I'll be posting mine this afternoon.
Just in case I've left it too late and don't get in as a solo, can I be the first to beg for any spare team places going ?
If you're short of numbers for your team or someone drops out, I am incredibly fast on a bike and charming company and would make a valuable addition to any team. 8)

I wondered if it might be a motorcycle enduro, but then I can't imagine anyone who says…

It was wicked…

…being old enough to ride a motorbike.

The quarry's changed owners since I worked there.
Maybe the MXers were in there with the owners's permission or maybe they had snuck in across the fields over the back.

If I understood what this thread was about, I might reply.
As it is, I won't.

Although I would love to see a pic of the race plate.

Drove from Bromsgrove to Kidderminster yesterday.
We could see those hills and, judging by the distance and the change of direction as we travelled along the road, I would say they are almost definitely Great Witley and Abberley.

Where exactly do you mean.Map of Mitcheldean.
I used to work in the quarry, underneath the "tc" in Mitcheldean on that map. Those woods are part of the quarry and privately owned with no public access.
The best riding from Mitcheldean is to head along the B4224 and then up on to Wigpool and in to the Dean.
The bridleway from Folly farm down to Abenhall is a nice little route, but only as part of a longer ride, it's not much on its own.

Thanks for the advice.
That Maplin one looks like the cheapest option, but we want a display screen so she can see how far she's run while running.
Handtec do overhauled Garmins.
http://www.handtec.co.uk/section/91/1/garmin-forerunner?gclid=CMzd9u-mlKACFZJr4wodHWCbeQ
101s at £55 and 201s at £65.
I've read the specs and downloaded the manuals and I can't see any mention of connecting a 101 to a PC to view tracks on Google Earth or Memory map.
If that's the case, then I think the 201 is worth the extra tenner, especially with the internal Lithium-Ion battery.
I'm watching a few 201s on ebay now.
I'll see what they go for, then either bid on one or get a recon unit from Habdtec.
Any opinions on the 201 before I buy ?

101st/150 solo men at MM last year with 14 hours of actual riding, my one and only 24hr solo so far.
I find it just about impossible to eat during endurance races. Bizzarely, salted cashew nuts were all I could force down in any quantity. Find what works for you and take plenty.
I also find gels and sports drinks a bit sickly after a while. Take two bottles or bottle and camelbak so you can wash the sugar down with plain water if you get the same problem.

Take all the spare bikes and clothes you have got. I wrecked a tyre at Cheddar 10 hour, wobbled back to the start, swapped the complete front wheel off my spare bike and carried on. Much easier than changing a tyre.

Last year at MM, I was having a break after every lap. The breaks got longer until eventually I fell asleep. Epic fail.
I've done a few 12s, but I think the step up to 24 was too much.
This year I'm going to treat it as an 18 hour race.
Rather than ride for 12 hours, then get demoralised because I can't face another 12, and give in, I'll try to keep going for 18.
After 18, it'll only be another 6 to go.
I don't know if that will work, but it's worth a try.

One other thing I forgot to mention…
I finished 9th in the Midland Trailquest Autumn Series last year.
All but 2 of the top 15 were over 40.
All but 8 of the top 40 were over 40.
Maybe it's an old fogey sport, or maybe, when you add in a bit of navigation and route planning to just riding a bike fast, the kids can't hack it. :P

We've only just started looking the last few days.
There's a few Buy it Now 205s at around £150 and 305s at around £200 on ebay.
I'm watching a couple of auctions now and I was going to wait until they end to get an idea of what they go for second hand before I bid on one.
I think I'd rather take my chances with a second hand Garmin than a new Geonaute if they're around the same price unless someone gives the Geonaute a good review.

…do you reckon this guy is going to land on his heel?

I reckon he's going to land on his arse if he doesn't do his laces up.

47 years old and another straightedge vegan.
Probably not as healthy a diet as many would assume.
I try to eat as much home cooked food as I can in preference to processed stuff, but I keep a good stock of Linda McCartney sausages and Tesco vegetable burgers and apple strudel in the freezer and I do seem to get through them a bit too quick. :roll:
I never add salt to food, either on the plate or while cooking.
Other than that, I just eat what I want without worrying too much about whether it's the right thing or not.
I just had…
two slices of toast and marmite
two slices of toast and marmalade
a bowl of Shreddies with soya milk
about 6 fruit jellies
…for breakfast, so a fairly typical day so far.
I find injuries take longer to heal too.
I also find I stiffen up quickly when I stop and take longer to loosen up again when I get going. I like riding with friends, but I find it easier to plod on at my own pace non stop than keep stopping to regroup.

Regarding the red diesel comments…
Buses get subsidised fuel. It's normal white diesel, but the bus company either gets it cheap or gets a refund. I'm not sure of the details of how it works, but we have to keep an accurate record of how much goes in the buses and how much goes in the service vans and company cars.

