Shimano XT comes in 160mm. 

It’s sport, there will always be people who take it very seriously and people who don’t. For all that everyone talks about road riders being serious there have always been organisations like CTC, now Cycling UK, who are more welcoming and encouraging of just riding. There’s space for everyone and trying to demarcate what is and what is not gravel, or mountain biking or any style of cycling is self defeating and unhelpful. Just let people ride bikes how they want to ride bikes and be happy for them.

I think with gravel bikes tyres are much more of a factor than mountain bikes. If they’re running them at the all road end with 32mm basically slick tyres then your going to be much more limited than 45mm tyres with a sensible tread pattern. Similarly they might not be running tubeless which is going to make anything even slightly rocky a bit more hassle.

In general I’d say the cross over between routes that are fun on both a gravel and a mountain bike is quite small, more so if the mountain bikes aren’t hard tails. Smoothish not too steep single track is probably the ideal, but even then the people on the gravel bikes would need to be reasonably confident on it.

@jameso That is very kind of you. It’s not urgent though as it’s to have a spare as I’ve just used the spare that came with the bike. I’m happy to leave it for someone who really needs it :)

Hi,

I’m trying to get a replacement hanger for my Arkose (it’s the BGRD-8 one ) and it looks like Evans doesn’t have any in stock. This looks like the equivalent but don’t suppose anyone can confirm that:

https://www.rearmechhanger.com/product/rear-gear-mech-derailleur-hanger-cc216/

I’ve got a set of the Hope ones and they’ve been rock solid over a couple of years on everything from gravel to all day road rides. Setting them up tubeless with some specialized 2 bliss Roubaix tyres was pretty easy too if that’s a concern.

I’m 5′ 10″ but with short legs (about 30″) and I’ve got a medium and it’s been a good fit.

500 quid for a Rockhopper Comp in 1990. And, I think, 250 for some RockShox Quadras a few years later which had elastomers rather than your fancy pants air.

I’ve got on scot rail trains with no reservation because I’ve bailed on a ride and it’s been fine. I don’t recall anyone even asking about it.

If you like rain then the west coast, if not then the east coast, the middle if you can’t make your mind up.

It probably depends on how much ice you are expecting. If it’s only the odd patch they feel a bit like overkill given the noise and rolling resistance. They’re also a total pain if you do puncture. Once you get used to it though they do let you happily ride over sheet ice.

It was never clear to me how much difference the side spikes made as the casing is incredibly stiff so they don’t really deform and I was never keen on leaning the bike over much on ice because, well, ice :)

You could always compromise and get a full on one for the front and the cheaper one for the rear.

I’ve got an old set of marathon winters which look more like the plus in that they have spikes closer to the edge. Even with them there is the feeling on ice of sometimes waiting for them to catch, although clearly much better than non spiked tires.

The only problem with the ortlieb one is the rattle from the mechanism that clips it to the saddle. I eventually used a toe strap to stop it. Otherwise, totally waterproof and surprisingly capacious.

That Grundig course was pretty grim. I certainly remember ending up putting my foot in knee deep at one point. Fortunately there were river crossings to wash it off.

I can’t image anyone has a gpx of it given it was the era of wires to connect the bike computer to the magnet sensor :)

Ever since I had to use gaffer tape round my shoes because the Velcro could not cope with that really bad year at mayhem I’ve always gone with ratchet plus Velcro. The faux boa on the north wave winter shoes I’ve got is ok but much less easy to release than a proper one.

I much prefer things you can tighten up while riding, mostly because I never seem to tighten shoes up enough so need to faff once I get going.

It was all going so well till you mentioned bag pipers.

I know you said no Sportive’s but in fine singletrack tradition the Kinross sportive has some pretty welcoming options and even the full fat option was friendly. Although looking at it even the short version is 46 miles and is a bit lumpy.

There’s an Evans ride it thing round Callandar way as well which I seem to recall was a lot less all roadies than the average sportive.

