Its a win win situation for both Lew and Only fans. Lewis openly admits he dosen’t want to race anymore as dosen’t feel he has the hunger he used to have for It. So If he can get some cash from only fans to go round the world youtubing and maybe selling tuition vids on Only fans fair play to him. Only fans on the other hand are probably not by their standards throwing much money his way and If Its another non porn creator thats good for them . As has been said If some old pervy dad manages to sell to his wife he is watching Lew showing him how to manual when he actually has his trousers at his ankles watching the old ‘Wullie Thorn’ movies fair play.

I’ve had loads of Endura stuff over the years and their week point always seems to be zips. The quality is good but the zips are bloody awful . Have a look at the new scottish company Eyra which is based in Edinburgh and their Aquatrail trousers are unbeleivable quality .

I loved Madeira and I stayed in Calheta . I did a day with Ebike madeira and did some Levada walking. I’d love to go back but hire a car and see more of the island. It’s like Jurassic park .

I got one back in November , All my mates slowly got them so It seemed unless i wanted to ride on my own It was the next step . I’ve always been fairly fit and could do Enduro size days without much hassle. A couple of days ago we managed 10 descents at Glentress scattered all over the hill. I think it was around 21 miles with 4600ft of climbing. My bike has a shimano motor with a 620 watt battery and I would say probably stuck to Eco for about 70% of the ride. My mates have Bosch motors with bigger batteries and Im way behind on the climbs . My battery started flashing red about 300 yards from the van . Battery management is a massive learning curve I think as for handling It dosent take long to get used to the extra weight on the downs. In fact I think its a big plus as feels more planted over roots and rocks , the other thing is you need to find the right gear for climbing or it really can feel like its switched off. What I mean is the big ring feels kinda pointless in Eco but shift down 3 or 4 and It kicks in but still feels like you are working. I still use my hardtail and gravel bike for local rides as It seems a waste of time getting the E bike dirty when I have to keep it inside. So many sheds and garages locally are getting broken into for Ebikes.
I dont think you will regret buying one but in hindsight I would have went for the Bosch motor and Battery .

@temudjin the Joey Beltram vid is mixed in with a great wee scottish film called ‘Beats’ about a night at a scottish rave. It’s absolutely brilliant but hard to find.

A wee heads up for any Edinburgers. I spent NYE at MFSB or Mother Funkin Soulful Beats below the Street pub on Picardy place. It’s run by Yogi Haughton who has done everything from Northern Soul to Acid house over a long career . Anyway its a daytime club so runs from 3 – 10 and the two dj’s play old disco , house and soul . It’s kinda like the old Rhumba club type crowd. Very friendly and a small wee venue but properly jumping even for the 50 plus crowd. Most of the tunes are on vinyl , A highlight was Hwen Guthrie ‘Peanut butter’ the old Njoi sample .
Anyhoo for a fiver It’s way better than sitting in a souless Embra boozer.

Was totally gutted to hear this early this morning. I remember I had some christmas money around 81 (I was 10) and my brother who was older convinced me to buy ‘More Specials’ on Cassette . I’ve loved them ever since and got to see them twice eventually in 2008.
He was a very talented man as they all were , seems a shame he fell out with Dammers so early on but I spose we wouldn’t have had Fun Boy 3 and his other projects. Listening to the Specials has a real nostalgic quality of sharing a bedroom with brother who passed away some years back and the music he played.

57 minutes for me , But I am 51 unfit and about 15 kg’s overweight. Its a beautiful road but I much prefered the descent back to Pollenca . Sa calobra was too sketchy in that you could go round a blind corner to be made with a stationary hire car or bus.

I’ve had one about 6 weeks now and totally love It. I keep it inside as the bike thefts in and around Edinburgh are unbeilevable. It is a pain having to properly wash it after every ride even when it’s minus temperatures outside. I’m very wary of the motor and display getting soaked but so far so good. I’ve ridden it mainly in the tweed valley , Glenlivet and locals trails near Elgin. It dosent take long to get the hang of the extra weight and in fact they are much more stable over slick roots and rocks. I also take care of the drivetrain a bit more with decent lube and try to be careful when shifting .
I’ve got a wee Peugot Teepee and it is a lump to lift in but I have removed the little seat in the back so I dont have to take the rear wheel off. I still have a good hardtail and a gravel bike so the Ebike is just purely for down the borders as Its not worth washing it for local trails and I want to keep some form of fitness. My Vitus has the 620 w Battery and I can get 25 miles and about 4500 ft If im selective and use mainly Eco/trail . One thing to watch with the shimano motors is that when It shows 5 bars this dosent equate to 100 % as you have to wait till the charger actually switches off. That sounds stupid I know but I was caught out one time when the battery died around 18 miles or so in. So just charge and leave it till the light goes out on the charger. I cant really think about any negatives and I’ve done my time trudging up the golfie climbs over the years so dont feel guilty passing people on normal bikes.

I think this post says more about the OP than Lewis Capaldi to be honest , Quite bizzare to start a thread about a middle of the road singer on a mtb site. Whats next ‘George Ezra , He’s kinda bland’ or ‘Harry Styles , Good looking but no Nick Cave’.

