Ordered Friday, posted Monday, arrived today. Left to right: MX201 (41), MX237 Endurance Wide (42) and CX237 Wide (42). I always thought the shape of the MX237 toe box was off.

As the MX201’s are size 41, my old custom insoles don’t fit; not surprising as they were made for a size 42 shoe. Interesting that they’ve changed the type of insole they ship.

Initial impressions? They’re on the small side length wise, the fit around the heel isn’t tight enough and they really should have used two BOA dials rather than one. Other than that, they appear to be the bees knees, the dogs dangly bits, and every other expression of wonderment.

I sent the dimensions of my feet to LAKE, they though either the 40.5 or 41. I was more concerned that I’d need the 43, given the widths stated on their size chart. Trying them with my thickest Sealskinz socks, there’s just not enough room length wise, the width seems fine; even though they’re technically half a centimetre too narrow.

Will try them on with a variety of socks this evening. Can help but think they’ll be going back for a larger size.

I pulled the trigger on a pair of the lake mx201’s and just got them delivered this morning.

I need some flats and am struggling to find any wit ha wide enough toe box. I wear Lems Primal 2 day-to-day and already haver two pairs of wide fit Lakes. Did you get these direct from Lake in the US, or is there somewhere in the UK (EU) selling them?

I know it’s not bee na couple of weeks yet, but first impressions…? Especially on how true to size they are?

How does it go between Cambridge and Haverhill? Couldn’t see the whole route in the OP but maybe I’m being blind?

It follows the Roman Road, but rather than going all the way, it drops you down into Linton via Rivey Hill. However, it takes you on a bizarre loop through some back streets so you can pass the newsagent, rather than just going round the one way system; which it takes you round anyway. It then takes you down the A1307, which is dual carriageway at that point, rather than a bridleway which would avoid that. To be honest, there’s no logical reason for it to go down into Linton and you’re better off staying on the Roman Road all the way.

Once the rideable bit of the Roman Road finishes between Streetly End and Horseheath, it takes you down a load of footpath, before dumping you out onto the A1307 again. There’s more footpath on the way to Sturmer, where it dumps you onto the main road again to slog it out to Stoke; it’s not like there a bridleway out of Sturmer that would shorten time on that road or anything.

Way better ways of getting from Cambridge to, and round, Haverhill without having to subject people to the local road of death, and pointless deviations.

I don’t know about the Suffolk Coastal path but the track along the river from Wivenhoe is definitely a mixed use foot and cycle path as far as the edge of Colchester: https://www.visitcolchester.com/things-to-do/the-wivenhoe-trail-p1250381

That bit is NCR51/EV2, it’s the bit after that, Brightlingsea Branch (?) that I’ve got concerns about. Although the Google Streetview of the start at Wivenhoe Quay shows a bloke on a bike heading straight for it… 🤷 The route shortly heads back up to join the NCR, so if I get there and it’s not, I can just follow the NCR anyway.

Past the Martello towers from Bawdsey is a trade route for cyclists at the weekend.

That’s good to know, there does look like a track parallel to the footpath, just wasn’t sure of its status.

Be wary of The Sailors path from Snape to Aldeburgh as we haven’t had that confirmed as a mixed use path yet. (We is work, cycling holidays for the gentry in Suffolk & Norfolk).

I took one look at that bit and said nope. My route takes the byway up to the main road, then a bridleway on the other side a short while later, before dropping into Aldeburgh on Leiston Road. To be honest, it would probably be easier to heading into Leiston, then take the bridleway through the golf course, and pick up the byway to Sizewell; I have no great inclination to go to Aldeburgh , but maybe it’s pretty or something…

Thanks both.

On some level I have to trust that whomever came up with this route knows what they’re doing, but that Sailors Path, the bit our of Lakenheath, and the utter cluster **** between Cambridge and Haverhill has raised concerns.

https://www.hopetech.com/_repository/1/documents/2019EVOCrankInstructions-GB_FR.pdf

Rode some bridleways and byways on Saturday…

Finished building up an old On-One Scandal frame today, and rode it up and down the High St adjusting things…

I’ve got a pair of DT Swiss GR 1600 SPLINE® that have been pretty much faultless. Maybe slightly more than you’re willing to pay though, I got them from Germany pre-brexit. I’ve also got a pair of HUNT 4 Season All-Road, which I used on the road during the winter. They were fine and I’d have happily tried them off road if I didn’t already have the DT Swiss ones.

