Something nice and lairy, (and only £550)

http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/meta-ht-trail-essential-29-orange-2015-c2x15147353

As already said, storms are very good but a couple of caveats (IMO). I think they’re good as a rear tyre but didn’t like using them on the front, they tended to ping off roots and rocks and didn’t give much confidence. They’re also pretty narrow so don’t provide much cushioning on a hardtail.

Got knocked off my bike by Alanis Morissette.

As always, personal preference, but I bought some SIXC 785 and they made my hands ache on every ride, something which I have never experienced before. Lasted three rides before I went back to nukeproof ones. Just preferred the sweep and rise of the NP.

You never know these things until you try them!

Expensive way of doing it but you could buy the grips and clamps independently:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/ODI/Parts+And+Components/Grips/MTB+grips/plf/f2-f3-f4-f5

I don’t get what all the fuss is about. Mine auto-renews, (and I assume most others do too), but they remind you well ahead of the renewal which gives you plenty of time to shop around, or get them to price match if you find better and cant be bothered to switch, or just cancel?

There is an awesome custom carbon stumpjumper fsr 29er in the sales section that would tick all your boxes 😀

£150 under budget, trail geometry, “L” in stock.

http://www.commencal-store.co.uk/meta-ht-trail-essential-29-orange-2015-c2x15147353

Been running 29×2.25 beavers front and rear all year round on my HT. They are such good all-rounders I never took them off after last winter.

The rear is pretty worn now so thining about going with mboys option of Beaver on the back and Shorty on the front. On paper the shorty is only 95g heavier than the beaver.

Cant play a note myself but caught this on Sky the other night and enjoyed it. Comes across as a very down to earth guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27OT_FSWrIE

Any use?

Dial is not quite the same, but pretty close.

Steel Omega Ref.2390, circa 1946

Steel Omega Ref. 2390 vintage wristwatch, circa 1946

Niner ROS 9

Got a lovely, custom build stumpy fsr carbon 29er which is about to be put up for sale. Drop me a line if you want details, fantastic bike, probably the best allrounder I’ve had.
(6’5, lanky and monkey arms!)

Purrgatory control?

Anyone of my height ride a YT Industries Capra?

Seen this?

YT Industries Capra AL1 (2015) review (VIDEO)

[sorry for the hijack / sales pitch, but….]

If any of you taller gents are interested in a custom spec XL carbon stumpy FSR 29er then feel free to drop me an email. I have an opportunity for a change coming up and might be letting mine go. Happy to provide spec/details.

6’5″, 14.5 stone, XL Stumpjumper FSR 29er. Probably the best all-round bike Ive ever owned.

Weather in Melbourne could be anything but we were there for NYE last year and it got to 42 just after that!

Couple of places within an easy drive of Melbourne that I really enjoyed were:

1) You Yangs – Stockyards area. A whole section of man made (graded) downhill trails and an easy to pedal route to get back up. Very well signposted and massive fun. (Beware of the snakes!)

2) Lysterfield Park – Old commonwealth games XC circuit but a lovely place to ride, some interesting bits, well signposted trails and great cafe!

Did quite a bit of riding out there last year over a period of 5 months and rode in several states, (geographical ones mostly!). I found this site was a great way of figuring out places to go in each region and then having a look on youtube to see what the trails were actually like.

http://www.trailmate.com.au/

Couple of observations. It’s a very big and often very remote place to ride, there were plenty of times where I’d driven for 1-2 hours out of civilisation to get to some trails, then ridden 1-2 hours away from the car and didn’t see another person all day. Made me ride a bit more carefully and take it a bit easier on some of the descents! Other than that, dry, warm, dusty, lots of great trails, got to explore some incredible places I would never have otherwise seen, loads of wildlife etc. (Flying down a narrow descent to find a huge red kangaroo sunbathing in the middle of the track with nowhere to go is not quite the same as startling a rabbit back in the UK!)

