Used the regular thickness 1” wide for a custom steel frame (so no vizy kit for it to buy off the shelf). Not as hard wearing as the proper stuff but fine for just to take the general scrapes/transport scares.

Ps some of the chicken lines are harder than the main line

I live around 30 minutes from Hadleigh so have visited a few time when trying to avoid the mud of winter. I tend to treat the place like a giant skills loop rather than a trail centre, there are two/three options on the technical ups and downs so you can go around stuff. How difficult is it? On an xc bike with ridged post – very, on a trail/down country like with a better geometry and dropper – not that bad. I would say it’s worth going to get an idea of what it’s like if you have never rode north wales trail centres with hard rocks and foot high drop offs into more rock (where line chose is important).

Been finale 3 times now using just ride finale with Louise, top rider and a great guild. Throughout the time we did do other trips/uplifts with a couple of other companies like finale free ride. Although we went as a group we did have single people/other small groups join us for a random day. Yes you can just get an uplift to the nato base but better to do a fall package with uplift and guild away from the nato base.

My understanding is that they have to be selling within 12 months of first use of racing (thinking about Santa Cruz when they started using 29er wheeled bikes, others just adapted theirs rather than a whole bike).

So my older brother was interested in the segment (this was about 2 years back just as the stage 4 was being released) so went to a demo day where we were about to test ride a stage 5, stage 6, four, five and alpine six. Bike I was least impressed with was the alpine (found the least fun to ride on the trails we were on due to the smaller wheels and heavy set up), the most impressive was the stage 6 ( the bigger wheels seamed to steamroll the bike over everything).

For my brother thought he found the stage 5 to be more than enough bike for him and his riding style. He ended up getting the segment as it suits he’s need and after a years worth of use in the peaks he’s still more than happy. The stage 4 does improve on the segment to make the lack of travel at the rear work better and better geometry. I think for the big explore days the stage 4 would be great (more comfort than a hardtail).

Been drinking my way through Xmas with a dark and stormy (dark rum, ginger beer, lime and ice).

Got a week in north Wales staying 10 minutes away from Coedy with the outlaws over Xmas. Plan to ride whenever it’s not raining. If anyone else will be that way give a shout out.

Some advice for any ex army, navy or airforce technical engineers for career after the forces.

My background is a modern advanced apprenticeship in mechanical maintenance at an oil refinery followed by another 8 years in a sugar refinery (mostly in their steam producing boiler house). I have ended up working in the insurance inspection industry as a pressure surveyor (we also have lift & crane and electrical surveyors). We end up taking on loads of ex force engineers purely because they have seen so much kit in their time in the armed forces and better trained up. Money is good, based from home so you can work around home life as well, probably a better career move than staying on the tools.

It’s worth having a bit of thought about what he wants to do after time in the forces to direct him in to a career in the right part of the forces.

Try donut media for car guys, surprised no one has mentioned it already

Obvs this puts you in evil bastard worse than BTL landlord category…

I’m not the sort of person to invade Poland but might kick a small kitten…

It’s just very frustrating that she is still a first time buyer but won’t get any stamp duty exemption if she buys with me. I have read else where that she could put me down as a tenant rather than on the mortgage (for the first mortgage at least) to get around stamp duty. Obviously a lot of trust is needed with what ever we decide or can legally able to do (tax avoidance rather than evasion).

Dickboy – we have only just got engaged so there isn’t any time restrictions for when you buy, just trying to see is it worth putting her on my mortgage at the mortgage to give her protection if something should happen to me. Death and taxes

I have been looking into second property renting out and it doesn’t seam as rewarding as previous years. To be fair I do also think out moving away to Wales to get a lot more for my money in the first pace (and the riding isn’t bad either)

250k won’t get a lot in the area I live, in Wales surly you could buy the whole road for that?
That is shame p-jay that ftb isn’t the full of the UK

Try weecog for a custom frame bag that does not cost a fortune.

Have a look at at weecog custom frame bags, I have got one and a great way of carrying everything you would want if you can design it large enough. Cost is around £50

Definitely a full face helmet place, some companies don’t allow open face either. I took a fox proframe as it’s airy enough to pedal a bit with and rode in elbow and knee pads while others in the group took more full body suit protection

Try just ride finale with Louise, been with her three time but have also organised other uplifts through her. She will sort out pick up from airport, digs to suit needs and trails to suit group and length of stay. Her knowledge of Nava forest which is half and a half away is worth doing as well.

