I’m the same andyl I use a 104 bcd crank and I’m limited to 32T oval. I currently use a 30T round and I’m worried a 32T oval might be a bit much for me. The dead spots should feel the same, but its still a taller gear. I probably just need to mtfu!

Withnail and I was filmed near me.

I’m liking the Dhr2 and Aggressor combo. It seems to roll, accelerate and grip better than the WTBs I was running previously.

It’s just occurred to me that since both sets of wheels are based on dt swiss hubs 240s and 350, I can just pull the cassette+freehub off and move it across to my spare wheels each time I use them? Or is that a stupid idea?!

It would save me £60+£95 buying freehub and cassette!

I’m pretty sure it’s only their BB you can use. = expensive!

I managed to strip the crank extractor threads on mine, so when my BB goes it’ll be back to SLX and threaded BB with the SRAM Adaptor.

What’s happening with the scoring at the top of the league? Some teams seem to have an extra 1000 points! Or am I missing something obvious?

Yup! The Lakes are tough on tyres! I found the wtb vigilante and breakout good, but a bit drifty in the dry and not much bite when leant over.

I did quite enjoy a slightly wandering rear wheel, so hopefully the Aggressor isn’t too grippy when stood up.

Whereabouts in the lakes do you normally ride?

My Aggressor Doubledown has arrived and I’m pleased with the carcass, just what I wanted. Very similar to the WTB tough carcass.

I also ordered a DHR2 in exo for the front, it doesn’t look quite as good as a DHF but hopefully a bit more versatile. Thanks for the advice.

I recently picked up a cheap tpa3116 amp for £18 from amazon. I’ve been really impressed with the sound considering. Worth a go!

It does seem odd that in 650b normal rim width, you can only get one flavour of trail tyre (ie non dh) vs 8 flavours for 26 inch wheels and 4 for 29ers.

Cool, thanks for that fellas. Looks like 2.3 exo is the only way forward, all the 2.5s are the WT version. The only non WT 27.5 DHF is the 2.3 exo.

Steve, would you reckon a DHR2 would be better than a DHF upfront?

I’m thinking the Aggressor looks ideal as a rear tyre, hoping a DHF/DHR2 would suit it on the front.

I am, but only a fairly recent convert, so still unsure with what I can get away with.

With tubes a dual ply at 35 psi on the rear finally sorted at least one pinch flat every ride.

I’m assuming the DHF is still the goto maxxis front tyre? Would a DHR2 be suitable upfront for rocky terrain (usually wet!)

It’s still a 2.5 Doubledown tyre, just not labelled as a WT tyre, which is the only option in the US or UK.

I must admit, I’m not the smoothest of riders… :oops:

I’m probably being overly cautious wanting a DoubleDown on the front, I just hate punctures with a passion.

That’s the funny thing Ben, the WTs only seem to be for the US / UK market. The European spec sheet for the 2.5 DD has no mention of WT. Making me wonder if the whole WT thing is more an attempt to sell more tyres, not an actual change in design. The difference between a 2.3 and a 2.5WT with the tyre flat is only 9mm, so when mounted on a rim it’ll be more like 3mm. It’s weird!

Thanks for that. I’m in two minds myself about EXO vs DD, I’m of to finale / molini in July and usually enjoy the steeps in the lakes so would probably benefit from Doubledown, but EXO might also be enough!

It’s been a while since I used maxxis, the tough casing on the WTBs I’ve been using have been ace. No punctures in 18 months in the lakes, including a week doing the trans provence. I just wish the vigilantes and breakouts had a bit more bite cornering = scary driftage!

The breakout is another option, slightly bigger volume than the trail boss.

Mine is Team Funky Chicken

Or the gusset R series, I picked up a ti railed one for £18. Much comfier than the bel air 2.0 I had previously.

Identical to the charge spoon and madison flux saddles

If you are renting equipment and wanting lessons or guiding then UCPA is the way to go. £450 with full board, ski/board hire, lessons/guiding and liftpass!

In some resorts the liftpass is over £200 alone!

You can buy from action outdoors… Or buy direct from UCPA and save 10%…

The gusset r series is the same as the charge spoon as well. I picked up a ti version for £17…

I like the tough high grip on the front, I did have a trail boss tough fast rolling on the back but found it a bit small and not quite enough grip when lent over. So I went with the wtb breakout tough fast rolling, it seems a bit more aggressive but still fast rolling.

I think the carcass of the tough tyres are great, really sturdy and don’t burp easily at all.

Wtb vigilante front @22 psi, wtb breakout rear @30 psi (up from 25 following practice)

Both tough version, both tubeless, both fine.

I bought a cube (not the bike brand!) talk 9x for £130 from amazon. 8 core cpu, 2gb memory, retina screen. Metal surround and back so it feels solid in your hand. I was expecting to have to put new software on it, but the original o/s has been grand.

Worth a look.

I’ve got a fast suspension damper in my Boxxers, it works well and seems to do the job.

Fast suspension designed the elka stage 4 fork cartridge, so they have some pedigree. I bought mine before charger damper upgrade was available otherwise I might have gone that route.

Brentacre or Adrian flux are usually recommended on the vw t5 forums. I think they specialise in insuring modified vehicles for conversions. Might be of use?

Foil blanket, whistle and a mobile phone? + plenty of painkillers!

Everything else can either wait, be improvised or can’t do much about as you require assistance.

Thanks for the advice guys, I love my five tens for riding in I’ve just always thought they could be a little more versatile. I’ll have a looksee at your suggestions.

Looking at the other thread (that I saw after I’d posted this…) the Adidas terrex cross trail looks perfect for what I was after. Shame it’s discontinued / out of stock everywhere!

I’m liking the vigilante + trail boss combo. I wasn’t overly convinced initially, the trail boss took a while to get used to. I like the ‘tough’ carcass, the sidewalls seem to be really robust. The vigilante on the back works well in the winter with a shorty or a proper mud tyre on the front.

Trail boss on the back for lakes riding, Ard rock + trans provence!

For me it was the whole “if you’re not good enough we don’t want you to turn up” that turned me away. I equated the elitist attitude to just being cliquey and with some of the comments from the team it made me think it was a clique I didn’t want to be a part of.

I’m not that fussed tbh, the enduros near me, ndh and pmba are ace so I probably would have struggled to do most of the ukge events. I definitely would have had a go at Grizedale tho!

Or get DT ex1501 spline 1 wheels, exactly the same as above but under £500…

A good deal here – clicky

My wife named a segment in Whitehaven ‘Hippocrocopig’ after being heckled by some of the local female delinquents. It’s quite an apt description of them by all accounts!

How’s about this? 5 minutes to the seaside and 10 minutes to Keswick

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-47613721.html

View from the front of the house..

I really enjoyed the race today, a cracking day out. It was great to see natural stages linked into the trail centre type stuff. Saw a lot of guys fixing punctures…

I think 4play cycles in cockermouth stock meridian so shops do sell meridian in the uk.

I recently bought a Rose bike, one of the factors was a 10yr warranty, with anything outside of warranty in first 5 years, covered under a 50% off crash replacement scheme. This seemed way better than other brands.

Ajh8 it weighs just under 30lbs, the uncle jumbo 3 with fox 36 + floatx and mavic wheels + tyres weighs 1 lb more and costs £400 more!

And another! :D

A view from last week…

Mainly for Lake District riding, enduro races, alps trips (trans provence booked in sept!) that kind of thing. Seems perfect for me!

I got an uncle jimbo before Christmas, it rides ace! I’ve no complaints with the service or the frame build quality. the raw frame looks really nice…