re the consultation it has not, IMO, be helped out one bit by Natl Trust now saying (BBC ceefax item) that they are prepared to buy (or cherry pick maybe?) some forests eg New Forest. 2 points here 1. makes the sell off seem a done deal, and with closet NT agmt it would seem, and 2. where will NT get money for purchase from, a public funds appeal??, ie public still paying out !

No-one has yet mentioned Van Nic Ti frames, fairly sure they are under £1k, Zion comes with rack mounts too. I rode LEJOG on an Airborne Lanacaster using slicks with saddlebag only and was just fine for such long touring; also used it for general XC; Van Nic zion (if still avaialble) is rebrand of teh Airborne Lancs but with shorter top tube

take a look at http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=FFHFMHT005/Van_Nicholas_Zion_Titanium_MTB_Mountain_Bike_Frame

Thank you—crikey—the users online manual I had accessed had no basic instructions. Thingy now back to life after removing battery 🙂
but don`t know why it locked up as it did

sorry I`m well not up on this Google Nexus 1 smartphone, as said previous mobile was a nokia 2000 phone with real buttons etc so am completely out of date with this technology

it was given to me google 2.2.1 android

and??? pls enlighten someoine whose previous phone was bought in 2000 and has real buttons etc etc

How do you get battery out ???:(, was supplied all set up

Think the newer ones quoted at 70 cm range; I had difficulties with older ones at 45 cm range if mountedd too low, especially at end battery life / cold weather

Marvellous, well doen all who fill it in; seems to me that unless a clear concise consensus is achieved on teh how should we do it differently column then govt will come back with conclusion that lacking any other way the sell off is best option 🙁

Is it possible that the foam rings are there to stop loss of oil ? ie they are scraping oil off stanchions and also stopping grit come back down into bushes etc. Do not Foxes use a different thicker oil at the bushes and a lighter one for lubeing? Given how soft teh foam rings are anyway having some oil on them won`t affect the friction, it is the tighter harder bushes that need the lubriaction

You may also need to adjust pressures as fork beds in. At 85kg weight, with a single air Rev RLT Ti dual position initially I started with 90psi to give 20% sag. After a couple of rides I upped this to 110psi, and now, but using a different air pump, am on 130 psi to get same sag.
Having said which they have now had to be returmed under warranty as it may be that theres an air seal leak and insufficient oil in damper :( :(---so above changes may be exceptional (forks packed down solid to 50% sag at bottom of descent, didnt returm until I lifted front wheel up)

+++1 for split ring, making my solid ring into split ring with hacksaw. If a Mg crown be very careful with any meatl levers near it. LBS uses a clamp around crown race and then gently taps away at clamp

Nant yr Arian ride entire Syfydrrin loop , about 23 miles. Not as rocky technical as CYB but much better scenery and environment of big open wild spaces. AND If you get teh job you`re well placed for accessing NYA, Dyfi and CYB , good luck 😉

Thanks :), hacksaw at the ready—cant think of any engineering reason too why this is not perfectly satisfactory as the split ring will becontained` with the bearing race itself

If calipers make a reasonable difference can someone recommend me an upgrade over Tektros that will fit over mudguards, ie they must be 47-57 mm reach. Any thoughts on Miche long reach calipers? or would some Campy ones fit at a stretch and a bit of filing out of lower slot !

Glad someone else is running a carbon post. Noticed difference in swopping from initial good solid ally one and also difference a wide tyre makes, using 2.25 Advantage much more comfy than a 2.1 Schwalbe mud tyre.

Id be careful using steel individual cassettes on a shimano splined alloy hub; there is teh potential for teh steel to cut into and through the locating grooves / splines. Campag are , naturally :) a highly superior product.....the grooves and splines are deeper so likelihood of cutting through is less. If uou therefore opt to buy wheels with alloy hubs you are in a way committing to buying more expensive cassettes too :(. Ive found exactly same situation for my own wheels, and have ended up with upmarket Campag 10 speed cassettes with as many alloy carriers as possible (ie Record or the older now discontinued Chorus). These are unfortunately very expensive, although bargains can sometimes be had as 11 is becoming standard

Alternatively get steel freehubs, extra rotating weight minimal, AND if you`re using steel cassettes think of that extra weight there.

Summary -IMHO alloy freehubs need alloy carriers on cassettes = lots of cash

Slightly off this section, but you 2 guys obviously the ones in the know Scotland wise

Spot of Munroing end Feb, driving to Rannoch station then heading up towards Sgor Gaibhre / Carn Dearg, how much of the track leading north into Allt Eigeaach is rideable, it`s a big 25km walk circuit otherwise
ta 🙂

Definitely NOT sweaty feet…feet were white and numb with cold so not sweating….more likely from all thoughts here is likelihood that runoff of water down clothing

Further consideration leads me to think that must be due to water run off down leggings, I guess during my ride yesterday had at least 10mm rainfall, if top surface area of front of legs is 300cm2 then Im going to end up with 300ml of water runoff (judging by water pouring out of end of Buffalo sleeves I could live with this value). Ill have to try them on a dry day overhead but wet underfoot, don`t fancy gaffer tape on unshaven legs too much 🙁

see the snow disappearing fast from the hills Matt ! I`m up in Highlands late Feb so starting a watch on snow conditions, but given 30 day forecast looks like a lot will have gone by then—which is a mixed blessing as I can ride my MTB to Munro bases but will miss full on winter conditions (maybe 🙂

There were canoeists playing about today in rivers like that nearby 🙁

btw is that the Falls of Dochart ???

