@Bregante – thanks (waves with gibbon arms). After 9 months of a 35mm stem I don’t really want to go back to anything longer than 50mm really.

@Bregante – how do you find the reach on the large Solaris? I’m 6′ 1″ and normally ride an XL Bird Aeris with a ETT of 660 + 35mm stem (reach is 486mm). Thinking of getting a Solaris but want to run it with a 40-50mm stem.

Genuine question: I’m guessing people spend time and money making their bikes lighter so why go and strap a load of stuff to it? If I stick a couple of kg on my back I don’t really notice it (but I’m 100kg ish) so why the hate of backpacks? Is it a heat / sweat thing?

I’m interested to try a Talon type pack for shorter rides (2-3 hours), are there others I should look at?

Wonky mats! 3/10.

Something to factor in when planning a trip is the impact grockles will have on how long it takes to get out of Salcombe. The A381 isn’t what most people would call an A road, so throw in the summer traffic and it can be a PITA getting out.

That said, there’s some awesome riding on Dartmoor and as Del mentioned, if you post closer to the time I’m sure someone will be able to show you the unmarked stuff at Haldon if you fancy that.

I hate all this ‘will they won’t they’ standards stuff.

I’ve got a decent FS bike with a 142×12 rear axle and good wheels. I’m now looking at a new hardtail and can’t decide if I’m better off buying one with the same rear spacing so I can swap kit if needed or going boost so I’m not buying stuff that’s ‘out of date’. Yay for the bike industry! B@statds.

Cy, if you’re reading this thread; can we have a Solaris with an extra ~45mm reach, boost rear end and in that beautiful green please :)

Depends on your budget but Bird have got some clearance offers on at the mo.

Have you checked the collar is tight enough? My reverb was playing up then I accidentally discovered the collar was lose and all of a sudden it was fine. Might not be it but worth a check.

A Kona Honzo-esque frame in a decent steel so it doesn’t weigh a tonne. Or make the Alu frames available.

Using the whole G Suite set up is great – docs, sheets, slides, photos etc. Worth paying for a bigger drive account as well. 100gb costs bugger all.

It will all be synced to your phones, tablets etc and is easy enough make versions of files available offline.

Loads of really useful Chrome plug-ins as well that let you customise how they look / work.

Depends on the type of owl. Barns are fine. Screech owls? Mental and will kill you.

Watching this one with interest as currently looking for a 29 hardtail with a boost rear end and a decent reach (I ride an xl Aeris with a 486mm reach / 660mm ett).

The Kona Honzo is pretty much there but they’ve been rubbish at replying to me (not a good sign of future service).

The Genesis Tarn looks OK but something isn’t doing it for me, don’t know why.

What I really want is the geometry of the Honzo made by Bird so you get great kit, value and service.

I’ve got to spend tmw with a bunch of bloody veggies. Thankfully I’ve cooked a turkey, a ham, a load of pigs in blankets and bought a deliberately non-veggie cheese board. Also have emergency rations of chorizo and rioja.

A boost Sherpa you say… I wonder if they’ll add ~35mm to the reach as well. Mmmmm….

Re: Hope v Shimano – depends what you mean by worth. Functionaly? Doubt it very much. Bling? Yep.

If you’re going for XT cranks, make sure you put some invisiframe type stuff on them or they’ll look super tatty really quick.

@Tom – the Shan GT is def on the list, I just wish it was British (and ideally made by Bird).

Bird Aeris. Amazing bike, awesome service, loads of choice.

Slight hijack; I’m contemplating another hardtail build (prob 29) and like the look of the Sherpa but it isn’t boost. I don’t *need* boost but is buying a 142 axled bike buying something that’s out of date?

what hainman said.

My v1.5 Aeris is freaking amazing. I didn’t try mine first but I did spend time talking to Dan about sizing using my old bike as a base. He was spot on.

Logic? On here? WTF is going on?

I’ve got a gpx route from Plymouth to Exeter across Dartmoor if you fancy it. Prob about 70% ish off road.

Bacon
No roadies
Cake
Large or small stuff not poncy sizes
Bacon
Repair stand
Tea in mugs
Bacon
Efficient service
Cake
Fair prices
No roadies
Sorted….

Buy the cheapest one possible because if it’s anything like all the other remote control cars I know of it will be left to gather dust after a week or two.

I’m happy with my MW81s and two pairs of merino socks (one long, one short). I’m sure there are warmer / drier boots out there but I guess it depends on how cold you get / where you’re planning on riding.

I use Viewranger with the map tiles download to my phone so just need a GPS signal. Got me 105km across Dartmoor just dandy. Best to plan to the route on a decent size screen but the App route editor is pretty good. For bugger all money it’s worth a crack (their support is also really good if you need it).

Book a house on airbnb and get trollied. Sorted.

January. Xmas has come and gone, invariably skint, usually rubbish weather.

On a more positive note, April is my fav. Warmer, lighter and normally drier.

Don’t let it hold you back any more…

Oh God, I used to be cool :cry:

So a private company offers training to women in a female only environment so they know there’s no chance of blokes being dicks. Then a bunch of blokes respond by being dicks. Well done chaps, great way of proving a point.

I forgot ‘ecosystem’ when referring to an industry or sector.

Spend time working in FinTech and your head will explode with all the bull$hit :wink:

Curate
Reach out
Disrupt
Very (etc.) unique

Let’s go and amplify the low hanging unicorn!

How tall are you / wide shoulders / arm length / where do you ride etc? I’m 6′ 1″ and would happily

I’ve always been a worrier whilst on hols. The closest I’ve come you a resolution is a decent handover and a decent manager who has your back whilst away (ie; if it happens whilst you’re off they’ll deal with it). Not perfect but a start. W@nker bosses make holidays pretty pointless.

‘Nice’ watches are great until you need to fix the little gits for innocuous incidents. Speaking as someone with a Seamaster and Calibre 16.

Have I missed someone claiming Escape To Victory?

Admittedly pneumatic a different phone (Samsung s7) but recently Chrome was causing media server to run all the time and draining the battery. Switched to Firefox and it was OK. Might be something similar?

I reckon it’s TJ messing with our heads.

In true STW style I’ll ignore what you’ve narrowed it down to and recommend what I ride, a Bird Aeris. 140/150mm travel out back, up to 160mm on the front. Great for messing about or full-on big days out.

Or a Jeffsy if you want a great bike with big wheels and a daft name.