I’m not as tall as you OP – I’m 6’2 but mostly legs and arms. Thing I’ve found is that “XL” or whatever the largest size is varies quite a bit by brand. I wouldn’t touch another Giant for example, as in the past my experience is that their biggest bike is still quite small. Might be better these days since the LLS thing kicked in.

Two more points to consider on top of reach and stack, as others have said. First is that the trend of increasingly steep seat tube angles can be an issue if you run a high seat, feeling quite cramped in the saddle even if it feels right once stood up. Second thing is that as smaller riders want increasingly long bikes, brands have reduced seat tube lengths to fit them on larger sizes for the extra reach. If you are very long legged you’d need a super long seat post – my Kenesis is the largest size they do and has a 46.5cm seat tube! Good for stand over, but lots of exposed dropper post.

So you need to find a brand that does genuinely big sizes in the areas that matter to you. Online, I think Commencal look quite good but sure stock is a nightmare everywhere!

Finally! Down a bit on starting weight. 700g isn’t going to make my shirts fit, but I’m heading downwards at least

I recently had to re-certify for a construction related health and safety scheme (CSCS card, for those familiar). As part of the process you do a test, but you also do a short course on health, safety and the environment. It’s mandatory, so quite the little industry of training providers.

On the recent short course, the trainer brought up the subject of ghosts. Yep, ghosts and the risk they pose to health and safety on construction sites. The group went through a shared process of polite laughter at his joke, then wondering if he was winding us up, then gently challenging his clearly deeply-held view that ghosts cause accidents. They can push you down some stairs for one thing, apparently. He wasnt going to back down – ghosts should be risk-assessed.

Wonder if ghost risk can be mitigated by positive thinking?

Directory of wildlife hospitals/refuges here:

Help Wildlife Directory

The general message from rescues is not to try to look after the animals yourself, no matter how tempting it might be. This isn’t because there is anything bad in the intent in trying to help, but often there can be more going on with the animal than you will realise and they can in many cases need some form of tweetment (ahem). If you can find a local rescue they will give you advice, but be braced for the majority of the time that advice being “bring it in”.

If you enjoy the experience of looking after an animal who needs help you can train as a volunteer rehabilitator with a local rescue. They will then ask you to look after an animal one it has been checked and medicated as needed, until release.

I think you need to check your employer’s specific terms for using it, but in my experience of the main Cyclescheme scheme it isn’t that quick on the turnaround. You need to submit a request, then get issued with a voucher which you can use with the seller.

The internet is full of “how long to get a voucher” questions and it does seem to depend on your company and how it does payroll changes. A few weeks seems quite normal from request to voucher, but it’ll vary. So I wouldn’t assume it’s ideal for snapping up time limited specific deals, but you could always get lucky.

Also 200g up, LOL

It’s fine really locally – a bit greasy and some big puddles on the usual 4×4 byways. I wouldn’t expect to come back with a clean bike, but wouldn’t expect a slog either.

All of the SDW on your route should be fine. The route from Warnford to Alresford can get messier as most of the routes are 4×4 type tracks, but there are plenty of quiet lane alternatives to the short bridleway/byway tracks. Assuming you are on the Oxdrove back from Arlesford to Winchester, that section should be fine and much of it is gravel in places.

Personally my rides from Winchester tend to head west if I want singletrack and east if I want big doubletrack/SDW. As others have said, one of the big plus points is if you set out and it’s a bit boggy, the lanes network is good so you can follow a quiet tarmac alternative in most cases.

My problem is that my “dream bike” (and I’m not short of imagination there!) would be an absolutely useless nightmare on my very-much-not dream local trails. So dream bike has to live in dream world, while I ride “best compromise” bike. Ho Hum.

I wonder if the MTB “value” confidence has generally dropped over recent years?

I mean, Orange sell bikes based on “simplicity” and “durability” (by association with simplicity) for a high price. I guess many buyers might have in the past stretched to the RRP on the basis the bike will last a good many years.

Recently though it’s possible most people have looked at a landscape of changing wheel sizes and especially geometry and many aren’t really convinced an expensive simple bike will last and last (yeah, even if some of that is fashion/perception driven). Harder to make that value argument to yourself when your last “new” 2015 bike is considered outdated, especially combined with durability rumours.

