I’d leave it tbh. We gave ours the Amazon kids tablets when they were 6 and 8 I think, but honestly it was more about us getting some downtime (weekend mornings, etc), for an hour or whatever, time to ourselves. Selfish you might argue, but there you are, parents do need a break. I doubt they will miss out if you leave it for another year or two.

everything tastes better out of a Duvel glass!

Never really felt the need for a joint account. All the expenses go on my credit card (wife has a card for the same account also), and I pay it off each month. Mortgage is paid by my wife. We have our separate savings accounts (mine is usually empty after bicycle related purchases of course)

One of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZAM8MQC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oDGTDbARYRECW”>

I had a Rab microlight until it went missing and replaced it with the Montane featherlight. Had to size down on the Montane, but overall, not much to choose between them. Rab was probably a bit more generously cut.

I wouldn’t go for a second hand machine unless you know what you are looking for. Besides good modern machines can be had for a couple of hundred pounds these days. Makes cycling look expensive! A set of heavy duty needles is 3 or 4 quid and 1 needle should last for a couple of projects at least. I took lessons as besides getting the professional help, it was nice to have somewhere to go on a cold Wednesday evening, meet new people and have the chance to try other machines, like an over locker. I made my kids pyjamas and leggings, and more cycling caps than I can count!

Just back from Forest of Dean. Kids were in the roof as normal, but no complaints of being cold. This will probably be it though until spring, so if you were planning on winter use, some additional insulation would be a good idea. Good sleeping bags and a diesel heater work great for the most part.

I’ve had the small frame bag for a few months. No complaints so far although the wedge shape does necessitate careful packing.

I’ve not had a drink since August 27th. Wasn’t planning on a long break, but was sick for a few days and I’d had a nagging feeling that it was becoming just the default choice everyday, so seemed like a good enough kickstart to taking a break. It’s been easier than I thought to keep it going after the initial few days, but thinking about packing it in now as I haven’t really seen any noticeable upside. Weight hasn’t changed as I’m just eating more crap to compensate and generally I feel a bit more uptight. Got a lot on my mind at the moment, and I know alcohol isn’t the answer, but I do miss relaxing in the evening with a couple of Duvel after the kids have gone to bed!

Really? Do you want a load of sub-par stock photos of elephants and hippos? Taking good wildlife shots requires a shit ton of money and even more time. Personally I’d be looking at landscape and just holiday shots. Life’s too short for reproducing standard pics IMO.

I think I’d agree with this. I’ve lugged heavy dslr equipment around a safari in India and tbh, the photos that provoke fond memories are all the incidental shots captured at short to medium focal lengths. That’s part of the reason I ditched the dslr and went to mirrorless. I briefly had a Leica M9, before moving to an Olympus pen E-P5 which can be had for around £200 second hand nowadays. The Olympus lenses are cheap, light and great quality. Hold their value well too.

I had the same issue when my daughter started cx at 7, she had a frog too! We swapped it for a Scatto from kids racing.co.uk which has microshift 1×11. She has no issues with this setup.

Depends if you view your injuries as having short or long term effects. I’m 47 and riding stronger than at pretty much anytime in the past, so age isn’t the issue here.

Coffee break french is good, but I find I need to actively learn, so I’m currently using the ‘practise makes perfect’ books and in particular ‘French verb tenses’ which has been extremely useful in improving both my understanding and writing of French. There is an app that goes with it so you don’t miss out on the crucial listening/pronunciation element. The book was only £12 so a pretty good investment.

We paid £150 for the two when they were on offer. The insurance is worth having as kids do have a tendency to break things and as said, the monthly subscription is £2 anyway.

Worth pointing out that virtually all jerseys will be merino mix, which will account for the different experiences voiced above. I’ve got plenty of merino tops and find them comfortable and less ‘stuffy’ than polyester. They also smell less. However, man made fabrics have the edge when you want something to block the wind, repel the rain, etc, so it’s good to have a few options.

I’ve used the ‘steep’ method with an amount of success. I bought various ingredients (juniper berries, cinnamon bark, cardomom, coriander seed, liquorice root, Angelica, rose petals, etc) pretty cheaply from buywholefoodsonline.co.uk. Making the base gin with the juniper is pretty easy and only takes around 24 hours. You then add the other botanicals to it and leave for how ever long you think it needs (up to 3 or 4 days max for me). I tend to make a litre of the base gin, then split it into two and make a couple of different recipes.

We don’t have space for a trailer either, so went with a cargo rack and bag. Actually, I just used a £40 Amazon basics cargo bag (450 litres I think) and strapped it to my Thule bike carrier with two ratchet straps. I can get our SUP, the kids boogies boards and a load of other stuff in there. It will take our Vango airhub awning aswell, no problem.

People who put a rag/piece of foam in the clamping jaws of their bike carrier, as if the silicone is going to leave a huge scratch on their beloved bikes.

The Mariott is a surprisingly nice hotel and not at all what you might expect from the chain. Best location aswell. The castle is worth a look albeit a touristy thing to do, but enjoyable nonetheless. Belga Queen for a pricey meal (ask for table upstairs for the best experience). I’d not bother with Bruges, Ghent is much nicer.

I used smartcurrencyexchange when we bought our place in France. Had a good chat with them on the phone before going ahead with placing a forward option (not sure if that’s the correct term). Basically, set a target exchange rate I wanted and waited. Once the spot rate hit the target rate, the trade was automatically triggered and I got my euros. Guess it depends how much of a rush you’re in to change it and whether you think the rate will improve or decline.

