I could only just get a medium Aeris in the CRC one. So no chance for a 29″er or DH bike.

I’ve used bags and boxes before. I reckon that the bike was better protected in a cardboad box than a budget CRC bag.

I got the biggest one I could find and left the rear wheel on then pipe lagged the frame etc.Then you can tuck the front rotor under the down tube for some protection. I used a wooden piece of 2×4 with 2 castor wheels on it, then a racket strap to hold it onto the outside of the box until I got to the airport. This survived the sleeper train from Aberdeen, walking from Euston to Angel then getting across London and into Gatwick.

I second taking spare tape for the return journey. If you’re going to Vancouver, don’t seal it before the airport as they look in all boxes.

Are you guys all running a rear DH tyre with these inserts? I can’t help thinking that a tubeless dual ply tyre at a reasonable pressure is an easier solution. (I’ve got no experience with inserts so am genuinely interested, not trying to be provocative!)

Aboyne or Tarland trails are supposed to be family friendly although i’ve not been.

Jon – I didn’t know that, but it certainly makes sense now

Mbnut – I think i’d be after a large

No space for a bottle doesn’t really matter to me, so that’s no drama.

I was also slightly surprised when I saw they had opted for a pushfit BB and am not fully convinced by the justification on their website.

I can’t add much as i’ve got an Aeris Mk1.5, but will say that the customer service from Bird is incredible in my experience. By far the best dealings I have had with any company.

A friend had a M Aeris Mk1 and went for a ML Aeris 145 and thinks it was a mistake to go ML over M; it’s very long unless you’ve got stretched arms… I’d definitely try before you buy.

Thanks, i’ll have a look.

Any others worth looking into?

Thinking of selling as I have a MEV Atomic to build up.

Looks very nice… Ive been thinking about a BEC as a toy recently. Have you got a link to an advert? How much are you asking for?

On the bright side, at least there was a load of sand available to soak up any oil spillages…

Vax are a bit rubbish ime.
Miele consistently win the Which? reviews.
I’ve got a morphy richards which has been good, with loads of spares available should you need them.

Got some flame ones. They do the job, although they seem a bit more flimsy/bendy than my hope equivalents, probably as they’ve got quite a lot of material cut out of them.

Check to see if whatever you’ve got has got a DPF or dual mass flywheel and the expected age/mileage for failure. Both = ££££

Fair one, I haven’t explored that much. Is the quarry where Soul Survivor (?) is? Always wanted to have a go at that and the Pride.

The Churnet’s mega. Some great problems there, that are surprisingly though. High Speed Imp Act is probably the best there I reckon. Ina’s Rock is a stunning little crag too.

This is on a fairly high performance 4litre v8 that should be generating 414bhp.

RS4? Would like very much.

Most tractors have now got 50kph ‘boxes on them. Some of the big ones are now getting 60kph ‘boxes but there’s certain criteria for them (independent wheel suspension, air brakes and possibly abs?).

Plus whilst there are plenty of placements at lower grades, one of the things that makes higher trad grades higher is lack of gear

I’m going to have to disagree with this. A harder trad route will not necessarily have a lack of gear. There are so many harder routes that have perfect gear and the difficulty is in the climbing rather than purely being in the head. Look at things like London Wall, Bat Out of Hell,, Right Wall etc.
This is a common misunderstanding of the British grading system, that a high adjectival grade = a dangerous route when it’s not the case. This then helps propagate the myth that trad climbing is all death on a stick. Good for kudos when among euro sport climbers, but not necessarily ideal.

I love to climb but this ^^^ I absolutely hate. I do not like to be in genuine danger of death.

Most of the time it is/should be a calculated risk though. Although I concede that even when considered, things sometimes feel more scary than they should.

With regards to trying too hard too soon, as long as it is sore skin rather than sore tendons, that’s no drama. Try and open hand as much as you can as opposed to crimping (google for pictures if needs be), as open handing things is much more tendon friendly. Remember that footwork often holds the key over brute strength too…

Phoenix just out of Hartley Wintney or Crown and Cushion in Minley.

Homepage

Thanks. Looks ideal.

What’s the best map to get for the whole route? Thinking of having a bash in the next few weeks.

Seat Cupra? Same family as vw and Audi, and pretty similar. Build quality probably isn’t as good as the others though. It’s the same engine as an S3 (2.0TFSI KO4) as opposed to the VW gti.

If it was explosives on the bus, I’d have been a bit concerned by the minimal distance of the passengers from the coach. Not very good protection from the fragmentation danger,

Anymore information on this? Times, location? Again, I’ve never raced before, but would be pretty keen to have a go in a fun environment.

Everything said sounds pretty like mine too…
Happy to do whatever really, either stay in or go on an epic. Spud hates swimming too, maybe that’s a Border trait? He does get a bit itchy in the summer with some grasses, but nothing too bad. He’s fine around other dogs and people, and often completely ignores them when out on a walk. He’s great with kids too and puts up with anything like being poked or having his tail pulled.
He’s 10 now and will still go on a 10 mile+ ride as long as I don’t go too fast along fire roads. He always catches up on the hills anyway!

Ps: Drac, is yours wearing some fluffy ears there? We’ve got some reindeer ears with a flashing nose for Spud…