Blairadam is easier to find your way round than the Lomonds and is pretty good fun. You’re not far from Glentress and Innerleithen if you’re in Edinburgh and you can’t go far wrong with either (or indeed both).

Trek Remedy with a proper fork instead of the Float 32 they still insist on speccing it with? Goes up and along like an XC whippet, but really controlled without blanding everything out on the way back down. If I didn’t run out of money 3 days after I get paid it’s what I’d have. As it is, I have a Saracen Ariel and it’s absolutely fine.

I’ve just built up a Saracen Ariel 14X that I got for £345 off of EBay using the bits from my hardtail. It’s a huge amount of fun and hasn’t broken, despite several painful incidents resulting from a combination of lack of skill and an almost suicidal reluctance to buy new tyres.

I have a 2011. It came with a DHX 5.0 Air, and I’m running it with Lyriks. It’s a wee bit heavy, but it climbs in an entirely acceptable way. For comparison it climbs better than the Meta 5 I used to have. Downhill, it’s really confidence inspiring. It’s my only bike at the moment and I’m not in any particular hurry to rebuild my hardtail.

36T and 11-36. I more often miss the harder gears than the granny.

I believe the Grapil’s being discontinued. Tried one at a demo day at GT and was pretty underwhelmed. It wasn’t that it was particularly bad at anything, it just wasn’t especially good either.

I’ve got u-turn Lyriks on mine. TBH I usually leave them around 150mm and find it climbs OK like this. It’s no whippety XC machine, but it’s relatively painless and more than compensated for by how capable it is downhill.

I got a 2011 off of EBay about a month ago; I think the geometry’s the same, but the 2012/13 is a bit stiffer. I really rate it, it’s certainly the equal of the Five I demoed. It’s a good fun all-rounder.

Williams Bros Joker, new oOoOO album.

I tried a few bikes at the recent demo day at GT and the one that impressed me most was the Carbon Trek Remedy. Climbs fantastically well and descends in an admirable fashion. It would probably benefit from a beefier fork, but other than that it’s a really versatile, fun bike.

FWIW I don’t own one.

I’ve tried various places and come to the same conclusion, that Boss is probably the best combination of style and quality without spending silly money.

Thanks, Braehead it is.

I got one of these for a birthday a couple of years back:

http://www.watches-of-switzerland.co.uk/brands/oris-watches/diver-s/diver-s-date

Really nice watch and within your budget.

My concern is that I spend twenty odd quid on a seal kit, then have to buy a new damper anyway. The mechanic in my lbs had a look at the low speed and couldn’t do anything with it and I might service the damper and then find I’ve made the fork feel worse.

I saw the ones on EBay. Obviously, I’m now kicking myself for not getting one at the time.

None at all. They’re stiff and well damped (at least in the MiCo guise). They’re also easy to service at home. I’ve been extremely happy with min.

It can be pretty phone dependent. I’ve got an HTC One X+ and it works fine, a guy at work has an S3 mini and he can’t get it to work at all.

The Carrera looks like a good bet. Not sure how he’d get on with drops and also I’m a bit unclear as to whether EBay is allowed under the health account rules.

The Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall one is good. New Vegetarian Kitchen by Nicola Graimes has some nice stuff and any of the Cafe Paradiso ones are worth a punt.

William Brothers’ Good Times. Jolly palatable it is, too.

I got a pair of Singletrack shorts a while back and they’ve been excellent. Better fitting and way more durable than the Altura ones I got around the same time.

Yes, completely mad.

I run mine at 130, climbs fine.

DH type stuff is a bit thin on the ground around Glasgow. Mugdock and Cathkin are pretty much all XC and Carron Valley is pretty tame. There used to be some shore in Lennox forest, but I don’t know if it’s still there. Cambusbarron out near Stirling might be a good bet and the guys on the Freeflow bikes forum would probably be able to point you in the right direction for more local stuff.

A few laps of Cathkin Braes to make the most of the (relatively) mild temperature and glorious sunshine. Even had to take off my jacket and change to thinner gloves after the first lap.

One X+ here too. No complaints other than the less than stellar battery life, but it generally gets me all the way through a day.

I’ve gone from a Giro Hex to a 661 Recon. Bit comfier and doesn’t look quite so huge. I tried the POC, but it looked absolutely huge, and I’m sufficiently vain that that was a deal breaker. That and it cost twice as much as the 661.

Either have a shower at either end of your commute, or at least have a quick rub with some baby wipes, an anti-fungal cream may also help. I believe the medical term is Jock itch.

I’ve had an HTC One X+ for about a month now. Can’t fault it; good screen, plenty quick and looks a lot better than my mates S3 which to my eyes is a bit cheap and nasty looking. You also get 2 years of 25Gb Dropbox with it.

They’re the Lindsay Lohan of wheels. Look great, but ultimately you know that you’ll regret it.

For me, probably Shields by Grizzly Bear or Crystal Castles III, with honourable mentions to Willis Earl Beale and Death Grips. I don’t think it’s been a particularly great year in terms of really exciting new music.

Mind numbing drivel.

I use Deutschtek too, I’ve found them excellent.

The bits will be coming off of my Handjob and going on to either an El Guapo or a Covert. I’ll probably build the Handjob up with a lighter build later in the year.

Falla Brae, the very last bit from the fire road down to the bottom.

U-Turn Lyriks would seem to be the answer.

Alas, I’m in Glasgow so difficult to get demoes on anything much.

“That’ll be the (current) Titus El Guapo V3 then? “

On paper you’re right, but I’ve been stung before when I bought an Orange G2 without demoing it and hated it with a passion. Hence I’m trying to get as much information as possible as I can’t get a demo on one. The Mega has the same problem. The Covert has the advantage that I’ve ridden it and didn’t hate it.

How does it handle for more ‘up and along’ stuff with the angleset? Does it still climb ok and how’s the bb height (although I suppose the 170 fork will compensate).

You’re quite right, I should have said I was after a fs. And no I don’t run them at 160, I have them between 115 and 130mm. Heavy, but the stiffness and damping more than make up for it. I did try it at 160 once just out of curiosity. It was not a success.