Wildcard: GEAX Gato in 2.3, voted by 29inches.com as the best all round tyre. Running on my Solaris and I would have to agree. Just make sure you don’t get the TNT version as they are impossible to fit to Stans rims. Went up real easy with a trackpump as well no leaking.

My Soul got battered with 8 inch deep mud ruts and gloop about a month ago, even the centre of the hubs were coated. It needs a full drivetrain replacement, I had to lie the bike down in the stream half way round that ride so the drivetrain would stop chain sucking. I haven’t cleaned it since then. Every gear shift is a cadburys (click and a half) and when I last went out I met up with the kids in the park. I was pootling along with them on their bikes and people were stopping and pointing at my bike with astonishment. I think I might clean it today.

I struggled with drop bars, I fitted Woodchippers but was not that impressed. The bar that has done it for me though is the Ragley Luxy bar. It has a great angle and shallow drop.

In my line of work I’m noticing far more than usual incidents of suicide/suicide attempts. I think it may be fair to say that the ongoing gloom contributes to these feelings. When I turn up at them I find myself thinking “no wonder you’re fed up what with this weather we’ve been ‘aving”

SHIMANO *end of thread…*

and if you had tried shimano originally… you would have never bought your bb7’s in the first place.

This ^ I had Hope mini’s, shimano (which leaked oil over the disc after 6 mths) then the very best (!) Magura which dragged and squealed and moaned constantly. BB7’s now on all of my bikes and they work great. No bleeding, no fuss. Great for all year round riding and that includes commuting through salt covered roads.

Winter riding is training for your mind. When Summer arrives you will remember the mud, wet, cold and wind and never let a good ride opportunity be wasted. Those who daren’t in the winter are the ones who don’t in the Summer.

It took me ages to finally fettle my Fargo. All the cable lengths were non standard and the position was down to try it and see. Several stems and bars came and went until I settled on this ugly looking setup which is actually very stable and comfy. It’s currently in winter commute mode which allows Velocross 55 guards to be fitted, turned out to be a godsend for this extremely aquatic year. I have managed some truly godawful “wetter than an otters pocket” rides on this without suffering the mtb’ers version of footroot!

I reckon I’m going to frame it and put it near to the garage, to remind me that it’s not a “bad year” and to just MTFU.

Not MBR, WMB…

I have visited Dalby trail centre twice in three years, both times I found myself bored as I counted off the route markers. I have kept the trail map you can buy in the centre and have written on it in case there is a next time. My suggestion is to park at the Visitor Centre and ride along the Forest Drive to Dixons Hollow, which is where the black route is. This will warm you up nicely and you can start the red route at point 14, which is about where it starts to get more interesting. Failing that buy a North Yorks MTB guide book and check out the fantastic routes on’t moors.

I rode there a couple of weeks ago, which is about 4-5 miles from my house, up Rutland Rd, properly warmed up by the time I got to the bridleway sign!
I was pleasantly surprised by the track, not being a big fan of trail centres and actually enjoyed it, getting smoother on each lap and completed 4 laps before heading back. I set off with a mind to have an “easy” day on the bike and ended up with a decent workout. I went up midweek and saw two other riders, from Huddersfield! Didn’t see any scrotes but it was also before 12pm, when most smackrat dole-bludgers are still in their cannabis stinking pits.

What I find amusing is how the likes of Mr Smith gets all excited about people liking a brand, with no mention of actually owning said brand and riding it to justify his opinion. I bought mine 7-8 years ago, just before or after Cy finally decided to make a go of the business as I beleive he was working as an engineer. Thats after riding bikes for over 20 years and working in bike shops for 6 years. I then came into some money and decided to listen to the “marketing hype” as described by Mr Smith and bought a high value, high end aluminium FS and sold my ancient and battered Soul. It lasted 6 months before it broke. I then bought a 2007 secondhand Soul in 2011 and I am now riding it again, loving it and wondering why I even bothered with FS. The Soul is a fantastically made and designed bike for those who are prepared to ride it. The designer is a really nice bloke who also rides and works within the mtb community for improving trail access. I have never found him to be balding or awkward (that’s a good description of me) but I admit he is a bike geek, but isn’t that why I buy his frames? Wouldn’t you enlist an IT geek to fix your PC?

