Are BMWs well known for being good looking though?

They’re the conventionally handsome but unremarkable jock to the stunning prom queen that is an Alfa*

*insert your preferred pretty car here

I wonder what the percentage of ‘serious’ MTBs with dropper post is?

Do you mean mountain bikes or mountain bikers?

We’ve been dropping seat posts for as long as we’ve been riding bikes; a dropper post simply makes the process (a lot) more convenient and many of us are prepared to pay for that convenience. They are still a lot of money though, so I can see why people are happy to manage without.

In my day this was the height (see what I did there?) of dropper post tech:

Wow! Was that necessary Gonzy? Wheelies were extremely helpful with me and I didn’t have to go to those lengths to get my money.

I told my insurance company that I couldn’t get an equivalent bike through their preferred partner so they agreed to give me money instead. You could try that tactic, but it might be a little harder since the bike you’ve had stolen is still sold.

+ what Drac said

Cannock

I’ve been to better, more fun trail centres, but none are as close as Cannock and they do a great job with limited elevation. It’s a great option for me when the Peak District is a gloopy mess or when I just fancy something different.

Lol, just undo the QR, whack the seatpost down and enjoy!

I’m sure that was for dramatic effect and you don’t really mean it ;-)

Seriously though, this misses the point which was slammed home to me this weekend at a trail centre. If I’m out in the Peak District it’s not hugely inconvenient to stop and drop my saddle for a descent and put it back up again when I reach the bottom. At trail centres however…

I’ve now decided that slighly dropped is the default position, and it goes UP for climbs, and down for steepness.

Agreed. When at a trail centre, I want it lower for the sinuous, winding singletrack through the trees so I’m not snagging my shorts when cornering. I can’t really be bothered to do that if it means putting the saddle back up when I get to each climb. I just want to keep riding and *that’s* where dropper posts are special.

I’ve had one for 4 years and rave about it to anyone who cares to listen (and some who don’t!), but was surprised at how I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would when it broke. I rode without it at Cannock yesterday – where I previously used my dropper like I use gears – and rode like a lemon*

*it could just be because I’m crap :lol:

I used to love Clarkson/Hammond/May Top Gear, but the scripts were getting tired and increasingly contrived with the sense that none of them really wanted to be there. I watched it because I love watching snazzy cars being driven fast and I enjoyed the extended features. The Grand Tour didn’t really deliver and I gave up after episode 4.

This new TG series looks like it has removed most of what I dislike and done more of what I like. It’s a thumbs up from me. The Star in a Reasonably Fast Car has got promise too.

7.5/10

when I look at new bikes I just think ‘meh’.

^This. Despite my bike being very well scratched and battered, I still love it more than any new bikes I see in the shops or online. I’m like a parent who thinks no kid is as good looking as theirs :lol:

get an idea before parting with your hard earned

I was planning on ordering a selection for home delivery from Chain Reaction, Wiggle or whatever. Plenty of time to try things on without feeling rushed, then send back the ones that don’t fit. That said, there is an Evans 20 mins drive away, so that might be worth a visit.

I’m at the stage where both my mountain bike and road bike are more than good enough for me, so don’t get that excited about new bikes. This is particularly the case with my full susser which – even after 4 years – continues to surprise me in its abilities. It’d cost me a heck of a lot of money to get something better.

I still enjoy reading bike reviews and confess to thinking about a road bike upgrade from time to time, but I’d much rather spend the money on holidays and experiences.

Thanks for all the advice and the link to the old thread. I’m going to order a load of different ones to try. Will let you know how I get on.

Not looking for an MTB helmet specifically. Ideally after a helmet that I can use for both. This is what I had before which was pretty good (and have a removable visor which is important) but can’t find my size in stock anywhere.

