For me and xc yes.
I’m racing in more xc races, getting bit fitter as time goes on and competitive streak coming through. From back to back testing of my Rush with my brother in law’s Giant XTC29er I know I’m way quicker on 29er hardtail.
Need to save some funds as swapping from 26 to 29 seems expensive, new wheels, forks etc…
& Bit confused by sizing though. Just need to test out more 29ers.

only 24lb!!! Good that’s what I wanted to hear

I’ll confess I’m turning into a weight weenie and big wheeler convert all at the same time….

5’11” 33″ inside leg here. Had a medium Pitch for about 6months. It’s got a silly long wheel base for a 17″ framed bike and therefore was an absolute weapon at any really fast or technical DH, climbed well too, albeit slow an steady. But I started riding more and more xc on it and wanted to get places quicker and felt it just wasn’t quick enough for me. Also saw a side on picture of me riding it and it looked like a BMX!
I never tried a large, but reckon that would have just been too long.

Longer stem would help out in the reach department though….I think

Haldon Cafe side, being the alternate side of the A38 to the ‘trail centre? Meaning race course side?

If so must get over there for a poke around!

Saw this the other day, great bit of riding.

But where are all those trails??? Some of it I recognise as Haldon, but where are the other ‘Gnarly’ bits????!

So on the South Dartmoor theme, here us a view of the Singletrack that feeds off from the Dr.Blackalls drive bridleway near Poundsgate and Newbridge. Coming down the bridleway, descend to within 500m of the road [maybe 1km] and on the right, sort of over the edge of the track, there is the remains of a little bit of quarrying.
Just past this you can see a grass track doubling back to the right and snaking off down the hill back towards the River, pull a foot out flat out handbrake turn and take the track as shown on the map!

oh – nice route – how far was that? Been thinking of riding that sort of route from home….

Yep, fair bit of riding around the Southern Moor if you know where to look. I live in Buckfastleigh and tend to cycle from home for my rides in the week. But as with a lot of Dartmoor stuff I seem to spend quite a bit of time linking stuff on the lanes.

Favourites would be:
Dr.Blackalls Drive. Can climb up off road from Newbridge and blat back down – and there is some “superfast singletrack” that forks off from the main bridleway back down to the River if you know where to look…I make the descent about 10 minutes!

Hembury Woods – I think this is naughty as it is National Trust owned, but there is some great single track in there.

Cross Furzes up to Pupers hill and descend to Ludgate and then Chalk Ford, then Scorriton.

Combestone Tor descent to Dartmeet

I know Big Peaks do a shop ride on a Thursday Night. I’ve yet to get out on a ride with them, but I expect they ride a few more routes over to between Ashburton and Hay Tor?

What was your route? Did you ride up on the old train line from behind Ivybridge? Although you came across the two moors way, so must have been over towards Puper’s Hill?

The ‘Stinger’ at Newnham Park this Sunday.
5km trail run, 20km XC MTB, 3km stinger [means mud, steeepness and bogs] run

It was sold out, but I think there have been a few people drop out. check it out on xcracer.com

@imjustinfloyd

I’m trying to make comments on “the intersection between art, design, craft and sustainable manufacturing with a perspective on locality and emerging economics” to back up my MA Design work.

So quite boring and confused probably verging on pretentious?!

Nick, Doug, thanks great tips. The NextGEN gallery is probably just what I am after. Also learning a little bit of code/css is probably needed. Doug, thanks for your offer of tips, I will probably be in touch!
Thanks

I have one. A Q530. Been running it for just over a year. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and a little bit of Solidworks 3d CAD. Seems ok. Actually much better than my previous Acer…but that could just be windows 7 versus windows vista…..

philstone – That little bit of singletrack that snakes down beside the fireroad from the top gate that you talk about is still there, I reckon the horse riders have sort of kept it clear. But it comes to an end at the 1st left on the fireroad. Where did it used to go from there? If there used to be a route leading away from that, it shouldn’t be too hard to make it useable again?!

Kingswood Buckfastleigh you say!
I take my dog for a walk in there 2 or 3 times a week, have been jogging in there and generally having a good look around for a year or so now. Unfortunately I can not find anything that resembles decent singletrack. All forested by Fountains now…..could do with a hand to build some cheeky trails in there though!