Reminds me of that bit in Airplane (for those old enough to remember) where everybody is lining up to beat the hysterical woman…

Many years ago I worked for Brian Rourke, who competed in a lot of high profile road races such as the Milk Race (1950-1960’s) and abroad. He told me of races where he was outsprinted to second place and the winner would ask him what drugs he was using. When he told him that he was clean the reply was along the lines of “well if you used drugs then you would be unbeatable” He quit the road racing scene as he was never going to use drugs and he knew of several other good riders who quit when they were in their prime because they didn’t want to do drugs. Seems like its endemic, but like how people are accepting of the scandalous wages paid to premier footballers, people just seem to be okay with it all, a kind of apathy. I really don’t know what it will take to stop it all.

I’ve recently built one of these up, bought secondhand off here. Realised that my Solaris just wouldn’t be practical for winter commuting so built the Fargo up with a spare set of disc 700c wheels and spesh 45mm Borough XC tyres and guards. Just fitted a pair of Schwalbe studded tyres in anticipation of icy roads and on my commute home last night at about midnight visited my local woods for a blat. It was amazing, the tyres gripped like they were on rails and the bike always surprises me how it rides. It is heavier than my Solaris yet rides just as well and is more comfy than the Solaris which has carbon forks fitted and 29×2.3 tyres (which I have fitted to the Fargo easily). For me though the main point was getting the bars sorted, had woodchippers but couldn’t get dialled in with them so fitted Ragley Luxy bars, they are really lush, comfy and wide. Doesn’t feel like a twitchy road bike but more like a refined MTB that is practical. Also you can only find guards in the UK that fit tyres up to about 50mm wide, SKS Velo 42 Cross, using the stays on the rear only. Planet bike in the US do full guards for 29er tyres but the cost of shipping is really high.

@trailrat – I have fitted a mudguard, but due to the arch less rigid carbon fork and crown the only available one is Peatys DH crud guard that fits on the bars. This leaves less room on the bars for other such items like lights etc. It has to be a guard that covers the front of the wheel as its the spray that is blown back into your face from the top of the wheel. Maybe nobody else has experienced this?

I have a Solaris and a Soul, and in the “summer” of last year I was seriously considering selling the Soul and making the Solaris my main mtb. I must add that I run the Solaris with rigid carbon forks. However this extremely wet autumn & winter has turned fast swoopy perfect 29er trails into boggy mud-tech trails, with hidden branches in 5″ deep bogs. I have found my 26″ wheels, with the more choice for mud tyres especially, much better at dealing with these trails. The clearance at the rear is better, and one thing I have found with 29ers is the short headtube puts you closer to the spray off the front wheel, meaning the 26er is again better in the mud-tech trails. So I don’t think 26″ will go away, especially for FS and especially for British trails. I haven’t ridden my Solaris now for over 3 months, but come the British Summer (you know, warm rain and only 2″ mud bogs) I will be out on it again.

I haven’t experienced the Piper Gate beige-ing but I have ridden the Lenny Hill descent. I thought it was downright dangerous, firstly the gate at the top is now jammed open and within yards is one of the many ludicrously massive toblerone shaped bars across the path. These bars are blended in with the beige path, if it wasn’t for me thinking the gate was going to be closed I would have hit that hard to see bar quite quickly. Hopefully all this torrential rain that everybody is hating will return the paths to their former rutted technical glory.

The good thing about cold weather is that when you go out you know you’re less likely to bump into so many other people. I was forcing myself to rest a few weeks ago as I had a nasty cough. The weather changed while I was in forced rest and I thought how cold it was and how it would be on the bike. When I got out on the bike I was reminded of how you keep warm as you are doing your exercise on the bike so the cold isn’t bad at all. However for all the “comfies” out there they barricade themselves inside and watch junk TV as they can’t bear the idea of doing anything outside.

Young children certainly pushes the odds up for having a cold. I could count on one hand the amount of colds I had during my time as an adult from the age of 18 to fatherhood at 32. Since then I’ve been plagued by all kinds of miserable illnesses, tonsilitis, sinusitis, chest infections, pneumonia and numerous coughs and colds, even in summer! Can’t wait for my youngest to grow out of the perma-snot phase and give me a friggin break!

