Right-o, see you at the main car park (the one just by the main road?) in Edale at 10

I havent commuted to work on my bike for over two weeks and last weekend I spent circa 2.5hours on the bike.

with the exception of the last Peaks Pootle, I don't think I've ridden 2.5 hours in total this year. I keep putting off my night rides knowing I have a "real" ride coming up. I can't say December and November last year were much better.

THIS is the year…just not quite yet 😕

Is that the sofa and a beer calling??

just to add, careful with your choice of replacement bearing. I had similar, replaced the bearing and still there was a little wobble. Changed to another new bearing and it was fine. The moral of this story is that not all new bearings are created equally

So this is what it would look like if Jake and Elwood Blues got on the back of a horse. Excellent!

cynic-al, have I upset you in a previous life or just this post? If you have issues with the ambiguity of my OP, perhaps you should take a look at your first response. As for sarcasm, I'd rather be accused of that, knowing it was tongue-in-cheek, than go around telling people to **** themselves. A touch excessive, don't you think?

Anyway, as per walla24, I'm not sure I want to wait for something to ship from overseas so that rules out the Ay Up and Deal Extreme stuff.

Has anyone ridden the Diablo on the next setting down from Max? Is it any good?

Argh, too many choices. It's a shame there isn't somewhere I could test them.

OP, you didn't state those were requirements

Ah, the charm of STWers. I thought I had suggested I wanted it self-contained. Sorry, next time I will post an unambiguous and detailed functional specification of my needs and requirements before asking for some friendly advice.

To everyone else, cheers for the suggestions. More research this evening methinks…

Looks a good deal, but is not self-contained, not helmet mountable and has dangling wires and a separate battery pack. Apart from that it ticks ALL the boxes 🙄

Que??

Mmm, not "there" yet; that does nothing for me, sorry

TJ, of all people I hoped you would have a sensible answer, but you just couldn't resist, could you 😀

1 pot of Castrol CL
1 pot of Copper grease
1 tube of silicone grease

That pretty much covers my needs

Fine, but back to my question, what gets used where?

The platform clips do help locate your foot in the cleat, more so than "normal" SPDs. You might find that helps enormously – it did for me

I find falling off clipped in, slightly more painful!

If someone hasn't said this already, practice getting out of the clips. Back off the tension a bit if it helps. Personally I find clips no problem if I need to get out in the event of a tumble, but for VERY technical riding where dabs are regular flats are better for me.

i like the adventure articles in ST

+1

Love them. Inspiring. Makes me want to buy a bivvy bag. Is this the year I finally do it?

climbing's great when you're fit, shite when you're not.

+1

After a couple of poor issues at the end of last year (yep, the interview edition did little for me, too) I thought this one was really good. I'd rather a thin mag with good articles than one that is 50% ads that gives me wrist ache (er, you know what I mean 😆 )

Don't know if you've used "proper" flats but you may surprise yourself with how grippy and secure they are

could I take one half off and have one way up for clipped in and the other for unlipped

no no no. As many have already pointed out, this is a disastrous compromise. I tried it for a while. The non-clipped side offers next to no grip if you are wearing cleats. The clipped side is a pain to get into because there's only one of them. As someone said above, they've OK if you want one bike that can be used clipped and unclipped for different rides (e.g going to the shops in your trainers) without changing pedals but are no good otherwise

The 'nothing else in the bike bag' is completely new for me

had this a few times, but never been made to repack it…yet (touches lots of wood quickly)

I've noticed that my feet on the flats move around quite a bit

Really? I find proper spiked flats offer no movement other than up and off

s'alright. Looks a bit cheap and tacky

Mmm, sounds like a good excuse to have another bike, kept permanently at the in-laws place near Granada. I reckon the wife might buy into that 😆

Other than pure bloody idleness what reason is there not to write the correct address on and stick it in the postbox?

Indefinitely? This is not just a bit of junk mail but important post. I feel aggrieved that it is falling on my shoulders to deliver someone else's post. Yes, I'd be very grateful if someone did it for me and I hope the people in question are grateful too, but I'd bloody well get my backside in gear if I knew my solicitor was sending post to somewhere I no longer live. What if they move again? Maybe they already have? Surely then it's better to return to sender?

I use All Save who may be worth a look

😆

Sometimes it seems like a good deal, eh? 😯

just giving this a bump for the Monday morning crew's advice

I'm sure it will be lighter than the lump of metal and soggy springs that calls itself a bike that is currently her (un-ridden) steed.

Not sure where I sit with this. My gut instinct is "live and let live". We all enjoy being in the countryside, some of us on foot, some on pedals and some on an engine. The powered brigade have fewer and fewer places to go…

…BUT in the same way that some bridleways don't easily accept walkers and mountain bikers (e.g. coming down Cave Dale on a bike can be a nightmare negotiating the technical difficulties AND the many walkers), the same can be argued for motorbikes. I've nearly been taken out by a motorbiker when riding around Hollinsclough. He was entitled to be there but wasn't being very considerate of other users of that ROW and it was me who ended up on my arse in the hedgerows. I know, I know, there are always going to be idiots, but my point is that some trails are simply not big enough to be mixed use. I guess that is the argument for some footpaths remaining for feet only.

1 & 1 here. Big company, lots of good deals

I do like the look of the Spesh but I still can't get over the spec of the Kraken. The model I saw had Conti Speed Kings on, which are a pretty light tyre I think. Sram X5, Tektro Auriga hydraulic disks, Truvativ crankset, Suntour XCR fork and under £400.

Ideally I'd like something lighter for her, but beggars can't be choosers and all that.

Seriously tho', that Jhelisa track is a bit Marmite. I don't know if it was my laptop speakers but it sounded like a tape that was getting chewed up

Checked them all out TJ and to be frank, you're wrong. Alicia Keys is fitter than all of them 😆

I thought this looked good value

I should add I'd prefer to buy local(ish). I'm based in Leek, Staffordshire

Saw her on Jonathan Ross last week or the week before. She is gorgeous 8)

15mph on the road in the Peak District. Off road I have absolutely no idea, but it is a lot slower (obviously)

…people who climb with their head down wandering from one side of a trail to the other…

… desperately trying to clean that climb they've always struggled to do, only to be bullied off the trail by a loon hairing down towards them with gravity on their side

Sound about right what about natural stuff and the rider who is struggling up the tech single track and the rider bombing down ?

You should give way to the uphill rider in my view. If you're lucky enough they might stop to let you hammer past, but it's easier to stop and restart going down than going up.

throw a bit of talc down my chest pre-ride, eh?