Sprinklers are possibly too heavy a droplet pattern for a new lawn. I’d just hose it every day for a week with a fine spray.

I know its easier but you could just buy a cheap chinese rear specific light.

😉

>The toughest part of trying to organise it as an event will be getting all the bikes back from FW.<

Really?

No seeing much of a problem myself – perfect opportunity for Scotrail to get in on the action and lay on a special train to ship everyone back with a couple of container cars for the bikes.

JohnClimber pic 4 – stunning….

No

Abstinence tastes better.

Cane Creek do mix and match components so you should be able to purchase the lower bearing and matching crown race only. Explanations here:

http://www.canecreek.com/tech-headsets?view=standards

There’s a useful product finder on the same site

Err, “Hut to hut” Alps storming is not really your common or garden epic – hence my rather tongue in cheek comment.

You can put your handbag away now, kit lists are always fair game for a bit of banter 😉

That’ll do nicely said Mr Murdoch. The pic is **** all to do with Journalism / free press.

Sanny you have clearly pissed all over everyone’s epicness and kit list with that post.

Fair enough…

I ‘got on’ with the Gobi which I then broke. Swopped for a Spoon (which can be picked up cheaply in various guises) and I find that more comfortable

They are pretty light – if it suits your arse why change.

Just like this summer – only colder and darker. I’ve still not swopped out my mud tyres from last winter. Seems little point now…

I’d do Broad Cairn et al myself but it is, as Highlandman says, quite a step up. Descending via the ridge off the North of Carn an t-Saigort Mor then down the Feindallacher Burn is a balls out alternative to the techy Callater descent. The initial pitch is unmarked on the map but the trail is easy enough to pick up from the saddle between the two ‘Saigarts.’ Swing round via the Lions Face above the town – nice trail / views.

Arkaig > Mallaig is difficult. Again if you are up for a challenge and don’t mind some portage then Dessary > Sourlies > Gleann Meadail> Inverie has to be the mother of all CTC finales. Have a knees up @ The Old Forge then 25 min ferry back to Mallaig in the morning. Nice bunkhouse above Inverie too.

@ Hugor

Clearly you’re not familiar with the 1 x Rizzla paper technique!

Sure.

I’ve always found a Handline and mackeral feathers a very versatile piece of kit.

😉

Aggie Ridge? Been done:

Not by me I hasten to add

Job’s on site right now. Incredible really – and that’s in area already stacked to the gunwales with ‘natural’ stuff.

>Both passes are mud central.<

No they aren’t actually – Lairig Eilde has been all but cleaned in it’s entirety. Gartain I’d certainly agree with you – avoid…

I’ve done Eilde several times and the path had been improved on the last visit – most recently as a train assist: Tyndrum> WHW > Eilde > Etive North shore > Connel Bridge > track beside the railway via Glen Cruitten > Oban.

If you hit a really dry period you can even ride the all but vanished section of the military road between Altnafeadh and The Study

>Salmon pin boning pliers<

I never go anywhere without these either. Then there’s the fly rod, reel and portable fish smoker…

>Good shout, the little top to the right of where the chairlift ‘lands’.<

Which is roughly where I thought it must be after my first take: Jesus someones taken a bike up the Buachille 😉

Shock Pumps now. FFS – how far do some of you boys actually ever get from civilization – 4 miles max would be my guess…

Latex gloves, gel and Fizzy Snakes?

Cant help but thinking there’s a correlation…

Out of curiosity I had a spin around Muiravonside last night and most of the trails are now pretty trashed by the Horseriders. Huge shame they seem unable to stay off when its been wet.

Agreed Poly. Unfortunately the Horse riders have decided to start using part of that side too. Trail maintenance @ MCP is poor to non existent unfortunately…

Re your Callendar Estate route – have you tried the ‘link trail’ in from the Wood Chip plant? Comes in from the West half way round the Blue…Short but a better way to link in that Forest Road bash you’re doing out to the West.

Also, you can continue East along the farm track (above the top of the Red / along past the Transmitter Aerials) to the mtb trails at Lionthorne (aka Glen Village) these in turn can be linked through to Callendar Park.

