So High Rollers if you are brimming with Gnar and ride proper with the bike at 45° on every corner and Minions if you are a bit of a tentative cornerer like me?

Yes single ply – possibly super tacky as it is for front and will not wear as quick as rear.
IIRC minion @ 2.35 is slightly narrower than HR @ 2.35…therefore is minion supposed to be more of a mud tyre as it is narrower?

@cruzheckler that is a very strong opinion! For what reason are they ****?

I have an 09 allez with tiagra compact chainset. It’s ace. no matter how hard i try I can not get half as geeky about road bikes as mountain bikes, therefore I can not see why i would want a more expensive road bike. I have complete JOGLE and a handful of triathlons on this bike and it is fine.
The allez frame does seem very light and the sizing geometry is spot on for my needs.
ok so there are lighter and more forgiving overall bike builds out there, but for my needs and budget the alez was perfect.

I think 105 is lighter and you’ll have closer gear ratios, so therefore be able to suit your cadence better to the terrain. but if the bike is only for 10 mile commutes, then stick with tiagra.

may I also suggest that for lane commutes you may want something a bit more comfortable than an allez, it does have very racey / climbing geometry!

TM – nope. I think from the main road you can get onto it on double track.

The way we ride it is to come down Dr B, then you come round the last long bend of the bridleway, the bridleway gets a little steeper then on the RHS you can pull of, almost doubling back on yourself. There is a clear track/route that would be at about 90°, but the one you want is almost doubling back on yourself and it leads down to and through the ‘quarry’ area where people sometimes camp…

i’ll show you when / if we meet up. drop me a line

Wingnuts, of course it’s all in the lever throw! So any shimano front mech ok?

forgot to say for orientation purposes in that photo I am looking north towards the dart valley and Dr B from a field on the two moors way footpath from Holne to Newbridge

@trailmonkey, Junki, Carlphilips & Jambo – i’d love to get together and pool resources to make some new loops around this area, [as it is easy to ride out to for me and easy to return home to buckfastleigh via Hembury woods!] just looked at the OS and didn’t realise how big Ausewell wood was, i’m intrigued!
Not free for riding this weekend, but most weeks i’m trying to put tuesday and wednesday nights aside. my email to arrange things is floydjt@hotmail.com

the pic below is a teaser of the the Dr B single track. TM I can not believe you guys haven’tridden this before. Peel right of the Dr B bridleway at approx 704713, there are a few path splits where you can go wrong, but when you know it it is faaaast.

@trailmonkey the zig zag path, is that the one from the track under Bench tor that drops to the river, down to a nice big pool and slab arrangement? Have walked it but never ridden it yet. I did enjoy the single track and rock chute on that path! I haven’t riddent the Leigh Tor to Spitch descent, have walked it with the dog, we always peel right off Dr B and follow the single track down to the path from newbridge, love that bit of singletrack. Where is Auswell wood?
We should get together soon and explore. There are a 3 of us [me and 2 mates] who hail from Buckfastleigh that are trying to get together to ride weekly on a tue or wed evening…

On the subject of Dartmoor loops, we did a nice 42km loop route riding from Buckfastleigh on Saturday.
Buckfastleight to Kings Wood [surely we should get a group together and build some cheeky trails in there???]
KW to Cross Furzes.
Then follow the Abbots way up to Pupers Hill.
Descend to Lud gate, descend to Chalk ford, follow track to scorriton.
Via Holne to Venford. Out to Bench tor, descend down into valley on non OS map trail which loops under Bench Tor back up to Venford.
Climb to Combestone Tor
Descend to stepping stones on west dart near hexworthy
Climb up Dartmeet on road
Down Dr B.
Home via Hembury woods….
Took 4 hours, seemed to be a lot of climbing though, but some nice riding.

Borders and puppies, i’m in…

Gylly at 4 months!

At 8 months digging on the beach

Thanks Birly Shirly. Really helpful and in line with how I was starting to use it.
I’ve seen that it can be set up to perform well, just trying to get towards a standard set up procedure.

birly-shirly – single pivot and fsr system are obviously different, but any tips on the relationship / ratio between the SPV and air chamber? For an easy life [but more pedal bob] I end up running very little SPV and getting the sag set right on the air spring….

Thanks guys. previous owner had replaced the x-fusion shock with the manitou, and i bought the frame at a very good price. The bike fits me very well and handles well, so would be a shame to move it on. but the shock is starting to get really frustrating.

So, why/how will a coil shock ‘transform the bike’?

1. Averaged out over last 2 months as 2.75 per week
2. 13
3. Buckfastleigh to Totnes
4. 16-18mph

Good stuff! keep us posted / will have to come for a ride with you guys someday

You don’t mean Hembury woods do you, there is an old fort there and a great decent from it…although there are no cycling signs at Hembury…

if it is Holne Chase would like to know what you turn up as is rideable distance from home for me.

Can’t comment on the burning sensation. But Tick Twisters seem to do the trick and remove all the Tick. I think there is a 30 day window in within which a rash / red ring can occure around the bite. If you get this get yourself to the doc as it is likely you have Lymes’ disease! Some antib’s should sort that.

