I am in.

Also Adrian I have my spare big tent with me I will leave it in the Garage so that you can use it at the weekend.

Gro clock for the win, it does need to combined with a bit of education and consistent parenting but has worked a treat for us.

80 psi!! Not surprised you don’t get punctures!

I am in. If I get out of this traffic jam on the avenue!

I have both g form and 661. G form are so comfy I would wear them anywhere anytime, but they are thin when crashed recently they did move and I did get some small scrapes but they did offer some protection as I was bruised all around the outside of the pad. I say if it’s proper gnarly riding then 661. If its the kind of stuff that you wouldn’t normally bother with pads then g form does just offer a little bit of protection.

Ian,
if you are interested in some gravity enduro I am entered into this,

http://www.enduro1.co.uk/race3_2011.php

Cheers si

Also looking at roots and rain (amazing website) in five years of dh I actually raced for an hour and a half on Sunday I nearly did a third of that!

Bang on! Thank god the results came out I couldn’t bear the tension!

They seem good to me so hats off to the organisers is not often you get chilled fun event, good organisation and good timing.

Looking at the results it is motivating me to get a turbo trainer! I was up there after stage 1 but couldn’t cope with the pedalling!

We need more of these type of events. After being “retired” from dh racing for a while I can feel the racing bug returning.

+1

Brilliant day and amazing effort by the qecp collective.

2007 has a mid tune according to the sticker on my fox shock. I always assumed this relates to compression damping.

can’t make it tonight struck down by cold. see you next week.

Yes you are missing a trick, slide the wheel forward, use slack in chain to un ship the chain from the chainring, then un ship chain from sprocket, pull the wheel out. Easier to do than explain.

I am back from holidays and working too hard so will be there tonight

+1 hatch bag, my boot is like new underneath despite some serious winter riding abuse. They fit very well. In my mondeo with the back seats down it does cover most of the boot I had the same reservations you had but its been fine. very nice people to deal with as well.

good news about the ankle nick. I will be there.

I am up for it.

Cheers for tonight guys I had a great ride see you next week

hmmm sounds like I didn’t choose the best week to try to meet up with you guys. Still I will be there at 7.

Hi if it’s ok I am up for tagging along tonight.

G form are not as protective as a proper knee pad but I find mine very comfy and no bother on long xc rides. I guess it depends on what risks you are taking but thy would take the major sting out of a fast wipeout. I will say that I have only Used mine a few times and I have heard of them falling apart in the wash. Also make sure you ollow the sizing instructions!

Wukfit it turns out that the forum doesn’t let me pm you (unless aim being stupid) I have a bit of a cold but think I will head down on Sunday morning for a troll around. Welcome to meet over there iif you want or failing hat just say hi I ou see me. I will probably be on a brown reign.

Cool I can do Sunday morning around that time if you like, let me know.

OK I can see it now cheers maybe see you down there in a week or so.

wukfit, sounds like we could have a go exploring if all else fails, I have a trail map but I suspect that it will end up being a “follow tyre tracks” mission.

I am over near your way as well. I will send you a message later in the week.

Cool, might not be able to make it for the next 2 thursday (a bit busy at work at the mo) but sounds good. Is the gas pressure reducing station obvious to find? I am thinking massive great gas tower but can’t see anything on Google.

On the plus side I now know that southampton has a “snow sports centre” who would have thought it?

Dry dusty trails sounds great :D you wouldn’t lie to me would you? :-)

Yeah definatly up for some night riding, Thursday would work for me as well most of time. what is the normal plan for Thursday rides do people just turn up? how long does the ride take? I really miss my old night riding crowd so it would be good to meet some new guys.

Also quite keen to have a look around in the daylight first….(feel free to call me a wuss)

well it sounds OK ish. It is quite exciting having a whole new area to explore,Ironically my best mate who emigrated used to live near southampton and I have ridden QE park and the lookout. I remember enjoying them but it did seem a lot flatter.

having followed a few video links I can see my 456 getting a lot more use around the local trails! I can’t bear to cancel my 160mm bike order, I sure I can put it to good use in a few of those places.

I must admit I don’t fancy commuting from portsmouth everyday to work!

