Martyn Ashton injured himself permanently on a comparatively tiny skate park jump doing a trick he’d done thousands of times.

Didn’t he fall from 3 meters onto something? Not really tiny jump..

I’m not super happy with MW7s, they don’t hold my foot properly on more technical trails. They are also not very warm but that’s just my feet which have been frozen too many times.

Good rubber soles and roomy fit are best features on them.

As a friend I’d tell him about workplace rumours anyway so that he wouldn’t lose his job due those. Other part is more sensitive but it might come up in discussion about work matters.

Have you tried Salomon Quest 4 GTX?

I have used them a fair bit – walking with pack mine feel like they leak when they bend when stepping in the wet stuff. They will not leak like a sieve but I guess the pressure from outside will be too much for the GTX liner in some cases – +90kg person with +15kg backpack here.

Here is even more far fetched proposal – if you have selection of nice well-stocked LBS you could go there and ask what other riders in the area are riding and what they would be suggesting?

I am this situation myself but unfortunately riding locally is quite different from what I would prefer to ride.

Rollerblade wheels are not set on angle but ride height of each wheel is adjustable (or at least first and last wheel. This setting will affect turning radius and stability.
Other than racing models the blades do have a brake on other shoe but it isn’t most effective.  However, compared to roller skis the roller blades are probably much safer and are way easier to manoeuvre. Both become sufferfest when the tarmac ia bad, sandy or has wet leafs on.  I use both for training xc skiing but prefer roller skis as they have transferable motion to skiing on snow.

Fat bikes aren’t that good in soft snow, snow needs to be compacted or pisted but then on compact snow normal tyres aren’t that bad at lower pressures

There is big difference on “snow compacted enough for fatbikes” to “snow compacted enough to ride on normal tyres”.

Time Atac XCs (cheapest version) and Specialized Recons (whatever the version with 2 Boa straps is)

Usenet?

I follow quite a few channels but only watch the most interesting ones. Seth has often interesting stuff, Dangerous Dave + his riding mates are good. BKXC might have been declining a bit but I think his ending quote is inspirational.

Seems that for YT many seem to rely on same sponsors – it was quite annoying when that new action camera was published this summer and almost everybody seemed to be making video about it. Same with Quebec mountain biking, quite a few MTB Youtubers seem to have been there. At least the shaver thingy ads are not as common this month.

Suspiciously all mates who tried them are raving about them. Especially the XC versions seem to have excellent grip for how fast they roll.

Maybe you’ve not seen him because they don’t…

Nah, loose pedal inserts aren’t (usually ) that lethal.

Have to say that I’m impressed with RF warranty, they have replaced mates broken Nexts and SixCs at least 10 times.
Haven’t seen him for a while so I don’t know if Era cranks last longer.

I tried to move to Tidal from Spotify but the app is so crappy that the plan is cancelled for now. BT speakers stopped working after one song when phone screen locked and general issues on fairly recent iOS device. Also on larger screened car (Carplay) the playlist buttons are hard to see. When listening on headphones the sound quality felt like it was improved but maybe it is just due different compression algorithm which sounds different to Spotify.

Apple Music I might try again but last time I tried it it was really annoying usability wise.

Also Soundcloud, some more obscure artists sell their music there and it might be better for them financially.

^For Time pedals I did have to shave the tread area on my Recons a bit, haven’t tried with Shimano cleats.

I still have my Terraduros, the good features were really good but they are also incredibly heavy for a summer shoe.

Recons are pretty good. My wishes for improvements would be slightly wider and lower tread in heel, they sometimes feel quite unstable on wet rocks and roots.

Grip 2 VVC dampers might be somewhat inconsistent, some riders are very happy with them but not all and suspension gurus on MTBR have some comments about different dyno results. At least mine wasn’t very good in anything else than bike park style riding – I just couldn’t get it to work properly on rooty sections with any combination of tokens and air pressure. The fork was serviced properly but it did not help.

Nice thing about current ideas for +50 athletes is that same recipe is supposed to help with longevity and wellbeing in later years. It is not more complicated than doing as much as Z2 as is possible, weekly or once in 10 days a HIT session and strength work through the year. Of course some sensible diet, stress management and good sleep are needed as well.

IMO and IME too much focus on interval work is counterproductive, at first those sessions will provide really good results but that can be just peaking existing aerobic base.

Purgatory just got updated to completely different tread pattern (from very wide lowish knobs to fairly universal knobby pattern). No idea if they work, I’m riding them tomorrow for the first time.

In general, newer Specialized tyres have been quite nice, good rolling and fairly lightweight with Grid sidewalls give some support even if they are not very strong against sharp rocks. Anything with T7 rubber has not been super grippy but lasts well.

