if you live in Buxton you may be fortunate enough to have your carpets fitted by Michael Hunt and your plumbing done by Paul Mycock. Titter titter 😆

Milk choc Hob Nobs for me

Good call Onzadog. I have the soundtrack on vinyl 😆

Hate riding trail centres on the whole because I hate people and all the macho Alpha male "look at my bike" shite that goes with it.

never had that

…climbing walls are dreadful compared to the real thing.

yes, but I don't think this can fairly be compared to trail centres v "natural"

trail centres are great for beginners, or those who want a quick fix,

OR a great place for everyone to improve their skills without having to worry (too much) about a horse plodding up the hill around the blind bend (and let's not get started on the "you should be prepared for anything" argument that has done the rounds many times).

Trail centres are great as is natural riding, but I guarantee I would never have learnt how to jump tabletops coming down Chapel Gate

have ridden several long rides with both Kyle Straits and the Evo ones. Neither are uncomfy, but the Evos aren't "better" than the Straits in any way, shape or form, so save your pennies and stick with the straits

cheers all, especially tim, since if the Skype is naff there's not much point

They're all a bit too 'safe' as well

I'm not sure I agree that trail centres are "safe". If you look at the piccies of "riding gone wrong" in a certain MTB mag, most of the accidents seem to be at trail centres. Even my friends – competent "old skool" riders – have hurt themselves more at a trail centre than on bridleways and the like. Trail centres invoke an air of indestructability. Great fun, but you still make a mess if you fall. Compare that to the Lakes' "natural riding" where most riders on STW would, I guess, err on the side of caution on a new trail rather than assume it can be ridden flat out.

Still, I'm sure this has been debated umpteen times before

I love trail centres – mostly. The swoopy down and along bits are ACE but, whilst not afraid of a hard uphill slog, the "in the trees" fireroads can be dull as ditchwater. The Tarw trail at Coedy is a great example of good bits of trail ruined by too much dull fire-road

…but then there's nothing like getting out the map and following a route

Kids away with Mum so A WHOLE WEEKEND IN SNOWDONIA. Sadly my new wheel is not ready so lunchtime in the workshop swapping old wheels around

You can't have meant the irony since there was no smiley. Come on DezB, this is the internet…
….
…..
……. 😉

this is the kind of question I think up when work is really boring me 🙂

Evening/after work rides tend to be on my own, since it's usually a case of nipping out as soon as opportunity (i.e. kids in bed) arises. If and when I get chance for a longer weekend ride I'd rather go with mates, but I do get frustrated sometimes by the hanging around waiting for others

Ricky's nightclub in Leeds, 1993. 10p a pint. A pint of what I was never quite sure but plenty of poor students – myself included – had a "good night" for a quid.

I was thinking of doing this but can't decide on the XC2 or the XC100. I use rigid carbon forks and want a light, fast and nimble cross-country bike that will be fun and comfy as well. I have a full bouncer for the big rocky duties.

What do folks reckon?

I've done 100k in an Octavia 1.9 TDi, 110k in a Mondeo 2.0 TDCi and have recently gone for a Civic 2.2 CDTi. In all areas but one the Mondeo was better than the Octavia – better handling, faster, comfier (the Octavia I had had seats like concrete). Where the Mondeo fell down was after 120k bits started wearing out and it became costly to keep running. Still drove very well but I couldn't afford to keep it (ask Mondeo owners about dual mass flywheels).

It's early days for the Civic, but first impressions are: good practical load space, looks great, very refined for a diesel, ace panoramic roof, very nice seats and a cool dash. The rear spoiler does has the advantage of hiding headlights, but in an ideal world I'd manage without it thanks. I think the suspension is ace. Yes, it's a tad harsh on the potholes, but you forget that when you're tanking around a corner and it seems very well damped. It's fast in a "don't realise how fast you're going" kind of way, but so far I'd say the Mondeo was more fun and involving.

I agree with younggeoff. You'll find dozens of recommendations forthcoming, but what suits one person may not suit another and you don't say what kind of riding you like. A friend of mine has just returned from a week in Les Arcs, but really didn't enjoy it since it was all uplift. Now she's no stranger to downhilling but she likes to pedal a bit and have a journey on the bike. Horses for courses, so get emailing some companies and find one that will do what YOU want to do and THEN come on here to see if they are recommended.

