That would be a huge ride, but in terms of miles to high gained it would be fairly normal for a Mtb event. The Brecon Beast for instance has more or less the same ratio.

Pretty hard to disagree with the Op.

Nothing wrong with BG plumbers, it’s just that their so expensive 😯 plenty of others out there just as good/bad that offer much better prices.

The NN-RR combo is one of my favourites for all round not to muddy riding. Only with the evo compound mind, the performance tyres are much less grippy.

When my son had problem’s with his Ps3 all the warranty stuff was done directly with Sony not the shop.

The only place I could get ai-70 hesdset was from Canyon. I only wanted the lower bearing but had to buy the lot 🙁

I’m a bit like you Op, 50+ and off road Strava says I go up better than I go down, at least on the more technical or jumpy descents. I’ve given up trying to improve on those type of descents and got a carbon x/c race f/s 29er, with a dropper post. It’s brilliant, the ups are fun, smoother descents and rocky tracks can be ridden at eye watering speed 😯 best of all it’s so light and accelerates so well you can keep your speed up on flattish undulating trails and make them fun aswell.

The thing is that a pedal doesn’t just go from being on tight to hanging off , there would have been plenty of warnings that something was loose , noises while pedaling being the most obvious .

To you yes and perhaps others, but as the Op’s girlfriend was using some cheapo pedals supplied with the bike she might very well not be that experienced. You’d be surprised at the lack of mechanical sympathy some people have.
I worked in a LBS 30+ years ago, if a customer came in with a loose pedal and a striped crank I’d fitted 😯 I wouldn’t have dared tell the boss, I’d have snuck it back out and paid for the parts myself.

The shop that you bought it from fitted the pedals ? If so they should replace the crank no questions asked. Go back and insist they do this.
Pedals correctly fitted DO NOT just come loose.

Mtb’rs complaining about climbing mountains on their Mtb 😆 😆
I love Stw it just keeps on giving.

Going to single saves a bit of weight and looses a few moving parts so thats good. You’ll a gear or two off the top and bottom though and there might be some bigger gaps between some of the gears.
You’ll get some people on here telling you they ride the Lakes/peaks with 34/36 low gear and their not particularly fit. Their liying or get of and push a lot 😀

Bomberman. Sending insulting emails to people you’ve had a spat with on a forum is a bit weird 🙁 just get out of the hole and stop digging.

Good luck, the tumble’s a tough one ! Steep enough so you can’t just get into a easy spinning rhythm. I did ten ascents for a charity ride last year. That was enough for me
😯 😯

I’m not interested in football, gaming and the great British bake off to name a few things that don’t rock my boat 😆 why do some of you guys feel so threatened by something so easy to ignore ? If I had to guess it’s because it instantly shows up your limitations as cyclists !! But whatever carry on nothing to see here. 😀

Without seeing the wheels its impossible to say if they’d be economical to repair. Regarding the rear wheel if the races in the hub are shot no amount of new ball bearings would fix it. If your mates concerned tell him to try another shop and see what they say.

You won’t get 700c wheels in there so your stuck with 26″ers. Nothing wrong with that they roll well enough with slicks. Unless I had a good parts bin or mates with stuff I could scrounge, I’m not sure I’d bother. Even getting stuff on here or ebay its amazing how the cost adds up. There’s perfectly usable s/h road bikes out there sub £100.

Not good service I agree. But do you always resolve disputes with expletive laden outbursts 🙁 🙁

Got to laugh at the “to cool for Strava” guys. Thing is thousands of people enjoy Strava and work hard to improve their position on the leader boards. If thats not for you fine, but why piss on other people’s chips over something that you have no interest in ??
Op as you’ve found out motor pacing is against the spirit of Strava. If your sure the pro riders Kom’s where motor paced flag the ride.

I race cx on mine thats it. Tried it on xc trails but having an xc race type 29er, which is superior in every way off road I don’t really see the point.

