Kenda Kwest 1.5, £15 a pair new on eBay

Yet another 6’er on a Medium Pitch here, stock stem (think it’s a 60mm) and 711mm bars. Have shorter legs and a longer torso and yes, it’s a little cramped on longer rides but then I’m 4″ taller than the OP! Feels fine as soon as the trail points down though.

6′ on the nose, tried a 17.5″ actual and it felt weeny. Now on a Medium Pitch funnily enough..

Other half has the 2011 Elite and she loves it – I’ve ridden it a few times and it’s a really great handling bike.

Presume Leisure Wheels don’t have any?

http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b113s1p9931

They look like the best of the 50:50 pedals but truth be told I’ve never seen the point.

Aston Hill is pretty much a DH venue and not really worth it for the XC loop alone, plus it’s steep so not good for the unfit ;)

Swinley should be avoided til late spring as the armoured stuff is all being rebuilt and the rest of it is a swamp.

Completely agree with the OP tbh – if it was a barking dog making the noise instead of kids you wouldn’t be able to move in here for people moaning about it… ;)

Took the long way home via Tunnel Hill. Surprised not to see any other bikes tbh, riding was superb!

Alive = too much air in the shocks and/or not much rebound damping
Flat = not enough air in shocks and/or too much rebound damping
Connected/lifeless – see above
;)

It’s probably cheating but I use Sainsburys’ own brand smooth porridge (aka Ready Brek) as it’s much easier to get right in a microwave.

Mix it in the bowl with milk to slightly runnnier consistency than ideal, nuke on full power for just over a minute, stir in sweet stuff if required, job done.

Fail, everyone knows a Clockwork should be steel and look like this:

Any of these mechless head units:

http://www.caraudiodirect.co.uk/head-units-mechless-players/

A bike based on late 90’s Kona geo, steel DB frame, rigid forks, V-brakes, full Deore groupset, for around £400. Would suit pretty much 90% of what the vast majority of people buying a basic mountain bike would need.

No.

HTH.

ps. VAST ;)

So true…

To couteract, here’s one of my all-time personal favourites, which eschews every cliche listed for just simple riding :)

Actually, agenda is the plural of agendum, to be gramatically correct.. ;-)

Vast majority of my rides are solo and my only aim is to enjoy myself. As cycling is my way of resetting my head, it usually works.

30.9 or 31.6 seat tube 30.9
66 or 67 degree head angle 67
71 ish seat angle 73
140 or 150mm front travel 150mm
43″ plus wheel base 45.6″ in Medium

Spesh Pitch

I’m 6′ and ride a Medium Pitch (so similar geo to the older Enduro) with a 60mm stem and 710mm bars – bit cramped on longer rides but perfect for general hacking about. They do seem to come up big so would definitely try it first.

You mean O Fortuna, yes?

Or O Verona by Craig Armstrong, from R&J soundtrack.

NEXT all the way – cut and fit is a little more contemporary without being so fashionista as to be out of style in a year’s time. Slim fit/cut is particularly nice, as are their slim fit shirts.

Have a couple myself, for the money I wouldn’t wear anything else.

Define control? My dog is walked off the leash over an area of about 10km2, so he runs fairly far from me at times. He could, therefore, encounter someone else before I do. However, I always know where he is, and he will come immediately back to me if I whistle. He barks at and chases (but never catches) rabbits, squirrels etc. He lives with horses and comes out with me on the bike, so he doesn’t bark at/chase cyclists or horseriders. If he was in the habit of doing so, he would be kept closer to me.

The main obligation is for owners to teach their dogs that bikes, horses, etc are not a threat – I’m not denying this.

However, if you act like a threat then you may undo some of this work, and the next time that dog sees a cyclist he will remember that the last one he encountered acted like a threat, and so will adopt a defensive position until proven otherwise. If you then don’t act threateningly, this will then become the new default.

See how easy it can be?

To a degree, yes – this also works with horses.

Er, no…

Maybe I should have added:

tl:dr – dogs running up and barking are trying to see if you’re a threat or not. Become a threat and they may react accordingly. Identify yourself as no threat and it will usually defuse the situation.

