i certainly prefer the look of the first one, what with the complete of lack kids crawling all over it!

spando – references would be great! You think I’d get a nice uninterrupted night’s sleep at the gun post? Sounds awesome!

I think you’re right there! Somewhere near Pitten in the Weem would be nice. Shame there isn’t some kind of vast expanse of forest nearby 🙁

really?! isn’t that a bit ‘urban’? anywhere quieter and more countryside-y?

on my hardtail, I run a WTB Rocket V. It’s ok, but best to wear decent shorts for longer rides.

However, on my rigid/hack/commuter i run a 15 year old titec beserkr DH! and it’s very comfy. i think i have another at my folks, might get next time i’m down… it’s mega tatty, but so comfortable!

i was just shy of 50km/h on that windy nick-boghall descent. rocky, loose, fast and mega fun!

corking descent that. and that other wee track from that farm at the edge of the shooting range to glencorse was also pretty cracking the other day in the dry. and the one from windy nick to boghall… i wish i didn’t have a cold right now!

tesco fountainbridge has no cycle parking facilities whatosever, despite the newly paved front and rerouted roadway. i might write a letter. you should too- find the highest ranked director and email them.

take an MTB and be sure to ride offroad at some point. buy a second commuter when out there if for some reason you just can’t ride a mountain bike to work (?)

haha, perhaps i’ll see you there one morning, stanley! 🙂

i noticed that sports direct are selling vision street wear shoes, so i got me a pair. i was very excited, they’re the first pair i’ve owned! and now i’m tempted to get a board, though i was never particularly good. i think i landed on my arse more than on the wheels whenever i ollied up a curb! i’m also a little scared of being seen doing it. saughton skatepark ALWAYS has kids on it, even during term-time. but if you can get over all this, then go for it! 🙂

you won’t get an ay-up upgrade between now and september – they don’t offer them after the 1st of march 🙁

i AM interested – thanks! that’s definitely my email:bieron[underscore]kacon[at]hotmail[dot]com

ok, thanks Burls72. yeah, i’m not keen on avid hydros after my juicys. i’ve also used some mega old hope hydros (still on a really old set of bombers in the cupboard!) and even hope mechanical brakes. but yeah, i take your point. i still think i’m gonna go for the BB7s as i’ve not heard anything i’d call ‘compelling’ to put me off them. perhaps with time i’ll flog the BB7s and get some hydros. but for now i’m going to try something different 🙂

oh man, is sunday the non-constructive night on STW?! what do you mean dirk_pumpa?

well, they need more work than i can be bothered with! sticky pistons, which means the rear brake lever pulls to the bars. they’re meant to be self adjusting but they’ve never done so properly. i’m aware that the BB7s won’t auto-adjust either, but atleast all i’ll need to do is twiddle a dial or two.

How do you mean, Burls72?

£116 with speed dial 7 levers… i’m happy to pay that though, and i’m aware that i can get hydros for the same price. but i’m tempted by their lack of fluid and relative simplicity. and their “i’m in the middle of nowhere with a fully laden bike but i can fix my brakes cos it was only the cable that snapped”.

marking a line and letting folk ride it wouldn’t be good enough and […]significant trail building would be necessary.

ok sure, those border hills seem to made of sterner bedrock! 🙂 or i could be wrong on how they build the inner’s trails 😉

regarding gradients – IMBA has recommended values (for trails at least). one of the stanes (kirroughtree maybe?) has a flatter grade, but gets round it by going undulating up and and down the slope to get it to the IMBA recommended (iirc).

ok, i like this idea. i’m no downhiller (not anymore, leastways), more into longer XC stuff, but i like the sound of this. to start – i’ve never paid for uplift in scotland, but the one i would like to try out is fort bill – not keen on £32 to ride in a coach with a suicidal driver for only 8 runs. but chairlift/tow seems better, as there’s no need to wait for the coach/tractor to be full.

also, i know there some big differences, but i loved riding around morzine using the lifts. the last time i went i was pretty XC but had trouble convincing myself to ride up!

anyway, here’s a list of things that occur to me:

1- i think there could well be an issue with the NIMBYs – there was hotel complex proposed there a year or two ago and it never got the go ahead, despite the likelihood that it’d be built right infront of that artificial white streak that is the ski slope.

2- jimmy mentioned sheffield ski slope, and i seem to recall seeing a video from a few months ago of steve peat riding a dh trail was served by the tow – so this should probably be looked into.

3- the problem of subsidy that bajsyckel mentioned is valid – IIRC the slope was nearly closed about a year ago as midlothian/edinbuirgh council wanted to pull funding.

