Forge..Thats perfect, couldn't have asked for more!

My wife is pretty confident, she ain't your typical girl! plus we both started biking at the same time so we're not that far apart skill wise and she'll give most stuff a try especially when wearing armour. Having just watched all of Forge's videos i can't see anything that looks much harder than the stuff we rode in the Tarentaise Valley last year.

The climb up will be a bugger but it looks worth it.

Thats great Snaps…did you take the bridleway back over (Telegraph something??) in order to return to Llanberis?

Just how technical does the Rangers get? if thats not a stupid question.

Not using a guide for that area would be criminal as the best stuff isn't waymarked IMO.

Nevermind snakes on the trail, how about in a tree?

Last summer on the Quantocks, whilst relieving myself in front of a gnarled little Oak tree at the top of Smiths Coombe, i looked up to see an snake curled up in the tree just inches away from my snake 😯

Never finished a wee so quickly in my life!!!!!

Whats mud?…I reckon it's been a good 6 weeks or more of riding dry trails from my way (Bristol).

Still…it can't last forever can it?!

Brechfa was bloody hot today as well.

Felt more like the French Alps in August than Wales in May….what weather hey?!

After a ride around Brechfa's Raven trail today i'm convinced it's coming from the headset…i think!

Definitely not when pedalling thats for sure. Seeing as i have nothing else to do tomorrow i shall strip the front end down and likewise, the BB/cranks.

I am fairly certain its coming from the headtube area and 'ringing' down the frame….this will be fun…Not!

Go on…go with the White Room 😀 We're going for their last week as it's a flipping bargin (£350) with only a one evening meal to pay for….and an awesome massage on our day off!!! Most luxurious holiday we've ever had at least.

Bloody lovely…is that the new 5" one?

My wife has a 575 which is amazing…

+1 for The White Room. One of their 'Backcountry' weeks would be ideal for you. We went last September and are returning this September.

Van uplift takes care of most of the 'up' and the variety of trails we rode was amazing. Out of the weeks guests 3 had travelled alone and we all got on really well, we're all there to ride bikes after all 😀

Fox, Badger and Deer….I live in the countryside 😀

Amazing…I'm too young to remember Pac-man the first time around, Duck Hunt and Super Mario Bros on the NES were my Pac-man!

Wife and i just had great fun playing the 2 person game.

The removal tool is needed for all press-fit BB so a decent sized shop should have one.

I'm spoilt for choice here in Bristol with at least 3 shops selling Lapierre Zesty's! Mind you, the tool is only £25 so might be worth getting i guess.

As a Zesty owner i'd be very reluctant to just knock them out using a mallet or whatever. It's just not worth it IMO. After all it's not just your ordinary BB is it?

I'd say take it to your LBS.

Whats not to understand about my comment?

I have worked in the Furniture industry my whole working life so far…..Unfortunantly 20 days plus Bank Holidays is the norm IME. Sounds like i drew the short straw career wise 😐

When the hell did 28 days holiday come to be considered not much?!

In 10 years of employment thats all i've ever had and have been pretty happy with that TBH.

I love the Knicker trail…..i found it a hell of alot easier AFTER i had gone to the Alps, oddly enough. A week spent negoiating alpine switchbacks sets you up well for the Knicker trail.

I do the line around the two close together trees now as my bars won't fit between them, as i found recently 😯

I think having a hardtail in the fleet would be pointless. An uneccesary expense that won't pay for itself.

Most people looking to hire (as was the case with 2 quests on our holiday) are doing so because they don't have a suitable bike to bring. If thats the case then a hardtail isn't really a great idea.

A full-sus is more comfortable….simple as that.

I have to say that Hope have never been unreliable for me but once i'd tried the RX1's on a demo bike returning to using my X2 was just not nice. They felt horrible in comparison. The Formula's just have far superior modulation and also bags of power.

Hope are easy to bleed though but we had to bleed my wifes RX brakes after shortening the hoses, but with the proper bleed kit that was easy.

There's some good deals around on the older Formula brakes too…

Has to be the Canyon.

Great spec, big rotors, big tyres, anaodized frame (so should wear well) and bolt-thru forks. Having ridden your trails before (and again in September 😛 ) i'd say thats the best bike to go for.

The Kern LT would be a close second though. Those Lyriks might suit more aggresive riders perhaps but i rarely felt under-forked last year on my Rockshox Revs.

I run RX1's on my Zesty and was so impressed by them i bought my wife a set of the RX for her 575.

They also look ALOT better than Hope IMO.

Formula RX from UK Bike Store. You can get front and rear for approx £280.