Thanks for posting that. Having grown up in Bodmin I have been waiting to see how these trails will turn out. I remember pootling around both the Cardinham and Lanhydrock woods on my Raleigh Amazon looking for steep bits of fireroad!

The Cardinham Trails look promising, especially knowing the gradient there and looking at how the red route covers the steep valley sides.

No matter how good the trails are, this is just what Bodmin needs i’d say!

A good reason to visit me Father!

So more specifically, is the new XR4 2.2 smaller than the old 2.2
[although I am tiring of this now] I may just go to the LBS and actually LOOK for myself in the real world…

sillyoldman indicated that the new 2012 XR4’s have reduced volume. This is good for me, as I need to replace the 2.25 maxxis advantage that is currently clogging up my Reba’s arch…. Old XR4 would have had same limited clearance issues.
Can anyone quantify how large the new XR4 is? Or comparisons to other tyres [as we all know tyre size speccing is never correct]

Still 5.5lbs/2.4kg frame?
the raw finish with orange graphics has sold it to me?!

Easy Easy!The tyre needs replacing anyway, so looking for what to change it to – which will then stay on there, not into swapping!

Arg would love to buld my pink Mk1 Prince Albert up again, but i’ve got a damn seattube corroded into the frame…..and now snapped off from my heavy handed faffing around with it to get it out. Have tried WD40 and bathing it in coke for weeks on end. Need to find someone with the correct size reamer!

emsz, I was recommended, when choosing my first pair of innov8’s, not to dive straight into the pair with the thinnest sole. They have levels of ‘shock zone’ decreasing from 4 through to 0 in 3mm increments. It looks like your 195’s have a 1?

I was told that if moving from a normal supoprt shoe to go no lower than a 3 at first, unless I wanted to pull my tendons from my calfs! Even with a level 3 I had about a month of calf ache and couldn’t run as often as i’d liked until they built themselves up to the task. They are fine now.

A chap I know who runs a branding agency that deal with the outdoor market said that he is worried the barefoot running movement will end up with a lot of people in a lot of pain and not adopting it properly for this reason!

ah just seen redfordriders post about barefoot running.
The running have been doing in the past year has mainly been offroad trail running with my dog. I swapped from some ‘supposed to be correct for my gait’ asics and nikes to some innov8 295’s. They are awesome. no bells and whistles, just lower to the ground, more supply and great grip. All the aches and pains I used to associate with running are now history. Even if I do the 12k run home from work in them….however with the innov8 system, you are moving towards a more barefoot style of running, running on your toes a lot more and it took about a month for my calf muscles to forgive me!

ah just seen redfordriders post about barefoot running.
The running have been doing in the past year has mainly been offroad trail running with my dog. I swapped from some ‘supposed to be correct for my gait’ asics and nikes to some innov8 295’s. They are awesome. no bells and whistles, just lower to the ground, more supply and great grip. All the aches and pains I used to associate with running are now history. Even if I do the 12k run home from work in them….however with the innov8 system, you are moving towards a more barefoot style of running, running on your toes a lot more and it took about a month for my calf muscles to forgive me!

I find running a great supplement to Riding.
It is the quickest way for me to loose weight. I had a period of time recently whereby I couldn’t get out on the bike as much, but ran almost daily.
I lost weight and when I got back on the bike I found my aerobic fitness greatly improved. I thought I [me and bike] felt lighter and the hills easier.

However when I loose weight through running a large portion of it seems to drop off from my thighs and arse, which translates into less power and long distance stamina on the bike. So need to keep doing both!

Nice report James, really as flickable as the Soul? If so that’s great as that was my main complaint when comparing xtc29er with my Rush as previously mentioned.

Thanks for advice guys.
XTR for £17 at Rose really?!

From one young Border Terrier to another Happy Birthday Dottie!
[Gylly is 18months old]

Dottie looks tiny! How heavy is she? Gylly is quite a large BT, his mother was average size but stocky and his father was very leggy. Gylly seems to have inherited both traits and is tipping the scales at 11kg currently. And he certainly isn’t fat…I hope he stops growing soon! Aren’t Border’s supposed to max out at about 10.5kg?

