Read the IPCC’s fourth assessment report summary for policy makers – all the info along with uncertainties/ evidence base etc. Fifth assessment is due out soon.

Muddy Mary tyres are the best all-rounders I’ve tried. Might be a bit big/heavy to suit an anthem but aren’t squirmy on hardpack like some other mud-specific tyres are. But for the money it’s hard to beat a mud x or Storm control and they will be significantly lighter.

I’ve only ever had a go on one uphill and that was pants.
Don’t know if I’d want to get in on this, though.

Whytes have pretty nice geometry, don’t know if you can get frame only though.

I’d imagine they’re much of a muchness, Arch EX just has its double wall bit so it will be stiffer. No less resistant to dings but more resistant to going egg shaped. Having said that I smashed mine on its first ride on a water bar but I reckon any non DH rim would have done the same maybe apart from an xm819.

Just chuck a set of £30 aero bars on your road bike especially if its your first event.

This
Most of the aeroness comes from your position, then your helmet, clothes, shoe covers. Wheels make very little difference at all. There’s a great article on bike radar where they tested various permutations from standard road bike to full TT with trispoke/disc rear wheel and all the aero kit.

I have a mate who came 14th in this year’s celtman on a low-spec allez with clip ons and a helmet.

I thought Kili flyer was always their xc race job, seems an odd name choice for this frame. Retail price is a bit silly for the spec I would say.

second hand XTR for about that price

This is what I did . 75 quid for some previous generation xtr cranks with brand new rings. Just needed a bb.

Very disappointing to see Storey that low, two athletes being beaten by a golfist is a poor show.

Maybe because he’s won a few medals and lead the team that inspired the nation.

He’s hardly ‘lead’ the team, he’s just been the figurehead and represented hundreds of people working under him over a few years. He’s also been very opaque on the commercial side of the olympics, especially the terrible sponsorship choice and his own firm securing the management contracts. He also appears to be patronising and evasive when questioned on his actions and showed little humility towards the fact that he was employed to get great value for the taxpayer rather than being some untouchable emperor of pomp and ceremony.

Seb Coe – why? Bradley – yes, 2nd/3rd Hoy, Jess, Weir, Storey not flipping Murray.

It doesn’t sound much but felt plenty in a TR7 especially airborne over a hump back bridge.

That sounds pretty hair-raising to me! 55 in one felt plenty enough to me along the flat.
I did once have a weightless experience as a wee un when we drove over a hump back bridge in an unladen lorry. I went flying up to the top of the cab while my dad had the wheel to hang on to.

I’ve done 52mph along the Rochdale canal on a souped-up water ski boat. That was a bit silly – 13 times the limit beat that in your M5!

Wiggins or Wier if not. Anything else is a gross injustice.

rather than xc717s maybe take a look at old 355 or arch wheelset, they seem to be around for cheap since thre crest and arch ex came out.

Yeah, I rode it with Fortunateson and was very impressed, a lot more technical than I was expecting, some narrow,steep and greasy singletrack with rocks and stumps in places that keep you on your toes. The pump track/ skills bit is great fun too! When I was last there were maybe 15/20 kids giving it the beans and a few of them showing us how it was done, great to see! The climb can be a bit of a drag but it’s short and it’s easy to do loops of the top half.

I’ve seen a sov rust through – Fortunateson on here’s. Still hammered it about with no problems though. I guess there’s a payoff to hauling that amount of steel around with you. He also dropped it down a Via Ferrata rock face when we tried to find ‘secret stuff’ in Alpe d’ Huez – merely scuffed it. However, it did rust from the inside rather than from a scratch or gouge. I guess there must have been some water trapped in the headset or something

Cheers folks. Might give it a go in that case!

As a LOTR geek I like the fact it’s fleshed out a bit but can see why some might find it a bit repetitive. I like the fact they’ve included a decent amount of humour into the film as it’s a much more light-hearted story than LOTR.
I do agree that some of the changes make little sense – Azog/Bolg being one and having a major antagonist being CGI is a bit pants but I guess there would be no other way that would look any better.

I watched it in 2d 24fps. Some bits, particularly in the Mines of Erebor at the start and goblin town I would have liked 48fps, lots of detail lost in blur with such geometric scenes.

6000ft a day sounds pretty brutal on an Alpine 160. You’d probably be alright if it’s mainly fire road though, much better to be riding a bike you’re used to when pushing hard on the descents. Still, you’d have a lot more energy for the flats/ uphill bits on something lighter. No point being knackered for the bit you’re going top be timed on!

Round 3 might be a goer, cheers pal.

