I get it; vast difference from the sub 5 though – you may wanna test ride first.

I have an 08 meta4; it was the 09 alu’s that were not right as I was glad I didn’t hold out for one.

Carbon is from a diff factory who make carbon for a lot of other well known brands (but can’t remember who off top of my head!)

I’m trying to decide between a carbon super4 and carbon meta5.5 myself…

See you found the Rockwheelers site, which is what I was gonna suggest.

Just note; Cairns is a fair way away… 350km/217miles!

From those I know that have/do – good fun; tropical jungle, quite rocky.

Beautiful.

Take it the rest of the slab will be covered for the wood, right? Can see the bike stand being moved out on to that in the summer when the wood stock is lower and the evening is warm… primo!

molgrips – the aussie dollar has shot up in the last year or two (almost on par with US), however the “aussie in London” is generally doing it on the cheap ( 1 bed flat, 5 people as my wife did; the other 4 were blokes, and only one bed ! 8O ) so what they do save is more than it may be living a “regular” life in Aus.

There is also the travel etc that is attractive too.

Lets put it this way; My wife works, I’m stay at home parent; there is no way in hell we could do this in London. Over here we do it and over-pay our mortgage payment by 100% each month, still have ‘treats’ most times we want them.

Not a mud tyre, but not bad in the damp. Fair shoulder for grip then a quite predictable slide when they ‘go’ (all the maxxis I’ve tried have been predictable in that way though tbh)

Much faster rolling than the High Roller though; and heaps lighter.

I run them as my winter tyre down here in Australia, though throw on Medusas for the odd few weeks of the winter when it’s really grim, or am riding an area that holds the water.

always grill them…

to stop the burps = bread with something sweet; jam honey etc

Near the beach, Adelaide, Australia

What job should I try for? Part-time, just to pass time really, when my daughter is in childcare a few days a week…

Thinking something with very low responsibilty – shelf stacking?

What is with the wildlife comments? We have redbacks in the backyard, but know where they are likely to be, so are careful in those spots.

I have still yet to see a snake – of any level of poisoning – when riding or walking in over 4 years.

Koalas, Roos, sure. Kookaburas, hear them heaps.

Biggest problem with wildlife is the bloody swooping magpies in spring!

Too hot to ride? Yes, in the middle of summer, in the middle of the day, it can be (dependent on where you are). And dependent on wind etc too, firebans are imposed and forests etc are closed for the day, just in case. But for most of us, 5 days a week that doesn’t matter as you are in work anyway! You just go early or late, no worries.

Peachos – you don’t list Adelaide as a place you spent considerable time; I can tell you now, Adelaide has much more “happening” than Perth and you rate that pretty highly.

Those that comment on the trails stuff; yes, access is currently “restrictive”, but it is also a very big deal over here and one that is swinging in MTBs favour thanks to the likes of IMBA-Aus. I truly don’t find it an issue that would prevent me from riding, and the situation will only get better in the next few years a more and more parks are opened up. Its similar to the footpath/bridleway thing at home – a bit of an outdated, joke of a situation, but one that is best dealt with “properly” so it doesn’t come back to bite us later on.

Someone mentioned beer… this is just the same as UK; big breweries generally put out a fairly bland range. Smaller/microbrews are excellent, however.

The family & friends issue is so individual… however, facebook, skype, email, phone make it easy enough to stay in touch if you want to; visiting? well, it’s more effort, true, but in someways no more so difficult than moving from London to Edinburgh, for example, just a bit more costly. I work it so that I see my folks once every 18-24 months – and we alternate who travels so that it is a break when yo do it, but you don’t use all the holiday time that you have so you can still do NZ/SE Asia/Pacific/etc.

I still maintain there is culture – sure, it isn’t the same as Europe, but then again its not Europe, so go figure!

Arc’tery is £££… But I have one and it was worth it (was a pro-deal too which helped heaps!) and I used to work for North Face, so, ya know…

However, my North Face Nuptse Vest (puffer/down) is the thing I’ve used the absolute most; be it London, Colorado or now, Australia.

bit of old tube in the fork to stop the spray up into the face year round and one over the back wheel in the winter.

More than enough once you put waterproofs on.

I live in Adelaide and Yes.

Went back to see folks etc for first time in 3 years last year, was fun, but tbh, was glad to get back to Adelaide.

