what wwaswas said

yeah get out and ride, agree with Solo, front wash outs are horrible.

defintley don’t think about it, the more you analyse or get scared of what you are going to hit, you probably will hit the obstacle, you’ll be more tense which invariably leads to a crash and most importantly you’ll stop enjoying it

just pick yourself up, start slowly and enjoy it, speed will come later

ha ha ha so far i haven’t had face pedal interaction, there is that posibility, though i suspect any pedal in the face is going to be fairly uncomfortable not to mention pretty impressive

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/azonic-x-pedals-7250/

these have been on my bike for 2 years now i’m 16st and ‘heavy rider’ cannot recommend them enough and have had V8’s and V12’s

they do rip your shins to shreds though 😆

seconded on the cheap skate shoes, use a £20 pair and are brilliant. i don’t like the idea of Spuds either – i can see the benfits but as my name woudl suggest i fall off………a lot and sometimes i just wanna bail and being an idiot having one extra thing to think about is going to end in disastor

Easyjet are fine, i’m 6’5″ and i’ve never had a problem with them, the cabin crew are usually pretty good at standing in the exit rows and i’ve always managed to get an exit seat, people tend to fill up from the front or the back and miss the over wing exits.

You’re gonna get half and half on here – i’d have a look at the features of both brakes, your budget and make a descison

IMO Hopes are the only way to go, but then i’ve got no experience of Shimano. My Hopes are 4 years old and still going strong, with no maintainence and numerous crashes, i absolutly love them

203/183 for me, but i weigh 16st

i would keep bigger up front as that is where most of the weight is under braking

i’ll go out with a cold – i asked the same question on here before and MTFu was the general response – but hey worked for me

plus you can make a game of getting rid of the phlegm without covering yourself

its probably not worth a drive from Devon specifically, but if you are coming to Bristol anyway its definilty worth it. i would take in both Ashton Court and Leigh Woods as the total combined route is about 10 miles.

yeah it’s busy, but you never really come accross people on the trails as they are broken up into sections and you tend to stop between sections

my current cannondale i bought becuase it was on offer – i don’t so much regret it as i love the bike and the way it rides, just wish it had more travel – it’s only 120mm front and rear and i’d like 140 – 160

on my everyday ride:
2 inner tubes
3 tyre Levers
Sram power links
multi tool
cable ties
pliers
pump
water bladder
wallet
phone
keys

add for longer rides:
shock pump (basically for faffing around)
mars or snickers depends how i’m feeling
waterproof
beanie hat (for those cold stops at the pub)

bigger on front, i run 203/183 – never had a problem

started with V8’s, then went to Crank Brothers 50/50, which looked the mutts knackers and were really thin, but they wore out pretty quickley – style over substance i think.. so i now have Azonic X pedals which are amazing, i really don’t think i have had a gripper pair of pedals, and they have lasted a couple of years and still going strong they also look pretty cool – word of warning if they hit your shin you will get a scar and blood will be drawn – but hey – what’s a bike ride with no blood?

i run a 2012 Cannondale RZ120 – 120 front and rear was £1,500 new and i love it!!

although i wish i had gone longer travel and second hand – serves me right for being so impatient

i think of it as a long term investment, bought my XTR front mech 6 years ago never gone wrong – ok so its a front mech and has very little to do, but i bought my XTR rear mech 3 years ago for £100 and despite some pretty serious stone chips and some poor treatment, it – (touch wood) has yet to go wrong – in comparison my xt rear mech – which was residing on the road bike, lasted a year!

does it really matter how long it takes to get ready? surely the important thing is actually getting out and riding?

incedently i am a massive faffer, i should think it would get annoying if you were holding other people up, becasue if you are going solo then its not faffing, simply ‘getting ready’

also i’m a mountain biker and they are the worst of the lot

interesting point agentdagnamit but in the interests of the usuall STW objectivity 😀

i absolutly love Hopes, i’m 16st and have a set of Mono Mini’s that have no trouble at all stopping me, even at full chat on Cwm Carn downhill.

in the wet if you brake hard enough it heats up enough to stop the squeal, cannot recommned them enough

i’ve always thought it for a camera mount, for those ‘arty’ behind the front wheel shots – but then i am totally rad!! 😛

