After borrowing a bike in France with the brakes the other way round- (left hand front) I slowly overtime switched all my bikes this way. This made sense to me if I’m overseas I don’t want to waste anytime adapting to the brakes being the other way round on any bike I borrow or if I have to buy spares, and in the UK you can usually find brakes the other way round discounted on sale. Win win 🙂

Yes- 185mm Front 160mm rear- I would recommend it. Using anything smaller on the front I’m slower- I like the improved feel and power and I’m less likely to cook the brakes. I really don’t see the point of trying to save a tiny fraction of weight on a brake by downsizing, but the majority of people don’t ride as fast as me 😉

Being local to the area and getting to ride here often I was also mystified by such reports of going through so many sets of brake pads. It could easily put people off with just the cost of brake pads, so thanks for your attempt to clear this up. I’m still mystified by why people do this race. Perhaps you could find some scientific answer, I get nowhere when I apply common sense to the question ‘why do the puffer’? Anyway I won’t lose any sleep over it.

Unlucky enough to be riding there earlier today- amazing weather, but too many ice patches. Not sure what tyres I would use for those trail conditions. You can still go round the course with min use of the brakes- not that you should be using them anyway if there is ice around + the course is not technically difficult (a bit like a nice blue route).

Nice work Hannah et al. Well done for producing overall a good short film & having the best job in the world. It has what you expect filming in this part of the world- amazing trail, stunning landscapes and an attractive personality leading us through her adventure. So what’s not to like about that? Not much really, but given that all the resources backing this production I was perhaps expecting a bit too much and was awaiting something really exceptional. Perhaps where this film falls short of the mark for me is it is perhaps a bit too realistic showing clearly the diverse Scottish conditions; great weather + crappy weather, great trails + some really poor ones. I’m not sure you would want that all on a film that’s supposed to be promotional. Also when undertaking such an adventure I’m sure they would have met some interesting characters along and/or had a good laugh. I’m guessing it’s down to the editing.

Heute letzter Tag

done

Sorry late reply- I’m at Kirchberg an der jagst (near Crailsheim) at least for the next week. Thankfully I will be returning to the north of Scotland for about a month so I will get some quality riding in. Hope to get out to Odenwald early next year. If anybody can show me the way that would be much appreciated 😀

Rickmeister- I’m not quite in the Black Forest close though and even closer to the Odenwald which I will now try out on my bike. 😀

Hey rickmeister good to hear that you’ve signed the petition. I’ve yet to hear someone tell me that biking is not allowed, so you must be a wee bit unlucky over in your part of the world. Good to hear that you don’t let it stop you.

Info for next time
Been biking all over UK and IMO the best trails for techy singletrack are to be found in Ross-Shire (Evanton woods, Alness by the river Averon, Fyrish and to the west of Fyrish just north of Evanton, Cats back (Between Dingwall and Strathpeffer), and not forgetting the obvious Contin and Learnie). Hope that you get to discover some amazing biking.
BTW Carbisdale isn’t a waste of time as it’s easy to link with Balblair via the railway bridge.

Performance wise a beer or two should not significantly hamper performance of the average rider. Depends when you have them and who knows having one or two might even make you go faster- if you have to tackle some very scary downhill or jump where courage is more important than lightning fast reactions.

Cold water immersion (cryotherapy) or the wearing compression gear for preventing muscle soreness after exercise (DOMS) has little benefit and even less upon performance.

Do what you know you should do every day, but even better. Eat well, hydrate and get plenty of sleep. If you not able to achieve those basics your performance will struggle at some point. These will help you more than any magic shortcut or product that some company has marketed towards us.

Thanks

I broke two titanium frames (Raleigh dynatech titanium) back in the early 90’s. 3rd time lucky though and the bike is still in use. Ti must be really really good though as some people pay £1,800 😯 or there about for a HT frame. Think I will stick to my Ragley Pig X for a bargain £160

I wanted to say that I’ve managed to get out on my bike to Golspie- thanks to Kyle for a bit of company. I was fighting back the tears, but I realise that I made a big step forward. Watching what few films I have of Skye helped. There should have been so many more if it wasn’t for that rubbish camera Drift HD Ghost- it managed to produce some of the poorest quality I have ever seen; forget filming in a semi-dense woodland the cameras light sensitivity is very poor despite making appropriate adjustments. Regrettably that led me to deleting lots of films and delaying shooting waiting for better light conditions for filming in the woodland spring/summer (now). I wanted to make a film of Skye and the amazing riding/scenery in Ross-Shire, a bit like a film I seen recently in Eden Court theatre about a dog called Lilly. The film was to help me overcome my homesickness when I eventually move to Germany in a couple of months. Being with Skye felt like everywhere was home. Now I dread moving and I’m not sure I will cope, but thanks to you all I’m coping for the moment.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words of support. I was feeling lost, thinking that nobody else would understand. It is thanks to Singletrack forum that I’m able to communicate with such kind hearted people. Thank you for making me feel a bit better and that it would appear that some people genuinely regard their dogs as their best friends. My Skye certainly was. She was always there for me, listened to every word I would say even when I was speaking to other people and get excited over things that she shouldn’t like if I said ‘rice’ in a sentence, she would have heard the ‘r’ and thought of her two favourite things to chase rabbits or rats. I think that I would have been her most favourite thing to chase when I’m on my bike, but the thing is she would always leave me well behind, be it a technical rocky descent like Golspie or single track on Fyrish. She would even come back for me to check if I was ok and the times I wasn’t ok like a crash she would cry for me and lick me all over my face until I got up. I have lost my companion and with it my desire to go biking. I know that it may take time as she died only yesterday, but I know that when I go biking I will have lost something irreplaceable. I just can’t think what it would be like to go biking alone and I certainly can’t see me making use of my exposure lights and go biking again in the dark. To me that just feels too lonely. That comes from a man who has climbed mountains in the dark in the coldest of winters (ice axe crampons type stuff) and set up a bivi for the night. I just can’t face being alone in the dark wilderness anymore, especially without in the without my best friend Skye.

