This is posted on Flotec’s website. Anyone know what is going on?

“WORKSHOP CLOSED FROM FRIDAY 26th JULY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE”

http://www.mtblunigiana.com

These guys have charted lots of routes around Massa and further north. Website not working for me for some reason but have a look at their facebook page if not. Lots of excellent routes.

Giant anthem? Not 120mm (!00mm) but honestly it does incredibly well at “trail” riding although not burly enough for proper enduro tracks. Feels very confidence inspiring though.

Haha I seem to remember someone saying that although I didn’t make it as far as stage 4 on Sunday :D Having now bled said brakes they are rock solid again. Still a bit bemused they needed bled so soon after buying…

Having just purchased exactly the same bike can I firstly say great choice! It’s been giving me PRs at the Golfie since I bought it! My only gripe is the MT5s, the rear in particular having pulled all the way to the bar within 3 weeks of receiving it. I bled it last night and I have to say it was a total doddle relatively but it didn’t prevent me having an almighty crash in the SES a couple of weeks ago. Oh and don’t go to heavy on spacers in the RC2 as it’s already much plusher than I expected.

Happy riding!

Nah didn’t want to continue things further. Actually just wanted to get back to the riding! Just wasn’t in the spirit of it all but maybe some folk when they get the racing head on…

Meikle_partans – yeah that was the one. I was just cruising across the bridge and went to turn up the slight left off it when out of nowhere someone just came mashing into me from my left. I got knocked right off my bike then the other rider started screaming at me to “get out of the f***** way.” I would have accepted an apology as a simple racing incident but he started screaming at me that I needed to respect faster riders and get out of their way.

If I was someone who had in some way tried to block him passing me in some kind of racing action then it would be handbags at dawn but this guy was clearly smashing past someone not going at his pace, in a place there was no room to pass and I had absolutely no warning before he rammed into me. His head might have been down or was tired but the tirade he let go at me when I was just mincing along at my own pace out of the start zone was insane. The marshal and the spectators were telling me to take a break and asking if I was ok but I was just a bit shocked at both the incident but more so his behaviour tbh. Took me a good while to stop shaking afterwards.

Lol an actual fight??

I got sideswiped by some dude coming across the exit bridge from the start who had clearly decided to a) try and overtake on the inside where there was just about room for one cyclist at the time, b) not shout or not shout loud enough to be heard and then c) throw an absolute rage after I asked him what on earth he was doing when he could have just waited another 5 seconds or so and passed safely! He had the look of someone who didn’t almost seem able to recognise there were other riders on the course instead of him. Actual fisticuffs is taking things way too far though :D

Munrobiker – it was on the wide, rooty left-hander that you had to slow right down for on zoom or bust. Thought it was an interesting place to pass. Think the guy must have assumed because he was inside he was going to be quicker but not only did he almost take me out, he also come to a complete stop!

Lol that sounds like a mid-race grump MB 😂 I didn’t witness anyone saying silly things to one another although one of the fast Kelso wheeler lads attempted a pass down the inside of the wide rooty corner near the top and almost took me out. Was thinking afterwards that’s maybe a normal move in xc but he just had to ask me to move over as he was way faster than me! No apologies either. Just wonder if that’s actually a normal move in xc?

No tpb it was just very tough! I’ve been riding enduro the last year but when I’m that fatigued with such greasy roots any little mistake is punished fairly severely. For me it’s xc fitness that would have helped more yesterday as enduro or road, which I also do quite a bit of, doesn’t set you up for the very physical mix of concentration and endurance required. Great training ride though from my POV!

7 laps. Glad i did the last one despite the rain. Got pretty greasy towards the end of the day. Also had a fair few relatively minor falls but some due to fatigue. Still think I paced about as well as I could for my current fitness. Might do some proper training at some point in my life.

Sounds like performance anxiety. Myself my only care is whether i’m going to get absolutely drenched later on and if I should drive or cycle from my house. Can’t be bothered cycling home as a wet mop!

As an Innerleithen resident there is an interesting dynamic going on. TBH the golf course have actually been really great for example opening their doors for coffee this weekend for the SES. I think what everyone needs to remember is folk are just going about their normal daily stuff and do at times perceive mountain bikers as slightly intimidating, whether we are or not.

I think perception is the whole process here as most of the stuff I use on bikes is of intention biodegradable. I’m not sure the jump into the golf course car park is by itself an issue if they warned people before hand. Golfers are not all madcap anti-bikers and the washing of the bikes in the Leithen water is nonsense, often ending in arguments surrounding the natural run off being somehow the fault of mountain bikers!

What everyone needs to remember is when we are feeling rad or showing off to our buddies this can be construed as anti-social behaviour by some and that’s not a good image to project. If people just took a minute to think about how elderly people or even those who don’t understand mountain biking may see us, we could keep all our stunts contained in the forests and areas away from population centres and do our image a good bit of PR.

Can I recommend that to decrease the driving time but keep the grand day out factor going, instead walk/scramble the Aonach Eagach at Glencoe, Liatach or Beinn Alligin in Torridon and hit the Red Cuillins in Skye. From your itinerary I think you might have more than 10 days worth when you include driving between places.

