I used to have one
Diesel 2wd with all options. Did 100k miles approx without issue despite being abused for the duration.

Was actually better than I had expected
Great handling and of course the nice feature of sitting a bit higher.
Still got a set of 19″ alloys at home for it.

We (Belgium) don’t illuminate highways as a standard anymore.
Only obliged to light junctions & during bad weather.

Roads are also fine regards holes and such like. (I ride a motorbike so I’m fairly exposed to any issues)

Be very careful on roundabouts…. Belgians think it’s normal to join that you can turn left by driving all the way around the outside of a 2 lane roundabout. Highway code used to be written that way (allegedly)

Tailgating is normal as is undertaking on the highway

The pulling out from the right thing is only valid in built up areas but still rather surprising all the same.

Is the xmas market in Brugge really that good (or are you coming to watch some cyclocross as the same time)? I hear Koln or Aachen are much better.

suburbs

hahaha
Sundsvall is only suburbs :)

There is a little ski slope overlooking the town :)

trains are quite slow no? (I’m in Gavle next week & will grab the train but that’s a bit closer to Arlanda)

Can also go via Goteborg (or Stockholm Bromma) but there are more connections through Arlanda.

been quite a few times (work).
Not much there :)

Ever seen the crowds that already turn up for CX events?

I was at the Koppenberg on Saturday…. ;-)

I’m Belgian based & we have nearly all races shown live on TV.
It’s great winter TV – 1 hour of athleticism & spectacle but clearly a very local sport.

If RedBull don’t make this a one off exercise it could be great.
(though none of the top CX riders will be there for this event)

and these:

425 grams

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kenda/small-block-eight-24-tyre-ec039587

JRA list these:

http://www.justridingalong.com/parts/wheel-parts/rims/ztr-crest.html

Another option would be Decathlon if you have one nearby. Similar sort of weight and also reasonable quality

Which model have you got?
The MX team is way lighter than anything in Decathlon, Trek, Cube range…
Ridiculous for a 9-10yr old to be riding a bike that weighs more than my 29er

Islabikes I believe are good weight wise also?

my 9yr old has one of these:

http://www.orbea.com/int-en/bicycles/mx-24-team/

1×10, v-brakes & no suspension. Simple but effective
Under 10kg too

he races BMX ‘normally’ and is very hard on kit as a result and so far no issues whatsoever with the Orbea
I don’t live in the UK hence Islabikes was not considered..

Do not go to Kirkenes. I was there earlier this week & the only highlights were the king crab (yummy) & my colleague catching a Russian purse thief on the plane back to Oslo.

Bergen is great as is Oslo. Not super expensive apart from the alcohol. There is always duty free shop at each airport when you disembark. The Norwegians go there like a shot :)

Germany has some great locations & some that are less great ;-)

She has the perfect opportunity to learn the language?

I’m 10yr+ expat and love being in continental Europe. Learning a language makes the experience so much more fulfilling. Avoid the trap of falling exclusively into ‘expat communities’.

You need to speak German in Germany in my experience (& that goes for both of you).
The smaller countries are less of an issue but in Spain (real Spain), Italy, France & Germany local language is a must of you want to live & integrate there.

546mm for an inbred….
530mm for a Commencal el camino

But yes – seems quite short

That frame looks interesting but plan to build across all the old but ‘fancy’ bits of my old bike. SID race, XTR 9 speed, Crossmax etc etc

Think I’ve found a frame in DL for €100 (new). Cube Analog 14″

I saw that on the On One site too….
Lightly tempted except it mentions 2kg frame weight. That’s a bit of a tank for a tiny frame? Or perhaps I’m being stupidly sensitive. (Heavier than my large Scandal) :-)

(Also said no derailleur hanger)

I’d like to keep it simple & light if poss

Had the idea I’d be able to pick up an ‘Old fashioned’ hard tail for a couple of hundred…
Disk mounts
Straight head tube
External BB
9 mm QR

Hmmm
I was at the Roc D’Azur at the weekend and it was funny to see that all the small ‘old’ top end mtb’s are now hand me downs to Kids :-)

Saw a generic ‘kids bike’ thread primarily discussing smaller wheeled bikes… (Was that it?)

didn’t see any suggestions for potential frames.

Had hoped maybe to find something new on eBay or from On One but nothing really jumps out

Pros: When your partner drives over one of them you still have the other one left.

