Clarkson drove 1 on the Grand Tour and couldn’t fit a tow bar because of the exhaust

You really should want one, currently own a carbon Mondraker dune and an Orange crush. I find the Orange is just as fast and just as much fun to ride on 75% of the trails I ride, although you will feel it more afterwards, with the bonus of needing far less maintenance. Originally bought as a winter bike but it’s so much fun I’ve ridden it far more than I planned to

Having run a 3c ardent race on the rear I can honestly say that I wouldn’t consider using it on the front. It is a fast rolling tyre and I’ve no doubt that on an xc race bike it would be a good DRY weather option but I found it to lack grip when leaning the bike in turns, and found myself regularly losing the back end on dry trails where a pretty worn out hr2  would stick like glue

+1 for Tenacious Repair Tape for around £8 a roll, used it on a Montane softshell and must admit I didn’t expect it to work but does, just remember to cut the ends in a radius and not square as the corners will start to lift after a while. I also used gorilla tape on the inside as it’s a fleece lined jacket and while both will need replacing after a while it’s saved an expensive jacket from being a write off

I was unconvinced when droppers first appeared and swore blind they were a rip off and totally unnecessary, and without a remote lever (as most of the first available posts were) I would say they still are. Bought a bike with one fitted around 6 years ago and wouldn’t consider a PROPER MTB without one now. If u honestly can’t see the benefit of dropping the saddle for certain aspects of riding ( talking steep rough descents and jumping mainly),  you could possibly benefit from a bit of coaching. As i say i had the same view when they first appeared but 1 ride and i was 110% convinced, within 3 weeks I had convinced all riding mates who had been equally sceptical to buy one and even if I was a xc racer I personally think the weight penalty would be worth it

3c maxxgrip on the front every time if maxxis is your choice,  tried a Magic Mary on front last year & can’t see me using anything else in future, although I found a 3c minion slightly better on hardpack/ trailcentre gravel trails. Never used 3c on rear so I’ll say no more about that

Currently running a mudhugger ( not sure which model ) and a 2.35 magic mary on non boost pike, clearance is tight but I have only once had problems with it clogging up badly. This happened whilst racing the Naughty Northumbrian enduro last year, fresh cut off piste trails in very wet conditions. I would say it’s a close call between the mudhugger and the much smaller Marsh guard I was using beforehand, both do the job very well

Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that making yourself lighter has more effect than making your bike lighter on how fast you are

I personally find that a shimano chain will be quieter and shift better on a shimano cassette, Sram chain with Sram cassette etc. Used various brands of chainring ( on a 1 x 11 setup ) and can’t say I’ve noticed much difference between any so far ( raceface, absolute black, burgtec and hope)

Let it ride , the Craig Kelly story

Changed the world of snowboarding and one of the few people who were thought of as a legend in their own lifetime

A couple of stages were VERY dark last year,  not sure but think I read they won’t b used again due to tree felling , did see people using lights last year tho

25mm gorilla tape, £2.99 a roll, don’t waste your £££ on anything else

Recently ditched guide r’s for Hope E4’s, much prefer the Hopes. Having used both XT (M785) and SLX brakes I’m not sure I’d call them an upgrade on the guides (poor modulation on Shimano, very much on or off) which admittedly aren’t the best, but I have a few friends who would say the exact opposite. If possible try b4 you buy with brakes as its the only way to tell what works best for you

Used the £12.99 strong wrist support from decathlon whilst recovering from a broken radius last year. It has a hard plastic splint which sits in the palm of your hand but can be removed, which made it ideal for riding, and was by far the best support I found in the price range

Never used RSC’s but recently swapped guide r for Hope E4’s. The guides weren’t bad but prefer the E4’s, not much difference in power but Hopes feel more controlled and consistant and are apparently easier to bleed

A piece of old inner tube and 2 cable ties will do a better job of keeping the dropper post clean

Never ridden either BPW or Antur Stiniog but (assuming it’s Hamsterley/Danny Harts) you’ll b fine on a trail bike at Descend, DH bike would probably be more fun on some trails tho

Currently have the Endura mt500 and a pair of Madison Zenith DWR, Madison are by far the better of the two, cheaper as well iirc

Matt black montaro here for around a year & a half,still on original pads. Not tried the chronicle but montaro is easily the most comfortable lid I’ve ever worn

+1 for Skinny Micks on Westgate Rd or Scotty Mears @ cyclefix in Birtley, both top lads n know always done spot on work