Thanks Ben, that looks like the best option, and half the price of the problem solvers option.

Anyone?

Thanks

ODI Rogues are really good and I have enjoyed using them. The ODI Elite Pros looked like a decent upgrade so have purchased a pair of those, but haven’t tried them out properly yet.

The Elite Pros are only 1mm thinner than the Rogues, and have an interesting oval off center grip so have more padding where it is needed.

Nice one thank you

I’m 6’3″ and ordered the xl after trying both l and xl last week. The xl felt so comfortable and stable, gave so much confidence.

Can’t wait to pick it up in a few weeks.

Donated and good luck, I hope you get decent weather!

Are you able to post a few pics of the bikes you will be riding?

@ Marc Sussex – I would really appreciate some pointers on which sections are best to ride in St Leonards and also the best routes around Tilgate. These are both easily accessible for me and can be useful for a quick ride without having to go too far in the car to reach the South Downs or Surrey Hills.

I would also be interested in finding out which trails are worth riding there as it’s only a few miles to ride there from my house, will be closer in a few weeks when I move.

Went round there a few times last summer and tried to find some of the segments I saw on Stravva but couldn’t find many of them. Unfortunately the weather got in the way and the last time I tried going to the forest and it had turned into a clay quagmire. Tried again last weekend but it was still pretty boggy so stuck to the main routes. Blasting down Micks Mile is good fun though.

Thanks jruk – I am definitely leaning towards the XL, currently ride an xl hardtail and found the longer top tube a lot more comfortable than a previous shorter bike. 16 days until my demo day.

Hoping it wont be a long lead time when I order, it should turn up just in time for my birthday judging by your experience. :D

Very nice bike jruk, I’m slightly taller than you and test riding the large and extra large on the 29th, so I will be interested to hear how you get on with the extra large as that’s what I’m thinking at the moment. I can’t wait to have a go on one.

Out of interest, how long did you have to wait from when you ordered to receive it? Thanks

I have that same jacket and I had a random couple tell me that they thought I was Spiderman coming towards them on a bike. I took it as a compliment. I also think the jacket is a great fit and keeps the wind off.

OP which part of London? I can recommend a very good osteopath in North London – Muswell Hill, and an amazing surgeon in the Whittington hospital. I am 31 now and had surgery almost 3 years ago so you are definitely not too young to have surgery.

As above core exercises are key but my Osteo have me the right ones to do, and also released the tightness in the muscles that were making the problems worse. What gee did hurt like crazy but combined with the exercises he got me moving again.

The Bracknell Hilton always appears as though it must be the world’s shittiest Hilton. Mind you I’ve never stayed there.

You should see the one in Dartford which my company puts us in frequently, it’s got a fantastic view of the Dartford crossing. We affectionately call it “Prisoner Cell Block H”

Hi Ben, I’m also just over 6ft 2ish with a 33 inside leg, very interested in getting an Aeris fairly soon.

What size Aeris would suit me? Thinking of planning a trip down to Swinley Forrest to give a bird a trial.

Thanks

Luckily for us Toolstation and Screwfix are right next to each other so can get different things from each depending on which one is cheaper.

Thanks Nick, we already looked at that and we will just be moving the toilet up the pipe so that won’t be a problem, that will be a job for an expert though as I’m not getting involved with 40 years of other people’s c*@p.

For tools we should have a fairly good supply as MsMOC’s dad has a large shed full and loads of experience at this sort of thing, so does my dad but without the massive shed.

We are hoping that there won’t be too much plastering as the walls are in fairly good condition, however there will be a could of wooden partitions coming down that might leave some damage, also depends how easily the wallpaper and current tiling comes off.

Underlay and sound deadening boards are very good bits of advice that we hadn’t factored in and will definitely have to go into the calculations.

Electrics should be ok as the host isn’t too old with just fittings updated, however we well be getting a sparky in straight away to check

We have also done estimates for what everything will cost and got a large amount left over for over budget items, but this is the fund I want to use as little as possible so I can use some fit the above mentioned new bike (To be purchased after project completion)

Does anyone here have any contractors, plumbers, electricians etc that they can recommend in the West Sussex area? Bit of a long shot I know but anyways good to have someone they can recommend, likewise for any that I should avoid with a 100 foot barge pole.

