I'll keep an eye open for you when I'm there with my kids. I wonder at what age it's ok to take your kids to GT. Our oldest has been going since he was 4 give or take. Talking to Tracey about the kids club a while back and she said they had them as young as five. I don't see how its slowclimbs responsibility to be aware of everything going on behind him. If I'm catching somebody on a descent I hang back or stop or give them a shout if its safe to do so.I'd rather be the one letting them know that I'm there than watch somebody have a crash because they are trying to be aware of stuff going on behind them. I had a similar experience on Good Game a couple of months back where some guy barged past myself with our youngest on the back then proceeded to barge past four kids and three adults without a word of warning. A quick shout from him and we could have and would have happily moved over from him. All part of good trail etiquette as far as I can see. Of course some folks on here are just like Jack Russell terriers, a bit yappy and just like starting fights.

Nevermind psychle you can always look forward to getting back to winning ways when you come up to Scotland. Its been good listening to the Aussie commentators talking about everything but the match.

I use LX with short chainring bolts and an ON-ONE spacer kit. Only mistake I made was putting the chainring on the wrong side of the spider, doh. On the correct side the chainline is pretty good.

I think good tyres with plenty of grip are more important than low weight. She'll be less aware of extra weight if you take your time and don't FOOB (last three words are off on bike, I'll let you guess the first). My other half doesn't like feeling the tyres moving around in directions they don't go when road riding. I forget this as I'm so used to normal MTB riding sensations, sliding, drifting etc. She also doesn't like the idea of falling off onto stones and rocks. Start small and easy but fun, the bike won't matter so much until you start to do harder stuff and hopefully by then she'll be hooked. Of course once she's hooked what'll you do whe you want a bit of peace and quiet :D

Have you htought about borrowing or hiring a bike for her to try before taking the plunge. We got a TREK 4500 for my other half and the only problem with it is the coil fork which is to heavy for her. An air one would have been better.

Spooky wood is at the top of the red. Picnic tables at the start of it so you can have a seat and admire the view. Loads of table tops and berms and a few jumps/drop offs. Try looking it up on YOUTUBE.

May be brighter, not necessarily better. As you say you've got to consider things like customer service etc. When I bought mine I think AYUP were offering to upgrade when better LED's when they became avaliable and do it at a reasonable price.

More variety on the Glentress red. I like that you can do Spooky Wood and then you are straight into something which feels totally different. Climbing is less painful at GT also. Unless you like to do a ride without seeing another sole then I've never found GT too busy unless folks are talking about the Cafe.

I think they are referring to the latest generation of LED lights which are brighter (more lumens). For me the AYUPS are plenty bright enough. Some folks seem hell bent on getting brighter and brighter lights.

You thinking of just running the one lightset? I use the narrow on my helmet. If your HID has a broad spread then get a narrow for your helmet. Looking at the website they still have a few of last years kits for the single lightset and its a bit cheaper.

As said above, get the VG book. I was recently in the Lakes and if time is tight then Grizedale is worth a visit as there is plenty of stuff for the family to do. Great ice cream. The only downside to the NFT was the amount of forest road but I liked the singletrack. I would have liked to do the bridleways but I didn't really have the time to keep stopping and checking the map, but if you have the time there's lots on Grizedale in the above book.

I've had mine for a year and they are great. Personally i like the mounts, I just put mine on and have left them on all year and zip ties are cheap to buy if you do want to take them off. Mounting the battery on a helmet is a bit fiddly but still better than having it in a rucksack. New Gecko mount probably sorts this out. I was amazed when I squished one of the lights recently after a head on collision with a tree but after an email to Oz a replacement light is in the post. It is going to have a slightly wider beam than the intermediate that I was using so should make the set even better. I find mine more than bright enough, I like to feel that I'm riding at night and I feel that it improves your skills riding in less light than daylight.

I've had my Ayups for almost a year and have never felt underpowered or that they cost too much. You get a lot for your money, including excellent customer service. I just bounced mine off a tree and ovalised one of the lamps. Contacted them not expecting any help and they asked me to send them back for repair or replacement.

How did you get on in the Pents Amos? I'd agree with Kit, if I only rode the Pents I'd probably get bored too. It helps a lot if the trails are fairly dry. Black Hill was great fun last week as was Phantom's Cleugh. I typically don't ride the Pents more than twice a month and mix it up with rides at Glentress or in the woods at home.

I've had the Edbikeco-op one too and has done well for quite a few years. I've broken the plastic clip which holds the chuck/hose but apart from that its solid. I chuck it in the van on every road trip without worrying about it.

I went there with the family and had a quick spin as I didn't have time to do a ride with map stops. Did the same at Grizedale. Really wanted to do the Bridleways in the forest but when I weighed up the time I had I thought the North Face loop would be better value. Why have they not added anymore singletrack? The stuff thats there is good but got fed up with all the forest roads.