Latest trail of destruction photo attached.

Just checked out the new product pics on the Cotic home page and I think it is the most right looking 29er i’ve seen! Nice!
This coupled with back to back testing my Bro in Law’s Giant XTC29er against my Rush and realising the 29er was quicker and made we want to pedal pedal pedal and pedal some more [but not entirely sure it was as much fun, but that may change with bike familiarality] means that the Solaris may well be what I am saving my pennies for….

This is also true for Product Design. I work in the Marine industry, where yacht and boat builders production is down and design teams have been culled….so with not many jobs around employers can ‘get away’ with offering low salaries.

Thanks and apologies for the typo. 1.2m would be nice and stable in a straight line down hill though!

Ohhhh – I thought the Whippet frames had potential to look nice without the random whippet graphic etc etc….

Can a whippet take a 120mm fork? [isn’t it the same geo as a std inbred and they ride ok with 1200mm up front?]

Drac, Ha Ha – wouldn’t dream of it.
Love the mid air Yoda ears in your the picture in your 1st post!

Ours, Gylly, is 14 months old. Our neice and nephew are 3years and 12months old respectively and he is great with them. Considering he is such a lively and cheeky chap, when they are about he is calm and lets them stroke, poke and climb onto him without batting an eyelid!

Lots of energy, an hour of offroad running with me only just scratches the surface of his stamina but he can be found cuddling up to Mrs Julioflo on the sofa every evening.

Currently has an obsession for tennis balls.
To be fair he seems a little OCD about a few toys and routines…but hasn’t a bad bone in his body. Loves other dogs, is a player rather than a fighter. But we have found that we sometimes need to curb his excitement levels, which has escalated occasionally at dog training class.

Wouldn’t be without the little pretend wookie!

Pugwash, I seem to think you are in South Devon. We work in Totnes and Gylly is with us most days if you feel the need to meet another Border!

16mth old Border Terrier
James Wellbeloved – on the principle that it has few/less sugars and additives [can’t quote without looking at packet]
and the occasional tin of redic exp Lily’s Kitchen, but this is only when my wife passes a certain shop….
But he doesn’t eat much and it seems to last for ages!

Interesting stuff.
I did a back to back experiment at the weekend, my Bro in law’s new Giant XTC29er hardtail versus my Cannondale Rush. We rode the Verderer’s trail and the older Red run at the FOD.

Normally i’m faster than Eddie [Bro in Law], but on his new 29er he was keeping up. If he got in front, I had to work harder than normal to keep up. He was either fitter than ever, or the 29er was fast.
Then I tried the 29er and I was pulling away from him and putting distance on him with ease! Found I wasn’t thinking about how to ride over roots any more and the 29er was urging me to go faster and pedal more. When I returned to the Rush, it felt sluggish to climb.

Crikey. Proof [to me] that a 29er hardtail is a quicker bike than a 26″ 100mm xc bike…

But the 29er felt a bit odd. Bars bit too high and the whole bike felt tall. I felt much more confident in a rag the bike over jumps kind of way on the Rush. [But it didn;t stop me getting the Giant airbone a little too] BUT i guess i could get used to that….do i need to rethink my XC bike into a 29er….

We did JOGLE 2 summers ago, for the great charity Shelterbox based in Helston, Cornwall.

Used all our own kit.

But as Shelterbox knew we were raising a few quid for them they sent us and our wives/girlfriends shelterbox t-shirts, so everyone could be wearing them, support team and riders, as we approached Lands End. Then we were able to officially have a nice little whip around for Shelterbox when we got there.
It was a nice way to do it.

I’m on the ‘twatter’ as I once heard someone call it!?

Mainly use it to monitor ‘design’ related things. Things related to my MA in Design, Sustainable Futures.

If I [rarely] have something interesting to say that relates to that i’ll ‘tweet’

@imjustinfloyd – that’s me.

Thanks Ant. Think we can ride into the centre from B&B anyway, so that solves that.

Cardiff – yes was thinking that. Would be a good and varied weekend of riding then!