Munqe-chick -Well done on an awesome effort.

Also paid for next day delivery by DPD from Wiggle. Tracked delivery van to 3 km of my location, but nothing arrived…parcel now back at DPD depot…

I punctured three times in Ironman wales last year. Fortunately, I was on clinchers and could patch the inner tubes for punctures two and three. I finished whilst others on tubs didn’t because they could only repair one puncture or perhaps two using foam and then a replacement tub. I now use folding Gatorskins for Ironman.

These aren’t really intended for UK riding conditions – very thin, little grip, need to be run tubeless, prone to cuts – broken glass would be a major concern. I’ve only used them in dry arid conditions in XC races where they are great provided that you run them at low pressure to get some grip. Better as a rear tyre for actual off road stuff. What about Maxxis Crossmarks for towpaths etc?

Discs pose some difficulties for pros : Extra weight, poor aerodynamics, spinning blades during crashes, neutral mechanical support, extra spokes, sharp braking in pelotons… I’ve just replaced my Ti disc road bike with a Tarmac SL4 and Hed Jets and am much happier.

Crimea is lost. Eastern regions to follow. We should really be worried about the sizeable Russian minorities in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania who justifiably feel aggrieved about the poor treatment that they get from our NATO allies. An attack on one, is an attack on all.

Joining the Reserves would be a good option as you may be fast tracked through phase 1 training – depending on when you left. 28 is definitely not too old to sign up as a regular.

It is awesome. We’ll worth the effort to get up there from down south.

Winston_dog. Interestingly, infantry soldiers in Afghanistan now do what SF did a couple of decades ago: train indigenous forces, conduct raids, assault compounds, operate in small groups etc… The educational standards have risen to meet the demands of IT and communications equipment, learning languages, medical skills, controlling aviation and fast air, operating complex weapons systems and vehicles.

A fully trained British soldier is a highly skilled professional – they can even fill sand bags, but so could the rest of us.

OP – firstly, there is still a war in Afghanistan. About 5,000 are preparing to go; 5,500 are deployed; 6,000 are recovering and picking up their lives; 20,000 are in basic, advanced & trade training; 600 are peacekeeping in Cyprus; a unspecified number in the Falklands; about 800 in Brunei… The remainder are training in order to provide a credible deterrent against future threats. The only certainty is uncertainty; the only preparation is adaptability.

The Army only acts in civil emergencies when asked to do so by the local authorities. In fact, most civilian agencies and blue light services are are much better placed to help in civil emergencies than the Armed Forces, apart from specific niche skills eg. Bomb disposal, amphibious vehicles, and mass aviation.

A private soldier today is better trained, equipped and educated than a SAS Trooper in the Falklands War, but they will happily fill sand bags and help the public when asked to do so.

Reasonable access = what we have in Scotland. Works fine here. Plenty of dangerous work places are also open public areas eg roads, docks, market, builders yards, B&Q, car parks etc.

I think that any land owner in receipt of farm subsidies show be compelled to allow the public to have reasonable access . See Article

It’s shame that we’re now wondering wether the man or the machine won the race. This is why the UCI needs to keep the playing field level, even when bike makers are forcing new tech on consumers.

My 2007 MacBook is still going strong despite daily use. It’s had three new batteries. No plans to replace it yet. Mrs Redford has had hers since 2009.

Kimbers. Even the Nazis had their limits, as despicable and immoral as they were. Assad appears to have none.

Even Hitler didn’t stoop so low as to use chemical weapons on the battlefield. Assad’ s Regime would have been despised and condemned by the Nazis. Imagine that. “In order for evil to flourish, all that is required is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmond Burke

Does the school ask parents to give permission when delivering sex ed, drugs awareness, anti smoking and traffic skills? I’d hope that all parents would like their children to unafraid of dogs and to be confident.

40% of households in the UK have dogs. They’re everywhere and largely unavoidable. Knowing how to behave around dogs is an important life skill that all children should learn, like crossing the road, basic hygiene and swimming. I think schools are a good place to learn these things.

Agreed. 75km is a classic. A good balance of trails and tracks – really rewarded guys and girls who have better bike handling skills than me. Great day all round.

Ned Overend. Legend. http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/interview-ned-overend-specialized-ambassador-18113/ .

Have a look at the GT7 solo results http://tweedlove.com/onthehillside/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/GT7-Solos.xls

Three masters in the top ten. I only narrowly bet a guy in his 50s. Inspirational.

Thanks all!

Karinofnine – yes, I’m looking forward to going. It’s my 4th six-month deployment in 10 years – Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. I love my job. Actually, I’m more concerned about being made redundant by the Defence cuts than dodging the Taliban et al.

Satellites. Modern armed forces would literally come to a standstill without satcoms, remote sensing, imagery and GPS. This capability would have made the Allies virtually omnipresent – the unblinking, all-seeing eye which would make strategic surprise very difficult for the Axis powers to achieve. Knowledge is power.

Race Face Turbine 700mm wide flat bar on both my 29ers.

‘Please come back KP. All is forgiven!’…and that’s just the South African Cricket team!

I’m happy to pay tax. It’s the rent I pay to live in this society. I’m unhappy about the scroungers who believe that they are entitled to live here at my expense.

A couple of years ago my neighbour caught a bike thief red-handed in the street. The police arrived, and took the 15 year old back to his parents/legal guardian for a scolding. Case closed. Pathetic.

If a society is not willing to police the ‘little’ laws then it should not be surprised when criminals move onto bigger things.

Glentress Red and Blue – wheels on the ground all the way as the ‘technical’ stuff is optional.

I wonder what the symbolic role of the sniper wearing the gillie suit is who leads the hearse through the soldiers performing the Hakka?

+1 for Evans Ride It. I did the Callander one this year. Great experience.

Awesome. What a way to honour a fallen warrior, comrade and brother in arms.

Once every year for the last 12 since moving to UK from RSA. Guess I don’t have the immunity of those raised here since birth.

Strong westerly tailwind tonight = 5.7km of 44 x 11 goodness.

Go with the RL every time. The ‘T’ is not worth the extra money, neither is the remote poplock – mine stopped working after a couple of months and is now in the parts bin. Rockshox have become too complicated – which is perhaps why the 2013 models are no longer dual air.

Mrs R has this on her camber http://www.zefal.com/fr/garde-boue/124-no-mud.html.

I use a crudcather on the down tube and a neogaurd – perfect for keeping the mud off my Prescription Oakly Jawbones 🙂

Deore – fitted a pair to a Scandal 29er four weeks ago. Excellent value, great performance and easy to install. I cut the hoses to correct length and no bleeding was required.

I’ve passed plenty of riders using my 44t ring when racing in XC Marathons. Very useful for catching the riders ahead whilst flying down long fire roads or short tarred sections. I must have made up 20 – 30 places this way in the Whinlatter Challenge and the Border Raid alone.

http://www.jedermanntermine.de/termine-2012/mtb-marathon-24h-rennen

http://www.race.x4biker.com/termine.html

Stay away from grass.