Mboy, being nervous is perfectly normal especially for a job you really want.  I still think a pair of smart trousers and a shirt (think chino and oxford shirt) shows you understand the industry.

Just remember to breath mate, when asked a question count to either 5 or 10, don’t panic yourself into splitting out an answer.  Taking your time to consider will relax you and ensure you answer with the tone, pace and pitch as well as the content you want.   Remember sometimes less is more and a good trick can be to ask a question at the end of your answer to their question.  As an example…what are your thoughts?

Just be yourself.  Don’t panic over 8 people being interviewed.  I’d take those odds nowadays, when I have interviewed people in recent years for sales/account management/area manager roles we would often run 2 days of interviews usually 10 people per day.  So I would take your odds.

Good luck mate, I’ll drop you a note to see how you got on!

Either EBay or pinkbike now.  Still list on here but generally get very little response since the switch from the old classifieds to the specific system

Really?  What’s so terrible about them?  I think they are well thought out and fit me well? For £17 I think it’s great value I am keeping them for trail riding which means my best ones will get more life for racing etc

I have ridden my friends Crush 29 and was really blown away by it.  A fantastic bike, I was surprised it wasn’t very harsh at all I was expecting it to be! Also if you want anything other than the standard colour they come in at nearly £600!  Which is a load of wedge for what it is, in my opinion.

They are Ok, but hardly the second coming of Christ. Been running them for a while now.  Originally with inserts front and rear.  I had thought them to be bloody draggy.  When I removed the inserts it transformed the tyre from a rolling resistance perspective.  Not sure why, maybe pressures.  One thing I will say is the front tyre tracks it’s line almost stubbornly and needs real postindustrial rider input…if that makes sense? They seem to be lasting really well, much better than the Schwalbe they replaced.  That said I still think the 2.6 Magic Mary Soft is the best tyre for U.K. riding, just a shame Schwalbe don’t make a decent rear tyre to match.  Rock Razor is great for 1/3 of the year, new version of the Hans dampf is OK but my last one lasted weeks.

Brant any chance of a cheeky not so early bird discount code?  So I can order one now 😉

Same issue here, trick is to tick the remember me box before entering your details.  It’s a complete clusterbodge but seems to do the trick.

Wild Enduro is a funny tyre – sometimes it feels great, other times it feels awful.

100% this, is have perceived on with it as presumed it was just me!  But it’s an interesting tyre.  Unpredictable is a good way to describe it.  Also I found it a tyre that holds its line almost stubbornly.  Meaning you have to really work it bloody hard.  Still my favourite tyre is the 2.6 Mary Soft.  Unfortunately Schwalbe don’t make a back tyre in their range to complement it.

Stupidly I snoozed and missed the early bird discount…. it looks perfect numbers wise

Glad you mentioned the colour. The blue one is miles better.

Took me a second but 😂😂

If it helps wave the torches and pitch forks I am happy to ask my buddy for some more pictures.

But as a former Orange Fanboi and now self professed hater thanks to their shoddy customer service over a supplied wonky frame.    It really isn’t as bad as it looks in the photo.  In fact it just looks like all the others…but don’t let first hand experience  get in the way of things.

edit:  I found a picture of the frame when it was new and in its original Orange paint ***if I can upload a picture on the forum

https://ibb.co/GcPdbSP

The welding that shit on that frame it would show up in a black hole.

Eh?????

El Vino, I have some brand new unused 661 elbow pads.  I was bought about 4 years ago but have never worn.  Hit me up if you want some details.  Won’t want much for them

The FOD is a big area, with trails littered in every corner.  However it’s very difficult to explain.  Can I suggest you reach out to one of the local MTB guides.  It’s well worth paying them to show you around.  Alternatively try and link up with a local.  Depending on when you are planning on riding I may be around, or look on trail forks to direct you to the approximate area and explore

Big-bud I will refer to my earlier post!  It’s my mates frame.  He is an avid orange owner, I know the history of that frame.  It had a new swing arm as per the recent issues with Orange drop outs and he had it respirated by orange and the bearings changed prior to sale.  I’m riding with him tomorrow can ask him to take more pictures…but don’t let the facts get in the way of the pitch forks.  I’m afraid it’s just the usual shit the comes out of the Orange factory nowadays coupled with a polished finish taken in bright light.

Just to point out I thin the sterling silver and the light has made it look worse than it actually is.  I can get him to take better photos if needed and it would help.

Ha ha that’s my mates frame he is selling.  Just come back from Orange after a respray.  Thats how it came from Orange

New HD5 looks sweet, apart from the crappy colour choice.  Looks like I will change my black HD4 to a black HD5 once I get the green light from the wife! And U.K. pricing is confirmed.

Got mine, fit well and look nicely made.  Good that you can pop the pad out to clean the sleeve.  Will give them a go tonight with the weather we have been having I’m highly likely to give them a proper test!

