All sorted here too. I reckon on it being 95% ridable and I'm no riding god, although whether I'm still saying this with 25lb of kit on me and the bike remains to be seen. A little challenge, theres an easily ridable,perfectly legal, route directly linking 2 of the checkpoints which isn't on any OS map or Google Earth version I have seen, it cuts out about 3 miles and a big climb. Anyone know it?

Downhill in Donny???? I've just come from there and it's as flat as London beer

I've been doing a bit of research prior to a trip to Catalunya this Summer, try the montsenybtt website as it has loads of routes in this National Park the centre of which is only 15-20 miles North of Barcelona, also there are trails to the West in the Garraf National Park nr Sitges. If anyone has more contacts, I would like to hear as well.

It's much more plannable on the 2 main 1:50,000 maps 135 and 147, I'm using those but have local knowledge as well.

I'm using a helicopter :P Just had my first look at the layout having been in France at the weekend, it looks a stunner. Doithe valley, watersplashes down the Teifi, Monks Trod, looks like water wings will be the order of the day.

Glen Close is unsurprisingly lacking in rabbits.

Another Heavenly one is Glen Gregory.

You could try Glen Campbell if you are ever in Wichita. Oh I am old!!

I think (hope)you mean reaming. If you go to an engineering shop looking for rimming you might get quite a shock. You could try a flap wheel sander on a drill if its not too bad,

The plain kit thing only really applies to open time trials your local club won't give a stuff if you turn up in a tutu and baggy shorts (as long as the top has sleeves) I regularly ride in a trade team top as do the majority who are too tight to buy club strip.

Who said anything about winning? If you want to have a go then turning up with a mountainbike isn't a problem. If you want to improve then the most cost effective upgrades are narrow slicks pumped up as hard as they will go, a cheap set of tri bars (about £30) will get you a more aero position, thereafter its all about diminishing returns. We all see all the gear no idea brigade in every facet of the sport. Our club will let you ride a try out event without joining especially at the start of the season, Wednesday night 7.00pm on the Huddersfield to Penistone road.

Just ask Andy Wilkinson, the bike he broke the 12 hour event record and came within a whisker of the Best Allrounder last year started off life as a mountainbike, he has added a disc wheel and tri bars but after all it's not about the bike.

Why is it that whenever I start to read one of these stuck due to the volcano things, I start humming the theme to the Great Escape?
Please let me go,I can see!!

Or in California

If you look at the links, they are all to an online gambling site or are connected to a keyword of gambling, my guess it's a marketing exercise and ROG's real identity is William Hill or Paddy Power.

Try Pies and Prejudice as read by Stuart Maconie, just about 6 hours and funny in places. Also Bill Bryson books go well on journeys

i'd reccommend lots of long distance flattish riding s you need to get used to being in an aero position for a long time rather than in and out of the saddle, a few 100 mile TT's in June would also help but really there's no subsititute for lots of hours in the saddle. Some clip on tri bars will make a big difference as well.

Try http://www.ctt.org.uk click on events,filter by distance, 24 hour, Nat 24hr, Mersey Road Club 24.7.10 is the only event for this year. I did the National 12 hour last year, it was the hardest thing I've ever done, same event that Wilco did 302miles, I managed 225.52. Very good atmosphere and constant encouragement from marshals and other competitors support, you will love it :D
Edit;damn slow typing!!!!!!
p.s they never get a full field so as long as you enter in time, you'll be fine.

On the other hand hoarding can work, a few months ago I had to replace an old electic shower as the heater had gone, kept the old unit much to wife's dismay. A few weeks later the other identical one we have broke due to a small part failing, call to the shower co, the usual no we can't sell you just this bit so I took it off the old shower, sorted. Doesn't happen that often though.

Does anyone remember that chap who rented a closed down C&A shop and proceeded to put everything he owned through a shredder/mincer thing, all in the name of art? Sounded very attractive at the time, not sure if I'd go for it now, perhaps we need to sstop consuming quite so much then we wouldn't have so much clutter.