Don’t miss the busy, dirty, expensive conditions that London has – something I hadn’t noticed as much before and I used to be half a year in Colorado, half in London, so the return wasn’t an entirely new thing.

Best part of returning home for a month? The week driving around Italy in a Lancia Ypsilon!! Milan, Venice, Lake Como, Pisa, etc…

The culture thing is a bit of a misnomer in my eyes; sure it’s not Europe, but in terms of festivals, exhibitions etc just as much comes to Aus (especially if you are in Sydney or Melbourne). Plenty of Greek, Eastern European, German and Italian heritage out here too, so again, not void of everything, just being closer to Asia, more of a focus on the likes of Japan, China, Korea, etc.

Having said that – I’m sure that at some point, we will return to the UK for an extended period – 6-12 months – because of Europe and so my folks can spend more time with our daughter. But I’ll be back to Aus I’m sure after that.

Handsomedog – I have so many photos of the BM ceiling from when I used to work there (sadly all somewhere back in the UK at my folks); The whole building is amazing for pics – dependent on the part of the building, the season and the time of day, you get so many differnt images.

Wished I’d taken photos down in the stores though, those would’ve been interesting.

I need to get some of mine up on t’net and link them in here…

Just read in more depth – it seems a designer mongrel is a bad thing, yet an inbred (and not an on-one) is fine…

Uncle – in – law (so to speak…) has a labradoodle as the “house” dog to compliment his working farm dogs.

Great dog, take it swimming in the sea, kick the footie for it, clip it with the sheep shears.

not even to the shop… :(

waiting for new wheelset to arrive to replace the taco’d rear and the idea of road just didn’t have the allure to tempt me this time around.

If you really want to look cool… then you need to be able to Ski, Board and Tele well.

If you want to have fun, try a day or two of each early on and pick the one you feel most comfortable with, whichever it may be,and go with that. Bear in mind, you can change at any time you wish.

If you want to be in the best shape for riding in summer – primarily tele with a day of boarding and skiing every fortnight or so, as it works the core and legs more than the other two.

I had a couple of Airedale’s once… magnificent dogs. Little shoebox of a flat is too small for one now though. Shame.

62kg, 5’5″

Pila is surprisingly good, ski-wise, but you do need to hunt around a bit – not that that is a bad thing.

Down to Aosta for the roman baths etc for the non skiers.

My choice though would be Brekenridge

I used to live in Breck and count it as my third home (behind UK and now Australia). It fits the bill, but is quite typically American. Having said that, at least its a town with a ski resort, not a ski resort that has built a town, so it is somewhat prettier than many places in that regard (it was a gold rush settlement originally many of which are listed/protected). Factor in a day at A-Basin, then the night at Keystone, a day at Vail, Beaver Creek or Copper and, if you have a car, Loveland, and there is as much variety as anywhere in Europe, just not linked by lifts.

[hijack]
10 – I’m betting we have a number of mutual friends, or possibly know each other even… I was there, 00-03 and 05-06 and worked P8 lifts
[/hijack]

the liteville crew… not sure if that classifies it as homemade or not?

either way it is beautifully shot and edited nicely

good trip; you got most of the good spots in there – fruita, moab, GJ, Front range, st G, etc.

Try and get a bit of time around Breck/Copper/Fairplay etc next time a la Breck Epic.

I miss Summit County :,(

Cadel Evans’ Autobiography.

TJ you say you wear one when you feel High Risk; the other armour on display suggests the rider felt enough risk for elbows or knees = risk of falling; surely, therefore a helmet wouldn’t be out of place?

That was the issue, I felt, the OP was getting at; not so much the no helmet of itself, as why no helmet yet other armour and “need” for full sus?

medusas on my meta, though stuck with ignitors this winter and they were enough

Moved to Adelaide about 4 years ago – a general Aussie perspective is available if you want it.

Like Sydney though; lots going on but doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Bondi = joke imho; like blackpool with nice weather; yet a few beaches along its near empty. Queenscliff, Manly, Marobrah, etc way better.

Due to expansion, not masses of riding in the city that is not cheeky/’illegal’. Having said that, plenty of riding to be had within a bit of a drive.

