I'm fairly crash prone but I've got better of late by slowing down a little overall but then trying to ride out problems rather than my previous habit of riding faster, panic, then braking and falling off.I seem to be getting faster again as I'm more confident i can ride out wobbles and problems.

Love my Humvees but the stitching is a bit iffy in places, that said been my main shorts for over two years and still wearable, liner is okay as well.

I've just got back from a trip to wales and despite the hot weather I 'padded up' as I really can't afford time off work at the minute and I've got a propensity for hurting myself in unlikely ways. Sure enough my seatpost bolt sheared on a rocky bit and I ended up having a 'controlled' crash into rocks, my arm guards took the brunt and i got off pretty lightly.

To be fair to the OP I prob looked a bit silly in my POC arms and 661 pads (and a spine protector hidden under the bag) and it was damn hot but I don't massively care as I'm intact and i don't end up in a financial hole because I broke a bolt/fell off.

rOcKeTdOg – Member

I want a dazzle paint frame please they sound awesome!

I've always fancied a proper 'dazzle pattern' frame – I love the WWI warships in the dazzle design [*]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage[/*]

I use 661 evos for most of my riding as they are comfortable and seem to do the job well, I've only had one big crash in them (and a couple of knee/bar interactions) and my knees came up fine, shins were a bloody mess but knees were fine.

Every second post I make seems to be in support of montane at the moment – i've got an old style velocity DT and its a really good jacket for the reasons Simon has already picked up, there are some bargains out there if you shop around for them – mine came off a well-known auction site.

Wellgo MG1's + 5.10's here as well, I've got the marzocchi rebrand 5.10s with 'Bomber' on the back which are still fugly as anything but make me feel extra gnar.

Can't really go wrong with the Gore but the montane kit is excellent and my Montane Velocity DT is my favourite jacket at the mo, I've got one of their windshirts as well and its incredibly light/small for the function.

You do see some montane kit on ebay from shop sellers – got my better half a womans jacket on there for a very good price – worth a look

I run one at the back but wouldn't want it up front, they are surprisingly effective even in some claggy mud.

What's an LCL shipment?

'Less (than a) Container Load' – the goods are likely to be in a mixed shipment with other companies items as the order isn't big enough to fill the box and will have been consolidated.

I do wash mine (tops and socks for cycling, leggings for under trousers when walking in the winter) but not all that often, as others have said it does work and it means you can pack lighter when on a multi-day trip.

As an experiment a couple of years back I wore a merino top for a week of trekking without washing and at the end of the week it didn't really smell whereas most of the parties synthetics were nasty after a couple of days. On the downside thicker weights do hold a lot of liquid and the cheaper stuff tends to fall apart quicker than manmade fabrics. Sportwool is a nice compromise but starts to smell quicker as a result.

Can't say for sure from a picture but its a bad place for that kind of damage, friend of mine bought a fork with similar 'cosmetic' damage and it snapped under load after a bad landing, the fork sheared right along the previously damaged point.

What tyres for animal tracks thread required.

Must admit the Aussie issue has always confused me – did lots of cyclists just give up their hobby/mode of transport because the mean ole government told them to wear helmets? I can imagine someone flaunting the law if they didn't like it but not waking up one day and deciding to sell on the bike because they just can't face the 'shame' of a helmet, I wonder if there isn't more to the Australian issue than helmets.

Another vote for the New Forest, nice for a wander and to see some birds but not exactly 'mountain biking'.

Second the electrolytes – Have a nuun in the evening or worst case the morning after, its not just for athletic performance ;)

Save for the wheels or get some 510's and some wellgo magnesium pedals, i never really got on with spd's and while I got used to the clip/unclip i never really liked them, i wouldn't write them off on one experience but if you want to buy something to enjoy right now rather than practice with then you're better off with nice flats and shoes. or wheels, wheels really can make a big difference.

Getting back on topic I wonder if you chaps could answer me a question – when the queen passes on will Charles, Harry and William have to engage in some form of competition to decide who gets to go next – perhaps a 'crown race'? Its a question thats been bothering me for a good 15 pages.

A decent rum, something like a Barbancourt 8 year old or Diplomatico Reserva 12yo works well for me, warming without being a whisky.

I wear one all the time on the bike as I don't trust myself not to get tired over a long day and do something stupid, the couple of big crashes I've had have been simple rider error and the lids have taken the brunt in both cases as they have been classic over the bars into something.

Then again I am pretty jey-core and wear knee pads on 'normal' XC as i've got an iffy right knee.

As the others have said there is nothing too technical but its a lot of climbing. Do keep an eye out for the deeper ruts however – on my last trip out we were so caught up in the views and 'non-technical' riding one of the party rode down one and exited the bike over the bars rather abruptly. No real harm done luckily.

Amberley is nice for a mid-point stop.

To add to the general unhelpfulness :-) – I've tried both and while I marginally prefer the Fire XC Pro they were pretty similar tyres. Think the rampage was slightly wider but heavier.

Doing the night shift in an old job I used to cut through a car park near a local park as the alternative was the pitch black park or a mile and a bit diversion round the edge , the doggers used to routinely be bouncing away in their hatchbacks as I went through. I stopped going that way after an encounter with three aroused young men who saw me walking by and got lairy as I had put them off their stroke.

Amongst the expletives one of them had the gall to call me a w**ker, I kid you not.

That Rumble is lovely but i'll get told off if i buy another hardtail!

The look of the fury is growing on me, may have to visit CRC after christmas…

They do look a tad halfords but i must admit i am looking at one as CRC are doing the frames on deep discount at the moment.

How do you find it climbs?

I've got the Gourdon 20 backpack and the Jeanius water-resistant jeans, jeans work nicely, backpack is my preferred overnight ride pack and has lasted a year of use on and off the bike well.

I've also got the Tifoon (titanium spork) which I love. The service from them is usually super quick as well.

I was over at the weekend and would concur with the claggy mud situation, brightstone forest had some nasty deep patches and even in decent weather there always tends to be patches of the stuff in my experience.

I suppose the UCI could standardise the kit (rotor size etc) so that the issues of technical support go away to an extent – everyone has the option of running discs but they have to use a standard rotor/pad arrangement so that wheels are cross-compatible – neutral support vehicles could carry both rotor and non-rotor wheelsets although you would still have issues of centering it perfectly.

That said I can't see any real chance of doing it in the short/medium term given how conservative the sport is generally and the lack of clearcut need, plus standardisation would limit innovation.