There’s also Belles and Buns which is a women’s only one which looked pretty relaxed when I crossed it’s path the other year.

Am I the only one disappointed this wasn’t titled “something like a phenom”?

I skipped it last year so I’d forgotten how much I dislike that last descent, which is a shame as the rest of it is great. It’s the steep second part where having to be on the brakes a lot, at least if your me, locks up the arms so by the last lap they’re knackered.

My main problem with the rain was it meant I got a bit cold on lap 6 and the head went so I slacked off and settled for 7 laps. Given how bad my legs felt on the first lap though I was pretty pleased with that.

I did have one slightly sketchy overtaking manoeuvre by dint of not noticing some tape when trying to take the high line on the last descent, so apologies if that was anyone here.

And as ever the marshals were fantastic. Lots of encouragement and cheering which really helps.

I’ve got a set of Specialized Roubaix Pros in 32mm and they seem reasonably quick and despite being basically slick are fine on gravel and the odd bit of singletrack as long as it’s reasonably dry. The place I mostly notice is if it’s a bit muddy and uphill then grip is a bit tenuous. I’d have no problems with them on a towpath.

Otherwise the frame has been bombproof. The 26 versions had a front shock mount that was painted along with the frame – the paint on mine cracked and the ally mount has corroded quite badly. Not failed though, just looks a bit crap

Glad it’s not just me that’s happened to.

Mine is also an original 26” one which doesn’t get ridden much over winter and other than the rear shock bushings still has the original bearings and it seems fine. I’m not much of a bike thrasher though.

I’ve been using these:

https://www.evanscycles.com/bontrager-ncs-road-mudguard-set-700c-x-18-35c-EV138150

which have been rock solid and fitted the 32ish mm tyres I’ve got on fine. Although I see they don’t have the wider ones in stock there.

I am basing this on watching the Vuelta and not the Tour but picking one of the earlier climbs in the race probably makes it a bit easier to find a spot. Also, drive up the descent so you can drive down from the top of the climb that way you aren’t wondering “should I stop there or will there be spaces further up?”. Plus you’re facing the right way to head back down :)

I got a set of these:

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Bontrager/NCS-1-700×45-Mudguards/6AKJ

which were a doddle to fit and seem to be fine, although I’ve only had them about a month so no idea if they actually work in the rain :) They don’t rattle and there’s loads of space round the 33mm tyres I’ve got.

Also, I’ve been using specialized roubaix tyres and they seem good and not too pricey.

There is a good episode of 99% invisible on best before dates. The best before date is usually arrived by feeding people the food at various ages until enough people go “that does not taste as good as I expect” rather than an unacceptable number having to hit the Imodium.

If it’s a bit chilly but dry then some thing like this:

https://www.endurasport.com/product/mtr-windproof-jersey-ss/

plus plus arm warmers and then baselayer is good. I find windproof is much more important on the road bike compared to the mountain bike. Also, a decent range of base layers from super warm through to wafer thin makes it easier to dress appropriately.

As one of those “moany scottish people” ;) I can see why they hold it that far South but it does make it a hell of a way for the 104 us to travel. Given it’s moved further East I imagine it’s a long old trip if you are coming from Cornwall as well. Somewhere North of Brum would be nice. It was always a bit more pleasant to get to Sleepless because it didn’t involve getting round/through Brum.

But yes, you want to maximise the number of people who will turn up which mostly means holding it somewhere near lots of people and sadly the further North you go the less that’s true. I’d already decided last year was my last one (no, really) anyway.

I will just console myself with our nice empty roads and easy access to land :)

I’ve got one of the 26” ones and the original bearings still seem fine. Granted it doesn’t get used in too much slop and rarely power washed or even hose washed but five odd years seems good to me.

Double laps feel more relaxed just because the in between laps stuff is less frantic

You really need to have a well understood handover plan because unless you are being quite casual about it (admittedly my preference when doing these thing) you won’t talk much. If you are doing doubles and can camp near the course then that’s super handy for letting your team mate know things like “I am on a flyer/suffering” at the end of the first lap.

