if it's one of the ones the aa tested all the measurements are on their site:

clicky

So 38-28 won't be low enough?.

Maybe i should put the compact on

well, i was fine with 34/27 on the bits that were rideable, though i wasn't exactly spinning a high cadence…the unrideable bits are extremely unrideable, not matter what you've got on your bike 😀

Is it jey to use pipe cladding?

god i hope not…last year I just used the survival bag you have to carry, this year I will be strapping the cushions from my sofa to the top tube 🙂

Seasoned 3 peaksters,
Is it worth fitting a mtb cassette for the race?

Nah, you'll be walking no matter what. I was fine with a compact chainset (50/34) and a 12-27t cassette last time

My 2001 berlingo can happily fit a 29er and a cross bike in the back with no wheel removal (just the car seats folded forward) and acres of space for kit

recently managed (with the wheels off) 3 bikes, 3 people, camping kit for all 3, enough race kit for running/mtbing/kaykaking (minus the boats, obviously) and still had a bit of space left

Eek/Yay in equal amounts

(once again I've failed to prepare properly, which should make it interesting…)

in the depths of winter the "extreme" sealskins ones, with thin liner gloves underneath kept my fingers frostbite free for big long rides

if it's anything like the citroen berlingo (which it is, exactly the same in fact) then, erm, yes

the brakes will be sh1t…it's a feature of the car I think!

you'll get used to it eventualy, should you survive long enough 😉

SPDs have a bit less float than eggbeaters, but they do still have some movement in them – esp the xtr ones

i went back to shimano a while back after getting sick of the eggbeaters constantly falling apart on me and my knees haven't suffered as a result (they can be a bit gammy sometimes…my knees that is)

One other thing, I stopped to speak to a horse rider at one point who was pretty angry about the two guys I was behind shooting past moments earlier and nearly having her off her horse. The horse was apparently very scared of bikes, while I think it is a bit stupid to take a horse that is scared of bikes out on a popular bridleway on a Sunday I don't think it does anything for the MTB community to have people inconsiderately shooting past in a CHARITY event – remember it's not a race.

I agree completely. I took the time to slow down for anyone else out on the trail but it appears a few people didn't.

I also got whinged at about gates being left open, which is fair enough, I did find quite a few left ajar despite not being anywhere near any other riders for much of the ride.

Oh, I think you're meant to get lost at least once on the route – I ended up back at the school coming from a completely different direction to everyone else after finding myself setting off for a 2nd lap by mistake!

old (now knackered) citroen berlingo

because it fits loads of bikes and kit in and cost very little to buy 🙂

aye it were a good laugh, everyone seemed to be enjoying it and nice and chatty to boot

the gorple descent is just ace when the wind's behind you – proper drifting through the turns and floating off the waterbars stuff – goes on for ages too doesn't it 🙂

i may have been a bit optimistic using dry-lube on my chain though; i had to stop 3 times to relube it!

Eating loads on Saturday, biiiiig long ride (inc the mary towneley challenge) on Sunday.

Followed by more eating probably

There is a slight flaw in your arguement in that you appear to have waited until the end of the ride to start drinking beer?

It's cos they is on sale in topshop innit.

I made the mistake of asking some yoof in an AC/DC top a few months back what he thought of the new album and got a wonderfully blank look in response

Yeah, I'll probably be entering on the day – it's going to be lovely and dry this year
:fact:

loved the course, all rideable but some nicely tricky sections when ridden at speed with someone else on your shoulder 🙂

loved the atmosphere – everybody seemeed to be enjoying themselves, when I dropped out I had almost as much fun helping other riders/chatting to marshalls

loved the massive number of and quality of prizes (even though I didnt get anything) – makes it even more enticing, knowing that there's loads of stuff on offer

as i'd pre-registered it was wonderfully easy to sign on,

i know it's a sad thing to count as a bit of feedback but the parking was good too – loads of it and no-one's ever going to get stuck in a boggy field and have to get towed out by a tractor! (sorry)

