+1 Surly LHT. Love mine, but would get the disc version.

Watch BBC Two’s Eat, Fast and Live Longer http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc

I’ve progressively lost weight by doing the following.

1. Keep a food diary – learn how many calories are in the foods you eat.
2. Don’t use energy sports drinks while exercising.
3. See food as fuel – fill up 3 hrs before you train. Eat protein to recover.
4. Don’t fill the fridge and cupboards with food. It removes the temptation to continuously graze.
5. Smaller portions – on smaller plates.
6. Get a cheap body fat calliper http://www.amazon.co.uk/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345789103&sr=8-1
7. Weigh yourself often and keep track of your performance.

It’s hard, but very worthwhile.

Don’t forget that many 26″ frames and forks will take 650b wheels. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/26-to-650b-conversion

Personally, I’m an XC Marathon man and will stick to my 29er HTs as lots of races have long sections that I could easily do on my CX bike.

The new standards are simple:

26″ for juniors, shorter adults and DH Bikes
650b for medium size adult HTs and medium travel FS Bikes
29er for taller riders, long distance mile munching XC Marathon types,

I for one, applaud the UCI’s efforts to keep competitive cycling as a race between humans and not machines. It would be very sad if someone could claim that Wiggo only won the TdF because of a technical innovation. Of course one could argue that if everyone used such enhancements then the human engine would still be the deciding factor. Whilst this is true, I like the idea of being able to compare the performance of current athletes with those of legends of the past. Change is not always a good thing. Of course, us mere mortals can use whatever we like.

I’m doing the 70km ‘middle marathon’ – apparently it’s not a race!

I’ve not upgraded my Freelander in order to keep the rear spare wheel. My Halfords rear rack has lasted years and takes two bikes easily – I find the whole setup very user friendly. The rear door opens while the bikes are on the rack which doubles as a work stand when at races or travelling.

I’m always a little surprised to see people pushing heavy DH bikes to the top of Spooky Wood at GT. It seems to be a lot of effort for little return. Especially, when a lighter XC/AM type bike would mean that they could get in many more runs in the same amount of time.

Great ride by Sky – text book lead out train. What are the chances of a Green and Yellow jersey for Sky in TdF?

+1 for Crests. However, if you are not racing then the Arch Ex might give you more confidence to tackle challenging trails.

Widow makers of the XC tyre world. I’ve seen riders cut the round nobs on the shoulder to improve grip and traction – also makes the tyre lighter. They are very popular in South Africa where it is mostly dry and dusty, but lethal in the wet.

I’m 70kg and race XC/Marathon. Crest 29er are perfect for the job – light, not too wide and stiff enough for the job. Rocket Rons and Racing Ralphs fit without tyre levers and inflate easily with a track pump. You can’t go wrong.

What no female legends?

martina navratilova
Gunn-Rita Dhal
The Queen
Williams sisters
Paula Radcliffe
Thatcher (…let the flaming begin)
Billy Gene King

…let’s have some positive female role models for all your daughters to be inspired by!

Nasty crash – good skills by the rider who tried to bunny hop Cav rolling on the deck.

+1 Cougar. It’s fly tipping…and they should be fined.

Work – Altberg, Loakes, VVF, Innov8, and Newtons.
Hiking – Brasher and Le Chameuo
Cycling – Sidi
Home – Crocs

Has anyone seen these in stock anywhere? I’m keen to get some as well.

Top 10 finish, 2:38ish. I could really have done with accurate map and a profile of the route. The mystery tour was a little demoralising at times – especially on the very long climb which came as a bit of a surprise and that had several false summits. I think that some local riders had a significant advantage. I’d be happy to help put the mapping data together for future races. The route was advertised at a little under 50km – when the gps hit 52km I started to worry that the website had actually said 50 miles!!!

Paperweight.

2 x B17s here, but on touring bikes…and with rain covers and mudguards for reasons that oldgit has explained. It’s a favourite with people who get saddle sores and other complications – the reason I got one in the first place.

Not really useful on a MTB.

I’ve Rocket Rons on two wheelsets and lucky they have sealed easily, first time, every time – perhaps yours are defective? I use a Topeak Joe Blow Mountain track pump. The CO2 can ‘shock’ the latex and cause it to congeal into a rubber ball.

You could try putting a tube in and leaving it inflated overnight to mould the tyre to rim.

