I've had two tits on my nuts this morning…..and a robin.

I bloody hate it. Wind is a cruel mistress to tired legs.

I rode yesterday in the Peaks and had a fantastic ride. Rode my local loop on the edge of Sheffield today and it was tough. Hard work riding into a headwind, almost getting blown sideways in places and having the wind dictate lines. Grrrrrrr.

Grumbled to myself most of the way round.

Mars Refuel @ £1.09 End of!

Nope! Not here either.

What Netdonkey said…Isle Of Jura

Yes my first ride in them was a real pain Didzy but I immediately installed the shims post ride and today it was fine. Not one issue.

I've got the Spesh Pro shoes which has the same sole as the Sworks I believe so get those shims on to see if it makes a difference.

I'll hand it to you though Didzy, I'd have thrown them out the window after 2 months. If they'd have acted up again today they would be in the bin now (well on the classifieds at least).

The problem comes with riding Shimano for years. The clipping in/engaging motion becomes instinctive and the Crank Bros motion is slightly different.

Oooooooo I was wrong, they're nice :-)

I've just returned from a lunchtime blast. Warm spring sunshine, bone dry Peak trails, hardly a soul in sight and to top it off the Candys performed faultlessly with me engagaing the pedal everytime. I think fitting the shims has helped a lot.

I like!

Don't think I've ridden anywhere that I've considered dull.

The worst ride was when a mate and I attempted the Mary Townley loop and Mother Nature decided to teach us a lesson with gale force winds, rain, sleet, hail. Physically I felt fine. Mentally I was destroyed. I will never ride there again. Plus there are a lot of frickin' gates!!

Cut Gate? Really? Last year, in September after a prolonged dry period it was the best ride of the year. Fast dusty singletrack all the way down to Langsett, round the res and back again. Superb!

Wow, that fella rides it with some skill. I seriously doubt I looked like that on Saturday morning :-)

TheArtist, I was having a bad 'riding' day on Saturday and completely lacked concentration and confidence throughout. Totally ar5ed up the first two sections hence the drop off being the highlight.

I'll be riding it on a regular basis as part of my local loop repertoire so I'm sure I'll improve and enjoy it more.

4 yr old Endura Singletrack shorts and liner. Well worn, the odd bit of stitching frayed and a wafer thin liner pad. They've lasted really well to say that they were used ride in ride out for 2 years before I bought another pair of shorts and now they are used as winter/backup shorts.

Obviously Endura were doing something right manufacturing wise back then as recent posts have indicated otherwise with their clothing. Never faulted their kit myself.

Cheers druidh

I've fitted the shims even though the manual suggested it wasn't necessary so I will try again tomorrow. I could generally engage my right foot (first in, lead leg) OK but ended up struggling with the left.

This resulted in me concentrating and looking at my left foot trying to engage which was a distraction. And frustrating to boot when the Shimano action has been instinctive for years.

I'll give them a few more rides before throwing my dummy out of the pram and sticking them on the classifieds :-)

I FOUND IT!…AT LAST! Although it was miserbale up on Stanage Edge this morning (such a contrast to when I set off from Sheffield) which is why I got a little lost again at first.

I took the turn off at the first access land/bridleway marker only to get to the edge and to my left was a 'walkers only no cycling' sign. So I followed the path along the ledge to my right (as stated above) and clocked the flagtone/rocky hairpin.

As you said abductee its still under snow so no bl00dy wonder I didn't see/find it the first time. The descent is not as fast and flowy as I imagined and interupted by gates but good technical fun all the less.

Ha, yes theartistformerly, I did the grass drop off after the second gate. That was the highlight :-)

Nah it didn't look like it would make much difference. The tread looked like it wouldn't interfere a great deal but I will fit the cleats with the shim and test again tomorrow.

Thanks.

I like tits!

Ar5e, I'll try again…

Why not! Here's mine, just washed and still looking great after 3 years…

Thanks folks but you're both right….the only option now is to show it the drill….and todays fettling was going so well up until that point.

