above average though.

By ukc standards that is almost superhuman :D

Bos are a bit different as they have other markets they sell to as well, eg Motorsport. Having said that, they have been in administration twice and they already have well regarded products in the market place.

I would be surprised if they are still around in a few years as they seem to have the same business model as a lot of 90s internet start ups. They have been funding the business for 2 years and spending a lot on marketing, they had a set up that was as big as Fox at the Andorra WC and one rider. They must have spent a pretty enormous wad of cash to date without generating any and they have targeted a very niche market that will never be big enough to allow them to recoup their investment.

I really don’t understand why they have been given the the easy ride in the media as it just seems like a fantasy business to me.

Stabilisers are not that good but you don’t need a balance bike. Either put some time in running behind keeping the kid upright while they pedal or take the cranks off for a bit. My physio had his daughter riding at 2 1/2, she was keen and she was getting grief from her older sister, my son learnt early because he hated his stabilisers.

Balance bikes might be fun for kids but they are definitely not the only way for a kid to learn.

Maybe he is a blind postie and gets his mate to push it through the postbox?

I meant that evil was probably the last bike brand to be so massively hyped, and that didn’t end well.

Fairly ironic that its next to an evil undead.

apparently he was the brains behind the legendary Bomber forks…

He was definitely the brains behind the 2008 “move to Taiwan, f..k up on quality and trash the Marzocchi brand” FUBAR, so I remain cynical amid all the hype he has managed to generate.

Funnily enough, I just sent a parcel off today. The women specifically asked me what was in it as they now had to be stricter on what was allowed. She even gave ma a leaflet. Maybe a memo has been sent round.

I reckon that there are several other sports where you could tick all those boxes.

Any sport where performance can be improved through drugs will have someone taking them. If you look hard enough, you will probably find a performance enhancing drug suitable for every sport.

No clue but Frankenjura had the best climbing I ever did (1992 8O) and a really great place.

Not in December it hasn’t

If you google the BMX club with the track just North of Erlangen, there appears to be a downhill section. It might be worth getting in touch with them. Alternatively, if you work for Siemans, you could see if they have a club as they seemed to have a club for pretty much everything when I was there.

(Btw, we are talking about a lady, not a child. Women are allowed to do things without being accompanied by men you know. Such as riding back on their own.)

You will be saying that they should be allowed to vote next! Preposterous.

http://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/1482501/

FWIW, I am looking for a small bike for my son and clicked on the original ad. Now I am not a tart when it comes to bikes and my stinky has a way bigger dent that that in the top tube but, my initial reaction was that you were having a laugh with the price and clicked away.

Its too expensive and there are comparable frames out there cheaper and not damaged so what is a buyer going to do? No amount of sniping is going to change the fact that the market has decided its not a good deal.

Leku, that is brilliant and sort of what I had in mind. Is that just a sheet of ply with some holes drilled?

If it was me, I would angle it a bit (10/15 degreees overhanging) it will be more beneficial in the long run.

Watch and weep! This little monster bouldered 8A at 8/9, the harder stuff on this video is 8B/+ ish @ 10 :o . She also redpointed 8c @ 11.

I have one of those petzl harnesses, almost unused, if anyone is interested. £12.50 posted

Big soft mats that kids enjoy jumping on to. Not dangerous at all.

5 is fine but bouldering is possibly more fun than roped climbing for young kids.

Jeez this place gets more daily mail all the time. Everyone who doesn’t like it should definitely stay away, I hear there aren’t even any 4 foot wide berms on those trails, the horror.

I don’t think anyone has said they didn’t like the film, only that it doesn’t present the area very well as a riding destination. The emphasis on pushing the bike through bogs, mud etc. does not sell the area very well. Personally I don’t mind adventure, I just prefer my adventure to be enjoyable at the time rather than have some retrospective feeling of “well that was crap but I feel manly now”