done

Training for Trans alps. I have found that I can get an hour each day on the exercise bike at lunchtime and its paid huge dividends. I train use my HR to do intervals and long slow for endurance. You can find how to calculate your HR zone it on line. Until now I never used an exercise bike, just did miles on road and MTB. TBH I have made far more improvement by using HR zones and exercise bike at local gym and some general fitness exercise for back and arms. Made a real dent in my time for say the W2 ride at Afan at weekends. I have also found the delights of spin classes. Being part of the group tends to push my effort levels and they are pleasant on the eye ;-D

I would stress that improvements in back, arms and core muscles have really help too fron a comfort perspective. I can now ride all day without neck ache or arms wilting on mega downhills. If you do long distance you will know where I am coming from.

I wouldn’t say heavy. Its there to protect your bike. I want my bike protected. I notice the CTC advice was completely the opposite. They say go for a clear plastic bag so the handlers can see its a bike and treat it with respect. Load of cobblers if you ask me. Maybe the will maybe the wont, not taking the chance and ruining a good bike and expensive holiday.

+1 clever Germans.

Zesty is 11.7kg and I have a few tools to assemble the bike and its just over 20kg. So pretty good really. Flying Easyjet so way under weight limit.

Sporting equipment
Each passenger is allowed a maximum hold baggage weight of 50 Kgs including any sports equipment, subject to available space. The maximum weight for any single piece of baggage is 32 kgs.

wouldn’t bother dropping my seat for that. Would help but common its straight down the ‘fall line’

Would do but I am off to the Atlas Mountains MTB 26 Mar – 6 Apr – sorry. Also booked for Trans Alp in Jul 😀

The Rockshok one looks good but needed bleeding out of the box from a review I saw on BR. Keeping an open mind on this one. TBH I never drop my post. I ride Brecons, Black mtns trail centres. I do a lot of climbs in those places and adding more weight isnt such a good idea.

I have Prince2 and APM. APM is a better approach and qualification. Lot more difficult exam. Fist degree as systems engineer.

Looks good

Get qualified PRINCE2 or APM. They are not the whole answer but a good guide. Experience helps of course in your chosen field.

Pitto

thanks never seen handiadventures before epic C to C. They need to advertise more!

Another bike that dosent ride like its a 30lb one (amazing Albert Einstein and the laws of physics counts for nothing) think how it would ride if it were only 26lbs – which is way nearer the mark for a good trail bike.

506 is more AM than trail at 66.5 head angle. It also has a long front end and short back means your going to be sitting way back. That combination is not good for climbing or making it maneuverable on switchbacks or trails. Depends on your riding but for trails/enduro it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I would suggest a more trail orientated frame given your riding. Something like a longish rear stay, 145mm travel 68 degree head angle. As I said, its what fits my riding which is similar to yours. Spain for me and Mrs Zesty in 9 days a for a week YAHOO! 😀 good by cold weather hello MTB without freezing.

basic garmin ones will do that like etrex.If you can afford one with mapping they are a lot better.

interested to anyone been up recently. Everything else is frozen solid.

Kimbers – its what the market will bear that to some extent drives prices on ski slopes. Welcome to the market economy. Its a place where there is no room for sentimentality and it’s we the consumers that set the demand and the price we are willing to pay not the businesses. If they charge too much they go out of business. Its why competition is important as it provides consumers with alternative services and goods at a different price point. Profits fuel further developments to increase revenues to the point where market saturation is reached and growth becomes static until new services, innovation or goods can be brought to the market. The ending of one lease and the tendering process is part of this process to stimulate new growth and services for consumers.

I’ll get my coat and get back to my financial exam revision 😯

NB. Dont think I need comment on the flaw in your argument and your implied defence of drug taking.

May remind a few on this forum what the real consequences of drug taking can be.

Wow – I want to go more information please – gpx anyone 🙂

dh

just means they got through the (very rough) sift of tenders. Unless there is a legal challenge the decision has been made.

Were I the winner of the tender I would certainly invite the current lease holders to talks but it would be a candid interview. They have undoubted local experience and knowledge but I would want to see what they could bring to the party to see if a partnership might be mutually beneficial.

As part of the process they will receive a full written reply and a briefing. Written communication email and paper is preferred as as I have mentioned these process can be subject to legal challenges. An email is just more immediate.

On a legal point the FC would quite rightly be open to a challenge if it unfairly showed favor in any way to one of the bidders. You have to remember they will have had several bidders and all but one failed. They all have to be treated in exactly the same way without any favoritism. Such challenges can and do result in starting the process all over again resulting in costly delay.

I did make the point that this may not be a short term based decision. The present company may not simply have the ability or finance to take on a larger enterprise. You automatically assume that although they have certainly built up the business that they are capable of running a far larger concern? This may not be the case.

What you should ask is why they failed? Not look for reasons why they should have won the bid. In my opinion they should have had some crucial advantages over an outside bid. But as I said they may just have lacked the financial clout or management skills to run the business. From my experience of this process the current business operators almost always have the advantage. At this stage we simply do not know the facts. Speculation, sympathy and blame will not change anything.

You need to set emotion to one side. It tends to lead to poor business decision.