Ta. Looking for something less enduro so I can use for road rides with the club without being laughed at

<looks on internet for celebrity break up memes, but gets bored before finding a decent one>

with a 5 perhaps 6 figure balance in the bank

Maybe if you count the numbers after the decimal point :lol:

Met Ratboy a couple of times and a friendlier “celebrity” I have yet to meet. Completely changed my opinion of him when I met him in the flesh. I wish him well in whatever he decides to do.

I was thinking the key might be saddle height

Don’t get me wrong, I think saddle height is very important. It’s just not something unique to a particular type of bike. Some of us oldies have been dropping our saddles on our “XC” bikes for 25 years or more ;-)

but in terms of skill compensators, what makes the biggest difference

Great question. I’ve been pondering it for some time and I’m really not sure, but I’m leaning towards good suspension, well set up.

I have a gut feel for when I’ve just held on for the ride (and survived) and when I’ve actually ridden something moderately well. The latter puts a bigger grin on my face :-)

The real test of skill is what happens when it all goes wrong.

Hit things fast and you’ll float over it all.

That’s how it felt. Not sure if that’s how it looked :lol:

any pics to share?

Sadly not; I was having too much fun :-)

It’s still a hard place to make a great loop since, unless you retrace your steps, you’re going to miss something. For instance we came down Tenterhill from the Booth Farm side, which is a fab descent, but meant walking up the even harder Gollingate descent. We did think about turning around and going south to north, but that means walking up to Booth Farm. Either way it’s a walk unless you’re the most incredibly fit rider with trials skills.

The Coatestown one is easy enough to build into a loop and is probably my fave. After we did that we climbed back up Holinsclough Rake, turning left onto the rocky and steep climb before looping around to come down the longer Limer Rake and that worked OK. Limer Rake is tough though. It’s so loose and rocky at the top; I didn’t manage it without a couple of dabs and a fall into the vegetation at the side :lol:

Looking at it glass half full, there’s always a variation to go back and do on another day :-D

We love this place Barn Farm, Birchover. They have fantastic facilities including a playground, clean and tidy toilet blocks, a shop, a wet weather room, a burger van that comes in the morning for those too lazy to cook their own bacon sarnies and – if you get the right pitch – some fabulous views. The village has two pubs and some brilliant easy walks such as Stanton Moor. The caves behind the Druid Inn are fab for kids to explore and Robin Hood’s Stride is another great place for a walk/play.

Bakewell is a 5 minute drive if you need shops or other entertainment. Highly recommended.

[edit – popular too, so booking is recommended]

As others have said, we really need to know what you’re into. As a great example, Nan Bield is often regarded as a “classic” Lakes ride but, depending on which way you do it, it’s either a lot of carrying or an incredibly technical descent. Similarly High Street is a big, steep, grassy hike-a-bike followed by what can be a pretty average traverse of the ridge. The views on a nice day are ace though, so it might be right up your street (see what I did there?).

Some of the best mountain biking I’ve done in the Lakes has been the lower level stuff, e.g. around Loughrigg and Ambleside area. Not necessarily “big days” out in the hills, but the quality of riding is superb. What are you after?

Presumably she will continue to get birthday/Christmas money and money put aside by you. If so, my recommendation would be a savings account where the money is locked away; there are some pretty good deals out there and it’s amazing how well it builds up over the years, even if only putting small sums away. By the time she’s allowed the money, it could be enough for a car, deposit etc. If child tax credits/benefits and the like are also going in the same pot, even better.

Having only ever won £20 on the Premium Bonds I don’t really see the point in leaving it to chance.

In my experience what happens is that a crash/injury makes me go slower. I then use additional protection (full face, elbow pads, knee pads…) to give me the confidence to get back to where I was before the crash.

I only bought a full facer for MTB because it was mandatory for one of the bike parks I played in a couple of summers back.

I watched the Newslight highlights of Trump’s press conference and Evan Davis’ interview with Gorka and find myself a little torn. Is Trump’s administration playing a blinding – if irritating – game here or are they all just as belligerent and ignorant as each other. On the one hand Trump and his supporters chant “fake news”, whilst the opponents chant “alt-reality”. Is it all just a big smoke screen or is this really the main feature?

