All janners are bonkers!

Hallelujah! Just finding a bike that’s a xxl can be a right bugger. Have fun.

Electric sucks as it relies on coal-burning stations (as already stated).
Aren’t hydrogen cells the way forward? What’re the environmental impacts of hydrogen powered vehicles?

Wasn’t raining in Barnstaple this morning so thought I’d nip up to them Quantocks (all the best riding in North Devon is in Somerset). Got a few miles out of town and it was pissing down. Went for a bimble around Braunton Burrows with the dog and it was beautiful sunshine. Westcountry is weird.

Still, the riding is mega. Quantocks (my favourite), Exmoor, Dartmoor, Mendips, Woodbury, Haldon, Tavi/Gorton (DH), Cann/Newnham (need to sneak in early evening so you don’t get shot). Plus, decent beaches, clean air and room to swing a cat.

Watch out for that Plymouth ladies team, they’re feisty down that way.

I had the ’07 model (loads better looking with skulls on the downtube). Really enjoyed riding it and got me into buying a proper road bike. £200 is a decent price, but don’t buy it unless it’s definitely the right size.

Enjoy.

It’s not what you eat. It’s why you eat what you eat.

The basic maths is easy, the reasoning is a difficult bugger.

I’m going to see AC/DC at the end of the month. Nice.

Got mine a while ago. Bottle is nice, recovery bar is very tasty. Energy drinks made me a bit icky.

Oddly enough, I went to see the Flames play when I was in Calgary once. One of the best sporting events I’ve attended, especially when one bloke got nailed against the boards so hard that the glass panel got knocked out!

suspension posts suck and aren’t the best for your knees.

Riding a hardtail the right way is all part of the fun. If you wanna keep it a bit more comfy, would a carbon post be better? On-one are selling FSA carbon posts for £20 at the minute. Got one for my wife and it’s a lovely looking bit of kit.

Tonight – Local bridleways around Braunton/Woolacombe (hurrah for long, Summer evenings)
Saturday – Quantocks with Mrs. Machine
Sunday – Exmoor on my mtb or a local road ride, depending on weather

I would try and read it in the shop, but it always comes wrapped in a bag with a crap freebie.

For a similar price to the Handjob, I’d much rather have a Cotic Soul (if they came big enough for a tall ‘un like me).

Charge had a green ht with matching rebas on show at the Set-2-Rise race. One of the nicest bikes I’ve ever seen. All this new colour-matched SRAM kit looks really nice, but…

…As for coloured/white components, they all end up looking really tatty after a few winter rides. I’ll keep it black and silver, thanks. I’d also rather see a reduction in prices if there’s been no actual R&D on these products, but that’s a whole new can of worms

Saints alive! You lot are a right bunch of pissheads!

I’d estimate 4-6units a month. Just the odd beer/shandy now and again. Booze isn’t the best for you healthwise and I ride a bike most days so would rather be clear-headed.

Having said that, I’m no saint. Went out a few weeks ago and had 5 pints (completely destroyed me) and did far too much binging when I was a ski bum.

Don’t let it go this time. Knock on his door and politely ask if he’s doing it. Then politely ask himto stop. Then politely bite his nose off if he refuses.

Isn’t MBR just the same magazine every month anyway.

Contents will include:

Hardtails are shit

Any bike under 3 grand might as well be in a skip

If you don’t live in a city and ride a Welsh trail centre every weekend, you’re not a proper mountain biker

Any Specialized is a great bike. All others are shit

Some maps with crap directions

Green Party for this kid. Gonna get it done this afternoon.

You can study for a degree in medicine and then get a job as a gardener if you want. No obligation to do anything. There’s just not much opportunity to do anything else but work for the NHS. As for going straight into private practice, you wouldn’t get any work. Who’d want a house officer changing their heart?

But I don’t understand. Surely everything on telly is real, presented fairly and without bias?

I’ve thought about becoming a television doctor. All you need are perfect teeth, garish suit and an ability to offer woolly ideas without committing to any real diagnosis. Double the pay, half the work. Sweet!

I’d agree with the comments re toilets, showers, etc. It also surprised me that there wasn’t more going on in the evening. A bar would have made a killing on Saturday night (none for me though). I was keen to have a go on all the demo bikes I’d assumed would be there too. Not much for non-riders either.

