Awesome little dogs. You’ve just got to show them who is boss from day one. Much like any other dog I suppose. However 100% recommend. Don’t eat loads like a Labrador or bigger dog, yet has a brain and knows how to use it!

I like the phrase above about reaching a mutual compromise with them. I think that is a fair assumption. We took ours to puppy training classes for the 1st 18months and it helped us a lot. However I do believe that there is a small part of his brain that we just cannot access. The parts that switches off when he see’s rabbits, squirrels or sheep. However he always comes back, he doesn’t like being away from us for long.

They are very loyal and caring, but equally can be stubborn buggers. He is great with our 2 and 4 year old niece and nephew, he seems to go into a calm state when they are about and let’s them play around with him.

He’s a great trail dog. As Drac says, bred for following horses on the hunt. But he will happily sleep all day under my desk as well.

I take him trail running and riding. It’s a bit unfortunate that I haven’t been able to stop him chasing sheep as I can’t really take him on open moorland off the lead when sheep are around. But through the woods on twisty trails that he knows, I struggle to keep up with him. He often comes back to me barking as if to say “hurry up!”.

Unfortunately I have no pictures to show as Posterous is no longer with us. But he is identical to Drac’s above…

Hmm hopefully the Fat bike itch will go away….

If I rode one, would I ever want to ride my Scandal again…
Does anyone have one on or near to Dartmoor?

Not sure if budget can stretch to the Gore’s. Will look into the Altura’s though. The Madison ones don’t look as tough…

Thanks, thought it was the Warren House Inn I could see. Don’t get up to the Headland Warren area much. An overnight trip like yours would be a good way for me to get up there I think.

Bovey Tracey? Although still 15mins or so drive to the M5.

Nice pics Northerner. What Tor is that and where did you start from? I don’t recognise the singletrack?

Aw yea! Let’s keep this thread going. Very fatty curious after seeing Beerbiker’s at Twentyfour 12 last weekend. It’s a good looking bike, for a fatbike. I really don’t need one, but it would be a good project to keep me busy during the winter.

Bencooper, that was the sort of answer I was hoping for. Phew & thankyou

ifor – I’m 5’11 and 19/20ths of an ich, basically a gnats whisker under 6′, with 34″ inside leg and I have an 18″ Scandal. It’s spot on i’d say. wouldn’t want to go any bigger.

Beerbiker – Am I correct in thinking you are based on Dartmoor? If so, would love the chance some time to have a test ride on your Fatty?

Thoroughly loved the event as well. It was my 3rd 24/12 at Newnham and the best so far. So many positives. Please let it be back there next year. Just working out which race to enter next year!

the http://www.davehayward.com website now has his pics on

Bugger, ground will be hard to get me tent pegs into ;-)

Any conditions updates from anyone who has arrived early?

We had a pretty heavy downpour overnight in South Devon, but my local woods were still very hard and non muddy this morning, just wet on the roots. Sun is now beating down as well. So i’d imagine the course conditions will be just fine.

No dramas.

Hello! Riding the 24hr pairs with my Bro in law. Team Midge Bite Racing. I’ll be riding a black Scandal 29er with white forks, probably a black jersey with red arms. Oh and i’m a baldy.

Arriving Friday morning, hoping to get a good trackside space. Look out for slightly rusty white mercedes vito, blue Vango tunnel tent and on Friday evening our bent (from last years storm) gazebo will be going up. The wife and friends have are a team of 4 in the 24hr mixed category as well.

Really looking forward to it!

So weather forecast update….the BBC website shows thundery showers all week in SW Devon continuing through the weekend. The met office shows that the rain will have moved on by the weekend.

Anymore wisdom out there?

yep, not enough rain forecast to make it a bog. it may all change as well. I will happily take ‘dry under with slippery top’

It will be a shame if the event moves from Newnham…

But go on then, lets talk tyres…. I’ve been holding of buying some new mud tyres becasue our ‘dry season’ looked to be extending beyond the 24/12 weekend. But a look at the weather forecast this morning shows a bit of rain next week down here in Devon and maybe some rain over the 24/12 weekend. I think this will only be showers….but is it sensible to stick with the Racing Ralph’s or worth having some mud tyres ‘just in case’?

My memories of last years 24hr walk are making me twitchy….

I can concur with Andyl, as I have it written on a post-it note on my desk from when I sorted this a month ago….
Top:2
Bottom: F

You’ll still need a top cap and bolt though…as the pick n’ mix doesn’t come with one

Thanks for the help guys.
Yes credit and short term loans. Yes ability to send payments. All my purchasing will be £. But I could very easily see payments coming in in € and even $…

Fun for your money – Scandal 29er!

Have only had experience of a few 29ers, a Giant XTC, a Carve and i’ve finally got my V2 Scandal built.

It’s intended use is local woods, Dartmoor long XC, the odd trail centre when visiting mates and some endurance races that I only really enter to test myself on with no hopes of podiumering.

I’ve only been riding it for a week and a half, I certainly didn’t go to town on the build, 100mm Reba maxle, 1 x 9 XT and some de-badged Giant P-XC2 wheels, with Racing Ralph Tyres.

But, I friken love it! So far it’s ridden local woods a handful of times and Cardinham. But I’m really happy with it. It’s soooo much more capable technically and on steep switchbacks in my local woods than I had expected. I am off the brakes on stuff I’m usually braking into, so that’s gotta be good.

Riding it over to and around Lustleigh on Thursday night, so that will be a good test for it!

