You’ll likely learn much more in a couple of good private lessons than a week of ESF style ‘ski school’.

I’ve both skied and boarded a lot, there is no wrong decision. I tend to ski nowadays because it’s easier to see where you are going, but do what grabs your fancy.

If I was with a bunch of mates, I’d do whatever the majority is doing.

Also if you think you may one day want to do ski-touring, that’s much more viable than board-touring (because you can ski uphill but not board uphill), in which case pick skiing as you’re starting to build up the skillset.

By far the highest risk of injury is collision with other people on the slope, and it won’t be your fault as you’re a newbie, it’ll most likely be an out of control or inconsiderate other person. So go somewhere uncrowded.

Mid-march to mid-April is great in the alps, best time IMO.

Ignore any tour ops pumping or dissing resorts based upon early season snowfall, it’s bs they have no idea how the season’s going to pan out, it can change any time.

The skill in the salesman needs would be spotting those characters and fobbing them off.

Does that bring us back full circle to top of thread? :P

They weren’t turning down £1400 of OP’s money as he wasn’t offering it, he was asking gor a free go on their bikes.

They obviously decided margin and probability of the sale wasn’t sufficient to justify overheads of dealing with ‘customer’, cleaning bikes after and so on. So it goes, that’s their call.

OP had a pretty good idea what he wanted to test, maybe they concluded he wanted a try out before buying online. Who knows.

Business is business, all they are doing is trying to make a living just as OP has right to spend where he wishes. No one has any right to feel hard done by.

I have a Blur ‘Classic’ (04). They have no doubt moved on a lot since then but the mud clearance isn’t great on mine, and the lower linkage actually makes a nice ‘mud collector shelf’ to boot. Worth checking if you are riding in the UK – a UK designed frame is likely to be better for mud.

social, fun, fitness, outdoors, pints

every ride is a little adventure, a story you don’t know the ending of yet

but come to think of it I remember sessioning “singletrack” in local woods (now a housing estate) when I was maybe 10 or 11. so it’s always been there.

good stories here

I can’t think of anything else that would give me the same mix of social, outdoorsy, fun and fitness, all in 1 package

i forgot to mention the drinking

it was gradual, I most always had bikes but was never a ‘cyclist’.

for several years I was into kayaking but live in Surrey so it’s a good hike to north Wales for decent water, many good times but travel to paddle ratio wasn’t great. Then one weekend we went to Wales, the rivers were dry on Saturday so no paddling, big storm on Saturday night, rivers were in dangerous flood on Sunday so no paddling. It had to give.

Around that time I got to know the Saddle Skedaddle guys and acquired a Giant HT like you do. My delectable other half moved to Dorking, I hitched along (though I am from that way), found my way to a regular night riding group out of Westcott and it turned out I had great riding on my doorstep all along.

I can’t think of anything else that would give me the same mix of social, outdoorsy, fun and fitness, all in 1 package.

That said, there’s only 12mm or so difference in the TT lengths, which is only a stem change!

wise words

dont get hung up on it, we’re on the cusp so it’s good either way

perhaps consider what you do most: day long mile eating epics? or twisty turny uppy downy singletrack?

5’8″ 32″ inside leg. On the cusp and could go either way, settled on a medium and love it. 70mm stem.

same dimensions as above, small frame, 90mm stem, 240mm of seatpost. It’s highly chuckable, agile and nimble.

OP: it’s a tough call, but I think there is no ‘wrong’ decision, try both if you can. You’re welcome to a go on mine, I’m in Surrey. Mail hint in profile.

ps consider 170mm cranks, it makes no sense for someone our height to be rising the same cranks as the 6 foot-ers

@sth u can mail me by the way, see profile

You’re not being fleeced: the pound is weaker, raw materials are getting more expensive, and demand in the UK and internationally is growing. All this means prices go up for you earning in GBP.

If you think product is over priced, walk away or look at second hand, there’s masses of gear on STW classifieds, I got good forks for £150.

has anyone else encountered families (avec children and dogs) walking the ‘wrong’ way along the start to Parklife

No but I see how it could happen, there is a footpath very close at the end of the run in, before the trees, and PL is visible. A dog or child could easily change tracks.

The area as a whole is a shared space, riders need to keep an eye out and bear in mind this isn’t a dedicated trail centre in the back of nowhere.

it was an amazing day, bottom car park rammed tho not the others. lines at the store getting to the point where better to take your own snacks.

but there’s plenty of space out there, wherever the crowds go, go the other way. most people ride the bankers instead o exploring.

