Munque – could you provide a link for the above?

Thanks,

Nick.

The c$%ts! I've noticed tracks leading up to the trig point recently but not actually seen any land rovers etc.

This is a major problem in the area, my local bridleways around Brockely Coombe have been destroyed by these A$%eholes.

The bridleway from Brockely Coombe to Wrington is now almost un-rideable year round, i used to use that bridleway to get home and it's got progressively worse in the 3 years i've lived in Downside.

I'm pretty active in getting people prosecuted where possible too after a nasty run in with motocrossers a year ago. I was treatened by 4 of them after suggesting they consider others before tearing around on bridleways heavily used by walkers and horses!

The problem is made worse by the reclassification of RUPP's a few years back.

He's got two sofa's….just needs a coffee machine!

To all the Mendip locals… use Badassbikes if possible.

Rob is a top bloke, has a no bull$%^* approach and knows more than almost anyone else when it comes to forks/shocks (He also trained under Dave from Stendec/Chris Kovariks mechanic).

He's worked hard to set up the shop and deserves the success.

I drive past everyday on my commute and will now be using him for all our servicing etc.

He also has a set of Crossmax SX wheels hanging on the wall that i keep drooling over!!!!!

FWIW i've done two Mash-up's using Minion DHF 2.35 Maxxpro on the front and a 2.25 Crossmark on the rear.

It was a great combination, loads of grip front and back with a stupidly fast tire on the back to boot!

It was Rowan Sorrells combo of choice too, and he won the technical category last year so if its good enough for him……..

Hope lack power?

…if you're lardy perhaps 😉

+1 for Hope. I've been running X2 since August including a week in the Alps. They've been great. The organic pads that came as standard lasted a week of Alpine descents with no trouble (Only just replaced the rear, front still going strong).

Adjustments actually do something too and they're easy to bleed too. A fantastic brake.

My wife has been running the old Mono Mini for 4 years with no problems too.

Wouldn't consider another brake.

You were one of the 'locals' i refer too, despite never meeting you!

Got it in one, do you know the non-bridleway/non-footpath route to the fort though? I'm sure you do!

I'm sure most of the mendip locals/regulars will know the trail too, fresh tyre tracks suggest others use it.

I personally have only shown a couple of people it.

Will be heading up there this Saturday morning or afternoon as we need to get a few more rides logged for our TCL training weekend coming up.

hmmm could be…i'll check that out tomorrow night.

awh – The Ham is indeed small, i always end my ride with a section of singletrack up there as i usually park at the old garden centre car park at the bottom of the coombe.

The trail i'm referring to is pretty hard to find as it's nowhere near the bridleways, it does involve being cheeky or using an almost impossible to describe alternative to get the start of it!

It's honestly easier to show you! Would be happy to show you sometime, we ride up there most weekends at the moment.

The rear brake lever doesn't return from being fully depressed, if that makes sense?

Front brake has one piston stuck? That might be solved with another clean and lube though.

They started playing up whilst in the Alps in early September…i whipped the pads out and cleaned/luped the pistons with clean brake fluid.

But the problems returned so i suspect a strip down is required.

This one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!3rd time lucky!!!!!!!!!!

Doh!

AWH – Did you ride over on Burrington Ham? There's some great singletrack there if you know where to look.

I'm local and tend to avoid certain trails on Blackdown/Beacon Batch as they need a rest when it's so wet, unfortunantly others don't! The bridleway around the edge of Blackdown (the one through the gullys that meets the top of Link Lane) is the one i avoid for most of the winter.

Lots of pasta and chicken the night before works for me.

A good breakfast of baked beans and eggs is good.

Ayatollah and Explosion….is that Doethie valley as in Llandovery way?

Wife and i did the MBR route last week…head of the reservior, round the shoreline to the chapel and over the top and along the valley?

It was great fun but the valley was soooo wet, Streams across and down the trail in so many places and the hub deep bog sections were fun!! It was slippery as hell but bloody good fun….enjoy!

Nick.

So there's no computer out there that'll indicate better accuracy than 100m?!

Local (Mendips or South Bristol) tomorrow

and

Brecon Beacons or Quantocks or Exmoor…..on sunday, i can't decide!

