Grand day out – didn’t get round particularly quickly but it was a fun event. Shame that was the last one ….

Another vote for the Darley Dale route – nice day out that one.

Also how about:

(1)Matlock
(2)Riber hill then descend from here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=430982&Y=358260&A=Y&Z=120
(3)From Cromford up High Peak Trail
(4)Bridleway to Grangemill
(5)old quarry tracks over Bonsall Moor from here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=425267&Y=357775&A=Y&Z=120
(6)bridleway to Bonsall from here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=428034&Y=359395&A=Y&Z=120
(7)trail from Bonsall to Cromford from here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=427956&Y=358270&A=Y&Z=120
to here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=428953&Y=357255&A=Y&Z=120
(8)Cuppa at Cromford Mill http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=430035&Y=357090&A=Y&Z=120

Nice bit of kit – breathable and stretchy bits on the back of the sleeves and side of body. I went for the orange one – very visible but not day-glo.
Great fit too – not flappy at all.

Just bought a Revelate Tangle (small one) and a Wildcat Tiger. Between them thsy should carry enough for a couple of overnights (not camping though!) with only a minimal load on my back (bladder, waterproof plus snacks).

Links …..

https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=store.catalog&CategoryID=1&ProductID=5

http://wildcatgear.co.uk/products/seat-packs/%5B/url%5D

Both are very well made, fitting is excellent (easy and very stable) – they’ll get their first proper outing this weekend :-)

Excellent! I’m in too.

Just sold a 3 year old Wilier Triestina with a Campag Mirage groupset for £400 which I thought was reasonable (RRP £1100 so similar to your Clubman?). Took ages to get it sold though – might have been something to do with the original £600 asking price (oops) plus Bike-2-Work scheme probably doesn’t do much for resale value.

Some good advice there and some food for thought. Just got my thesis printed and off to my examiners after 7 years effort mostly in my spare time. Not got a date for my viva yet but looking forward to it – I’ve got a captive audience who have to take an interest in what I’m presenting :-)

Sunny and warm ride in the Peak on Saturday :-) ….

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2013-04-20-055.jpg[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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2013-04-20-053.jpg[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Entered for this year & looking forward to it. Not ridden it in the last couple of years but always enjoyed it before. Less riders and more relaxed than some of the other events and some great trails. Nothing techy but just a great day out.

Did a great ride on Monday on the lower trails around Kentmere – largely dry and quick trails with very little snow. Big bright shiny thing in the sky too :-)

Looked very snowy up towards Nan Bield …..

[/url]
P4011353[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

I had a Canon G10 which I really enjoyed using and gave great results but a scratched lens and general wear and tear prompted a change. After a lot of shopping around and reading reviews I went for an Olympus XZ-1 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/OlympusXZ1). It’s been around for a couple of years and so there are quite a few really good deals – release of the XZ-2 has pushed the price down too. Comes up significantly lighter and more compact than the G10 (but still not pocketable like a S100). Nice fast lens too, shoots RAW, good scope for manual control and reasonable (for a compact) higher ISO performance.

Some recent photos here on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_r/sets/72157633152673630/

Weekend in the Lakes – a bit around Keswick then down in Kentmere …. so nice to see some sunshine :-)

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P3311314[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P3311326[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P4011353[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P4011365[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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P4011356[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Vets sold out now but managed to get in :-)

Looks like there’s still room in the other categories.

If you click on the “view entrants” link on the original entry page it shows you who is entered – I think it takes a while to get updated though – looks like they’re working their way down the list.

Fingers crossed ….

Went to watch it last year – great atmosphere all the way down the track. Wide range of riding abilities but everyone looked to be having a great time – even the chap who got off his bike and slid down into the bomb hole at the bottom!
Very tempted to have a go this year ….

Had a great time on the Crown Jewels trip last year – amazing variety of riding that we managed to pack in to a week. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it …. so much so that we’re doing a return trip this year :D

There are some photos on Flickr here … http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_r/sets/72157631536225045/%5B/url%5D

Route is as follows (sorry it’s back to front!).

