Short of setting up some industrial fans to blow all the smoke back at their house and claiming the resulting wind/noise is none of your neighbours business because the fans are on your side of the fence, I’d go down the anti-diabetic behaviour route.

That or petty stuff like sand in their petrol tank to stop them driving.

Do you usually do rides on consecutive days? If your body isn’t used to recovering from back-to-back ride days then it could be as simple as a lack of recovery, particularly given the second ride was with someone fitter and you weren’t necessarily refuelling correctly.

If Mrs Lunge’s new manager knows she took a large paycut then he may be concerned that she’ll leave soon-ish after starting due to money concerns; some people will say what they think an interviewer wants to hear.

I suspect it’s pre-starting nerves that will settle down after a week or two.

@northernsoul I find Abi Carter’s yoga videos really good. They’re also aimed at sports people (inc. some specific MTB routines) and she explains why they work/are relevant. She leaves the spirituality mumbo-jumbo out of it too.

Depending on the angle your wrists are at on the hoods it may be worth rotating the bars ‘down’ a little so you don’t pinch the nerves, as well as dropping the saddle to counteract the extra weight this will place on your hands/wrists. I’ve not seen the GCN video but, being a general/ballpark setup guide it may not suit you.

Do your hoods point straight ahead or are they angled? I have to angle mine inwards to feel comfortable.

Before buying any new parts how much have you tried adjusting? I’d start with dropping the saddle 3-5mm. That’ll put less weight through your hands and should lessen, if not remove, the pins & needles.

If you can get someone to take a photo of you sat on the bike in a riding position it may help highlight anything that’s noticeably wrong.

HTH

Sorry to read that FMC. If the car seemed Ok I’d book it into a garage (or jack the car up, if you’re confident/competent with car) when you’ve returned from Edinburgh to get a proper assessment and make sure all is OK.

Is there any way to get owners details if you have a partial plate and the make, model & colour of a car? Is there a dealers name visible at the bottom of the plate? May help to track down the owner if you decide to get it repaired through the insurer.

I use the Maverick mapping app (which has OS mapping) on my phone and have attached a Garmin mount to the back of a spare case for use on the bike. Running it in airplane mode extends the battery life noticeably but you can still use GPS.

Interested to hear people’s opinions as I’m thinking about getting a dedicated unit; it’s an extra toy as much as anything.

Coming from the other side (as a son, as opposed to a family man): Let your wife & kids know you’re there if they need a chat/rant/help but don’t insist on getting involved or helping.

Aside from that I’ll echo the above comments – riding and going to the pub.

Working long(ish) hours and the job is getting me very down which is killing my motivation tbh. It’s the first time not having a bike has crossed my mind. Very strange feeling to not be watching loads on eBay or searching the net for bargains.

Have you thought about cycling (part way) to work? My commute is only short (3-5 miles depending on the route) but I feel better when I’ve cycled in.

Afraid I don’t know the answer but have wondered the same so will watch the thread with interest!

You’ve said that you suffer after exercising 2-3 times in a week; is this followed by a week or two of suffering?

Have you tried just exercising once a week for a few weeks on the trot? If not see whether your fatigue builds up or whether you’re less tired/ill than usual. It may be that you’re doing too much in too short a time and need to give your body time to adjust.

Apologies if you’ve already thought of and/or tried this. If not it’s got to be worth a shot.

Let us know how you get on OP.

EDIT: I find that if I get into the rhythm of regularly exercising then the food, and amounts of food, I want to eat changes and my preferences become healthier. I can only assume it’s my body knowing what it needs and steering me towards better choices.

That’s fantastic – congratulations to both Abigale and yourself!

I’ve read/heard that the body is only able to.process 500ml of liquid per hour – hence that being the recommendation. This volume is irrespective of conditions (heat, humidity etc) so any additional fluids you need to take in are required before or after the ride.

Watermelon is great for getting fluid and carbs (sugar) in; so is a 50:50 fruit juice: water mix with a pinch of salt.

A key point to note is that it’s salt that allows/causes the body to absorb fluid.

FYI I’m not a doctor, I’ve just looked into hydration & nutrition for personal interest.

I think that’s all you can do with the frame TBH. I’d definitely put the strap through the washer and clean the tube too, then do so every month, or more, to stop it rubbing through the helitape. It’s the grit & abrasion that’s the killer with carbon.

How handy are you with a set of spanners? My first thoughts are that it sounds like either an old/clogged air filter or the MAF sensor causing the car to over-fuel. You could check the air filter easily in the dealers car park with a socket set.

