Sorry meant endura (fat fingers and predictive text meh)

Ok so ,my young fella(12) has decided he fancies a road trip too , so I will definitely be at the back as going down he’s way faster than me but isn’t to keen on the ups so I will have to stay with him , but the bribes of cake a fizzy drinks does have a motivational effect on him , look forward to meeting you all (oh and excuse my accent I sound like a pikey ,cross between Dublin and black country the young fella will translate if needed)

P-jay I think there might be some competition for the title of fat lad at the back

Just texted gnusmas ,there’s only 6 miles in the travel distance coming from Wolverhampton so anywhere different from the chase is good for me

I use non SPD in the winter ,a pair of mammut B2 winter mountaineering boots ,got a very stiff vibrant sole but not as stiff as b1 boots so ok to walk in and they are good down to -5 ,not cheap but have lasted a good few years

No need to swap appointment I can do 29th also if that suits

Haven’t tried the sonder but had a quick blast on a longitude before ordering one after asking on here how people found them and all of the good comments were true hopefully have it this week so I can give it a good run

If gnusmas wants to rearrange his child care I can do 28th of sept if not I’m still good for this coming Thursday

Hopton is a great little route it is marked but there is a section where you will end up on the downhill route if not paying attention ,you get spewed out into a field and it’s a steep walk to get back up , thought it was just me but as I’m getting my bearings in the field another couple of lads arrive with great big grins but a look of bewilderment about them having done the same thing . If you see road sign chevrons on the trees then your on the wrong route

+1 for the facom bag I’ve had one for 6yrs now been dragged around the side of motorways and thrown from pillar to post in the back of the breakdown van and nothings ripped or worn through plenty of pockets and t key / screw driver holders in one of the end pieces not cheap but worth it

Renton how did you find the new rock gardens ,not too technical but enough to make you pick a decent line

daern chase trails are reckoning another couple of months before the rollers open again (a lot of reshaping )

renton your right and that’s how I get lost over there ,(cant read the yellow signs on the posts), but getting lost does open up new trails just makes it a long day

still loads of it Milton /Brocton side think you mean the Staffordshire way

yes mate , if you take the diversion through the trees you also miss let loose , but it is a mint bit of flowy single track ,a bit rooty and can be slippy ,if you follow the dog you just miss out rock and rollers but end up coming down the fire road at the side of it

still got the last section of the dog closed , instead of finishing on fire road, after son of a chain slapper go right instead of straight over and then take immediate left into the trees youll see the opening , then just follow your nose and it brings you along the single track along the side of birches valley road and back to the car park

Bought a Sahara sailor off Amazon for tow path commute ,its no where near the claimed 5000l but puts out the same as a 2000 l light I have , 3hrs on max and no battery fires over the last year , can be a bit loose on bars off road but a bit of old inner tube wrapped around the bar first sorted that

i spend 48hrs a week with spanners in hand repairing hgv s , so I tend not to do any maintenance bike or car unless its got to the point where something serious is about to go wrong, the only reason I don’t put either into the shop is I hate to think of wasting money on something a couple of hrs in the garage could sort out ,plus at the end there is still that little bit of pride in putting things right(especially if its one of those niggly jobs )

had one for 2/3 yrs now , only really use it for commuting (10 miles each way on tow path) to be honest it gets abused very rarely cleaned and lubed but all ive had to do in over 3000 mile is fit a chain and a cassette its great value for money ,

yours does look mint steezy, been looking for a while now , can get bike and ortilieb 15l handle bar bag for 660 on c2w with no final payment , mainly want it for bridleway bashing and commuting up he canal to work , and dip my toe into bikepacking in the new year,cheers for the replies

i have only been riding for about 2yrs since bad climbing accident, (45 but had a tough paper round) if I go over Cannock but stay away from the trail center then its all around my age but on the official routes they are mainly younger , I look at it like climbing oldies like me learnt to climb on a crag so riding in a natural environment and getting lost is normal but my young fella learnt to climb on a indoor wall and dosent really get on with riding natural , he likes to know where hes going and whats coming up, not saying either is better its just generation gap and what was on offer when we were growing up to the convienience that’s available now

+1for the gourdon , had for 3yrs now ,dragged up crags used for commuting and on mtb , looks tatty now but still waterproof and no faff

a work mate snapped his rear triangle on his fluid , not a problem for evans to replace but took a month for them to receive parts , to be fair to evans after a few irate conversations they gave him a full service and new gear cables F.O.C

