Just back from the backcountry enduro with WRs and did High Pyrennes with Basque a couple years back so in good dposition to comment. From our groups’ point of view (5 of us doing both trips) the Basque trip was better in almost every respect. In WRs defence we did have a week of fairly crap weather, which did somewhat limit the choice of trails and general feelings of bonhomie, but the quality and variety of trails in the pyrenees were far better and the guides were also in a notch above those in the Alps. If you have not done any big mountain trips before then either is going to blow your mind. Having been to the Alps with Trail Addictions (x3), Bike Village and now White Rooms though I would struggle to recommend them over and above any other providers.

First time for me too in almost 60 years. Was beginning to think the hills were preventing us from ever seeing them. And then BAM…..

VauDe Moab STX mids.

Stood in 3-4 ” of water for 30 seconds the other night and feet still dry as a bone. And they are now 3 years old and still in good nick despote very hard life.

eg. https://www.hardloop.co.uk/product/20704-vaude-am-moab-mid-stx-mountain-bike-shoes?id_product_attribute=246575&gad_source=1

Can you not just buy a length of silicaon hose the correct diameter (or 2 bits if the ends are different sizes) and then buy some ally joiners of correct angle sizes to join it up to make exactly what you need. Thisd is how I have done it in the past when fitting different engines in different vehicles or when moving motors about in the engine bay for better balance when racing.

I ussually use Merlin motorsport…
https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/s/samco-silicone-hoses-kits?srsltid=AfmBOorGMn4Mq8hy85LSg3Y4C2FuC4yJGwaUJxfs0kDxpqo0DIZoBbhH

Check out Trailforks on a PC and most of the established off=piste stuff is clearly shown

https://www.trailforks.com/trails/map/?nearby=1&activitytype=1&z=14.3&lat=51.62635&lon=-3.11571&content=trails,labels,trails_top,region,poi,directory,polygon,eventpremium,waypoint

100% worth it as alternative to FOD. There are loads more off Piste trails there you won’t have come past too but are an easy pedal from the car park.

First ride in the UK since early September. Did an old favourite with a couple of new climbs thrown in for emtb interest. Not many pics other than the obligatory one at the lonely Shepherd.

Not sure how to link an Instagram Reel but reading the OP it seems he needs to learn the Emtb riders mantra :-)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C7NPck9IfKw/

Having a blast here on Elba. Found so many great trails. It really is an Ebike paradise

Not Nukrproof Sam Hills. Comfy enough but worn out after 2 rides. Still using em though lol

https://www.streetmap.co.uk/

Works well too at various scales, just enter something in the search bar to find the area you’re interested in.

Just fitted Hutchison Touaregs to mine in 650 x 47mm flavour. Seem to be sold out everywhere now though. Not done many miles on them yet so no comment on how good or bad they are sorry.

I once had a tiny splinter of metal in my eye from angle grinding (not the first and not the last!) and was trying the fish it out in the mirror to no avail. I then remember some very strong molybdinum magnets I had in a drawer and grabbed on and waved it above the surface of my eye, I actually felt the metal shard let go and lo and behold, there itwas on the magnet and my eye felt instant releif. It only worked once though as the next time I had a shard in my eye it was another trip tot he opticians toget it scraped with a hyperdermic needle!

Thought this was about my drive home last night when i almost ran over 2 badgers within 200 metres. I have a mate who vacinates them locally and when he surveyed numbers prior to the work there were at least 5 badgers per square kilometre.

Happened to my Rise. Turns out battery was borked. No warning, no error codes, nothing obvious at all. One day it worked fine, then after a ride it simply wouldn’t take a charge. Same red light flash on charger. Took about 3-4 weeks to get a new one from Spain. Luckily my LBS (Big up Zero Bikes) were able to get it through on warranty, even though the bike was over 2 years old.

I  remember many moons ago there was a big story inthe local press and on the Welsh news that the average speed cameras around Newport were going live and that you would now be prosecuted for infringement. The cameras and signs had been up for at least 5 years prior so it is no wonder people get complacent and ignore them.

Not sure how my team mananged the total score of zero points yesterday. Quite impressive really!!

supernovaFull Member
Is that Suck Stone?

Good spot!

Having recently converted my old 90’s 26″ steel hardtail to a gravel bike with curly bars, 650 wheels and disk brakes, and then discovering there is a whole Facebook community for people doing similar it seems that mountain biking really has come full circle!

I’ve had it a couple of times in the past. Possibly the most pain I have ever experienced!

Yep, locked here too

[Mod] Sorry about this, it has been reported.

Fiat Doblo. So left field it is actually really cool. Rode in one the other day and was very impressed. Not sure of reliability but guessing it is pretty good as you couldn’t make something that ugly and unreliable and still sell them!