Do all your eating, kit sorting etc as soon as you are done with a lap because unless you have a support person it’s surprising how quick the time slips away.

And yeah, it’s hard.

Have you ever driven up the A9 and seen cyclists grovelling into the wind and rain in that bleak section between Pitlochry and Dalwhinnie and thought “that looks like not much fun”? Well, you were right. I did that in the opposite direction last July in grim weather and there was some questioning of life choices. It’s probably lovely in the sun.

Also the cycle path wasn’t in very good nick in places and certainly not something I’d want to being doing on a proper road bike. Was fine with 35c tyres.

The bit round Aviemore was lovely though.

Dundee to Perth is quite pleasant, although someone at Sustrans has a sense of humour given it takes you up a 20% hill in the last section. Some lovely views just after that though.

This sounds like an impossible question to answer now because clearly four good A levels are better than three good ones. If she is going to do well at four then that sounds like the better bet. As to dropping to three then most courses will put more weight on some A levels over others so it’d be worth finding out what matters for pathology degrees and make sure she has those.

It also depends on where she is applying. The more popular the uni the more likely that having four will be the basic cost of admission. Similarly with the course.

NB: I am not a teacher or admissions officer and I have not played either in a movie.

Borderless bar makes a good option to keep an upright off-road dropbar position without resorting to wacky frame geometry or a mega rise stem.

Where by wacky I assume they mean a head tube that’s longer than 100mm.

I run my brakes the Euro way round and if I borrow a bike from a friend it’s a bit of work to remember which way round things are. I’m not sure I’d want to ride anything that wasn’t a chunk inside my comfort zone though.

I work from home and went for a ride before and after work so that counts?

No free croissants though.

Back when I was commuting on a bike I had the aforementioned Landcruisers and they were pretty reasonable. They weigh a ton but they’re hard to puncture, last forever and are surprisingly capable off and on road. I’ve even ridden proper laps round a muddy field cross races on them and didn’t seem to be struggling for grip any more than anyone else. Or at least not at the blunt end of the field.

Just embrace the compromise :)

I seem to recall reading a Charlie Wegelius interview a few years back where he said yoga was probably better than recovery rides. Can’t find it now so may be misremembering that.

I know for me making sure I’ve had enough to eat and drink during and after makes a big difference. Plus enough sleep.

Last time I was round Tentsmuir it was a bit like hard work due to the resurfacing. That was a a few months back though.

For me the main advantage of that sort of bike is it’s a road bike that when you see an interesting looking farm track you can go down it rather than noting it for later. It’s also nice to be able to plot out a route on a map safe in the knowledge that if it turns out that one of the tiny roads you picked turns out to be not very roady the bike will cope. I’ve once or twice done that on a road bike and it’s no fun.

It’s also nice if your local roads are at the poorly end of the maintenance spectrum.

If I was going to be riding mostly off road all day then I’d take the 29er because I like to be comfortable and it’s not that much slower even on smoothish tracks. No matter what anyone tells you 40mm tyres and drop bars are never going to be as pleasant over anything bumpy as 2.2+ inch tyres, flat bars and suspension.

Weirdly I look out at the final climb most days

I’ve often looked at that house and wondered if they mind all the noise and weird lights in the night. I guess not :)

too far to travel for a mediocre course.

I really enjoyed the course and seeing as I’m still on the way home that counts for something on the course to distance travelled metric.

Not that I go for the course. It’s a weekend of hanging about in a field with your mates with a spot of light racing thrown in to give you a reason to justify all the “I might fancy that at 2am” food you bought. I also think that since the live to Gatcome it’s become a bit more relaxed which I’ve liked.

I think this was always going to be my last as after 13 years the travel was getting to be a bit of a damper but I will miss it. I’ve had some terrible moments on night laps when the weather or I have been ropey but way more good memories.

In summary, thanks Pat and co.