I’d definiltey say bad luck, i put Pro2’s on my bike a year and half ago, out on my bike 3- 4 times a week in Bristol then probably once a month in wales, including downhilling at Cwmcarn and i’m a fat bast*rd and the bearings are still as good as new

you don’t spray GT85 or equivilent on the hubs after cleaning do you? i’ve been told that stuff will take the factory grease off shortening the life, so just spray with water and brush off to clean, leave evrything else

IMO i’d stay away from the driver’s seat and park legally. i don’t know for certian, but i’m sure you’d be able to claim you need the heater/radio if the keys were in the ignition, as long as you are not in the drivers seat and are pleasant to plod

i use Map my ride on Android – pretty sure you’d get it for I-phone – its free and is pretty acurite, shows speed and elevation and also share (brag) about routes via facebook – just rememebr if you are starting the route from your house, make sure you don’t start recording until you are away from your house and likewise turn off before you get back…………

yep, round Bristol way

no snow here though so will be a doddle

keep the wrists warm – personally i have a pair of very questionable (in the taste department) of pink sweatbands and they work a treat, stops the wind chilling the blood before it goes into your hands as the blood vessels are very close to the skin on the wrists.

i also agree with flange, it depends on how much pressure you put on the hands, try shifting them around the bars

failing that take the gloves off and put your hands under your armpits

was it not an old Fast Show sketch?

I bought some neoprene socks for using flippers, there were £10 from a surf shop, IMO they are better than waterproof socks, as these never seem to fully keep the water out and besides your feet would get wet from sweat anyway and water seems to get in as mentioned above when the rain roolls down the leg. The wetsuits socks although not dry do keep your feet warm

L9TTFVSYHN726L

might be out of date, but worth a shot

Agree with TJ, Hopes are ace, why change?

I used MapMyRide for the first time at the w/e which is free from the android market. My HTC desire was in my pocket and we were in leigh woods, it mapped everything and you can share via facebook, g-mail etc and i have to say i was really impressed, was not expecting the GPS to pick it up at all, not 100 accurate but pretty damn close. cant say what it’d be like in more mountanous areas and it rinses the battery, but hey its free you may as well give it a go, see how you get on with it!

Waht about second hand Hopes, i’ve got some Mini’s they are about 5 years old now and i love them, think i have only been through about 3 sets of pads, and i brake hard and late and weigh [around/s] 16 stone

was at Cwm Carn on saturday with no problems stopping, whereas my mate who is a lot lighter was on Avid Ultimates and was having problems stopping.

but them my brakes before the Hopes were Hayes So1e and after those, dragging my feet along the ground would have better stopping power!!

I need to leave on a friday night and come back Sunday at somepoint

£166 is still more expensive than 2 tanks of petrol though

£46 would pay for a night out in the Toon 🙂

5 hours each way is a good alternative though

yes i do have a car so have already factored in cost, depreciation, etc but that is spread out over the lifetime of the car not just a particular journey, and as the car is a second hand polo, its already depreciated, it’s only a 1.4 so tax isn’t bad. it’s just such a long way up the M6 and i can’t be bothered to drive, so thought transport would be cheaper more convenint alternative

plus i felt like a good rant

what’s wrong with the daily mail…..i blame the imigants 😉

to be fair i do live just out side of Bristol going to just outside of Newcastle – so pretty much opposite ends of the country

ha ha just seen how that may have come out – i’d be ridiculous for a short journey

hmmm true very true

oh god please not emmerdale – i’d rather have full blown man flu than have to watch any soaps 🙂

love my full suss – cleaning is a pian, but wouldn’t go back

organdonor – Member
Bikes are different
Ride different bikes (friends, demo days, shop demos)
Work out what you like
Pick one
+1

Yep, alot

though only 1 that required A+E

had several at Cwm Carn, not surprisingly and a couple of beauties at Afan, got pretty good a falling now tuck and roll and hope the bike is ok – bones and skin heal – bikes cost money!!

G-Wizz

doesn’t really make a difference in terms of Dot 4 or 5.1 IMO, also no point getting a bleed kit when all you need is a length of clear rubber tube (got an off cut from local bike shop for free)and a little pot to catch the fluid in – i rekon even a mug would work – if you want to use a syringe Boots sell them for 95p.