There was a debate on here recently about weight and allowance. I think we came to the conclusion that the staff don’t really know the T&C’s and ultimately it is down to speaking to the check in staff nicely and politely and whether they are in a good mood or not! If you go Easy jet from Gatwick they don’t even have a facility to weigh the bike bags! BONUS!

been flying bikes with sleasyjet since they first started flying in late 90’s, and they now require a bike bag or box. They used to let you fly the bike with the bars turned and pedals off, but you cant fly it as-is with them anymore. Cant speak for other airline’s policies. Most of the bags out there are identical to the ubiquitous Planet X bag, which dependent on colour and time of year can be found for as little as 40 quid. Used em for years and never had any serious damage.

On our recent alps trip half the guys used cardboard bike boxes. Lets face it your bike was shipped to the shop in one. They have the advantage of being significantly lighter, and if you use a bit of pipe lagging or bubble wrap your pride and joy should be ok. Some really nice bikes went out in boxes and survived unscathed.

I have a DHB bag which is a planet X alike, however it is quite a bit longer. The extra size is a pain, its not needed for the bike and adds weight, and is just too long to fit easily through lift doors etc.

Wheels which allow you to drag it without trashing the base would be useful on something so heavy-mine doesnt, other newer DHB/planet X ones Ive seen have, like this one

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_Marsden_Wheeled_Bike_Bag_And_Wheel_Bag_Set/5360031436/

My coiler, spare DH tyres, full face, pads and tools in my DHB bag weighed 30lbs. Mrs M-C’s small Reign, with similar extras in a regular planet X bag was 28lbs. A mate with a bagged Glory weighed in at ~34lbs was charged excess baggage-Easyjet’s single bag allowance is 32lbs (which is also your overall weight allowance with them if you pay to fly sports kit, regardless of what others may rant in other threads).

Oh the bike park I didn’t get to over P du S weekend as Mr MC broke his knee on day 1! Nice hospital visiting hols for me and no bike riding! boo anyone fancy letting me come on a a trip out there … feel like I missed out this year :-(
Guess I’ll have to wait to experience bike park and that lift until next year.

tangobravo – Member
I love my superstar nanos, pulled them apart and unless both bearings die and fall apart at the same time, they aint going anywhere.

When i asked on the phone they said HTI pedal make them for them and deity, kona, nukeproof, and lots of other ones i cant remember are the same apart from the shape being slightly different.
——————-

thisisnotaspoon, this is what I was getting at. As SS (along with most brands that are little more than marketing departments) no doubt source their products from some big eastern manufacturer, they were likely to be mechanically similar to other branded pedals, if not Straitline specifically. Sarcasm did nothing for your argument other than show you (perhaps wilfully in order to be typically contentious) missed the point.

very nice. This new-to-me ebay purchase is currently sat in my living room taunting my broken knee…

>thisisnotaspoon – Member

>>the straitlines look very much like the superstar pedals

>I suspect its only in the same way any 2 pedals look the >same………………..

if by which you mean “they look the same and theyre probably made in the same factory” then yes you might be right. Back when I used to spend more time being a bike geek, Wellgo used to make just about every “SPD” pedal that wasnt Shimano, no matter who’s name was on it (Ritchey, Scott etc ad nauseum).

Hey were you on the nice big Les Chavannes 6 seater chair lift!!

I’ve seen them advertised .. but what are they!? I presumed it was just a selection of Rowntree sweets is it not!?

Oh that Great game looks interesting! I think i’ll aslo get it out of the library for myself to read!

Had to withdraw cash in Morzine this weekend to pay hospital/pharmacy fees for Mr MC got rate of 1.14 however got stung £3.58 oer withdrawal! And bank would only allow me a daily withdrawal rate of £200!! HAd some issues with my bank … they will shortly be receiving an abusive sort it out letter from me!

Hob Nob exactly my thoughts but whatever you do the foot balancing has to be a winner!

I’ve read it and thought it was very powerful and like a 200 page poem, brilliant however I was disappointed with the end! I had thoughts for far better endings.

You do get charged as everyone knows people that have been charged. If they knew the T&C’s then they wouldn’t charge and we would argue it. Hey if someone has told you that and it works for you but good luck! THey can refuse to fly anything over 50k!!!

all respondents, thanks for the replies, plenty of good points to consider and your experiences are appreciated.

Mr overshoot, just going by their respective descriptions on CRC.

doug_basque, I have pads and would wear them if running flatties.