Potentially the car is starting with ‘cold start’ setting (a common safe mode if sensors are dodgy) but not exiting, this over fuelling.

Have you given them anything ‘officially’/in writing? That’s where I’d start.
Outline your concerns regarding the dog crossing into your garden and escaping from your property without your knowledge and point out that the dividing fence (that is their responsibility) is structurally unsound. Obviously don’t mention that your dog’s could easily tear the little thing to pieces.

At the least it should show that you’ve tried to settle it neighbour-to-neighbour before escalating it (e.g. RSPCA).

New bike day is the best! 😀

As for chain lube I expect that a wax-based variant would be best as the sand won’t stick to it. I use White Lightning Clean Ride, albeit not in the beach, and am impressed with how clean my chain stays.

It may be worth waxing the frame & fork to help reduce any salt clinging to the paintwork.

How come you want to wait until winter to get the forks serviced? Surely it’s better to get them done now so you can enjoy them through the summer?

I can definitely recommend low friction seals after fitting them to my Fox 32’s – the Push Ultra Low Friction seals made a huge difference but YMMV. I am a light rider though (~60kg without gear).

Do you clean the seals on a regular basis? It probably won’t make a huge difference but definitely won’t hurt.

Can you lower your front tyre pressure? It doesn’t solve the issue with the forks but will help smooth the ride out in the meantime.

As above I’d say to contact the Police and ask them to prosecute. If you’re worried about any comeback then ask if you can give evidence anonymously if/when it goes to court; if the answer is ‘no’ then I wouldn’t use that as a reason to cancel the prosecution, just think of a ‘yes’ as a bonus.

There are too many people on the road who think they’re entitled to do whatever they want because they’ve got twice as many wheels as you and a tin roof over their head.

The Superstar silicon grips are my personal favourite; grippy, really comfy and last ages plus they’re only £17/18 with solid end caps. Loads of grip & lockring colours available too.

https://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/shop/mountain/mountain-controls/mountain-handlebar-grips/

It seems they only have the spares listed so you’d need to order the cartridges and lockrings separately.

Go with your friend to view the bike but wait round the corner, with your friend going to check it’s definitely hers/check the serial number.

Get her to ask for a quick spin on the bike and do a couple of loops out the front of the guys house, then ride round the corner to where you’re waiting. Put the bike in the car/van etc and drive off. If she has proof of purchase then it may help if confronted by the thief.

Alternatively do as Marin suggested and call the police threatening violence against the thief, that’s supposed to get them moving but I’m not sure about possible negative outcomes.

If you don’t want to wait get the XC version, knowing you may want to get the shock re-tuned later on. If it’s a custom tuned Fox shock then you would be able to get the code for the custom trail tune off Orbea.

Depending on the fork you may not need a new one – just a new damper cartridge.

I’ve done red-graded uplift stuff on my 120mm ‘XC/Trail’s bike and wasn’t slowing down my mates on their 160mm enduro bikes.

For what it sounds like you’re doing I’d leave it as 100/100mm and see how you get on as I suspect the shorter/firmer setup will actually be better for you if you take time to play with setup. If you want more plushness I can highly recommend the Vorsprung Corset air can and Push UL friction fork seals.

Edit: Just seen your post about 32 Vs 34 forks. My FS has 32’s and I haven’t had an issue with them but I’m light (~60kg pre-gear).

First of 3 days off for me and trying to decide whether my knees will cope with joining a couple of mates at BPW on Thursday. I was working yesterday and Saturday though, in a well-known sports superstore.

I got an air bed from Decathlon a couple of years ago that packs down to just larger than a 500ml bottle and have found it very comfy on the handful of times I’ve used it. The fact that is has almost zero thickness when deflated means it’s ideal to wrap around your sleeping bag to aid packing too.

I learnt the hard way not to go for a bigger-than-necessary/ideal bar bag as my 20L one has to be persuaded between my drop bars. They’re only 400mm bars so YMMV.

The chainstay length and seat tube angle play an important part, as will the F:R weight distribution. The further towards/over the rear axle you are the more likely the front wheel is to lift, both when you want it to and when you don’t (e.g. on steep climbs).

The larger wheels are more difficult to accelerate which is also detrimental. That being said I’m sure it’s possible to wheelie anything with the right approach and technique.

I haven’t used this method myself so it may be of limited use but I believe you can mount pannier racks on P-clips as long as you’re not carrying much.

