Worrying how many of the suggestions on this thread are still around the Black Country; Rag and bone men, Hedge Porn, Hells Angels, old crusty cars on drives that will be restored *one day*, men riding around on horse-drawn carts, seafood men in pubs, people who talk like Noddy Holder, regular EDL marches, speed-garage/bassline noise, out of date tax disks.

Got plenty of retro charm to be fair 😀

@rorschach, my suggestion was going along the lines of literally small obstacles much like the ones recently added over Cannock chase on the FTD. Nothing too radical, just a little something extra, and whilst I get where you’re coming from, it’s an obvious shortfall which could contribute towards people not returning, so I disagree it doesn’t put bums on seats.

@muddyground, I think the majority have spoken. It’s a pretty normal feature for the trail designation and therefore I wouldn’t describe it as “gnar”. I wouldn’t expect anybody pushing out the car park to be attempting black routes anyhow, if they feel it’s too much Llandegla has something for everyone, as you rightly point out…..a cafe in this case 😛

Definitely nothing “blacker than black” at ‘Degla, that drop off included tbh.

With regards to the climb here, or indeed most places, it pays to remember that these are working forests and having a lovely bit of windy singletrack to climb up isn’t going to be possible all the time. That said, a few mini offshoots would help break up the monotony somewhat, and should be feasible most places including ‘Degla.

A night out in Blackpool, staying in a 2* B&B and driving back down the m6 past Birmingham

I’m just shy of 6 foot and ride a large TR275, it does feel a bit short at times but then again would it retain its chuckability if it was another one of the trail limo’s ? Threw a layback seatpost on it and happy days 😀

Shame, my first serious bike had Z1’s and a set of 888’s on it and they looked like the quality was on another level to my subsequent Rockshox and X-Fusion forks. I even had Marzocchi forks on my first moped !
Good luck to the employees getting new jobs.

I had my first moped 7 years ago, and knew people with an eclectic mix of them. If I were you, I’d hunt out a Yamaha Neos, Jog-R or BWS (also occasionally found as the MBK ovetto, Mach g or Booster respectively) .
All air-cooled so simple, can be found cheaply, two stroke which are more peppy, and use the minerelli engines which are second only to the Piaggio units for build. They are also the best built mopeds with strong frames and durable suspension, which isn’t what I found with the Piaggio/Gilera brands. Easy to get parts for too, made in France by the MBK brand, and the French like their mopeds !

Demo the Whyte, and see if somebody would be willing to let you try their Commencal out. Failing that, visuals or toss of a coin.

My suggestion would be to get rid of the canyon, then offer to do what I did for a female friend and my girlfriend…..search for a complete bike which is as good as new at a great price then point it out to her. Let her agree she likes it, and let her pay for it. £450 for a £850 boardman and £270 for a £550 Specialized both in as-new condition are my wins , and something similar may just put you back in the good books.

A hint, get her to pick up the new-bike she has in mind and she’ll appreciate how light your suggestions are in comparison. Weight means effort, which even a newbie will realise doesn’t equate to fun when you have to pedal the thing up a hill. 😉

I like how I’m the third Doblo owner to congregate on the thread about ugly cars. My Doblo has an honest charm, it is what it is and makes no attempt to be anything it isn’t. The Tourneo has that same appeal, there is style in doing what you want and not being worried about what other’s think.

I’d love to have a go in one of them Tourneo’s for comparison, if they steer similar to a Focus, and more power could be extracted from the 1.0 ecoboost, it would be a winner for me !

I’m another 183cm guy, and my TR is a fair bit shorter in reach than yours as well as it’s predecessor, but now I’m used to it I love it and have done my longest rides yet aboard it. That seatpost extension looks similar to mine (32″ inseam myself, see my link for extension), so I’ll go against the grain and suggest you get out on it for some time and get used to it !

http://s287.photobucket.com/user/saintjonny/media/2014-08/DC760EBF-2218-4CA9-9657-5C267D9061E4.jpg.html

My nomination for crap design is……toilet paper.

Is there a country in the world whereby a bidet is not considered a normal part of bathroom furniture, and with good reason ? Seems our culture is a bit too up our own bottom to accept them, so instead we waste forests in a poor attempt to solve a problem which comes back to haunt you at the most awkward times anyway. Terrible idea….

