1. Weacombe
2. Singletrack that brings you out halfway down the Chimney, then down the rest of the Chimney.
3. Sheep’s Head Trail, or maybe Stert Combe into Somerton Combe

Lots of others could/should have also been there.

I zip-tie one of those things that holds a pump onto your frame. Stick bit of inner tube under it nd it’ll stop your helmet getting scratched.

Did some cross drills in the park this morning
Shred Supercross at Newnham, Plymouth tomorrow night
Newnham 60 on Sunday.

Would liked to have also don the FOD enduro and Afan monster, but only so much you can fit into a weekend. I’m neither fit enough nor mental enough to attempt the 3 peaks.

Why should smokers deserve compassion?

Perhaps because they’re human beings?

[/quote]julianwilson – Member
I think I will do the night ‘cross at this weekends BMBS at Newnham.

Good lad. Should be wicked fun.

I’ve been doing quite a bit of training through Summer and still came 54th out of 62 last weekend. 🙁

Just go and see what happens.

+2 for fitting decent pads. Just fitted Swissstop pads (green) to my cross bike and am astonished about how much better they feel.

As for metal cartridge style, I’ve never been able to feel much difference, but hve noticed that they tend to squeal less.

Despite my negativity, I have to say that the ridge run is a really good trail for beginners and improving riders. I love it on my cross bike.

The FC have not decommisioned the off-piste sections, if anything they are easier to access now.

I ask this as I was informed by one of their staff members that they intend to do so. I tried to explain to him at the time that ‘it’s just the ground with less leaves’.

As a family-orientated centre, it’s really good. It’s just frustrating that it could be so much more. It’s also frustrating that the FC try and promote it as being more, whilst working hard to ensure it’s not.

Did she change it? Have you tried 0000?

There are often shops in the seedier parts of town that can help unlock phones.

If anyone is not happy with the trails the FC have painstakingly provided feel free to come up and help the fairies build!

If it wasn’t a 3 hour round trip for me, I’d be happy to.

Indeed it is, but I have pondered whether extra light may give me an edge. 9 months of decent training would probably have been more useful.

I:

Shall be racing
Shall not be camping as I have to pander to the needs of my pregnant (grumpy) wife
May not bother with lights
Shall be cruising the Newnham 60

Fark. I payed my entry earlier today. Get on a 24hr IVAB and you’ll be fine. 😉

I’m in Exeter tomorrow, so might take my cross bike and have a look.

Is it as shit as the existing ridge run trail? Is there, as the name suggests, some kind of challenge?

As a seperate question, have the FC decomissioned all of the old unofficial/fun trails?

Probably cheaper to buy a complete bike unless you start using second hand parts

My experience of buying a complete bikes is that I end up changing all the contact points anyway (stem too long, bars too high & narrow, saddle too cheap & nasty, tyres too hard and narrow, etc.) so never really works out cheaper for me.

I also seem to spend the first few weeks of ownership fixing the problems of crap set-up from the factory/shop. I much prefer to build it myself as I know I’ve put in the attention-to-detail it deserves, rather than it be built on a Friday afternoon by some bloke who couldn’t really care.

(the only problem is unlearning what you previously learnt?)

That’s the one. I actually think rapid rise make sense if your starting out.

The 2011 CaadX Looks really nice. Cube are also doing a nice crosser for a grand, which is available now.

It's only really full-on race bikes that don't serve well as commuters/winter bikes. Most, if not all around a grand should have eyelets for racks and guards and bottle cages.

It works fine. I've had a rapid-rise XT mech on my bike for ~2 years. However, I still have to think about which button does what and occasionally get it wrong when I'm tired, so not ideal for racing.

In fact, I've just changed the mech back to a 'normal' one which feels much more natural.

X-Factor? It's all a fix (just like the reviews in WMB).

Dyffers, just watched the video you suggested on Bikehugger and was most useful. May thanks. Just off to the garden to practice now.

I am definitely rocking the lycra and definitely don't want to lower my post as I'd lose more time than would gain.

Think that's good advice about practice from low/no speed. On reflection, I think I may perhaps have been trying too hard without getting the basics right.

More tips welcome.

I was thinking about it but that price just put me right off.

I was informed by a mechanic at my LBS that loads of the 2009 triple versions had been returned to them. My Tiagra triple went kapputt and was replaced with a proper double that worked quite nicely.

Green, with a white stripe.

I like my 360 'cos you can pick older games up for under a fiver.

SRAM 980 from Merlin. £33.

Gore Pac-lite jacket seems to work better than any other I've tried, and I'm a right sweaty bugger.

Discovery (Bantham), Nick Thorne (Woolacombe), Sarah Something(Saunton), ND Surf School (Northam.Westward Ho!) should all be able to point you in the right direction. Alternatively, just hire a board and throw yourself in the ocean. Then it's just a few months of frustration.

As a request, please learn the rules of surfing. Also, when someone is surfing towards you, please don't just stand and gawp at them. Instead, paddle forward over the wave and out of their way.

Have fun.

Croyde isn't the best place for beginners.

my bro' is just about to move from a 4 bed semi in Harrogate (sold for £250k) to a 4 bed townhouse in Truro for £250k

Because the Westcountry needs another **** from That London.

Want me to rub it in a bit more? I'm going to look at a house with a Sea-view on Saturday. Still, the local mountain biking here is rubbish.

Throwing myself off cliffs in the Swiss Alps and occasionally fixing things in chalets with ducktape and hammers.

Hoping to get down to Croyde weekend after next…bet it's flat by then!

It was rubbish this morning.

Bmx scene in the south west looks quite healthy too.

Construction of a new skatepark in Ilfracombe began this week. I live in Barnstaple and there's no chance I'd live in Ilfracombe. One of my riding mates lives there though and he loves it. I'd like to live in Braunton but it's bastard expensive.

There's a few of us trying to organise a regular evening ride time at the minute (probably gonna be Wednesdays). Give us a shout if you'd like to join us.

What's bringing you down this way?

What we need is bournemouth's artifical mini-chopes

Am I detecting a touch of sarcasm here?

not sure where the "story" is in that pic?

Nor I, as that's basically how all waves break (although perhaps not as heavy). Nice photo though and makes a nice change for a tabloid to feature a picture that isn't of a footballer or some bint.

I believe Prince Charles once described Luton as being the worst place he'd ever visited. Having lived in Dunstable for several years, I'd be inclined to agree.

At least we have hills around here

Where?

Which bike did you go for?