+1 for Edwins. Really decent reclaimed Jap denim that holds colour and shape and does not need washing. Have two pairs. One pair are 4 years old the other 3. Lovely. Also like All Saints denim.

cheap nasty white bread and dairylea?

Dare I suggest Conti MK Pro 2.4s?? OK maybe not :-) I've been running these for over a year on my 5 in The Peaks and they've been more than fine for most conditions.

True, they are not the grippiest of tyres but are light, tough, hard wearing and more importantly roll really quickly.

I've had Maxxis Advantage 2.25s on the 5 before this. They were OK but in my opinion not as good as the Contis. I also tried a Kenda BG 2.35 DTC front and Nevegal 2.35 DTC rear. As you've stated, found them to be too grippy and very draggy and removed after 2 weeks.

Currently considering Maxxis HR front and Larsen TT rear, WTB Wierwolfs, Schwalbe Fat Alberts or Nobby Nics.

Forget that aphex, there is one tailors in Hoi An that do suits in urban camo!! Perfect for a day in the office :-)

Aye its glorious today.

I ran yesterday lunchtime through the woods and now I'm contemplating avoiding all e-mails for the rest of the afternoon, forgetting end of year self management and appraisal b0ll0x and going for a spin in the Peaks.

You're right carbon337, working from home does have its advantages :-)

Spent this Decemeber/January there. Awesome. Travelled North to South. Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ha Long Bay, Tam Coc, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Buon Ma Thiot & The Central Highlands, Mui Ne, Saigon, Me Kong Delta.

Fantastic countryside, people, food, experience. Fantastic. Just wish I could have kept rolling and done Cambodia and Laos with the people I met. Stupid job and responsibilities.

Hanoi was a great base to do and see so many things and is far more traditional than anywhere else. Hired a bike and rode the coastal rode (a la Top Gear) from Hue to Hoi An. Full Moon Party on a junk boat in Ha Long Bay. Climbed and trekked Mount Fansipan and the valleys around Sa Pa. Chilled on the beach at Hoi An and Nha Trang. Took a 3 day Easy Rider motorbike tour from Dalat to Mui Ne and stayed in remote villages and homestays. I got to see the real rural side of a wonderful country now thriving after all of the turmoil it has suffered.

Mui Ne was a little disappointing (basically a Russian holiday resort town). Saigon was mental. Hanoi on crack. Scooter drag racing at night. Great party scene. Cu Chi tunnels. Firing an AK. Me Kong Delta. Superb.

Get it booked. If you only have 1 week I'd stay in the North (Hanoi as a base) as there seems to be more to do and see (Sapa, HLB, Tam Coc).

If you just want a week chillin then Hoi An. Nice bike ride to the beach from the town. The town has a Mediterranean feel and is quiet and you can get bespoke suits/dresses/shoes made. You could also see the coastal rode (Hai San Pass?), Da Nang and Hue on day trips as well as the Vietnamese version of Angkor Watt.

Thanks folks, appreciated, will check it out next weekend (if I'm riding in that area).

So the first point I got to with a single post on my left after a 200-300m flat straight section after Stanage Pole was correct? It heads off to the left on a short undulating muddy/flagstone track towards what looks like the edge? Bum! Next time for sure :-)

O, I didn't know that. Certainly easier than trying to explain to hang a right at Hope Cross to head back down to Ladybower.

Whats the beast? Or should I say where is the beast? I have no idea what half of these nicknames for trails in the Peaks relate to.

worse than crack :-)

Nice!

Now tempted to go for the cheaper Maxxis option, especially as my rear MK probably has less grip than a Larsen at the mo.

Both F & R knottie8?

Always been a fit and forget one tyre all year type of rider. Due to cost, laziness and the fact that we seem to have the same conditions pretty much throughout the year in the Peaks albeit for perhaps one month here and one month there (last year was May/June, Sept/Oct for dry spells).

Been running 2.4 Conti MK Pros for the past 2 years and been happy with the speed, rolling resistance, wear, grip, predictability. Although I know that most people hate them.