Is this some sort of trap to somehow embarrass lefties?

He’ll probably just use some well-angled photos 

A quick glance at the FreedomWorks host organisation social media suggests it doesn’t matter if anyone turns up or not. They film him and others speaking at a podium from the “front row”, without panning or distance shots of the audience. Still images of the event use background-blurred close ups, or very selective imagery.

So why bother trucking him around? My guess – it’s to lend a sense of “Big Nige wants to visit the real people of small town USA” and support the persona he is trying to craft. The reality is that their FB videos of him seem to gather between 20-40k views, so actual venues packed to the rafters probably isn’t required. However, a venue full of empty seats probably makes it less fun for him as he may as well shoot it in his travel tavern :)

Well, if expanding that theme – Santa Cruz 5010 InterestRate, for the lawyers ;)

What about a Santa Cruz OnFinance?

I’m now thinking “jeepers creepers” is a good model name

Could be a whole line up of bikes along with the “creepy jesus”.

Yeah I think I need this one! I’m in

Sub 3 second 0-60 family car recommendation to get me to the trail centre over a national border during a lockdown before anyone on an acoustic bike can get there, so they don’t slow me down on my Strava KOM attempt on the family blue trail? Knew I shouldn’t have asked (:

Had mine done in 2009. From around -4.5 to perfect. Still 20:20 for all intents and purposes.

I’m another who paid a lot more than I could have. I had a long running good relationship with my optometrist (I bought a lot of contact lenses…) and went to a place they recommended. I was cautioned against going “cheap” and it was 3.5k in 2009.

Stories seem to vary between those like me who find it transformational for their lifestyles, and those for whom it is a disaster. I’m not actually sure how you can control which experience you get, although my understanding is that the experience of the individual surgeon is key with Lasik, so paying more and knowing who that will be may be worthwhile. Ultimately though a risk seems to remain, so it comes down to if you consider it “worth it”. Mid 20s me, absolutely; mid 50s me, maybe I won’t do it again!

They dont have the same marketing budget which in itself says something about W3W.

The advertising and building familiarity / accessibility to a broad range of non-outdoorsy people are all “the point”, surely? Most people don’t buy iPhones because they’ve carefully weighed the technical specs with all alternatives. Make it accessible and non-geeky and people will use it. This audience of people isn’t going to download some niche app for mountain walkers.

The only question here is “is it worse than nothing” in navigation terms.

I had the impression that W3W was a sort of attempt to reach people that wouldn’t engage in anything that sounded “technical”.

In that vein, I guess it’s less important that it’s perfect for navigation, and more important that it gets people to engage in even the basics of being able to communicate where they are. It’s strength is being “accessible” and I suspect the marketing plays a part in driving that. I also suspect its best use is keeping people away from calling 999 for minor things, rather than being a basis for coordinating major incidents. If you are tossing up whether to use W3W or send a grid ref yourself, you are probs not their target audience.

We did a Surfers Against Sewage beach clean yesterday. I found a small amount of cash for the team to cover travel and sarnies, otherwise unfunded. It was optional, but most people chose to come.

The big benefit here is that the (big) company I work for offers two additional leave days a year under “corporate social responsibility” to do something environmentally or socially ‘good’. It has to be for a registered charity and we submit a paragraph on what we did afterwards. Point here is that this seems easier to request and get approved than “time off for fun” in a corporate environment, but done well can be quite fun and rewarding.

Sounds like your position at the moment is basically impossible, so I’d keep bothering those above with these kind of options which result in actual time away from work.

I’ve got some GoreTex Skychasers. They are nice, light and grippy in most local conditions – I can drive in them fine but they are stiff enough, if you know what I mean. They do come up narrow despite erring on the larger size, but the speed lacing thing means it hasn’t been a problem. They are mostly my strolling / pub beer garden boots though, rather than for work or proper outdoors :)

I’d suggest the main decision would be full sus or HT, rather than a specific motor. But I’d agree with DrP that Fazua is more “assist” than “boost”.

