I had a revisit day with Jedi at Herts Shore yesterday – it was as awesome as the first time I met him at Woburn.

Like the OP I would have loved to have done more on the day….but I knew I wouldn’t gain anything from it as I was tiring pretty badly by then so told Jedi it was time to stop. Frustrating to be limited by your own tiredness as the man is a genius and every time we go through stuff I feel like I am benefiting from it!

Definitely worth the trip – get range of trails for all abilities. Much fun indeed. Some fast and furious stuff, some tight and techy, all good though. If you can afford it, I’d go with a guide, someone who has been before, or trail addiction if you can afford it. My OH knew the trails, but a shoulder separation put pay to him guiding us around, so myself and a mate spent much of the week not straying too far from Bourg. Was still a great laugh, but if I went out again, I’d really want to spend at least a few days with a guide.

Here’s a few videos:

Cachette DH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYuSCKCHbQY

Wonky Donkey trail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prI4GHAFOaE

Red 10 (right at the top – proper fun swoop-swoop stuff – this was the only video the OH managed to film before getting injured!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inEL-alCn0Q

Snowdon Rangers

Separate thread each week definitely

I have a few ideas for future challenges – would you like them posting here?

What is so wrong in appreciating a beautifully body? Sure depending on your sexual presuasion a woman’s figure may bring a little lust, that’s human nature, its not evil. Most girls I know like to look sexy and attractive, it makes some happy and confident

Nothing. Indeed, nothing is wrong in appreciating a beautiful body.

Unfortunately, these threads so often turn from appreciating beautiful ladies, to, well, other so-called-blokey-behaviour.

See the following quotes taken from a couple of recent AA/Kylie threads I have just skimmed through. Imagine if this was your daughter/wife at the receiving end. How would you feel, or, more importantly, how do you think she would feel?

“mmmhh not the best picture of Amy Williams there looks like she has big clown feet!!”

“Who’s Melissa? Her face is looking a tad orange compared to the rest of her body!”

“Athletic? Attractive?
Would you tell her she’s neither?”

Or how about this one of the ever-worshipped Kylie – who, in my opinion still looks fantastic despite going through cancer treatment and reaching the big 40. Oh no, perhaps not eh?

“Come on. She is like a a thousand years old now
How about a Natalie Portman Friday”

So, from my female point of view, I say……keep the AA and Kylie threads – but FFS

BE NICE

Is it really that hard?

Awesome 😀

Challenge 1 complete

Thought I’d go for something you may appreciate MTG – downstream from you lot up North they are erecting the flood barriers in Upton, so we went over for a pedal round the fields before they end up submerged.

Upton Bridge

Lowland drainage crossing

Marina

Stan’s flows on here:

This is SUCH a great idea! 😀

I was so struggling for motivation to get out, but this has given me all I needed. Watch this space…..

Good idea to make it a weekly occurrence too.

druidh – Member

Aye – apart from those blue nipples.

you know you love my blue nipples druidh, don’t deny it

Rode in pretty dire mud today – you know what? no trail-tourettes. I think riding in the ice and snow has cured me of my hatred for mud which now seems like bliss in comparison!

It’s mine……FACT !

^as above

lasts year round for me

I’ve been trying for years to teach myself, and was utterly shocked when I came across the ‘Michel Thomas’ cd’s. Put everything I had kind of grasped the very basics of into a format I could totally understand. Also, there is no writing/rote learning – it’s all done from CD and is much easier to fit round everyday life.

I’ll be listening to the first course again this year and getting the advanced before make a decision whether to take a few private 1:1 sessions before the Alps trip in the summer. 🙂

I don’t know, and, tbh, don’t care – it’s a good position to be in 🙂

10 minutes

Edric 64 – Member

Didnt everybody learn to ride with flat pedals anyways?

No, I started out on clipless and found the transistion to flats a very hard one to make after developing a whole load of bad habits (poor foot positioning, pulling up with my feet on jumps, rattling over stuff rather than picking lines/hopping over stuff).

It was so worth changing to flats in the end though.

I got a small chammy frame with Lyriks on. Gawd knows what the head angle is, prolly about 66-67? It’s fab for steep stuff, DH stuff, bit wishywashy for pedally undulating techy trails, and a pig to climb with unless I wind the forks down. Never liked climbing much on a HT anyway, so the forks tend to stay at 160.

It’s the anodised red bling that makes mine so good.

In all seriousness, I love my Chammy more than life itself.

I’m a blonde HTler, and definitely have more fun. 8)

On most trails I don’t find it that much slower on the descents, and I love the way the back kicks up off of rocks etc. It’s soooo much more rewarding to ride than my 140 mm FS.

