crazy legs; thanks & may well take you up on offer of guide , Ill be riding a Ti Van Nic Yukon with mudguards, and lights !! When I get my race entry details Ill let you know my number too; staying near Monyash in bunkhouse Fri / Sat nights
James

weather sadly looks very wild at latest forecast, windy, wet, mild! Certainly taking some lights

Yep down for Tour of peak, long / short to be decided on day but erring towards short to leave me soem energy and legs for a spot of MTBing; thanks both above for info on route and doability in 4 hr; crazy-legs I take it that direction is climbing Jacobs Ladder?? so do you reckon its not a great descent route?
James

slight thread butting in—–what other routes can be suggested for area between Pitlochry and Dalwhinnie, that are rideable in winter too (ie keeping off high passes etc?)

Nant Yr Arian, by FAR my fav centre in wales , great mix of singletrack and natural bridleways (rocky / gravelley / grassy mix)- Syfyrrdin trail is 22 miles long taking in all best trail sections and natural tracks. You could also try Mach 1/ 2 / 3 (as above speak to Holey Trail), Mach 3 can be linked into NYA by branching out into wilds below Plymlimon to make a 30 mile + loop.
Try campsites at Devils Bridge. Can`t comment on llandegla afraid as never been there; Brechfa great fun black route; CYB good if you like rocks and fire roads and lots of people!

Dont reckon youd get more than £800, 🙁 although clean and immaculate it is 4 years old so dated ! Newer groupsets and frame technology will detract from its value now; if you think this is an underestimate consider than some large dealers will sell of last years unused bikes at 30+% off, ie if this was just 1 year old and unused you`d get about £1400, with full guarantee of course

—just in the forestry section I would think! Take a good 1:25k map and if possible GPS to log out the route before

IanB and I are describing same alternative I believe…..

If you drive up to Pengenffordd, road from Talgarth to Abergavenny, you can do away with a lot of tarmac bits; you can ride across base Black Mtn (with section tarmac), pickup track up Y Das (big push up stoney rubbley steep track)> down to Grwynne Fawr, then work way up thro forest to get track out over Crug Mawr> descend to Llanbedr> section tarmac lane to north up to bridleway over Pan Trumau and back to car at Pengenffordd; limited parking at SO 176 303 or ask permission at Castle Inn on main road at Pengenfforrdd 🙂

didn`t manage to post pic……to join gallery of Ti cracked welds etc!

cheers and thanks for that info, never knew such front mechs existed…..

When I`ve ridden Gap route have used the Brynore tramway , followed by open moorland, bouldery descent, to reach Pontsycil from a start point at Talybont on Usk, so you can def avoid forestry but some road is needed at some points too after Pontsycill

If you want varied hand positions, what about drop bars?

find those work best on bikes they`re designed for IMO, ie my road bikes (yes admitting to riding on a tarmac surfaec for enjoyment !)

couldn`t ride without them , fitted to lo riser bars graet for climbing and just to ease off hand position for fireroads or on non tech sections.
Have used Ergons too but find bar end a bit on small size and doesn`t offer me a full secure feeling grip cf normal bar ends

IMO quite a disappointing warranty! After 3 years my Van Nic road frame cracked at BB weld, leaving big hole, sent back to dealer and no questions asked a replacement arrived within 4 weeks, quite quick given it was over Xmas / New Year period. Was disappointed to have frame break but the lifetime warranty was duly honoured without question. I think you should push mfr harder to get this resolved asap by a full replacement no qs asked

Dont measure actual power output, BUT felt I was trying same amount on each ride so thats as scientific for me as it gets, point taken though but for me I`m not worried about the extra 5lb in the case described

Reviving this thread unless it`s 5lb difference on an identical bike so many other factors…in last 6 months have ridden Syfyrrdin Taril at Nant yr Arian on 3 different bikes noting times:

June on Ti Van Nic (25-26 lbish) 2hr 37 min

September on Giant Trance FS (30 lbish) 2hr 43 min; legburner climb 16.5 min

October on Cotic BFe (30 lbish) 2 hr 30 min, legburner climb 15.7 min

As I weigh , with Camelbak kit etc, 190 lb my conclusion from above is that it`s more about the bike overall than bike weight per se. Of all above Cotic by far the most fun to ride and most lively feeling 🙂

cheers thanks for all this, looks like I`ll go for 2.2 Advantages as plenty of room in frame / forks; had been running 2.2 Kenda Karmas (which do seem to be a genuine 2.2 size!) but not much edge grip from square blocks.

would then a 2.2 Advantage on back and 2.35 HR on front be a good match do you think, getting extra cushioning on rear?