Fazua HTs are “lighter” than a emtb with enduro kit and a 700 battery. But they aren’t “light”. For me, I’m 6’2 and robustly built (steady now!) and I can still enjoy riding the Rise HT as it needs to be ridden. I can see this not working for small or light riders though, muscling a heavy e hardtail around and spending lots of time sat down would be very hard work – it isn’t just about pedalling. If she’s more likely to be fighting the bike weight, go FS every time.

I think there are a few threads where people have talked about the lighter weight systems, which might help.

I’ve got a Kenisis Rise, a Fazua “hardcore” hardtail 29er with 130mm forks. I like it, but to be completely honest a lot of that is because I really like that kind of hardtail and I live in the South East. It’s great – for my riding – and I bought a spare battery (Halfords was the best price) which I can carry to address any range issues of the 250 battery size.

I lent it to my wife for a few rides (advantage of the short steep seat tube / long reach geometry) and she loved it enough to buy her own ebike. But she got a hybrid style Orbea Vibe instead, which suits her much better.

The Fazua system works for me, but I rarely ride without the battery (I have other XC type bikes so why would I except racing?). Fazua isn’t that light really compared to many other ebikes and if you want plenty of boost the battery will drain quickly, so it needs to suit a style of riding where you are just getting say 100w of boost steadily over the ride, which basically for me compensates for the heavier bike and draggy tyres. Some of the extras you will end up wanting to buy will cost you over time, so allow for that – spare battery is £350, blanking plate to ride motor-free is about £75. There’s a Fazua Riders group on facebook that people use to share issues. Mostly, they seem far more reliable than the “big” motors and most people only struggle with getting the initial frame/motor fit perfect and some manufacturers have maybe been a bit lax there.

I’d still rather have the Fazua than a big bike with “xxxx” torque, battery and weight, but you have to accept the cons as well as the pros. Money no object, I think the lighter systems from Specialized and Orbea are probably better for me, but there is a price element there and the Fazua is very good.

I thought these vouchers were issued in limited numbers? Didn’t look into it myself, but that seems different to ISAs or Cycle to Work, which aren’t first come first serve.

Was the scheme there to boost business to bike shops, or to target people onto bikes?

I think most people have a reason for buying an eMTB. Maybe time-poor (that’d be me), want something different, want something to help with fitness, injury recovery or so on.

Once a situation changes, people might choose a different bike and in my case it may easily not be electric. In an ideal world I would of course have one of everything ;)

Never throw water on a fat fire – it’ll take your face off.

All in an Alan Partridge voice.

Well, if no one more deserving wants it then I’d be keen! PM best?

I’ve got TRP Slates (not G Spec, but think they’re broadly the same minus the nice finish ;) ). Anyway, they are cross-compatible with shimano for both pads and bleed paraphernalia, as I understand it. Not sure if that applies to the kit you found though.

OP, as pretty much comes across above, riding a HT is a choice that some folk enjoy and some don’t.

You don’t say that buying a FS bike would be too expensive, so if it’s something you think you’d enjoy more then probably go for it. You can make your HT a bit more comfortable probably, but it won’t be the same as FS by a long shot.

I love my HT, but I wouldn’t make a case for it being the fastest, most efficient or comfortable bike I could be riding. You get to choose what you want from your bike, which is great :)

I suppose someone owning both would be a bit rarer, so it’s hard to directly compare!

We’ve had a Macride for 3 years now. It’s taken our eldest from just over 2 and she’s still on it for trips now at nearly 5. This will be the last summer for her though, and it has lasted this long because I’m tall otherwise her head woul be in my face! No issues, still simple to fit and use and folds up into a backpack. Fine on a dropper, mine has been on a Reverb and an XFusion no issue – requires about 15mm ish of post showing.

But yeah, assuming you are starting out with a 2/3 year old most red runs would be ambitious. Not just for technicality/risk, but duration. Once they decide they’ve had enough of it, you don’t want a 45 minute bumpy ride to get back! Both seats require a certain amount of willing participation from the kid.

That has previously been “simulated” by the South Park team I believe!