2 accidents in 15 years is ok, but a broken tibia with all the stress and worry MC had to endure looking after me and getting me home from the alps, 2 months off work (luckily in a secure job with sick pay, dunno how someone self employed would cope) followed by physio is pretty substantial, and I could do without a repeat!

I like to ride drops and gaps (not that I’m some demon bike meister), woodwork etc as well as all round trails, so I’ve got used to commitment in spds and when I rode the (smaller) ladder drop at chicksands on my one time on flats my feet come off the pedals and I said “f–k this!”.

Might try learning flatties as part of the challenge of getting back into riding and try out multi release cleats on spds along with a few other pedals.

Depends, where are you flying from? we flew from Luton, she weighed the bikes but Mr MC has this knack of propping the bag up subtly with his foot so they don’t notice! coming back in Geneva they were insistent that I stood away from the belt to weigh the bags properly, Mr MC was 30k and mine was 28k however they didn’t charge us extra even though the TOTAL baggage allowance is 32k! And my 85litre rucksack clearly DIDN’T weigh 4k!!

If you fly from Gatwick they have these metal barriers over the conveyor belt which stops them from weighing the bikes.

Mates travelling from Bristol have had bikes weighed, this time they checked his bike knowing it was over weight. Allowed him to put bag on not saying anything. He was waiting in the departure lounge to go when his name was announced and he was taken out to tarmac saying his bag was too heavy, he had to take some stuff out and put it into his girlfriends bike bag! craziness!!

By paying for a bike your personal weight limit is 32k, if you have just a bag then the limit is 20k. the max you can fly is 50k and they will charge you (or may depends on how nice check-in people are).

So in short who knows! If they weigh it do the foot balancing trick! oh and good luck, let us know the answer from the airport you fly with!!

I had some Brand X pads, great as a cheapo starter though! I now have some Dainese ones, which as they are just 4 straps aroudn the back don’t find very sweaty at all. Be careful in buying some of the 661 as they tend to have neoprene backs!! There are some expensive 661 which have that tixotropic (spelling!??) stuff in it which the guide at Cycle active swears by and wore them in Morocco when it was cooking hot! but who knows.

Yup was wearing knee pads!!!! He thought it was dislocated you should’ve seen our faces when local Dr said “knee broken, surgery, ambulance 1 hour” … mmm think I may’ve gone a tad white! Being 5ft 4 inches and 9 stone trying to deal with 2 bikes in bags and luggage on my own … mm was an interesting experience … biceps had a good work out at Geneva airport yesterday!

Good news though his bike, full face, pads etc are unscathed! Not a scratch!

I wouldn’t worry about the forecast too much! Last week it was saying pi**ing rain all weekend, we had a thunder storm when we arrived on Friday and all that night, rest of 5 days were glorious blue sunshine and blazing heat!!
If you want to do something else the 50 metre out door pool is brilliant as well but remember you can only wear budgie smugglers cannot get in if you wear baggy shorts!
Oh I want to come .. can I squeeze in someone’s bike bag? Feel robbed of my trip :-(

tinsy,

SH51 cleats on shimano only release if you twist your heel outwards.
SH56 cleats release if you twist your heel outwards, inwards, or rotate/roll your foot in either direction.

He broke the top of his tibia which holds the ligaments and cartilege in place so needed to pin it back in.

You can get lift passes at any lift, 20 euros a day but cheapr buying a week if you there long enough. Ask for the plastic electronic card, you pay 3 euros but they are better, then when you go next year you can recycle the card. Each time you get a new card you get points once you ge 80 you have enough for a free day. we had 96 points this year .. although it was pointless after Mr MC broke knee but hey!!!!

If you are staying in Morzine you HAVE to go to La Bonbonierre which is the chocolatier and patisserie just down from the Tourist office opposite the Spar shop, best cakes you will not believe it! We stayed above it this year, woken at 0515 hours to the smell of baking .. awesome!!

Well you will be pleased to know that the P du S was rubbish! here are Mr MC’s holiday snaps.

mm so even I missed riding! joy 2 months of work with leg up having just bough brand new Santa Cruz! happy days!!

The riding aroudn Morzine and Les Gets is really easy to find. You can buy a map from the lift stations for about 3 euros which will have everything on and makes it super easy. Definately head out to pre la joux, also go up to Pointe de Moisette and down the back into Switzerland, basically the Portes du Soleil there is loads of stuff (everyone was on about P du S as it was last weekend). I was just out there for my 6th time and never get bored of it, although this year did no riding as on 1st DH of holiday Mr MC crashed and broke his knee which resulted in operation and 4 day stay in hospital in Thonon.

