Interesting, definitely be looking at doing this.

Havent ridden the area before; any ideas on how weather proof the route is?

3 episodes into Sweetpea (Now/Sky):: British drama with dark humour about a bullied wallflower turned killer… enjoying it, gets going fairly quickly too

Proper bonkers

Link of just the catch:

https://x.com/SpaceX/status/1845442658397049011

Rider of the day voting page if anyone missed it:

https://www.redbull.com/us-en/projects/voterampage

Brendog currently in the lead

Brilliant run…robbed again

Yeah, great event. The end got the suspense levels up with Chelsea electing to go for a second run and possibly then beating robin who was also up top. Add in the wind speed was up so there was a will she/won’t she go. Edge of seat stuff

St Marthas is lovely but nothing wrong with starting/finishing at Shalford (or just on to Guildford). Could also start at Newlands corner, head west over Pewley Down then down from there to meet with DL. For a bit easier route off St Marthas, you could head directly west off the top and through Chantries…not as gnarly as the descent south but Chantries can get muddy in some sections as you head through

Id just ignore this and  go and enjoy your holiday mrl…stone king rally tour should be epic!

OP real just needs advice on getting a replacement wheel in a few days… picking over the warranty details seems an unnecessary tangent, maybe should have left that aspect out for now.

Good on weeksy for his offer. Failing borrowing, Id probably go with Merlin and the Hope wheel and go for priority delivery

Been using one on my XC (FS) and on my rigid 29er bike since last year…both have 2.25″ tyres and it works fine (dead easy to swap it over too)

I don’t want to be getting through zip ties

I just use re-usable zipties

Never did own a Cannondale back in the day (went with a Klein instead which i still own) but i did always want the f600 with the retro aeroplane finish…i thought it was so cool (still do!):

can you show which one you went on their site with and what’s your first impression?

I went for this one (but only small now available):

https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/2656116

There’s a lot of ‘hybrid’ versions on there too but I think the front panels on those dont have the same waterproofing material (if I have that correct)

Initial impression is good. Looks good quality, well stitched & taped. Doesnt feel obviously like a waterproof jacket, softer & not so ‘crinkerly’. Some nice details (like the sunglass cleaning cloth on elastic in the front pocket). Hood fits over helmet with a little tightness so it should hopefully stay on when riding. Not overly bulky so will pack down reasonably small when stowing. Sizing is probably accurate as Im at bottom end of medium

Ion Shelter 3L jacket from Sport Pursuit for a bargain price November last year.

Ha, exactly what i went for but this year… literally turned up today by coincidence (so a bit early days for feedback). Maybe should have got the small (generally the size i get) as the medium is a bit roomier on me than I’d like but at least that leaves ability to layer underneath when it gets colder

Apparently The Penguin is supposed to be quite good according to the Guardian.

Yeah, we watched the first episode last night and its looking very promising. Farrell was very good (although you wouldnt know it was him from looking)

Havent done it officially but have ridden the various bits of the route having had a look. Some interesting route choices in places given its for 2000 riders of various ability like the BW off of Holister farm into Shere and the descent from the top of Winterfold (Jelleys Hollow)….chalky steep and rutted both of them. Then the sections of BW running to the north & east side of Cranleigh down to Vachery are a muddy mess after rain. I never think the Downs Link is good at draining on the former railway sections either so that must have been nice.

….so well done for anyone doing it yesterday!

Only ever had it with Clarks.

Never had it with Superstar and they’ve been my go-to brake pads for over a decade

Hit us around 11:30 here in Dorking. Proper biblical rain with thunder, lightening & hail. Flooding pics all over social media. It’s a lovely blue sky now though

There’s a size guide on the spada site. ;-)

There is but you know that’s not really the question flyingmonkey is asking

So is the sizing true to size? Id like to know too as they look a bargain

I’ll be keeping an eye on my xmc1200s of a similar age but haven’t noticed anything.

Out of curiosity, were yours from Merlin (6 bolt rotor mounts)?

Interesting to read as it really goes to show how ground conditions impact the route; I knows we’ve had rain but its sounds like its suffered more than Id expect given its still been fairly mild.

I did it for the first time at the end of July this year (on my short travel full suspension 29er with Reckon Race tyres); fully dried out at that point and, if anything, too hot as temps were approaching 30degs. Did it over 2 days, clockwise, starting and ending in Farnham which worked out a good choice as the first day got a lot of the hillier Hindhead/SDW section out the way for the longer but flatter second day. Only issue with that was that the last bit from Reading back to Farnham was a bit dull with lots of road. I travelled light as possible staying at the Amesbury Travelodge….short walk into Amesbury for supplies and pubs/restaurants plus it was nice to see Stonehenge with minimal crowds given it was still early when I got to the fence line.