Thanks for help guys. Have heard good things about the Exped elsewhere and something just doesn’t seem right with the Alpkit one to me (and I like Alpkit gear, have one of there down bags). So think I’m going to get the Exped.

Thanks

Readying myself to invest in a decent thermal matt.

Obvious choice is the Thermarest NeoAir xlite, but it is quite pricey. After seeing the Hyalite Peak Elite Ac advertised for about £50 i’m very tempted by that.

Any opinions on these tow or similar?

I’m after a fairly small pack size and weight, warm enough for year round UK, maybe not snow.

Thanks

I’ve ridden it twice now / had two visits. Living between Cardinham and Haldon (well closer to Haldon by 20 mins driving, but family and surf nearer to Cardinham) it makes a great wet weather or race training destination that you know you can reliably ride when the moor is too wet. I imagine i’ll use it a lot in the winter.

Aside from that I think it is great. Swoopy, quick and fun. Maybe this is what a trail centre should be, as you don;t get that sort of riding on the natural trails around here, so a good alternative to that!

I agree, I do think the maintenance guys have got their work cut out as some of the switchbacks and berms are already encouraging braking bumps!

I love running in Inov8’s. The minimal think is proving good for me. I’m sure other brands minimal shoes are great too. But i’ve used inov8 for a few years now and they work so sticking with them.

However, currently using the zero drop trailroc 235’s and the upper, the material right where they bend is wearing very quickly and devloping a hole. It seems others have experienced this too….I guess it’s a price to pay for a very lightweight shoe.

Just (finally) finished building up my Scandal 29er – medium frame. Certainly new bike love, but i’m very pleased with it. Feels a lot more capable than the Giant XTC29er I had tried before.

Quick on flowing trails as you’d expect and way more nimble than the Large Cannondale Rush it has replaced, a lot easier to manual…I was surprised by this.

The most challenging bit of trail it has been on so far are the steep chutey switchback berms on the red at Cardinham in Cornwall. It gave me a lot of confidence and grip through those.

Xiphon – Is that my old Mk1 PA frame??!!!! Awesome. Loved that frame. Have you got the forks reduced to 140 or shorter? It was great fun at 140mm up front, but handled singletrack much better at 130.

Great to see new life in Pinky!

Yep. Only once though. I was very impressed. The surface isn’t that rough, but it’;s very very flowing and the final Red descent is great!

Johnny – Just seen your link, I like the sound of that! Will be trying that tonight / tomorrow evening! Will report back

Thanks for the tips guys.
I do have removable cores, but didn’t appreciate that the tyres would stayed beaded and allow me to get the core back in. So will try that approach next.

Also, thankyou Frankers, you may have hit on a good point. My track pump only works if the elbow exiting the barrel is bent one way, it’s a bit of a PITA, so was thinking of replacing it. If a track pump with greater volume will help, then maybe that is a good move.

Great tip, thanks!

Surely the fluid doesn’t get all the way around, because the tube is in the way?

Hi Guys,
have the same problem as above – Have a new Scandal 29er frame and a tapered fork and the On-one Smoothy mixer 1.5″ crown race is out of stock.

Now looking to go down the Hope Pick n Mix route – so are we sure that the Scandal headtube sizing is: ZS 44/28.6 | EC 49/40?

Any experiences of Beavers running tubeless? Do the wire bead ones have slightly stronger sidewalls and seal up better on rims?

Thanks all.
Yep worried about Beaver sidewall longevity, but it seems the largest….but will check out the Purgatory

To be honest i’m switching from 26 ht to 29er ht. Only just got around to putting Mud X’s on my 26 this winter and it was a revelation. I’m not a big bit tyre swapper (for the summer), so as it’s muddy 90% of the time around here i’m going to go with mud tyres from the off. But am worried about loosing volume…

I was told that blade grinders cut and not grind, so you do not get the best flavour release. So we bought a manual grinder one that is available through Origin coffee. It’s a lovely little bit of kit.

Tiamo Hand Coffee Grinder

MarkLG, just seen your post. It’s deffo steel, but there is a badge that says made in Taiwan. Did they make steel frames in Taiwan?

Eyerideit – I may well be in touch…

MarkLG – In that case my friend who mentioned metal matrix was getting carried away, as i’m pretty sure it’s steel. I’m no 90’s bike expert, so looking for advice there as well. It looks, rides and sounds like steel. There is no material logo on the frame, except on the seat stays it says taper butted oval section. So it’s steel.

The fork on there now is adjustable, 85mm to 115mm. It feels awful above 100mm and lovely down at 85mm, so a shorter rigid fork is probably going to be better and I think the 69er idea may be out of the question. I think it may just handle like a dog. Also I have a lovely xtr hub on the front, so rebuilding a 26″ wheel with a light v-brake rim will make good use of that….now to find a suitable fork…

Marty – it’s steel. Been told it’s the ‘metal matrix’ frame…

Ah got it. Penny has dropped not. So a 445mm fork will give the same HA and bar height with 26″ wheels and 100mm forks (approx.) and you can squeeze a 29er wheel in! Nice. I’ll go and measure the axle to crown of the current fork and see what I get…
Thanks!

445 and 400mm or less? Are these the ideal axle to crown heights for a rigid fork on a 26″ bike? Are they suspension corrected lengths or will that steepen the front end even more?

Yunki, exotic carbon, why that fork in particular?

Did a 70km charity XC ride on Sunday, have hardly ridden this year. Maybe been on the bike for a grand total of 4 hours max since early Jan. I was worried about it but was absolutely fine.

Drink loads of fluids the day before, big dinner and regular food stops / eating a little every hour will see you right.