32t single chainring (not NW), 11-34 cassette and a superstar components chain guide. Riding on Dartmoor.
Have been using it for well over a year and have loved it. I’ve only ever dropped the chain once.

Can climb just about everything i’d want to on Dartmoor, unless wet and slippy. However, just about to switch back to a double up front, as have been doing longer rides in prep for 24/12 and am finding that it’s not low enough to spin and is taking too much energy out of me for a 24 hr race.

Jonestown re RockGardens, as expected horses for course etc. Love this. Would love to try one sometime – Have any made it to the SW / Devon yet?

oooo Very interested in this.
Have been riding a Scandal 29er with 2.4’s and 100mm sus fork for a while. But have been lusting after a simple, beautiful but capable machine for a while. Not found the right one until now.

I have never ridden rigid of road in anger. So one question I keep coming back to is, Rock Gardens.

How do rigid bikes and specifically this Stooge with 29+ tyres fair? For instance I feel I can ride my 100mm forked 29er with 2.4s through a local rock garden quicker than a 26” 5” trail bike I used to have….

Brant, thanks this is good news. Thought the Ancho looked a low rise, which is what I was after.

plus one -thanks, but looking for a very low rise and 20mm, if they are 20mm rise will be too much.

29er hardtail with 1 x 9, a ‘what I had’ set up which I’ve continued to ride with for over a year now.
xt long cage rear mech, non clutch
Hope single ring. Normal not a NW one.
Superstar components top guide.
Ratio is 32 chainring 34 cassette
I ride south Dartmoor mostly. It’s very doable. When I’ve been riding regularly you become quite used to it. But some climbs are no way sit and spin anymore.
Oh yea, not dropped chains at all. But then, am not a razzer

Gravesendgrunt the single track in your vid, from 1.30 onwards, was that on the long route? Didn’t make the cut for the long route, was riding my wife, it was her 1st off road ride over 30miles and we were mostly pootling along and having a mellow old ride. Loved it to bits though and will be back.

Must go find latest edition of Mag.
Has Dartmoor suddenly become Radulous?

Recommending HIUT Denim

Started by David Hieatt, the chap who started Howies.

The jeans are made in Cardigan bay, he’s trying to resurrect the jeans manufacturing industry that was in that town until the early 2000’s.

So lots of goodness going on with them.

Standard denim are £130 and the Selvedge are over £200 I think.

I fit into the Slim. I am quite slim, but do have proper cyclist thighs. They are snug and feel like cardboard at first. But 6 months in and waiting for their first wash they feel great.

There is always their regular fit too…

Apart from Jam Bo saying Bodmin (are we related – lol)and he has a good point. I can not believe no one has mentioned Plymouth!

Very local surf spots include Wembury, Fort Bovisand and Whitsand Bay. Bantham is about 45mins drive away and the North Coast of Cornwall is about an hour.

Then as far as cycling goes, Plymouth has a great scene, for XC (all the races at Newnham) DH (Gawton) and there is a good road scene. Then you can include some great Dartmoor trails in a day ride from the city centre.

Yep I would partake, attend, sell, buy etc.
Great idea.

Here’s my Scandal V2.
Pic taken on a wet and miserable Dartmoor this morning.

Have been feeling cramped with a 60mm stem, so put a flipped 90mm one on for today’s outing. What a rebel.
Much better position. I think 80mm would be about right. Also will try a flat bar as the new lower bar position felt better. Riding the fork much more.

Brant – thanks for the snippet of info regarding Parkwood. If it is Fireline styley regarding geo and riding approach, but alu and price of the old Scandal….then probably on for one of those this summer then. My only complaint with my Scandal has been length of it’s back end.

Socks? Madness. I run in inov8 trailrocs. Most of my running is a km or two on lanes then woodland trails or open moorland. Mostly muddy. So with the comFort of the minimalist trainers and constant mud, I don’t wear socks.

You run in socks? weird.

And while Brant is around and full of wine, what is the Parkwood HT that has been subliminally mentioned…

stevede – that drop at Gawton – on a hardtail. You idiot. Did you survive?
(fair play if you did sir!)

Surfing – Longboarding
Trail running
Setting up new business venture seems to be all time consuming right now

Selling my Pink Mk1 Dialled Bikes PA frame last year.
Crashing on a stupid 69er experiment 5 years ago, dislocating collar bone and ribs, and allowing the hospital to boot me out as I’d been in casualty for 4 hours. Ribs still not in place and moving around occasionally…

Frankers – yes all parts moulded, assembled and packaged in the UK.