My experience shows that the company re-tendering for its own business should have the best package. After all they should know the business best and the relevant cost drivers. TT is right about the process. We do live in a commercial world where decisions are based on facts, assessment and analysis not on how long you have been there. I sympathize with them as they built up the business and from sitting on tender boards I know that their proven knowledge and ability would have scored well. Tenders aren’t just about the financial aspects. In many cases these non financial factors score higher than profitability which is to some extent an unknown. What they may have lacked being a relatively small business was capital or funding for long term development of the service and may have higher overheads.

I also know that these decisions can be legally challenged if something is not right and the losing bids are specifically briefed as in this case to avoid such litigation. If they have a genuine challenge then they should make it otherwise its a fact of commercial life that there was a better bid. Saying its not fair or I have been in here for 10 years is not a basis for a legal challenge.

In most cases like this the current people are reemployed by the new business so job loss scare is journalist hype.

As I said, on a personal note I really do sympathize.

Same circumstances. Mobi washer v17 here. Works fine but the battery and charger have packed up so I am just on car adapter. Its ok but a bit of a pain. They sent me a new charger but that just blew as well so guess something internal is dead. CBA. I am thinking of this

http://www.nomad-direct.co.uk/index.php/Products/Nomad-18-V-Cordless/Nomad-18-V-Jungle/p_7.html

Cheaper here:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Nomad-MCOR35-18V-Cordless-Power-Cleaner/4101560/product.html

I found them brilliant on trail centres for washing me, camelbak and bike and gear down. Expensive I know but with the amount I ride essential.

( tall and short was my impression)

not sure that’s an ideal fit whatever bike you choose. It would make downhill kinda of nervous?

Ride as many as you can…

Think I will adopt that as my moto, oh were talking about bikes………..

Yup looks icy and I bet with the temperatures staying around zero its even more slippery now.

2.35 HR front and 2.35 ignitor rear LUST at 20 psi pretty bloody good Cmwcarn trails which have compacted snow. I noticed not unreasonably that the steeper bits with rocks were still you can use them to get grip. But the exposed gentle climbing track where the sun had melted the ice and then refroze were very slippery. A first for me having to push on gentle gradient I normally big ring it up LOL Overall low pressures and wide grab whatever traction there is available keep your ground bearing pressure low which also helps with traction.

Word of warning. Right at the bottom on the last corner before the car park the little stream of water has frozen in to a perfect ice ring death trap if you try and steer around it 🙁 no matter what you size your tires! :-S

Try before you buy. I dont know what riding you do but I am surprised at those suggesting a 160mm forked am bike climbs well? I factored in the weight of the bike as I ride mostly Wales trail centers and Enduros so I went for the lighter bike. Zesty climbs like a 25lbs bike should. 5 tips the scales near 29lbs. No matter how you figure it going up hill with an extra 3 lbs will make you slower. Lighter bikes also accelerate a lot faster on trails.

+1 Endura merino

I take my hat off to anyone who successfully gives advice to women – I salute you 😀

+1 Zesty 714. Its carbon and very light weight which is something of a plus when compared to a Orange. Relentless on the down and very easy on the ups a great trail bike with superb geometry. I wanted a do it all bike for trails without the weight penalty to thrash along the trails. I am still amazed on the down hills at how fast it is whilst being utterly stable.

15mm bolt through on front, tracks like a dream with 2.35HR 🙂

Thanks, some packed snow on the trails same as Cmwcarn. Goes without saying its cold then. I see the weather is forecast as freezing fog.

Cwmcarn trails were packed with snow. Was thinking Afan might be the same.

Snow cam linky please ;-S

1 lap of Cmwcarn. Was pretty slippery in places as the snow was packed down on the trails. Could see some great tracks where some had gone too fast and slipped off the trail LOL Look out for the last switch back about 2 meters from the car park its a complete sheet of ice. Normal entrance but there is an alternative marked.

Always handy top have a change of clothing for the evenings otherwise by day two we will be able to smell you coming LOL I do a fair bit of touring on and off road. I use a lot of Merino gear but wouldn’t compromise my comfort in the evenings over a multi day trek.

I would take a good light weight rucksack like Lowe Alpin Rush you can enough in that easy and very stable if you use the straps across the chest etc.

I have a Oregon 450. Great product, I find I use it more and more. I have OS maps, I found 1:50 more than enough for wilderness trips. Great for on road touring to as it has a car sat nav mode (route).

I spent sat morning at Afan did about 55Km.

I hate to moan but I came across group after group sat talking blocking the trails. One spot three guys just stood chatting blocking the trail looking at the their head cam while two had to ask several times for them to move.

No issues about stopping but why leave your bikes blocking the trail or stand chatting and not let the rest of us pass?

Depends where you ride. UST and low pressures for trail center rocks and leaves. HR 2.3 front (20psi) and Ignitor 2.3 on rear (25 psi). Did 50km at Afan today not a sniff of slippage and huge amount of traction from the Ignitor that is meant to be a dry weather tyre. I ran a Medusa last year but they are not good on rocks and roots. They tended to spit out when you needed traction. You might try a smoother technique as well. Too many people blame their tyres 😉