Your enjoyment of what you do shouldn’t be diminished by others doing theirs differently.

From the article:

“I should be able to just let these people get on with it and live and let live, or even just take joy in the fact that there are so many more people who love cycling in any way they like.

But I can’t, and I have my reasons. First, I don’t like being looked down on. I don’t like being characterised as less of a cyclist because I can’t be arsed with sportives and would rather get lost than go hard.

Second, I think it pollutes the rest of the culture. This pernicious strand of macho sport orthodoxy is creeping into all parts of cycling. It’s starting to be the norm. Bike shops are geared towards it, bike blogs are geared towards it, conversations around cycling are geared towards it. You mention you like cycling, now that comes with an expectation that you are a certain type of person; alpha male, serious, competitive, buyer of bikes, regurgitator of facts.”

I think either he wants people to look at him how they used to when he mentions that he’s a cyclist – i.e. treat him like an oddball rather than a sports fanatic – or possibly he’s got pinned down one too many times at a party by a cycle bore.

He’s also selling an accordion. Clearly a gentleman by Tom Waits’ standards.

To elaborate slightly, there’s a long, flattish section between Torridon and (roughly) the tea house bothy you’ll do in no time at all. It’s about 12-15 miles – which is almost half the mileage (not the climb) of the full loop – but just on road and fire road so is really quick.

It’s a brilliant ride though – the swoopy descent through to annat is just stunning. I’ve got to get up there again this year.

Excellent wheelie for the camera.

A couple of weeks ago a car driver overtook me, immediately turned left (at speed) into a side road, then slammed on his brakes to stop from hitting a pedestrian who was crossing said side road (I assume he hadn’t seen them until the last second) and left the back of his car sticking out across the cycle lane I was in. I thought it was an unmarked police car doing a “police, camera, action”-style manoeuvre to stop me so they could nick me.

Now that’s a left hook.

As above. The hike a bike section up from coulags is a grind even with just a day bag. I’d imagine it’d be soul destroying with kit.

Also, there are different versions of the loop. I’m not sure which one is in the book you mentioned but often it’s described with a rather tame descent to achnashellach down a fire road. The other version involves a much more interesting descent but for some reason you don’t seen it that often. This is (IMO) the better version.

I came off on a descent a few months ago and landed heavily on a rock on my side. I was so annoyed with myself that I pushed the bike up to the top of the descent to do it again, but better. I found out a few weeks later that I’d broken a rib in the fall. It hurt like buggery when I was climbing but was fine on the bike.

So, to answer your question, about 5 minutes.

Edit: having read your post, it sounds like you may have broken it “worse” or in some way differently (maybe a different rib) to me, as mine just didn’t hurt when I was cycling. Maybe a better answer would be how long mine hurt for, which was about 5-6 weeks. I’ve still got a nice callus there now.

Functionally, a broken rib isn’t like a broken forearm or tibia. With long bone fractures, you’ll give yourself problems down the line if you don’t rest it. A broken rib you can more or less treat like a bad bruise, so the only thing you need to worry about is whether it hurts it not it’ll heal whatever you do to it (within reason).

Weirdly I was about to ask this same question, the only difference being that I have a 11-42t on the back. Let me know how you get on!

I still don’t understand how many of you are so happy knowingly standing around in each other p**s. Was this a marriage vow I missed?

Honestly, picking hair out of the plughole of the shower bothers me much, much more than the idea of someone excreting clean(ish) water soluble substances in a watery environment.

Her shower?

You have a personal shower each?

And you still struggle to use your own?

We don’t live together – I meant the shower in her flat. The weird thing was, I was still at mine.

My other half walked in on me peeing in her shower a few weeks ago. Although she didn’t say so explicitly, her (wild over)reaction would suggest to me that she is not a shower pee-er.