Women of The Highland Trail 550

Get yourself some HIGH5 ZERO tablets, other brands do similar things.

I’ve been trying to find some Teravail Rutland 700x47c in the durable casing, but can’t find anywhere with stock. Does anyone know anywhere that’s got some…?

I’ve got the SPANK Wing 12 Vibrocore™ Drop Bar on my RAG+, they’ve been, er, variable. Sometimes I quite like them, mainly when running around on back country roads. Sometime I loath them, mainly when running around on rock hard, horse hoof chewed up bridleways.

They’ve certainly reduced the hand numbness I used to suffer from, but not totally eliminated it; I also run their gel pads under the bar tape. After long days, +200km, on multi-surface rides, the upper body is noticeably fatigued, sore and feeling battered. I’m considering replacing them with Lauf Smoothies, which should probably tell you everything you need to know.

Did it on my gravel bike, which was mostly fine, although I did feel I would’ve benefited from higher volumes tyres in a few places. The bits I didn’t ride, like that mental steep flagstone stepped descent, I wouldn’t have ridden on a MTB anyway…

I would never have come to ride my bike in this part of the country if it hadn’t been for this event, and that would have been my loss. What a spectacular place.

Headed out last night to bag my December bivy and attempt the Restrap Solstice Century.

A brew with a view (of a composting loo)…

Low sun, and flat, straight fens roads, made for a couple of near SMIDSY’s…

Made it to Phoenix Cycleworks for coffee and cake, my Wahoo was on 4% battery and my phone not much better. I was also wearing too heavy a top, so my base layer was sodden, and I was getting chilly in the wind. So I bailed for home, rather than risk not being able to phone for help. Only managed 123 km, but as I didn’t eat or drink enough, it feels like I did far, far more.

Lovely day for it…

It’s a cable entry/exit flap. Normally used for charging things in the bag from your dyno, but I use it for the cables from my light battery.

Moots Routt YBB

I bought a job lot a while back, they didn’t work for what I wanted as the tyres were too loose. DM me your address and I’ll chuck you a couple in the post.

Thanks all. In the end I just boshed round the Icknield Way to the pineapple on a plinth war memorial and headed through Brandon Country Park.

FFS! Bought a new Cane Creek 40 Series IS42/IS52 headset, and I can’t get the 🤬 thing to compress.

Bike is now in a bike shop, as I give up…

take hambini with a pinch of salt

There was a thread on here recently about wither MTB was still to male dominated. If you take arseholes like Hambini with anything, you are contributing to it being that way.

Hambini is a 5 year old aerospace engineer/powerpoint expert that makes the world’s best? bottom brackets and roasts brands/people when warranted, he roasted a female cycling journalist on technical merit and she pulled the sexism card that’s all.

Yeah, he definitely just stuck to the technical aspects…

Who’s Hambini

A “Shockjock engineer” misogynist…
https://road.cc/content/news/shockjock-vid-seeks-refute-sexism-claim-reinforces-it-272869

I know they’re not bibs… Ars Nix MTB Liner Short for £19.99…?

I did it for two years, on an old Spech Hardrock with slick tyres and panniers. As has already been mentioned, Fridays were hard, especially if it was windy, or wet. Nothing worse than putting wet cycle clothing on, to go home in the dark, while it’s raining and windy. I also found that I needed to eat in the late afternoon, as sometimes I would bonk on the way home.

Route choice is another thing, have more than one. Nothing worse than doing the same route everyday. Sometimes I’d take extra stuff with me, so I could cycle in on a road bike the next day, than I could take a different route, or go much, much, faster on the more direct route.