Cons: when your partner drives over one of them the other becomes lonely

Sad (very) but true (with kids in car too) :-(

amazon part

Or pop to Halfords…

Bugger

Would have good to see Alonso

A Belgian & a (swedish) Luxemburger :)

Brian is a mongrel like many Brussels folk (typing this from Brussels) ;-)

Nice guys too.

What’s cheap?

Like my Syntace P6 hi-flex….
Noticeable improvement in comparison to bomb-proof Thomson

They stock all the lovely over priced shit :)

Bought stuff with no worries

We have the same thing in Belgium

They introduced rumble strips every couple of km’s alongside the Schelde towpath, to slow the ‘crazy cyclists’ down.
Must have been effective as Alan Peiper reported the secret to the success of the BMC World Team Trial Team was training on this same stretch of asphalt. (their base is in my village)

Rice

Deep fried prawns

Sweet & sour sauce

(perhaps not a wonderfully healthy option)

Not really sure what the strengths of Roche are.

He is a great rider but falls a fraction short of the best climbers.
Not sure if he has the strength to be a classics specialist.

Equally I can’t imagine he’d want to be another Sky domestique like the similarly talented Kiriyenka.

energy gels

enemy of the arse gusts

Greg Van Avermaet for the win (or Gerrans if it stays as a group)
Here in Belgium Tom Boonen is speaking very confidently but don’t see that coming off despite his classics palmares.

I cannot see any chance for Team GB sadly….

Cancellara will be super strong I expect but won’t be given an inch.

I’ve never ridden the Roc before as such (but have ridden in the region)

based on that & the experiences of my friends I’m fitting some bigger (& more puncture resistant) rubber

Just ordered a pair of 29×2.35 Snakeskin RoRo’s

I guess the lack of answers means not many….

I’m racing both the Marathon (Fri) & the Roc itself (Sun).

Go down with a big group on the Wednesday (but I’m Belgium based hence perhaps it’s more popular an event for us)
There was actually a ‘sister’ race in the Ardennes earlier in the season but nothing like the size of the real Roc!

If you are racing don’t forget your medical certificate

Nothing I have ever found whilst there…

I also hoped Shimano might be cheap but US prices are way below Japan (last time I checked)

any german alcohol free weizen beer (like Erdinger)

I’m teetotal for years & this is my preferred drink (but tricky to find outside of german speaking lands)

Good warranty but based on my mtb club friends experiences you’ll need it…

(Same statement for Scalpel)

Nice fork though & super fast

Certainly should check center parc Belgium & Netherlands.
As school holiday timing is different to UK i gather they can be way cheaper…

Only one I’ve been to (sort of) is lommel (vossemeeren).
Plenty of good off-road biking there even if its flat. Its also fairly rain resistant as it’s sandy base.

Road from Brussels to Liege (E40) is not so bad….
It is incredibly noisy though due to the rough concrete surface but doesn’t have any holes or significant bumps. It also holds a lot of standing water when it rains and we’ve had a lot of that this ‘summer’.
Don’t think there’s any plan to improve it.

Pump etc goes in my back pocket but if I lose my pump (again) it’s not such a PITA as losing car key.

Back in the 90’s we were doing Euro trips in a lot worse cars :)

(Nova 1.2 saloon shitbox & 4-up springs to mind)

It’s not a race. Do it, enjoy.

Best roads = Denmark.
Super smooth & very well maintained

Another vote for Italy having worst.
I used to work out of an office just south of Rome and never failed to be shocked by the holes & random lumps in the road.
Was in Sankt Moritz earlier this month and travelled over to Livigno. It was quite obvious where the border was without needing a control post.

Up until Spa, Hamilton has clearly used his better racecraft skills to shut out Rosberg even when Rosberg has had a clear car advantage at certain race moments.
Without any doubt Hamilton would have had no doubt prior to Spa that he could shut the door on Rosberg and a ‘soft’ Rosberg would always yield.
Time will tell how this will develop but I am sure that Hamilton will be more cautious around Rosberg for a while.

I do not doubt it was the fault of Rosberg but I see it no different to Hamiltons agressive defense style from earlier in the season.

Rosberg needed to show he wasn’t Hamiltons bitch when it comes to squeezing or being squeezed and I think he achieved that.

He had overlap and Hamilton could have given him space. Ultra high risk manoeuvre but such moves are what makes Hamilton a hero at times.

For sure Mercedes are pissed but that was always going to happen one way or another.