Mr lister they are yours if your still interested, I will get them out to you on sat if you can pm your address , before you make a contribution make sure they fit and you are happy , if not just pay them forward to someone who needs them and get them to make a small contribution.
cheers
stuart

hi lister will give op some time to get in touch , if he dosent want them your more than welcome to them ,never have a problem giving stuff away as long its going where it will be enjoyed and if your young ones are like mine this damn hobby will cost a fortune in a few yrs with growth spurts

just found them knee and elbow ,if your interested let me know and I may be able to get them out to you today

honourable George , I think ive got some 661 knee and elbow pads that will fit a 9 yr old , they are like new , boy had them for about 4 weeks before he decided to take a massive growth spurt , you can have them for a small donation to west mids air ambulance or buxton mountain rescue , (both were a great deal of help when I had a really bad fall whilst climbing ) let me know and ill try and dig them out if the wife hasn’t got rid of, back on shift tomorrow till Friday so wont be able to post until early next week

was up there last wed with the young fella , got there about 10 and finished about 130 and to be fair it was quite quiet, theres loads of single track to explore just off the main bridleways , and to be fair even if your not to sure about the area its hard to get lost theres always another bridleway to get you back up to the ridge , I get lost more when exploring over cannock chase, have a good day out

I always start at the clock tower car park at the bottom of the quarry/north hill, if going weekends get there early as not only the walkers are about but there are lots of families enjoying the ridge (famiies always friendly along with 80% of the walkers Ive met but theres always the 20 % that try there hardest to walk in front of you ,also try and stay off the gravel paths that go round the lower parts of the hills )

dont have that one , but gpsies and just go ride have a couple of different ones to download

slow suits my pleasantly plump frame and creaking bones perfectly , sorry about the confusion(mom/wife) didn’t read all of the post

just read this post mate , and clicked on the just giving page and saw that you may be after a electric scooter for your mam , ive got one my garage that was my mother in laws , she can use it anymore as she is more or less house bound with pulmery fibrosis , hasn’t been used for a year probally need a new battery but if you want it its yours, I understand the pressures with a sick relive as she has lived with us for the last 10yrs up until 3yrs ago shed be out 3 times a week drinking like a young one but now she is reliant on us for everything.pm me if you want the scooter and ill get it down to you based in Wolverhampton so it may not be straight away ,might throw the bike on the back and if you have time you can how me round brechfa

sorry im out cant make either dates dam this 4 on 4off shift pattern

real easy to swap mate , theres a ring of spline bolts at the gear box end and I think ts a 36mm at the hub end , then just drop off the bottom ball joint , its about 1/2 hr work so don’t be accepting anyone charging more than 1hrs labour if your not doing it yourself , but it is the easiest drive shaft to replace you don’t loose any gearbox oil just a straight swap

would love to join a group bimble , working weekends though up till 3rd week in sept so if the dates fit ill be there along with plenty of black country pork pies

cheers lads for the info , jekkyl I’m based near Wolverhampton so just looking to get the young fella away from the chase a bit (probably because he thrashes me on any downs either off piste or round the dog and monkey )the climbs aren’t that much off a issue its just if you have teenagers then you will know that their faces change at the sight of hills , he isn’t that bothered on the tech climbs on the monkey but put a fireroad climb in front of him and that frown does not turn upside,plus he is interested in try bikepacking next year so he needs to get used to a bit more natural climbing

hi simon , jekkyl , is there much around leek way or the roaches , used to climb there but don’t remember seeing much mtbing going on there , but do remember quite a lot up around windgather ( I know this is further up) any suggestions up that way

hi simon , if theres tea and cake on offer he WILL climb ,its amazing what 12year olds will do for cake and for some strange reason its tea instead of fizzy drinks with him

hi jekkyl, slight tech is ok , he dosent mind a few rocks and smallish drops but will have a look at the high peak trail , cake and tea work brillinantly as bribes for the climbs

@disco stu, have you tried the standard marathons , do 4 days a week from bilston to smethwick along the mainline (including coseley tunnel slimey rutted cobblestone) and not had a spill yet or a puncture .now ive spoken i dare say ill end up in the cut on the way in to work tomorrow night 🙄