Do I miss doing it? Sometimes, but it really ate into the day, especially as I couldn’t guarantee my finishing time, so was getting home when the kids were already in bed etc. It was nice in summer though…

Decided to head out on a long(ish) ride yesterday, haven’t been further than ~70km since lock down started. Took in some new to me bridleways and byways, some were nice:

Some I imagine would be hellish in the winter slop, or after heavy rain:

I’d really like whoever looks after Lackford Lane, to look after some of the byways closer to home. Last time I was along here, it was full width, ankle deep, rutted, sticky slop, now it’s smooth and flat. Shame it’s so sandy though…

Speaking of sand. The route I’d chosen to take, took me up into Breckland, and due to all the dry weather, it was like riding on a beach. I think I would still have been having a hard time on a fatbike at 2 – 3psi:

I couldn’t ride some bits, with the front wheel digging in, or wandering all over the place. Thankfully there was plenty of grass verges and what not to ride down instead. Last time I came through Deadman’s Grave, was on my March BaM and the weather was slightly different. The ruts were at least cyclable then though, and there were no Spawn of Satan lounging all over the place:

Then is was back onto more familiar roads, bridleways and byway to get home:

@househusband I bought a pair of 700 x 43c before you posted, so you might want to hit up @toby+mc. Thanks for the offer though!

Thanks everyone, looks like it’s Gravelkings then…

I though Enduro bearings didn’t have the best rep…?

Dried out so quickly the horse hoofprints didnt get eroded into the ground which is making my usual CX loops quite tough in places where normally jt’d be super quick!

This.

Also, some of the fen loam is now so dry, it’s like riding through sand…

There is a formula 1:1:2:3…

For a 20cm square tin:

• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 100g golden syrup
• 200g unsalted butter
• 300g porridge oats
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda (optional)

Bake at 150°C for 25 – 30 minutes; for a crisper flapjack bake at 190°C for 30 minutes. Once you have the basic recipe down, start adding stuff. Anything liquid, i.e. bananas or passion fruit etc, will require a longer bake. Anything like raisins, sultanas etc, can catch if they’re on top, so sprinkle onto the bottom of your tin, before adding the flapjack mix.

Because of the formula, you can do things like 50g treacle / 150g caster sugar, and as long as you keep everything else the same it’ll be fine.

I was going to enquire if anyone had any thoughts to share on the Vee Rail gravel tyre. They were only £15 an end with the MAYMADNESS code, but it no longer appears to be working on them, which is a shame…

@easdoesit thanks for the offer, but I’ve already bought that one from Bikemonger.

@continuity there’s a 2-3mm gap between the top of the top spacer (which is a 10mm one) and the steerer tube, precisely for the reason you mention.

Cheers @Stablebarns, that looks just the ticket…

I’m running 1x and have similar issues to @iainc. My pads have 3.5km in them and the front lever is getting very close to the bars with hard braking.

Yup, watched that. The Brand X one is supposed to be for 1⅛” steerers, but is ridiculously loose when you first put it in. The Planet X one looks a decent length, the Spesh one seems hard to get hold of…

Islabikes Beinn 24, my kids loved theirs. Yes, they’re not cheap, but they just work, and they hold their resale value.

How flared are we talking here…? I’ve got some SPANK Wing 12 Vibrocore™ bars with GRX on them, the flare is just enough, no complaints there. The only problem I have, is I went for the narrower option, should’ve gone slightly wider…

Aye, the MT500 would’ve been perfect… 🤷‍♂️

Ah. I did have issues with my Singletrack II shorts and liner being too hot during the summer of ’18. Given that I’m only really riding early mornings at the moment, that shouldn’t be an issue. I suppose what I’m after is something a bit more thorn proof and heavier wearing than straight up roadie bibs.

I was planning on getting the new Galibier Pro 6 Endurance bib shorts, but am worried about what would happen to them on an encounter with some brmables, or blackthorn, etc.

I got a Norbar one after recommendations on here, it’s lush. Only works the one way mind, which is a shame for BB’s…

There seems to be quite a few mint looking On-One Fatty Trail frames going on eBay from multiple sellers…