It’s a road bike. A couple of hours grinding around dull B-roads is likely to give you a blue helmet isn’t it?

marginal gains innit.

I have been running a pro2 rear in the lakes for 2 years with 5 then 4 bolts (because I am hamfisted). Been fine for everything from weekly rocky descents to the EWS/UK GE.
Im 92kg and use the brakes quite a bit.

Updated to add:
I would be more worried about the rotors than the hub, I did hear an anecdote about someone trying the 3 bolt weight saving trick with a set of the formula discs these ones… and it all going horribly collapsy.

I’m liking my steel “winter trainer” frame, built it up as a general dark side bike, been comfy over longer lakes rides (50miles+), and seems fast (set a 24 minute 10 mile TT time on it on my first TT ride). I am a bit of a sucker for the thin tubes, deep rims look. The fit and finish on the frame is impressive given the price.

[/url]1394467_10151681551952136_1307027805_n by Super Dan[/url], on Flickr[/img]

I went through a phase of pulling the threads out of Shimano cranks like that (4 or 5 times in a year), until I started buying the SLX doubles which have a steel insert, hasen’t happened since (3 years).

Strava record of a run on a moving cruise ship is getting on for aeroplane on a conveyorbelt isn’t it?

I had a 02 Transit cheapish second hand from 2008ish for 4 years, bought it with 125k on the clock, sold it with 240k on the clock. It had a couple of issues like the big octopus coolant pipe dieing with a leak about once a year, but the rust was depressing, it rottted.
Eventually flogged it with a suspected failing head gasket and bought a 56 plate Trafic for similar money (4k ish). Electric windows, aircon (especially for driving to the Alps in the summertime). Its great, I reckon its about 6 inches smaller width, height and length wise which makes parking and country lanes easier, but still seems bigger inside than the T5s I’ve gotten changed in the back of. Does 38mpg, 6 speed box makes it much quieter on the motorway. If it dies I’ll be tempted to buy another, but at the moment I’m struggling to work out if it’s worth it, it has no rust on it at all, so in theory if I replace suspension and the engine when they get worn it will run forever?

Both of these vans are/where white, which I can see looking a bit chavvy if that is something you get worked up about (it has looked a big Big Fat Gypsy Wedding turning up at friends weddings with it when we have bikes and surfboards with us), but there are two big upsides: totally invisible to traffic wardens once you have engaged the cloaking device/hazard lights and white vans stay cooler in the sun, so I can leave food and things in the back in a race field and not have then cook themselves.

It’s awesome to hear about some positive outcomes. It looks like I might get away with no surgery, apparently the fractures aren’t as blown out as they might be, which is good news :)
Managed to use a bedpan earlier, having not pooed for 3 days (crashed on sat morning before I had had a chance to drop the kids off). It all went a bit Glastonbury portaloo :( nothing focuses the mind as you are hanging on to a monkeybar suspended above the bed starting to shake as you attempt to keep the weight off your sore hip, feeling the rapidly growing pile touch your arse. Boo.

Hmm facing up to having to use a bedpan. Googled “how to take a s*** laying down”. This looks messy and awkward

Awesome, thanks guys. I’ve got a acetabular fracture (spelling?) which apparently is a fracture of the hip joint socket. Will see what the specialist suggests on Monday, good to see people getting back to full strength. I had acl surgery on my knee a couple of years back, which taught me to appreciate good physio and doing what they asked.

What to do with the free time then? A drone maybe. How good/bad is Lego mindstorms stuff?

I had a great weekend racing at Bala because I was getting peer pressured a bit into having a go at stuff I would normally wibble around.

Fun times. Video related

Slight hijack (sorry). A guy I saw at the weekend (Pearce DH race, but bike was a recent Spec Enduro) had a non-CS DB Air, with a nice little machined lever added to the LSC so I assume he could reach down and send it a couple of clicks closed for climbing.
Has anyone seen these little levers for sale?

Mike, I think “It’s not about the bike” now counts as fiction, which is a shame as it was quite an inspiring read at the time.

“We Die Alone” came highly recommended. It is good.

Fine, as usual it is grippier when it’s actually raining, couple of big branches about sticking into the trails, but didn’t come across any total obstructions last night.

Thanks for the replies all. Getting a guide is a good idea then, rather than gurning at Strava and winging it?

Foel Gasnach?

I am running XT levers with the Zee (4-pot, like Saint) calipers on my DH bike. Works great (though is backwards to what you want). As above surely your way round plenty of fluid for (potentially) less volume in the caliper?

Should be fine!

If it doesn’t require lots of wrenching (bad option for pedal/bb changes) just hang the nose of the saddle over the horizontal bar on the stand, near the clamp? Bike is suspended and no clamping required. Simple?

Up the Devil’s Staircase from Glencoe, drop down to the Blackwater dam, scoot across the bottom, down the Ciaran (sp?) Path into Kinlochleven.

:D

As Hora points out, while I love the elbows up argy bargy racing stuff, it isn’t for everyone, there is a solid chance you will have you, or your bike smashed by someone else making a stupid error.

Practice flat gravelly corners.