Interesting discussion, especially how lights are so bright it defeats the point of night riding. I started with a modified roadie designed BLT light set “back in the day”, a major upgrade from Duracell lamps. We used to ride to the middle of the woods, then “go dark” and let our eyes adjust. That was fun, I think we would do about 5mph, scared witless but giggling like a loon. Made all the “tame” trails suddenly very tricky. Then eventually people joined us with lighthouse lights on their bikes. Other than the issue of it creating a shadow that you ended up riding in when they were behind you, it also creates more shadows on the trail, flattens everything as it seems to bleach the ground with bright white unrelenting light. I don’t do night riding these days, family and work commitments mean I don’t “have to” ride at night off road. In a way I’m glad as it started as something a bit “niche” now everyone sells ’em and they have become a status thing when you can buy a front light for the same price as a complete bike or a very good pair of suspension forks.

“Their salaries and pensions were enhanced while Thatcher wanted to use them as a state militia, to batter the living daylights out of the revolting peasants”

Anything with “Thatcher”, “miners strike” and “Police” really does “bring out the Branston” doesn’t it? I always thought that the reason to improve officers pay and pensions in the early 1980’s was to attract potential recruits as nobody wanted to join up. That and there was an impending huge retirement of officers looming with no replacements.

Or Thatcher was actually a soothsayer who could clearly see into the future and knew that she would need the Police well paid and recruited to batter the revolting peasants as Binners said. My old man was a miner in the 80’s, he wanted to work but as he was walking distance from the pit didn’t dare cross the picket line for fear of his house being smashed up.

But back to the OP. I too am confused and lacking any knowledge whatsoever about who the PCC is in my area and what they will do. An interesting aside, I have already been subjected to “customer satisfaction” talks that state that burglaries are treated with excessive resources as it affects a minority of the community whereas anti social behaviour affects more of the community. So with that thought process burglary is treated as a “one off” and not investigated but the bored kids outside the offy will attract massive police resources where there are very little applicable, enforceable and effective laws. Policing should be without fear or favour. I fear the PCC will change this forever and the lack of information is a deliberate act so as to not generate informative debate.

I reckon the OP has probably set his mtb up like his road bike. Common mistake for roadies coming to mtb’s the saddle is set for efficient pedalling whilst sat down for hours on end. This can make techy/rocky sections very unnerving as the saddle is conspiring to remove you from the bike but as you are clipped in…Even if you unclip it makes the situation worse because the saddle is so high and you are unbalanced. The OP needs to just lower his saddle by about 1/2 an inch or so than he is used to on his road bike. Then just build up his off road skills gradually. Fitting flats won’t transform you into a trail god, you’ll just be forever putting a foot down until you gain confidence. I can’t stand riding with flats, I occasionally ride our Kona Ute to the shops which has flats, aggravating as my feet are always slipping around and bouncing off, and thats with potholes on the road never mind offroad!

Very nice build, I like the red hoses! First “new” Soul I’ve seen in black, think it looks ace. Loved your write up, “Wow. Just wow” is just about how I sum up every ride on my Soul and Solaris. Welcome to the club.

Is it true that this is on the increase in the UK due to the depressed sheep market? Farmers simply cannot afford to routinely dip their sheep which would usually eliminate a large breeding ground for the ticks?

The best advice I can give for dieting and exercise is not to do the two at the same time, especially if you are reletively new to exercise. Vigorous exercise is demanding on the body, with a lack of readily available energy you run the risk of damaging yourself which can take time to recover. When you get more used to exercise and start to feel better in yourself then start to slowly cut out the refined sugars and processed foods. I find it’s easier to control the urges for cake and biscuits when I am feeling good about myself. As mentioned on here already eat smaller portions, more often throughout the day. If you have a particular food crutch (mine was choc digestives) find a healthier replacement. I used dried figs first and now grab a handful of salted peanuts. Also bear in mind that it probably took several years to accumulate all that excess weight. To lose it for good will also take several years. Be patient.

Exactly! Bring back the most favoured sport of one of our most identified monarchs Henry VIII, the Joust! I watched some of this at Leeds Armoury last year, it was amazing.

“Though I’m interested in why it’s closer to the original spirit of the Olympics than the cycling.”

Most sports originated from the practice of warfare, fencing, archery, wrestling, javelin and running to name but a few. To make the practice more interesting competitions are created to find the “best” warrior. Dressage is the refined practice of fine stepping your horse as you thunder towards your enemy with sword or lance raised as you don’t want to miss on a packed battlefield. Also half stepping your horse as you approach a series of obstacles on the battlefield to time your jump. If you end up stationary on the field and unable to proceed forwards, you’ll probably appreciate that horses don’t do reverse very well. So the sidestep is an essential move, for those who play first person shooter computer games, the circle strafe move? So in answer to dressage being in the original spirit of the olympics, its more suited than you realise, more so than cycling. But that isn’t to say its boring to watch, but knowing its background is certainly enlightening.