Count zero.
Yep it’s from good old totnes!
Yes a lanyard can be attached. They even have a floaty lanyard wrist attachment available…

As for Lifedge 5c case. Very true. But they are only a surprisingly small company and the amount of money tooling for this sort of thing costs is quite frightening (for a small company!)

Whoops. Damn predictive text
http://Www.Lifedge.co.uk

They have nice bike mount that let’s you film while riding as well.

Jumping in to promote the business my wife works for. LIFEDGE
They’ve recently launched their own waterproof case for iPhone 5 and 5s. Matches the lifeproof for spec, but way nicer materials and better performance. Designed AND made in the UK, so that’s groovy and matches lifeproof for cost I think.

http://Www.Lifedge.could.uk

Guys,
Thanks all for your helpful posts. That Vid is great and quite inspiring, lots of ideas for my workshop in that alone, which at the moment is just an empty shed.

Good links too.
Thanks all.
Jus

WOW again!

Wonder how well this works out for Mongoose though. Never see any Mongoose bikes out on the trails….
Either way, keep the vids coming!

Not sure he is the ‘best’ dog for running, but I have a Border Terrier and he loves running with me. He seems to switch into a different mindset when on a run. A no dicking about keep with the pack mentality. But only if i’m moving fast enough.

Not sure if this is normal for the breed, as he does have days when he just doesn’t want to go….

OP same here. Have trail run way more than ridden over the past 18months.

Love the simplicity of heading out of the door with minimal kit and my dog. Getting all my biking gear together seems way more of a faff. I think the way I have been working and more demands on my time have played a big factor though.

I guess it helps living near good woodland and moorland.
Still love riding, but that seems to be more of a ‘treat’ at the moment and if I can be bothered!

I’ll second Cardinham woods trail centre. It’s at Bodmin, about 30mins drive max from Padstow & flippin ace. The woods centre/car park area is quite kid friendly, play areas, stationary bbq set ups, grassy areas & nice cafe.

Maybe try pouring some coke into the frame to eat any corrosion. I think

920g!
Crikey and a step up in weight. But this tyre change is for the ‘rainy season’ so will have more things to worry about than weight.
Thanks

Yep, the Chunky Monkey’s are 2.4s.

I have some Racing Ralph 2.25’s right now. Not much clearance at the back (maybe 6 or 7mm either side of the side lugs)so was worried about going any bigger.

Was out on my local trails today and they were a bit wet for the 1st time in ages. Struggled for grip on a few climbs, had a few rear end sliding sideways moments on some of the steeper DH’s and it has made me start to think about a bit more grip. Maybe a CM is a bit too much…

Well there is a little bit / the 1st bit of single carriage way up on Bodmin moor at Temple. But not for very long. Then it is now dual carriage way down to the roundabout that takes you to Truro. Can’t remember it’s name.
However for st.austell, you could always go via a38 from exeter, through plymouth…but it is single carriageway when you cross the bridge into Cornwall.

Sam, “Also have a 29+ front and rear frameset in the pipeline, but that is some way further off – likely summer 2014.”!!!!!

that’s the line we’ve all been waiting for someone to say!

Hi, I run 1 x 9 on my Scandal. 32 x 11-34. XT rear mech, no clutch. Front ring is a 32t hope ring and I use a Superstar chain guide thing that fits as a BB spacer. No dropped chain yet on rocky Dartmoor bridleway descents at high speed. However have dropped the chain when slow / stationary and accidentally pedal backwards.

Stayed there last November. It’s a good location to do the W2 ride from. It was a miserable wet cold day, but we happily rode out of the lodge straight into the Wall final few descents.

Seemed a good price for basic bunk accommodation, but had everything we needed. Great lasagne and chips for dinner for a £6, almost more than we could eat.

Ha, Downtube dents are standard down here I’m afraid!

No mention of bridleway maintenance here:
Devon County Council Cycling plans update link

Grizla, thanks for the feedback re preferring to ride your Bfe. Interesting as I was starting to consider a fatty as a fun trail alternative to my Scandal.

I can’t help sadly, but am keen to hear of your progress. I have some bone spurs from an old injury that are causing some intermittent problems when I up my running miles and an arthroscopy has been the recommended fix. But am holding off for now…

Daisy_Duke 5kg!!! No way. Gylly is 10.5kg, but a very tall boy. We’ve trimmed him down since last summer as he was almost 12kg…..He now looks maybe a bit too skinny.