No place for coloured contact points on a modern mountain bike.  Coloured grips always look grubby, gloves or no gloves post ride.  Always black! Everyone knows that

I wouldn’t chuck in the washing machine anyway, hand wash unless they are the soft  knee sock style pads.

are we just ignoring the reviews

Wiggle will allow you to return if they don’t fit….

I don’t even need any more knee pads and bought some….not sure thanking the OP is appropriate! So thanks…but not really 😉

And all of their social media…well Facebook pages anyway.  Still a life instagram account but not been posted on since August.  Looks like Peak bikes has done a UBYK, if in fact they ever really were so far apart?? Hope no one has been done this time around

Pedal up is fine, it’s just the first bit that’s a complete arse.  5 full pedal ups for the day is enough for me to feel like I have ridden properly.  As others have said session from halfway up rather than full runs to avoid the worse part of the climb.  It takes about 30mins to pedal up from top to bottom if I remember correctly

No it’s not, kind of the point I was making.  Support local shops, get local service.

CRC warranty department has been woeful of late, big outfit understaffed and what looks like inadequate processes and systems.  Not the shock of the Century either!

Is it an Orange…?  They told me having a seat post 5mm out of alignment was within tolerance.  Oh how I laughed!

I have had similar problems to the OP.  Including them refusing they received a package, to then it miraculously turning up.  To not being able to find my order on their system (don’t quick checkout through PayPal folks)

my LBS on the other hand sorted my last problem out straight away…..read into that what you will.

I think it looks great, much better than the 2 inner tubes I use with my lad on our local loop with its killer climb.

I have one of the Halfords lights it’s ok, but always struggled with mounts, plus like you say the mode cycle is bloody annoying.  As such I just pick up one of my other lights over it most times.  Looking for something a little better in terms of usage and quality really.

Nope, park outside the barrier to the main car park. There are about 20 spaces, we park there for night rides.  If you park inside the barrier there is a sign stating what time it will be closed.  Things it’s reverted back to 7:30’or 8 now

It’s in an interesting point this, if you have ever bounced a wheel With an insert in, it’s amazing the dampening effect.  Therefore I always expected to reduce compression dampening.  Reality was i didn’t.  If anything I slowed my rebound speed slightly.  But would caveat this by saying it may have been something to do with riding in summer temperatures.  Reality is any change was so subtle I didn’t notice.  I would suggest you give them a go first.  More important than suspension adjustment is you lowering your tyre pressures, you simply don’t need the same PSI in a tyre with an insert.

HS she posted a wanted ad on the Dinghy and dinghy bits Facebook page?  Usually get a good response.

Been using thin soft death grips for a while now but they don’t last at all well.  Always liked the slim ergon grips but can’t get my head around the price. Will try the new burgtec Minnaar version once I get through my stock of death grips

I’m all over these when my frame bearings need doing…won’t be long either I’m sure!  Interested to hear anyone who has experiences

Well it’s not? You can pick up a laser that will win you club races for £1k club membership for the year can be as little as a hundred quid.  In a years or two time the laser is still worth the bloody same. Brand new single handed like a D-Zero or RS Aero are about £7-8k which is the same sort of money as a top end MTB (my Mojo is a balmy £7k+ RRP) you can absolutely spend as much as you want, but the cost of entry is not high.  Even sailing kit is cheaper than MTB stuff.  Second hand stuff is readily available – I set up the Dinghy bits selling page on Facebook with a friend and it’s very active!

As a vegetarian and regular user of Gloucester services ‘Farm Shop’ I think you are over reacting somewhat.  The butchers is right at the back of the shop so hardly thrown in your face, it’s also not an abattoir.  It’s a butchers, as long as there is an appetite for meat animals will be killed and sold.  I would hazard a guess it’s locally sourced ethical farmed meat.  So much better than Sainsbury’s etc.

As a side note, I would really recommend the vegetarian scotch eggs they sell there!  Fanbloodytastic

Im sorry if my posting came across overly negative. I would encourage anyone to give the sport a go. I have certainly made friends for life and even though I am negative to the very worse parts of sailing now, I know that at any point in the future I can pick it back up.  It’s not a particularly expensive sport, with a new dinghy costing similar amounts to top end bikes, but with much better residual values.

I used to own a Couple of Phantoms Moff.

Think my original wooden one was 921 – could be wrong, it was very lightly bullied and fast.  I put my fist through the side deck in a fit of rage (with myself) it was so lightly built.  I purchased a modern epoxy one a few years later and it was a different boat altogether.  A real PY bandit.  My brother owns a nearly new Ovington built one with the latest CST carbon rig, it’s a brute of a boat and I was always too small for them.  I guess my brother is 100kg…  phantom is a prime example of where the PY system falls over.  Fast development of old classes. But great fleet and a joy to sail.  I did Abersoch dinghy week in mine and struggled in the waves.  I was just not man enough I guess to work the boat through the chop especially with that deep bow section.

How the hell do you all stop the lenses getting trashed?  I seem to go through a pair of prescription MTB glasses every 6 months.  I have tried the non scratch coating, having a special “wipe” but i must be doing something very wrong as i scratch the lenses really quickly to the point of useless.