If I sweated that much (about a pint of water in total both socks) I would be seriously dehydrated having just drunk a 3 pt camelbak only—assure you Im not. Ill give the bath test a go though, and toe nails are cut 🙂

I was thinking about going to see him about getting best settings on RS forks for my riding style / type. So above is good news

Not mixed them but I believe Rockoil says on container that can mix, so maybe their website could give a formula. I`d query that not all mfr weights are different though, surely its a standard system ??

Didnt go out yesterday as blowing 40mph + here, but not much rain. Today had booked in to do a ride in Elan Valley, still very windy and also heavy rain, place awash, reservoirs overflowing but went on a 26 mile ride around and over hills, actually enjoyed it, especially as wind started to drop out and glad I went. Made descents interesting though as most were rivers hiding allobstacles` 🙂

Just measured up my Bfe, centre BB from ground 34 cm with 150mm forks and 2.3 sized tyres (Maxxis HR 2.35 front, 2.25 Adv rear), so with 20% sagged forks would have about a 15mm reduction in BB height

second ++ Van Nic zion, could sell you mine but it`s wrong size !!

83.2 kph going down steep side of Marie Blanque, would have kept going but a corner came up and I couldn`t see properly due to wind in my eyes. 70-75 kph for sustained section down Pailheres through ski station. 🙂

You can quieten down Pro 2 with judicious appliaction of grease. Do you know if Pro 2s can be built up disc and Camapg specific as well, ie does a Campag 10 freehub fit on Pro 2 disc hubs??

Anne, maybe you can recall days when FC land was out of bounds totally—well hasnt that changed! Although a few new owners may go to restrictive access I hope that most will see the trees for the wood and continue any trail centres etc, they are after all quite good earners in a timber industry where UK timber isnt making much. New owners on the whole will be looking for a financial income, so a succesful MTB centre should be maintained. Even if conservation bodies buy up the woodlands the track record of for example Natl trust is now quite good, look for example at Long Mynd in Shropshire and joint exercise with MTB groups to promote MTBing on their (NT) land using not only bridleways but also other and permissive routes. Despair not 🙂 (hopefully)

Telly is at least 20 yeras old (but it is a colour one!). So what would I need to get if I went to FreeSat or Sky sat stuff, still using old telly if this is possible?
thanks again for helpful replies 🙂

Im not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet, BUT govt will never take action on the bank bonuses beacuse they (govt) extract large sums of money thro taxation on these gross salaries.

However IMO there is no justification for them unless teh individual performa superlatively well, the culture of just getting a bonus for doing (or even in some cases failing at) your job is appalling. Hester should have no bonus because he has not really achieved anything in past year, RBS shares remain well below govt purchase price, RBS last quarter made a loss. (in 7 years working in industry I once got an annual bonus as the whole company had exceeded expectations and profits!) On basis of being rewarded on short term results (which is the mantra of the bankers, and a reason , in addition to majority`s own personal greed and credit card fervour) he should get a basic salary full stop.

As for RBS majority share holder, aka HMGpvt, vetoeing bonus , forget it. they would rather hit smaller soft targets for a few pennies

Sad to say such a petition will not influence powers that be. Just look at what is going on generally, if the govt cannot take action (having previously agreed to) regarding these appalling bank bonuses (how exactly has RBS Hester earned his btw, share price lower tahn when he took over, last quarter another RBS loss??) then they don`t give a jot about public petitions reagrding selling off bits of FC land. Consider that if a fraction of bank bonus pot was taken away from 84% nationalised RBS then these sales of Fc land would be not required (as also other soft targets of cutting Natl Park budgets and cutting back on Natural england budgets too).

Learn to read a map well and always trust your map and compass 🙂

Try a gorilla pod mount and twist legs around bar / stem and then to add further stability put a couple of ratchet type straps around the legs on teh bars, a bit industrial but will be stable. (my first outing with a compact digital and gorilla at NYA was OK without straps but would have been much more stable with extra straps)
Alternatively get hold of a plastic mount bracket (eg for lights) and drill hole in base, place M6 (I think) bolt thro and you`ve got a home made basic bracket

+1 more for good write up. next to Nant y Arian (which is quite local for me) Wolftrax is my favourite trail centre, been there 3x to ride red route only (black looks just too scarey for me, especially the rock steps / cliffs at high point split from red), managed Ayers Rock once after 5 attempts !. Set in the most wondeful scenery too, and i do enjoy teh friendly and low key cafe set up. Top marks overall to it, just wish I could get there in summer as my visits are usually part of a winter mountaineering week near Dalwhinnie! 🙂

For BFe, same geometry as Soul, I`m 6ft , ride a large and have 24cm seatpost showing. Drop Cotic an email, Paul was very helpful when I enquired about sizing too 🙂

RAB VapourRise; smock hood om mine can be tucked / rolled away into collar OK, a bit bulky though at collar (7 year old model). Excellent piece of kit, good into spring for cycling etc and a base layer under will put it into use during zero C temp times too

From my previous experience with Pace remote lockout levers, and I guess DT will still use a similar design, the adjustment of the cable was quite critical so that would be my first point of checking, if cable has corroded, / got muck in it could be slow to release the lockout. Maybe try flicking remote switch betyween on / off a few times initially? and bounce front wheel on ground too
Same Pace forks also packed up in severe cold probbaly due to thickening oil, but it was -10c at time and up north 🙂