Using tumble dryer has always seemed odd recommendation to me – surely it is causing much more wear to garment and membrane than most activities actually using the clothes

After proper cleaning I think ironing would be better, a bit of heat to activate DWR stuff but applied locally and for very short time.

For freezedried stuff LYO meals have been fantastic on backcountry hikes, they do taste like real food.
They are quite expensive and for shorter trips where weight isn’t issue I’ll take some pasta and add some protein and sauce.

Sports drinks, energy bars and brake pads. Lots of brake pads.

I do hand wash the car occasionally, it is a good workout (remember Karate kid!) but am not obsessed about it.
What makes me mad are technically neglegted vehicle, unclean interior and filthy windscreen and windows plus any neglected warning lights and service messages. I believe every driver needs to take real responsibility about condition of the vehicle so that any passengers and other road users are safe. There are differing opinions on this eith inlaws.

Withings has few models which look like proper watches, they do basic notifications via small screen. Their main idea is to record lots of health markers via watch and other devices and use app to display them.  Lovely battery life too.

Julbo. As long as you get the lighter version, at least for me the 2-4 version is too dark for wooded trails.

Onyx is amazing, got second hand Classic hub for my sons bike and I’d love to get one for my bike too. I’m always thinking that I have dropped him while he is stealthily coasting just behind.

Unfortunately Superboost versions are even more expensive and I have pay for my dentists yacht this year.

It is quite versatile tyre but as always it depends on the rider and terrain if they work. I’m not a fan of DHF and Dissector and would pick GCs over them, especially if bike park use is not priority.
Grip on wet slimy things in autumn is quite average.

Now this is a proper job for ChatGPT and similar tools.

“Create me 10min presentation on team building containing current buzzwords”

I recall that Polar Beat app is no longer updated and all the features and more can be found on the Flow app.

probably a bit of both is what’s required

No,  most of the training still needs to be Z2 and only 10-15% 0f total training volume should be HIT.  Some strength training added too.

Personally I struggle with structured training in summer, I just want to ride interesting trails and enjoy the scenery.

@breadcrumb, this place is local to us

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI SE Technik Multitronic Euro 5 (s/s) 5dr, Carlisle, Cumbria (harperscumbria.co.uk)

https://www.harperscumbria.co.uk/carsearch/viewcar.php?viewcar=AY15WVO

Looks tidy!

B8 gen, halogen headlights and Multitronic, eeek.

I have 2013 F31, in very nice condition except for very time consuming and expensive problem in AC system – I’m currently waiting for call from the main dealer whether the next attempt to fix it has been succesful. So far it has cost about 1000€ and the AC still does not work.

I don’t understand the concern with consumable items, the tires are standard size (I have 16″ wheels) and brake disks have lasted 60 000km since last change. I still like the car, it is much smaller than current G2x series and still feels like a nice car despite age. Will be sold as soon as it is fixed, the prices have gone up on petrol models.

My other car is A5, 2.0 TDI q and it is better car for long hauls, I drove 10hrs last Sunday and going to do the same again next Sunday. ACC is a lovely thing, there is lot of space in trunk but being quite long and low it is not as handy in daily life.

I had 3 Scenics but having had engine problems in all of them I finally changed to something completely different. Also the latest model (4th gen) didn’t seem as practical as previous due low roofline. As a family car they were excellent, comfortable and very roomy for their size.  Oh and they were almost impossible to trade up for anything else than Renault.

S-Max was interesting but after two different dealers weren’t too interested in ordering them it was no longer an option- maybe because the dealers had few Galaxies ready for sale.

Uniqlo inseam lengths have been measured in full length. Leg length options for their selvedge are not always available, haven’t found any logic in times when they are available.

Great value but my newest pair does not fit as well as the previous ones, they are bit baggy and waist measurement is tight for the size.

^^ Houses like that are usually sold as ”lovely opportunity for buyers with renovation skills”

Primus.se or Optimus

My house is in good shape structurally and I think the roof is OK.
However, the geothermal heating system just had its 20 year anniversary and has needed repairs and filling yearly for few years now. It is connected to discontinued model of mechanical ventilation system and replacing both will cost at least 15 000€ for parts and labour. Adding to complexity is that system is behind wall built after installation, of course all the electricity for the house are on that wall too.
It is quite likely that the system will fail when it is needed the most. We are lucky to live in the south so low winter temperatures (-20C) will usually last only a couple of weeks.

Titus since CC left, it is now just another house brand at Planet-X.

Most of my favourites have been already mentioned but I’ll add one retro film ‘90s MTB masters’

These types of videos got me addicted to MTB originally. Sure it is stupid, pretentious and corny but basic idea of escapism is still relevant.

^I’m smaller than OP’s son and will not fit in Helium 600. There is a extension bit available for ME bags though.