Nikwax Tech Wash + TX Direct Spray On.

I’ve got a Tubus Cargo on a 26″ Surly LHT which is basically like an old rigid steel MTB – fits perfectly.

+ 1 Concept 2. Favoured by Olympians everywhere.

Skiving While Cycling

Make sure you use a valve with a removable core. Otherwise things could get messy.

I’ve had 30 kg on my 26″ Surly LHT’s Tubus Cargo – rock solid. 28″ version makes my Tricross unstable going down hill so I no longer tour with it.

31 min from GT to Borders General. Worth knowing.

Thanks.

I’m tempted to try my studded tyres at the local skating rink….come on snow!

Great. NHS Scotland post code search for hospitals doesn’t appear to be working. Where is the nearest A&E to Glentress?

Apparently there is a first aid room at GT. Anyone know where it is? It’s not manned. I assessed a guy a few weeks ago at GT who came off attempting a jump. The bike store guys were quite helpful.

I once saw a Chinook landing in a car park as part of a display – dozens of nearby cars were literally pebble-dashed.

Works really well when combined with a crudcather. However, it does make a racket when they make contact with each other when the fork is fully compress when turning.

Let’s not forget that UN Agencies like WHO, UNICEF, UNDP etc have done a lot of good despite the realpolitik of the P5 on the UNSC. Also, the UN should be striving to maintain the international system of sovereign states. Encouraging minority groups to use violence to achieve their nationalist aspirations leads to the sort of regional instability that has blighted the Balkans, Iraq, Afgahnistan and the Caucases for over a decade.

Andy Schleck is now a T’dF winner. A sad way to win the yellow jersey.

Back dated. He can ride this year’s Vuelta.

I did the red with the devilishly difficult diversion. No snow and only a few frozen puddles. Sadly, I had to leave my Ice Spiker Pros in the car. The trail was holding up well although my Rocket Ron/Racing Ralph combo was not really up to the job.

+1 for living in Scotland. I spend twice as much time cycling now that I’ve moved north of the border than before. I think that any land owner in the UK that claims any sort of farm subsidy should be compelled by law to allow public access to their land – with the same caveats as there are in Scotland. There must a campaign for this…where do I sign up?

The purpose of the UN is to, ‘…end the scourge of war.’. Against this performance criteria it has failed – 20 million people have been killed in wars since its creation. It remains a tool for the P5 to pursue their own agendas. Reform is impossible unless the P5 vote themselves out of power.

It has had much better success with its various agencies like the WHO, UNICEF, UNDP etc

I certainly don’t want Syria to implode into powerless vacuum that will suck in extremist groups from the entire region. Understanding the regional geopolitics helps people to place what they see and hear in the media into context.

I’ve a 5mm crown race spacer. The 80mm fork and flatbars came as standard. Pretty normal stuff on a high end XC 29er HT. The severe negative angle stems do look quite strange though.

The US has vested interests in the removal of the Assad Regime. As Shia they have close relationships with Iran. Furthermore, the Syrians are key backers of Hizbollah in southern Lebanon – Israel’s nemesis. The fall of Assad will seriously threaten Tehran who already believes that the US is trying to encircle it. Destabilising Syria may be part of the US’s geopolitical strategy to weaken Iran. The poor Syrian people may simply be pawns..

Surly the buyer is guilty of handling stolen goods? If so, they’d want to come clean asap. i’m sure that there is a police unit that works with ebay to nail people like this.

The UN P5 are the ‘winners’ of WWII and it’s about time that the Security Council was reformed. It’s credibility has been seriously damaged. However, the Russians do raise some good points – better the devil you know… I doubt that the US and UK would have been so keen to depose Saddam Hussein if they knew that it would degenerate into a 8 year civil war, which has yet to end. The Syrian Regime is undoubtedly in the wrong and needs to go asap. But who will replace them? I suspect that many liberal Egyptians who deposed Mubarak didn’t want their revolution to be hijacked by The Muslim Brotherhood or the Salafists. Many may even secretly want the old dictator back… Similarly, many Libyans are not entirely enamoured with the new power elite which has replaced Gaddafi. Reports of torture and other human rights abuses make sober reading.

Which mods are you referring to? Do you mean the stem? This is fairly normal for many pros on 29ers. Have a look at Burry Stander’s http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/pro-bike-burry-standers-specialized-s-works-stumpjumper-carbon-ht-29er-26230/ . I’ve got a 110mm – 17 on my 29erHT.

Willow Koerber is 5’2″ and races on a HT 29er with some success. See http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/pro-bike-willow-koerbers-subaru-trek-superfly-elite-27994/ . Small 29ers can have toe overlap issues.

Just rain and mud in Edinburgh.

The Ice Spikers are at the ready….but still no snow….

Mrs R can keep up if she wants to but needs to know how exactly where we are going, how far it is, and when it will end. I’m keen to get her on a skills lesson to build her confidence and hopefully she’ll join the ladies at Hervelo soon.

Which SIDs? They come in a variety of flavours. SIDs are about 100g lighter and perhaps more tunable. Both can be internally adjusted to change the travel. I have REBA RLT 2011 29er forks with 80mm of travel. Probably more durable than SIDs as well.

I’m looking at my newly mounted Ice Spiker Pro 29er tyres – 361 tungstan spikes per tyre- bring it on!

There will be no snow and no ice. Like zippykona, I have unused 29er Ice Spiker Pros that I’m desperate to get out of their boxes. I’m might break them in this afternoon with a long ride on tarmac.

Corratec

Rose
Stevens
Bulls
Van Nichols

I have two of these http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/bike-travel-cases/product/review-evoc-bike-travel-bag-10-39710 . Excellent bit of kit. However, you need to buy a small adapter for road bikes.

29 HT is the way to go. I have 7 bikes, but would choose my Ti HT 29er to save from a house fire – Obviously after I’ve rescued Mrs R and the dog. It replaced a FS Spexcialized Epic which I don’t miss. My Zion 29er is perfect for XC and MTB Marathons. It also has fittings to allow for a rear pannier rack for bikepacking adventures. It could easily replace my 2 CX bikes which don’t have disc brakes.

It weighs 10.5 kg. nice.

Oh yes, pepper spray is legal in SA…useful, against dogs and all manner of primates.

I can’t wait to get back and do some of these events:

http://www.capepioneer.co.za/
http://www.transbaviaans.co.za/
http://www.karootocoast.com/

Best of all, South African Airways will fly your bike for free!!!

I know the area well. Spent three weeks over Christmas cycling in Western Cape You can download PDF maps of trails from here http://irideafrica.com/ They rent bikes as well.

Riding on your own in the Western Cape is fairly safe. Majik Forest, Silvermine, Tokai, and Countermanskloof are pretty good. There is also a route around the front of Table Mounatain from Rhodes Memorial that has awesome views of the City.

This is a good site as well http://www.tygerbergmtb.co.za/ and http://www.dirtopia.co.za/ is a little further out of town.

Latex can be shocked into a lumpy state by cold CO2. Best to use a wide bore track pump like the Joe Blow mountain or an air compressor.