I'm a bus mechanic.
I have to be at work to open up before the first bus goes out, or lock up after the last bus comes in, so I can't use my free bus pass to travel to or from work both ways by bus. :roll:

Another Johnny Cash fan here.
Johnny Cash of East Cash was an interesting documentary on Radio 4 recently. It's probably gone from Listen Again by now though as it was a couple of weeks ago.

Boy named Sue live at San Quentin. :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M89c3hWx3RQ

If you're going to do it, do it properly.

Post on internet forums.

Ergon do short gripshift grips too.

How come only one vote for a Land Rover ?
If you want something you can load up with bikes and kit then just get in and drive when you need it, and abandon in a field when you don't, it beats any of the exotic high maintenance cars mentioned so far.
Just look around at the 30 year old vehicles you see on the road.
Cars get pampered and kept in garages and only taken out on special occasions.
Land Rovers get thrashed around off road, overloaded and hooked up to heavy trailers and generally used like a working vehicle with no regard for their age.

Cycle helmets are distinctly flawed in testing and design.

Leaving aside my own anecdotes of the times I have dented helmets and thought how much it would have hurt if I wasn't wearing one, what's wrong with the way helmets are designed and tested ?

There is no good evidence of them reducing head injuries.

How could such evidence be gathered without subjecting live humans to identical simulated crashes with and without a helmet ?

I think we've got two issues here.

Trees are a crop. They get harvested after 20 years the same way that wheat gets harvested after 6 months. We're lucky that we can ride through them for those 20 years and can't really complain if the old trails get ruined and we have to create new ones.

If Halfords are the biggest UK bike retailer,it's not surprising the FC build trails to suit the people who buy their bike from Halfords.

Terrible.
I was suffering badly with heatstroke up the hills.
Downhill, I was blinded by the clouds of dust.
And to top it all, I've got sunburn on the back of my neck.

Why do builders wear helmets ?
They rarely go above walking pace.

James, a quick google search shows that elite fast bowlers and pitchers both reach about 100mph.

Find the chassis plate.
There will be four weights marked on there.
1 is the front axle weight
2 is the rear axle weight
3 is the gross vehicle weight
4 is the gross train weight
Subtract 3 from 4. That's the maximum trailer weight you can tow.

I've got Cane Creek grips.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Cane_Creek_Lockring_Combo_Handlebar_Grips/5360012604/#more

Why do canoeists wear helmets ?
They only go slow and they're only going to land in water anyway.

Why do skydivers wear helmets ?
If you hit the ground at 200mph a helmet won't do much good ?

Why have tortoises got shells and rabbits haven't ?
Rabbits are faster.

Why do cricketers and american football players wear helmets when baseball and rugby players don't ?

I'm leaving now.
If anyone's got Mick's number, could they give him a call please and tell him I'll be 10 minutes late and arriving via the bridleway 200m up the road from the visitor centre.
Thanks.

I feel excluded and discriminated against because I'm an adult and don't live in Inverness.

I tried it and it was a bit too thick and sticky.
It would probably work OK on a hardtail SS, but I found the chain didn't want to flex round the tensioner jockey wheels.

And thanks for not getting annoyed

That's OK, it's only a hill after all.
However, if you'd questioned my choice of 29" wheels, clipless pedals, bar ends or lycra, that would be a different matter. :twisted:

Molgrips, as the original question was "Where are these hills ?" it kind of implies the follow up question "Are they any good to ride on ?".
You said they're not, so I posted some pictures to show what's there so ctznsmith, and anyone else, can make up their own mind.
It's no big deal whether it's your kind of riding or not. I like post industrial bridleways, you don't.

I liked the nappy comment though, even if it's unlikely to be true. :-)
I'm so old I can remember when I first heard the Dead Sea was ill.

i will deliver the bike free of charge if the buy it now price is met and as soon as the funds have cleared i will deliver it either same day or day after

Yeah, right.

Put 100g of stones in your saddlebag.
Can you tell the difference ?
Put 2kg in.
Now can you tell the difference ?
Would you pay an extra £20 for a pair of 'bars because they are
50g lighter ?
Would you pay an extra £200 for a crankset because it is 200g lighter ?
Keep messing with the weights and the prices and eventually you will reach a compromise between what you want and what you can afford.

molgrips – Member
Clee hill has naff all biking.

Well, it hasn't got a trail centre, if that's what you mean, but it's got all this…

I've been happy with my Ay-Ups for the last couple of years, so I haven't really kept up to date with what else is available, but I saw a link to these on the Midland Trailquest site recently.
http://www.magicshineuk.co.uk/index.php
They look a good deal, but I don't know how they compare to what else is around now.

Currently 78% "cycle frequently".

That's a pretty good hijack. :D