Don’t mess about. Do it properly first time

Mine once swelled up but wasn’t painful. I was just off on a long remote european trip so took some ABs with me in case it got infected. It didn’t, and nothing really happened apart from being a bit freakish. Eventually one day I realised it wasn’t there any more. Probably a couple of months though.

If I edit a post and press submit the page just hangs with the spinning wheel showing it is trying to load. Eventually I just hit the x on the browser to stop the process, refresh the start side and open the thread and the edited post will be there in all its’ glory!

I was put on a train in Abergavenny aged 11 and told to change in Newport to get the Intercity 125 to London Paddington where a family friend would meet me. No problem at all as far as I recall. Return journey a week later just as uneventful.

This was back in 1978!

I had a proper carbon gravel bike but didn’t really get on with it. As soon as I sold it I missed it so decided to covert my old 1993 26″ steel rigid MTB. I started by welding disc mounts to the frame and bought a quill stem adapter to run modern stems and bars. The rest of the build is just stuff from various spares bins. Initially I tried 29″ wheels but could only (just) fit 37mm tyres. So i now have 27.5 wheels and 47mm tyres. Much better. I finally gave it a run today on forestry tracks and easy sigletrack and it handled it all with great aplomb. Need to try it on asphalt now. Also not sure whether to leave in old skool 90s colour scheme or give it a respray.

EDIT: Is it me or does the photo uploader no longer work?

try again..

Nope

Try something different

I remember noting a lovely looking campsite near Grange Bridge at the bottom of Castle Crag descent on the Borrowdale Bash. Looked like a really nice river for messing about in just there too. No idea what it’s called or who to contact. Google maps doesn’t seem to throw up a link.

Here is a curveball. I have been insured via the German Alpine Club for years which gives search and rescue cover (not medical) for any leisure activity in the outdoors anywhere in the world for a year for about £50ish. The Austrian Alpine Club have a similar scheme but also with a UK based arm of the club. Check the details below. 62 euros annual fee and with the cover you might need for skiing, climbing, caving, MTBs, hiking etc. worldwide plus loads of other benefits too.

https://www.alpenverein.at/britannia/membership/Membership.php

I have always just relied on this insurance for holidays in the Alps in conjunction with my EHIC card for medical stuff. OK my bike and possessions aren’t covered but then I don’t have insurance for them here in the UK either!

A summary of the cover you get with membership here (looks like some medical expenses too)

https://www.alpenverein.at/portal_wAssets/docs/service/versicherung/AWS-Folder_E_2023_ebook.pdf

Yes. The stuff to the east is a bit more mellow and old skool in part, The stuff to the NW that drops off the top of the last run down to the Climax carpark are the more metal steep and technical stuff. There are a few more there I didn’t do on that trip but have subsequently. But just follow your nose and you will find it all.

https://www.strava.com/activities/9064953714

any good to you?

My interpretation is that it is disabled parking ONLY from 9 to 5pm
Outside of these hours it is a free for all but within the other conditions stipulated (3 hours max and no return)

In Abergavenny we have similar zones for resident permits only from 9-5 but without any additional constraints. If it was always  just for residents then there would be no need for the time contraints to be noted.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8228349,-3.0140145,3a,15y,287.9h,93.42t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sPuTkNIijbbfnd6Cqf4swzw!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DPuTkNIijbbfnd6Cqf4swzw%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.share%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26yaw%3D287.8974957205527%26pitch%3D-3.4232654687785242%26thumbfov%3D90!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205410&entry=ttu

Ed Sherans “Bad Habits”…

from the chorus

“My bad habits lead to late nights endin’ alone
Conversations with a stranger I barely know”

Surely if you know them even just a little tiny bit then they are no longer strangers?

Or am I the only one who was bugged by this?

What you do is make sure you have bought from a local, reputable bike shop who care about customer service. By all accounts Shimano are pretty good at helping while out of warranty provided your LBS presents the case well. If you are anywhere near Ross on Wye can I suggest you give Zero Bikes a call. I am currently getting a new battery for my Rise under Warranty almost 2.5 years after buying it.

The other thing to remember is that prices for motors and batteries continue to fall. How many of us replace a set of forks after a few years? That will undoubtedly cost more than a motor.

Yep. Just had 2 cheese sandwiches a coffee and some pretzels

Well i’ve always voted Tory and reckon all the polls are literally made up, as is all the recent news, and the Tories are on for a great victory…

Sorry Binners, couldn’t resist ;-)

Great loop around Talybont Reservoir following the high ridge line all around it. 20 miles and 1400m

They do wear/have brand mismatch and they will rock on the splines and it will only get worse. The nuclear solution is to run some bearing lock (low lock/high fill Loctite) on the splines. This will prevent any movement but means reoving the disk is made more difficult and may need the heat from a heatgun to get them to release.