Get the AA truck stop and cafe book. No more crap, overpriced, overcrowded motorway services. 43,234,123 tourists? You shouldn't have walked down the Royal Mile while the festival is on!

I did it a few weeks ago and thought it was ok, but like a lot of places they just seem to be copying what has gone before. I thought the climbs which seemed to cling to the hillside were great, I think that was the North Loop. A couple of problems were poorly positioned features. One for example was a drop off that was ideal for doing at speed but it was next to a sign telling you to give way for a footpath. I was really enjoying the descent, again I think it was the North loop, very fast and flowing but I felt they spoiled this by putting in the obligatory table tops and a triple. I found it a bit hard to spot these as it was very(unusually for this year)sunny. I also did the blue with my family and we felt the surface of this was a bit rough for beginners. I'd rather have a narrower smooth trail than a wide rough one for beginners, less of an eyesore and more fun. They're not bad trails but if I lived down that way I doubt I'd do any man made stuff. Good cafe and shop though, great views too.

I love my 456 and never had any problems with their service. Had it for nearly two years.

I'd be jealous of all these people riding during the week if I wasn't finishing early tomorrow and going to Glen Affric.

Our oldest is now six and he comes trailbuilding at Glentress and has just done some proper rocky stuff in the Lakes. I was so chuffed to see him riding over proper tennis ball sized rocks. Didnt matter that I was walking with our youngest on my back.

Happy- The Rolling Stones (and the rest of Exile On Main Street isn't bad)

Tried a few but none better than XT/XTR for the price.

Aye, don't forget the sunblock and some change for an ice cream.

I use a 30 Salsa one and its fine. Didn't on-one do a clamp that looks like a salsa job?

Def one to do for the future.

As Horse said. I've got both books, the main difference is that Kenny Wilsons book just covers north of the central belt. But there is only four or five routes from the south in the other book. There is quite a bit of duplication between them as well. How about starting at Drumlanrig. NOt far of the M6 and you could have a big day in the hills or go for a wee ride in the woods at Drumlanrig. Also they have showers and a cafe there. It will take you best part of a day to drive there. Then head up the west if the weather is good spend a day or two around Fort William and then up to Torridon/Applecross/Gairloch. Then head East to Aviemore/Cairngorms. A good general guide book is Scotland the best by Pete Irvine, I think he's the guy responsible for Hogmany in Edinbrgh and the outsider a couple of years ago. We used it for our holidays a couple of years ago when we went Applecross and Gairloch and it was a great help especially for cafes.

We just stayed at the Great Langdale NT campsite. Old Dungeon pub across the road, loads of walking and cycling possibilities and a pretty good campsite. Not the cheapest and a slightly complicated pricing structure but good showers and a good wee shop. Don't know about the isles but we stayed at Applecross campsite and Big Sands at Gairloch three years ago. Both excellent.

Looks like I need to get up to Stirling.

Rode the Nibbler on Wed night, great fun. Any clues to the other tracks. Could show you some good tuff in Midlothian in return. :wink:

AYUPS, very light and loads of battery life. Comes with an in car charger too. And you have lights on your bars and helmet.

Not keen on buying anymore Endura stuff at the moment although they do look good.

Oh well, the less in the Pents the better!!

If you're bored in the Pents then you aint riding the right bits.

We use a Hamax sleepy. Use it beause it mounts on the seat tube instead of bolting onto the stays. Also has a bit of give/suspension and our little one has no probs falling asleep in it.

I wouldn't bother with Glentrool, Ae or Newcastleton. Of the others Kirroughtree is great but the furthest away. I'd do it then stay somewhere nearby and do Mabie and Dalbeattie on the same day. Drumlanrig is not a Stane but is worth a visit. When did you last do Glentress? There is always new stuff being built there, more so than anywhere else. There is also lots of stuff there thats not on the maps. Easy to do it or Inners in an evening.

Not broken but definately spoilt their looks. Wondering if it may have damaged any kind of seal.

Anybody damaged their AYUPS? I bounced mine of a tree last night, stem bolts are now stuffed full of bark, and turned one of the lamps egg shaped. They still work but couldn't tell if the beam pattern was affected or not. Just wondered if there was any chance of getting them replaced as they say they are indestructable on the website.

I ordered a book from abebooks last year and never got it, had to contact the credit card company to get my money back. Great route tho'. If you can't get Kenny Wilsons book Phil McKane's book shares a lot of the routes.

I've had a few problems with their stuff which included a pair of Humvees where four of the six zips broke. When I emailed them and suggested I might have to try Altura next they suggested they didn't use such good quality zips. I'm not sure the lady that replied even read my original email properly. The list includes another pair of humvees where the stitching is going, a pair of 3/4 bibs where the pad disintegrated and a jacket where the tape came off the seams. Oh yeah and the zip broke on that too. And the elastic waist adjuster is no longer elastic. Dodgy sizing with liner shorts too. Got a short sleeve top thats Ok tho..