THREAD HI-JACK – Apologies
Anyone have anyneed for a waterproof case for iPad yet? If so what are you using?
What features do you require?

postierich – your Brooks really looks ok on that bike.
Those saying they look shite, why do you think they look shite?

I’m in.

Godzilla – I have a Pitch, but am Heckler curious. What made you swap? Why is the Heckler better than the Pitch and what sort of riding do you do?

Is the suspension more active being single pivot?

Lots of Border Terrier action on here…

“We should put a trail through here Dad?” [Kings Wood, Buckfastleigh]

Unfortunately working all week, but would love to be shown some new trails over that way. Please post if you guys are getting together at the weekends!

Also, last Thursday night [night before royal wedding etc] I passed a big group of MTBer’s in Buckfastleigh, was that any of you lot? I don’t normally see many MTB riders in Buckfastleigh and wondered who they were!

Thanks TR.
Hoped it would be as simple as that. And just been looking around on internet and see that CRC have the continental ones.

Posted a bit rashly, in the frustration that LBS had sold me the wrong tubes and that I had been a dim wit!

MEdium pitch, 80mm stem, but just about to fit a 60mm as the 80 is far to long, didn’t realise until riding it that I could get away with a shorter stem. 710mm bars

i’m 6′ , 33″ inside leg and have the seat post on Max for climbing firetrack and roads.

Riding rocky moorland half day rides and ‘light downhill’ HSD at Gawton

It’s long and the cockpit is longer than I expected which is nice

Thanks for advice guys. Will be using the work vice tomorrow on the PA!

Thread HiJack – very sorry, hope that is not bad etiquette.
I now have 2 steel frames with alu seat tubes stuck in them, Mk1 PA and old steel stumpjumper. Have tried WD40 and reasonable force on both [smacking seat with mallet]. I am happy to loose the seat tubes, so what to try next?

Bucko, just checked your linked and it dawned on me – £30 for an MTB tyre??!! What is the world coming to?!

Been using Advantage 2.25 60a front and back for a year now, seem fine on Most Dartmoor trails, lightweight[ish] AND high volume and fast rolling enough.
They seem better on anything pedally than the draggy Nevegals one of my friends runs.
Where are they on offer? I ask as the sidewall gave up on my worn out rear at the weekend and would like a replacement.

Away this weekend

Pitch

When you think about the brands available in South Devon, Orange isn’t mentioned [okay maybe Dartmoor cycles at Tav] and I only see loads of 5’s at trail centres, so a 5 would be a pretty standout bike for S.Devon, if being a little bit different / noticed is what you are after….

Dave with new username? If so this is Jus – Heard you were thinking of an Alpine 160….
Just built up the Pitch [coincided with seat post very stuck in Prince Albert] it’s ace – so save yourself some dollar and get yourself a new Pitch – comes with 150mm maxled up forks now, so prob bang on what you need…..

On old rusty dodgy spring balance / fishing type scales/balance I weighed mine at 27-28lbs:

Spec:
MK1 PA frame
Fox Float 140 forks
SLX drive train [xt cassette]
Avid Elixir R brakes [160rotors]
mavic Crossride wheels
2.25 Maxxis advantage tyres [tubeless]
bonty seat post
fsa 70mm stem
Funn fatboy 710mm wide bars
Charge spoon saddle

Was tough enough for high speed rocky dartmoor bridleways and HSD at Gawton and I think mid weight wheels and light fast[ish] tyres helped it feel spritely. Although was sadly taken apart last night for all kit to go onto a Pitch frame tonight!

In the words of Feeder

“Buy a house in Devon, Devon, Devon. Drink cider from a lemon????????”

We have a border terrier, Gylly, who is now 8 months. So this is a recent memory for us!

It took Gylly to to three months to stop weeing inside. No. 2 was a lot quicker than that to get sorted. As soon as he did a pee, we would pick him up and take him outside, that is all we did really. If he did a wee on the newspaper [by the door] he would get a treat and a ‘good boy’.

It may be that some dogs learn quicker? According to the lady who runs the puppy training classes we attend, it can take 2-3 months for their ‘bladder control muscles’ to work well enough to hold it in!

1 recommendation from a friend of mine was to go outside and pee in the garden yourself! The dog will copy, thinking it is the right thing to do…..

Mulletus Maximus – What sort of Design Engineering do you do / who do you work for?
I do similar, with ‘Product’ sometimes in front of Design, bit disillusioned with it, so am currently studying an MA in Design part time to learn how to be creative again and to hopefully find a more ‘positive’ way of working.

Finishing report and design work for final MA module of the year, so no riding this weekend [again]. The light at the end of the tunnel is coming and a normal riding schedule will very soon return!

Thanks all
gordi, what i like with a simple pair of vans is the slight flex in the sole that allows you to grip around the pedal, maybe best described as feedback??. The classic 510’s [is it the Impact?] look very stiff in the sole – I am wondering if they have enough pedal feedback?

Another 1 for the club!
Gylly at 4 months:

More recently at 7 months:

He is growing up nicely. Looking at him tonight I think it is time for hair stripping though.
I agree, Borders are ace!