Far superior to all the previous brakes i've run…..Hope M4/Mini Mono/X2 and Avid Juicy 5.

EDIT: Three_Fish: I thought the same until i tried the Formulas 😀 They've been faultless and by all accounts if i do encounter any problems then Toby at Propel is a great help.

I'm well aware of the lack of ROW status of the roman road leading to the trig point.

The biggest problem is the recent years of wet weather which mean any damage is just made worse.

Rooty corner – thats the bit i was trying to explain. 4×4 tracks were clearly visible on the ground there about 4 weeks ago.

I'm aware of those Leggyblonde but the trouble is if it's a bridleway, access has to allow for horses too and they're wider than MX bikes.

I agree that 4×4's are probably the worst of the two up on Blackdown especially the c&^t who finds it acceptable to try and straddle the path up to the trig point 👿 and whoever drove around the edge of Blackdown on the singletrack up towards the gates that lead to the 2 masts, taking out some of the barded wire fence in the process. What is wrong with these morons?

If and/or when they are shut they will stop 4×4's but anything we can get through an MX can too 😐

I used to polish my Orange 5 from time to time, it's pretty easy given the slap like profile of most of the tubes.

Do not even bother having a go at these types. I was kindly threatened with a kicking by a charming group of 3 gorilla's on bikes, in front of my wife.

This was near Brockely Coombe, by Bristol Airport, which has seen massive destruction at the hands of MX'ers and 4×4 brigade. At least it's dry at the moment and so damage is limited but the state of the Brockely Coombe to Wrington bridleway is staggering considering i used to use it to commute home on (when it was mostly grass double track with the odd puddle).

Also, can someone explain how the new big gates stop 4×4's when they always seem to be open?!!

Great. Another route to add to the long 'to do' list.

Was the shortcut at point 5 on the MTB Wales map?

Someone at Halfords reads????

Dry foam rings under the wiper seals can cause that.

Bought a mates bike (2006 TALAS RL) which had a been standing for 2 years and after the first couple of rides oil was virtually dribbling out and down the legs.

Took the lower legs off and the foam rings were bone dry so soaked them in Fox Fluid and topped up the oil and they've been fine ever since (about 4 months now).

i got a really big scab on my knee once 😀

Are you joking?

My wife has problems finding shorts that AREN'T short! I think nearly every clothing company makes 'short' shorts but few make anything longer. Why do clothing companies think all women want shorts that are above the knee before you've even got on the bike (my wifes words). My wife hates those kind of shorts…

She's 5' 6" BTW

Long enough stem there 😉

Did someone say bearings?……

Waits for you know who 😀

£1.53 well spent IMO. No problems with it freezing and no ranting Rob Warner ruining it. Scott Beaumont and Annekke Beerten know their stuff and i can actually hear them!

The slo-mo bits with treadful 'rock' backing music were awful though.

People complain about paying £1.53?….just remind us how much your bikes cost!!!

Doubt they will and even if they do, at the first sign of any mud you'll risk rubbing through the carbon chainstays (as witnessed by a bike in LBS).

My wife ran a 2.35 Kenda Nevegal on hers in France and although it was mostly dusty there were still a few scuffs to the carbon. 2.1 Kenda is offers alot more room.

I run these on both bikes, no problems with them since August 09 and have used them all winter. They're very tough with just one pin being smashed off despite some big pedal strikes.

Far superior to Shimano DX(too thick, pins too small, pins can't be removed if bent and the pins shredded my shoes soles) and DMR V8 (bearing didn't last long and not enough pins).

Nano-techs are a perfect match to my 5.10's. Can't recommend them enough.

OS maps are all well and good but it's a royal pain in the arse to keep stopping and checking a map!

Just wish i could afford a GPS….

I've run Minion DHF and Crossmark 2.1 eXCeption/2.25 tubeless. The 2.1 Crossmark was fine for local stuff but i slashed it open on the Skyline trail so went up to the 2.25 and that was alot tougher.

Now running a UST wheelset with Igintor 2.35 LUST/Crossmark 2.25 LUST. Did have a 2.1 Crossmark on the rear intially but that recieved a tear through the casing under a side knob and just wouldn't seal so thats now on the hardtail (tubed).

2.25 Crossmark LUST is just over 900g so not lightweight but it's on the full-sus which i ride in rockier/rougher places so feels great for that kind of thing. It's still a bloddy fast rolling tyre for it's weight and width though.

BTW I reckon the 2.35 Ignitor/2.25 Crossmark combo are pretty evenly matched width-wise.