In fact, I don’t have a FS trail bike at all now and keep the big bike pretty much for uplifts only (and I’m even thinking about HT for the next one of those).

We saw a good deal of ramblers at Malvern today – 99% smiled and were lovely.

The one that wasn’t? She stated firmly that ‘you are not allowed to ride on this, THIS IS A BRIDLEWAY!’

How we chuckled 😆

That video has put such a big smile on my face 😀

Having a partner helps reduce this

unless they are also a biker!

Minion 2.5 Front, Nevegal 2.35 Back

I think the big forked HT thing has a lot to do with the lack of lift assistance in the UK (understandable as the hills are mostly so dinky, especially in the Midlands). I ride a LT HT because I can, with some grunting and moaning, get it to the top by pedalling and still have a lot of fun going back down. From there it’s not a big step to think, ah, I’ll just get rid of the XC FS bike and ride this for everything.

i’m pink therefore i’m spam

LapSteel – Member

@ littlegirlbunny

Where do you get them from?

Is it multifuel?

From these people http://www.chesneys.co.uk/stoves.asp

The 6kw is multifuel, the 4kw is woodburner only

I know it’s not ‘mine’…yet, but this is the one I am planning to have installed in a few months or so…….

(in blue though)

It’s nearly as exciting as getting a new bike!

I think, yunki, you may not be too far off the mark.

Well I found it mostly very entertaining. Particularly loved the soap opera bit.

Did think the loose women thing was too obvious in it’s controversy (i.e. a real ‘look at me, give me publicity’ attempt)

Nice shot 🙂

It was a lifting forum, full of testoterone. To be fair, a good deal of even the blokey blokes kinda said ‘erm, that’s pushing it a bit far’, but the fact it was even posted is enough to show the mentality of a very male dominated sport…and when some people claim ‘oh, it’s just blokes being blokes’ others say ‘that’s pretty offensive’

Littlebunnygirl – you’d be a great candidate for organising something! You should get the women together and block book the Cwmdown or Forest of Dean uplift for a day.

In fact why not approach Daryl/Simon and suggest it as something they promote, maybe even get one of the Elite ladies to be there? It would be about time that there was a more concerted effort to bring more women into the DH side of things

Erm 😯

*collapses under pressure*

I’m not sure I’m the right girl for the job as I don’t really know STW or the female members that well! Still, if others are interested I’ll look into it and make some enquiries. 🙂

Here’s the line IMHO:

Be nice! It’s not hard.

Blokes that say – “cor she’s nice” “I would” “she’s got a great ——” are being nice

Blokes that say – “she’s a ten pinter” “I wouldn’t with yours” “my dog is better looking” “she deserves to be gang raped for lifting weights like that” are not being nice (BTW that last one is real, taken from another forum, but was even more offensive).

The other thing I CANNOT STAND is when pro-lady MTBkers are discussed firstly for their looks and then secondly for their riding. There are amazing female cyclists out there and it’s such a shame their talents are put down the list behind their sexual attractiveness (or in some horrid posts I have read, lack of). That’s not saying complimentary comments aren’t a great thing, but quite often riding skills are totally left out.

BTW – that’s a general statement not directly targeted to STW only!

I use my fullface for both DH and trail atm ’cause my XC lid is borked. It’s actually no where near as much bother as I was expecting (would be in the summer, no doubt). I do take it off for long non-techy climbs though.

I’ve got a very small head and have an xs/x carbon Troy Lee D2. It’s light, hard wearing, way more comfortable than any other helmet I have ever used…but was very costly (I’d prolly not have had the guts to buy one if it hadn’t have been a holiday emergency!).

I have also used the MET parachute in the past. Well four of them…they do protect the face somewhat, but aren’t very hard wearing for crashing IMHO. And the MET crash replacement scheme is a total rip off. It would have cost more to get the helmet on replacement than a new one from Rutland Cycling!

In and around Malvern both days 🙂

Fullface required for only one reason……..to keep my head warm 😆

That’s a great pic! 😀

My work boots. They are irreplaceable, look good, comfy and I seriously could not do without them. Had them since 2003 and they are no longer made – italian lorica (i.e. non-leather) with steel toes and soles in size 4.

I am now in that position of thinking I should maybe not wear them as much as I do because one day they probably will start to fall apart, and then I shall be most distraught indeed.

Cannock is good – there is the way-marked Monkey Trail which is great for pretty much everyone who is technically alright (i.e can ride C-Y-B red runs or similar).

Less fit, but still ok technically can do the Follow-the-dog (bit shorter) and there is also a green route for any ladies who want to join us that don’t like techy at all.

I also know my way round some of the off piste trails and the DH runs at Stile Cop/Darkside so we could put something together for everyone I think.

However, I’m easy to go wherever and be led around by someone else!