Oh, and I really don’t want to spend too much to make the bike rideable. I’ve just invested in a full suss Canyon and I am just fettling this bike before I ship it out to my parents’ house in the south of France for me to play on in the summer :D

Is there any advantage of replacing the headset over just replacing the bearings (as long as I don’t drop this set on the floor…)?

Bought loads of ladies Scott clothing from them a couple of months ago – great value, decent quality and excellent refund service when I had to send a couple of items back (wrong size). They’re based in Newcastle and have a couple of decently stocked shops too. They often have 10% off (the code is often “month10” eg OCTOBER10).

147,000 feet or 44,805m. Quite pleased with that!

Due to various reasons no one made it out tonight.

And there I was feeling all guilty and wimpy because I’d bailed due to a bit of rain!

Yup 5’5″ on the dot.

It’s the Nerve XC 8.0 W that I’m looking at. Does anyone know how much travel it has front and back? The website isn’t that clear. The fork is a Fox 32 Float FIT Performance, and the rear shock is Fox Float Performance RP2 Boost Valve XV.

The sizing chart put me into the XS size, but I’m unsure if that’ll still be a bit big for me.

DOI female doctor (but not a breast specialist)

Ps. Breast cancer lumps are characteristically hard/firm and not squishy. You can’t “roll” them under the skin (they are tethered) and they don’t change much with the time of month. If she has skin changes or nipple discharge then that is worrying too. It’s more common in older women, those with a family history of breast/ovarian cancer, smokers and those on long term hormonal replacement (Pill or HRT). However, there are always those that don’t fit that pattern, including men.

Agree with getting things checked out professionally if you’re worried but, if she’s below 50, likely to be fibroadenosis:
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Breast-Lumps.htm

A lot of the posts above she discussing “social” abortions. A 12 week limit wouldn’t stop these – you’ve pretty much decided whether you want a baby or not by the time you’ve been pregnant for 3 months.

The abortions after this time tend to be for serious medical conditions, often picked up at the anomaly scan at 18-20 weeks. How would you feel if you were told at that time that your unborn child didn’t have a head (don’t google anencephaly, it’s heartbreaking) and that you would have to give birth to it several months later and watch it die within minutes?

That’s why we have a 24 week limit.

My money’s on clubbing too. Possibly done incorrectly.

I live in the centre of Newcastle and have uploaded some routes that are easily accessible from the city here. I’ve always found the walkers in Chopwell super friendly.

Which maxxis tyre is most like the Nic?

Fair point!

Like a nobby nic! I like that they are pretty fast rolling and wouldn’t like to lose that – I’m epically slow downhill but I like to think I can make a little of it back uphill.

+1 for Bolivia

Was there on a medical research expedition into altitude sickness in 2003 and I’d go back in a heartbeat. Most beautiful country I’ve ever been to.

Suspect it’s not the lack of warfarin, as that shouldn’t affect your exercise capacity. I suppose the change in beta blocker might, as the whole point of beta blockers is that they slow down your adrenergic (=adrenaline) drive and therefore your heart rate. In my experience, a lot of younger people on beta blockers seem to get disproportionately “slowed down” because of them. They are fantastic drugs though.

May also be the weight loss and increase in fitness :D

I’m a big fan of http://www.mtbtrails.info . Written by a mountain biker in the north of Scotland, but has trails all over the country and an intuitive mapping software.

Guisborough this evening.
Glentress or Mabie on Saturday
Great North Bike Ride on Sunday
Sleeping on Monday :-D

26 hilly miles round the lakeside way. Did it on the hottest day of 2010 with a friend who hadn’t been on a bike for at least a decade. He still hasn’t forgiven me and hasn’t been on a bike since.

Kielder is also miles from Lindisfarne. And it’s not on main roads. Agree with the coastal ride idea!

Thanks all for the advice. The 2 hour limit isn’t set in stone, but I’m unlikely to be driving to Wales! TBH, I don’t think I can be bothered with wimping out of stuff at Inners – I’ve had a couple of big falls recently and am keen on doing a fun, flowy trail centre trail in the same vein as Berm Baby Berm, Spooky Wood or Transmission/Accelerator/Nitrous (at Hamsterley). Will Mabie and Dalbeattie give me this, or should we just go with the known quantity of GT?

PS I’m not a quite a beginner – quite happy to bomb down the GT red (without protection!), just not a fan of big drop offs and rough rocky stuff on my 100mm hardtail!

Hamsterley is our go-to local trail centre, so looking to travel a little further afield to something new. I do love hamsterley though, that’s exactly the kinda thing we’re looking for.

