Renton, haven’t posted on here for a while. In similar situation as you, in that I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and facet joint syndrome. Basically means that climbing is intolerable due to riding position and putting power down. Flat riding and DH cause no issue for me. I’m a bit further down the line at mo as I have purchased an Eeb. Did my research and Demo’d 4 bikes. Whyte E150, Spec TL, YT Decoy and Trek Rail. Ended up with a Rail 9. Funny cos I have not been a massive Trek fan in the past. Best advice I can give is to try as many as you can and go in with an open mind. Def buy from a bricks and mortar shop (local if possible). Don’t listen to the haters. It’s tough enough admitting to yourself that perhaps you’re better off with assisted pedalling to continue the enjoyment of riding a bike without also listening to the tripe coming from others who don’t know your situation.

+1 for Smorgasbord but would also consider On-One Chunky Monkey for front as we are coming into the wetter 2/3’s of the year!

I was in same position as you about 2 years ago. Ended up buying a Rega Planar 1. Great option for me as didn’t know if I’d be into vinyl (both what I’d owned from 80-90’s and any new stuff I’d be buying). Rega is highly upgradable so if you do decide that vinyl is worth it you can upgrade at your leisure or sell on. I’ve since got new nagaoka mp110 cart, tango spinner sub-platter, belt & bearing and a Delrin platter. Couldn’t be happier. Enjoyed the upgrading over time as and when I can afford things and the type of music I enjoy is the better for being on vinyl with the system I have.

Next thread will be top five favourite clones, always a contentious one as I hate commander Cody for trying to kill Obi Wan!!!

Dolly the sheep FTW

Yep, Trek Rail here too. No probs whatsoever (jinxed now tho!).

John Mayall with Clapton – Blues Breakers
Jack White – Lazaretto
The Beatles – Revolver
Kamasi Washington – Harmony of Difference
Michael Kiwanuka – Love and Hate
Led Zep – I, II, III & IV

Nagaoka MP110 stylus for the cartridge I fitted to turntable last week. My 4yo son decided that the tonearm would make a great ‘Crane’ to load his matchbox pickup. I never had the stylus guard on! 😫
Alpkit Sonder Pixie Stem and Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo also on its way! 😬

This was my thinking ogden. That’s why I went with the Rail 9 (alloy). Got LBS, who I purchased through, to swap bar/stem, seat/post and tyres from setup on analogue bike. No extra charge. 😬

Trek Rail 9. Tried the Whyte E150, YT Decoy and Turbo Levo. The Trek is one that worked for me (which was a big surprise cos I’m not a Trek fan). Can’t believe how easy it is to get wheels off the ground.

Yep. Got a Trek Rail with KB. Wanted my stem/bar combo from donor bike. LBS fitted before I collected bike from them. Was just a case of adding an adaptor. No probs. They’re easily available for retro fitting most stems to Trek bikes.

Good advice above. No point hiring a car as you won’t use it once you’re there and you may have to pay for parking. Plenty do airport transfers.
Take a spare mech hanger. You’ll find it difficult to replace if yours get damaged. Speaking from experience.
We’ll be there for the week of Bastille day (14th July). Let me know if you’re still about.

Very timely. Had 2 procedures on my back this year and currently looking at the Whyte E-150 RS so I can get back out with the group. Going to try one out from Pedalabikeaway at FOD. They do half day hires. Only thing I’m a bit concerned about is how low the cables hang below the bb due to the motor being turned. Looks like they might get crushed/caught/severed as bb is low due to design of Whytes to keep weight low and centred on bike.

Quite like the Sharps Atlantic. Used to be a Doom Bar fan but would much rather drink Atlantic now.

Same injuries here. No more disc(s) in l4-l5 and l5-s1. Been 4 months since my last procedure and am doing well on rehab. Gym every day for core/Pilates and gentle weight lifting (Squats and Bulgarian split squats). Am now able to cycle again, albeit for less than 90 mins and nothing too extreme. Seated techy climbs where you are required to put the power down is a definite no-no for me. Tried that and set me back a couple of weeks. As others have said, build slowly and get your bike fit right. Join a local Pilates class too. I go to a male only session and I’m youngest there by about 20 years. Don’t care, it’s brilliant!

All went a bit Torchwood. Shame cos Ep 1 & 2 showed great promise.

Yep……bargain! I bought my Elite Direto from Halfords for £550. It’s been great so far over this winter. The Drivo is far superior so for that price I wouldn’t hesitate. Use mine for Zwift mind, so depends on how you plan to use it and whether you will utilise everything it offers.

+1 for Syntace Vector and Force stem. Had for about 6 years now and just about to buy another set for the ’little’ bike. Top dollar but the best by far IMO.

Tess Daly
Jeremy Vine

Currently in same position with my Rega deck. Already upgraded subplatter, bearing, Delron platter and underslung counterweight. Last piece is cartridge. Was thinking Nagaoka mp-110 but you’ve piqued my interest with the Denon. Did you try out a Nag at Wilkinson’s?

I think you manage both traits marvellously Ton! 😂😉

^^^ What bikebuoy said! +1 👍

benv

Member
As I was taught in school in 90s (west of Scotland).

Great Britain = mainland Scotland, England and Wales.
British Isles = as above plus Ireland (the island) Scottish Islands, English Islands, Welsh Islands and the Isle of Man.