Overall, Aus is enough like home to feel comfortable pretty quickly. However, put some real effort into getting work sorted out for your wife (presuming she works?) before you get here; so many people hang out with school friends forever more – can make it hard to make friends if you don’t have an ‘in’

The way it’s going we need to arrange an Aussie based STWer ride somewhere…

Zokes…

Simply Coffee on Rundle Road, near PAC. They roast on-site and have machines for sale etc. If it’s in town, Perfect Cup in the Markets.

coffeesnob.com.au for local opinion inc machines in price brackets.

I’ll be riding road Sat, MTB Sun or Mon – you about? Or are you heading up to the Flinders after all?

gravedig…

anyone ridden a 204 now? heavy? whats the go?

TLD XC for year round pleasure!!

I just hope Colingwood don’t win – I couldn’t bear listening to Eddie F&%*ing Maguire for the next year if they are premiers…

good to hear; contemplating this as I prefer shorter travel. Please add thoughts after more riding!! :-)

Not ridden with them (maybe if I move back from Australia one day…) but Addiscombe also have MTB rides that often start fom East Croydon Station if he lives on the (better!!! :P ) south side of the river;

http://www.addiscombe.org

Had mine since 18… Wife would divorce me if I shaved it!!!

My skin didn't like wet shaving, and electric shavers are a bit crap in my experience, so I started to play around with facial hair instead; sideys, chops, soul patch, goatie, wolverine, abe lincoln, skinny mexican mo, tried them all for varying amounts of time.

Nowadays, full beard that is just trimmed every couple of days with scissors to keep it reasonably neat and with the clippers from head to chin every month or so!

Every man should have his beard phase; not a few days dirty stubble, but proper bearded phase. And remember, If your Dad hasn't got a beard, you've got two Mums!

faff.

I tend to grip the gel really close to the tear off; then once torn off I can pinch the pack to stop the gel coming out. swap hands, deal with tear off, swap hands, down gel, deal with packet.

I ride in baggies and leg/cargo pockets on those are perfect for stashing food wrappers.

Have considered the gel bottle too though; then the whole thing in the jersey pocket and you can go half a gel at a time if needs be etc

seeing my wife get into a well paying job, in the field she had studied and I had just finished supporting her through in a mundane job.

Had managed to fit in 4.5 seasons of skiing, lived in the US, moved down to Australia and just bought our first place, about 7 mins from a beautiful sandy beach.

was reading reviews of bikes looking trying to work out what I was going to get as my first "proper/nice" bike whilst commuting to work on the road in an effort to get fit for the 2 week, 900km ride I had planned for the following year.

I could/would/should've been the first of my generarion of our extended family to go to Uni etc but took a gap year, went skiing in the US for the winter and realised that I didn't actually know if the degree I was planning on doing would be the right one and it was an expensive and timely thing to not be sure about. I also realised that jumping in the deep end offered different but not lesser opportunities.

I'm now coming up 29, stay at home dad, raising our daughter and have realised that the degree I first looked at was the right field for me and so I will be completing something in that area part-time/externally.

Jack it in, go travel; if after a few months and a few attempts at things you otherwise wouldn't try, it turns out to not be for you, it's easy enough to come home with little really lost. However, it's more than likely you will find a few new things – love, life, interests, whatever – that you otherwise may not have.

cos the mind wanders… That's my excuse anyway! :mrgreen:

I'd try to be down towards Margaret River (Bunbury is probably the spot if you need a bigger town as a base) if you have the choice; bit cheaper to live, better riding (with some unbelievable stuff in the pipeline), good breweries and wineries, not as hot as Perth, not as arid as Perth, still great beaches etc.

But it absolutely is remote – drive 20 hours up the coast from Perth and you are only about half way up that stretch of coast line; not even close to being out of the state. REMOTE. Adelaide (home – woot! :roll: ) is the next nearest major city; and the distance is measured in days not hours!

as long as it's set up right, either are great – sram on one bike, shimano on other…

I have HI persimmon for dawn, dusk and overcast wintery days (the HI doesn't stop it sometimes clearing up and being "too" bright, but is excellent for cutting out the glare if it's wet, for example), clear for night riding, blk irid for daytime stuff. Want a really dark, polarised lens too for high summer, but $$ at the moment doesn't allow.

yellow you can get away with for night riding too, which means you don't have to stop and change the lens, but if you are getting options that may not matter to you.

Personally, I think the persimmon will be "too" close to the one you have, so go yellow (and clear if you can!)

good job! take it he downloaded pumptrack nation and picked all the stones out of the trail…