Leaning towards Mabie +/- Dalbeattie at the moment

What’s inners like? The downhill reputation puts me off a little (I’m a big scaredycat!).

Just been out with my friend who has a bright pink 22″ Five with a cow print saddle. Certainly got some comments on the way round Hamsterley!

When my seat Leon 2.0 tdi did this, it ended up with a new turbo as the vanes had jammed. Expensive.

Does it do it in a specific rev range/speed?

I guess that’s what I’m worried about – I’m not sure I’d be there for the racing, just the challenge (for me!) of finishing 50 miles of MTB.

Hmmm. Thinking about this one but need some advice.

Do you think this would be do-able for a first time racer? As a yardstick, I was up at Kielder yesterday and did the hike over to Newcastleton and back, including the trails at Newcastleton and the Lonesome Pine trail at Kielder on the way back. It was 41 miles in total and, although I managed it, the climbs were a world of pain from about 25 miles. I did it in 4hrs 40 mins moving time (just under 6 hours in total).

I think I could complete 50 miles, but I really don’t want to take part in a race if I’m just going to be in the way of everyone (mainly on the downs, but probably on the ups too). I could get a little fitter between now and September, but probably not a lot.

Any thoughts?

Kielder blue doesn’t have anything too tricky in it from memory – mostly smooth singletrack and fireroad climbs. GPS file etc here

@sambino – nice summary, thanks!

Speaking as a cardiologist, about 1/4 of our clinics are filled with people with palpitations, so it’s incredibly common. The most important thing from our point of view is the history. Be specific. What time of day do you notice them, what EXACTLY are you doing at the time, are they fast/slow/irregular etc. if you can take your pulse and describe it to us, that helps more than you can ever imagine. As sambino says, do a bit of thinking before you see someone so you get the facts straight.

Weirdly, I had palpitations on a ride today – was most unpleasant. About 30s of a heart rate of about 220bpm after a moderate climb, but didn’t go away when I rested. Totally freaked me out! Probably an SVT but gonna get an ECG at work tomorrow!

Can you feel your pulse when it happens or use a heart rate monitor? What rate is it, and is it regular or irregular?

Go see where the declaration of independence was signed, and see the liberty bell. Cheesesteaks are awesome. There’s an indoor market that does great sandwiches too. And a trip to the baseball is ace!

I worked there for a month as a med student – pics here[/url]

Jfletch is correct. No charges if data roaming is off. You will track the route but won’t be able to view online maps (eg the googlemaps picture that cyclemeter provides).

CaptJon – Member
This is interesting:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/interactive/2012/jul/07/london-2012-olympic-bodies-interactive

Interesting video, thanks.

I found it a bit concerning that women might actively not exercise because they are scared of being found unattractive.

Are they daily lenses or 2 weekly/monthlies? I usually wear 2-weekly lenses and am fine from morning till night (have actually been wearing mine since 5pm yesterday as I’ve just come off night shifts). The dailies tend to get dry after 8 hours max (and they’re Acuvue).

Did that route on Sunday afternoon: http://app.strava.com/rides/11623403 (that’s the full route with the new red bits down by the Grove car park added in).

I really like it – it’s technical enough for me (caveat: I’m a girl) and also has some fast flowy bits. Root 666 (the black climb before the descent to the Grove car park) is pretty wet and muddy at the moment. I got off and walked bits of it cos I just could be bothered manualling over all the bloody roots. The rest is pretty weather proof.

Cardiologist here :D

The vast majority of my time is spent looking after people who smoke, and the people who have first degree relatives with heart disease (eg parents, siblings etc).

There is always the odd person who seems to lead a blameless lifestyle and doesn’t have a family history who pops up in my clinics/ward from time to time. But they are in the absolute minority.

There is some evidence that very strenuous exercise can precipitate something happening eg an MI, but this happens in people in whom it would have happened anyway at some point. Anecdotally, there always seems to be a peak of heart attacks when it’s snowy and all the old guys go out to clear their drives of snow with a shovel (having not been accustomed to that sort of exertion, on a background of smoking etc).

Regular cardiovascular exercise is good for you. I agree with paulatmtbleasing’s thoughts that maybe your friend just doesn’t want to get out there and exercise.

I concur with the above posters. Needs a look by your GP, who might think about requesting an echo (ultrasound scan) of your heart. It sounds a bit like HAPE, although I agree that 2000m is a bit low for it (although not unheard of).

Hannah
Cardiologist