Thanks guys that. Is helpful. Its definitely not a bike/terrain inspired decision…

I had forgotten about some of those areas. I guess I will get used to it. I have a new 160mm bike on order as well!

Might also need some advice about where is good to live.

i am in for this if the kit can be fitted with no soldering and just mechinaically fitted and gives a good output for 3 hr batt on an old pro batery.

message me if you have a product.

Dirt Mag writing is really hard to read/make sense of but after a while you get their ideas, as per stw if you beleive everythhing they write then you are a retard.

Steve jone remain teh only journo that \\i have ever seen routinely at a downhill series and teh only one who’s riding is totally top notch. for those reasons plus the inspired editorials evry now and again (unconventional races/top 50 places ineurope to ride/ discussion about trail santisiatio/skisuits/etc\) make it an essential read for anyone who enjoys going downhill fast.imo

hey as long as you don’t inhale its just between us STW’ers….. but seriously second hand dope smoking whilst moaning about yr ex.. its so sad I want to cry.

\take this as a life changing moment , i am sure there must be good riding around mancehester just go for it find some hard core riders and stick with it. \y ou will soon so th ex what she is missing.

\\\\\\don’t make me come up there.

seriously the way out of this is not sitting smoking dope with another bloke in a dingy flat.

My advice is intended to save you months of agonising. oh by teh way outdoorsy girls that fit perfectly into your life will be as rare as rocking horse shit and let be honest probably weird. stick to teh ones that don’t understand your need to go into dark woods twice a week with a bunch of men and you will probably be better of in teh long run.

dunno who your lot are though but

les arcs for super tech all mountian to freeride tendancies

spain for full on dh tracks with a difference (in the right hands)

Devon for teh full package in a week ;)

defo MTFU sounds like yr a pussy.

\i say forget about her, claim all mutual friends as your own, hit a strip bar, engage tequila mode mode blow half a months wages on strippers.

after teh dust has settled spend your new free time riding more, lose weight and then post gloating pictures on facebook.

be a man and finish the twik first.

advice brought to you by 1.5 bottles of red wine (\\p.s. now a lightweight\\

Just read this after your other post you will seriously need a lot of pressure in those skinny tyres!!!!

Thanks Jam bo

Nutcracker is probably the best descent on Dartmoor IMO, great stuff

cue rustling of an OS Map….

Thanks. I thought I had done them all around there but maybe I need to explore a bit more.

I am planning a 2 day route for next month starting around manaton and trying to get home back to plymouth so will try and squeeze it in

Seriously Princtown is a cracking all weather easy loop and the descent down to Norsworthy bridge is ace but Bovey Tracey,Houndtor and lustleigh is were its at for dartmoor.

I am always up for some more route advice though, where is the "hobbit run" I recognise the others but not that one. Is it a bit cheeky?

Go for it.

I personally think some DH racing is essential to being a complete mountainbiker.

As mentioned above go for a local series, maybe on a low elevation hill to start with, just to get used to the way a DH race works. In addtion to above have a look at the southwest series run by kustombikes.com.

I would look for a race with a hardtail cat(these days most have one), as this will allow you to be competative and also understand how fast you are (or as I found out when I first started how fast you arn't).

As in all scenes there are some idiots so take everything you hear in the uplift queue/push with a pinch of salt. Having said that most of my best friends I have met in a quarry truck going up a hill in wales so it is usually very friendly and there WILL be lots of people in the same boat as you. There are lots of riders who will humour strange questions and most people are supportive of new riders so don't be afraid to ask silly questions to other riders.

Take the time to know what marshals flags mean, and learn a little uplift and track etiquette. Most of this is common sense but don't stop on blind areas of the track, don't stand on the track during practice and try to yield to faster riders during practice in sensible way. during teh race on a small hill you shouldn't have to worry about other riders during your race run.

As far as teh racing goes The hardest thing with Racing I found was reading a DH course properley, so make sure you walk the course and take the time between runs etc to watch some sections so you can see how it should be done.

I would also say don't get fixated by any particularly scary lines that look terriying there is always another way round or over (ok its slower) and sometimes worrying about if your going to do a particular feature can dominate your day. To start with focus on teh things you are fast on and do enjoy. There will be plenty!

Have Fun!