So as my “sensible” car I’ve had (in order):

Elise S1 135
S2000
Elise S2 111S
Z4 Coupe – still got this.

So in short, the Elise is awesome, but fibreglass is fragile, especially on the early S2’s, the boot space is bigger than it looks, but yes it doesn’t look big, pack in small bags, on a long journey you will be in pain unless you have Probax, the handling is frankly amazing, unless you decide to lift off / bottle it mid corner, then there is a high chance you will be spinning off into the scenery due to LOOS.

Cracking car, very frantic and you can have fun at relatively sensible speeds, look amazing and very eye catching, as a 3rd car I’d have another.

S2000 – VTEC rush is fun, but it is gutless below. Comfort is generally pretty good and space is ok, handling is good if you get the geo sorted, but it is heavy for the Rev rev happy engine and economy is shocking for a 2.0. Road tax for a post 2001 is horrific for teh performance.

Z4 – I have rhe N52 3.0si Coupe. Personally I’m not a fan of the convertible, but the coupe fast back looks awesome. I got mine in 2013 with the intention of keeping it for 2 years. Still got it…

It drives like … a BMW. Mechanically you’ll need to look at the front bushes, water pump and thermostat, if it’s a convertible rhe roof motor will die unless it has been moved.

Basically it does everything quite well, fast enough for fun, neutral handling, engine is smooth and torquey, you can get low 40’s on a gentle run. Interior is BMW with sport seats and a base stereo.

I don’t hammer it about anymore (like when I had my Elise) and I just can’t find anything that looks as good as the Z4C, is as quick, as comfortable, and generally all round … good. Not for the price.

I am considering a switch to an AMV8 after I move house, but looking at the early ones it will be a load more cash for a car that is 0.5 seconds faster to the shops, <20mpg, mega road tax and with less comfort inside… just better looking..

Whilst it may seem I am not enthusiastic about the Z4, it really is great and you can hit the track in it or the shops.

My mate had the 350Z and that was also a lot of fun, big and heavy though..

Depends on what your budget is? £10-15k or £25-30k are big changes.

Maybe check out the Boxters, you can get them from £1500+

A mate bought an early Boxter for £2k and it was great for 2 years and a little TLC.

When I got my FS bike it came with DH/Enduro suitable tyres which basically killed me. The thing I found made the most difference was the compounds which literally sucked the ground (did what it was supposed to).

If you want to use something a bit thinner, try ACF-50 or XCP.

Depending on who you bought it from it may be free to return?

I recently bought a Hutchinson Griffus Hardskin, I was send the 2x66Tpi DH casing tyre by accident. I posted it back (£7) and then was refunded the postage. If you can wait, I’d send it back and get the one you want.

My bike came with an EXO+ MaxxGripp Assegai on the front and EXO+ MaxxGripp DHR2 on the rear and I have hated both of them.

The compound is super stick and the levels of grip are immense. However for my meagre talents, I don’t generate enough speed to use it and I actually find that they have made the bike really hard work on anything that is not pointing down significantly.

Coupled with coming back from injury and low fitness, this has really hit my enjoyment of the bike. On the flat I was grinding and on minor descents, I was just slowing down and having to pedal.

I’m sure if you have the skill to carry mega speed everywhere the grip will be amazing, but for what I do and can do, it’s overkill.

On my hard tail I have the Hutchinson Griffus 2.5 and Maxxiss Dissector EXO MaxxTerra on the rear and it is so much better. Big fan of both of them. The Griffus rolls slower than a MaxxTerra DHF, but is way better (IMHO), and the Dissector is very good on the rear.

I couldn’t find a sensibly priced Dissector so have gone with a Vittoria Agarro on the rear now and the Griffus 2.5 Hardskin on the front, but have yet to try the bike, this will happen Monday.

As above, the wider bars will have you using your shoulders a lot more rather than forearms, so it’s probably DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

Have a sit on both bikes and see how it differs in feel.

Earl: Self defence is about mind preparation, situation preparation and physical preparation. The first 2 serves people much better.

This for self defence.

For martial arts, go with the class that you enjoy going to.

Bird Zero AM would be perfect.

Managed to get a GX from my LBS.

Aside from Certini I can’t find any, even XTR are sold out.

So sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you through through all of this.

A mate was in a similar situation and went with a Specialized Epic Carbon HT and that did a lot of what you want and more.

XC days – helmet and gloves
Surrey Hills days, Fox D30 knee pads, Dainese Trail Skins T armour, gloves and helmet
Rogate – as above but with chin bar and elbow pads – but I’m rubbish and my attempt at air is more the front wheel in the air.