I think Birmingham is a fantastic city, being a Wolverhampton lad and that…….. 😆

Mamufacturers have been minimising wieght for years, it’s the easiest way to reduce CO2.

Why do you thing nothing has a spare wheel anymore?

Because it can then be added as a cost option like my car is ?

The use of better materials is going to be the way to lose weight whilst maintaining decent safety standards, anybody seen the video of the Renault Modus cutting through a 90’s Volvo on fifth gear some years back ?

I can’t think of any woman who’s going to jump into the sack with me because I have a “R” over a GT tdi, so I fail to see the attraction…

My last two bikes have come from these suppliers, though Leisurelakes are local so it wasn’t mail order.
UBYK took their time delivering, but were helpful and called to let me know of the delay so was happy.
L.L. are good too, and if you get VIP membership it brings the cost down enough to pay for itself pretty easily. More coverage for returning to a shop too.

Fiat Doblo mk2 MPV, two bikes fully built go in upright, does 45-50mpg on a run, and drives well for what it is. Only issue is that the sump sits pretty low, so susceptible to grounding out on forest tracks.
A Toyota Previa taxi I caught the other night felt like a tin can with endemic body roll in comparison.

Had all three on my last bike, I’ve stuck with a 1×10 with an expander ring on my new one. I’d be tempted to drop from a 34t chainring, but otherwise it feels secure and right having only one gear changer to use. Leaves an ideal space for a dropper post lever too…

Yesterday over Cannock Chase, some guy was chuntering to my friend about her (and me too she reckons) wearing a hydrapack bag, and how unnecessary they are.
For one, I really couldn’t give a flying fox as to what some random guy thinks, especially given there’s nothing untoward about it. Secondly, this was her first time getting around the Follow the dog trail and she really enjoyed it except for this, so well done for making our sport out as a bunch of elitist todholes.
Finally, grow a pair and tell me as well rather than just my newbie friend, hardly the manly thing to do is it ?

Rant over, off to get my new Wolves shirt for the next ride out……

The older shape expert/dispatch/scudo would be my port of call, never see them rusty and they seem to survive as taxi’s quite well. Quite like my current shape fiat doblo 1.6 but not sure they’re available at £3k right now.

Got the setup as per “yetiman”, the rad cage seemed to help a bit but was fitted after only a few rides. I’m quite happy with it but am contemplating dropping to a 32t front sprocket (34t at present) as it’s a chore on steep climbs.

Another shout for the Narrow-wide chainring, feels much more solid underfoot and secure.
1×10 transmission, expander, clutch mech and one-up rad cage. So much smoother, more intuitive, just as useable, reliable and quieter than the old 2×9 XT setup it replaced.
Dropper seatpost, works a treat.
My Nukeproof Mega TR, after fitting the aforementioned transmission and dropper post I’m at a stage where I’m very content with it. Never been so happy with the “feel” of a bike out the box.

I’ve had a few instances, especially over the summer, where I’ve been quoted over 2 weeks for work on my bike needing doing. The LBS is like comparing to a car main dealer, a one stop shop for all your needs but with prices to match.
Why then, especially given the increasing popularity of cycling, doesn’t somebody fill the gap for the cycling equivalent of a “back street garage”, focusing on quick turnover of quality repairs rather than sales ? Maybe not even having a store front as such, supply the basics to get a quick £10-20 repair done and allow the bargain hunters to bring their own bits in.

Off to drop my bike in the LBS for a BB to be pressed in…..

Superficial, you make a good point.

I can’t help but feel that somebody feeling one has a silly opinion is an opinion in itself, and therefore with that logic applied surely just as culpable to being wrong?

As long as it is being presented as opinion rather than fact, and isn’t being forced upon me, then I’m happy to go along with it !

I seem to have to justify my own purchases to other folk when asked, annoying really because I’m pretty straight up whether I like something or not. I like to bring conversation when I feel something is a genuinely worthwhile upgrade (dropper post, 1×10+expander transmission recently) and would benefit them, which I thought was what friends did 😕 ?

