Nope. That’s for the SideCarrier which looks rather funky.

They also make a chainstay attachment

Molgrips, is that a chainstay attachment for a Cougar2? If so, please post details as i’m having trouble finding on compatible with the square tube hitch arm that i’ve got. thanks.

And another one

meesterbond, Spotify streams at a higher bit rate that Napster.

The Spotify servers seem pretty solid where as the Napster ones have been slow or dropping connections since November.

Spotify premium also lets you download 3000 tracks to 3 different devices (like an iPhone) for offline listening, which is very good. Just need to connect to WiFi within 30 days to validate your lisence.

NB: you can stream Spotify to multiple Sonos zones simultaneously.

if you only want ot stream spotify to 1 room, Sonos might be over kill. A PC/laptop and AirPort Express would be a much cheaper option.

Sonos offers loads more like internet radio streaming, zone-synching, playlists, NAS support etc. You’ll def find Sonos a lot more benificial if you have a NAS with all your music, podcasts and playlists available.

NB: you can only stream from Spotify premium one location at a time. i.e. Spotify/Sonos streaming on Sonos will be paused if you start streaming on iPhone/Spotify at the same time (unless you are in Offline mode). Also, the Sonos/Spotify interface is exceedingly basic.

A genuinely awesome bit of kit.
Some Richer Sounds stores have a demo, with a few zones, set up. Worth popping in there for a play around.
BTW, dont buy the remote. Use the iPhone/Ipod Touch app instead.

yet another case of wrist guards simply not working

The use of wrist guards is a strange one. The wrist is a bit of a crumple zone for the arm.
So on small crashes, wrist gaurds will save your wrists.
On large crashes, wrist guards will increase the risk of a big injury, where as no guards would let your wirst crumple (which is preferable to a big bone snap).

BTW, after a big bone snap, I no longer wear wrist guards. And have learnt to fall better!

HL 5 Spot here. Only had room for one bike so needed something that would be a good all rounder (from XC to weeks lift assisted in the Alps). Very pleased with it.

sizing: 5’11. Medium with a short stem if great. Need decent technique on tech climbing but very good fun on decents.

Had a weekend on a DW 5 Spot (big thanks to Nirvana Cycles for a courtesy bike while mine was waiting for a suspension service). While i can understand why people like it, I have to say that I wasn’t a great fan. (Kept clipping my right heel on the large rear triangle, bike just felt heavier and removed from the trail. although it landed jumps very well)

Was impressed with the Carpenters Arms in Stanton Wick

OP: sounds like you wont need armour.
IMHO arms and leg armour is plenty for that event.

used to use a Holelock garden spray as hand pump pressure washer. Low powered but cheap and works ok with the use of a brush.

Now have a Mobi v15 which is awesome.

both descents are good.
I prefer whyte’s as its more interesting.
worth trying to do both in a day in addition to/instead of the W2/The Wall.

Alice In Wonderland. Thought it was about time that I read it. Utter balls. Poorly written, woeful story, no narrative flow, just a collection of random rubbish and the worst possible ending that any book can ever have.

my heavily paraphrased from memory response was “meh. you prob dont fully understand the proposal. Please read it. I am not going to directly answer your questions and you letter has had no impact upon my opions. Have a nice day.”
oh well, at least he responded.

Penderyn – quite liked it myself. Admittedly its overpriced and a little erm bland?

As for recommendations, it really depends whether you like the peaty whiskies or not. I don’t, so I’d recommend:
Highland Park
Glenkinchie distiller’s edition

James Blake – pub singer does dubstep with a heavy influence of Cher’s Do You Believe electronic wobbly voice thing

The signed DH route down Semnoz is a little uninspiring (although that was a few years ago and we’d pedalled up so were hoping for a more rewarding trail!). The bus goes from the bus/train station in town, which is the only stop that you were allowed to load a bike on.

There are clearly some decent local trails coming back down Semnoz. Just need to do some exploring.

La Cluzas is 45 mins away and def worth going to for a day if the lifts are open (prob not in May though). Avoid La Grand Bornand as the marked trails there are mostly fireroad.

If the Les Arcs/Bourg St Maurice funicular is running, you could head there for a day (about 90 mins away). The awesome Black 8 runs from top to bottom of the funicular. There are also some other decent ways back down if you follow an OS map.

