Sounds very like a breach of EU competition law. By denying someone from the UK purchasing goods from the German outlet in euros and paying for delivery to the UK in a reasonable way they are artificially dividing the common market. Because they are actively preventing passive sales into the UK like this it sounds really dodgy. This sort of stuff the EU commission is meant to deal with, but I suspect it’s a bit too small to come on their radar. It’s been a while since I’ve looked at EU competition law in detail, but this definitely sounds like it’s not legit. If you’re bored look at the treaty of Rome – article 100ish I think.

Murder about half mile away last weekend. Locher Water near bridge of weir. You might have seen it in the bbc news. Rode past the spot 4 times on Sunday, and was at one point tens of feet from where the body was found on Monday. Sounds like it was there when I was there but luckily I didn’t see anything. CID was interviewing everyone who’d been past the spot…grim

What a pile of piddly poo. I still have bar ends on a couple of bikes (stubby ones admittedly, not like the Ned Overends I had back in the day) and they’re brilliant for climbing and variety of hand positions. Also help you get weight forward on steep climbs. Would have them on all bikes except DH if it wasn’t for the fact most carbon bars don’t get on with them. On bikes without them I quite often find myself riding with my hands sat on the end of the bars as if they were there on long climbs.

Had Onza HOs and while a bit inconsistent they did the job for a few years.

I like fingerless gloves in the summer – just rediscovered them actually.

My RS Judy DHs did a good job for several years.

Quill stems were a pain in the arse, as were old style headsets and bottom brackets. The comedy of trying to stop on cantis (even with Ritchey red pads!) still makes me appreciate my discs.

I got some from Bluenty recently (Radarlock path transition lenses, black frame) and they came quickly enough and seem the real deal. Thumbs up from me

Fantastic…inspiring…well done!

Hmmm, I’m no competition (antitrust) lawyer but this sounds like it might be in conflict with the main EU treaty (Treaty of Rome), article 81 of which is pasted below. This is the law which has been used against various cartels.

Sounds a bit like artificially partitioning the EU common market and possibly price fixing, especially if Canyon UK is a separate entity from Canyon DE. Maybe tell Canyon you’ll give the EU Commission a call if they don’t offer you a genuine EU conversion rate or allow you to pay in Euros.

Article 81:
1. The following shall be prohibited as incompatible with the internal market: all agreements between undertakings, decisions by associations of undertakings and concerted practices which may affect trade between Member States and which have as their object or effect the prevention, restriction or distortion of competition within the internal market, and in particular those which:

(a) directly or indirectly fix purchase or selling prices or any other trading conditions;

(b) limit or control production, markets, technical development, or investment;

(c) share markets or sources of supply;

(d) apply dissimilar conditions to equivalent transactions with other trading parties, thereby placing them at a competitive disadvantage;

(e) make the conclusion of contracts subject to acceptance by the other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such contracts.

Dazh – I’ve ridden once with a racing ralph on the back and a rocket ron on the front (2.25 I think), another year with nobby nics both ends (2.25 I think), a year with spikes on both ends (the very snowy/icy year), and once with a spike on the front only, probably a nic on the rear – the only time I had any real probs was when it got very icy at the top of the course during the night and I couldn’t get much grip without a spike on the back – ended up falling on my arse on one lap, but I mainly put that down to a 3am foggy head, but it would have been nice to have had the grip. Most of the track is fairly decent trail centre stuff or forestry track, so really grip isn’t too much of a problem for 95% of it. They seem to have stopped doing the really muddy bit through the trees, so even if it’s pretty wet it’s not too bad for mud. There are a few bits where I’d have liked something a bit more aggressive (like the off camber right hander on the main descent, grassy bits after the viewpoint, muddy link between the forestry road climbs near the start of the lap), but only for a few short bits and overall I’d be inclined to avoid anything too draggy. Bigger volume tyres are probably not a bad idea to minimise sinking into the fire track climb (not sure if it makes any real difference, but in my head it does).

I’ve never ridden ardent, but I reckon you’ll be fine on them – I’m guessing they’re somewhere between a ralph and a ron. Something with a bit more bite might be nice for confidence, but not necessary.

I seem to currently have a hans dampf on the front and a nobby nic on the back (both 2.35), so reasonably nobbly, and I think I’ll stick with them this year unless it’s icy, in which case I’ve got some nice ice spiker pros which I got cheap a couple of summers ago.