4- it definitely needs input from bonaly builders, as druidh says

5- innerleithen – how much work goes into those DH tracks? i rode an XC time-trial a couple of years ago there and some of the trails were brand new without any prep being done – just tape marking the route. seems that some of these tracks are still used. would building a track with minimal ‘foundation’ work and holding a race be feasible? this may bring in lots of interest and therefore money which can then be used as justification of building more ‘solid’ tracks.

6- CONVERSELY!! there’re people new to the sport who may like a solid, trainer track, that gives thrills without all the hard work of toiling uphill. i suspect my girlfriend might appreciate a venue where she could hone her skills without have to be pretty ‘bike-fit’ from the get-go.

7- pentland hills regional park is one step down from national parks – and has a remit to promote leisure pursuits while ensuring it is still a ‘working’ landscape. can this fit proposal with that? or does hillend’s status as a country park trump this?

phew, that’s it from me! i’d love to be able to help more with this – just ask if you need.

well, thanks everyone. i was hoping someone would tell me about some hidden gem, but alas no. so instead, i think i’m just gonna head to the hills tuesday and camp overnight, for my ‘big’ trip of the week…

was thinking train to carstairs, then after carstairs train to shotts, as i’ll be waiting on someone there.

well i used to live in birmingham so that’s just fine! i’ll be getting the train there if i go.

thought about that big hill near carstairs with the nice looking zigzag tracks that i see from the train when i go south but it seems that it’s tinto hill and it ain’t much cop…

1- Laggan
2- Glentress
3- Innerleithen
4- FoD (if that even counts, what with all the trails littered all over)
5- Coed y Brenin… or perhaps Aston Hill… or maybe one of dem other Stanes.

if people are hell-bent on denouncing washing-up liquid as the work of the devil, then

show us what happens when it’s used! tried muckoff, didn’t seem to do much, certainly didn’t shift the mud any quicker than washing up liquid in water with a sponge… I’VE NEVER KILLED A BIKE!

+1 for craft. got one from wiggle and the arms are super long. they snag on branches easily though, so watch out for that.

i’ve seen vuelta highlights in the golden rule in polwarth. i wonder if you could ask in there? plenty of screens so might be able to choose the channel on one if it’s quiet…?

if those forks are the open bath ones like the 1997 z1s then may i recommend 5wt fork oil? they come with 7.5 but they made the rebound a wee bit slow. the damper can be adjusted to slow them up if they a bit quick with the 5w…

if i’m on flats i use my karrimor waterproof boots from sports direct. the waterproofing doesn’t last forever, but they are cheap. they grip really well to my flat pedals. can’t go too far wrong, i’d say!

i used to buy an hour parking ticket, with the hope of doing th red in an hour. never quite managed it though, even at my fittest!

yes – streetview shows two cafés and a coop at least, in newtonmore! 🙂

nice idea seosamh77, though i think i’ll just get off at newtonmore, as i’m not familiar with the road. i don’t want to miss something after a tiring day of riding because i’ve not seen the road before!

well thanks everyone! i’ve not ridden ‘off-piste’ up there before and alas don’t have a GPS, so would be worried about taking those off-road routes to laggan. it seems that the train to/from newtonmore is just as irregular as the dalwhinnie one, but a flatter ride between newtonmore-laggan seems preferable…

maybe this week, i’ll post back on here if i find out anything significant (not sure what that could mean, though…)

Cheeky chancer in not getting a new bike shocker

not the original owner? not sure if the bike has been misused and damaged? still convinced you should get a brand new bike, after passing it off as your own? all i can say is, good luck! you’re gonna need it.

good question GS – normally steephill.tv posts coverage details for major cycle races…

EDIT: there is a link! http://www.steephill.tv/tour-down-under/ but not too much available it would seem.

how do i measure? straight line tip-to-tip?

about this |<—————————————————————————————————————————>| wide

soon only premier members will be allowed to post on threads. and then only they will be able to view the website. finally, the url will direct you to a “premier members only, log in here”. it’s the beginning of the end! 😮

well, never really made it into the lammermuirs, but what a ride! never bothered with the train, so all in from edinburgh did a 91km round route 😮 happy days 🙂 think i’ll be planning something properly for my next east lothian attempt 😉

oh, just checked the coverage of my maps. don’t have the map that covers the hills! 😮 if i only i thought to do this sooner… perhaps i’ll just ride out from edinburgh and get a train back, taking in some stuff around musselburgh and tranent and that…