I’ve ridden the track (outside of race week) on a hardtail – Cove Stiffee, 150mm Bombers, its fine, keep in mind you will be in a queue for most of the race, so it is mostly a case of trying to get the power down to overtake. Raced it twice. The start of the qualifier is the most exhilarating bit for me.
Bike park below the lift on a hardtail:
[/url]
DSC_0662[/url] by Super Dan[/url], on Flickr

Made the back of the main event the second year I did it, overtook like 200 people. Being very fit helps, the people on DH bikes run out of steam by the meadow above ADH.
Fit a dropper post.

I thought older Kaffenbacks (not sure about the newer ones) were steel, and therefore wouldn’t have a seperate mech hanger?

edit: Like this:

Transits (had 2 – a 2002 and a “classic” smiley face) rust like crazy. Having fairly good luck with a 56 plate Trafic so far, nicer to drive, space for 3 in the front, galvanised body, so no rust at all (so far). 38mpg too, which is nice.

My girlfriend has a 2008 1.6D, I drive a Renault Trafic for putting muddy bikes and dog in. It drives well on long trips, we managed 4 + Skis/Snowboards up to Cairngorm (3 and a bit hours each way) in reasonable comfort. I like that it feels like a go-kart to drive compared with the van and the integrated dog-net thing stops it wandering about too much, but it is tiny inside for the length (her bike + lurcher is pushing it even with the seats down), there is something flapping (engine cover maybe) at 60mph. Also, the DPF, WTF? It’s all a bit razorblade/printer cartridge business model like for my tastes.

I’ve done two full DH seasons (including a few BDS rounds) and a week in morzine on a pair of the cheap superstar DH rims, laced onto my Hope Pro 2 Hubs. Been fine, now looking a little tatty so might treat myself to a new pair. They are rebadged Alexrims.

Im 92kg and ride like a total thug.

Yeah, you might be better off looking at Dent and Cold Fell area, some nice riding. Or as Mike says, make it the extra 5 mins from Whinlatter to Keswick and join the Tuesday night ride starting at 6:30

I got a chest bump from a Mr Gracia for this…

good times.

Dan

NDH track at Alwinton. Attempt 1: 2010. Dislocate knee. Spend a week off work. ACL rebuild, year off racing.

Attempt 2: 2012: Brilliant weekend killing my demons…

Also the scree down from Skiddaw to Ullock. Not crazy steep, but entertainingly loose…

Yeah, just been digging back through Andy’s Blog, sad times. He got some kit from these guys: http://www.ostomyarmor.com/
It depends on what you ride, but a belt like that is more aimed at MX type stuff isn’t it?

His blog is here:
http://ileostomy.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/half-way-through-and-some-cheeky-biking/
It gets a bit sad at the end :( but might be worth a browse.

A good friend of mine (no longer with us unfortunately) had a similar problem post bowel surgery, and managed to find an armoured stoma bag thing that he seemed to think would prevent any issues. He just wore it under his jersey.

The big upside for me of moving from 888 RC2X to Boxxer Race was that Rockshox actually make different spring rates available, so I could set the fork up for my 92kg self a lot better.
I ended up fitting an Avalanche cartridge though, as the Race is a little basic damping wise.

I’m missing the old Sombrio Thrust jerseys. Some of the Royal kit is ok

The thing putting me off this event, versus the one in November last year (which is one of the best events I have ever done I think, brilliant trails) is the number of midgies that live around Kinlochleven. I imagine that you won’t want to be standing still at any point all weekend in June.

Rode Devils Staircase/Kieran Path with some friends in August last year, and the little blighters were everywhere, it made it pretty unpleasant.

I just got a an X-firm Dual position coil from TF: http://www.tftunedshox.com/Catalogue/Shop-RockShox/RockShox/Sektor-Parts

Mine have been really good, apart from the times I usually have problems with glasses, long slow sweaty climbs in the drizzle. Tend to just stick them on for fast descents in those conditions, other than that, surprisingly scratch resistant compared with the usual pikey’d from work Bolle Safety specs etc.

Im entered, looking forward to it, but waiting with baited breath, sat at home this weekend as Pearce race was called off and ski tow is storm bound :(

Boxxer race by any chance? If so, the top right one should sit inside the compression side lower, top of the hat facing down, its normally painted in place.
Not sure about the rest, probably related. May not be important, re-add the top hat and re-assemble and see if any oil leaks out?

I fitted an avalanche cart to upgrade my 2011 Boxxer Races last week. Awesome, but got stung on import duty. Shame there isn’t a UK importer.

Have caught my shorts on the Top adjuster a few times, but it looks like the Fox 36 cart uses the fox knobs, so will not be an issue for you.

We take a rescue lurcher out with us, mostly trail centres as less roads, though we have successfully ridden some natural stuff around us in the lakes.
Being a lurcher he is more of a sprinter, so gets a bit knackered on longer rides, Glentress Red is about his limit (we did this yesterday).
He _loves_ downhilling with me up in our local wood, the 15mins up, 2 mins down sprint thing suits him much better.

He does like to chase deer a bit, so we have to be careful. Sheep are not a problem after some training.

I’ve been running the AM 490 rims (built up myself onto my ancient Pro-II hubs) on my Morewood Mbuzi and they have stood up to 18 months of Lake District abuse, and a week of being pasted in Lake Garda. For 20 quid an end, bang on, and lighter than the MTXs I was using before.

I have their DM stem on my DH bike, it hasen’t cracked and I haven’t died after a season of racing, so it seems good too.