Looks good! That was some fast progress.
Can you see many oil marks? Look forward to seeing this finished.

Yer, that’s normal.
Part of it is down to the afterburn effect.
Have a read. Really interesting. Burning calories for free.

Well, it’s getting there! Considering that’s one evening. Good stuff.
I guess charge bikes use some rubbish paint or maybe I was using the old stuff.

Make sure you let the nitromorse do its thing. I just left it for a couple hours per layer. I really had no issue removing from Charge frames, not even round the welds. Just take it easy.

I’ve got the otterbox commuter. Great piece of kit. It covers most of the ports. I actually spilt most of my pint onto it. Still works fine! Nice raised edge to protect the screen too.

I just popped into Halfords and picked up a huge container of just generic degreaser (not sure what it was called). I’ve managed 3 frames and still plenty left. It was under £10 too.

Euro- Nitromorse works really well.
Just do it in stages. I smothered the whole thing and left it for a while, then used wire wool to rub it off. Repeat until its all gone. It only took one can and about 1hr labour in total. Well worth it though. Be aware that the raw steel has some oil marks burnt onto it. I’m sure you could remove it with some wire wool but I think it looks nice and rustic.

Motivforz- the coating is not very durable. I left the clearcoat to harden for a few weeks but the rust starts creeping under the lacquer after about 6 months. The rust starts wherever the frame has been chipped. It never became an issue though and was never more than a couple cm long. Again, I think it adds character.

This frame was degreased and powdercoated clear.

These two frames started black. I nitromorsed them and cleaned them off with degreaser. Then applied around 6 layers of clearcoat to them. Really easy, quick and the finish was great.

I’ve done all the routes with an open face the first time I visited. It was absolutely fine. On some of the bigger drops and tracks I would have liked a full face but no stress if not.

Nothing special.. Gopro set-up in the garden.

I still don’t fully understand why UK prices can be so high. Normally the £=$ on most things. Surly the frames that reach the UK are imported from the factory where they are produced? Am I missing something?

Looks interesting! I’ll be heading down in April to check it out.
Seems a shame to completely eliminate all the volunteers/groups though.

Does this mean we don’t have to pay for a permit? Little confused.

Flavoured couscous. Add 160ml boiling water, leave covered for 5 mins, enjoy. Throw in a can of tuna, some seeds and dried chilly flakes and you have yourself a great meal. Less than 3g fat, 25g protein, good level of carbs and all under 300 +- 50 calories.

Currently..

29er- 130mm HT- Yelli Screamy
29er- SS rigid- Chumba X2
29er- 100mm HT- trail bike- Gary Fisher
26”- 100-140mm HT- DMR Trailstar, currently selling.
Road bike- Rocky Mountain Oxygen 80

I was building up a SS rigid over Christmas but ran out of time to finish it. Initially very annoyed but I’m just sorting the last few pieces out and I don’t think it could have been at a better time. I don’t mind if it stays like this.

4x/DJ frame? No, it’s definitely an AM frame. Very nice frame. Builds up to a reasonable weight and the geo is more DH bias.

Chris Smith rides his as an AM bike too. He’s done some long XC rides as well as the Cobble Wobble. Seems to love it although they are his sponsors.

If I went back to a 26” HT then this would be the frame I’d get.
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/243472/

I had some DT Swiss EXM 150 forks. Found them very good.
I sold the fox 36 as I wanted to save a little weight. Very suprised at how stiff they were. Maybe its the crown design.
Certainly a contender for the 150mm range. Would buy again.

Favourite rider with a great attitude.
Always mixing it up. Glad he’s back.

Regret what you’ve done, not what you haven’t
– Guy Martin but applies to my attitude.

My Yelli screamy is a very capable bike. Super fun and burly. Not had any issues at Gawton or Tavistock. I’m a HT kind of rider though. Have ridden tallboy lt, bandit and some others. All great bikes but feel like I’m riding a sofa and I got very bored.

Cycling from Reading to Frankfurt to visit my Dad. Plan on doing it 100% wild and solo. Not sure if I’ll cycle back. Will have to see.

You say that… Have you seen some of Ryanair/easyjet deals? I ‘probably’ could have…

Ah, I had my GFs birthday so we went out for dinner when the email was sent (Cosmos- average, not going again). Then off home for presents and sleep. CTBM, that did cross my mind but then I realised top gear was on I player and I’m enjoying the frozen trails to much!

Panic over! I’m awake and have emailed him.

Kingdom are a great company. I was sponsored by them a while ago.
Chris is a lovely chap and easy to deal with. Its a small team so sometimes takes a bit longer for contact but they are lovely guys and make great products.

To compare and also to find it faster.

If I fancy something that’s really not necessary I watch it so it stares back at me every time I visit my.ebay. Its got me a few times. Dont complain!

What happened to it? What were you doing?

Be careful when buying them. There was a batch that had issues with BB alignment and with the Brake mount. I’ve heard good things about the ride though!

I had a blender Ti- fantastic bike but you didn’t ask about that. Just ignore.

1. Go to- tinypic.com
2. Select file and upload /Paste URL in (right click, copy URL)- select appropriate box
3. Answer security question
4. Copy and paste the link in ‘IMG Code for Forums & Message Boards’
5. Paste it in your post
6. Repeat if needed
7. Enjoy sale

Nice build! Looks like fun.
Might want some bar end caps for the gnarcore stuff.

Prince II and maybe something ISO accredited.

I like the look of them but not much info on material/weight. Worries me a little. Good price too. I’ve also been looking at the Dialled PA29er. I imagine they’re similar beasts.

Move the caravan forward 4ft ?

No 29er version at the moment! Would love to give them a go..

I jumped on the scales in the gym and one set says im 88kg, 85 on another and 81 on another. When I first started at the gym they all read the same. Big issues with calibration.

Anyway, normally people will experience quick weight loss as you have shocked your body into a new routine and diet. You’ll find that you will continue losing weight but at a decreasing rate as your body gets used to your routine. It takes about 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for family/friends to notice and 12 weeks for the world to notice. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.

It sounds to me like you’ve cut your calories by to much to quickly as well. At 15 stone 1750 calories would be below your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Your BMR should be 2100 cal and your TDEE (Calories to maintain current weight) would be 2550 cal. To reach your goal you should be consuming 2015 calories. You should be dropping your calorie intake and diet on a weekly bases- say 100 cals over a week and keep it up until you reach 2015 cals. After that you can drop it more if you are comfortable.

By cutting to that low figure straight away you’re shocking your body and coupled with exercise you are even more in deficit. People doing this will do themselves no favours. You’ll feel tiered, hungry and run down. I can’t imagine you can sustain that and after a while you’ll run out of energy to swim. Essentially you are starving yourself.

So much wrong with your method! Let me know if you want any help.

*Lots of assumptions in this- just trying to help. I changed my lifestyle a year ago and haven’t looked back.*

****-it

The olympic XC course has a nice rock garden. If the lycra clad guys could race across then I think people will be fine on a HT suited for something rougher- especially if you take your time.

I got so bored of my Enduro. Had to go back to a hardtail.

I absolutely love my HT. Everything feels more direct. I ride plenty of DH tracks (Aston hill, Gawton, UKBP, etc). Yes i’m slower and yes I feel like i’ve been run over by the end of the day but I find it so much more fun. I have yet to find something I can’t ride on my HT. If anything, it’s easier to hang over the back of a HT. A long fork on the front and some good use of my arms, legs and it’s all good.

Matt- email sent to you about the swift.