I’ve used powermeters for about the last 10 years or so, first with an SRM, but more recently with Rotor. The SRM was ok, but Rotor seem to have it pinned when it comes to reliability. One of the biggest frustrations with a PM is fixing power spikes and data drops, but I haven’t had to do that with the latest iteration of Inpower cranks. I’ve got them on my road bike aswell as my xc mtb. I rarely use the mtb for proper training, but collect the data to give me a complete picture of training load over the year. It depends what you want to get out of it I suppose. For me, it’s measuring the build across the year to specific target events aswell as doing specific training to power. It’s all completely unnecessary for me of course, but I ride mostly solo and go to the pyrenees several times a year, so it adds a bit of interest and insight. I’ve been playing around with gear ratios vs power this year and it’s been nice to take 3 minutes off my pb on my favourite climb at the age of 47!

I’d say in general terms the Pyrenees are less busy than the Alps, but I imagine it’s not too hard to find quiet climbs in either. Port de Balès, Superbagneres, col de menté, col d’azet are just a few that I know are lightly trafficked. Tourmalet, Peyresourde and Aspin are inevitably busier, but I’ve never felt like it detracts from the experience.

Koksijde is a good one. Just buy a ticket when you get there from the stalls at the car park.

I had this one before I got a proper bike rack with integrated lights. £20, and another £15 or so for a number plate.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-racks/bike-rack-accessories/halfords-cycle-carrier-lighting-board

What do you see as the key differences between selling on Amazon and eBay?

Amazon control the whole show and are the ones making the money at every step. Marketing, logistics, etc. all generate profit for them. Want to improve your page ranking? You’ll have to bid for search words and pay per click to Amazon media services. Like someone else mentioned, Amazon FBA will manage a lot of the headaches in fulfillment for you, but at significant cost to you.

It’s an increasing problem in the FoD too – there’s pretty much no cops around as police budgets have been decimated and these guys know they can get away with it. The local kids tend to be more considerate, it’s men who’ve travelled in who rip the place up and are aggressive riders.

I’ve only been to FOD twice but the second visit left a bit of a bad taste in the mouth with two mx’ers riding the blue route in the opposite direction (and some yob mtbers shouting abuse at my two young kids riding the skills loop from their ‘safe’ vantage point)

I’m going to try it on the VW bike rack on the transporter and the Thule bike rack on the car. I got a couple of ratchet straps from Halfords which should add a bit more security in addition to the bags own straps.

I’ve just ordered the Amazon bag. Got to be worth a punt at 40 quid based on the reviews!

There was an Amazon basics version for about £60, but I think they pulled it due to some of the plastic elements melting from exhaust pipes. Its still listed though, so hopefully a modified version will be available soon.

Love mine, but not had it long enough to have any input on warranty issues. Bought it because it was the one I liked best after test riding many others. Had a Santa Cruz before that and have an Orbea too. All of them are good bikes. Fox performance is fine and I never had an issue with SLX either, so i wouldn’t let that stop you. I buy my bikes from a local shop who are really good guys. I know if I ever have an issue with a bike, they will look after me. That’s what I want when I’m parting with that amount of cash.

Luchon has a great outdoor pool, it’s only about €3 for a day ticket. There’s also good tennis courts and crazy golf. If you’re kids are 12, then they are just old enough to use the thermes. In addition to the riding in Luchon, there is also Val D’Aran on the Spanish side which has some enduro trails. I also stumbled on some VTT trails further down the valley from Luchon, near St.Beat which i need to investigate!

There’s also uplift at Le Mourtis, which is a bit closer than Luchon, but I believe this is of the van type, rather then Gondola. The trails do look good there though. Have a search for Nicolas Luduque on Youtube, I think he’s a Cube sponsored rider who posted some videos from the area. Also have a look at Val D’aran which is just over the other side in Spain. We’re going to Luchon this weekend, but I tend to stick to the road bike as some of the trails are a bit scarewee.

3 seconds. I’ll use 30 sec average for climbing (pyrenees,etc). Lap power for intervals.

The Blur is a fantastic bike. I had one for a weekend and ended up ordering one. Its very light and very fast, and feels very taught/stiff. Perfect for less technical riding and a totally different feel to the Tallboy, which has a much more open feel to its travel. The lead time was over a month which gave me the opportunity to demo some other bikes. Ended up cancelling the order and getting a Yeti Sb100. Its classed as a xc bike, but feels even more capable than the Tallboy. Not as light as the Blur, but dropper, 34 fork and tyres account for most of the difference.

I was in a similar position, 46yrs old and had a £3k Santa Cruz Tallboy for four years and had an itch for something fancier. Tested a few bikes (Santa Cruz highball and Blur, Orange stage 4, Yeti SB100). Went for the Yeti in the end as it felt more trail vs the XC feel of the Santa Cruz’s and I loved the bottomless feel of the switch infinity. Ended up spending more than anticipated, but put it into good forks/wheels. It is definitely more capable than the Tallboy, but definitely not a huge leap.

POC index air are very minimal, great for this time of year, but shop around because they’re ludicrously priced. I hate palm padding or any of that nonsense, so I love them. Had mine for 3 years or so and to be fair they’ve held up really well.

The SC Highball is a great bike. I found it plenty comfortable for long rides. I had a brief demo of the Transition Vanquish, but wasn’t so keen.

No, carbon bars are unlikely to solve the problem. As others have said, tyres and tyre pressure will have a much greater impact. Reach and drop are also an important point. I’ve had carbon bars on my road bike, but switched to alloy mainly because I found a bar that was shaped to my needs.

Get my beer shipped from Belgium via Yodel and not had an issue. They even deliver within their 2 hour window.

My matt Rallon is also still looking good after a year. Had the choice between that and a gloss in the shop and matt looked so much better imo. No invisiframe, not a fan of it.