Drop me an email, I know the route from Stratford to Waltham Cross like the back of my hand and have some recommendations for a better ride.

Cheers

TB

I cannot see any of the vids either – darn firewall – but I reckon it would have to be Jeffery Lewis ‘If You Shoot The Head You Kill The Ghoul’. Informative and a good tune.

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‘Bone Machine’ is fantastic and has some of my favourite Tom Waits songs on it, including ‘Black Wings’, which I reckon is his equivalent of Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand’.

I believe Beautiful Maladies is the name of the compilation you want, covers the Island Years and has lots of great tunes on there.

I have just switched from an old Flux to a Scott Scale. So not too dissimilar a situation! So far absolutely no regrets (though ask me again after I’ve done a century on the bike….) The Scale is lighter, I think it handles better and I haven’t missed the rear suspension at all.

I was sorely tempted by a Soda or some other ti beauty, but got the Scale 2nd hand and have to say, plastic bikes are awesome.

No idea I’m afraid! Just trying to find out some more information about bivvying in the peaks. Silly season? Does it get busy up there this time of year?

Machynlleth is a bit out of the way for us to get to. No one has any experience of bivvying in the peaks in winter?

Sorry – should have said, we don’t have a car, so a start from somewhere near a train station would be best.

I’d take the MTB then ride it on the roads… Seriously, them roads are rough. 😉

Video

Enjoy.

Rode a few miles on them today and they seemed fine, felt good after an oil change!

Ring the shop up and explain situation -thats what I did with Merlin Cycles and they were very good.

I reckon the OP bought them off Merlin!

Tried contacting Mavic?

phew!

I hope that fork has a lockout…

I wanted to be…..

A lumberjack!

I actually really wish I was too…

Ha – they smell like Satan's anus after they get wet, trust me…

what's wrong with a short sleeve jersey, a gilet and arm warmers if it gets a bit colder? Gilet's can be picked up pretty cheap too. They'll also fit easily into a pack or jersey pocket.

Use a pair of pliers to unscrew the old core – pop a new one in – simple.

Can buy cores from CRC and the like or just nick one from an old busted tube – I always unscrew the core from old tubes before binning them. And I'm sure a presta valve is a presta valve – will be the same for a DH tube.

If it's presta you can just put a new valve core in can't you?

got a reply from Greg at Turner and he reckons it's a forming scar so should be fine but to keep an eye on it. If it gets worse they can fix the frame (but it may take a while!) Here's hoping it doesn't get any worse, I'm riding the Kielder in September on this bike!

Phew, paranoia recedes.

are these the wool ones you talk of?

Them's the ones, they're brilliant.

Defeet wool ones – they're awesome. Can't recommend them highly enough and they're only arm warmers!

It's all in the head – just refuse to give up no matter how p*ssed off you get!

And if it rains and you still do it have someone waiting at Devil's Dyke with a dry set of clothes.

Pack spare brake pads!

Fit mud tyres and the first few times (unless you go with someone who knows the place) prepare to get hopelessly lost and frustrated. There are some fun bits of singletrack in there though and in the dry it can be really good fun.

White Laggan is a far nicer location, maybe it is a bit busier with normal people so the scrotes stay away?

I used to stay there quite a lot – many, many yeas ago! Surprised da yoof can be bothered to make a trip out to that far to trash the place. There's another bothy not too far away isn't there – White Laggan? That was always nicer I thought.

Rapha Tweed Socks

It is an april fool, right?

just me then…

Does anyone know of anyone who did the Kielder 100 on a Soul?

What about doing marathons and such like on a Soul? Is it good for those long, long days in the saddle?

speedplay zeros. Why? low weight

Yeah, lightest pedal – biggest cleat! 😉

I had a similar dilemma last year and ended up going for the Durin (alright, I admit, at the end of the day it came down to the Durin looking cooler…)

Have to say it's the best fork I've ridden. I love it, stiff, light, copes with everything and the double arch looks the business.

Though I think the SID is probably equally as good. It just doesn't look as good.

No trouble setting it up either.

oh aye i think it was just me and about 1 other optimistically screaming DO THE DROOOOOOPPPP to anyone that went past.

My brother did that race and felt compelled to do the drop each lap – until his bull-in-a-chinashop approach to all things like that finally caught up with him and he destroyed his rear wheel…

I'm looking forward to Di Resta getting a race seat half way through the season when Force India sack someone again!

These new teams are a joke, they'll be no more than mobile chicanes. Bernie should have let people like Dave Richards back in rather than wasting everyone's time with Team America and the like.

Do we not have something like half the number of registered rugby players than even Italy?

I think I'm going to enjoy watching that game a lot more than you are.

It's always nice to meet a fellow Scotland fan, though I can assure you there are few who enjoy a Scotland victory more than me!

Lievremont labels Scotland the 'Northern All-Blacks'

Err.. I think he must have been at the wine before the press conference…

Which bridge did you find Backhander under? 🙄

I'm off to Murrayfield this weekend, usual mixture of hope/apprehension that won't be calmed until kick off on Sunday. Taking a frenchman with us too, could be a mistake… The great thing about the French is that you never know which team will turn up, the one full of flair and invention or the one trying desperately to implode. I'm hoping for the latter!

I think that's a bit paranoid…

Just a bit of fun! But the FIA is now headed by Jean Todt…

I think it means we'll win, if we don't the others must be cheating.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81128

Ferrari are at it already.