Yeah ok. Did it on a mtb this year which I won’t do again. Was nice going downhill some of the time but the fatigue after 80kms was telling. Only managed the 130 this year although to be honest I did next to no training for it apart from 3 hour enduro rides. Happy to have finished and I wholeheartedly agree about the wraps at the end. Made driving home significantly more pleasant!

My Guide RE’s use a torx on the caliper. Thought they all did?

Does it not need a t10 or t15 instead of an allen? There should have been a double ended tool with the brakes?

They were saying essentially almost fully privately funded. There would have to be deals done on land agreements etc. They hope to have the backers in a similar way to other bike parks they have constructed with a smaller amount of local funding to help things along.

I personally thought the most important suggestion from a mtb POV was the intention to actually manage the off-piste trails to cope with more riders. There was the sense that these would actually be a key aspect of the project with the flow park allowing “progression” for riders. They would probably became way-marker trails but the soil is seemingly perfect for sustainable natural trails. If only Waterworld could just be a little drier when it rains…

Have you compared handlebar heights on both bikes? It can make a huge difference to the handling if the bars are too high as you can’t weight the front properly, particularly with the raised stack height and longer reach.

This route is one of my favourites! Just be warned there is not much in the way of shops or ready supplies enroute.

Nove Colli in May. Think I’ll enter it as can see a bit of the Giro as well

Can report: running really good today! So b******* i’m working tomorrow

I have the 2018 version and really love it. TBH though there isn’t as much buzz reduction as I had hoped as I felt the need to install the stiff spring as I felt a bit too much of my energy was expended on the movement of the bars when pushing hard. The geo is pretty similar to the Tarmac with the same carbon layup. I haven’t had a chance to compare it to my Ultimate SLX as yet but my Strava times aren’t any worse at least. I have done some very big rides on it and found it great but not sure the futureshock makes as big a difference as I wanted. I would say at the current sale prices it’s an absolute bargain though, and I wish I had the ability to wait to buy.

Have you done both sides with the cable tie?

Depends what you’re looking for. Waterworld is beyond epic. Aussie rules is steep and probably muddy now. Try liver damage and awkward little f******. For technical turn practice I really like Community Service which is just short of the start of Flat White on the way up. You have just made me really want to get back on a mtb again but need a new rear triangle first.

Having done this 9 days ago I would say Froome as the Colombiere is not actually that steep. The Plateau de Glieres was horrendous for us but sure the teams will handle it fine. The gradient actually gets shallower as the climbs go on although the Col de Romme was very very long. I think Froome will also out descend everyone on the way to the finish which rewards risk-taking.

Check out i-ride.co.uk. They are Fulcrum’s UK distributor

I had never had this happened to me before in Croatia, Slovenia etc but what I think happened was the tarmac heated up to the point the air inside the tyre heated to above Stan’s operating temp. The tyre had sealed fine about 40 miles previously as it normally would. You must admit it was odd the 2 punctures failing at exactly the same time? It was temps the Highlands hadn’t seen for quite a while.

Yes Stan’s does fail in high heat. At the end of day 3 of the Tour of the Highlands a puncture that was previously sealed started pissing Stan’s out and just refused to seal despite reapplication of more fluid. Interestingly another guy who stopped at the same food stop had exactly the same issue. I’ve since moved to Orange sealant as heard it survives heat better due to not being latex based.

Would say avoid inners just this weekend due to the enduro. Have you been to Thornielee? Look on Trailforks. Totally awesome.

The guys up at the mast in Inverness have done a great thing in meeting with the landowner and actually paying a rent for the rights to build trails there. The agreement means that everyone who is a member of the mast trails association (for £10 a year) is insured under the trail organisation’s liability and not the landowners. This appears to have been his main objection to building trails there and I can understand why if he is unable to apply any risk assessments or input into their construction to the trails, yet is felt to be liable under law for any injuries resulting from their use. This could be a great model for future trail-building as it protects landowners and allows for proper organised community trail-building.

Yeah I wash them all the time with no issues. At 30C obviously like the rest of the kit. Do not whatever you do put them in a tumble dryer tho! I stupidly did when tired after a ride and slightly melted the spine protector although it’s still perfectly functional! Great pieces of kit and the most breathable I could find.

Bliss ARG. I’ve been wearing their LD long sleeve top for a couple of years now and they’re still going strong.

Great experience! Weather was incredible. My lack of any training whatsoever started to tell about mile 65 and I had a few dark moments on the Borders climb but the last 10 miles seemed pretty serene. Actually really enjoyed the teeth chatterer although they were about to fall out by the bottom! All in an epic day. Might try for the 200k next year.

@d4ddydo666 50:50 on whether i’ll be in the medical tent or the beer tent but look out for me

Cheers folks! Wasn’t coming if it wasn’t! Done no training whatsoever so should be interesting..

Will a 2×11 50-34 with 11-32 cassette be adequate? Or do I need some super low gearing for the hills?

Struggled to keep momentum in 1 and 2 but apart from that was amazing. Ran the drop off on 3 today though :D

Andreashorn, yeah I have a 2.6 which is fantastic in the dry but, particularly the early season enduro’s, dry is a rare word indeed :) The thinner tyres will hopefully cut the mud a bit better.