So the question is ‘which of my two full suss bikes do I take’ and the answer is ‘take a hardtail’

Yeah, sorry. My fault probably seeing as I mentioned hardtails first. 8O I realise that both your bikes are full suss, I just meant that the general level of stuff in the peaks is all doable (and fun) on a HT, and as such dragging a downhill travel machine to the top of everything might not be worth it.

Vicky, its not that big of a climb, Jacobs, if your referring to riding up it then its ruddy technical and no hope in hell I could do it.

You ride up the back and down the front, surely?

everydays a school day!

*”Everyday’s a school day!”

You don’t even get bronze for that.

i know it’s not quite the question you asked, but I’ve ridden most things in the peak and have never even felt the need for rear suspension, so I would go with the lighter weight climber.

A more direct answer would be that imho the best rides in the peaks are longish distance (30-40 mile) epics so (again) I’d go with the superlite.

Cheers guys.

Can I ask – did you do this and did it work / help? I’m doing the same conversion but was hoping to not need to take the bottom bracket off if possible.

I’ve now been out of work for nearly 8 months to the day now and the depression has started to set in.

Not sure if anyone else has said this (I’ve not read every response) but if you are concerned that you’re properly depressed then go and see your GP / doctor about it. If someone on this forum said that they were getting chest pains when they were out riding, or had found a funny lump somewhere on their body, I’d imagine most people would advise the same thing, but for some reason people feel like mental health issues are different. You might not feel like it’ll do any good, but if nothing else then at least it’s someone to keep an eye on your mood, to stick up for you, and just to provide a sympathetic ear to a fellow human who sounds like they’re struggling.

Also, I’d second what everyone said about getting out and doing regular exercise – running is pretty cheap, certainly cheaper than mountain biking – and trying to have some sort of regular social life. Other than that, good luck.

I just felt too self conscious riding it and couldn’t so much as bunnyhop on it (not the bikes fault,all my own fault for being crap).

You just need to find somewhere quiet to practise your middle-age manuals.

Did you junk the front brake? How are you planning on doing endos and stoppies?

If you’re looking at cheaper stuff, maybe consider a voodoo bizango – gets rave reviews for the price (about £600). Might be easier to get to have a test ride on one too. If you like it, then you have £800 to spend on upgrades (dropper post… 1×11 groupset… powdercoat paint job…)

EDIT – just read your reply to the “buy a cheaper bike” post so ignore what I said… Apparently Bird Zeros (zeroes?) are the bollocks though.

Goyyt, 3 Shires, Gradbach, Hollinsclough

Looks like you could do a decent loop starting out at Buxton to take these in – that about right?

Classic loop – http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/singletrack-issue-77-extras-macclesfield-forest-route-guide/

Mega, thanks.

Good luck on the emigration & that where ever your going has good trails, and the walkers be few & no where near as grumpy, Christ they are the worst I’ve ever met in the peaks.

Scotland. I should be ok.

It depends if you want to do all the downhillers trails in the forest, or if you mean the more traditional stuff around like Charity, Cumberland Clough, 3 Shires, Goyt, etc.
The natural stuff isn’t very easy to describe.

Maybe just the “traditional stuff” then if I get the chance then I’ll head back and see if I can do some DH stuff too. Doable in a single ride? I’m not averse to a hilly 40 miler.

Can someone suggest a longish Macc forest ride that takes in all of the good stuff? I’ve never been but would be keen to see if I can do the lot in one ride.

The descent behind the Ladybower Inn that you can see from the road is one of my favourites- all the way from the footpath on Derwent Edge and straight over at Whinston Lee Tor. I know is as the Telegraph Trail, it’s on Strava as Les Arcs. Not a bridleway but it’s too steep for walkers and loads of fun.

I’m sure I don’t know what you mean or happen to have seen that particularly naughty on a strava heatmap, and if I did know what you meant I certainly wouldn’t have a plan to go up there at some unsociable hour – say 4am on a Tuesday – and enjoy myself all over it.