Oh, if I must 🙂

a similar sort of person to those that wear replica King of the Mountains Jerseys while they haul their beer gut (slowly) up the local hillock, I would imagine

oh ok, you'll be reet with that map and some nouce 😉

(as a guide; if you've not ridden up something steep or very long for 5 minutes, you've gone the wrong way…)

print this map out and take it with you just in case?
it is well signposted, but its not unknown for people to miss a turning

ride your bike a bit faster and become a pro 😉

why do so few people seem to know that the fuel hose at a petrol pump will reach round the back of a car

won't reach round the back of my berlingo – i've got the petrol soaked trainers to prove it 🙂

I had a 120mm stem (flipped to give -6 degrees rise) on my old on-one and secretly loved it 🙂

(not allowed one that long on the new bike, apparently it's been designed to do away with long stems, so the old girder is looking a bit forlorn on top of the fridge)

caravan?! wuss! 😀

usually the caravanists park along the side of the big first fireroad climb, but it's crampt (for everyone)

no it doesn't strathpuffer does 😉

though hopefully relentless will be even better 🙂

was bonty 24 really less technical thatn SITS?! (I didn't go, but I'm surprised by that)

and yes, starting at 2pm is a pain

I didn't realise that many riders lived in preston!

It's because I was really actually going that fast innit

(just spotted this thread and am liking it quite a lot 😀 )

Those shimano ones you're looking at are actually really nice wheels, I've been running them on and off for the best part of a year without having to true them or fettle the hubs at all yet

OK I don't weigh as much as you, but I've done my best to ****t them over lots of rocks and generally abuse them in an xc stylee

they're light enough to race and don't flex anywhere near as much as the bontrager race-x-lite wheelset I sometimes use (or as much as the shimano hub/open pro rim self built wheels I've got, but theat's more down to my lack of wheelbuilding skills…)

Yeah! I'll probably be able to do the 1st one
can't do the 2nd as it clashes with the 3 peaks.
might be able to do the 3rd, though it is the week after a 24hr race so I doubt I'd be anything like be uber-fast!

my new Ragley TD-1 😀

gingerflash speaks the truth!

it's mental, not just physical – your 6 months of training will have got you fit enough to do well, but you will get seriously tired, you're supposed to – a good performance comes from carrying on when your body is trying to convince you it's time to sit down!

oh – don't worry about the "being overtaken" thing – you'll still find people to ride past, and by god it's satisfying!

Doing a 30 miler on the CX tomorrow night.

well there you go then, it's meant to rain when out on a CX bike. It's actually even better if the temperature is below freezing, you've coughed up your lungs (which are now lounging on the top tube) and you're dressed in your skimpiest shorts and thinnest race jersy (emblazoned with something like Bob Hackets Cycle and Whippet Emporium, Bury Rd, Rochdale. "No out-of-towners")

evening sunshine has no place in cyclocross

i'm guessing you've tried the streams on cycling fans[/url]?

…you get really pissed off with it needing new brakes…because you wanted some nice new brakes for your bike

🙁

I mean it’s not even a fast car or anything…and the dashboard only occasionally beeps warnings at me when braking while coming off the motorway…maybe it’ll be OK for another few months 😆

I run the 2.4s, they’re ACE

big tractor tyres with loads of grip…but they still roll fast and don’t weigh any more than lots of smaller 29er tyres

obviously you need a frame that’ll fit them though 😉

wouldn’t go back 🙂

they do roll over stuff easier, they are comfier (well, the good ones are) manufacturers seem to have fingured out how to get the handling spot on now so there’s fewer and fewer barges out there…it’s all coming along nicely!

Reply if you’re an idiot

Ooooooo, that’s a very clever thing you’ve done there…

I can’t believe you lasted long enough to post that message!

It IS lovely out, go go go!

if it’s wet you’ll hate it

if it’s dry you’ll, erm, ride round the edge of a field a lot!

(actually, it’s still quite fun – nice and laid back)