What a great day! Perfect weather, good turn out, and some pretty special singletrack. £500 raised for a good cause to. Thanks to all the organisers and marshals – Job well done!

I get paid to run. Barefoot-chi-Pose has been a revelation over the last two years. At 38 I’m finally injury free and running faster than ever. I seriously regret not taking it up decades ago.

The key technique is to take shorter, but quicker strides – 180/min is good. This way your calves are able to work more efficiently and hurt less.

I use Innov8 Baregrip 200 shoes for fell running and XC, Newtons on the road, VVF lace-ups for interval and treadmill stuff. However, most minimalist footwear is still too narrow for a perfect fit.

BadlyWiredDog – apparently there is an Italian word that describes both toes and fingers, hence the VFF and not VFToes.

jonba – thanks for the route discription and the advice.

Does anyone have any more info on the route, ie GPX,Profile etc?

Have a look at http://www.lakecycling.com/footwear.html . Measure your feet and then click on the link to the size chart. This will give you an indication of your foot width.

I suffered for years with tight shoes and thought that it was normal. However, I’ve discovered that the lasts of many cycling shoes are moulded on average Italian feet – which are apparently not as wide as those of Anglo-Saxon-Celtic slabs of meat. The same is true for walking boots. I’ve have wide boots from Altberg for work.

I now wear SIDI mega shoes which are wide – Very comfortable.

EDIT: Look for the MX236 model MTB shoe and follow the link at the bottom of the page for the size guide and chart.

I’ve been using SIDI Dominator 5 Megas for 2 years. I’ve got size 43 EE feet and wear a size 44 Mega in SIDI. Very comfortable, rigid soles, light and well made. You can buy replacement bits if things fall off – which they haven’t.

My only concern is that the plastic ridges on the soles are hard and lack any sort of grip making them dangerous when hiking the bike on flat rocks.

Overall, for me they are definately worth the money. However, I’m seriously tempted by Lakes MX 235 in wide.

That looks quite good.

Right now its 42 – 44 bpm. Just come in from walking the dog and am drinking my 6th or 7th cup of tea today. Sadly, I can’t donate blood as a result of my job requiring me to travel to some unhealthy regions and to take some nasty vaccines.

Your welcome to my organs when I’m done with them – hope my heart can go to a cyclist!

Travel insurance companies must have a good idea of the risks involved. The premium that I’ve paid while racing abroad recently wasn’t particularly expensive – so the risk is probable quite low, certainly lower than parachuting, paragliding, white water rafting etc

Using an aerial mode of attack makes a lot a sense as it will bypass ground based security measures, potentially make iconic images and pay homage to the 9/11 attacks.  5 years of planning could produce some workable tactics – light aircraft, helicopter, micro lights, RC drones are all potential threats which can’t be discounted.  The presence of HVM near potential targets would at least give commanders another option and potentially deter attackers.  Without HVM,  even a hot air ballon could float over the stadium or other venues unchallenged.  

I sincerely hope that there is no threat, but we’d be foolish to leave the door wide open and encourage some lunatic(s) to take a chance.  

The Red and Blue are a good wet weather routes. No need for mud tyres. Definately worth taking a bike. I’m planning to go Wed PM even if wet as the Pentlands will be a bog.

The Evans Ride It series could be a good place to begin – no mass start, timed, well organised – technically not a race mind. The CRC marathon series has some shorter options – great atmosphere. These offer a more relaxed introduction than Regional XC series which can be a little daunting – even the ‘Sports’ class is fiercely contested.

British Cycling also have a events calendar on their web page.

I’m exploring the Yorkshire Dales this week. Enjoy GT.

What do Hope Hoops 29er Crest wheelset weigh? I’m guessing about 1800g.

Stan’s Crest 29er Wheelset are apparently 1575g.

Why not get some Stan’s 3.30 hubs?

Not much has changed in XC in the last decade. Lycra is still in. 29er HTs are starting to appear in greater numbers, but still plenty of people on 26 FS (Spesh Epic or Giant Anthems). No doubt there will be 650b bikes soon. Don’t see many dropper posts at races. Oh, lots of carbon about these days…and tubeless tyres.

An On-One Dirty Harry HT 29er could be a good place to start.

90 sec from the Pentlands, 35 min from GT, 5min more to Inners…life is tough…

Imagine if it rained! 😯

Great race!