Apart from the chaotic/confusing start, I loved the course. Perversely, I liked the fire-road climb and the singletrack descents were ace. The boggy bits in the woods were pretty lame. I was talking to a local lad who reckoned there were loads of alternative lines that wouldn’t have been like that. I really liked the fact that it was a physical challenge. I didn’t like it too much when Beckinsale blasted past me on a climb that had me blowing.

All in, I’ll definitely be back next year. Hopefully the weather will be too.

Can’t find the marathon pics on your site. Are they hidden in amongst the XC photos?

Alivio = Sora
Deore = Tiagra
SLX = 105
XT = Ultegra
XTR = Dura Ace

Dunno much about Campag ‘sos I don’t get on with the shifters and I can’t afford SRAM.

Joolze, I think I may have thrown a bow-wave over you when I went through the stream crossing. If so, SOZ!

She’s the official snapper but there were loads of other bods knocking about on the course.

I really like that race kit. I personally wouldn’t wear it for MTBing as it falls to bits if you crash, but each to their own.

Changed my frame in February and went through a real dilema over this. Decide to go for the full-suss.

A mate of mine was getting mega back pain after riding his HT. Swapped to a full-suss and stopped straight away, so no-brainer for him.

As for me, I only have one bike and it’s a 4″FS, Which serves me really well for the riding I do (Exmoor, Quantocks, SW stuff). I remember when I switched over from my hardtail and it was a revelation how much more enjoyable the bouncer was to ride. Blasting into a tricky root section just made me laugh out loud. I find 100mm is plenty for a bit of extra control and comfort without de-sensitising the trail. My mate had a 150mm and dropped down in travel as he reckoned it made everything a bit boring but didn’t feel he actually went any faster.

But, I’d really like a HT for racing, riding local trails (which are pretty smooth) and for winter, ‘cos they’re so much easier to clean when it’s filthy. I also really like the idea of all that trail feedback. I just wouldn’t want one as my only bike. If I lived somewhere like the South-East, I reckon a hardtail would be spot-on though.

Those white-wall tyres are truly hideous.

After 12 hours of racing, going for a surf this afternoon was a really bad idea. Still, Steak, couscous and salad prepared by my beautiful wife is a perfect end to a bang-on weekend.

Many thanks to Spam Biking. See you next year.

My mate was in Iraq in 2003. I managed to send him a bottle of JD wrapped up in bubble-wrap and Haribo with no problem.

My street is called Swallow Field, and with good reason.

I’ve got a swift’s nest on the back of my house and I love it. Maybe it’s a bit lame but I get really excited when I see them. They came back a couple of weeks ago and I was stoked to see them. They’re beautiful birds with really cheeky song. I saw the nest when we originally had a look at the place and I definitely saw it as a bonus.

It does make a mess of my patio so I leave a plastic tray underneath and just hose it down every now and again. Having them around means we never have any flies in the summer ‘cos they all get eaten.

SAVE THE SWALLOWS!

I once lay in bed terrified and unable to move or alert anyone to the predicament of being certain I had meningitis. Genuinely thought I was going to die that night.

Woke up the next day with ‘flu. :roll:

I’ve just remembered how the first one got broken. You may recall an incident of some van fighting with a paratrooper in South Wales. Happy days!

Don’t think they’re made anymore. Shame, as I’ve had two and they were the best fitting helmets I’ve ever had.

Are you wanting it for yourself or Nic? How about keeping a lookout for a Bell sweep xc? might be able to get one cheap now they’re doing the Volt.

And, what’s wrong with your Xen?

Free? Did someone say free?

NFB

Kona Hoss – felt instantly comfortable and really allowed me to push my technical riding. Not too heavy, looked great and was a bargain too.

Giant Trance – bought the frame and stripped the Hoss. All the fun of the Kona but 20% quicker through roots and rocks. SMASHING! Loved it so much I bought another recently.

I think all bikes are mega!

It’s all about balance. As Finbar said, neither of you sound like you have a particularly balanced diet.

Unless you’re ill, nutrition is pretty easy:

http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/bghbooklet.pdf

It’s very often a case of not what you eat, but WHY you eat what you eat. Have a look at your dietary behaviours and question your motives for eating what you do. Then ask if this fits in as part of a balanced diet.

Doh! it’s rdscoleman-taylor AT hotmail DOT com

Cheers, Dibbs.