I really enjoyed it; I’ve done a lot of the first day route before through to Winchester so knew what to expect but I loved the second day with the Salisbury Plains and Ridgeway sections with their big 360deg views. Might not do the whole route again for a while but I could see myself getting the train to Reading and then cycling the route back to Salisbury or vice versa

Sure is a unique look (and I say that as the owner of a Cascade in the same green) but long distance comfort trumps looks

Im intrigued by the double water bottle mount although more for my FS bike that only has one available mount on the downtube: the bottles are out the way enough to not get clipped by feet? The bottles do look like they have been positioned quite high up the downtube but then the Cascade has plenty of mounts on the downtube

Haven’t watched many of the grand tour stuff but thought I’d give the final a watch and it was ok…some lovely scenery shots and had its moments but did remind me of how stale the whole format has got. JC seemed to be the only one with any genuine enthusiasm, RH tried but it came across as trying and JM didn’t seem to have any real enthusiasm for it.

I really hope they picked up all the scattered parts from the beetle too.

Absolutely amazing. By my maths, an average of 167 miles a day!

On the BBC as well:

BBC News – American becomes fastest woman to cycle globe
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7344w3jzzo

Always impressed how a outer cable can ‘saw’ it’s way through paint & metal/plastic, yet a bit of heli tape or similar will keep it at bay.

And on that note, i always tape my bikes. Evenings work before their first ride and don’t mind it. Way i figure it is that if i have completely mischosen a new bike, at least it won’t be scuffed if i end up selling it but then equally, if i love it, it’ll stay looking new for longer

Yep, disappointing that Oasis agreed to dynamic pricing (I assume band must agree to whether price get boosted based on demand?)…got to front of queue but ‘In Demand Standing Ticket’ is £358.10. Rest are Platinum Seated so mega bucks

Sat here watching the badger that visits us nightly so very pleased with the news

Oh right, favourites are back…hadn’t noticed, good to know

Yep, i liked it….big fan of the originals but went in with open mind, didn’t overthink it, didn’t try to pick holes in it and came out happy

Each to his own but Im retching at the thought of eating either scabs or bogies

If I hadnt have got the XRC1200 earlier this year, Id be getting these:

DT Swiss XRC 1501 Boost Carbon Wheelset – 29″ | Merlin Cycles

A bit over your budget I know but be spot on for a Blur TR

The Real Ghostbusters

Tempting if i can face the scrum for tickets although there’s other bands I’d prefer to do a(nother) reform tour (happily see Stone Roses at Finsbury Park again)

Bit too rich a taste for me.

Only noticed brookies in the shops this year…rather nice so I’m now consuming them regularly

I think Merlin are right to ask you to take it to a bike shop to get it looked at.

Reading the OP, I was disappointed with Merlin’s response in that seems a cop out to get an lbs to stick it’s neck out and make an assessment; based on the pics, can’t see why it isn’t up for Merlin to request they be returned for assessment or at least suggest some additional tests first

We have the Meaco DD8l

Same and highly recommend; we’ve two and they are both still working well and are both probably 10 years old now getting used almost daily in the winter months

We didn’t book ahead or get a guide and it was no problem. It’s a huge site, much bigger than we expected so takes a good time to get around it all

booked a trip to Vesuvius – a mad minibus trip

Ha, yeah, nice reminder as we’ve done the Vesuvius public bus…its a mad experience although the madder one was the bus back from Positano to Sorrento; dark by the time we set off, overcrowded and hot as we were thrown around the twisty roads for what seemed like hours, one lady collapsed as she got off at Sorrento.

On that note, we had been doing the Path of the Gods (Boomerano to Positano) which is well with doing if you haven’t done it

Salad cream is underrated; goes on and enhances so many foods. We get through more salad cream than any other condiment but has to be Heinz

Mother in law died last year and was living in rural France so we had little ability to bring anything but the very basic stuff back to UK… maybe obvious to some but made me realise that everything* will one day end up in landfill, its just a matter of time; an item may have some relative sentimental value that gives it a reprieve for a generation but by the time it’s passed to my kids, itll be going to landfill.

*caveat being a piece of art/furniture/etc with actual value

Perhaps something like the King Alfred’s Way might appeal?

Funnily enough I did the KAW for the first time last week over a couple of days and, if you’re after smoother & faster, Id say take the section from Amesbury to Reading…really enjoyed the Ridgeway, big views like the SDW but without the ascent (or as steep climbs) and the surfaces were smoother

i enjoy found a list of Rideway taps on google. The key ones seem to be Ogborne St George and just above wantage

@ampthill thanks for that

@jimdubleyou Yep, Ive been using this one too which sounds like the same:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1oWVjQK_wRcOmlrOGriD9Xa8mZZaJW965&ll=51.30590279069469%2C-1.3325803426514482&z=10