Take one on the plane, ship the others over cheaply?

Just email the spesh uk help desk directly. They are always very helpful and will be able to tell you what part (incl no.) you need and whether they have them in stock, which you can then order through your LSBS.

Got one of these as my beater / biking / holiday watch and it’s great. Well worth the £66 and not small. I liked the fact its a bit more understated than a lot of g-shocks.

http://www.creationwatches.com/products/casio-g-shock-57/casio-g-shock-ga-150-1adr-mens-watch-3495.html

Only issue I’ve found with storm controls is, if you’re a bigger rider, (especially on a hardtail) you have to run the pressures higher otherwise the lack of volume means you can hit the rim pretty regularly, which makes for a pretty harsh ride. They’re also not great on the front for any kind of rooty or rocky trail, (IME of course!)

Currently running beaver 2.25s front and rear on my 29er HT but thinking about trying out a spesh butcher on the front?

Every tag along bike I’ve ever seen has had the kid hanging on for dear life as the bike sits pissed up to one side.

Id say the beaver 2.25 comes up every so slightly bigger than the 2.25 ardent, (have both on my hardtail for summer/winter). Great tyres and in fact were such good all-rounders I never took them off after the winter!

Have a look at the Weehoo turbo, bought on so we could go out as a family with my daughter (3.5) and she loves it. Feel much better knowing she is strapped in and can still enjoy pedaling along and its narrower than the handlebars so feels better on the road. Apparently good for use up to the age of about 9 but suspect she will want to ride on her own before then.

[edit, sorry in true STW fashion have ignored the budget element, but you can pick them up cheaper 2nd hand]

That there is such a thing as in indoor and outdoor partner.

I never got to ride in NSW but when I was out there for a while last year found this site really useful for choosing places to go:

http://www.trailmate.com.au/home/nsw

Tried this: http://www.confused.com

Seemingly doesn’t cater for this type of scenario?!

don’t Ask

Never gonna happen!

Erm, so let me get this straight…..your mate, who has a “girlfriend”, has dropped out of going speed dating and his girlfriend wants to know if you want to go?

What’s the real story?! Is this a “girlfriend” or a “girl friend”?

I’ll look a dick no doubt in metallic blue disco slippers but what would you do?

Take them back and swap them for black ones!

Bought one of the MT500 jackets for the winter before last and with a long and short sleeve base layer underneath has been perfect through the last 2 winters even at their coldest. Not waterproof but is wind resistant.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/endura/mt500-long-sleeve-jersey-ec019861

[bookmarked] Thanks for the heads up, my N4 is on its last legs and been waiting for this new one as a replacement.

Think you’ve basically found your answer, but for one bike I’d go Thule wingbar edge with 591 bike rack.

Already been mentioned and slightly over budget but I’ve been really pleased with my Spank Oozy 29er wheelset. I’m about 15 stone kitted up and they remain true and running well after nearly 2 years with only one bearing replacement on the rear after a very wet winter. They come in at 1800g and happily coped with a week in the Alps too. If I were buying again I would probably go with the newer, wider 295 trail versions which would probably be better for 29ers. I also have a set of Arch EX rims which are also very good too but I think the finish on the Oozy’s is much nicer.

I have no idea about these tyres or road tyres in general but a quick image search on google threw up several of the tyre with red hatching on the sidewalls….

As above….yes they do have a decent platform albeit a small one, but you only get the benefit if you use the right shoes. M089, M163, M200 all have two rectangular blocks that run either side of the cleat area which are designed to rest on the small platform part of the m785 pedals. In my experience they work really well together but need to be set up quite precisely as theres not much float.

Just imagine how quickly he’ll be able to clear the leaves off the lawn come late autumn.

I also have Shimano M200s and they are good shoes but with a big caveat that they are not waterproof. The mesh piece on the top of the toe area lets in water easily if you splash through puddles etc.