looks essentially what a helicopter pilot would call a zero zero landing…allowing you to land with no power margin in a small space

I am considering buying the new Rallon as a new enduro bike for this year. Just struggling to work out sizing. 172 cm tall seems to put me in between the Medium and the Large. Has anyone had a chance to actually ride the 2022 Rallon yet?

I have a set of scrub carbon rims on hope hubs and they have been brilliant. I had a set of XM481s on the hubs before and managed to fatally trash them and just replaced the rims. highly recommend!

I am about to get a scrub wheel set. seemed to get good reviews on wide-open and they do mullet wheel sets.

https://sacredlinesmtb.co.uk

Davy is a local mtb guide and can advise on good riding in the cheviots proper. Personally I don’t find the cheviots that exciting (long trudges) however there is some incredible trails around Rothbury.

Having bought an old house in a similar situation 3 months ago we are planning to replace the open fires with wood burners, replace single glazing with double glazing and install cavity wall insulation. So far we have achieved the stoves and the difference it has made is huge. Previously we would have the open fire roaring to little effect however it is so hot with the stove that we leave open the living room door to spread the heat around the house. Oil burner has smashed through a lot of oil mainly as due to a new baby we had it running 24/7 however with the wood burner it has been off.

Another option we looked at was having under floor insulation installed however this was pricey so we didn’t go with it.

He’s studying for a BSc in Pilot Studies with commercial pilot training. The practicals are eye watering. He’s chosen a BSc route with an extra year of study, rather than just gain the license in 18mo so he may have something to fall back on later – perhaps entry to a Masters degree. You can’t borrow for a student loan for pilot studies. Anywhere. It’s BomAd or a training scholarship from industry (which as you can imagine is not exactly open).

Has he considered military flying training? it takes a long time however you get all your training for free and get paid a considerable wage and the flying is far more interesting. I say this as someone who studied for a Bsc in aviation and I am now a military pilot. I look at my peers and yes they earn more money in the commercial area however unsociable hours and flying around on IFR the whole time is not exactly exciting and some have already decided to leave flying (and that was before COVID)

I have the Burgtec plastic pedals for a year now and have no complaints. They have performed better than the previous pairs of DMR and Spank pedals and have no play in the bearings so far.

as a part time sufferer with insomnia a tip I was taught at work and find sometimes works is to go and have a warm shower and then get straight into bed. apparently when you sleep your body cools down so by getting the body warm and then getting into bed it can trick your mind to sleep.

other than that its horrible!

it is an epic place to live! so epic in fact that I commute every week down to Hampshire to spend my weekends there.

personally as someone who is selling (with offers over) and just had an offer accepted on an offers over house. I think of it as nearer the 140k.

We are using the offers over as we are keen to sell quickly and for us the minimum we will go to is the bottom of the guide of offers over. Should save on stupidly low offers or so I thought until last night when someone offered 30k below the offers above.

Guns and Roses Headline at Reading Festival…turned up 2 hours late…then got cut off at midnight and threw an almighty tantrum.

It is like a bank holiday weekend in Northumberland this weekend. Have to say that people are starting to get annoyed with the numbers of people emptying the local co op/butchers of everything on the shelves. Went for a ride with the wife and dog (reduces the need to take our energetic collie on two separate walks) yesterday and this morning and decided to go to our local trails rather than a local increasingly busy forest but still loads of large groups of walkers and riders out there.

Not long until a full lockdown is coming I think.

never and doesn’t exist!

Just come back from an epic week in Chamonix however we went for a day with a guide and headed through the tunnel to Courmayeur. Conditions are awful. Thin and windblown snow and we did some of the stuff off the back of the Arp and was bad enough for the guide to cancel the rest of the day. Instead we headed back for the tunnel and toured to some knee deep pow. Recommend doing that and use Stu at the Avalanche Academy if you are keen for an epic experience.

Hi,

I am currently still on a trip in San Sebastian in the Basque Country and can highly recommend it. We are only here for a dirty long weekend away however did a days guided mtb yesterday with Basque by bike (highly recommend) who provided us with 2 Orbea Rallon bikes and offered to pick us up and drop off at our hotel. Beautiful scenery, flowy natural Singletrack and nice weather. It was raining in the morning yesterday but by the afternoon we finished at a bar on the beach in 26 degree sunshine. today did a nice walk along the coastal mountains and sat by the hotel pool in 30 degree heat. lovely sandy beaches for the kids and loads of cultural stuff to do with a bustling city to explore away from the bike. Basque by bike also were so helpful with suggesting walks for us to do today and other options to explore whilst on our weekend away. we flew into Bilbao and I would recommend getting a hire car as it just makes getting around easier.

I now live in northumberland with my wife having previously grown up in Surrey. We currently live in Rothbury and love it. My wife is Northumbrian born and bred and grew up in Seahouses but could not wait to move away once we got married. Northumberland is a big place however I would highly recommend Rothbury for the following reasons…

1)its stunning

2)I can mountain bike from my front door

3)Newcastle airport is within 40 minutes ( I work away so have to fly down to London/southampton/bristol a lot)

4)anywhere near the sea is taken over by tourists all summer

5)my wife saves 40 minutes every day driving down to newcastle

We also looked a lot at Wooler and very nearly bought a house in the middle of nowhere however the sale fell through. If you have any questions just ask!

I would keep away from a navara they seem to have an issue with the chassis on the older models. I have seen pictures of a friends Navara chassis cracked into 2 parts. We recently bought an old pickup with an L200 (15 yrs old ) with the crew cab and to be honest its been the most reliable vehicle we have had in a while even the radio burst into life last week.

https://vans.honestjohn.co.uk/van-news/miscellaneous/2017-02/nissan-navara-chassis-corrosion-what-you-need-to-know/

As a local of Rothbury there are some good x country routes around Rothbury based on loops around the sandstone way. There is a loop over Simonside and down Whitefield hill another is to go along the carriage drive to the north of Rothbury. There is good biking for mileage at Kielder forest mainly along the reds trail centre. Also worth doing is the loop up to windy gyle and down Usway Burn.

Thanks all for the advice. I will go for the XM421 on hope hubs. I have done several skills days and found them to be brilliant and really felt a difference in my skills in fact have another day booked at the end of next month.

I went with my wife a few weeks ago. We found it really good actually. very short runs but there is a lot of scope to really build up confidence on smaller features and move onto the bigger stuff. I think both of us really benefited and I was surprised how much my wife enjoyed it (relative newcomer to mtbing).

Hi mate,

Me and my wife live in Rothbury and are taking part in the Naughty. Can give you a lift in my car if you don’t mind squeezing in with the dog. give me a call on 07528 615666.

Cheers