I am oh so jealous having spent 5 days there seeing everyone else riding but stressing going back and forth to hospital. I think I have a spare lift map so if you want it drop me an e-mail with your address and I’ll send it through to you. franwhyte AT hotmail DOT com

Happy days.

got the tension backed off almost to minimum after the last incident, and it was just sods law that in my crash the bike and attached foot rotated in the wrong direction to unclip, and sufficiently to snap the end off my tibia… 8O

Have ordered multi release cleats for me and M-C (which both you an wurzel seem to be recommending), but might have to try out some mates bikes with non shimano just to get a feel for how different pedals work.

Most of Mr MC’s clothes are at least 10-15 years old! I’m always ribbing him for being a cheap skate and not buying some new stuff! Admittedly I wouldn’t 20 years ago as that would’ve made me 10!! But 7-8 years ago maybe, working towards getting back into those clothes at the mo though!

or to do an electronic bank transfer to you, if you both have online banking? You only need to give them the same details you have printed on a cheque you’d happily give to someone (name, acc no. and sort code) so its no more open to scamming than any other method, and Ive bought and sold stuff in this manner with no problems.

And its free.

here’s Mr M-C’s pics, and apologies to Chapaking for not meeting up to ride with you…

:cry:

Bought a brilliant Berghaus pack lite faux down jacket! superb quick delivery, no issues at all.

I’m also in the Oxford singletrackers group that Trimix and Mattie H ride in, we all found each other through singletrack. I used to think it was rubbish but these guys have shown me there is more out there. Okay it’s not awesome like it would be in Cardiff or Peaks but it’s enough to make it worthwhile that you’ll enjoy uni but get the benefit of going to Oxford. There is a large MTB/cycle scene at the uni as well (my brother was part of it). Feel free to e-mail me, Trimix or Mattie to join our crew. Had a top 4 hour ride a few weeks ago in 28 degree heat around local hills about 13 of us and ended in pub for sunday roast! Top day out.

If you don’t already have one… probably nowt!

Forecast still getting better .. dry for Saturday now! Come on just dry will be fine. Can’t wait now! Flying at 0630 hours tomorrow!!

if you dont mind the weight then as previous poster said, dual ply (ie effectively double thickness sidewall) Maxxis. I’ve got 2.35 Maxxis Minion DHs in “super tacky” compound. They are heavy, roll like punctured tyres on tarmac, but refuse to pinchflat and stick like snot to dirt and rocks. Will be getting the same again when they wear out.

Pshycle do you have ANY ideas what fields you might be interested in? I know when my Dad was made redunant at 49 odd he read What colour is my parachute and said it was a great book. Good luck!

highly recommend Paul Whittle

http://www.bestside.co.uk/

I can just about accept men wearing flip flops in hot countries but as CG says in waitrose, UK when it’s 12 degrees! idiots!
I also agree Crocs, Ugg boots vile!! Visible bra straps now that REALLY bugs me! As do fatties in crop tops … man I could go on!

Hey good luck!! I did mine in England don’t know how different they are! I can tell you that it wasn’t amazingly hard at all but worth brushing up on maths skills etc if you don’t use them in every day life! Get ready for the bashing you’ll get on here as well ;-)

Tourism office have maps with numbered rides on. If you go up Le Pleney lift and MTB over to Les Gets (it’s signposted) then carry on up the mountain there is a lovely loop around the edge of Les Gets that I know is numbered and on their maps. Worth getting on they are about 3 euros!

But is she really expecting it? Wait another 2 years .. best she isn’t expecting that!!!! ;-)

Oh there is not going to be any Essex heels and boob tubes! we are all outdoorsy activity types hence the weekend of fun go ape and canoeing stuff!! I just don’t know the area very well. I may have to find some trashy out fit for the hen to wear but nothing too bad.

Diamond ring in the bottom of a pack of Haribos!? Book drawn up with fairy tale story of how they met? sitting on the sofa (With 2 children) .. “so shall we get married then?” and another pregnant friend at Christmas they were doing gifts but only £30 each, he gave her a box of pregnacare..inside a diamond!!! Dressed up in a dog suit and ran on at a flyball competition in front of hundreds of competitors and proposed. These are just a few of friends who have got enagaged.