Got some Race Face Deus cranks with the granny tabs removed if your interested.

10 laps + to give me a slight chance of beating GB :)

They are much easier to adjust than Alien posts, but not as simple to adjust as something like a Syncros 2 bolt post.

Rode Whinlatter earlier today and must say I was rather disapointed.
It’s not that it was bad, but it wasn’t as good as I was expecting and it is much, much shorter than I thought.

North loop was pretty boring to be honest, very few intereting sections.
South loop was better, but only the final bit really stood out.

Only an hours worth of riding when I was expecting big mountain loops.
I think it has been hyped up, which is why I was expecting something special.

Initial impressions were not great. Stuck outside the gates waiting to get in with hundreds of others as they didn’t open the gates on time.

Parking/camping situation seemed silly, as you were not allowed to park next to your car.
After asking several people we finally got into to enduro area where we camped and from then on everything was positive.

Good size with plenty to offer, especially considering this is the first year it is running.
Enduro course was fairly short compared to Mayhem or 24/12 etc. Around 6km, but good fun. Lucky it was dry though, the design would have been a nightmare in the wet.

Shame the duel was on at the same time as the enduro, as I would have loved to have watched it. It certainly sounded good.

Overall a good weekend and I hope it grow next year. I’d be happy to go again.

Candys work fine with Specialized shoes.

X0 rear mech and gripshift shifters,
XTR cassette, front mech and cranks,
KMC chain.

Best combo IMO :)

I guess it comes down to personal preference, but IMO XTR is certainly better than X9.
Parts of X0 are better than XTR, but other parts are not as good so overall I feel X0 and XTR are on a par.

I don’t think XTR is a direct competitor to XX myself.
X0 is the nearest (in price and weight) and I don’t think SRAM will stop making X0.

Unless Shimano make a new groupset above XTR and aimed squarely at XC racing I can’t see them making anything to compete with XX.

The diversions on the Red route are because they are logging and using parts of the forest roads. None of the singletrack sections are affected and obviously they are not logging on the weekends.

Make of that what you will ;)

Personally I much prefer Brechfa to Afan and never get bored of either the Red, Blue or Black trails.

XX is designed for racing, not touring with a trailer.

Could be 2 things.

If you are unable to get above a certain HR that you used to be able to get, even when trying hard then it could be a sign that you are overtraining and your HR is surpressed.

But if your getting a lower HR while the effort is similar to previously, plus able to hit the high HR’s when pushing hard then it is a sign of better fitness.

Makes plenty of sense to racers and the weights are looking competitive.

Riding 5 miles is going to burn carbohydrates exclusivly, the time taken just wont be long enough to burn anything substantial.

I wouldn’t eat anything extra for riding that kind of distance, just eat a normal healthy diet.

i do not believe that 2 hrs at an average of 17mph equates to 750calories

Obviously the true measurement depends on your weight/size/build, but Garmin’s method of calculating calories is based speed/distance/time. It does not take into account the type of riding, your weight

I very much doubt it is truely 1500 calories though, unless the 2hrs was hard off-road.

Garmins are quite a way out unfortunately. You can half the figure usually.

Shimano or Mavic.

Yes you can do it, but if you can adjust the chainline then put it on the inside.

What a surprise, another willy waving thread.

All sounds very promising at the moment.

Good to hear they track well, as moving from QR15 to normal QR I don’t want a flexy fork as I would probably notice it more than before.

I use Ergon GX2 grips. Excellent grips which really stop any hand pain. Quite expensive, but absolutely worth it.

I used to use Ritchey WCS grips with Cane Creek ergo bar ends, also a good combo but Ergon is more comfortable.

Depends what type of riding and how far you want to go.

Brechfa (although not Mid-Wales) – Trail centre
Doethie Valley – Natural singletrack loop
Elan Valley – Varried natural riding
Nant y Arain – Trail centre with natural feel

Ikea bargain corner is worth scouting out.

I’ve fitted out two garages with workbenches/drawers/shelves using the white base units, long kitchen worktop and whatever combo of shelves/drawers works best.

Always managed to pick up a bargain. Around £30 for the worktop and 2 base units usually. The worktop is a good thickness too, plenty thick enough to secure a vice and wheel truing stand.