You could also bash East along the canal to Muiravonside CP & pick up the Avon Heritage Trail. The AHT from the Aquaduct to Linlithgow Bridge is a peach. There’s some R.O.W’s that will take you back from there (after a wee bit of road) to the canal @ the old brickworks @ Whitecross.

Alternatively you can come off the Lionthorne stuff and link through a strip of woodland @ Mavisbank (due South) to Shieldhill & California by road then turn East just above Blackbraes. That gives you around 5km off road thro the back of Maddieston to the canal. Beecraigs should be doable for you using that link and the canal as an out and back – but only when it’s been bone dry.

Would take too long to give you detailed GR’S for all this – take a map and explore.

Pushing it…

Your stem stack height is 40mm. Buy the forks, plus one of these with a stack height of 35mm:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/STOOCNC/on_one_ultralight_cnc_stem

Sell the Thomson stem and you’ll still have spare change.

Sorted.

Cant be arsed reading the whole thread but they are as cheap as chips. Just buy some of each and see what works best for you / on your terrain.

Are you a school Headmistress by any chance?

Pointless thread +1

That’s more like it. Boat back to Mallaig then train home. And what a train journey!

No disrespect steelytail but rather proves my point – there are far better endings to a trans Scotland ride than Prosen / Dundee.

Ardnamurchan is stunning but very remote – don’t underestimate the time spent getting to and from the coast.

Did “a” ctc about 12 years ago – more or less straight lined it over umpteen Munros. Hell of an experience but not everyone’s cup of tea…

However, the one thing that a struck me was the complete anti-climax approaching the East Coast, it just felt utterly wrong.

So, my advice would be to plot your route E/W and then take half a day to a day soaking up the West Coast experience.

Wallet and phone? Yup,I call you crazy 😉

>I was wondering if theres any way to replace the steerer but as they are Exotics I doubt its possible.<

Like everyone above my first instinct would be to cease riding with them and destroy the component. The Steerer will be bonded in but even if it were replaceable the fork blades themselves could have issues for all you know. Just take them to your friendly LBS, hear it from the horses mouth so to speak, then buy yourself a new set of forks 😉

Pentland +1

Get a “strong bush” instead. BETD do them as do TF tuned.

ok said slightly tongue in cheek but ‘oh dear’ what exactly? They are two completely different types of holiday so rather pointless comparing the two in the first instance…

>I might as well fly to Istanbul and have a holiday there for the same price. Calmac want £140 for a vehicle and 2 people from Oban to Tiree?<

Great value – Tiree p1sses all over Instanbul.

Have you checked how much it would cost to fly your car or, your bike for that matter, to Instanbul? Bikes go free on Calmac ferries incidentally and all of the islands roads can be cycled in a day.

I suspect the journey times are rather similar – for that you’ll likely get a wildlife spotting trip par excellence – and the chance to meet and talk with your fellow travellers. Far better than swopping germs with 200 sweating tourists at 30,000 ft.

Suck it up – you will not be disappointed.

Hilti?

Must be a Hilti rep 😉

You might as well say Bosch / end of thread.

The fact is the majority of the Trades guys you’ll see using combi drills day in/out are on Dewalt or Makita. If they are good enough to be used constantly for Trade use they are more than sufficient for domestic duties.

Wild Swimming? Hell yeah – I used to dog off school and cycle up to the Reservoir on my Singlespeed all the time (that term hadn’t been invented then either)

>if we don’t engage do we lose the right to moan afterwards?<

Well, as I said – that very much depends on how accessible they make the engagement process. How many ordinary punters will they get get taking a day off work and shelling out £45? Plus the cost to get to and from Perth for non locals.

Hate to sound so cynical but ime almost all meaningful decisions will have been taken by the “policy makers” sitting behind the other Quangos who fund DMBIS itself….and this will be another box ticking exercise.

He who pays the Piper.

We already had at least 3 publicly funded cycling organisations. All that Framework bollocks / DMBIS was merely a vehicle with which to derail or at least stifle the CVDG, Blairadam and sundry other grassroots bandwagons. We are now >3 years down the line from the destruction of these so aside from adding yet another tier of bureaucracy what has this organisation brought to the table?

More than happy for someone from DMBIS to come on here and rebuff all this!