We’ve had one of these for the last 18 months and, without wishing to tempt fate, it’s been fine so far. Though this reminds me that the ad blue needs topping up.

How many ebike owners clean their ebike like they clean a regular bike, by blasting it with a hose. Something you’d not do with any other electrical item. In Bosch’s defence, mine has been faultless.

Thanks for your contributions to date, Amanda. Your work always came from a different place to a lot of content generated by guys who’d been in the cycling milieu for years and it was refreshing for it. All the best with the next step.

STW and MBUK. I don’t read much of the latter but subscribed last year because I thought that UK mountain biking without Mint Sauce would be a poorer place.

Well I applied for something else today. Whilst the pay is no better, the hours have the potential to suit us better.

Interesting reading the differing views on ‘plodders’ above. My wife exists in an utterly different stratosphere to me professionally, but is of the opinion that without the people who turn up and do their jobs, day in day out, most companies would be in a lot of trouble. In bike terms, I’m sure the product people at Shimano love XTR and Dura, but without Cues, there’s no business. Maybe a bad analogy, but you know what I mean.

Good to hear. Long live reading about people pottering about on bikes!

After an evening spent feeling slightly bitter about it; the time comes that a CV needs dusting off, updating, and putting out in the world again.

That’s what the target market for this bike wants to know

My years working at a Cannondale dealer tell me that the target market for this bike are middle aged guys looking for a light weight trail bike. They probably already have a burlier Cannondale trail bike at home next to their Synapse or Super Six.

This is an amazing achievement for all involved. A good friend of mine had his number plate ready for the day he gets to try and survive the BM.

I thought the default was IKEA Billy bookcase with glass doors?

We did this for my wife’s collection of pottery stuff. Worked pretty well albeit the dust always gets in.

I was always fond of the trails there but my abiding memory is of the bike wash station which drained the muck into a barrow. That was very neat. Proper old school wiggly singletrack goodness.

As above. All nicely shot but the voice over and endless schralping just didn’t work for me. But then I can’t imagine that a late 40s chap who values tea over all other drinks is who Red Bull are aiming their marketing at.

It’s not about shopping? The winner mentioned the event sponsor repeatedly in his post run interview. Very professional of him. And very much about selling a product.

Good racing though and props to the ladies for getting on that start line.

Lake, as stated above. Various width options across the range. Richard at Salt Dog is well worth contacting if you don’t have a retailer nearby. I’ve also found Scott’s range of shoes to be as wide as my quite wide feet require.

When an xt shifter is £40 it really doesn’t make much sense

Hardly comparing apples with apples, is it? Small brand, in house production, paying workers in the brand’s home country costs more. See also the Hope dropper lever.

BBC reporting that “Putin has been informed”. I wonder if that’s because the relevant parties have now submitted their invoice for murderous services rendered.

RIP Navalny. Hopefully we’ll see change eventually for the people of Russia.

Whilst I’d gone off what he did some years ago, he was great back in the 90s when I was a teen. Passing so soon after retiring makes me wonder why I spend so much time at a job I take no pleasure from.

RIP Steve and condolences to those he leaves behind.

I’ve had a flick through and liked the look of things. I like the long form articles in print. To my shame, I gave up on Amanda’s Spanish jaunt because I can’t stand reading proper stuff on a phone screen. My attention wanderers. So I hope to enjoy the various travel pieces this month.

As for virtue signalling? The alternative is just page upon page of white guys riding bikes. Other people doing things differently is not a bad thing.

A friend has the Buller system. It works really well. Lacks the polish of the Stashed system but provides sliding hooks for about as cheap as you could self build.

Brief fish eye shot for added bitd effects!

I can add nothing more useful than what HobNob said. I’ve got a 22/23 9.8XT and it’s a great bike.

It certainly doesn’t ask much of the viewer, does it?! I am yet to fully catch up but I don’t doubt how it is going to play out. Not big on nuance, this series.

Sad news indeed. Mick was very much one of the ‘names’ when I was a kid getting into mountain biking back in the late 80s and 90s. A real do-er who will, no doubt, be greatly missed by all those who knew him. RIP

Just finished the current season of Fargo. I can’t remember a time when I got to the end of a series and felt quite as content as I did. Brilliant, even if it took a while getting there.

Kit reviews? I am happy about this, even if I already saw it reviewed on the website. I like kit reviews in mags. Still not wrestled Mint off MBUK then?

Can we expect a glut of Fazua powered Kinesis bikes soon?

Snowdrops were out on yesterday’s ride in the Chilterns. Unless I’m mistaken, I also spotted the tips of some bluebell spikes breaking out of the ground in one spot. It’s a way off yet, but it’ll get here.

Only had to pay for one petal to get a pair?

 in the Chilterns we are lucky to have the Chiltern society that help keep the network open

Albeit their tenancy to put up ‘no bikes’ tabs on signposts gets my goat. Mainly because it causes me a small pang of guilt for all the footpaths I use. Most of the paths in my area to the north of Reading are pretty heavily used but it’s amazing how quickly the brambles will take over a less used path.

As above, there’s good stuff to do to fill a week. The oddball Southwold Pier is well worth a visit. If you like flowing singletrack, the Viking Trail in Tunstall is as good a loop on flat terrain as you’ll find anywhere. 

There is a video too

I wonder how many takes for the perfect hero landing thud?

I have some Endura chinos in a medium that fit my 34/34 trouser requirements perfectly. Comfy on the bike. Entirely normal looking off.

There was pricing, geo, etc. on the site yesterday but gone now. £900 was the number iirc.

My opinion is that press fit BBs are a terrible idea that have the main advantage of saving on manufacturing costs. 

My experience has been that they are quick to fit and remove and are at least as durable as any external BB I’ve gad the dubious honour of owning.

I’d certainly not overlook a bike because of one.

More details next week = the cheque’s in the post?

This is why…I subscribed to MBUK this year so that Mint has a place to be. Got a really nice print from Jo’s Etsy shop too.

Women in a professional sports arena? Joey Barton won’t like it.

Your post doesn’t say so directly, but it sounds like an online purchase? If so, this would sit under distance selling regs and she should have a cooling of period. Depending on what the returns terms are, restocking might be their way of covering returns postage?

My boss a couple of jobs ago used them for skiing and rated them very highly. We certainly sold more than I ever thought we would.

Awaiting next week’s email with interest. Not that I ride my current bike frequently enough to justify owning another.