Butterworth’s in Sheffield. Proper old school bike shop (I wish I had a photo of the interior to demonstrate) that really shouldn’t still be in business. Cheap as chips and very friendly staff.

Genesis day one alfine 8. Bought because I wanted something low-to-zero maintenance, but unfortunately my city isn’t amenable to singlespeed (ie it’s hilly af). Has been very reliable despite being left in the back yard throughout 2 winters.

Lovely to ride, and I’ve also used it for some touring and some proper cyclocross rides when my mtb was out of action. Main issue was the crappy versa 8 shifter and avid bb5 brakes (I replaced the brakes, still suffering with the shifter) but Genesis have changed those things on the 2016 version.

+1 for Ragley. I have a blue pig (cost slightly >1000 in total) which is just immense fun.

If you want shorter, have you tried blacka moor? Two and a half excellent, fairly single-tracky descents and a beast of a technical ascent. Alternatively, just go and play at Hollins cross (just south of edale) for a bit. 4 worthy descents (3 from Hollins cross and one from just west of Hollins cross) but mostly pushing to get back up (well, I can’t ascend them).

My other half is an ex-teacher (primary school, quit late last year). My cousin, who loved teaching, is now an ex-primary school teacher as of January this year. My aunt (secondary school) has just taken early retirement at 55. That’s just the people I know who’ve quit within the last year. The profession is dying on its feet.

It isn’t about the money, it’s about the workload. My other half quit because we’re thinking of having kids and – based on what her colleagues who had kids told her – she didn’t want to have a child who never got to see her, and who only saw her tired and in a bad mood. She was putting in 12-13 hour days 5-6 days per week and was just living half-term to half-term. I think my cousin’s reasons were along the same line.

About the only thing related to teaching that’s given her a smile recently was Nicky Morgan getting heckled. She must have watched that clip about 10 times.

Sell it on ebay. A mate of mine bought a house recently and there was a cast iron bath in the garage. He put it on ebay with zero reserve, just hoping that someone would come and take it off his hands – iirc it went for about £400.

Think how many new bike bits you could buy with that.

hardtail or full suss?

Hardtail.

Not considered a bash guard. Guess I probably should.

Not even sure you need a clutch one to be honest.

I’m about 90% sure my current mech is clutchless. I’ll chance it and let you know how I get on.

I think you’re forgetting how often you need the granny ring.

I’m doing this so I have an excuse next time I get off and push.

Watch out as one of those is the ms3 not mx3 and it is considerably heavier.

I ride a steel hardtail. I regard “heavier” as “better training”.

Definitely 120 so I’ll bay the crankset. Thanks for the link to the cheaper cassette.

I think I’ll need to measure the cranks as I’m not sure, but I think they’re 120BCD.

Just found a 11-42t cheaper… so maybe http://www.bikegoo.co.uk/bike-parts-c8/cassettes-c20/sunrace-ms3-wide-range-cassette-11-42t-p900

I’m assuming that this will just fit on my current SRAM equipped rear wheel – is that right?

What do people think of this plan:

New race face cranks – http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/race-face-chester-crank-arms/rp-prod82881

Superstar chain ring 30t or 32t (tbc)- http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/i-o-chainring-narrow-wide-style.htm

Sunrace cassette 10-40t http://www.bikegoo.co.uk/bike-parts-c8/cassettes-c20/sunrace-mx3-wide-range-cassette-10-speed-p788

New chain tbc.

Bin the old front mech and sell the left hand shifter on ebay.

All in about £180.

Why do you want to go SS? Were and what do you normally ride?

I like the idea of having a lower maintenance bike, plus I’ve knackered enough derailleurs during rides (usually 15 or so miles from anywhere), plus whenever I’ve played on a single speed roadie it’s really fun. I also think it fits stylistically with my steel long travel hardtail

I go for big mountain days (peak district/snowdonia/ West coast of s Scotland) rather than trail centres. Never raced and never intend to race.