Breadcrumb – the pads don’t last because of the abrasive grinding paste that is the mud in which they’re asked to operate, quite possibly including mica. Sintered pads don’t need heating to bed them in, they need worn slightly to remove any glaze and ensure their profile matches the discs nicely – that’s what breaking-in does. They’re made in bloody great furnace so a bit of heat from braking makes buff all difference to the structure or strength of the pad – in fact, it’d be pretty worrying if the type of heat generated during braking changed the pad structure. It’d be a pretty poor manufacturing process if the longevity of brake pads was determined by the amount of heat generated during the break in period. I’m not saying breaking pads in is a bad idea, but it doesn’t magically make them last longer, and they’re going to get broken in well enough on the first descent.

Done pair and quad before – quad this year.

Agree with all the above, thought I tend to do triple laps in the night – means you have to go through the grimmest part of the process (starting your laps) fewer times. Once I’m going I might as well do 3. Also, you need less kit for changes!

Take lots of brake pads. If we have a wet year then you will go through them (couple of laps sometimes, though I think 3-4 laps out of a set if sintered pads is about average in crappy conditions at SP). Wouldn’t bother breaking them in though, the grit will do that first time you brake, and they’ll be half gone by the end of the lap.

I’ve done one year where it was more or less sheet ice on all the fire roads – on the bright side it was very fast – on the downside, you’re stuffed without spiked tyres – I’d say take two. 4 out of 5 years you’d be fine without, but on the year you need them, you’ll really need them.

B****r singlespeed, I like a nice low gear for spinning up the fire road and the odd steep sections!

Spare chain and cassette sensible. I’m being a bit of a wimp taking some super cheap waterproof trousers this year ’cause I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be wet. If it it bucketing with rain and sleet they won’t keep me dry, of course, but they’ll keep rate of water replacement, and therefore heat loss, down. Also I won’t mind gaffer taping them over the top of my shoe (overshoes if it’s really minging) – we’ll not be racing, and I’m sure the racers would scoff at the very idea of waterproof trousers.

Take good pile of socks!

A helper is a great thing – as a pair, it’s grim if you need to do maintenance and it eats into your rest time. They’re few and far between though.

Bin bags to dump your wet kit in after you’ve been out – you won’t want to reuse much of it.

A read mudguard is a bloody good thing – maybe not cool, but has the advantage of getting much less mud in your backpack/saddle pack and in your arse region – which makes for less abrasion, and therefore less grimacing in the shower when you get home.

ME citadel, if they still make it.

I’ve got hamax siesta and wife’s got a similar but non reclinable one. they’re good but not sure if better than others. Don’t fit on my FS bikes as no room on seat tube for clamp. Briefly mounted one to wife’s FS seat post but was a bit high for easy balance so got a cheap on one inbred and built up fir her. Also, when riding off road (I’ve done various blue bits and bibs and some natural stuff with the kids in seat) the seat does buzz the back tyre occasionally in wallows or after small drops, and that’s on a 29er hard tail. Would be worse if the back wheel was free to move towards seat I’m sure. My recommendation would be get the ht. most child seat makers seem to not recommend use on carbon frames, presumably due to crushing risk. Mine is steel so no worries there, but suspect carbon would be fine so long as you’re careful and it’s not super light.

Lazer p’nut a great option. Tried a few on my wee boy and girl and it’s definitely the best. It’s got a great auto adjust mechanism and a really clever magnetic clip on the strap which avoids pinching. When my kids were that wee I put them in the chariot trailer. The sling allows down to 8 weeks or something like that. Think 9 months or so before went for the hamax seat. Could help but think that an accidental spill, even a minor one, would be horrendous if they were too wee.

Move to Scotland! – it’s all fair game up here, so long as you show respect to other users. Was an eye opener when I moved to York for a few years and experienced a very different view on land use, e.g. a locked and barbed wire encased gate across a footpath.

What a brilliant event! First time for me at Strathpuffer, but had a great time. The atmosphere was brilliant and the course was a glowing testament to the snow digging prowess of the organisers and local riders! Thanks must also go to the organisers for sorting out the weather, especially the nice frost to firm up the fire road (even if it did make that slab a little interesting) and reduce the pain of the long climb, and for keeping the rain away for almost the whole event.

To all the other riders who were out there who were, to a man (and woman), courteous, cheerful and encouraging, thanks.

To the marshals at the top of the fire road climb, thanks for the generous offers of tea and the great tunes to get me through the last lap; I'm genuinely sorry I never stopped, but if I had I think I would never have got going again. To the marshals with the air horns at the foot of the short but steep (and latterly icy) climb, you're a cruel lot for forcing me to cycle the climb every time, but you kept me going.

To The Cycle Jersey.com crew, I think I've never envied anything quite as much as the inside of you lavish abode each time I ground past! Was it as warm as it looked?

Finally thanks to my team mate who dragged himself out to do laps despite a horrendous case of the sh1ts, before and during the event!