Thanks again your advice has been priceless

Thanks again guys, loads of great advice there that will be very useful.

We will be getting the gas works and heating installed, roof work and any electrics done before we move in. We will also probably have to get the bathroom work done as that will be completely ripped out and radiator going where the bath is currently and cupboards knocked out to make more room.

I’m keen to try to do as much as possible myself with help from friends and family as money saved can go towards a new fs bike.

Thanks for the really quick as advice,

We don’t have too many DIY skills ourselves but are quick to learn (from YouTube, that’s where I have learnt to do all the mechanics on my bike) and have family and friends who have lots of experiences as are happy to help.

Thanks for the advice about the B&Q trade card, that will be very useful.

We have a plumber and builder in mind who can do some of the technical stuff like installing the central heating and family have worked with him before.

We will be doing another detailed inspection at the weekend to see what really needs to be done.

Spent a long time doing my research a couple of years ago and got a Sony 42″, absolutely love it, brilliant picture quality and love the Netflix app.

Check out avforums for the latest info on the current models.

I was going to get a Samsung but changed my mind for the Sony as the gaming performance was better and the picture was more natural.

I got a new Sony TV just over a year ago and very quickly realised that I couldn’t put up with the awful sound so I got a similar Sony 300w soundbar and I couldn’t be happier.

Great sound, connected up to the TV perfectly (once I had plugged the cables in correctly) and the bluetooth connection is great for playing music from your phone.

A friend who works in the music industry, and who also has a Sony tv liked it so much he went out and bought the same one the next day.

TLDR: Highly recommend getting one.

Wrong page as last one only had small.

Here is the proper link for £22:

Sealskinz on Millets £22

Millets have them at 30% off in their Black Friday sale, I picked up a pair for £21 this weekend:

CRC have the 661 Rage Knees for £25 in their Black Friday Sale:

CRC 661 Rage Knee Guards

Anyone with any experience with them?

My M8000’s have a similar problem after shortening using the no bleed method, so going to bleed them anyway this weekend.

Out of interest, does it matter what temp the brakes and oil are when you do a bleed? Just wondering as my bike and oil are currently in the garage so thinking will it be better to move them inside for a while beforehand to warm up. Tried searching online but can’t see anyone else asking same question.

I’m also very interested in this thread as going to get a new helmet for Christmas.

Went to evans yesterday and tried the specialized tactic 2, giro hex, and fox flux, but felt I was between sizes on the tactic and the flux, and the hex had the previously mentioned mushroom look. They also didn’t have as much rear protection as I thought they would.

I think the flux was the best one that I tried but wish they had an in between size, will go back and see if I can try a troy lee designs one.

Hi St Colin,

You have my full sympathies as I suffered with slipped discs for a number of years causing pain to run across my back and down to my toes.

The only way that I was able to get any relief from the pain was from going to regular sessions with an Osteopath, twice weekly at first but reduced down to every 2 weeks after a short time. He also gave me a lot of exercises that I had to do daily, but I had to them properly and he would constantly check I was doing them properly.

After I damaged my back again I went to the doctor and insisted that I get the surgery to sort out the disc problems and this has sorted out the problem 95% and I’m now not too limited by movement. The surgery wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting after the horror stories I read. The Surgery was a big move to take but it was the Osteopath that got me moving again in the first place.

I recommend going to pilates classes but suggest you go and get instruction at first so you know you are doing the movements properly otherwise you might not get the benefit from them or might even do more damage than good.

I hope that helps and I can say that it will get better.

Thanks for the advice guys, hopefully will have dried out a bit over this week. Probably stick to our plan as can download the route and not get lost. Will definitely be back to Surrey Hills next year for a bit of a bigger exploration. Coming up from Horsham in Sussex so it’s not far for us to get to.

Thanks for the quick info, don’t mind getting muddy just concerned some bits might be impassable. Glad we will be ok on HT.

Can you guys recommend any other routes that can be downloaded onto a garmin? Don’t mind where we start as will be driving there in the morning.

Thanks

I had my Dog Bone Spanner taken off me at Gatwick this summer, no moving parts just a shaped piece of metal with holes in it.