Stubborn is good. My youngest started on a proper pedal bike when he was 5, after years on a balance bike. Amazed to see him dipping his shoulders when pressing down on the pedals, really giving it some. Eldest son has never tried that hard on his bike. Youngest has always been a stubborn pain in the a**e, guess thats a quality that will pay off on a bike…

I’d concentrate on working those spacers down, experiment with them you will be surprised. Here’s mine (Soul) in large, I’m 6’2″.

As for the colours, black, because they look best when Peak mud has had its way with them.

Mine was four weeks, then several more weeks to get back to full strength. Depends how you have done it, is it still in one piece? Mine snapped and overlapped by about half an inch. Consultant said it would be fine. I was 20 yrs old and accepted what he said. 20 yrs later my head always pulls to one side and my neck on that side is always tight. Turbo trainer will be your friend I’m afraid, very very dull, but does work in keeping you strong, or in my case actually improved my climbing ability!

Why Cotic? I have always liked steel frames, having worked at Brian Rourke Cycles and had a couple of 653ATB custom frames built for me. I left the industry for a few years, went on a MTBing honeymoon and rode a Cove Handjob which was massively different to my very XC Rourkie, I loved it but felt it was slow in the steering dept.

I did some research and found the Soul having similar ideas to the Handjob but crucially with better angles for quicker steering. In 2004 I got my first Soul and loved it, in 2010 I got the FS itch and scratched it. That particular FS lasted 6 months (which some folk consider to be reasonable!) so I got a secondhand Soul and vowed never to stray from a steel frame again.

So now Cy makes a steel FS aaargh!!

Heres my latest addition. Amazingly quick and fun.

And my latest Soul.

I ran BB7’s on my various 29ers as a budget braking system while my 26er was pimped out with Hope, budgeted with SLX and then pimped again with Magura. I found myself spending far too much time wishing that I could adjust the bite point of the hopes so bought SLX as they apparently had more modulation. Then spent too much time faffing when the calipers failed after 6 months leaking oil on the rotors. Magura were the closest I got to bite adjustment and modulation but they ran at something like 0.01 mm away from the disc, so they always rubbed, especially in winter, which aggravated me. The time that the BB7’s were on the 29er all I ever did was occasionally adjust the pads and then replace them when they were worn out. I now have BB7’s on both bikes and I think the main selling point for me is that I like having the levers close to the bars when they bite. I found hydros hard to setup like that without spending silly money like I did on the Maguras.

Yeah had mine done 2-3 yrs ago now. Not enough local, felt the incision, another injection, felt the incision, further injection and my left big toe went numb. By then the butcher, sorry doctor, just got on with it while I sweated buckets and was kept from passing out by small talk from the nurse. When my missus saw me after she nearly passed out at the sight of me. I was hobbling out with knackers that resembled a hedgehog roadkill while supporting my missus! Apparently my tubes were deep down and therefore tricky to get at. Although it has worked. If it didn’t I wouldn’t go back unless I had a GA.

I know what you mean, clips of stuff ups in recent vids (including the sweary northeners) make me chuckle, but in a way thats more – I know what that feels like!

I would say that WMB article was misguided in that comment. I ride a large Soul and I am 6’3″. I have owned too many bikes to remember in my 23 yrs of biking and the Soul is by far the best (second place being a 93 Kona Explosif) It is expensive but it will last you a lifetime and you won’t regret it.

Topped you up to your target. Good luck Rob.

As said by Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon.

For me the skills part is my brain. I know that if I push it too hard and stack big time breaking bones and stuff that firstly my missus will probably break the rest of my bones for not being able to help out with the kids. Secondly I will likely be unable to do my current job and therefore risk losing the house due to not being able to make the mortgage payments. And I know that at 40 the recovery will take months! and thats just to get back on the bike never mind loss of fitness. Theres a reason you can do crazy stuff when your’e 18, your body, your life and your feeling of invincibility. Saying that though I fell off yesterday, left pedal got stuck on a root concealed in the grass and I slam dunked my left shoulder at about 10mph. Hurts like a b*****d and I can’t reach the middle of my back. Times like that that I think “I’m getting too old for this s**t”

Taken in the “Summer” of 2009