Mag is great, there is always SOMETHING worthy of a subscription in every edition..

I have to admit though, this years calendar pics are mostly total bobbins! Shame.

P

Yes!

What Schweiz said… more than likely you are low on internal storage space… at which point the phone stops syncing. Very annoying!

He’s right though… riding on the road whilst listening to music is just asking for trouble. I know plenty of people do it quite happily, but to me its equivalent riding at night in sunglasses!

I thought Reveal and Around the Sun were pretty poor… Listening back to them now they are ‘good in parts’ at best.. The last two albums were MUCH better, and Collapse Into Now is probably a fitting return to form on which to end it all. Still think AFTP, Monster and New Adventures was their high point in terms of popularity, my favourite album of theirs is still Lifes Rich Pageant though.

And yes, U2 really should take the hint!!

Got my renewal in August…. went on the website and it actually quoted my MORE than my renewal price!?!

One thing I didn’t understand from the Singletrack write up was why they rode up the steep climb from Hartsop to Hayeswater and then carried up to the High Street ridge only to turn round at the top and come straight back down again?!!? (unless of course I read it wrong!).

Right place, right time!! Well done that man!

I’ve used YoPhoto for a good while now… excellent quality product for a very reasonable price. Their large square leather bound books make excellent wedding photobooks.

Paul

I had an early Blur (2003) which split the link in exactly the same place.. SC replaced it with a new one which was slightly thicker than the original so I obviously wasn’t the first person to experience this!
I’d be more concerned about the crack in the weld, but if you say its been like that for 5 years then its probably unlikely to get any worse all of a sudden!

Done.

You will be lucky to get tickets… I think everywhere sold out pretty much straight away.

Cinnamon Girl… Latest album is a mixed bag…although it does improve with further listening… Not up to the standard of Cardinology, Cold Roses or Easy Tiger… Thinking about it, III/IV isn’t really a new album at all, it is a collection of leftovers and outtakes from the Cardinology sessions….. Just saying 😉

And yes Love is Hell is awesome!

Yea, ok.. III/IV isn’t really a great place to start, but it has it’s moments..

Ryan Adams is possibly one of the most talented singer/songwriters alive…
The fact that he doesn’t find lame jokes about the similarity of his name to an ageing Canadian ‘rocker’ funny hardly means he has no sense of humour!

Ok, I admit, I’m a big fan!!! Looking forward to Manchester on the 23rd.

Crikey, that Canyon is seriously ugly!

Now been airlifted out according to Twitter reports.

ouch.. definitely doesn’t look nice. No one else involved I take it?

What the heck is that saddle all about!??!

Avoid Giro gloves… mine started falling apart almost immediately!

I’m 5’6″ on a good day and weigh 60kg.. I have done for years.. My weight hasn’t fluctuated by more than a couple of kg since I was in my teens… I’m now 35 and waiting for middle-aged-spread to kick in!!

Paul

180fr 160r with Hope mono minis. Never felt under-braked, although like sambob I would prob be fine with 160 front and back.

Camelbak Podiums here too! Excellent bottles… Cheap(er) at Merlin Cycles.
Only slight problem I’ve found with them is its impossible to get the last bit out of the bottle without unscrewing the cap!

Top class bargain!! 2 pairs for under £100!! Used the “last chance” code without issue.. Just hope I don’t get a ‘sorry, we’ve run out!’ email in the morning..

Cheers.

Paul

I’m just over 5′ 5″ and ride a small Blur XCc. I was also torn between the small and medium. I went for the small simply because the measurements were more like my old Blur classic. I run it with a 90mm stem and it feels fantastic. However, I still wonder whether a medium would have felt better at speed due to the slightly longer wheel base.
At 5’6″ and wanting to use a shorter 50-70mm stem I’d go with a medium.

Paul

Bought some Rivets back in June, they are beginning to come apart at the seams already. (they have probably done about 1000 miles all in). Should have got some Gore Alp X instead. The Giro gloves are very comfy however but just don't seem to last.

