IT'S AWESOME

The course, as with everywhere else over here is VERY wet. However, the event is predominantly contested on hard standing trails so we may well get away with it. The rutted moorland after the first short, sharp offroad climb will stand up ok apart from a couple of short low-lying areas, but they are very brief indeed. The authorities and event organisers are making huge efforts to enable the technical descent down the side of Cronk Ny Arrey Lea passable for the event; they've closed it to all users for the last few weeks (stopping two big motorcycle trials using it) to try and help it dry out. They are also constructing some boardwalk sections over the boggiest bits. It was a similar story last year whereby they had to pull this section out and we had to go down the road parallel to it which was a great shame.
In summary, I would definitely pack your mud tyres, atleast for the front

Spesh Defrosters, keep you dry and as comfy as my favourite slippers

If you live somewhere at all muddy, then they're a belting tyre. A lot of people over here in the soggy IOM use them all year round and they stick like sh1t to a blanket. I rode on them last night in some disgustingly muddy conditions and they were brill. If you use them on hardpack or tarmac, they will wear down a wee bit but at a relatively cheap £24.99 per end you can afford to run them all the time

Cheers for that CB, may well give that a try.

Anyone else??

Specialized defrosters….uber comfy and not so hot as to be winter only

Cheers TW. I obviously didn't try very hard at all, did I :roll:

Anybody got a link to where these are available for purchase? I saw them in Bike Biz (industry mag) the other day, saying they would be on sale now but can't seem to find them anywhere

*DROOL*

Very, very nice

They are Torx 40 for both sets of bolts (middle/outer + small). You may need a tool for holding the backing nuts still too, but sometimes you can get away with it depending whether it was assembled with threadlock or not

ipod access. Fantastically user friendly and quick

I built up a Trek 8000 at work the other day and couldn't believe the quality of the parts that came out of the box for £1250…..full XT groupset, Juicys, Bonty tubeless ready wheels, Reba SL fork. Weighs about 24lbs without pedals and looks the business

*EDIT*
Now available for less than £1100 at Evans, check it out:

Clicky clicky

Bargain-a-licious

You've got to try them on before you buy, I can't wear a lot of lids because I have a wierd shaped head and quite a few of the spesh/giro ones put pressure on a sticky out bit i've got at the back.

As a general rule, the lid should fit comfortably on your head without the chin strap done up. Put it on, tighten the retention system at the back and wobble your head around a bit to ensure it sits well. Even put your head down towards your knees as a final test. The lid should sit above your eyebrows at the very lowest and ideally a bit higher. The chin strap is very much a lats resort to keep the helmet on in the event of a crash and they can be almost infinitely adjusted, so don't worry too much about getting the strap uber comfy first time.

Were you putting tubes in due to sidewall slashes (in which case, where on earth do you ride?)

Ride in the Isle of Man…lots of slate. True, I would have had to put a tube in had I been running tubes anyway, but I wouldn't have been absolutely caked in latex whilst changing a tube. No hedges to be cut here, all of our riding is out on the moors or in plantations.

I'm not particularly bitter about it…it works for some people but just not for me. Perhaps I was unlucky with tyre choice – I tried some Conti Speed kings first of all (which had sidewalls made of wafer biscuit), then a set of non UST racing ralphs, the sidewalls of which were too porous and no amount of shaking the tyre to circulate the sealant/laying it on it's side would seal a couple of holes.

Seems as though UST is the only way forward for me now if I want to get rid of tubes

I'm 5'9" and the medium suited me perfectly. Last thing you want after not riding for 15 years is to be hindered by a bike that's too big for you

I tried it and it didn't work for me. I got all the tyres on the rims no problems, followed the instructions and the video on the site and it was pretty easy.

What I didn't get along with was the fact that I always had one eye on it whilst riding…always wary of slashing a sidewall, and always paranoid I could hear/feel them going down. I ended up having five instances of having to put a tube in over the space of around seven rides. For all of the faff, not to mention the mess and expense of the system, I deemed it a failed experiment and have gone back to tubes. Not until having sold my rim strips on the classifieds page, that is 8)

Perhaps I was unlucky, perhaps not. I'm building up a new set of UST-rimmed wheels this winter so will probably go down the full UST + sealant line in the fullness of time.

Sory I couldn't be more positive!

My favourite was the photo where it looks like there's a brolly growing out a bloke's head.

Nice bikes though, like the look of the new Epic

Millet Gore Tex. Pricey, but worth it's weight in gold. Stylish enough to wear to the pub and not get laughed at too

Thanks chaps, god knows why I couldn't find the original thread

I had the same choice and got some G30 vented Path Radars. They can't be faulted

Pike U turn 454s. Absolutely fantastic. Run them at 140mm for alpine singletrack, squished down to 110mm for UK riding. Can't fault them

I, and all of my colleagues guide in the French Alps on hard tails (Orange P7, Rocky Mountain Blizzard, Dialled Bikes Alpine etc). I tend to get lazy on a full suss, just bosh through stuff and not think about it. I can go as quick on my P7 as I could on my FSR and haven't got the risk of the rear shock blowing up/pivots knackering up etc.

It all depends on what your priorities are really, if you've got a bad back or something then it may be necessary but for keeping your mind on the ball and getting the most out of your riding then it's HT all the way

I second upgrading the wheelset, i'm in the exact same position – i've got a Trek 1.5 too and couldn't believe how heavy the rear wheel was when I had it out to mend a flat last week, Hope Pro II/Mavic XM719 wheel for my Orange is loads lighter.

Might be worth getting a decent cassette too, the stock ones are a hell of a lump

I’ve got a pair of the Dianese ones and the cocyx protector is indeed pretty bloody awkward, wouldn’t wear them if you intend to be sitting on a bicycle seat by any means, not bad for freeriding on snow though

Respect

Cheers Matthew

I have left the isntructions at home in Blighty and work out in the French Alps 10 months of the year, summer’s coming so I need to get the Iridium lens on the go!

Much appreciated

Rob

I use iPod access, very good indeed