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Untitled[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Unbelievable ….. wrong on so many counts.

Can’t believe that whoever sanctioned this ‘repair work’ can be so utterly and completely stupid.

<Heads off to write angry letter to MP>

I tried several different makes in several different sizes (including TLD, POC, 661 and Dainese) but struggled to get something that fitted OK. Best I had previously was medium POC elbow pads which were great when new but got quite baggy over time.

Ended up buying the g-form elbows (think they’re a large) – under no illusion that they’re as good as a full pad but probably more likely to be wearing them in the 1st place – tend to treat them as arm-warmers with a bit of protection. They’ll also fit under jerseys, waterproofs, etc.

I really like the knee pads – they’ve stood up well including one really big off. Comfy enough to pedal all day.

Didn’t get on with the elbow pads though – didn’t seem flexible enough and couldn’t get them comfy.

If I drop the back end of the bike or try to compress it with the bike stationary and there’s very little movement. Feels like it’s way overdamped and the impression is that it will feel harsh out on the trail. For example, if you drop the back end of the bike it almost bounces like a hardtail.

However, once you’re on and riding it doesn’t feel harsh at all – plenty of sensitivity to small bumps.

Just put a ccdb inline on my Five. Big improvement over the monarch rt 3 that it replaced and still more to come from it with a bit more playing. Only ridden it in the Peak so far so needs a bit of time on some twisty pedally stuff too.

Doesn’t pass the car park squish test but on the move there’s plenty of support with very little compromise in the small bump bounce.

I’m running 180psi (about 20% sag), ex factory neutral settings on the high speed circuit, neutral plus 8 clicks on low speed compression, neutral plus 3 clicks on low speed rebound. Probably end up backing off the LSC a couple of clicks and adding an extra click or two of LSR. Probably run a bit more sag too.

Got a couple of weeks in Spain coming up so plenty of trail time coming up.

Love the photos – you’ve done a great job there!

We were up there a couple of weeks ago – amazing place although I wish we had the same weather as you.

Already planning a return visit … maybe up onto the Islands?

An exposure joystick from Tuesday Treats :D

Exposure Trace for me – nice and weather resistant, good bracket and very visible.

Hi Stilltortoise!

We were out on similar trails on Saturday – did the “five dales loop” but started from Matlock. There seems to be a bit of everything on that ride – always good for a day out.

Slightly murky start but brightened up beatifully in the afternoon – liking the mint sauce skies in your photo :-)

Very few people out too – didn’t see any other bikes all day although there were a few fresh tyre tracks.

One minute it’s a carbon composite frame … the next it’s a hydro-formed aluminium one …..

For that trick alone I reckon it’s worth the asking price :-)

Also pondered on this one …

Got a Gyro from the Orange offers page a couple of months ago – excellent condition, great spec and a massive saving. Also looked at that Bikescene offer but in the end went for a full build.

Slightly flexy back end but nothing that really bothers me – wonder whether they’ve addressed this on the Segment?

Loving the Gyro for the bulk of the UK riding I do – not sure the geometry changes on the segment would really make much difference to me although I might try an angleset when it’s time to change.

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01-P7092764[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Another vote for the Conti GP 4 Season from me.

Good grip, roll well, pretty puncture resistant and seem to wear well.

Very damp start but had quite a steep start to keep warm …

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01-P7192848[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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02-IMG_2143[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

… but dried up pretty well for the descent ….

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09-P7192887[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

… however Sunday was stunning :-) ….

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22-P7202927[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Looking forward to this – love the trails round there.

I think we’ve got a start time of about 10 o’clock but I’ll need to double check.

djflexure – link to the route on the VP website for you:
http://www.v-publishing.co.uk/blog/v-publishing-blog/2014-01-20—free-download-kinder-all-weather-circuit.html
It’s a great route in the dry too!

Pretty new to this but had a great couple of weekends away so far – one of them at the Welsh Ride Thing.

I’ve got a Wildcat seat and bar harness and a Revelate small framebag. “Modular sleeping system” TM :-) (bivvy bag, sleeping bag and liner) plus poles goes on the bars. Shelter and some stove bits go in the seat pack. Tools, tubes, miscellaneous heavy bits go in the framebag. Clothes go in a rucsac along with a bladder and snacks.

Tried an Alpkit bar harness but didn’t work on my bike (soon to appear on the classifieds ) – would be fine with a taller front end. Bit more on this thread …. http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/bikepacking-colour-choice-poll-help-me-decide

Improvements? I’m going for a bigger bag on the bars (up from 8l to 13l). Looking for a secure side entry bottle cage so I can get a bit more weight off my back. Later on will probably look for a full frame bag but that can wait.

Now the obligatory photos:

Bike and bags:
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21-P5042197[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Bike and bags again …
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30-P5042206[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Welsh Ride thing bivvy site (slightly dodgy tarp set up!)
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15-P5042191[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Big skies
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27-P5042205[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Room with a view:
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Great spot ….
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14-IMG_1863[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Yep – we’ve tried one of the curries and a casserole – taste pretty good and saves on washing up!

From memory they need about 400ml of water per packet – I would add in a small amout extra for good luck and stir really well.

Also (top tip time) a long handled spoon would have been useful – the packets are quite deep.

How about the YHA at Losehill Hall? Like Edale they do rooms and breakfast.

Walkable to the pubs in Castelton. A short roll to 18Bikes for emergency shiny purchases. Loads of riding options from the door.

