@stabilizers  Thanks for the videos – still plenty to do at Ainsa it seems – need to do some pondering :/ somewhere old or somewhere new…nice to have the choice!

Thanks for the replies and the offer @redrocktrails – nice part of the world to live 🙂

@redrocktrails  Thanks for the info – super useful! I’ll check out the article and I’ll be in touch if we decide to stay there. Thanks

@relapsed_mandalorian thanks – I’ll contact them about mine…nixon still haven’t replied

@relapsed_mandalorian I have a couple of nixon watches that need new glass…wondered where you were getting your nixon done?

@daveyboywonder

I believe I bought your Curtis s1 from you…she now lives in den Haag. She’s happy 🙂

Nothing else to add to the thread…

OP…how’s the view from the rabbit hole?

Molgrips…a lot of sense there…

Simon…I do this, but I like to knead the dough, so I do!

Pizza is great but the base is a ‘plate’ for the topping…discuss?

Hey – it’s for pole repairs…snap a pole – slip it over – <span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>pole fixed…</span>

Currently reading ‘Eating Animals’ by safran foer, which discusses much of what’s being posted here – its exclusively about the US context, but as he adds in the preface, UK is headed the same way – he published the book 14 years ago and judging by the Wye valley issue we’ve maybe caught them up! It’s a good read and I’ll be interested to know what he thinks the solution should be…greater transparency, education through exposure, lab grown meat, PETA running the show, etc. ?

I’m mostly on a plant based diet but love my poached eggs on sour dough toast so can’t quite pat myself on the back yet…

Hey! I’m 180 and ride the longer moxie 29er with a 140 mm fork – pyrenees, both france and spain. I went from a medium kingdom vendetta 27.5 with 150 mm forks which always felt too short – I think I always went for smaller, more playful bikes. This is much more stretched but feels better for both ups and downs and although less playful is better in every other way, except weight! Stable and planted on the downs, and not so wandery on the up – just need to be more active. Sometimes struggles on tight switchbacks but I don’t mind that so much as that might be me more than the bike!

Hope this helps – enjoy!

Hey Marin – I did it 2 years ago with a friend who has a mountain biking business in Nepal – it was to Pikey Peak so not all the way to Lukla as that’s the next valley along, and much of it was hike a bike as the monsoon rains had wrecked much of the trail up. The down from the peak however was amazing thanks in part to that monsoon damage 🙂 The villages and villagers were great but were suffering from lack of trade. We ended in Pharplu where my friend is based – lots of untouched riding to be had there…which is why he’s there! Long rides up and long rides down to the river – very good times! That would be a good place to base yourself if you like to pay for your downhills.

Jomsom and the upper mustang area is also amazing riding – the Annupurna circuit touches on some of the riding up there but there is so much more – another friend is currently route finding up there…I didn’t spend nearly enough time up there as I should have…and the flight in is even better then Lukla – more dangerous as well!

Your trip sounds like an amazing adventure which is what you get in Nepal…

Hi – Jiri to Lukla would be lovely – I biked this last year – it used to be the route to Everest back in the day so does not see many trekkers these days due to the airports and everyone flying in…great flight and well worth doing as well! The villagers there would love to see more trekkers but accommodation will be basic. Langtang was levelled by the earthquake as Jon said, they have rebuilt and again would love to see tourists back there – I walked it pre-earthquake and it was an amazing walk. Friends have done it recently and said it was great but were very conscious of what they were walking over – many killed in landslides. Gokyo also a really good call – the view from the top of Gokyo ri is amazing and hard to beat other then doing a proper peak. Manaslu is the new Annapurna circuit – very amazing and very basic – take crampons and know how to use them as it gets high and the routes down are tricky in the snow. Tamang heritage trail is also really good and you see a different Nepal…I lived in Nepal for 5 years and only left this year – amazing place and loads of tour companies in Thamel – over 150 easy – so no need to use KE or other overpriced companies. Make sure the guides are from the local area you are walking in – many are shipped in from elsewhere and take there money back with them and don’t know the area as well as a local might…hope this is useful, enjoy!

Hi-you should be fine on the warfarin; had one a few years back. Really painful and worrying but a few months later was back on the bike with no worries or repeats despite crashing! I think mine was caused initially when I crashed at lee quarry, landing on my hip-caused the clot. A couple of days later drove to scotland for a race-allowed it to travel to my lung- but woke up the following morning unable to breathe and incredibly sharp pains-not nice! A&E stranrar was inconclusive so I drove myself home as pain had gone and breathing ok. I got a phonecall a couple of hours later from a&e stranrar saying I need to get to A&E again as blood results suggested a clot! Again drove myself to hospital where they found a huge clot on my lung. Warfarin for the next 6 months or so and lots of blood tests for the inr. Had a few pains during extreme exertion in the 12 months afterwards but nothing since so seems ok now-doctors thought there maybe permenant damage to lung.
Good luck with yours, hopefully youre not prone to them! Sorry for the long post, hope it helps.

velosolo-really nice and a good price.

Just finished God is not Great by Hitchens-first bit of his stuff i’ve read, will read more.
just starting Wilderness Dreams by Mike Cawthorne, cos i’m in Jordan and missing Scotland…
Still reading the Screwtape Letters.

we were about to book when we were offered jobs in jordan…good luck persuading!

considered honeymoon there but broken bones would not have gone down well.

sorry OP for mini-hijack!

…one word…singlespeed!

oh and the girlfriend was on a pink version of your marin!

how you doing fella? hope all’s well…

me and my partner went last year-same time as muddydwarf-totally ace time, would be going again this year but new job/country, and wedding put paid to that!

Will be going back again though…

Tubeless is definately a good idea!

this isn’t very promising…

yes

cheers for the responses-really helpful thanks

Camping at cricket club in Todmorden(singletrack HQ!)then you have the trails around tod/hebden and lee/cragg quarry up the road.

thanks all

thanks Rorschach, saw this website and looks good but is quite a ways from where we are heading(looks to be on the coast)-don’t suppose you have another friend in the pirin mountains do you?

picked my new warranty replacement frame up today: very nice-looks beefier especially that oversized headtube(out with the old hope-in with the new cane creek!)and that new disc brake tab much better.
Thanks to blazing saddles for sorting that out-running a p7 as a singlespped whilst waiting was a right pain in the…anyone want a dmr chain tensioner, hardly used? p7 frame, used more?

anyway, just need to build and ride

mine’s just cracked too: two splits either side of the slot, about an inch in length. Plus a 2″ crack further down the seat tube on one side only, going past the top tube weld: just thought it was a crack in paint until I removed the post and saw daylight. Is it just a one year warranty on these? pity, its a great ride!

£292 of my hard-earned bought tickets on french railway!! luckydog no longer it seems…although HSBC refunded whilst they investigate. Bought from CRC day before…