I was determined to get to Peaty's run and, since I was trying to feed two small boys at the same time, had my "incredible patience" setting activated

I use Zen for my broadband, which is "up to" 8mb. I get near that when speed testing, but I also notice the problem mrmichaelwright describes. When watching the world champs replay on Freecaster earlier this week I had the same 10 secs OK then a couple of secs pause. Oddly, 10/15 minutes of this and it seemed to sort itself out.

Not sure I'd want the mag full of articles about some of the ****ts on here….

ha ha. Ditto 😆

Tricks are often most impressive when explained. I remember the simultaneous games of chess he played against a load of Grand Masters. Basically they were all sat in a circle and he flipped from one to another, beating most of them. All he was doing was remembering the move another GM made and then duplicating it on another table i.e. the Grand Masters were basically playing each other. Very clever and more impressive than the "trick" itself. Now he's gone a bit too showy and I get bored of the build up of most of his tricks

nice to know I've been there, done that, bought the t shirt and found it as big a pain as you 😆

PS don't be alarmed by the effort required to drift out the freehub bearings

is it worth buying high quality NSK or similar bearings or just using the cheaper ones you can get from a bearing supplier?

I have had experience of cheaper bearings not having fine enough tolerances i.e. there is play after fitting them to the axle. Might have been one dodgy bearing, but it's something to be aware of

Edit to my post…I do NOT agree with MattPhotos

I agree with the above comments. I do have a Bluetooth headset which I do sometimes find useful e.g. stuck in traffic and calling the missus to say I'll be late. What scares me though is that even within the law making calls on a phone is distracting. I don't believe for one minute it is the same as talking to someone in the passenger seat. What also bothers me is the number of drivers who pull in at the side of the road in ridiculously dangerous locations just to answer the phone "legally". Idiots

the op basically said 'are you proud to be part of the cycling success story'

Of course as usual on here people fail to read the question and fly off the handle

If you're going to be a pedant and pick apart MY original post, take another look. It wasn't a question, but a simple statement. Granted I hoped and expected it would invoke some positive responses from like-minded people, but instead – as is so often the case on STW – it lured in those who take great pleasure in passing on their apparent bad mood. Thanks

you know, I really thought this post would be a nice catalyst for an "isn't it great to be a cyclist" thread to brighten up our Monday afternoon. Sadly I was mistaken, perhaps on more than one level 😕

Whahey, Robdob too, and surfr. I was wondering if it was just me

Thanks Goan. I'll admit I was expecting a few more "me too" type responses.

I don't have a need to belong to a scene.

It's not about need. I enjoy riding my bike and can remember the first day my big brother let go of me (without stabilisers) and I rode all by myself. 30 or so years later I enjoy it more than ever. The feeling that I'm part of a big scene these days is the icing on a very tasty cake

I'll still get idiots trying to knock me off my bike on the ride home tonight.

they're just happy to see you

nope, but I feel part of a scene that is just blossoming so beautifully (oh, and I can't spell cyclist either)

British Cycling rocks. MacAskill hitting the big time, Peaty winning the World Champs and of course let's not forget our rather talented Olympic team. Makes me proud to be a cyclist 😀

I feel a bit emotional reading that you lot got a bit emotional, STILL not had time to watch the entire replay yet!

I might start listening to Radio 2 in the morning now. Don't really get the obsession with the old geezer. I reckon Chris Moyles might lose listeners as a result

Does it really make a difference?

Er, yes, very much so. A massive difference for me. I guarantee I would get a lot more excited knowing Peaty might win than knowing he has won. In the same way I prefer to read a book if I don't know how it ends, or watch a film when I don't know what's going to happen etc etc

😆

got stung by a wasp for the first time ever yesterday. Not too painful, but I don't react badly. However if the bugger had got one of my boys (aged 1 and 3) then I don't think mummy and daddy would have had a very happy day 😀

cheers T2. Now I know I can't help but feel slightly disappointed

I – until very recently – lived in Buxton so rode regularly all over the Peaks. I would definitely agree with the comments about the White Peak being a more suitable starting point for relative beginners – although avoid the Hollinsclough area. Over in the Dark Peak – particularly around the Hope Valley – there are some tough climbs and very rocky trails. Great fun, but if you've not done much before you could find them tough. (Un)fortunately, being the Peak District I'm afraid you're going to end up doing some climbing