Clearly I don’t log on to here enough then.

Explain please?

Ok cool. I’m a 32 in jeans but like a but of extra room!

Cool ta posted on their page.

Looking good so!!

Having trouble getting through to them on the phone and can’t see an email address on their site. Anybody??

Thanks that’s really helpful. I’ll ring them up for sure!

So I read on the website they have to cancel the uplift on days where there aren’t enough bookings. How likely is this to happen on a wet Friday in the middle of January?

I’m getting excited now! Had also considered doing the Marin trail instead, but not much difference in the drive.

I hope there isn’t much snow! Is there currently snow up top does anyone know? Temps seem to be rising a bit recently.

Guessing ceramic BB and headset.

New frame and fork – 2000 (Smuggler and Pikes)
New front wheel and tyre – 200
New front ring, bottom bracket and headset – 450.

Full cost of bike build which I had told myself would just be a new frame and fork – 2650.

NB all prices there in Euros so about 2000 total in sterling I’d guess.

I don’t think about the other costs such as petrol to get to trails et. I haven’t needed to buy any clothing or gear like that in a while.

So likely a more forward saddle position

Really? I think mine are both fairly similar (29er HT versus road bike), but horses for courses and all that.

Just got back from a week in Champagny, Paradiski. Very average conditions overall, actually that’s probably looking at it optimistically. The pistes were ok, but off piste looked like a big no no. Saying that, it starting puking down on the night before we were leaving, and looks like it hasn’t really stopped!

Was like this on our first day.

Woke up to this on the day we were leaving.

Depends on what type of mtb riding you are doing? I don’t agree with 40mpg that there is so correlation. When training for 24 hour solo mtb races, I do a lot of training on the road bike, so when I jump on my 29er HT on race day, I want it to feel as similar to my road bike as possible. Saddle height is most important to dial in, after that the handlebar reach and height are pretty important as long as they feel vaguely similar. I got my road and mtb both fitted so that they feel similar, but can’t remember the measurements. You probably want the reach on the mtb to be somewhere between the hoods and the bars.

That looks lovely OP, what size is it?

I’ve been away skiing the last week so not been on this! It’s a size medium. Really enjoying it so far. Let us know if you have any questions.

Sweet new rides too ChipButty and Daffy!

Nice one Downs! I was looking at one of those myself last year. Put it off for a year and ended up with the Smuggler. No regrets so far though! Happy with it?

Which begs the question why, if 4 perfectly balanced females don’t consider it offensive in the least, why do a bunch of middle aged mountainbiking nerds…?

😆 😆

My new beast!!! 😀

Just bought the frame and fork and mostly used parts from my last bike and swapped them over. Sweet ride so far. Feels very good at speed!

Well I had a great time doing the red / black loop at Llandegla. Great fun fast flowy trails, and that fade away north shore section! 🙂 🙂

I am not reading 21 pages to check if I’m the first, but : Drink Coke.

Thanks Bill, you prophet.

😆

Well all this exposure I imagine has boosted sales of the calendar if anything!!! Good job 😆 .

How much you willing to spend?

Was hoping for free?? 😆
Not possible really?

Just something easy to use and fool proof is what I’m after.

For anyone who’s been looking for more examples of this in the bike world and not really been given an answer, I just googled ‘interbike babes’ and there a quite a few others.

Bianchi, Trek, Muc off, Pedros … to name a few, and remember all the Marzocchi babes back in the day??

Cheers.
I’ve decided to go via Llandegla and do one of the loops there, still not sure how much of each loop is closed, mixed views on that here! Hopefully the people in the bike shop there will know, if there is one.

Fast flowy jumpy stuff is fun the odd time! Might get old very quickly if its all you had though.
I can’t compare it to the blacks at CYB as not been there in 15 years, I know Afan and Cwmcarn and Brechfa well though… and Mach. Not much hard on either of those, apart from one of the downhill lines in Cwmcarn going off the Cafall somewhere, tricky when it was covered in wet leaves anyway.

I think whoever wrote the article on STW needs to just chill out a bit really. I’ll possibly be buying MORE Maxxis tyres because of the calendar 😉 . Just sayin.

Do the black, then have a brew and a bacon butty when your done, and laugh at the Audi drivers riding their spotless carbon Santa Cruz round and round and round and round and round and round the car park, while looking moody in their new Oakleys and matching flouro enduro gear

Haha nice 😆 😆 .

Friend went today. We only live 20 mind drive away. Loads of the black was closed due to forestry work he reckoned.

Interesting. Not confirmed though? Do you (or anyone else) know if much of the red is closed?

Cheers.
The most sensible route looks like M54 from Brum towards Shrewsbury, then A5 towards Wrexham.
How techy is the black? Is it just a bigger version of smooth and jumpy than the red? Have to remember to keep things mildly sensible as will be on my own and wouldn’t fancy an A&E visit on the way to the ferry. 😀
I’ll probably have about 2 hours max!

Any photos of people’s 2016 builds??

Lol!!

Subscribing.

Let us know which one you went for anyway!

I think it’s a good idea for a local bike shop (or whoever) to come up with some natural loops to add on or as alternatives. If the routes were easy to find and follow, and well publicised, it might help retain mtb visitors

I’d be well up for that! Any GPX file or whatever. Cafall is just too short when driving an hour to get there.

Can’t wait to see what the flyup417 is like. Maybe no more bridge tolls!

Too right!!!

Amd great post milky. Didn’t realise all the extra stuff that was going on! Not ideal for the bike shop though.

or bar mount it which means the footage is ridiculously shaky.

From what Ive read, this issue seems to be largely solved by mounting the camera UNDER the bars and not over them, and also putting in a small bit of foam between the camera and the mounting bracket.

I rode whats left of it along with Cafal a few weeks ago. Bit of a slog with the walk / hike a bike at the start, and not a huge amount of excitement on the downhill.

I understand that most trail centres are based in working forests etc,but decisions like this seem spectacularly short sighted. Why bother allowing all the cost and effort of developing new trails and infrastructure just to essentially destroy the place a year or two later.

Fair point. Does seem a bit mad. Cwmcarn no longer really has enough riding to make the effort of going there (60 min car journey), which is a shame.

Seems to get worse quality once uploaded though??

My Virb in FOD. Vented helmet mount used here. It moves around a bit, I have since got a handlebar mount which I think will be better. Clear picture quality though.

Yeah ive got some from Forest of Dean i’ll try dig out!

I haven’t done it but I’ve done Iron Bike which is arguably tougher. 8 days versus 7, and more technical riding. I used a 29er carbon HT which I was happy with. Only thing I’d change would be wider bars.
Oh and make sure you carry a spare mech hanger.

I bought a Garmin Virb on sale for 89 quid a few months ago and am very happy with it so far. I got mine from Sport pursuit but they are on sale for similar price elsewhere.