Check in Annecy tourist info. There are some locally published XC trail routes (sorry i dont have a link to them). The one that hikes up Bluffy, goes across the cliff face and then descends back to the lake by the Angel(?) waterfall is a great natural ride.

Def the best advice is to get an OS map, pedal up a mountain on the road and then pick a downhill footpath. Most are rideable with very little hiking.

Take you own bike. The bikes I rented around there a few years ago were shocking. You do not want underpowered brakes out ther!

Awesome thread – I was about to start one exactly like this!

A couple more questions:
– does the trailer have to be attached to a hardtail? (not sure if the pivots etc on a full susser would be too happy about pulling a trailer)
– any opinions of whether its best to plump for a 2 seater trailer or a one seater trailer and a normal bike mounted childseat? (assuming approx 2 years diff between the kids)

thanks

mountain morph mini here. very impressed with it. Comfortable fits into a small back pack and can inflate to high mtb pressures* with no effort.
*not tried inflating road tyres so cannot comment.

No sensible, future employer would expect a resignation before a written offer (with full terms and conditions) has been given.

only just seen this thread…
the Dianese knee/shin armour fit skinny legs well. Although some people reckon the knee part can slip away from the knee in a crash, I’ve found them ok.

well, that’s the first time that I’ve emailed my MP. <waits for standard meh response>

Brechfa definately.

That Dothie valley route in STW is excellent. However it drains very badly and should be saved for the summer, ideally after a couple of weeks of dry weather.

Bit of a wild assumption here: assuming that the Gravity Dropper internals are the same regardless of total length, then surely you can order the longer one and chop it down if necessary?

Politely tell him how it’s making you feel.
Do him a favour and email him some info on RSI.

If that doesn’t work, email him this thread and ask him which of the above suggestions you should try next.

Is there anything else i should be aware of?

As others have stated, a shorter stem and WSD saddle will help make a standard frame better.
However, a WSD frame seems to fit some women’s body shape better, resulting in better posture and eliminating pain/stiffness in the lower back which is quite common they use men’s frame.
NB: I’ve seen the difference this has made to a couple of women riders.

From what little I’ve seen of Chicago on business trips, you might as well stay near the conference.
Avoid The Loop area, as it’s the business district and pretty rubbsih for going out in. The most fun area appears to be a few blocks north of the river/wacker drive. But you might as well just get the train or taxi there from your hotel.

malt loaf

thanks for all the suggestions

a 5 spot will be fine for those drops. should be ok for up to 6 foot depending on rider weight and landing technique.
Drop to flat is easier if you’re carrying some speed.
Def worth padding up if you’re not comfortable with it.
Practice dropping small steps/kerbs/features to ensure that you’ve got the techique nailed. i.e. taking off level and landing flat.
Worth checking that your shock pressures aren’t too slack, so you dont blow through the travel too quickly in case of a dodgy landing.

Highly recommend a Synology NAS. Good performance and a lot of excellent features.

Had a single drive NetGear NAS that had unusably slow transfer speeds.

cook some sausages normally. then bung them in the slow cooker with potatoes, apples and cider. cook until potatoes go soft (around 5 hours for my cooker)

Waitrose stock Bundaberg. Very nice.

I think that these are flash:
Stick Cricket
Blast Billiards
Bloxorz

It’s just a pretty poor, amusing for half a second, photo that you dont really want to have to look at for a whole month.
Some of the other photos are nice though. Will prob just cut these out and put them up at work. The calendar as a whole just looks too much like an advert to hang up.
Still, would prefer to receive the calendar than none at all. Although would obvisouly prefer a calendar that I want to use.

Ibuprofen gel definately works on the correct symptoms. I used it to keep ankle swelling down while marathon running. VERY effective. Gel is better than tablets if you only need the ibuprofen for a specific body part.
That said, I’m not sure that ibuprofen is suitable for cartilage damage (although I’m no doctor!)

Now on Glucosamine and cod liver oil to sort out knees from running. Seems to work although it’s harder to be sure of effects. Def works for father in law’s back.

Most people I know who did humanities and social sciences struggled to get a job after graduating (12 years ago).
While I don’t necessarily agree with the tuition fees, they might reinforce the idea of doing a worthwhile degree. And ensure that humanities and social sciences become tougher as their students demand better value for money.

Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon for training.
Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes for inspiration.

Good book.
Avoid his follow up Frost on My Moustache. Painful.

Any pictures or videos yet?