Got a Thule tailgate mounted one for our T5 like this one http://www.roofracks.co.uk/Thule-Products/Rear-Mounted/Bike-Cycle-Carriers/973-BackPac/
Had it a good few years now and its looking pretty tired but it’s easy to load up and secure. One big flaw with it is bits that support the wheels – they’re not well thought out for a longish wheelbase bike with fat tyres.
I’s always go for a tailgate version rather than towball-mount just to keep the bikes out of reach of any minor bumps.

I’m sure this was originally on a terrestrial channel – maybe a year or so ago.

Great programme though – hopefully it will be repeated again somewhere.

Love those Saabs!

A few photos of our van …..

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18-IMG_1853[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P3311292[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P6010505[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

There are a couple on the Orange offers page http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/offers/

Very tempting :-)

In! :-)

Went to see this in Peebles last weekend – fantastic film and really enjoyed it. Going to see it again at SHAFF in a couple of weekends time too :-)

I’ve noticed that mine (SRAM narrow/wide) is very sensitive to the chain drying out – found that I’ve needed to be way more generous with the chain lube.

If I don’t do this, then I get symptoms very similar to the OP.

I was hatching a similar plan for later in the year :-)

Which bit is the sloggy wet grassy bit? Just to the top of Great Dodd or further than that?

Thanks,

Simon.

My older Five was an 18″ frame and I’ve replaced it with a new 17″ 650b version – my position on the bike is very similar proably because the effective top tube lengths a virtually the same.

I’ve ended up with the right length of bike plus a bit more (much valued) standover!

The 19″ would have added another 25mm (ish) to the top tube length and I’m not sure whether I would have had enough room for a 125mm drop dropper.

Hello. Anyone know whether the marin trail is fully open at the moment?
Thanks.
Simon.

Pretty sure that Absolute Black do a 28 tooth 64BCD ring – it bolts to the inner ring bolt holes on a Shimano chainset.

You can still run a 104BCD bash ring with a set of short bolts if needed.

@portlyone – thanks for posting that link to the peak cycle consulation documents – that’s the first I’ve seen on it despite subscribing to various facebook and twitter pages.

It all seems very focused on sustaninable transport links, getting people out-and-about, generating revenue. This is all Good Stuff although I can’t see much in there at the moment for ‘real mountain bikers’.

There are a couple of references to ‘Enhancing the distinctive Peak District mountain biking offer’ but there’s no lead or funding identified for these.

Be very interesting to see how they’re incorporating all the good work underway through Peak District MTB and Ride Sheffield …

Hi again GS – the stiffening struts are about 320mm long and I think they’re circular cross section – probably about 5ish mm in diameter (maybe a bit more). There is a pair of them that run in channels the full height of the Kanga.

Hi JC – unfortunately once I’ve secured it to the fork crown the height is pretty much fixed – I’ve then just positioned the handlebar straps to suit. If I could fit it any lower then it would buzz the front tyre when the forks are fully compressed. It’s not particularly clear but in P2151850.JPG above this vaguely visible.

On reflection, (and looking at the picture of GSs Mukluk) maybe this works better with a rigid fork?

Thanks for the tips folks – I’ve dropped Alpkit an e-mail so hopefully they’ll be able to help out.

Apologies to the OP for crashing your thread – I’d go for black by the way gravitysucks :-)

Couple more photos of the Kanga ….

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P2151846.JPG[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P2151850.JPG[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P2151851.JPG[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Hi postierich and gravity sucks …. been messing around with a newly arrived kanga today – photo below.

It’s a great idea but wondering whether it sits too high with my bar-stem set-up and headtube length – could really do with being about 1.5″ to 2″ lower.

The rigid bits in the frame sit against the fork crown once secured in place. Then there are two other straps that secure round the bars. Seems to work just as well either behind all the cables or in front – probably need a couple of rides to decide which.

The bag in the photo is a 13litre Alpkit drybag.

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P2151852.JPG[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Did try uploading another couple of photos to flickr but they’ve got lost en route – will try again in a bit.

All really sensible recommendations and it’ll be a real shame if this doesn’t get anywhere. For a whole host of reasons it feels like The Right Thing To Do.

However, does the financial argument stack up?

An extra £8 per head spending in the UK means about £480m total (assuming UK population is about 60m). The saving from implementing these proposals is estimated at £250m. If this is right then the financial argument surely doesn’t make sense. What am I missing?

Got a couple of nice Merino long lseeved jerseys. Complete bargain at £30 each. It did feel a bit like a feeding frenzy in there though …..

Then headed off to the velodrome in the evening for the Revolution track meet – top night out.

Put mine on the radiator quite regularly – had them over 3 years now and still in pretty good condition.

Also got some Lifesystems drying balls which work a treat (they look like juggling balls with some sort of absorbent filling in them).

Really really struggled with used tyres to get them seated and sealed with a Stan’s conversion. Only seemed to work with new tyres.

Found that the inner tube trick worked a treat as well as taking them on and off a few times.

Getting them sealed always seems pretty easy but getting them sealed with the bead seated properly (i.e. so the tyre runs true) always seems to be a struggle.

Had a great time doing a Cairngorms loop over 3 days ….

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_r/sets/72157634621943428/%5B/url%5D

Looking at a few options for a Lakes 3-dayer for this year …

http://www.gpsies.com/mapUser.do?username=SimonR