It’s not even 24 hours ago that I just started playing Frisbee with sky when she ran back with the Frisbee in her mouth to collapsed right in front of me. At first I thought she was having a fit, but soon realised that she had a massive stroke. I can’t get those images out of my head. When I think about a great adventure we had in the Scottish Highlands the day before and how I realised that I forgot my camera when I was parking my car. I never thought that would have been our last adventure with her. I think that I will never take anything for granted ever again. Every small moment of life is precious. I think that Sky would want me to ride again and soon. The only times that I wasn’t riding with her is when I was trying to meet up with the local bike club, which would be ok when they turned up, but more often than not they wouldn’t bother and I would have to bike alone. It’s moments like these that I felt gutted that Skye wasn’t with me and how I let her down to go biking with other people just to be let down by them not turning up. I know that I will never be that lucky again to have somebody to go biking with at a movements notice no matter what the weather, totally dependable.

Skye 3 days ago

Feeling old a sore today then realised that I’ve been biking for ages. It all started back in 1986- A yellow specialized rockhopper which lasted 1 week before a full refund. Then a diamondback ascent ex 1986. Still love biking

Onewing- sure you don’t need a 2013 bike as yours are getting on a bit 😉

No. Sounds like M775 have had many problems. Shame I liked mine when they were working, but those times were few and the bike shop didn’t like working on them (not so user friendly to service those hubs). Sadly I would bite the built and get something else.

done
also have you seen

Mudhugger [/url]

I’ve been riding a really old 1.9 and a 2.35 super tachy version and they are normally good for trails centres and downhill type stuff (not the skinny one) where the surface generally isn’t gloopy. However, to those of you rating this tyre as a good to great all-rounder for general riding to steep techy natural trails in muddy/gloopy conditions- seriously get a grip! Why would Maxxis make other types of tyres for those conditions if all you required was a High Roller? To those of you who say it’s due to poor riding technique- well it might be true for a few, but what is also true is that if you are a proper aggressive rider then look elsewhere as I guarantee this tyre will only reward you with a proper nightmare when faced with gloopy conditions.

go with the hopes

Just looking at this again and have decided that once i get well i will do this.

100 year-old sets cycling hour record

Ta for the info on the stove

Yeah that stove looks cool- I’m sure that it burns wood. That’s all I know anyone know more?

Rugby depressing so went on the net and found this. Glad to hear that you made it and are none the worse for sleeping out in those conditions. Supercool, brrrrr. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to further postings about your adventures.

MTB trails infotry

Onzadog. As a physio I don’t find what you said about the NHS way to rest forever and to see if it doesn’t hurt to be true.

Becky. Sorry to hear about your injury. The thing I always think about is how much would one spend on fixing your bike? Surely you’re more important than that. You are! Therefore do whatever it takes, but as you know nothing in life is guaranteed and it could be a waste of cash or it could be the best thing you ever spent your money on. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

This comes over as the policeman looking so unprofessional. This could have easily gone wrong being on a busy road with cars passing very close.

It’s good to hear that you have been able to continue with your riding. Have you been able to continue with taking it easy riding? Now that’s really hard to be so disciplined. I think that it may make sense not to get too aggressive too soon with your riding e.g. blasting a hard hitting hard tail where you would expect to be increasingly dynamic and possibly with your heels dropped. Perhaps ride a more forgiving ride (FS) that way you could get away with riding with a poorer technique allowing the bike to do more work for you. Also when freewheeling you could shift the load by having a different foot forwards. This may = less micro trauma macro trauma if you really go for it. Good luck!

Mr blobby- What has your riding been like with the injury?

I think that you get rim strips, sealant, QR skewers, 15mm and 20mm spacers and if you are able to get 50% off = go for it, bargain. Just watch those bearings and the alloy freehub thing- may need to use a fairly expensive cassette with an alloy carrier.

No problems with the stays. Main problem is set up of the front mech- had to adjust due to minor rub against the tyre when in the small gear.

Tried a WTB Weirwolf 2.55 LT for a while. Works amazingly well on the rocky stuff.

or even Genitourinary Problems in Bicyclists Current Sports Medicine Reports 2007, 6:333–339 Current Medicine Group LLC ISSN 1537-890

Ouch how about ‘Subclinical microtraumatisation of the scrotal contents in extreme mountain biking’ THE LANCET Vol 356 October 21, 2000