5.5 miles, 167M ascent, 13.1 MPH average.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/31421941

I've not ridden a Five, which probably makes me just as well qualified to post on this subject as I'm an ST4 owner. It's an amazing bike. A real hooligan toy in the singletrack. People say it feels like a bigger bike but I'd not know as I've never ridden larger. I do know I've not used all the travel knowingly and I don't hang about. It was my first FS after hard tails and I fly down the hills with so much more confidence now. If you live abroad and ride alps every day, then get a bigger bike bud I live in the mountains of mid wales where the riding is rocky and loose (think Dyfi Enduro) combined with trail centre smooth. It excels in the UK conditions.

Lake Vernwy Hotel and Spa. We went a couple weeks ago over half term for 2 nights. Gorgeous hotel and surroundings. I'm local to Mid Wales and the resevoirs and lakes around here but I was still taken aback by the views. I just stared out of the window half the time:

Plenty riding in the area. 12 mile pancake flat loop around the lake with bike hire from the cafe or many wonderful roads for road biking. I did 2 1.5 hour loops. One out to the Athertons valley in Llangynog but I think they'd left for Fort Bill. Another loop I went on the cross bike up into the hills then down and around the lake.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35549421
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35549469

Good going! Nowxlook forward to an eternity of trying to better your time.

I'm still finding my feet but I tend to sprint for 30M or so out of the start then sit down and keep a low cadence. Concentrate hard on good peddling technique (perfect circles and maintain pressure throughout). Do all that you can to maintain a good aero position. I've not got TT bars yet so I just stay in the drops throughout. Try to keep knees and elbows in and stay low. If you are doing it right, you'll slot into the zone and just stare at that bit of tarmac 5M infront of your wheel as you grind it out, mouth gaping and sucking in air like a Dyson.

Me not looking very aero at all a few weeks ago.

I've since dropped the stem and improved technique and taken 90 seconds out of my PB, so I must be doing something right.

Ashley MacIssac – Wing Stock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPfEntyxJTg

New Order – Confusion Remix (from Blade)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udn51qJwDvY

I think it's the progressive build up in both tracks which finally unleashes something for me. I notice both tracks are around 10 mins long, but are very different styles of music!. Wonder if there's something in the length.

My first 2 cats came from a local rescue home. After a year, one left. He was never very sociable compared to the other cat. Both were neutered males. The week he left, there was a letter in the local paper from a distraught woman around the corner, complaining about a dog off the leash who had mauled a grey cat on the playing field opposite her house. I figured it must have been our 'Smokey' and continued about our lives. 6 months later he comes back through the catflap one afternoon. I had to take photos of him and compare them to old photos as he's grown a fair bit. All the markings matched up though. It was our Smokey. He only stayed a few days and then left never to be seen again. I've since sold the house to my cousin who says he's not seen him since. When I moved, 'Bandit', the other cat moved with me. We moved to a bungallo next door to my parents and he soon learned that if he popped next door to my parents during the day, he would get extra food. He still lives there now!

Smokey:

Bandit:

Now we have 2 new cats who seem happy enough to live with us. We had a spell when all the cats in the neighbourhood thought that our conservatory was a little cat hostel, but they don't seem to come back so much now. I'm sure some of them would have moved in if they could.

New permanent residents, Leo and Flash (rescue home's names, not ours):

Swimming 1 – 4 times a week for fitness rather than competition

Lapsed interest in hill walking, orienteering, canoeing, kayaking, dinghy sailing, windsurfing, and climbing.

PSP22 and Go here on most rides. Can't say I've had any stomach problems either luckily.

re the Crosslight. cheaper groupset and wheelset for 30 quid less than the Jake (with the carbon fork like the jake has)

Just noticed this on google reader a minute ago. might be of use

http://www.bikemagic.com/gear-news/top-five-500-hardtails/8140.html

I can't stress highly enough how much love I have for my 2010 Jake the Snake. I use it for long XC routes, mixed road and off road, trail centre, road time trials and this weekend I'll be doing the Tour of Pembrokeshire on it. It's just so versatile and fits me like a glove.

Most of the front end height was in the stem and stackers when I got mine. With a bit of adjustment I managed to drop it to road-bike levels and like others, I keep a second wheelset for road only duties.

Before and After bar drop:

Out and about in Mid Wales:

RRP is 1025 at present (was 1000 before VAT increase). I'd buy another tomorrow.
Shimano 105 is bombproof and the Kona and FSA finishing kit is great. Mavic AksiumRace wheels are a bonus too.

Check the credits for the music. Lots of welsh artists.

on the Aksium, It's there for 10 speed cassettes. Surprisingly, the 8/9 speed cassettes are actually wider than the 10sp!

I imagine it's something similar with 9/8 speeds on the MTB wheelsets.

It's been working fine here for ages but I noticed I was getting errors on the homepage.

Direct link to stream if you need to bypass the front page

http://freecaster.tv/live/mtb/1011049/uci-mtb-world-cup-dhi-2-fort-william

Rob Warner is kind of a marmite commentator, I love him. Adds some fun to the early hours of the racing then goes mental during the faster runs. All good fun

Another vote for the Jake the Snake for 1K but be aware that it's 1025 notes now since the VAT raise. I just payed the excess in cash

I thought it was more to do with the number of unsurfaced roads in North America. Car Bras are very good at protecting a car from massive stone chip damage.