Well i’m Quiet enjoying reading all the different ways everyone has got married. I have only recently proposed to the better half in Finale Ligure. Either of us are bothered by a big wedding but the fun and games is she has a very large family (parents have over 15 brothers and sisters – Irish). So the idea of eloping is sounding like a good idea lol

I work as a pressure surveyor for an insurance company which is quite unusual. But it’s the fact I get to go around to lots of other companies and see other people’s jobs. The two most random ones were a company that made sand mounts for joining up train tracks with molten metal and a company that made ultra high quality cameras for measuring dust partials for the flour milling industry.

Been a few times, would say it would be best to take your own, then hire the pole followed. Y the ebike. The uplift are all pretty good with not much climbing (in fact we decided to ride up a couple of times to get more downs in). Also the trails are hardenough that it’s best to ride something you are familiar with and the weight of an email might be a struggle

So a couple of things I would like to add:

Trail riding means too many different things depending on your location.
One bike does not do it all though with the current performance of modern bikes you can get it pretty close. I currently have a mk1 nicolai geomatron set up at 170/155 27.5” 63 HA in longer (m) and a sick wulf (that’s a whole another story) set up at 150 29er 64 HA in large (i’m 5.9 and a light person). The hardtail is so capable that I would use it most of the time locally in Essex and Surrey Hills area and trail centres in wales. The nicolai would come out for fod off piste, peaks, dh days or trips abroad (finale Ligure and Spain). I would not want just one bike for all.
The biggest difference between a trail bike and enduro bike isn’t the travel or the geometry, it’s the tyres with the soft or super sold compounds, single ply or double cashing, small fast rolling nobbles or large aggressive nobbles. Most guys would run the same bar, stem, gearset, dropper, and even brake set (fourpots) regardless if it was a trail bike or enduro bike. Wheels like tyres will depend on terrain.
LLS bikes will always weigh more than SSH bikes because of the extra material needed for length and strengthening needed for extra force on head tube. On a climb this would make the bike feel heavy but because of the more stable wheel base the climb itself (on techy ones at least) will be easier.
To ride a LLS bike you have to change your riding stile which you you might not (no body wants to think of themselves as a bad rider or be told they are doing it wrong).
There is a big difference between geometry and travel, I would rather have a short travel bike but with slack angles than a long travel strap angled bike.
A shorter travel back end to a longer travel front is great (still pedals well but can clutter through rough downs).

If I only could have one bike a new stumpjumper evo 29er in a large/s3 would be right up my street.

I would say just do the whole loop at Marin, the final decent is probably the best bit but there are some great sections (first decent that is not part of the short loop) and the furthest away sections that will keep you interested. Have done penmacho a few years ago and would say it’s good but more old skool (less bike parky).

I have used just ride Finale with Louise twice so far and will be back with them in a few weeks. They can normally tailor the riding to suit needs. They tend to do riding in other part of north Italy including Nava forest (two hour away), Jeep tour with finale freeride, and Sanremo (again two hours away). They have their own accommodation in the hills but we end up doing our own thing

I ride with a dakines 2 lire hot lap that allows for an external water bottle to be mounted to the outside of the bag and store bits & bobs in the bag. Run a cage on the frame and swop out the bottle once it is empty.

Nukeproof scout 29er?

I bought a set of 36 29/27.5+ 150 performance elite for £430 off crc in March time. Turned up in a normal box without any manuals or extra tokens making me believe they were meant for oem builds. Cheaper than second hand

I walked up and down the pony trail at the beginning of the year. Definitely not a route for riding up (lots of steps at the very start so hike a bike). Some section might be too difficult on the way down (one or walking sections advised). Have rode Snowdonia which while very good fun the riding ban does make timing a pain

I would also be asking the question of how wide the handle bars are as well as the size of frame and rider. Although I ride more trail and enduro and am 5.9” I like my bars at 780mm and would still want a 740mm bar on an xc bike with as short a stem as would work for me

Get yourself done to Danbury common just out side Chelmsford for short but very fun runs

Interested in how the pole rides, was looking into getting one earlier on in the but ended up with a Marino