Working outdoors is quite a broad topic, but I do get where you are coming from if work is 100% desk based at the moment.

So, any other must-haves, like you want to work in recreation / with people, or land-based conservation work? Mostly on site rain or shine, or just the opportunity to go outside now and then? Crucially, do you need to earn x% of current salary, or above minimum wage?

I have Nationwide home insurance and checked the wording. It’s underwritten by Royal and Sun Alliance apparently. I’ve got my emtb on there as a specified item, just due to value. I presume it’s also necessary to include the Bicycle Cover option, but that’s pretty obvious!

Bicycle Cover
We cover your bicycles (as well as electrically powered bicycles and even tricycles and unicycles) and accessories like pumps and lights, whether you’re at home or for up to 90 days a year anywhere else in the world. You can choose Bicycle Cover if you’ve selected Contents Cover.

So that seems fine to me.

Had our 1.2TSI since new in 2014, just short of 80k on it now. It has been faultless, with the one notable exception of the turbo failing last year, £1300 to replace. The warning sign was light white smoke/vapour from the exhaust even when it had been running a while. Whilst I’m still annoyed about that, it has been a great car for us over that time, very versatile and no minor little faults, gremlins or worry that it wouldn’t start etc.

The Code of best practice from the BPCA is a good place to start to work out what can be done. At least if you call the pest controller back, you’d expect them to be following this and let you know what their plan was and why.

It’s not an ebike specific challenge, it is just weight. I’ve got a Fazua drive emtb and without the quick-release drive pack it weighs around 15kgs so it goes on a normal Thule Outride.

Main problem I also notice is roof carriers haven’t kept up with ever increasing wheelbase of mtbs and many are too short! Basically the main carrier manufacturers seem slow to produce updates to products to reflect especially mtb trends. But I suspect at a certain weight limit fear of injury/legal consequence kicks in.

Yes it’s not a system with noticeable drag when switched off. Evidently though any ebike is going to be quite heavy when pedalled unassisted and at least in my case, often set up with heavier draggier tyres etc, because that efficiency seems less vital. So I can ride mine unassisted but the lack of motor drag doesn’t mean it’s fun!

I just set the low assist to around 90W to compensate and save battery,but rarely turn it off entirely unless I’m trying to really push the battery life.

I’ve also got a kinesis rise, had it since last summer. I like the Fazua system, constantly toying with the idea of a second battery. There are quite a few lightweight systems now, spesh and Orbea being obvious alternatives, but Trek going with Fazua seems like quite a big boost to the uptake of their system.

My findings are a single charge can get me around 900-1000m of climbing over about 3 hours or 35km ish, of climbing or descending without much “along” time. But in honesty, I do have to be economical to get that and constant power management isn’t all that fun. If my riding wasn’t mostly blasts around climbing and descending singletrack for about 2-3 hours, I’d want a spare battery in the bag. Tuning your modes helps a lot – I reduce the watts on the lowest green mode to give a minimal general boost and save battery and flick it up the modes when I need to, rarely if ever using rocket (red).

For all riding over the limiter, I don’t really notice it’s an ebike though (not as much as I notice the 2.5 maxxis on the bike!) and that’s what I really wanted.

Reliability has been fine. Got an annoying squeak around the BB now though that I need to go chasing.

Not that relevant to the thrust of the debate on the value of professions, but I think the £30,800 figure is referenced by ONS as “household” disposable income after taxes and benefits ONS

A casual google suggest the “majority” of households are dual income, with at least 30% having two full-time earners Modern Families Index

If it makes anyone feel any better, it doesn’t seem to be referencing “your” salary alone.

Tell them to get the scaff company to extend it correctly.

100% this. I send people to site to work on scaffolding, at no point am I going to be asking them to sort out access themselves. Either the safe access is provided by someone competent and confirmed assessed as such, or they aren’t going up. I don’t ask the scaffolders to handle the bats do I?

Edit: Ecologist. Otherwise the above might sound a bit weird.

Looks like they had a proper UK distributor for their hardtails until the middle of last year, but not now? Not that I was about to order one, my bikes develop enough mystery faults of their own when I leave them in the garage, I don’t need mystery geometry too.