Never understood the 'not wearing a helmet' arguments. Its like saying I'm not going to use a seatbelt in the car because it might cut my stomach if I have a crash.

TeaBoyPaul? Were you riding the santacruz? Was good to meet you. Helped chatting to you along the way

Yea, that was me! Let me know if you are planning a return next year, we seemed to be on a very similar pace.

I clocked almost 15500ft of climb (4700m) on my Garmin 205 and a smidge less than 103 miles.

Took me 11:35 with one crash and no mechanicals. Would have probably been a bit quicker had I not neglected to suplement my energy drink with water until I realised I'd not pee'd for 6 hours and it then hurt when I tried (OUCH!!). Spent the remainder of the ride trying to take on enough water to avoid complete dehydration but I definitely suffered for it badly between 70 and 80 miles.
I think I rode some of the second 50m with trickydisco (Gav?) and his cheery outlook kept me going (Thanks!).
Awesome adventure, perfect weather and excellent organisation… hoping to be back for more pain next year.

Oh, and Cheers to Mike for his timings sheet thingy….Really glad I had that!

Paul

On my way there now, M6 clear beyond Preston.

Short bloke on a SC Blur XCc, aiming to finish before dark!

Question is, are these footpaths round Entwistle Res actually worth riding?? They don't seem to go or get you anywhere! I normally pass it buy without a second glance on the Witton Weavers Way (which is also marked as a footpath?!!) on route to Holcombe tower.

Top stuff, thanks!!

Route profile does look 'lumpy' until the final big climb but I'm guessing this is last years route anyway so may well change.

Not sure what to put in my drop bag either… maybe we should have a large STW communal drop bag at each station full of cakes, sweets and pies?!

Same here, just got my renewal leter through… did an online quote and it is actually slightly more expensive than my renewal price. odd!

My daughter has ridden round Rydal Water and Tarn Hows on hers.. as Harry said, brilliant for doing walks of 3-4 miles at a proper speed… we struggled to keep up with her! She has since progressed to a CNOC14 for her 4th birthday and is the envy of all her friends as she is the only one who rides a bike without stabilisers!!

Not specifically a 'grouptest' but I was thinking the other day… Wow, my bike rides GREAT… however, I've actually no idea if it climbs better than anything else, or descends better either!
Some sort of article on handling characteristics and what makes a 'great bike' from someone who's ridden lots of different bikes would be very interesting.
I'd also find an article on riding position and bike fit quite interesting, but maybe thats just me!!

P

Just in case you were still looking for a rear mech.. Ribble are doing the XT Shadow for £33 ish… I ordered one on Tuesday night and it turned up Thursday am.

Paul

XT cassette with SRAM 991 chain here.. Used this combo for a good while and am happy with the results. Never tried a KMC chain but might give one a go next time round.

The 85k would have been more fun had I not managed to somehow wrap my rear mech round the back wheel after 5 miles and snap the hanger… BUGGER! After 20 minutes of swearing and bodging I rode the remaining 45 miles on probably the worlds first singlespeed Santa Cruz Blur.
Good ride, but VERY wet and cold…brrr!

Thanks to all those who chatted along the way and kept me company as I spun/grinded/walked my way round!

Who, or What is Murphy?!

Will be there.. Looking forward to it, despite the fact that the weather looks to be on the turn.. 🙁

Floating rotors are not necessarily lighter. I replaced my standard Hope rotors last year with floaters and although the 180mm rotor was slightly lighter (10g or so) the 160mm rotor was actually heavier (again by not much at all)… So I wouldn't buy them for weight reasons.
They do however seem to squeal less than standard rotors and probably do have slightly better brake fade performance if you find that an issue… They also look lovely!

Paul

Weird, I had exactly the same happen to me a couple of weeks ago :

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wtd-remote-lever-magura

The part code for the clamp bit is 0722616 (from the manual) but I've not managed to track down anywhere that actually has any yet!

Let me know if you find somewhere with stock.

Cheers,

Paul