There are some of dinosaurs in Hawley Woods at the moment – Filming of Jurassic World 2 “Ancient Futures”

I ride XC and now wear knee pads all the time after a mate had a nasty accident and spent a week in hospital (including two operations). By the time he came out all 5 others in the group had purchased pads.
I don’t know I’m wearing them and could easily ride all day (Dainese Trail Skins).

Ebikes serve a purpose and happy to accept them but do they have to keep spinning their wheels? It’s not going to do the tracks much good.

Deuter 2 & 3.
I use the 2 for local rides and the 3 for longer distances as it has webbing for holding a jacket/top layer and additional pockets. Even the 2 will take a pac a jac, inflator, multi tool, phone etc.
I always use it with a drink bottle in the belt as the bottle cage is used for the battery pack when needed. Never noticed it moving around and find it a lot more comfortable in hot weather than a backpack.

I do mine in the middle of the lawn. Been doing it for years and you would never know. In the summer it has the bonus of keeping the grass green. Given that we are now on a meter that’s the only water its going to get.

I fitted the Hope about two years ago and it works really well (so far). I don’t like the original SRAM fitting but to be fair when I removed mine the water that ran out of the BB shell probably didn’t help.

As z1ppy says. My first choice was g-form but when I tried them on realised they didn’t quite fit so went for Trailskins.
Had a similar experience looking for elbow pads – went to the Evans warehouse and tried them all on while ignoring the brand names, as soon as I put on the Fox Launch I knew they were right but they certainly weren’t what I had in mind when I went in. Also gets around the size issues between brands.

Got mine about a year ago after my mate had a nasty accident. After a few weeks you don’t even notice they are on and they have done their job after a couple of tumbles. Can’t comment on washing them as I never have!

That was my first Brass Monkey event. It’s my home ground as I live near the entrance but even so I found it hard going. Recovering from a cold/cough/virus thing made things difficult and choosing the wrong bike didn’t help – I got swayed by the word Enduro in the title. Fortunately(?) a mechanical meant the decision too carry on for the full 3 hours was taken for me.
I thought the course stood up to the wet and traffic really well whereas the car park didn’t!

+1 for Decathlon. Very good piece of kit for the money.

KMC lite chain, M8000 and Shimano 11-42 cassette. Been on the bike for the best part of a year now and done quite a few events with no issues.

Off to Basingstoke for the Evans Hampshire MTB Ride It event.

I went to the local tool shop and got a large bolt with a hex head the right size – same principle as the truck wheel nut mentioned above.

Cheaper option is Maplins, they are not waterproof but I used them on one of my lights without any issues.

Ive never used them myself but the Binder 710 connectors look good.

contact 125V/4A unshielded straight subminiature female Circular Connector with gold-plated bronze contacts, PA (UL94V-0) contact body and PA (UL 94HB) housing. The 678 series receptacle with Bayonet locking system, solder termination, cable mounting style. It accepts 24AWG (0.25mm²) wire, 3 to 4mm cable outlet. The reliable and secure bayonet locking system is easy to operate and can withstand high vibrations. Housing outer diameter is only 12mm. It has a strain relief for added strength.
1500V Rated impulse voltage
<=3mR Volume resistivity
>500 mating cycles Mechanical operation
IP40 Protection rating

I have them fitted to my 29 Anthem and had no issues. Did my fastest ever lap of the Gorrick 12 hour this year so they arent too shabby. I went to buy the XC version but the LBS advised against them and he knows I mainly ride singletrack in Hampshire – and I think he was right.
Ignore the name and look at the actual item, they are a very good wheel but probably not for Enduro racing.

SRAM X1 direct mount crank on my hard tail and the original SRAM PF30 BB lasted weeks. I don’t rate the original plastic cups but to be fair the amount of water that ran out of the frame probably didn’t help the bearings and no I don’t power wash the bike. Replaced with a Hope PF46 which works by both cups screwing onto a centre tube so effectively locking itself into the shell. £85 so a bit pricey which is the only downside.
I converted from 2×10 and I think the weight savings was about 400g.
I’m also running XT M8000 at the back.

But I wouldn’t buy Eagle either :-)
I’ve always used xt or the SRAM equivalent and if I want to save weight I don’t have the bag of chips on the way home.

I like Hope kit but that much money for what is basically a disposable item……….. Really??

Boltonjon ………what were you guys carrying in those bags?