It’s based on a route that was marked up on a map in the cafe at Comrie Croft.

8 Finish:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278560&Y=722550&A=Y&Z=120

7
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279603&Y=723663&A=Y&Z=120

6
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279706&Y=725536&A=Y&Z=120

5
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=281744&Y=726519&A=Y&Z=120

4
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=280842&Y=727032&A=Y&Z=120

3
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279465&Y=727305&A=Y&Z=120

2
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=279698&Y=725548&A=Y&Z=120

1
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278071&Y=723686&A=Y&Z=120

0 Start:
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=278579&Y=722554&A=Y&Z=120

Found a lovely loop north out of Comrie Croft ….

[/url]
IMG_6852[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

[/url]
IMG_6862[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_6864[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_6867[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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IMG_6876[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

A few pics of mine ….

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PB110496[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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PB110520[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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14052011288[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

LBS have confirmed that the lower can be changed easily. Not sure about price yet though.

link to my Wilier

I’ve got one for sale (a Wilier) – struggling to sort a link from my phone but if you check my profile you should be able to find the ad fairly easily.
I’ve now dropped the price to £450.
Cheers,
Simon.

I’m in a similar position and I had a vague recollection of being told that this could be done through Fishers via your LBS.

Memory (perhaps failing?) of this conversation was the lower tube assembly is not available as a spare part but a rebuild with a new lower can be done if you send it off.

I was going to follow this up in the next few days so I’ll let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Simon.

PS had you seen the review in the latest Singletrack issue?

I was asking a similar question a few weeks ago – got some useful feedback to back up some reviews I had seen in the mags and on-line …..

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rock-shox-lyrik-rc2l-dual-position-20122013-air-forks-anyone-running-these

Love the post – planning something similar for later this year :-)

Another vote for Osprey bags – majority of the time I use a Raptor 14 litre but just got a Manta 25 for Big Days Out.

Currently got one of these … vaude drive base

Been through several other products and this is easily the best we’ve tried for a variety of reasons (ease of putting up, packed size, stability, etc.)

There is a bellows-type arangement to fit it tight up to the van at the top but a gap at the side to allow the door to slide.

Photo of my Inbred in it’s life-before-Rebas incarnation …..

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2012-06-16-108.jpg[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

My Inbred 29 started life with an on-one rigid carbon fork – great fun and kept the weight and cost down – made for the ideal ‘commuting plus trails’ bike. Didn’t do any back-to-back testing with other rigid forks but the ride was way more comfy than I expected from a rigid front end.

These were the ones I had.

However, couldn’t resist a bargain pair of Rebas – they’ve made a step change in how usable the bike is i.e. very little noticeable weight increase and only minor bob when out of the saddle BUT way more capable off road.

Thanks for the feedback – all sounds pretty positive.

Time to go shopping :-)

Not sure that Helly stuff smells any more than other synthetic makes but I’ve started to use this stuff HERE[/url]

Seems to work really well – even on commuting kit which only ever gets to dry out slowly at work.

This is very tempting!

Currently without my hardtail and missing it very much – perfect for those short local blasts when the weather closes in ….

A couple of hours locally on Saturday then a grand day out in the Peak on Sunday – heavy legs now.

Love mine …. particularly in camo!

Got this planned for Spring next year – it’s been on the list for a while now and it looks like everything is coming together nicely.

There’s a great older thread HERE with some nice photos. Hoping the weather is that good when we do it!

Always had great service and never had any reason to complain about the quality of the stuff I’ve bought from On-One (clothing, 2 frames, 3 set of forks, 2 wheelsets, complete bike plus components).

Is it cheating to put up some photos of the previous weekend? 8O

Biking around Castleton on great frozen trails …..

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PC020647[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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PC020632[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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PC020634[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

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PC010586[/url] by Simon_R[/url], on Flickr

Also carry around a Cateye Loop in the bag as a backup backup ……. very visible from a distance and great for those “just got caught out” moments ….[/url]