I’m not sure which was harder, 11 times up Stanmer today or the hills of Basildon yesterday! My legs are ruined now, that was a serious opening weekend.

20 spokes sounds OK to me as long as the flanges are tall and the rims deep.

I wonder if Goldtec would do a custom drilling if you phoned them up? Phil Wood can definitely do custom drilling on their through axle hub but I guess it wont be cheap!

It depends on the course. Chicanes don’t work so well if it’s damp on courses with lots of slow-in, slow-out dead-turn corners as you don’t lean enough to engage the side knobs cornering and straight line upright braking and hard accelerating is pants. However, if it is more open and fast, chicanes can work surprisingly well.

Don’t be afraid to mix and match treads, I often ride with some form of file tread on the back with a grippier tyre up front.

1st race of the season proper tomorrow! Doesn’t look like the file treads will be getting much use this year…

I’d second the Minack Theatre, really quite an amazing place.
Coasteering is great fun too for when the surf is rubbish

Doesn’t need charging. If it’s less expensive and as reliable as Di2 then it could be a viable alternative

Finished the 4 round South London Summer Series last week and can’t wait for the season proper!

I’ll be doing the London X League along with a couple Central League and Eastern League races and maybe a round of the National Trophy.

The start of my season overlaps with the road and track season so I shouldn’t need to do much specific training at first, mainly skills based stuff.

I’m racing on an Ardent up front and an X-king rear. Big knobbly mud tyres are generally rubbish on slippery roots anyway and the chalk drains pretty well in summer

If you’ve got an Alpine, stick with the HJ. The PA is heavier, less forgiving and designed for more abuse than the HJ. Both great bikes but the PA would just feel like an Alpine with shorter forks

Looks like there may be a few showers on Saturday after heavy rain Friday. Hopefully not enough to warrant mud tyres but some slippery chalk can add to the fun 😈

I think it very much depends on the sessions and the riders. Experienced trackies seem to hardly ever crash (madisons excepted…) as track is much smoother and steadier than road riding and racing.

I’d say stick with it, unlucky things happen but an indoor velodrome is a fantastic place to ride a bike in winter. The more you ride the safer it will become too.

I love this race, often the only time in a year that I’ll put a number on my MTB. Great course and great atmosphere.

I’ll be entering SS Pairs this year and trying to win again…

Froome isn’t in yellow not because of respect, but because until the flag drops today without Martin, TM is still technically the leader.

Not saying Froome is disrespectful but at the moment TM has the shortest overall time for the stages completed.

FMB tubs? Must be nice to be rich enough to have a support car at all times

53.5 top tube and you’re 6’2″? Do you have extremely long legs and short arms? What length stem are you currently running?

Because that is normally why a sportive isn’t either a race or a time trial; the “results” are given on time yet drafting is allowed and riders don’t all start in one group.

For the podiums near you, surely they had a rule of whether it was time or first rider?

Two recent Sportives local to me had podium ceremonies. Tell me how that’s not a race.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, poor deluded fools. Were the results decided by time or position over the finish line?

Hora, I’m 6’1″ with long legs and blond hair as you well know 😉

anything catch your fancy at the new Oakley in Residence pop-up?

http://www.oakley.com/en/in-residence/london

I’m with Insurance Choice. Great value for what I needed (European cover) and when I did need them in the UK they were very quick

Any chance you can book in a taster session at Lee Valley? The building and venue are pretty cool (and the showers are actually cold) but riding it is ace.

How long are you going for?

If you’re doing the full week, a 7″ beast will probably be useful as you will get less beaten up and then be fresher for the quali and race day.
If you’re just doing a couple of days, something smaller like a 5 will be great as most of the overtaking happens on pedally bits.

As mentioned above, dual ply tyres (tubeless) and big rotors on whatever you choose.

The green runs in Alpe d’Huez seem pretty easy and there are plenty of younger children riding them.

I’m off to Arc 2000 on Sunday. Forecast looks interesting… lots of snow without much let-up! Thankfully there are trees further down the mountain!

Sorry to hijack but have you got a link to those true-able lightweights bikebuoy? I’ve never heard of them and I’m a geek about all things Lightweight!

KMC X11 chains are great, especially the TiN versions.

A set of good nick second hand Shamal Ultras or Fulcrum Racing Zeros?

I wanted a pink bike when I was little boy but my parents could only afford what was available second hand. I did get bought a pink model bike though 😀

I’d love a pink still now TBH

New look Cycling Weekly should cover those bases

Owwww, my head!

The show gets better every year IMO. Some nice stuff around, worth a look I’d say.

My Synthe has arrived. Lighter than my Ionos and still looks like a normal helmet too.

I’ll pop in after work. My sister is presenting the Total Women’s Cycling Awards with Manon Carpenter so I’m gonna try and blag some beer 8)

I did let them do as they please, hence asking the question on an online MTB forum rather than getting in their face on what was a nice weekend to be on a bike 🙄

Fair enough point about local trails. Is a N-W ring really more secure than a double with front mech (bash-ring) and lower roller?

Thanks all! I still don’t get why they sent me an old bush and a new one back when I didn’t need one but it all seems to be sitting nicely without

Ooooh, so I probably don’t need one?!

Giant trance. How did you know?

Link to a pic here … https://twitter.com/philipglowinski/status/563821018310250496

Shock with no bush. Mounting bolt. Old bush. New bush.

I can’t put pics up from my phone. And yeah TFT though there’s definitely no bush in the shock as they sent me back the old metal one

But the mount won’t fit through the bushing even before pressing the bushing into the shock