Joe Maloned it. Ouch! Thanks for heads up.

blimey, nice to know im not alone in my dependence on Sudafed nasal spray!!

by the sounds of it im not as bad as @loddrik, but until ive had a hit first thing in the morning im useless. ill usually need another dose around midday and another in the evening, this fluctuates at different times of year. its been like for this a couple of years now, I also have several on the go. one on my person, in the car, by my bed… but i have noticed just a micro squeeze will have as a satisfactory effect as a full plunge tho, so they do last a lot longer now..

sounds like i need to give Fluticasone a go!

2 young girls at home. I’m away 3 nights a week so feel even more guilty pissing off out on my bike at the weekend, but I think they all understand. I get up & out early and I’m back before lunch so still have most of the day. I don’t work Fridays either which helps so quite often go riding when theyre at school/nursery. Also those 3 nights away in deepest Surrey are brilliant in summer, and occasionally do an off road commute if Ive got time. But I do prefer riding with mates on a Sat or Sunday morning.

you get what you pay for. a bit more expensive but these are on my list to santa… https://www.urbanears.com/ue_gb_en/hellas

30-something office based engineering type here, but on contract – so i tend to estimate my annual income as a weeks wages x 46 weeks.

so 6 weeks off give or take, or 30 days? which seems pretty average. probably take more than that in fairness, but i also take advantage of flexible hours…

Brewery. just coz i cant say it. Bwewewerry…

Fancy one them mobile jetwashes fert back ot van.

That Hitachino nest beer from Wagamamma is one of my favourites. not at all keen on Wagamamma but will always be up for it just for a few of those!!!

Christmas spirit in our house…. from sort of from mid november-ish, all the packages that regularly arrive from CRC, Wiggle, Amazon or ASOS etc are generally intercepted , whisked away, wrapped up and hidden till xmas day. you get very few surprises but at least no disappointments… except that time i ordered a puppy…..

Money in envelopes, whilst infinitely better than some of the crap already mentioned, i just find it lazy & impersonal. do you not know me well enough or can you not be bothered to buy something i might like? so much cool shit out there!!

triangles. perfect for dunking in soup, vimto, hoarded mcdonalds curry sauce packets etc.

i like to think i can do my own servicing, ceratinly change a cable and index my gears etc, but i put my bike in the lbs for some new bearings recently, when i picked it it up he said my shifting was a bit off so he’d replaced the cable… holy shit i dunno what they do so differently but changing gear on the next ride was an absolute dream!! #longlivethelbs!!!

anyone chucking out old skis, like really old. fancy making a bench or a shelf out of some…

These pre-selected bundles do my head in!!

If a retailer offered console + any two games + additional controller all for one fixed price they’d outsell everyone else!

definitely needs a ‘readers wives’ section….

the lbs is there when you need stuff in an emergency, stuff that might prevent me from riding that day; rim tape, fluid, gear cable etc. for these consumables i dont really mid paying inflated prices… all that other stuff you can usually do without for a few days…

+1 deathgrips!!

yeah after a few years of racing and riding events, im focused on using my day passes for big mountain adventures going forward…

Not sure if Mahalo is asking for alternative ‘mountains’ to do on a bike, or just different routes up Snowdon….but I’d be interested to know of other big climb/descent days out in the NW/Wales. I’m assuming there must be others in Snowdonia and perhaps in the Lakes (e.g. Helvellyn).

no i was planning an assault on Snowden with a twist.

Tons of Summits to reach in the lakes, Helvellyn one of the most accessible on a bike and has a variety of routes and and down.

id also be interested in a few more big rides around Snowdonia tho too. have done Snowdon, Pont Scethin, and Drum mountain loops before, but none feel as epic as some lakes rides.

Balls. Maybe wait till the spring then…

That’s weird sure I saw a tweet from the summit the other day with blue skies and no snow!? It’s what gave me the idea!
I have no issue push/carrying as long as none of the scrambles require two hands!

ok guessing not as i can find zero attempts on Strava!!

by dinner you mean tea?

feeling sorry for myself after a boozey late one last night. just ordered nandos takeaway for 1! gonna eat it in bed with lecky blanket on.

ive got one for my process because the cage bosses are on the underside of the downtube. always stayed put. if anything its a struggle to get off, certainly only reach for it when ive stopped rather than on the move.

Decathlon tyre levers. have outlasted hundreds of others!

apart from beer/wine & spirits i only ever drink water. maybe 2 litres a day. just when im thirsty rather than trying to force down a certain amount.

flavoured drinks just tend to make me more thirsty!

just bought a STW bob hat, so that should keep the wolf from the door……

i bought a new pair of XT cranks and a AB oval at the same time not long ago, one of them came with bolts that fit but i cant recall which one. they are shorter than normal tho. absolute zero faff either.

I like to have the mag in hand, i see it lying there i pick it up and leaf through it. when people come to my house or get in my van they do the same. this never happens with digital, plus i stare at a computer screen all day for a living and constantly moaning at the kids for mashing the ipads too so a hard copy is much preferred.

How much is the subscription gonna go up realistically? 5, 10, 15%? even 15% would only be about a fiver? or 10p a day! certainly wouldn’t make me question cancelling.

surprised you found it strange being a londoner, its pretty much an everyday occurrence here, in fact its more of a shock to hear people conversing in English on the Tube!

Got my Agents in September, had to go direct to silverfish as no stock anywhere. i dont find them too short at all, never any danger of gaping above the kneepad. Have not noticed the big vent in the arse either, but several times ive been stood outside in them while the mrs has hosed me down and remained bone dry underneath. have never put them through the washer tho…

they are the best! Ive had Madison Addicts. they are good, but they fall apart! The RF agents are far superior imo.

*edit* in fairness (i just checked) my Addicts were the DWR ones. look /feel great but double in size when wet and dont last.

I have the Race Face Agents and they are superb… will not ride in anything else now till the spring

it would be January. always despair in January that its (xmas) all over, and that another year has ticked by, and the credit card bill is due and im always pig sick of sloppy dark cold rides that are still quite fun in Nov/Dec… This is why we always go SKIING!!! which i suppose makes it my favourite month!! so, err, February. mainly because of how its frigin spelt.

Lakes riding always involves a fair amount of hike-a-bike, so id be looking for something as light as poss, and comfortable to carry too! i realise that sounds a bit pissy but my mate has a wreckoning and he can’t carry it properly because the linkage digs into his back!

been a bit sniffy about degla in the past, ‘pffft trail centre grumble grumble’ but its actually a lot more fun than i remember! esp with the mast extension, although that might be better saved for dryer months!! bog snorkel bingo under the snow!!

Madison flux is great but susceptible to tears & snags on brambles & such.

I bought the Gore Bike Wear Power Trail jacket on wiggle recently, tried one on ages ago but didnt fancy the price tag at the time. they were down to about £125 on wiggle plus another tenner off with the SAVE10-NEW code.

however its far too nice to get shitted up on the bike!!

sifting through amassed emails is a cushty few days at my desk after a jolly, kick back, headphones on, gently ease back into things…

i just shrug my shoulders and pretend im lost. frickin am half the time.

fascinating thread.

all joint and shared here, although i do skim £50 a week into a personal account for all bike shiz