I’m trying to convince my 16 (today) year old brother to get a mountainbike and he’s not vaguely interested which is a shame as he’s a weapon on his preferred ‘razor scooter’, but all four of me and my brothers rode either bmx or scooters like many kids do around here.
A solid bmx which isn’t badly crashed for £600 should easily last a year with regular use and basic maintenance if ridden with finess, skateparks and pump tracks are abundant around here too and a lot cheaper overall as a hobby. You couldn’t do either XC or DH riding that cheaply all year and that’s before the parental commitment to travel around is factored in.
Road riding however could appeal to more kids as it’s accessible and relatively cheap if you’re handy with tools, so maybe this should be the focus as more competitive bums on seats in this discipline would surely result in more dabbling with MTB disciplines once they get older and are self sufficient funding it ?

No complaints with my Superstar NW, but I may drop to a 32t and will be getting a Works components one if I do as they’re locals.

Cars are status symbols for certain sections of society, and there has never been so many different sections to society. This for me means that cars will always be status symbols to some, however as people care less about others outside of their social circle, overall it appears that people don’t really care what the next man is driving.

Just a shame that despite being better than ever for long term durability, cars are getting treated as disposable objects in the same way clothes and gadgets are. Did I really see adverts for “this season’s Ford Fiesta” ? 😯

Accu, I remember having an identical set on Z1’s my 2005 Scott Nitrous, recall them being very supple with a lovely suckling noise from new. I’d love to compare a set to say a set of revelations, see the difference !

I recall watching a documentary about the effects of mobile phone masts on the nearby residents, one of them had issues sleeping so put a faraday cage (looked more like a budgie cage tbh) over their bed and showed their phone lost all signal upon entry and reckoned it helped them sleep better.

That or never sharing a bed with anyone again through looking like a tool anyway…..

There are some good deals on manitou minute forks at CRC if you can find a suitable set, otherwise rockshox reba’s are attainable for good prices online too. You’ll notice a lot of weight loss from the rockshox darts and better damping with either choice, there are others out there but that’s what I’d go for.

Had a close one when I had a stomach bug, bit of a dribble rather than a full on poop, so having walked to the toilet low and behold the cleaning girl is in there and to be honest I had a bit of a thing for her so off I went across the site to the offices for the clean up operation.

A colleague at a hotel whilst on site managed to redecorate the bathroom whilst being sick down the toilet, being a premier inn that probably got the room quarantined. The best times at work are the cubicle sound off’s, 5 traps full at 10am 😆

I just don’t get where the stance of ignoring such scenarios would get you, and fair play to the OP as I bet that driver will give cyclists reasonable space in future. A lot of people seem to treat cyclists as an obstacle (like a speed bump or traffic management) rather than another person, so a more assertive stance might remind people of this.

First mention for Cannondale, for thinking outside the box in the search for better solutions. Hate Dorel for taking production out the USA, but keeping prices high. Also hate seeing Mongoose and Gt devalued by bso’s bearing the badge in halfords.

Lollipop people who stop traffic the moment somebody approaches a crossing, this gets a mention as I nearly collided with a lollipop put across the road when riding past at >20mph with a car on my back. 60cm from the kerb my bottom !

I always carry around a mini cable lock which will either attach to an object, another bike or at worst loop through the rear wheel and frame. The lock is puny, but anything that stops somebody just swinging a leg over and riding away is going to make them look elsewhere or take risks…..and theiving scrotes like that are the essence of cowardly so they’ll (more often than not) go elsewhere.

Just approch shouting random obsceneties and making it look as though you are causing yourself intense pain to go as fast as you’re going, after all who’d dare chunter to a pumped up psycopathic self torturing cyclist ?

The theory of BIG springs to mind…..

1X10 all the way, just converted from 2X9 and I shall not be going back any time soon. Might keep the front mech for when they become collectable, show the kids how they used to make bikes 😛

I’d also recommend budgeting for a One-Up rad cage, resolved the issues I had with dodgy shifting on my xt mech, 40t expander setup.

I wouldn’t be showing any 6 year old the real chase, is Stan Collymore still knocking around these parts 😆 ?

I have seen kids out on the FTD and they looked happy enough with it. Keep it up anyway, great to see kids getting started !

Reading in the local news today that 70% of the local population are overweight or obese, as many “healthy weight” as obese (28%). Okay BMI isn’t exactly a great measurement, but seriously ?

Xc-Steve, the boiler to kettle thing is always done at my work. When the kettle “broke” one guy ordered a new one but when I tried ithe old one no problem, became apparent when he filled the kettle later on. Not bad for a sparky 😆