I dont mind the fella to be honest though he is not on my Spotify playlist . Maybe somewhere in a distant Parralel universe theres a ‘Esselgruntfuttock , he’s a shite mountainbiker eh…’.

I did a half dozen races about 5 years ago , I was probably a couple of stone overweight and at the time 46. Totally loved it and I think I once came 25th in an open race :D Was 3 rd from last first race but as others have said its a race against yourself It is great fun. I dont have a cx bike anymore but would be tempted to do one on a gravel bike or even my hardtail.
In my experience the scene is very freindly and like enduro people are happy to chat and help out when needed. I’d say give it a go Ton , you will get a real sense of satisfaction even finishing a race as its full pelt all the way.

Was in Puerto Pollensa two weeks ago cycling. Its a nice enough wee resort but as others have said If I wasn’t cycling I wouldn’t choose to go there. Pollenca village seemed much nicer and really quaint, Alcudia is the busier of the two and I have been there in the summer and Its more a family resort. The restaraunts in Pdp were good and not overly expensive . We did the classic Sa Calobra which clocked in about 65 miles , Also The climb to the Petrol station where the soller / Calobra routes is and then went back inland towards Inca and back via Alcudia 67 miles then Formentor on the lasst day (about 30 miles). Whilst Im glad I went I wouldn’t hurry back and probably prefered my trip to calpe a few years back more. Sa Calobra was fine but it is a out and back and the way down you have to be wary as you can find yourself going round a corner to a load of backed up traffic waiting on a bus so be careful. The highlight was probably from the service station back to Pollenca village which is about a 6 mile descent with good corners and clear roads.
Enjoy .

Thats amazing , You can say what you like about GT but they sure know how to pick their riders. Brage , Wyn and Hans give more entertainment than any of the top teams riders.

Fantastic film , Good luck to Andy and Aneela . Keep turning the assisted or Analogue cranks as long as your out there that is all that matters.

I’ve had 2 x remedys and a slash for the last 2 1/2 years . It’s a skills compensator for sure . I would previously do the usual black style GT stuff to riding all the Golfie type stuff. You wont regret buying the Trek , Im sure the bird is Good but I havent ridden one.

I think 92 was the best , I’m 51 and had in previous years discovered drink , discovered hash , discovered madchester. In 92 I went full on rave , house , ecstacy and LSD. I went to Ibiza and tenerife with my now Mrs and was a shite but keen DJ. Going to the football was still enjoyable but my team Aberdeen were on a downward trajectory they will never lift themselves from. In a scale of 1 to 10 growing up in 92 was above anything since but behind the 60’s and 70’s but slightly above the 80’s. Probably a solid 8.

Get the bus to Nerja and have a swim . Hire a dutch bike and head east for sardines and beer in the wee seaside villages . Do the Malaga FC tour , or just take a walk up the Alcazaar and have some tapaas on the way down. Malaga is a nice wee city but most people head west towards Fuengirola and Marbella.

I love Marseille , we had a family holiday there about 4 years ago .We stayed near the velodrome where Marseille play . We did Cassis and the Callanques which were beautiful . We were there during the World cup and went out for all the France games and the atmosphere was superb . I never felt threatened or in danger even down at the African market which is worth a visit. If you go back take the boat to Froul and IF which are interesting wee places. I’d love to go back , It had the same sort of vibe as Barcelona I found but maybe not as good for restaraunts and bars.

I had one after two remedy’s . Absolutely fantastic bike , climbs well and great on the steeps. If I wasn’t going on to an Eeb I’d buy another in a flash. Get it bought.

Yeah It’s pretty much all open , Even some of the blocked off piste trails can be accessed now. Loads open , If it’s dry’ish look for some of the newer trails on the west side than the old red trail which is pretty knackered in places.

Growing during the Madchester / Rave era I was more interested in clubs and warehouses whilst a couple of the uncool mates liked Wu Tang and the Beastie boys. It wasn’t until MCA died I wished I’d went to see them and also Wu Tang who are immense. For really big artists Prince was another , would donate a left testi to have seen him. Only recently got into Mogwai , Arab strap and freightened rabbit . Whilst none of these are big I can still and have actually been to see two of them .

Im 5’8″ but with short legs , I had a medium which was absolutely perfect. I decided to change the dropper to 150mm but because of the frame kink had to go back to 125mm for really steep stuff.

As I went to see Arab Strap last night and they were immense , It’s old Arab Strap. Falkirks finest.

Quadlock for the win.

For years just bought the usual Adidas Hamburgs /Forest Hills or Spezials. Im 51 and realised they are really not that comfy in all honesty. Now buy Diadora runners or ZX600’s as they are atleast comfy on longer days. Also bought a pair of Adidas terrex Sky chasers as they are well cushioned and totally waterproof for hill climbing and also not bad on the bike.
Always wait for the massive discounts near the end of the sales. If you subscribe to mansavings you can normally pick up some bargains.