Not quite right. Isle of Wight is an Island off the south coast of England. It is a county of England and part of Great Britain. It is it’s own administrative authority (just) and has an active member of parliament. (I use the term active loosely here!).

The Housemartins – London 0 Hull 4
The Smiths – Hatful of Hollow
Alex Reece – So Far
Oscar Peterson Trio – Plus One
Jamiroquai – Emergency on Planet Earth
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Zero 7 – Simple Things
Anything by Kate Rusby…….
……as well as OK Computer, Graceland, Abbey Road and Led Zeppelin IV.

13thfloormonk

Member
I did wonder what the market was for synthetic discs, seems like a no-brainer but I guess putting them in place could be difficult at the base of the spine!

Depends on which discs are damaged. I’m currently recovering from Nerve Ablation to facets on L4/L5 & L5/S1. Really wanted a disc replacement (TLD) but was advised it is not possible for those 2 discs. They operate from the front and there are too many vital organs in this area for them to carry out on both discs. I’m now at 3 weeks post op and know already it’s not worked. Only options left now are pain management or Fusion.
Just started Pilates, physio, stretching and drinking lots of water. Don’t underestimate how your body reacts to being well hydrated. FatboyFat tells the story of my life over the past 10 years. It’s not gonna beat me and I’ll carry on riding in some form. Just have to remember to stretch morning, during longer rides and before I go to bed. Good luck and try and find what works for you, everyone’s different.

Lake Garda is pretty good. Go see Micheal in Riva at the Liteville Concept store. He’ll sort you out for uplift or even a hire bike if you don’t want to take your own. Plenty of flow trails. Loads to do on and around the Lake, food is great, bit of culture and weather is great between May-Sept.
Link here http://rebbens.com/

We stayed in Malcesine at a family run hotel with pool and best view of Lake Garda. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed that holiday and I even got 3 days riding in! Winner!

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/windhill-bike-park-hit-by-suspected-arson-attack.html

His comments allude to enemies of mtb in the area. Really feel for him and the team. The best thing we can do as a community is to carry on riding at, and in turn, supporting Windhill B1ke Park!

Sounds like you’ve made your mind up on new bike.
Followed your other post on Zwift as I was interested to pick up some tips on training indoors. Completed ‘The Crossing’ in July so it worked, thanks!
Agree with Mccraque above in that you don’t wanna make your bike too light. Don’t underestimate comfort over long distance of an endurance event. It could mean the difference between finishing or DNF, especially if you’re planning to do it in a oner again.
Good Luck.

Wykeham Lakes, North Yorks Water Park. Great fun laughing at Mrs Snr who got Swan poo in her hair! 😂

I paid a bit more and got the HLR damper. Set at 120mm for a 29 wheel on my Solaris Max LS. Pretty much fit and forget once you’ve got it set up. I really like it and wonder why I’ve spent so much on the usual suspects in the past.

Have you looked at Bonty XR4 team issue. About 150g lighter than Maxxis in similar sizes. I’d never really gave them a thought until I rode a demo bike with them on. The bike ended up being naff but the tyres really impressed me. Run them front and rear now. XR would be Exo equivalent and SE compares to Dual (I think). I’ve never torn a sidewall yet anyway and ride mainly chalky/rocky/rooty year round.

Why? Genuine question. Females can be dicks too. Just like Mtbers, drivers, ramblers, horse riders, etc. I think an equal representation would be more beneficial to get a more balanced approach. An all female/male government is a step backwards in my opinion. Also people, whatever gender, have to be interested in politics (or dipping their fingers in the honeypot, whichever way you look at it) to be motivated enough to put themselves out there and gain momentum for a political campaign. Inspiring our youth in the right manner is a must.

Yep. There’s different types of composite decking. We spent a bit extra and went for the solid stuff with a 30% timber content. I was told the hollow stuff is not as rigid, lighter and could be damaged easier (eg high heels and cracking). Has a grip surface so don’t notice it becoming slippery due to algae. I don’t need to paint or treat it (been down 5 years). We went for the light grey colour. Still have to clean it once a year due to blackspot. No problem tho, just power wash it off. Got ours from Greensquares online.

Have a look at the twobarefeet website. You can get a decent isup with starter pack for under £400. They make one of the most rigid isups on the market. It does me for messing about in the Solent and South Wight surf.

Specialised Flat Boy patch kit. Never had an issue with these. I’m tubeless now (which I would recommend over a tubed system) but on an epic day will carry a tube and a Flat Boy patch kit. Never had to use it tho in 3 years I’ve gone over to tubeless.

Already ridden all trails at Nant y Arian. Wasn’t that taken with it tbh but each to their own. Was more interested in getting views on a loop of elan valley vs Mach-X (which supposedly has one of longest descents in Wales).

I’m running Bonty XR2 2.2 rear and XR3 2.3 front at mo. Both on i29 rims, tubeless. Solaris Max LS. Come up quite large on this rim. Haven’t burped or blown tyre off yet. Great puncture resistance and fast rolling. More than enough grip around where I am for dry summer riding (IOW. Chalky downland with forest trails). Will swap out to XR3 rear and XR4 front in the winter.

24:12

In a similar situation. Going to Hardline in Sept. Staying in Machynlleth so will prob do Mach X on the Saturday and go watch race on Sunday………..but watching thread with interest.

Budget? Sonder Broken Road. It’s Ti and quite spendy but looks sweet.