I thinks it more than just 5 owners claiming Commonfails…well… fail!

Lots of very happy 5 owners on here..including myself!

Tarentaise Valley….especially The White Room in Sainte Foy!

That valley has it covered!

The X2 on my Orange 5 are ALOT more powerful than the Mini Mono's i used to run.

Plenty powerful enough for my week in the Alps back in September, so more than adequate here! I recall only one occasion where i noticed significant brake fade!

They have loads of modulation and plenty of bite, not sure what else to expect from a brake really!

Mr A…Couldn't agree more.

My view would be that the Uni would make money from the timber felled so if a group can organise a lease or similar then perhaps the Uni would follow that option instead as it provides an income of sorts???

…and perhaps removes some of their responsibility over what goes on in the woods?

Just ghetto'd a new set of wheels on saturday using Schraeder valved Schwalbe BMX tubes from Just Riding Along in Sheffield.

Didn't have a valve core remover so just unseated the bead and poured in the stans sealant.

Seem fine after a good length local ride yesterday, which included several bridleways now covered in hawthorn thanks to the recent hedge trimming!

The same ride last wednesday night gave me 3 punctures!!!!

I'm sorry if any of you take this the wrong way but what gives us the right to ride here? even if it's been going on for years.

The land is essentially private and the uni are under no obligation to keep access open (other than to the footpath) to us or anyone else surely?

The odd cheeky trail is okay but the stuff in Still is hard to ignore!

Mikey….doubt there'll be much to see,let alone ride!

That sucks…only ridden there a couple of times in the past but seeing as it's essentially private land i would have thought it's a lost cause.

I can see how alot of people will be gutted about it though. Surely the Uni have the right to do what they please?

I just bought Tacx ones from my LBS and they fitted fine to the Shadow SLX mech i had at the time.

Is that similar to the the TCL part of the SMBLA?

Just use Tacx ones…like i did for my SLX mech.

Are you refering to Still woods?

Took mine off as soon as i saw the article here on STW and posted back the next day, that was two weeks ago.

Yesterday i recieved an invoice for £0 for a EA50 stem but no actual stem?!

Luckily i had a spare stem lying around so no big deal.

You are asking about conditions TWO days before you actually intend on going.

I went straight from 07 Mono Minis to X2 on my new (August) Orange 5.

X2's are alot better, and i thought the Mono's were great. Lever adjustments are actually useful, plenty of power for me and the brakes felt great for a week of alpine descents with little or no brake fade.

Not sure the braided hose adds to the power or not but i remember that i could feel the normal hose on my Mono's bulging when i held it and pulled the lever. You don't get that with braided hoses.

Also, the supplied standard (organic) pads are still going strong after a wet August, a week of alpine descents and alot of muddy rides since!

Smiffy – I couldn't give a f$%k where it is! It was fun and thats all that matters.

Whats The Gap like?

We had a great first proper ride in the Beacons yesterday around the Blorenge. We've twice tried to walk it in the past(The Gap) but had to turn back due to zero visibility and driving rain!

We somehow managed to miss nearly all the rain yesterday…looks like those further into the Beacons weren't so lucky.

Well…just got back from riding my Orange on the Blorenge! and we loved it.

We rode along the canal from Lanfoist to the old railway line at Govilion, then up to the Tyla and up around the side of Gilwern Hill and up the road to Keepers Pond, round the side of Blorenge and down the bridleway to the woods. That bridleway was great, far more technical than anything round here and not that wet. Far less so than most of our local muddy bridleways!

The singletrack around the edge of Blorenge was great too, although the climb out of the punchbowl was tough, only mananged to get to the first corner.

You do lose height quickly on the road but i can't see an alternative on the OS map unless when you get out of the punchbowl you head up onto the road and up to the parking opposite carn-y-gorfydd. There's a bridleway there (down to craig-yr-hafod) that might be worth doing??

I'm sure there's better in the area but that was our first proper ride in the Beacons area.

We're after some more technical riding having got abit bored with our more local trails. Looking forward to finding more good stuff in the future.

Nevermind 🙄

Thanks for that but i'm not afraid of water/mud 😉

Any other suggestions of routes that are of a similar length then?