That said I have recently gotten a jump wrong and am off with cracked scaphoid, badly bruised and cut up arm and hairline cracked scapula and a cut face.

So the elbow pads and chin bar were in the car… If I didn’t have back and shoulders I would have come off a lot worse.

My 96 Deore LX is still going strong, thousands of miles through everything on it and it works no issues.

my 19 Deore on the other had is toast.

Sad times! I remember waiting all year for an Animal W01 watch for Christmas. Used it for years with my MBUK velcro watch strap.

I’m in the same boat except that for the first week, the swelling around my ribs internally was so bad that I couldn’t breath properly. In addition to bust hand / finger and lots of cuts.

Broken / cracked more likely to be sharp pain. Bruised, dull ache with less stabby when moving, but still damn painful!

Pain will increase / change as swelling goes down and things move more. I’m on week 3.5 and still not feeling great.

Once you’re not crippled for 15+ seconds after sneezing, you’re on the mend..

My SLX came with contaminated pads. They felt solid, but with no chemical grip. Had to go with new pads.

Same issue a while back. I tried Ergon something Pro. Did not get on with it! Recently fitted the Fabric Radius Gel Elite and it’s a way more comfortable than the standard Radius.

Signed. Lost my bro to DD.

The Invisiframe kit is very good. As the Xpel; film is thinner and cut well it goes one quite easily.

I bought a load of vinyl for protecting cars for my current bike as Invisiframe didn’t do a kit for mine. That was better than heli-tape for application and thicker than Invisiframe.

Oh a steel hardtail I’d get some of this and then just apply it on the high-risk areas.

In my last outing the invisiframe did get a hammering and came off quite badly in a near miss with a tree. The vinyl was better.

P.s You don’t need 5m squared… and don’t confuse mm and cm…

Check out the Bird A9. I think it is lighter than the 141. A little shorter on the rear.

Having just gone from HT to the A9 I have to say that I did miss the connection to the trail of some of the rides. I video’s my first ride out and whilst conditions were ideal I was considerably quicker on the FS, but didn’t feel like I was pushing it.

Things felt more “alive” on the HT.

Exactly the same findings for me with the DHF. I found it quite fast rolling and at moderate lean good, but as soon as I hit the dead spot (because I can’t buy skill) the front drifts wide.

I have just taken out my new Aether 9 and fitted it with the Assegai EXO+ MaxxGripp on the front, mainly because Bird only ship with Maxxis.

So, the Assegai, it’s not as draggy and heavy as reviews make out and it really does eliminate the dead spot totally. There is loads of grip, maybe a bit too much. I had a couple of moments where the front almost snapped in on me last night. However I should say, first time out on new bike.

What I can definitely recommend is the Hutchinson Griffus 2.5 (front) for the front. I went from the DHF MaxTerra EXO to the Griffus and it was night and day.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that it is a great balance between grip and rolling speed. The compound is way better than the MaxTerra and almost as sticky as MaxxGripp, but rolls faster. It’s 66TPI so lighter than the EXO+. Best part is it’s about £45.

I would reccomend it over the Assegai, on all fronts, unless you are smashing it through mega rough terrain.

On the Dissector, I love it. I switched to the Griffus 2.4 (rear) for the rear, expecting a similar change like on the front. Mega grip, that I didn’t need and loads of rolling resistance.

The Dissector (EXO, MaxxTerra) rolls really nicely, is predictable on a breakaway and when the side knobs engage you get feedback.

My preference is Griffus 2.5 Front, Dissector 2.6 on rear.

The FS is Assegai (EXO+, MG) and DFR2 (MT EXO) and it will be going to Griffus and Dissector.

I dropped 3.5 kg last year due to cycling all though Summer and Autumm. Put 2.5 of it back on…

Just not in muscle..

I would agree that there is nothing that you absolutely need a FS for in the Surrey Hill, unless you want to be hitting the jumps at the bottom of Northern Monkey in a big way (which is way past my skill level).

It will make the days less hard on your body, but that’s about it.

I’m not the fastest, but my Bird Zero 29 is more than capable and a mate is rapid on his Cotic BFE.

Probably best to add that I know the trails well enough and a guy pretty much outran me on BKB on an older Epic HT with no dropper in mostly Lycra and around 120mm of travel. He pedaled most of the way and had no issues.

Are you putting in the Premises double doofer anchor?

If not go with non expansion chemical fixings in to the wall and you should be ok. If you’re worried, get two anchors and do one into tarmac and the other into the wall with chem fixings.