Came 7th in the 12 hour vet 4’s. Thought it was a great course, pretty fast with a few dusty sections towards the end but given the conditions to be expected.
I didn’t think it was very rooty but I do live there and know where they all are!

Overtaking was very well done with only a couple of occasions where someone cut it too fine.
Great event and I really love the whole weekend, even though we could walk home we always camp.

My only negative comment would be the toilets – need a few more to spread the load.

I use the Hope BB30 option, works really well. Basically you screw both cups together to form a solid unit. Only problem is that it is pricey.

I’ve got the Bones 2, my car has a spoiler that comes up at 50mph and the shape/adjustment on the Bones gives me half an inch of clearance – other makes didn’t.

I use Rocket Ron/Racing Ralph all year round on my 29er. The only bouncy sections will be the new bits they introduce every year.
The Manor was sold last year for a hotel and/or spa but I think there is a planning issue. Expect a mysterious fire anytime soon. It appears the land has now also gone but I assumed it was a different buyer due to the different timing of the sales.

There’s a vets category this year so I’ll only be giving away a 20 year advantage instead of the usual 40!

About a year ago there was a tea expert on the radio and he said – the key is boiling water hitting the tea. So with tea bags its milk last but for a pot it doesn’t matter.

I use the Contours, really pleased with them. Clear and ESP are both good for cycling but I keep the Smoke version for holidays :-)

For what you are going to use it for a 29er will eat up the miles. Are they a handful on the twisty bits? Just a bit but with a bit of effort it’s not a problem and anything else they are faster.

I changed mine this year for Hope Enduro’s. The slightly wider rim means the tyre sits better and I really wanted better hubs after the Giants only lasted one winter despite DT Swiss internals.
For under 400 I got straight pull hubs and there were Stans tubeless kits in the box too.

Mechanix Originals, about £19. I’ve worn a pair almost everyday for the last 4 or 5 years and they are still in one piece.

Take a look at Pauls Cycles, they have Trance 1,2,3 & 4’s. The 2015 1 is only 1699.

There may be better wheelsets out there but I’m well pleased with mine. My LBS recommend the enduros over the xc’s and the extra width means my 2.25’s sit nicely on the rim.

+1 for Vauxhall
My Vectra is about to clock up 200k but the engine is an Alfa and the gearbox Japanese!
Bike related – Vitus and Giant

Hope with no loctite but I may have used carbon paste. Their design actually screws both halves together to form one unit.

I use Stuhl chainsaw lube on the commuter, yes it makes everything black but it lasts well.
On the MTB’s I’ve been using Squirt in the summer and Finish Line or MucOff Wet in the winter.
Which Scott product? The one for the Scott Oiler? The Red is thicker than the Blue – probably doesn’t make any difference lube wise.

6′ 1″ and ride a large with a 90mm stem. Changed the wheels to Hope Enduros when the original free hub failed after 14 months. Great bike and I’ve done a few events on it. Where I ride (Hampshire/Surrey/Berkshire) it does pretty much everything I want it too.

The new V12’s are excellent. Superstar Nanos are ok but I really don’t like the raised section over the axle.
The “best” pedals I have would be the Wellgo MG1s, 5 years+ with no maintenance and still run like new.

I fact the Wellgo B24 & B27(?)s are also still going strong after many years of abuse and were really cheap.

Typing this has made me realise I should to buying Wellgo’s!

I’m running the performance version of the Racing Ralph’s in 29×2.25. Blew up fine but took about a week to settle down due to the number of pinholes in the sidewalls – however the tubeless Rocket Rons were almost as bad.
Been using them about 12 months now and they are fine.

I wouldn’t use wire bead – you may be a tight northerner but that is a step too far!

I have exactly those tyres and yes you can make them tubeless. However you will get a lot of leaks through the sidewalls until they settle done and I had to add a bit extra Stans fluid to cure that. I’d also say it’s really important to go for a ride to spread the fluid around the inside of the tyre.

I’ve had both mine done. Can’t really describe how good my vision is now but I can read number plates way in the distance.
The procedure is a bit daunting when you think about it but in reality it’s ok. Overnight with an eyepatch and then when you take it off next day it’s awesome!
Yes I need reading glasses if I’m doing serious reading but for general use I make out enough to get by.

If you’ve had an op then it’s more than a straightforward fracture – and if that’s the case the only people you should be taking advice from is the doctors.