If you visit Ultimate pursuits, you can see where your nearest dealer with the correct equiptment.

If you like the Nobby Nics then the Rocket Ron is worth looking at.

They come up quite narrow though, so 2.25″ ron is about the same size as a 2.1″ nic.

It is way more breathable than anything else out there (excluding similar eVent jackets… which should be as good) and the fit is fantastic.

I had a Gill jacket that lasted me 2 years of use as a cycle courier. Still going strong. Have a Wickham as well for road use.

There are no pit zips because it doesn’t need them. No pockets may not be ideal for everyone, but not something that bothers me.

Hills etc depends on the course, if you do Dusk til Dawn at Thetford hill training is pretty useless!

Hill climbs/intervals are not JUST for courses with hills. If you decided to do Dusk til Dawn, hill intervals would help your speed/fitness.

People can sucsessfully train on less hours than you might think. Quality is often better than quantity. Having said that, to do a 12hr race you will need to do a fair number of longer rides to get your body used to the time in the saddle.

I have wide feet for my size. Have struggled with getting shoes to fit properly and be comfortable over the years.

I recently got a set of Shimano 310 custom fits and must say I am very impressed. They only form around your feet where its needed, so if you feet are wide (like mine) it won’t squish them, but they form nicely over the rest of my feet. You can run the straps looser, because the fit is so good and because of the cat tongue material on the heel.

After all the feet/shoe problems I’ve had over the years I’m glad I have these shoes.

MSC were at Dalby last week, they told me their £5200 hardtail there was ‘18.1lbs, just been weighed out the back’ I took it and stuck it on my scales… 20.3lbs, I want their scales, then my Epic would be under 19!

Not sure what is worse to be honest, having a spreadsheet with weights, or taking a set of scales to a XC race and weighing random bikes.

I use a pipe cutter as well. £5 and no other tools needed.

I used to be an obsessive weight weenie, but after building up a Pace RC300 to 19.5lb (gears and sus fork) and learning that super light bikes ride terribly I don’t fret about weights as much.

Around 21 lb is the lightest I’d go on a hardtail, 23-24 lb on a full sus.
Other people may see it differently, but I’d rather have a bike that I am happy riding 100% of the time, rather than something so light its skittish and scary on the downhills. Takes the fun out of riding.

Very happy with my Elixirs. Don’t think the CR’s are worth the extra over the R’s though, so go for them.

Running 160mm rotors because 185mm were too powerful for me :)

They come up quite narrow, the 2.25″ is more like a 2.1″ and actual weights are more like 470g.

I really like the way they ride. Very fast and grippy. Grippier than a ralph and almost as fast. Would be better suited as a front tyre IMO.
But the sidewalls are thin and damage easily if you ride anywhere with rocks.

Given the conditions you say your riding they sound like a suitable tyre.

I just use Crank Brothers Candys on my road bike.

Your shoes are not the stiffest in the world, so is there really any point in having the most efficient pedals? I doubt there is much difference between MTB and road pedals in any case.

I don’t think quattros will work with MTB shoes because of the platform size.

Ive had a look round & 1 point I had my heart set on a Merida 96 (ally frame) but their sizing doesnt suit me – Im a 17″ frame & they only do 16 or 18.

Not the best way to fit yourself for a bike. Seat tube length isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.
Top tube length (reach) is far more important. 16″ in one frame could fit you exactly the same as a 17″ or 18″ from a different company.

Not saying you should get the Merida, just don’t discount frames because they don’t do a 17″ frame.

I really like High5. Can use it right through a 24hr race with no stomach problems.
Usually use 4:1, but in shorter races like the Dyfi I use Energy Source. Get on with both fine.

1813m I make it. Thats from the start (inc. road out) to where the timing stops, so doesn’t count the road back.

Maybe 100-150m of climbing on the road out.

Very lucky to have this as one of my local loops. It’s a real classic.
Best time of year to do it as well, tends to get overgrown in the summer and rather boggy in winter. Although to be honest it is never dry.

No you don’t need tubeless tyres.

Good article about it on JRA website:

http://www.justridingalong.com/content.php?pid=548

I’m a fair bit shorter than you, but recently switched to 170’s.
I can notice the difference, but it is very small. You will be fine.

Extra pedal clearance is another bonus of short cranks, although its marginal.