Always been able to register on the day in previous years so I guess it should be the same this year

Swampthing is a great tyre in most conditions (except tarmac)

Keep a ST on the front most of the winter except trail centre days

Used my Wet Scream twice (on hellish muddy uplift days)

Only one more sleep to go 🙂

A great w/e awaits.

Tend to do the ride then drink. Think most of my group will be drinking on route. Just makes me feel utter crap the times I have done that. Each year I need to remind myself of that. Better being home, dry with pint in hand

I have 2 hope front hubs that I know can be converted to 15mm.

Think I will look at those Marz 44’s and the options they have. May well covert one of the hubs and go for it.

Great performanc & reliability at a good weight and reasonable cost (if any forks can be described as reasonable cost 🙁 ) seems like a winning combo.

Take it you like them Ferrit 🙂

Will see what options are out there for the 44’s as well. Wish they were 20mm as I like to swap wheels around (2 other bikes – both 20mm -so that is the only obvious downside

Anyone using a recent Marzocchi 140mm fork that can comment on experience?

Thanks PJM – will do a pikes search

Did not know they may still be about. Was very happy with my air Pikes

Haven’t read all of this but a few points I have

I have 3 Nicolais and have owned 5 in total. Love them and would not hesitate in buying another. Not had a single issue to report. Think the OP has been very unlucky

I think the German response though slow was not unreasonable.

I think the UK Nicolai guys should be embarrased by their role (or lack of) in the whole thing. Warranty or not they should be helping their customers more than this. If I had to deal direct with them rather than Psycle Werx (my excellent LBS) my comment above about not hesitating would not apply

10 of us heading up

Done it many times but have missed the last 2 years due to broken collar bone and then a business trip

Awesome weekend. Beer, biking, mosh pit. Great fun 🙂 Journey home to Bristol can be pretty grim though 🙁

Usually do it on a HT but my lower back is giving me a bit of grief so may take the full suss. I would say a HT or short travel FS would be the best options.

z1ppy – No real technical challenges though some good all round winter tyres can help in the typically very wet and slippy singletrack

Like on a road bike, you mean

Hopefully a little less boring 😀

Looking forward to the LW opening. Wish people would respect the opening dates but no great surprise that they do not

There are still loads of natural rooty trails around in LW and all the steep Gorge stuff is still there to compliment the new groomed trail.

Reckon the natural trails will hold up better with fewer riders tanking it through the winter and sometimes I (and I think most others) fancy a fast, flowy ride with minimal bike cleaning afterwards.

I’ve said thsi beofre but we are seriously going to be spoiled in Bristol going forward 🙂

Thanks all

She is single and a nurse so price will be a factor

I will recommend Tynemouth to her and she can have a look to see what the prices are like

Sounds like a commute from Newcastle is a perfectly reaosnable option as well

They recommend medium for me

Soft would have been hopeless

Interesting to read the variations of input on this.

I am 12 – 12.5 stone in the buff.

I ride Lyrik 170mm DHRC2’s. First few rides I bottomed the fork out way too many times for my liking when using the medium spring.

I switched to the firm spring and much prefer it for my style of riding. I think your riding style is as key a factor as weight.

My ‘normal’ rides around Bristol (if there is such a thing) are a real mish mash of (in no particular order)twisty woodland singletrack in 50 Acre & Leigh Woods, some of the groomed AC stuff and then a healthy dose of some steep technical stuff and some decent sized drops (4- 5 feet) back in Leigh Woods.

Not sure if that helps at all. I guess what I am saying is that if the medium does not feel right when riding then you should try a firm spring and see if you like that better. If it feels ok then I would not overly worry about the sag and just ride. (my sag is closer to 20% now for example)

Cannot comment on the course. Would recommend Dirt School in a heart beat though.

Area worth a visit anyway TBH.

OK some helpful ideas here – thanks. The buy, use then sell a car/van idea may have some merit and I will check out the airline rules.

As to costs. I started pricing this 2 years ago when I originally planned the trip. A broken collar bone stopped that plan but I do remember shipping being pretty expensive. Can’t recall the details TBH.

Too fast.

I guess my question is – Are there any companies that take bikes from the UK to the Alps as part of maybe an overall package deal. I would not want the package but may see if they sell that bike transfer as a standalone service

Sorry Titus rider 😳

Driving is not an option unfortunately unless I get a long term hire car (which I guess may not be totally ruled out)

Mart – really? I guess it would mean contacting the airline in advance as not an option on the internet

Over the years I have tracked my HR a lot.

My max HR has remained pretty similar regardless of fitness levels. What I would say is that on some days I hit 187 and am ready to pop. On other days that peak may be 192.

It varies day to day but not based on fitness. It seems to be a natural variation cycle (or maybe measuring error?)

I do notice much faster HR recovery when fitter and a slight reduction in resting HR (my resting rate is pretty low all the time)

The only other (odd?) thing I notice is that when I am nearing peak fitness (as I build to an event say) my HR rises as a I breathe in and slows considerably as I breathe out. Notice this in the recovery times between intervals for example.

Anyone on the evening shift able to help 🙂

Several years ago an acquaintance of mine had his rather cheap and nasty bike nicked by some travellers (think that is the accepted term now???)

He decided to get his baseball bat and ‘sort them out’. No doubt in my mind he was prepared to go through with it. He was (and probably still is) a nut.

He arrived at the site and started threatening folks. They promptly over powered him, took his bat and sent him to the ICU for a couple of months.

Reckon the guy laughed at you as he knew that if you were stupid enough to ever try that, you would end up significantly the worse for wear.

Understand you frustration but it’s just a bike.

Thanks Guys

Thanks Sam

Is that just a rumour or is it more firm than that? What is your source?