@scamper you should try both small and medium if u can. I am 5’8″ and at the top of a small, lots of seatpost (pic coming)

Edit: here http://mattgillam.posterous.com/soul-in-the-sun

Small frame, 90mm stem, about 240mm seatpost. I’m 5’8 32 in inside leg. I’ll maybe try rolling the seat back 10mm and a shorter stem. The stem, bars and post are Use.

nigel sorry for the delay in reply, thanks for your offer, I’m good with the small, hope our trails cross some time

I bought some forks from Merchant-Banker via classifieds. They were an absolute steal, in perfect nic (as he promised) and he took an awful lot of trouble to pack them safely so they arrived spotless. Thanks fella.

I was contemplating 1×10 but went 2×10 in the end, it was the right decision for me, on a typical ride I use all the gears. A couple of factors also are that I share the bike with my better half so that helps her, and I’m at an age where I prefer to push a softer gear to lengthen the lifetime of my knees and riding career.

Too late, since the best Sabbath albums are Heaven and Hell, and Mob Rules.

Motley Crue? Saw them at Donington about 20 years ago (the year AC/DC headlined), wouldn’t pay 20p to see them again.

I should clarify that according to my delectable live-in partner, who comes from Co. Durham, ‘clarts’ is runny sloshy mud, whereas ‘claggum’ is think and heavy, like you get where horses have been churning up a bridleway.

Ah fair enough, for me it’s a round trip of nothing.

I did a twilight run down from Coldharbour last night, some puddles and clarts but nothing that would spoil a ride.

Damp and foggy today.

Golf is like anti-matter to mountain biking. Time to move on.

It’s just normal Autumn conditions, perhaps even better than average.

We don’t get much of the gloopy clag other parts of the country can suffer from.

Go ride, get muddy, have fun.

1) How did it feel?

The actual popping-out was a bit fraught and stressful. Doesn’t mean yours will be.

How did you cope?

Took it as it came.

What happened to the bike?

Littl’uns mother is a biker too so we juggle things to both get out now and then. Less than before but it’s fine.

2) Did the NCT classes help?

Didn’t do any. I would though read up on the signs and stages of labour and birth, the TENS machine etc.

3) Are there any forums I could join that would help prepare me for the inevitable life-explosion about to happen?

There are loads of forums though I doubt they really prepare you.

You were born for this. Roll with it.

@sth, rain last night.

I haven’t ridden your other tyres but my Mud X are on and staying on until spring at the earliest, tho I regard them as a more all-round tyre than mud specific anyway.

Cold and grey in Surrey. Good rid all the same.

and i still this this niggle in the back of my mind regarding the state of the world in 20, 30 years time and whether i’d want to be living in it.

it’s been that way since the dawn of time

45 yrs, 19 yrs, 7 month old daughter

For me it’s good, very good, I can no more imagine being without her than I can my own head. But you have to be ready. If you weren’t ready it could be horrendous, better to wait.

There’s a Bill Murray line in “Lost in Translation” along the lines of “Your children are the most amazing people you will ever meet”.

Sure, just got my first non-alu HT (steel), with a ti post and tubeless it doesn’t feel much different to my Blur classic for the XC riding a do, especially in the damp. It’s early days but I’m sure I’ll never ride an Alu HT again.

Great action/location pics on this thread … so here’s my Blur at 4300m in Peru.

(Technically this ‘replaced’ my 2001 Kona Kula HT).

OP: tried a steel or Ti frame? Tubeless and drop tyre pressure a bit?

very very soggy last night. man eating roots! had to have 2 baths when I got in last night, one to wash the mud off and one to wash the water from the first bath

Not well, just briefly as a client. And I did a sponsored run with Charlotte a few years ago, turned out we went to the same school tho spaced several (ahem) years apart.

My other half was walking through town one time and bumped into someone she knew from our local (UK) running club, who’d taken a chalet host job.

It’s that kind of place. All roads lead to Mt Blanc.

Can’t figure out how Joe lost a leg though?

Pre-antibiotics: open fracture -> infection -> gangrene -> amputation.

NRTom, is the name Egglestone anything to do with your job?

I was going to say that tho desisted. It’s a small world there.

We were in Cham, there’s bugger all in Argentiere to be honest (except the Grands Montets lifts of course) and going anywhere means a drive. Wouldn’t have suited me.

Ok my hunch is you’re working or TUI, you’ll get paid.

ChamSud is cheap for a reason.

They guy who runs the ski/bike hire called SkiLoc there, opposite the bus station is a friend of mine, you’ll get good service there.

The DH descent at Le Tour is well spoken of, didn’t ride it myself. Sorry I keep thinking of things!

Good riding at Verbier, about an hour and a quarter to get there.

Read this, it’s stylised and fictionalised but has the ring of truth too. It’s good fun.