Thanks for not de-motivating us Alex :-)

Depressingly similar to last year’s course which was no fun. If it weren’t for meeting up with folk not sure I’d bother again.

There was a Preselis route guide a couple of mags ago, but it needs to be dry to be much fun. It isn’t very dry just now….
Heres the ToP routes, decent road rides, or if you’ve a cross bike, do the route up to the Preselis, then the ridge ride.
Roadie fun

Cheers, I’ll give em a shout. Really don’t want something similar to happen 1/2 way down a big hill.

With respect though, the way your question is posed makes me wonder, have you flown a power kite before? If not, you seriously need to consider tuition of some form, be that lessons or knowledgeable friends, or you’re going to put yourself in hospital.
Agreed. Don’t mess with big kites without knowing what you’re doing.

This. Buggys take up allot of space of the beach + are a danger to the armchair pilot + everyone else if you are not good. The novice kite buggy types on our local beach last year encountered allot of hostility / agro.

Hoped he could have pulled through his recent problems. Thoughts are with Kirsty.

Not sure if they have the same “chip” system the big tops + ASR5’s have which means you can bung a 142 axle in there?

Shock set up affects the ride quite allot IME. Its not a sofa, but you can hammer anything at say CyB without a problem. I ‘ve ridden a fair bit of natural techy rocky descents / steps (both fast + slow twisters) without feeling I needed anything plusher. (140 forks). Fun bike.

Brechfa was all fine last week + not heard anything about any problems this week.
Theres a Cotic demo day up at Cwm Rhaeadr over the weekend, but the trails are still open AFAIK, just have to dodge people on Solarii + Rockets.

Ridden one a fair bit. Random internet opinion includes:
Slack enough to be capable + fun on moderately technical trails, but not so slack as to compromise climbing/handling. Nice tight arse so not overly long or sluggish accelerating. Carbon + 29er wheel de-harshes the ride for longer hauls. American levels of clearance at the back so no big rubber, but the mud shelf doesn’t actually cause any bother at all. Seat tube bottle mounts means limited dropping, but 30.9 if you to go dropper post. Stiff enough, light enough, comfortable enough, nice long, low feel.

FWIW The feel of the bike reminded me of Trek ss 69er + my dusty memories of Pace RC200 back in the day.

Not sure its twice as good as a Solaris / SC alloy Highball.

They are lovely frames, ride like a well thought out HT. I couldn’t justify that amount on one, but if I was flush and after a great fast HT it’d be very high on the list.

These guys make decent quality beds that are bolted into the proper reinforced load carrying points and are pull tested. Dead friendly + helpful too Here[/url]

:-)
Cheeky rules apply.

Theres some good evidence to back up CBT being helpful.
This might also be worth a look Here
Its important to realise you are not alone + that there are ways of helping to improve things. It can just take a while to find what works for you. Steady away.

If you are spending that much try em. Oh + what Kryton said.

5’11” + change here with a medium, seat 3/4 of its way back on the rails, but 50mm stem + wide bars. Fine for up to 4 hours, but would want a longer stem if doing grindy epics. Great fun bike.

Talk to Cy tomorrow, he’s very sensible + won’t try + sell you something thats wrong.
BikeBrechfa are having a demo in April if you are anywhere near?
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/welsh-cotic-demo-weekend

Only know stuff out further west, but these guys will know + are dead helpful
http://www.bikebrechfa.co.uk/index.htm

Great informed thread. Been stumbling towards this over the last year after recognising insulin spikes after carb heavy meals. I’ve been a heavy carb user for years as a (mostly) vegan. I guess soya in its natural state is OK but soya milk + other manufactured products isn’t great?

My previous experience of riding on no intake has been hideous bonks. Is this a hangover from physiological conditioning to expect loads of carbs?

Thanks for the input onto the thread.

Do a search, loads of threads. Trek 69er ss is one of the best bikes I’ve ever ridden.
Cheap Carver frame on the classifieds somewhere IIRC.

Agree a lap of Cwm Rhaeadr should give you a clear idea the bikes handling.
Theres some vids of the descent somewhere.

Great venue for bike testing. Rocket + Solaris would be good.

Crap news to have to take in, can be overwhelming. But what Northwind says makes allot of sense. Really important to focus on whats possible than what you can’t do. There will be stuff out there, just likely to be hard to see for a wee while. Loads of support on here for you.

I’ve used Yeti ones for years, lock on’s, work great.

Looks ACE.

For all your local knowledge needs…
http://www.bikebrechfa.co.uk/accommodation.htm

For what? :-)

Damn beat me to it Kelvin.
Fine book.

Been round the houses a few times with this + ended up with RnR extreme.
Squirt lasts no time on wet crappy rides. Finish line wet turns into grinding paste even when properly wiped after application + takes more to clean after rides, so PITA after nightrides e.t.c. (see also most wet lubes). Pro-link stuff is fine in summer. IMHO.

Cracking stuff. ‘cross exploring is great.

Got some proper ones from Tim at Sideways, don’t think they were dead expensive. Sorry can’t remember the size.

Sorry, was pointing that at visitors to the area.
Locals know where/when/how to ride the CP sustainably, met a few visitors who obviously didn’t.
Same as anywhere where there is limited riding + pretty sensitive cheek. Plus we’ve got the added bonus of having allot of retired professional types who like nothing better than complaining about things.

C9 if you’re ever up for a ride give me a shout.

Future issue of ST should have a Preselis route guide.

All the above.

Theres quite a few bits of the coast path which are fun to ride but bikes technically not allowed so its lucky i cant read or become foreign if anyone pulls you up.

Please be sensible about this, Its a busy path during daylight at holiday times. Conflict with walkers (often stroppy tourists) and National Parks wardens will impact on those of us who live here.

Agree about Yetis, Cotic Rocket, also Orange’s are nicely long, ST4 + five.

Trek 69er (singlespeed), is one of the best HT’s I’ve ever ridden. Better handling than any 29er i’ve ridden. The rollability, grippy cornering of a 29er + the acceleration, tight back end + power transfer of a 26″ HT. Very capable, fast riding bike. But it was designed really well to be what it is. Harder to get something similar from an adapted 26″ frame, probably.

Harefield has a very good rep.
Mate was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer + given 6 months. 18 months later + 8 months off chemo, he was up Cadair Idris earlier this week proving the Dr’s wrong on a daily basis. Hope the op goes well.

Ligament injury + cartilage tear means no riding for me just now. On the plus side it also means no DIY.

Simon I think your bike may distort time/space in some unholy way.
[Aye Mr C, mailed you about t’other stuff]

69ers are ace. Sadly my knee isn’t, so having to sell my Trek original ss :-(

Thats really helpful, thanks Shep.