The alternative is as above, some sort of concrete to mount the anchor.

@doomanic I got 1600 or so across about 7 months. The RF ring was also shot. I reckon could have maybe gotten a bit more out of the cassette, but it was starting to hurl the chain off the big cog under pressure and in the slop.

I rode from May to errr now.. so it got all sorts thrown at it. I’ll see how the alloy rings on the SLX cope.

Just made the jump. My Deore wore out and replaced it with SLX, performance wise nothing in it. I did fancy the XT for less unsprung mass, but I didn’t like the price. I did get the SLX for £80 odd though. For the extra £37.5. Not worth it.

Go with the Autobrite Snowfoam lance. The Autobrite foam is a bit rubbish, but the lance and bottle are pretty good.

Day to day – Pilot Decimo Vanishing Point
Travel – Cult Pens mini, by Kaweco
Different Colour – Parker 75 – but this needs a nib repair..

Ink- J.Herbin – Brown
Lamy – Blue

I should probably add Invisiframe didn’t do a kit for my FS. I used their generic hardtail kit and it was very good.

Invisframe’s Expel is very good, it’s thinner than Heli tape, but easier to conform around complex shapes. But per-sheet it is really expensive.

I got some PPF for cars.. maybe a bit too much.. maybe 4 square meters too much, and then spent time with paper templates for my FS.

For the HT it was an easy fit for the most part.

I paid around £40 for the lot. You only need about 1 square meter..

I’ve got a GoreTex C5 jacket I use for MTB-ing that I got last year and have used through the worst weather possible. After most rides I have hosed myself down and remained dry.

I’ve crashed a few times in it and in my C5 trousers, and so far all is good, however I know the single layer Goretex isn’t the most robust for longevity. But I hate getting cold. I got it from CRC on sale in Summer for under £100 as it was a bit older.

Really light and packs away nicely. However as with all GoreTex, it’s not as breathable as they make out.

Ducati Monster 821 Stripe. I had a 2016 821 and it was great. Perfect for knocking about on in a commute and enough power to get you to move on when you want. You can easily scrape the pegs and get your kneedown and the Stripe gives you adjustable forks.

Service intervals are massive, especially for the valve services.

Fuel economy is very good, I got a solid 150mile per tank.

Not as hardcore and always on it as a Hypermotard or Duke, but just as quick and you can use it for everything. Got mine out on the track, went on 3 day bike trips and used it for commuting for a year in all weathers.

With a pair of Termi’s on it, it sounds awesome too.

I only chopped it in for a Monster 1200S.

I did look there but it was 11-14 days delivery.

I use Unite Instinct pedals which are a great and have just got another bike and in the same vein, can’t really justify another £80-100 on pedals.

I was going to try the HTPA30A’s but couldn’t find any that weren’t jacked in price.

Just ordered a pair of Nukeproof Neutron plastic pedals, which a friend uses and says they are great and better than his DMR’s.

So we’ll see.

I did the same, went from the Radius to the Ergon and hated it. I have found the Radius has packed down a fair bit. That said it does have 1600 miles on it and the nose is wearing out a bit too.

I have just gone for the Radius gel which is great upgrade. More comfy but feels like what I’m used to.

I’m in Sutton and not too far from Dorking, we have a little local group (Sutton, Epsom, Dorking) that go out (when we were allowed to).

I’m also part of another WhatsApp group.

I’m not the fastest or fittest, but happy to show you where I know round the Holmbury area.

I would love bean to cup, but counter space and bank account space do not allow. I do however have a decent burr grinder which I use most days for drip or cafetiere. It does make a difference having a fresh grind.

The Topeak ones look really tick, especially for moving from bike to bike and not getting knocked each time you jump on the front.

I have a mudhugger and it keeps the mass off my backside and pack, but I’m definitely not dry and a lot of the time the top of the guard is covered in mud. Maybe I’m doing something wrong..

I had an RRP rear guard, but it was mostly useless for stopping me getting muddy and actually directed the mud up me. I guess it would be good for stopping the linkage getting covered / blasted..

Elastomer forks! I still have a pair of Judy XC’s and a pair of Manitou X-Vert R’s ( still the best named forks IMHO) in the loft!

The other guy left a note but didn’t answer for a couple of days. Before I got hold of him our insurer tried to lowball us and told me that I would actually owe them cash! It was a shed / run around.

As soon as I got a name, they upped their offer, especially when he was insured with them.

Sadly our premium did increase, not by a lot, but they said “you have a accident” that affects things. Insurance, they make it up as they go along.