That may be easier if it is true

Thoroughly enjoyed the event. Did it as a pair and I always find pairs harder than solo (I know that sounds bizarre but I just tend to find a rhythm as a soloist)

The overtaking was not nearly as big an issue as I thought it would be. A shout to the rider ahead and some patience and it was generally ok. One idiot in the Merida team barged past me at an inopportune moment but really no other issues either over taking or being overtook.

Still think Pual’s luck with the weather is beyond comprehension 🙂

What a great morning of rugby

Wales – awesome. I thought Ireland would win but they were outplayed by a great side.

England. They were the best in a very poor group and came up short against a very poor French side. England need to start from scratch as was said above. They have the resources. Pretty much everything else is wrong.

Wales should romp home against France. Let’s hope they do not get complacent

I so hope for a NZ vs Wales final. WIll be a great spectacle. Sure the Wlesh want a rematch against SA.

Ashton is not on form at all and looks like his head is down. Not sure why as I agree he was on fire in the 6N.

Foden – maybe. Was a great save against Scotland when De Luca fumbled the aftermath

Shane Williams is arguably the best finisher in world rugby.

Back 3 vs back 3. Not a lot in it

Murrayfield 1990 – still one of my happiest days / nights. Seems it will remain so for a very long time 🙁

A-A – I agree.

I struggle to see where England have the upper hand in any of the key areas.

Maybe the lineout but only maybe.

Only danger is the young guns freeze. Anyway, a few days before we have to ponder that one, if at all.

I think Ireland

Molgrips – love it. Seems to summarise most Welsh fans I interact with :D.

As a neutral I am truly excited about this game. Two very entertaining and passionate teams going head to head. With many fascinating clashes in most aspects of the game.

I will also savour the Oz vs SA game. The other two games I will watch with more of a morbid curiosity :-). That said I hope England & NZ go through.

Brakes – deal with it? Deal with what exactly?

I think it is a real shame for rugby & the RWC that we will lose either Ireland or Wales and keep either France or England. Outside of England and France most people would likely agree with me. Beyond posting my opinion I barley give it a second thought though.

Wrecker, you make a fair distinction I think. Must be absolutley infuriating & somewhat perplexing for both French & English rugby fans.

Still think the results will be

Ireland (but really very close so not 100% on that one – cannot wait).

England (A real shame that one of these 2 will make the semi’s – both poor sides)

NZ at a canter. 30+ points margin

SA – will bully Oz off the pitch

Got to say in Wilkinson’s (or Johnson’s) defence, he pretty much single handedly took the steam out of many of the Scottish attacks in the first half on Saturday. He is a great steadying hand. He calmed the ‘chaos’

If England want to sit at the rugby top table in the future (and they really should be there) they need to move away from a JW style number 10. For Saturday, he may well be the right choice.

Wales vs Ireland is too tight to call. I can’t wait to watch it

Whilst O’Brien is a great ball carryier he is not an open side and I think that may be the undoing of Ireland . Their back row lacks balance. That said it is still an awesome go forward back row. To call it a weakness would be soooo unfair.

The Welsh Props are stronger than the Irish, Irish edge it in 2nd row.

Half backs – probably Wales. Centres’?? All great players but Darcy & BOD edge it for me in terms of all round ability. Back 3. Williams, Bowe & Kearney would be my pick from both teams

I agree it will be a real shame for one of the 2 to go out in the QF’s. They are both a notch above England & France & Argentina

Wales vs Ireland – don’t know. Happy either way but leaning towards Ireland edging it

Eng vs France – England (though maybe France will turn up?)

NZ vs Arg – NZ by a mile

Oz vs SA – tight but SA

Should have added. I would see both Ireland & Wales as favourites against England. That said it would not be a shock result for England to beat either of them.

Congratultions England

As a Scotsman I am gutted but to be honest none of the 3 ‘big’ teams in this group are looking great.

In some ways this may be a bad result for England in the long run. There is a very good chance that they will get to the final now, which of course is great short term news for English rugby fans.

However, with the resources at their disposal England should be the world’s no.1 side. They are a long way from that. An early exit may have forced a major shake up in English rugby but I cannot see that happening now.

I hope Engalnd beat France (I fully expect they will) A semi against Ireland or Wales would be mouth watering :-).

The only real consolation I can take from today’s game is that it really does put some spice into next weekeend’s fixtures

In all honesty Scotland are all but on the plane home :-(. But… It is not a totally ridiculous dream (and for now that is all we have)that Scotland can beat England by > 7 points AND Argentina will get a BP against Georgia (who will have had a thumping encounter with Romania mid week). Likely? No. Possible? Maybe.

If Scotland beat England by 8 points or more there will be some nervous onlookers at 3am Sunday morning!!! English hoping for a tight game with a close result or draw. Scotland hoping for anything but a close Argentine win.

Looking forward to Leigh Woods opening. The all weather trail will complement the steeper gorge side stuff, such as the knicker trail & picnic table very well (that stuff holds up well through the winter anyway (guess it just drains well and less people ride it).

Work is busy and cycle time tight at the moment. Having all weather winter trails a 10 – 15 minute ride away means less time on the road or in a spin class through the winter = very happy Taz.

Funnily enough I just switched back to my HT which has an XT front mech vs the XTR on my other bike. Both 2010 versions

Functionally the XT does the same thing just as efefctively but it is noticably ‘clunkier’. Was not looking for this but it did strike me on the ride yesterday. Can I absolutely say this is the mech and not the rings. In all honesty no.

In terms of longevity I seriously doubt there is a differnce. Barring accidental damage or stick in chain ring damage I think they will last as long as each other.

Thanks Kev

Not having any joy on finding anyone in Stockport / Manchester and the Feet First work out £10 more expensive than LSR

Anyone happen to know the name?