I try to avoid arguing on the internet, but this is priceless:

Some people fail to realise that or understand, and thats down to poor education, and poor up bringing

Can someone post one of those facepalm images up for me?

And this:

Education is a production industry, you take people in and train them in various skills and social abilities.

The use of “industry” and “training” in a definition of what education is, or at least should be is fairly indicative of a woeful level of understanding about this particular topic.

Anyway i have reports to write and want to go riding later.

Plenty of more XC riding in the Chilterns, but i’m more the Reading side. there are various midweek rides if you’re interested? Most riders I know are mainly into XC/trail riding, but have been known to dabble in DH.

Gravity/DH wise, it’s really Woburn/Aston Hill, etc, unless you dont mind travelling.

Thanks for the links and emails, lets hope the weather holds for the weekend!

Hoping this doesn’t come over as a thread hijack- Missnotax, is there any chance you could send me further details/photos of your Juliana? I might be interested in a frame only deal.

Email in profile, thanks.

I have a V2 built fully rigid, singlespeed. Light climbing and confident descending I find, but I have only ridden it on Chilterns woodland single track so far- so no big rocky descents!

I’m shortly going to build it up with 100mm forks and a 1×10 drivetrain for longer rides. I reckon it’ll be great fun. Overall a really light and versatile frame- especially as all the alternative frames at the time which could be run SS were either heavier (Inbred, Swift) or way pricier. (Highball, Big Top)

They do let it out of Yorkshire- it was highly in demand at the Reading beer festival the other week!
I enjoyed… :D

yes, i looked at the one you’ve listed for Chatel- its already full.

Anyone stayed further down the valley? There are nice looking sites at Abondance and St Jean d’Aulpes. They are further off the lifts, so it might involve a shuttle up in the mornings? could involve a nice descent home though!

Yup, the plan is to get out of the hotspots- Somewhere which feels a bit more ‘wilderness’. I don’t want to spend a week camping somewhere that feels a bit like being perpetually stuck in the Cwmcarn carpark on a bank holiday….

Somewhere around Avoriaz or Pre la Joux would be ideal. we’re driving over so a bit of a shuttle to lifts is bearable…

Swinley was lovely and quiet on Sunday morning- no issues on the trail, only a few people around, so trails were clear and riding very fast. Easy parking, i don’t see what the fuss is all about…

As long as you’re ready to ride at 8am that is…!

Done and shared!

+ for the Fishes- less heaving with tourists than The Trout. (at least in Summer)

+ for the White Hart, especially as i used to work there!

Bit further away, i’d say the Trout at Buckland Marsh.

just had another thought- anyone know of MTB friendly accomodation near Ludlow? was thinking of the Pods at Marshbrook, but know any alternatives?

geologist, that sounds ok! have just checked the FB pages for Pearce cycles, and Hopton has been cleared. Fingers crossed for sunshine!!

As posted above i was at the Mountain Trax demo, at Crowthorne wood on Saturday, and i demoed a few 29ers. It’s pretty obvious but it ended up being a good illustration of just how off the mark generalisations about 29ers can be.

Since the summer of slop, I’ve been doing a load of singlespeeding on an old Fisher Rig 29er. I’ve stuck a carbon fork and light wheels on it, but it’s a very stereotypical 29er ride- bit of work on tight corners, doesn’t like to get off the ground, a bit long and “cruisy”.

On the demo day, i had reserved a Santa Cruz Highball, which didn’t turn up. Thankfully one of the MT guys lent me his. (Thanks Paul!) It was built up 29er rigid SS, and despite having a Niner bolt through RDO fork, (which was ACE) it was a very similar spec to my Fisher.

The difference was unrecognisable; short, taut back end, unweighting over bumps, great acceleration, hitting the descents with minimal braking, (Pete’s plunge) skidding the back end round in tight singletrack, (the corkscrew). It felt like a giant, fast BMX. I want.

Aha; from that PB article-

“Whereas 150 mm rear hub spacing requires the use of an 83 mm bottom bracket shell for proper chainline, 12 x 142 mm produces the same chainline as a standard QR rear wheel and works perfectly with any variation of B.B. that you’ll find on modern XC or AM bikes”

i think i might have got my head around it. Ta for the reference!

hmm, thought as much- I guess i’ll have to wait for the right rims on some hope/superstar hubs to turn up… It’s a tad irritationd as there are plenty of 150×12+ 721/729/spank spike/subrosa combos for sub £100 about!