Thats a great PSA , A pear of pearl Izumi Summit shorts and 4 pairs of socks for £35. Many thanks.

I was away for a weekend for my birthday last week and based myself closer to Girvan , good for the coast and about 35 minutes from Newton stewart . Best of both worlds as the hills between Girvan and Newton Stewart are nice.

I think Tony was so believable was because he actually was a mobster back in the day , It is the greatest series of all time in my opinion and Paulie was probably the best character. Pine barrens was excellent but the episode where Paulie gets the painting of Tony and the horse doctored was another highlight. Rest in Peace Paulie.

As above people who strava dog walks etc , It drives a workmate of mine insane when people strava pointless things. So I have on purpose recorded a pedalo ride of the coast of Sitges just to incur his wrath. Another guy at work strava’s his Tai chi workouits with names like floating sword , dancing butterfly. To be honest anyone that records a weightlifting session and im guessing has to manually type in times etc.
Timmy Mallet is my favourite , his paintings are nice and he seems a top fella.

^^^^ I’ll swap the prodigy for ‘The Clash’ :D

Depends what mood Im in and also If we can include those no longer here so here goes.

No longer here without getting ridiculous…

Freightened rabbit
Big country
Beastie Boys
Prodigy
Bowie

All still kicking

Wu Tang
Charlatans
Bicep
Stone Roses
Chemicals.

As a Scotrail driver and member of ASLEF , and bear in mind we have just been balloted for our deal . It was always the case that the RMT ,TSSA and Unison always piggy backed our deals as we were always the strongest railway union as we are alll drivers. That said Mick Lynch is amazing and good on him for him the way he is fighting for the other railway grades. Dont believe the Tory BS about average Rail wages being 43k as It’s total nonsense. It’s closer to 31k which is still a good wage but why are they not entitled to try and get a wage closer to inflation.
For anyone thinking train drivers are over payed just bear in mind the training , shit hours (3.05 start times If on backshift finish at 2.30) , 1 week end off in 3 , shite turn around in hours ( Can finish at 5 am sunday and start at 6 am monday and that is classed as a day off) not to mention the responsibilty with 700 people on most rush hour trains in big citys , If we **** up wee go to jail not the dole queue.
The other thing that has struck me as a scary thing is the fact that on social media whilst 80 percent of people are behind us , 20 percents are of the ’55k , I only make 20 grand doing ‘X’ duty’

^ The point is if the rail workers get 5 percent , everyone has to get 5 percent. As no job is more important than any other and it Is still 4 percent less than inflation.

Rail workers , Bus drivers ,Cleaners , Teachers , firemen , the working man fight the power…..

All my mates now have Eeb’s , well all but one be he is getting a mondraker next month . It does split up the regular rides , in that even when I have been out with them you feel guilty for holding them up . One of mates spent 7.5k on a mondraker with Ohlins , I think although he loves it he now feels it was maybe a bit extravagant and he could have spent it elsewhere. None of them regret the switch though. I have my cyclescheme coming up and would like either the cube or the focus at around 5.5k , If im honest without the scheme I wouldn’t be buying It as its probably more than my car is worth.
So many high end normal bikes for sale on marketplace now and second hand ebikes with no warranty as well.

Safe travels Teej .

Top to bottom the Big Baw stage is immense , the work they have done at the top and the new extension at the bottom are soemthing else. we were sat beside the fire road near the old ending two weeks back and noticed the new bottom bit. Two seconds later Elliot heap and co came out warp speed and gapped the rock sections , made me want to put my bike on gumtree and buy soem lawn bowls.

Real shame , He and Jo Pesci made goodfellas. Rest in Peace henry Hill.

Barcelona for me , for towns I love Nerja east of Malaga as well.

Good on you Teej , Have a blast mate you deserve It.

I had a total mare on saturday and crashed due to a knackered brake on Lower wolf , had to push down RSC due to the brake again fading. Cut along story short Steve at Icycles kindly fixed the brake only for the other one to push the pads out on stage 4 . So didn’t get to ride 5 . Swapped the front brake of my sons bike and made it out Sunday . Sunday was great , Lone Wolf had dried out , Repeat and RSC were good. Had a feed then ventured over to the slog up to Stage 4 which was a mission. Stage 4 was better than the day before but the hardest trail of the day , just couldn’t seem to get going In contrast Stage 5 was amazing . It had enough long fast bits and a few really tight corners and evenb a smallish climb before the cresta corners.
All in all a good day my pals sons were 1 st and 6 th in their classes. I was pretty much where I thought I’d be fairly close to the bottom . Met some nice folks and got a sun tan and a few beers at the end. Does make me realise how much I just love riding the trails normally without someone screaming at me . I’m obviously way slower than I thought but was quite proud to get round the whole course after saturdays nightmare.
Well done Tweedlove , really well organised and good value I thought to be honest

Looks a good wee course , surprised and happy to see it’s not to hard . expected full repeat and a longer or more difficult stage 3 . I thought Big baw would have been stage 3 but im guessing that is getting beefed up for the EWS.
Anyhoo good luck everyone and sorry to who I slow down .