Somewhere there are lots of women complaining about all the time their blokes spend playing computer games…

At the end of the day, if it makes you feel all high and mighty and like a superior person by being derogatory about something that the person you purport to love finds enjoyable then you crack on…

I realise that when you don’t own dogs, or have a fear of them, then dogs running up and barking = aggressive. I know this because I used to be terrified of dogs. Then I got one, started to understand its body language and how dogs minds work, and realised that dogs running up and barking does not always = aggressive.

Unfortunately, if you don’t have a dog then you won’t be able to tell the difference between aggressive dogs and non-aggressive dogs. I’d say the latter will generally outnumber the former by a factor of at least 10:1.

I walk mine in the same areas that I cycle (sometimes with him, sometimes without), and if I see another cyclist I whistle to him, call him over and keep him close to me or sat next to me whist the cyclist passes. More often than not, they don’t slow down or even acknowledge it with a quick “thanks”, which is nice.

If I’m out on the bike alone and I see a dog running about, I’ll slow down and try to spot the owner. If the dog runs up to me barking, it’ll be because they don’t know what I am and are trying to ascertain whether I’m a threat to their owner, who they want to protect. By slowing down and saying hello to the dog in a friendly voice, I am identifying myself as a friend, and the dog almost always stops barking, wags its tail and comes for a pat. If I were to adopt an aggressive pose and become threatening, it will only serve to escalate the situation, and it’s never going to end well from there.

Dogs are pack animals at heart, who will defend their alpha (the owner) against anything they perceive to be a threat. Make yourself a threat and you can see where it will lead. Mine has been taught that bikes and their rider are not a threat, but he likes to play games with me when I’m on my bike. Someone who doesn’t know dogs would not immediately recognise what he does as playing, and would feel threatened, hence why I call him to me. If all other owners did the same, I think relationships between cyclists and dogs would be less strained.

rac·ism
[rey-siz-uh?m]
noun
1.
a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2.
a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3.
hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

If the word being used has any of the above intent behind it, then the person using it is a racist. HTH.

Specialized StreetSmart?

If you have a combination of bars/stem that feels perfect, use that and don’t change it.

Job done.

EDIT: CRC says the Deus XC 3/4 and Turbine 3/4 both have exactly the same rearward and upwards sweep angles.

Cheers! Had been looking at the cheaper plastic SKS but these will be much better.

Mine has a FS (Camber Elite) as her first MTB – says she much prefers it to the HTs she borrowed before as it gives her the confidence to try stuff she wouldn’t have otherwise, and it means she rides it more as a result, which is kind of the aim…

Something like the Dublin Trekker maybe?

http://www.dublinclothing.co.uk/dublin-trekker-boots.html

Appreciate that they’re technically equestrian boots, but I had a pair of similar but more expensive Ariat Terrains and the sole gripped pretty well on flat pedals on the odd occasion I rode my bike in them, but they were comfortable enough to walk in all day. Not quite as grippy as a full-on hiking boot, but more lightweight, and more than enough for general trail walking.

A&M in Guildford, 01483 454775

Looks like the battery’s fine – just disassembled the light head and it seems I may have fried one of the FETs and a resistor on the driver PCB. Had a look on DX but they don’t seem to do one similar. Anywhere else I could look, or chalk it up to experience and buy another one?

Depends which SX Trail really, but if it’s for proper DH stuff I’d want something heavier duty than a SJ, even the Evo. DHX air and Solo air Lyriks would keep the weight off a bit.

Inbred in a 16″ sounds like it could be worth a look then.

Pitch with coil and Lyriks could be an alternative? No BB30 or proprietary shock mount either, but only a 1 1/8″ steerer which might limit choice of forks.

VooDoo HooDoo from Halfords at £475?

On-One Inbred X5 at £600?

Really? My cheap bladder split, the bite valve leaked, the bag stitching came apart and my back got far sweatier than with my Camelbak that also doesn’t suffer from any of the other issues. No marketing involved…

Have to say, I’ve had cheap hydration packs, now have a Camelbak and a Dakine and I wouldn’t go back – better ones are just better made and more comfortable, less sweaty, etc.