To be fair I did/do have distinct ‘uni’ and ‘home’ voices, I often get the mickey taken when I go back to one with the accent from the other. Just situation really, I have no particular ‘accent’ I think it comes mainly down to pronunciation for me. Grunt and t’-based Yorkshire speak or generic English.

Glad to have ridden a few of them with you, hopefully more in 2013! Just need more of us to get married now for more charity-shop-suited-shenanigans!

cheaper than converting to tubeless!

£100 per bike? Seems a fair bit pricier to me.

Switched my remedy for this, not nearly as light but still a very capable climber, even with 170mm forks. I’m sure the newer, considerably lighter and stiffer frame would be even better!

Oh and HobNob, that META looks fantastic!

This is why I never go riding without a jousting pole.
Bam! Right in the kisser!

I used to be a right computer gaming geek overcolocking them and all that lark.

Basically any newish I5 processor, 8gb of decent RAM and a 7200rpm hard drive and 600-800w PSU is all you need. Then spend the money on a decent graphics card, preferably one with an aftermarket/uprated cooler. The newer chips are made on a smaller process so will generate a lot less heat for a given power/performance. I would recommend a Nvidia 570,580,660,670 or ATI HD7870,7850,7950. Check here for a breakdown of best cards for the money at different price levels.
After that, just get a well-ventilated case (bigger fans are generally quieter for the amount of cooling.

EDIT : Oh and a word on monitors, the graphics card you need will depend on the resolution you’re playing at. Below 1080p you should concentrate on the chip’s speed wheras at 1080p and above the memory becomes a bit more important (e.g. 2gb and ddr5 memory).

I’d say mavics or spank’s evo line of rims, they use a tougher alloy. Mavics are heavy and narrow but mine have lasted unlike any other (xm819).
Crossmax or red zone wheels are worth a look too

A lot of stuff in PDS is a reasonable gradient and fairly well-maintained these days. The Greens/Blues are great fun and there are a few nice xc routes to. It can get a bit mental on the steeper/ rootier/ “clayier” trails if you have prolonged rain though. To my shame I don’t really know anywhere else save Alpe d’Huez, not much there to be honest.

I’ve used the TL28s. Smashed the rear one on the first ride but that was ragging on Skye with silly tyres and likely too little pressure – did the same to an arch ex a few weeks later in Torridon. Front has been great, has done everything from casual xc races to rocky DH courses and weeks in the Alps on a 170mm bike so I’d say the cl25 would suit your requirements Just don’t smash them into water bars and you’ll be fine (few usefully-light rims will take that anyway).

The best value ear/headphones by a country mile are sound magic’s E10s. You’d need to spend >£100 to get anything better.

I have a fast mate that rides Red Zones for full on DH and general trail riding and has only ever broken a single spoke. Seem pretty solid rims and reasonably light too. Only hassle is getting the nipple thing in/out when you replace a spoke as it’s closed.
I’ve been tempted by a pair myself.

You can buy Velocity p35s for c. £60-70. They aren’t light though, 535g. But if that means a smaller tyre it ‘might’ be offset.

I’ve smashed pacenti tl28 and arch ex on the rear (Pacenti on the front’s been fine even when I’ve accidentally left the spoke tension very low). I’m running an old xm819 wheel at the moment which is muct more resilient.

I would take a look at Spank’s new rims (their evo range), they use 7000 series aluminium (like Mavic) which might mean they have the same hardness. Indeed, reports I’ve read seems to say they are very durable with even the xc race rim being fine for dirt jumping and the likes.
you can even get them in ELITE COLOURWAYS.link

Loved it despite the weather the late starters got at the top! Did my usual race fail and did pretty badly but thought the trails were great – just difficult enough whilst still allowing flat-out riding. ‘That’ corner was a laugh though, especially when there were 3 or 4 people sliding all over it!

My old prophet was 26.5 lbs (1×10) when it had xc race tyres on tubless wheels. My remedy was 28lbs with beefier forks and wheels/tyres.

Just get a 2.5 gooey compound muddy mary and have done with it. I run mine at about 17psi with a tube and haven’t had any issues. Works on pretty much any trail.

But being sensible I’d get Barons, just a little comfused about which to get for non-stans tubeless set up. Protection, UST?

Laggan Brown is grand but last time I rode it trees ruined play somewhat. They might have been cleared by now but I haven’t been for a good few months.

I have solo air rc2dh lyriks and they’re pretty good, but I think 34s would be your best bet if you’ve the dolla. Having used 36s and coil x fusions I would say they’re all much of a muchness too.

Coming down the Lairig Ghru I was giving it the beans and suddenly caught a rock and the next thing I knew I was slotted into a water bar. Arm was completely impobilised so I just had to shout help until the rider behind and infront came and laughed at me for 5 minutes.