I've recently bought a post mounted rack from Cycle Promotions (the people who do the 1 day sales) in Barnsley and it seems very robust, particularly the mounting system which shouldn't be prone to loosening, the best bit is the price £13.99, it is alloy but the weld quality is good and about half the price of the equivalent Topeak version.

I used to do a similar ride a bit further up the Severn following the Silkin Way round Telford, Ironbridge etc, very interesting to follow the old tramways and inclines that coal was brought up from the river. The Ironbridge was an obvious highlight. This was a few years ago so not sure how much has been overtaken by new housing estates, burnt out cars and broken glass. I'm planning a fundraiser for Barnsley Hospice in September which will have a similar theme taking in a lot of the industrial heritage of SW Barnsley using an Orienteering/Treasure Hunt theme

Thanks for the links on transfer companies, both cheaper than the Whitehaven man. Any thoughts on the accommodation problem?

In the same vein as T in the Park, any offers on what to call it?
Whine in the woods
Chubby on the Chase?

Try Beics Bettws,also there's a new bike shop in Llanwrst, don't think they hire but are very nice and may put you in touch with someone.

Paul, I wouldn't recommend Monks Trod as it is far too wet and exposed, the Claerwen Dam to Ffair Rhos is much better surface whilst still giving the remote feel, I'd forgotten about the old railway line across Cors Caron to Tregaron, well worth the slight detour.

All the above is about 100k so you might want to stay in Llangurig (Blue Bell) or Rhayader (Clive Powell has a b&b and the best bike shop in the area)

From Llangurig I'd recommend a beauty of a route. Go down the side of the Welsh Craft shop and onto Route 8 which takes you down the side of the river Wye to Rhayader, then down the Elan Valley road turning left over the Dam at Caban Coch to Claerwen Res, round the res and right through to Ffair Rhos and down to Pontrhydfendigaid where there's a pub with rooms. Then via Tregaron and Llandewi Breifi where you can pretend to be the only gay in the villiage to Lampeter and Newcastle Emlyn. The bit round Claerwen is a waterboard track but perfectly cyclable on a tourer or hybrid.
Very jealous

Don't know who you are aiming the pointless rant comment at as I have tried twice to help. I'll try again, there are 2 or 3 options 1) Buy all the bits from KDA but if you're not local then 2)Change the output on 1 of the 2 valves to a UK spec which is as easy as getting the bits from Machine Mart, unscrewing the existing valve, applying some PTFE tape on the thread, screwing on the new adapter and using the UK spec stuff. Or 3) buy everything you will need from Aldi, I see they havent got tyre inflators atm but seem to have everything else.

phone Pearce Cycles, they will be glad to help. The woods around Bringewood and out to Bucknell and Hopton are riddled with trails from Nat Champs Downhills to farm tracks.

Go into Machine Mart – they have a whole shelf full of the different fittings

But not the ones you are looking for as I said ^ they are a German standard and Machine Mart CANNOT sell them as they don't conform to UK regs. Where are you based? If anywhere near Barnsley then KDA can sort it out otherwise I don't know.

My LBS Does 3 cans of GT85 for £6 all the time and you don't need to bamboozle the staff to get it. Cycle Promotions Worsborough just off J36 M1 :P

Choclate Girl is the name of a Deacon Blue track

Steely Dan was an instrument of torture in either a Clockwork Orange or the Naked Lunch I forget which

Maximo Park = Maximo Gomez Park in Havanna Cuba
Siouxsie & the Banshees because Susan Janet Ballion & the Banshees sounded a bit crap

I had a similar issue with one I bought a year ago, according to Machine Mart, these compressors have German or European standard hoses which are not compatible with UK regs. It doesn't matter as long as its for home use and you get either an adapter or put a UK size fitment on 1 of the outputs which is what I did. Luckily a local (Barnsley) company sells both adapters and the Euro type fittings, if you're near to J37 of the M1, they are called KDA but you need a card as its trade only.

Red Kite Evocative of long days out in Mid Wales, especially in the Spring.

Is this any better? The Huntsman

Oops, heres the website until I can get the link sorted Try again[/url]Sorry, I thought S Yorkshire was looking a bit rough.

Twinned with Scunthorpe fnarr fnarr