As whitestone suggested I’d lay everything you will need out on the bed and see what it actually amounts to as you may get away with just a frame/bar bag.

Personally I’d go for a kit (most shops have suggested finishing kits anyway – ESC, battery etc) as it helped me immeasurably when I started out as it meant I understood how to fix it. Not as plug and play but it means you know where the booby-trapped spring loaded parts are, if any.

I’d keep it civil and assure your boss that you’re not planning on going to a direct competitor (if that’s true, obviously) and that you haven’t yet accepted another job. I wouldn’t mention anything about clients or company secrets as that could set off alarm bells if your boss isn’t trusting. If you’re persistently asked questions about your next employer/employment then I’d sit down with your boss and question why he’s asking, to clear the air and set things straight.

Also make an offer to train/oversee a replacement that the company hires for the length of your notice period. At the least it’ll show there’s no hard feelings and will make them get their arse in gear for the new business.

You say you seem to have come into conflict: do you know for sure? If not then I’d suggest inviting them into a private/meeting room (in a friendly manner, obviously) and mention that it seems like there’s some tension and you’re not sure why.

Alternatively, if you’re not comfortable there any more then hand your notice in and look for other employment. Would it be a problem to tell your next employer that you left ‘due to workplace tensions but before they escalated to a problematic level‘? Surely any decent employer would respect this and give you a chance to explain if it were a potential issue.

Whilst others have said ‘suck it up’ I know from experience that you can’t put a price on your mental health; if the reason you’re able to work the long hours is because your Mrs isn’t working then I would flag this up with your manager, pointing out that she’s looking for employment and your extended hours aren’t sustainable.

Keep track of your hours, if you’re not already, so you can demonstrate how many you’re working. If they seem uninterested in supporting you then it’s not worth sticking around – don’t push on until things start to crack.

A colleague of mine once had a package left in his BBQ when he wasn’t home. I can’t remember which delivery company it was however.

I lost both my grandfather’s a few years ago and I delayed the opportunity to go and visit them; I missed visiting one of them by 3 days. Those are my 2 true regrets, especially as we are a close family.

Don’t try and use the holiday to escape from reality as you’ll feel doubly guilty, once for not being there for your parents (even if your Dad hangs on) and once for trying to escape it.

Are you able to re-book the holiday for the summer so you can still go this year? You’ll earn more money, you don’t get second parents.

I’m not speaking from experience but if you’re playing on a borrowed kit and your nervous maybe ask if you can have 5 or 10 minutes to get the kit set up and warm up, possibly without them in the room? Hopefully it’ll get the initial nerves out of the way and allow you to position the drums just so.

If you’re not intending on doing many rides with a large amount of road then I’d buy a set of lightweight wheels for the Solaris with some fast XC tyres and possibly a smaller cassette. I’d also drop the stem if it isn’t already.

Otherwise I’d get a gravel bike to provide off-road/fun options on a road biased ride whilst not needing to worry about the surface you’re riding over. Look at a gravel bike as a flexible road bike.

Or get the Boardman off the turbo and save yourself some cash.

I personally run an Aggressor 2.3″ on the front on my full sus with a Bontrager SE4 out back and think it’s a great combo.

I’ve not had any issues with the Aggressor up front but I’m not slapping berms at Mach Chicken, nor have I ridden in anything particularly sloppy – it’s been fine on rocky stuff though (Peaks, Marple, trail centres etc). I am a flyweight at ~60kg so that may work in my favour.

If there’s plenty of clearance at the NDS chainstay are you sure that the wheel is dished correctly? I can’t speak specifically for the Meta but some bikes require offset/non-central dishing on the rear wheel.

I recently got a WTB TrailBoss which I think comes up less chunky than a Smorgasbord.

I very occasionally get this (mechanical brakes, 11sp 105) but don’t find it much of an issue to slide my fingers back a bit and repeat the shift.

Alternatively could you position your fingers behind the shifter and move them forward until you hit the shift lever, then nudge the rear edge of it?

You said you have a work van – why not collect the bike from the Post Office and drop it off at home during your lunch break? That way you don’t have to worry about getting it home and you don’t need time off work.

You might have to u pack the bike and fold the box if it’s a small van but if you unseal the bottom of the box before you fold it, it shouldn’t be too ‘damaged’ whilst being transported home.

Look at fitting some low/ultra-low friction seals. I’ve used them on a couple of pairs of forks and found them to work very well.

The current ones I’ve got fitted are the Push ULF ones and they transformed my Fox 32’s.