Yup, have seen a few 721 rim combos around… there are plenty of hope/superstar builds which work and are convertible. i just don’t know why the 150mm hubs can’t be converted the same way? am i missing something?

I’m running a 2012 alu frame with rp23 at about 20% sag, 160mm lyriks, flows, 50mm stem, etc.

I found i had pedal strike issues when i first ran it with more sag, but i’ve either modified my riding, or running more air in the can has sorted that out.

I’ve found that it really does ride much better when pushed hard, and it is more than capable on DH runs. When i first rode it on anything downwards, i was a bit taken aback how fast i would be going, and how immediate the acceleration would be! I’ve ridden it at Stile Cop, Aston Hill, Rogate and FoD. It has soaked up bigger hits than i’ve done in the past, such as the jumps and drops on Surface to Air, or the drop at the end of the Black run at AH.

In Molini last summer it was fantastic. Great descending and amazingly efficient for all day riding. It’s a bit long in tight switchbacks, but thats pretty common on long-wheelbased AM bikes?

well either way it isn’t murder.

I wonder if there are a bunch of Italians sat around somewhere making tea, debating whenever to put the milk or the sugar in the cup first?

rode it on Hans Dampfs two weeks ago. Most runs would be all over the place if not on Minions/similar, but with HR’s you’ll be fine on Surface to Air.

I’m properly middle class, and have lived and worked in Emilia-Romagna; (Italy is a concept that largely exists for those outsde of the country!) once you’re a regular, cafe owners will often drop a sugar lump in your espresso cup before the coffee brews. Especially if you prove a fan of ristretto.

Shropshire?

OP- do you wear lycra underneath? and if so, do you find the gigantic boils on your bum cramp your riding style?

Bump this thread- i’m still looking! Thanks.

damn you, work web security! it was black with gold bits, you get the idea, burner owners…

Raleigh Ultra Burner. My first ever brand-new bike. I still remember going to Geoff Hall’s Toys in Coalville to buy it….

jivehoneyjive-

I have seen ads for lots of 30 seals, which might be similar to what you bought? i’d probably have worn the stanchions down to about 28mm before i got through the bag! Thanks for the offer, YGM

I’m in for all 5, although Inners might prove a weekend too far. (away)

It was riding OK last weekend, but i only had half a day, so stuck to Surface to Air. It’s a bit sticky in places. Had one run down 423, which was a lot wetter- doesn’t have the “all weather” surface they’ve put in for S2A!

Well i’ve just entered all of them there UK gravity enduros. Should keep me quiet.

Probably a week in the alps,

Probably a long weekend in north wales.

:D

1 3/8″ headtube standard

If anyone is going from? going past Reading, i have a whole load of old bits i can’t bring myself to bin… I can supply photos if anone is gathering.

Helium filled frames and tyres for even radder ‘air’. Optional bite valve for post-ride comedy voices.

Danny Mac, Grayson Perry, Rob Warner, Niki Gudex. :D

Edit- what he said! ^^^

I’d get one of those 456 evo builds from on-one. About 800 all in, should be able to ride anything in this country on it, bar proper DH…? Plenty of spare cash for riding clobber, lights, food, petrol and all the elements to go riding on big days out?

Good point on the steel. thanks for the point on the STP!

Anyone ridden a diamondback bandito?

Ta!

sharkattack- that looks *ideal*. BMX/4X track railing is indeed the plan. How long is the toptube? I have looked on the commencal website, but they only seem to be doing the absolut now.

Anyone ridden a DMR transition? plenty of them on ebay!

TBH, i’m less into the idea of “jumps” as more 4X- anyone know if this majorly alters what bike to go for? I want to zoom around pump tracks/table tops/doubles, etc, rather than trying to do 360’s on vertical jumps?

One post earlier was about obscure parts? It’s not just ones we might think are obscure!

On of the most random issues i’ve known was a friend whose 20mm adaptor popped off his Hope hub when in transit. As he was transporting his bike in a carboard box, and it was thrown around in true Ryanair fashion, the adaptor dropped out….somewhere…

He rode for two days with an adaptor fashioned from a bit of plastic pipe. Only found a replacement from a UK guide with a set of hope wheels he wasn’t using. Them Italians don’t buy/sell/use Hope, it seems!

having started the other SS thread referred to here, I might well have a cheap GF Rig for sale in a few weeks! (SS specific, EBB, takes up to 100mm fork….)