Excellent smock but very warm indeed, I only wear mine if below 0C and down to -10c; bit bulky to carry about too, you might be better off with RAB Belay Jkt for campsite . sitting about in as packs very small

Gat a chain checker as said, change / rotate chain every 300-500 miles or when checker JUST is at .75 reading,and you`ll in long term run cheaper; check websites for offers on chains too and buy several. For info a shimano chain lasted just 500 miles total; on road bikes I swop chain ~700 mile use and get 1000s mile out of cassettes

Why not give steel a go for a change? Having just got a Cotic BFe Im really impressed by it and imagine the Soul would be equally as good and nearly as versatile; previous to BFe Ive been riding a Van Nic Ti and although BFe has built up 4-5 lb heavier it certainly doesn`t feel heavier when riding, if anything it feels even nippier!:)

cheers, thanks for that>>> job done now, took about 15min and plastic sheath came off quite easily—-don`t even really need to bleed system either as no fluid lost and lever maintains good solid feel 🙂 🙂

Take a look at Brecon Beacons Natl Park cycling (MTB ) sections on their website; there are 8 (i Think) waymarked routes and guides available covering Beacons and Black Mtn, ranging from epic XC with rocky descents (incl The Gaproad route) to easier shorter rides

Try First Aid academy; they do a 2 day outdoors course geared towards eg MTB., climbing, canoeing Fisr Aid scenarios. Did one a month ago and it was excellent, cost about £120 I think.

Real key issue has been said above is Airway mgt, withouth an open airway patient will die; its a very difficult choice to have to move an unconcious person with airway issues (once youve got airway opened) to a recovery position if you suspect neck injuries, but if you don`t then they will die if airway becomes closed again through saying being left on their back.

Although it is the older weight Paramo I`ve got the Cuzco (ie Velez with full zip) which is quite good but very very warm….so rarely gets worn, and sleeves seem to wet out badly despite proper washing and retreatment

If youd bought headset from LBS Id hope that they would fit it free; as for adjusting indexing / cables learn to do it yourself, £50 is on a par with car mechanic charges and OTT I feel. Fitting own headset is not difficult either, maybe removing old one maybe if grotty

Welsh pine martens are a real possibility, but from my understanding there`s lots of anecdotal evidence, and scats / kill evidence but virtually no sightings. Would be worth contacting Vincent Wildlife Trust re your sighting though, polecats much smaller (I ve seen a couple live on Welsh borders).

Great to know of wildcats in Perthshire….I thought they were restricted to the quieter Highlands area, http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/sightings.html

Is that in Deeside area then?? Red squirrel lovely! wildcat amazing!; once saw pine marten near Fort Bill walking across forestry track in front of me.

Always carry a chain breaker, weighs a few grams and saves a lot of grief

Contact Carl and Ivy Denham whom I think run a B&B / MTB guiding near / at Brechfa.

se http://www.bikebrechfa.co.uk/accommodation.htm

A trip to Coed Y Brenin…fabulously beautiful autumn sunshine and warm; rode Dragons Back followed by Tremitwr; good for tech skills training, gorgeous river valley, and golds of turning trees and bracken but overall the extensive drags up fireroads did remind me why I generally prefer natural trails and Nant yr Arian !!

Reminds me of a local Michelin 1* near me, country pub, went in during (tandem ) ride to get a drink, studiously ignored for a long time, eventually served when another customer commented on how expensive tandems were (= chink chink for pub). Never went back again

For info at 6ft I ride a 56 cm Van Nic and I ride a 19.5″ HT ; Id reckon youd want a 54 cm frame—-IMO it is best to have a slightly too small frame than one which is too large; with a samller frame you can adjust reach by a longer stem and pedal height by extending seatpost. Too large a frame and you amy struggle on this. However, historically, as far as I recall fashion has often dictated the small / large size frame issues! I once was riding 58/60 cm frames with only a bit of seatpost showing. A smaller frame will be stiffer, lighter and probably feel more in tune with you. And then again there`s the issues of normal / semi compact to compact frame designes to add confusion. Not all mfr frame sizes are equally balance either, some will have comparatively longer Top Tube lengths v seat tube sizes. Best to shop around if you can and test ride

Yes that would be my understanding (17 deg not being thick!)LOL 🙂

How about removing all other bolts, followed by rotor and then using molegrips on protruding stubs? I stripped out head on a T25 bolt but managed to get it removed by hammering in a T27 socket, so if there`s any head left at all this may be an alternative

No intention of climbing it LOL 🙂

Ta for that, the video seems to show a stone pitched steps section as well as big stone cross gullys, is this teh black section (stone pitched steps)?

Mavic 719? better bet than a 717 if you`re loaded up, not as heavy as 521

Very nice indeed; whats your spec on it? and weight? Getting Bfe next week, wont look as flash as yours though as transferring kit off a FS (Pace RC 40 100-130mm travel adjust / Hope Hoops EN 521 / Hope Mono Minis / SLX triple / Easton bars to go on)

considering drilling two holes in one of the key franme areas, ie where stresses from headtube are relayed down—-NOT a good idea at all; just use zipties / elastic straps