Tried 2.35 Kenda BG/Nevegal combo for 2 weeks and hated them. So slow, so stiff, waaay too much grip for my liking.

Before that was Maxxis Advantage 2.25 for a year. OK, a lot slower than the Contis, ride felt stiff/harsh(?) seemed to grip and clear well in all conditions though.

I do like to run high pressures though hence harsh/stiff ride perhhaps??

I'm about to venture into the world of tyre purchasing again. Shortlist so far…

Schwalbe Nobby Nic Snakeskin 2.25
Schwalbe Fat Albert F & R Snakeskin 2.25
WTB Wierwolf 2.3
Maxxis HR 60a 2.35 F & Larsen TT 60a 2.35 R

..decisions, decisions..

"Suddenly the lid fell off!"

Ha, brilliant. Horsell Common and the Heat Ray popped up on shuffle this morning. Will listen in full later. Amazing album that scared the bejesus out of me as a child (and still does a little). Great cast too.

I can proudly say that this was the first album I bought :-)

I went here (http://www.chesterdental.com/) late 05 / early 06 for two midi implants after seeing an article on the bbc news.

Think the fellas name was Dr Whitmarsh. Very good. Cost me £3k in all (£1500 per tooth). The midis were relatively new then and there was no need for the implant operation (where they cut open your gum) and then a 6 month wait while jaw bone and implant take/fuse. The midis are just titanium pins screwed straight through the gum and into the jaw bone and a tooth cemented on top.

Mine are in there 4th year and I've had no problems or complaints. Just wish I'd controlled the speed wobble on my chopper in '85 and not faceplanted into a curb at the bottom of the hill. Would have avoided years of dental trips for crowns, bridges, palettes, etc, etc :-)

I can't get the car off the street in Sheff so todays trip to Dalby is off. Luckily I rode yesterday as I don't fancy a ride in the Peaks either.

Been back an hour now from a 2 hour blast in the frozen Peaks. Surprisingly plenty of grip in most places apart from the descents which were taken with plenty of care and an MX foot out style. Snow, ice, 2.4 German rubber and SPDs don't mix well. Good times :-) Unfortunately the rest of the day will be an anticlimax.

I like the look of the Zesty and from what I've read it's a great bike.

I have a 5, it's 3 years old now and the first of the kinked top tube models. The bike is just as competent going up as it is down and is a fantastic ride. I'm a bit of a sadist and like climbing (which is good seeing as I live in the Peaks) and I have no complaints about how the 5 climbs. It has Float RLCs and I've never found it necessary to lock them out or indeed require forks that wind down.

Climbing for me (and others on here according to this post) is about technique and body positioning on the bike.

Standard RaceFace BB on the 5 have been pants (some lasting 6 months some less than 6 weeks) and were eventually replaced by Hope Ceramic. Pivot bearings were replaced after 2 years which I think is reasonable as it's my only bike and its ridden pretty much week in week out in all manner of bearing eroding conditions.

Hotfly, I'd sit and ride all of the bikes you are interested in as it's the only way to make sure you make the right purchase. Good luck.

Ouch! How do they compare to the Nobby Nics?

I'm in the same boat Paul so I'll monitor this thread (and also bump it with this post).

The BasqueMTB article recently read well. I'm tempted by Passportes du Soleil in June but lift queues and congested trails are putting me off a little. Also liking the look of the 3 Countries tour with Chamonix based MBMB.

Food for thought.

I'd be running standard tyres and tubes but I supppose the tyre is essentially the same whether tubeless or not. Thanks.

I thought the trains and buses offer (or have space) for bikes??

Good point. I think it would be a good budget experience but lift queues, congested trails and bike thefts doesn't sound appealing. I can get that at a trail centre (swap lift queue for cafe queue).

In comparison with the PdS entrance fee, free food, w/e lift pass and waymarked trails (I presume) how does going alone compare from a cost and riding perspective?

How much would a lift pass be for the weekend usually?

Basically I want an alps experience this year or at least somewhere with dry dusty trails (or potential of) that won't break the bank and won't cost me too many days hols.