It isn’t in the tin

Happy Birthday. Hope it’s a good one.

Bowderdale Classic. One of my favourite rides. It’s a pig of a climb out of Sedbergh, but after that it’s just loads of sinewy singletrack.

Another option from FlatTyres would be http://flattyres-mtb.co.uk/route-guides/north-wales-mtb-routes/dolgellau-and-rhydcriw/

I’ve got a couple of these. They’re reasonably thick. https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/Am-Nomad-Mountain-Biking-Jersey-p/pol01-5424-p.htm

I got the same – Giro Synthe. Some of the wording is a bit suspect – “Christmas is coming, so we have few presents for our valued clients” and “We send this product to you absolutely free”. I’ll be interested to hear what Ubyk have to say.

Brewdog Vagabond Pale Ale is GF

Not stayed here, but stayed in their other cottage – Ty Nant
Glyn-yr-Aur[/url]

+1 for Trailhum

I was up there on Saturday. First time for me, so nothing to compare it to. It was a bit soft and boggy in places on the descent to the Cockpit, but all rideable. Views were awesome!

This is worth a look – Marin / Cowlyd Killer[/url]. Natural trails and trail centre in one ride.

+1 for Garth Dderwen. Stayed there twice.

Have a look on bike-discount.de. They’ve got Rockshox, Fox and RST forks – all (some considerably) under £200.

I’ve got the hard 747mm Knuckleballs on both my hardtail and full sus. Can’t fault them.

I’ll be there. Fingers crossed re the weather.

I’ve recently got a pair. Can’t compare them to the old ones, but they’re not waterproof, and mine took 3 days to dry out last week – stuffed with newspaper (changed several times) and left out in the sun on day 3.

Potato Alley is also known as Blackley Hey. If you head up the Roman Road to Hope Cross, then instead of turning right for The Beast, carry straight on. It takes you down to the A57 opposite the Rowlee farm climb.

Thanks, Mackem. 10% off a pair of Five Tens.

If you’re thinking of going to the Dog and Partridge in Tosside on the Friday night, I’d give them a call to make sure they’ll be open. Last time I checked, they were only open on Saturday and Sunday. I know it sounds crazy but best to be sure.

I rode one of Ian’s Orange G3s and never felt under-biked. A short-travel full sus would be OK too.

@saxabar. If you’re looking for all-out thrills, all day, every day, then it might not be for you. However, there are some fun and fast descents, and a few technical sections (some optional). The week started off with a fairly steady introductory ride, and got better each day. It’s a combination of fun trails, beautiful landscapes, fantastic beach bars, great guiding, and a bit of Bulgarian culture. Oh, and food and drink is ridiculously cheap. There are 2 guides – Ian and Dan – so if the group is of mixed ability, I suppose they could split it into two. Beaches and weather were great.

I can recommend Bike Bulgaria. I was over there with Ian and Dan last month and they really looked after us well. It’s advertised as XC, but it’s basically trail riding. A good mix of double and single track. Not really DH-oriented if that’s your thing. I knew we’d be OK when they picked us up from the airport and had complementary beers in a coolbox in the minibus!

I love the smell of brake pads in the morning

I’ve just bought a Troy Lee A1 from Chain Reaction – they’ve got big discounts on last year’s colours. I picked up the Satin Blue for £70. The Gloss Yellow is currently available at the same price. It’s incredibly comfy and very adjustable. Might be worth a look.

The descent from Hagg Farm down to Derwent Reservoir is Lockerbrook

Here’s one I prepared earlier…
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/crc-voucher-73

Here’s another….
CRCD8ZV2YYS
Again £5 off £50 spend

Garth Dderwen b&b in Betws-y-Coed. Great breakfast, friendly proprieters, bike storage, and walking distance to the pub. I’ve stayed there on my last two trips to ByC. Definitely worth considering.

Slutch

We did this Pont Scethin route[/url] but did the top loop clockwise. I would say it works better that way.

Pont Scethin route is worth condidering as well. It’s got a great ‘out there’ feel to it, and the terrain is a bit more varied than the natural sections of Syfydrin.

27 miles in North Wales. Some great natural techy stuff around Llyn Cowlyd and Capel Curig, followed by the 2nd half of the Marin Trail.

I’ve just had exactly the same problem with the XMBs on my Cube Stereo. Contacted Cube dealers where I got the bike, and they informed me that the wheels have to go back to the suppliers (Hotlines) who won’t provide the hub sprocket tool required to access the bearings – not even to a Cube dealer. £10 a hub, and the wheels will be away for a week to 10 days.

We’ve done a few of the routes on here. http://www.theedgecycleworks.com/mtbroutes/

Yet to be disapointed by one.

Skidaw YHA down to Mosedale

Will be an unbelievable quagmire.

Couldn’t agree more. Did this in March when it hadn’t rained anything like as much as it has recently, and it wasn’t much fun then.

Just been out and scouted the routes suggested by geoffj and MadBillMcMad. Did geoffj’s route as a descent from the mast(and it probably works better that way) and Bill’s as an ascent – nice technical climb that would work just as well as a decent. Thanks again for the advice.

Just got back from Cut Gate. It was well worth it. A bit muddy in places, but then part of the fun is seeing your mate’s front wheel sink to the hub in the mud and him rolling around in the puddle. A fantastic day out. Thanks again for all the feedback.

Thanks for the feedback. Will give Cut gate a go.

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll give both routes a try. Not convinced about riding back up the San Marino though!

Thanks