I love my speed kings but they wear in about 2 months if you do a lot of tarmac. I've now got 2 wheelsets, one with slicks and one with speed kings for the more off-road jaunts.

If I only had to have 1 set of tyres though, I'd still get the speed kings as they are fast rolling on road and great off road and I get cheap Contis…

I just started taking them and fish oils after this thread of mine a week or so ago:
http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/crunching-clicking-popping-aching-joints

I ordered from zipvit and took advantage of their intro offer again for some cheap recovery and energy bars, a bottle and some pills.

http://www.zipvit.com/cgi-bin/popupprod3a1.pl?cartnumber=1525c&currency=&prodcode=A30g

and the cheap intro offer:

http://www.zipvit.com/cgi-bin/popupprod3a1.pl?prodcode=A383&cartnumber=1525c&currency=Pounds%20Sterling

Too early to say if they are having an effect but right now, the symptoms seem reduced at least. I bought a years supply to give it an honest go.

My '09 malt 2 was 27.2 too.

:D

I got my first, a 2010 Jake the Snake back in February and I can't stop grinning. They are awesome fun for long road rides, short trail centre blasts, long all day XC. You name it, they're fun at it. I use mine for commuting and club time trials too. Spare set of wheels shod in slicks makes it ultra versatile.

Out and about somewhere in the Cambrian Mountains

Slicks and flipped the stem and removed a stack of spacers for last nights time trial

We're getting this to replace the current skate park

Gorse totally smells like coconut doesn't it! I was amazed. Only just noticed as this is my first proper year on the bike out in the hills breathing hard and I smoked until 2 years ago today (yay me).

Also noticed a wonderful smell of foxgloves when riding up a lane lined in thousands of them.

They are so well made and hard wearing, as well as being very well thought out for storage and access. I've had a base tracker and an other I forget the name of. The laptop one is still in use now 8 years later and in perfect condition.

I tried some last year and rather than repel, it just swamped the blighters. I found loads of them dead on my arm at the end of the ride but I'd not felt them at all.

Yeh It seems a bit buggy with regards to using an iPhone and Garmin Connect. The app tells me I did 36MPH and I saw 35MPH on the speedo so I know that's accurate enough.

Cheers :) fastest guys were going about 55 or so. I was getting overtaken on the descents while doing 35MPH. The boys with more than 48 tooth and TT bikes/bars were able to really let it go. Fair play!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33844301

Summarises my current love of my cross bike. It's like mountain biking back in the early 90s again.

my first hilly (611m elevation gain) 22 tonight. Usually just do the club 10s but thought I'd try a longer distance for once. Aimed to go under 1:20 and did it in 1:13:47 so happy enough. Conditions were perfect. Knobblies now replaced with slicks thanks to a spare wheelset from Ton and a cassette from Mr Terrahawk this week.

Sometimes Baggies make sense, even in a race. Here's Sir Nick Craig at this years Dyfi Enduro feed station

2010 Kona Jake the Snake and the location is on the 'Joe's Back Yard' route near the Hyddgen Ford.

NE corner of this route
http://www.ystwyth-mtb.co.uk/gallery/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=8

I'm not talking about wearing the teflon ones in heavy rain or on the road. I was just extolling their virtues off road. As I said, I've 3/4 waterproof shorts for when it's really pouring down.

The teflon treated nylon on my humvees (I looked them up) is pretty good at repelling water. Hardly like wearing thick cotton for example.

I've a pair of 3/4 waterproof baggies for REALLY wet muddy rides, and a pair of Singletracks (well the ones with the liner I forget the name of) for damp rides. The extra water resistant layer stops you getting a soaking arse from the get-go. Usually though I'd opt for lycra. I wear lycra on the road and the only thing in my jersey pockets is a phone and wallet/cash. Tube, Multi tool, Gel, Tyre Levers, in the saddlebag, small pump on downtube bottle cage mount. You barely notice it, though I'm considering trying CO2.

Juan:

Well i do carry a pump I just forget about it. Dear njee, considering that I was already mtbing while you were still w@nking over the lingerie pages of an argos catalogue and that I live on the Alps I think I am a bit better than you at arguing what is usefull on a MTB ride.

Just wanted to save that playground rebuttal for posterity.
:lol:

Did you not get an itunes voucher for 18.40 then?

I came hooning through Hippity Hop yesterday afternoon to find 2 kids stopped in the middle of the bloody trail. They looked a little shocked to see a grinning fool quite airbourne on a cross bike heading straight for them. Managed a cheery 'hello' as I flew past them :) Nice videos :) I really goaa get me a GoPro at some point.

I've just ponied up the cash for a years worth of Glucosamine Sulphate 1500mg and Fish Oils+ Omega 3 at zipvit . I'd been meaning to try this approach for a while anyway.

Merlin for 1st
LBS for 2nd

I'll use LBS again in future.

Rox t-shirts to go with aforementioned bula hats. Oakley frogskins are back already. Let's make it happen!