There’ll obviously be an increase in ebike sales, but to suggest they’ll be the predominant form of mtb in 10, 15, 20 years is just not going to happen. The whole ethos of cycling is that its self wholly self propelled. The majority just don’t want to make it easier, the idea is that it a bit hard. The quick fix an ebike gives an able bodied person is just that a “quick fix”. I don’t or any cyclist I’ve spoken to see it as anything other than a novelty with no real or lasting benefit to cycling as a sport.

I’ve got a feeling if there was a thread “what trails have you ridden that lived up to their hype” all the same trails on this thread would be mentioned, just by different voices 😆

So put together everywhere is a bit shite 😆 Obviously different people will “prefer” different trails, but honestly hand on heart, I’ve never had a ride on my bike that I felt was wasting my time.

If you were allowed to only pick one material to build every type of mtb it would be C/F. Easily the best for some types of bike and the most useful compromise for most any other type.

Real world though, the test was as scientific as it needs to be. An experienced rider rides the same track on two bikes and compares the times. Then discusses his feelings about how each bike rides. All the data in the world pumped into a computer isn’t going to generate anything more meaningful.

I’ve always been a fan of ebikes for personal transportation so I’ll leave it at that.

Binners for president 😀 I agree with everything you say and I’m not even a smoker. But I am a true liberal, not in the political but the literal sense. Only thing you got wrong is my birthday, it’s in May not June 😆

I’m pretty sure anyone who wants to will be able to join the Labour party…. After the leadership election.

Give Mojo a ring, they stock all that stuff and are pretty helpfull.

Post up the segment, I’ll do it for you 😉

I’ll flag rides that are obviously done in a car. I.e some one rides around the woods at 8mph then goes to to the carpark and sets of up a hill at 40mph. But don’t sweat it, if your kom is genuine let Strava know and you’ll keep it.
Nothing wrong in flagging obvious errors on Strava, it’s more fun for everyone if the leader boards are as accurate as possible.

I’m not sure why you should have to sign anything ? If he actually married and stayed married to wife no2 then she would be the next of kin. Not sure where you’d come into it.

35 secs is fairly normal in women’s DH. There’s a huge gap between the very good but also rans and the top ten podium chasers.

I think I know the bit you mean v666er. You come down the gap descent, through the gate do the 400m rocky track onto the road and there’s a narrow overgrown path to the right. If that’s the one you mean we didn’t go down it.

Shop at a trail centre charging full retail prices shocker. As above, it’s not excessive and I’d say raises the question of your own lack of preparation more than anything.

Oh come on we’ve all been caught out at some time. I had to buy some brake pads there once £22. It was full rrp on a branded pair the same with the Op’s tube. You can’t really moan but it does come as a shock when your used to online prices.

I’d get this.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mtb/spectral/spectral-al-7-0-ex.

They have red in stock in large.

For a proper family day out if your coming to S.Wales I’d do.
First stop Castle Coch, not a proper castle but great fun, you’ll have seen it in dozens of tv shows and films.
Caerphilly castle next only 15mins away, but before you get there park at the snack bar on Caerphilly mnt. Cross the road and walk up to the trig point, you get a great view of the castle it’ll help you get a sense of the true scale of it.
Once you’ve done that especially if you’ve got kids, drive another 20 mins up to Nelson and visit Llancaiach Fawr manor house.
It’s a 16th century manor house, the staff are all in period costume and do an interactive tour of the house. It might sound cheesy but it isn’t, kids especially will love it. That really should be enough for one day.

Had a creak on my carbon road bike an couldn’t sort it 🙁 Someone on here said they had the same thing caused by a slightly loose rear mech hanger !! Mine was the same, easiest fix ever.

Deff recommend CBT, if they take on the repair and say it’s sound then it is. I don’t get the carbon fear thing it’s probably the most repairable frame material out there.

I’ve some Ryde trace xc rims and for fast xc and trail centres I find them fine and I’m no lightweight. If you like to jump a bit or ride somewhere really rocky then no,at least with the xc rims. I had to trim a bit if rubber of the tubeless valve to make it fit the rim but the went up fine with Stans tape so not really a problem going tubless.

No problem with not having a door between living and cooking areas. As for the rest, get a competend builder in for a quote, they’ll tell you if you need any inspections ect.