I can understand why a lot of people watching it would have felt that Davis “lost” and Gorka “won”, despite my despair at the tactics employed by Gorka. It’s either a much cleverer strategy than I’d given them credit for, or just plain luck that will run out in due course.

Fascinating and terrifying.

Re turbo trainers…

Just a training tool for a sport, not a sport in its own right.

Zwift competitors might beg to differ

I have to say that I suspected some sort of trolling on first reading but the OPs previous posts back up much of the story. It’s easy to forget that we’re not all mechanical wizards or even that we all know enough about bike mechanics to know when we’re being bullshitted on STW every hour of every day.

FTFY

Although if you went there rather than to the Buxton brewery place (who are one of the best craft breweries in the UK right now IMO) you would need your head examined!!

I love the Tap House as a venue, but I’ve never been a fan of Buxton brewery beer and I know plenty of people who feel the same. Horses for courses.

Good suggestions above, with the Tap House, Thai and Pizza Express within staggering distance of the Opera House. If you want to be even closer, the Olde Clubhouse is the other side of the road from the Opera House and has standard, honest pub grub, at least last time I tried.

Aside from the obscene costs, I’m with the OP here. I used to love hitting the man cave of an evening to tinker with the bike, and the only jobs I didn’t do myself were wheels (building/truing) and suspension servicing. Nowadays I’m more inclined to let the LBS do stuff for me and I can conveniently drop the bike in during my lunch. Spannering involves giving up weekends or evenings which is the time that seems to be in increasingly short supply.

DIY maintenance saves a fortune

Very true. I’ve recently resorted to getting the LBS to do some work that in the past I would have done myself, mainly due to wanting/needing to spend my time elsewhere. I’ve no complaints about the work, but labour costs don’t half add up. Maybe my time isn’t as valuable as I thought :lol:

As soon as I saw the new rotors on the list it set alarm bells ringing.

IPA or finishline disc brake cleaner should suffice to get anything off them.

OP, another tip is that even badly contaminated pads can be returned to life with a bit of sandpaper and an hour or two in the oven. Granted it doesn’t solve the root problem of why they are getting contaminated, but it will save you a few quid.

£686 for a 5 month period.

How often do you ride? It might be cheaper to rent or take demo bikes out. Seriously. The bike shop at Cannock Chase, for example, charge £30 to take a demo bike out, refundable on purchase. £686 is nearly 23 demo rides over 5 months; if you’re only riding once a week that easily covers it and that’s before you factor in the purchase cost of the bike.

Granted bike shops might get wise to you taking demo bikes out every weekend ;-)

But then again if they didn’t constantly ram things down peoples throats through advertising and hype, convincing them they did have to watch the show, then there wouldn’t be such a demand to watch things via piracy.

FTFY

Two different things. On the one hand advertising and hype is what film and TV makers do to make you want to watch something. It’s marketing. It’s what businesses do otherwise no one would know about the products they are trying to sell.

On the other hand, once you’ve decided you “must have it”, you have a choice; pay yer money and get the product the legitimate way or get it the illegitimate way for free.

I think batfink’s Australian GOT example is interesting and I empathise with people who don’t want to install a satellite dish and pay huge subs just to watch one TV show. However, the reasons why someone chooses piracy don’t make the piracy any less piratey, or are we now saying two wrongs *do* make a right?

As some have said, you don’t *have* to watch that show #FirstWorldProblem

older kids getting into specific games that you want to buy

Minecraft – do I need Kids Unlimited for that or “open Android”? The boys are already trusted with an “open” iPad.

thanks all. Think I’ll take a punt

How do you get one *without* adverts?

If your ripping off content creators have the balls to admit it. Don’t go hiding behind the technicalities, you want something that people charge money for and your getting it for nothing.

Nicely and succinctly put