Now don’t laugh as this is admittedly daft. Stairs at home I will almost always go up on all fours, just feels right. Obviously don’t do it in public cos that would be dead awkward.

When are you looking to do this Nickfrog? Admittedly not been up for a few weeks but id imagine with all the rain it might be a slippy claggy horror show in places.

Surely a C5 would be far far too big? 6ft is top end of C3 and middle of C4?

Usual answer is phone cotic and have a chat?

Had this once as a younger man due to trauma (over the bars and someone managed to intercept a tree with my crotch? bit hazy to be fair). Went away after a week or taking it very very easy!

Really good kit, but as a current fatty the sizing is snug……  I have a jacket I bought perhaps slightly optimistically thats now my 2024 diet motivation.

That Crossness place looks amazing. Thats 100% on the list when i’m next back.  Another vote for the John Soames Museum, just so so much stuff!

Chislehurst caves is a weird old spot but if your venturing out of the city, maybe add the Horniman Museum onto the list as well and the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs (Plus Crystal Palace is a decent spot for lunch).

Our office in Southampton has just installed a new shiny cafe (replacing the rather good coffee truck outside). It’s supposedly only open to residents of the building which is interesting and slightly smacks of “please come back to the office”
I’m 2 days a week in the office and would maybe consider 3 days but beyond that not a chance.

Jamesoz that’s about a mile from where I grew up! Pretty certain iv stopped by that sign before. I had a lovely Charge duster that got sold last year to be replaced by a Scandal. The Scandal is in many ways a better bike but that Charge was a really lovely classic handrail and I slightly regret selling it. Id really love a 26 Soul as I never had one and always wanted.

I really like the look of the Norco though never ridden a high pivot so no idea if I would actually like it. Only a few models being imported it seems unfortunately so might not see many of of them around.

I would say spend the money on the best frame and fork. Light wheels are wonderful but hardtails can be pretty tough on them so fairly easy to justify a later upgrade. Iv been using a Microshift Advent x setup on my Scandal and its really pretty good and an absolute bargain.

Pretty much any ‘jungle’ or mysterious wilderness soundtrack has a kookaburra sound in it. Especially making as it’s often the African wilderness…

We are flying out to Perth on Friday for our 8 month olds first trip to grandparents and family… I really really hope it cools down a bit before then!

I was eagerly awaiting this as the 141 is/was on my shortlist for first full suss in a long time. Def would need to see in the flesh now as the the pictures are a bit gopping. I thought the gen 1 was a good looking bike but these urgh. People seem to love Ibis, Niners and Pivots though so it probs won’t matter.

Geotech/ Geoenv consultant here. I’m absolutely flat out and we have been struggling to recruit for ages but order book is looking a bit weak plus postponement of project’s. Biggest worry for us is rumours about various big client PM/Engineering Firms being in financial trouble al la Carillion.

For the chap a page up who does rail and road structures exams.. I did that for awhile, absolutely loved that job especially the rail stuff.

Pretty sure the Ariel 60 got a glowing review on here as well. And the Jump bikes actually look ok. I’m slightly tempted!

WTB Raddlers in 44mm here and also South Downs ish. Been impressed so far, ok on the road and not terrifying off-road which I feel is a result. I should add that I have never dared the high chalk at this time of year on them… but decent in the summer and fingers crossed not had any issues with the dreaded flints.

Dear god some of these are terrifying…. I think the most pain I can remember was dislocating my shoulder on the old Still woods DH track in Bristol. The dislocation didn’t really hurt (the crash was big enough that I may have been in shock) but it was the using a tree to pop back in that hurt.. pretty sure I briefly blacked out.

I also and to this day not sure how I did it managed to go over the bars, rotate perfectly that my open legs bracketed a tree trunk and then basically slammed my nob into a tree. I was so winded I couldn’t scream so pretty much just gurgled weakly on the floor for about 5 mins.

I have a Scandal and its really rather good. Thats an absolutely mad deal. I think Fast do an ‘Up’ damper upgrade for the 35 as well?

Commencal bikes always look good. The various Meta bikes are pretty awesome looking although the Tempo is a bit fugly + through headset cables yuech. I can accept a bent/curved downtube but toptube just looks awful especially anything with an horrid weird hump/bend near the headtube junction.

That Frameworks? up top is lovely and I like the Privateer and Airdrop as well (maybe some nostalgia for the older Kona bikes and Turners). That transition is proper nice as well.

But of a soft spot for Nicolai as well though it’s a fine line between purposeful and a looking like explosion in a bridge factory.

Really dislike Giant, Spesh, the Orbeas and the Scotts, all snoopy and yuck and the less said about Ibis the better.

The green frame a few comments above is lovely. I test ride a Five years ago and really liked it and they are one of those bikes that I just associate with mtb in the UK. This one does look a hoot though and nice to see a not RS or Fox build.

I really want to get a full suss for the first time in about 7 years but recent baby and well the general world is making the cost challenging.

Actually need to bloody ride any bike as well… been a pretty poor start so far!

I mean the really obvious single pivot brand would be Starling…..

We use Enterprise at work pretty regularly and to be fair they have always been ok but I always take photos.  My favourite moment with a hire car was with a Landcruiser pickup, they tried charging me for a dent in the tail gate and got all huffy when I pointed out that it wasnt new damage because it had been me that did it 4 weeks ago and we had paid then…

Selection pack of Electric Bear beers has been the highlight so far. The Neipa is really rather good.

Are they interesting rocks? rope some small children in to help. I spend hours, much to the despair of my parents filling my pockets with rocks on every walk.

Steaks this year although not totally through choice as the oven broke last week and we couldn’t get it fixed in time. Have a nice turkey crown in the freezer for next week and 2nd Xmas.

I do like the sound of that Southern US style one though.

Is there a recipe you can share? love a good pork pie but never tried myself and now I’m hungry!

Swung by my parents in the Chilterns to drop presents etc off so caught up with some old school mates in Henley for a beer. It was weirdly quiet! Angel on the bridge was empty which is mad. New Phantom brewing tap room is.nice though. Also had my world shaken in that it was cheaper than home……

Interesting about the big smoke af beers as we have one of there puba in Chi that it’s my backup choice in town.nl Will have to investigate if they have any of the af beers in.

Cwtch is really tasty and I quite like Clb Tropica as well, mostly because it tastes a bit like Lilt and I used to love lilt. Not a fan of the pastry or weird flavoured beers but I just choose not to drink em.  Mostly drink stuff from my locals (Arundel Brewery, Little Monster and Staggeringly Good) but i’m a broad church when it comes to beer!  Had an amazing Burning Sky Saison recently.

I’m not sure anything will save you from green death chalk…. but longer slacker bikes do seem to give you that little bit more time tail react!  Whereabouts on the downs are you?

Woken up to blue skies (ish) in Chichester this morning, was a wet night though. Looking at the forecast it’s going to be moving this way from late morning maybe?

I’m reserving judgement till we see actual photos but it does seem steep. I was thinking of a Solaris as I couldn’t justify a Holt :( but now no idea. The worry being this might be a sign of things to come in the industry.

The difference is I might wish him suffering but people like him (and especially her) actually cause it….. But enjoy your moral high ground, i’m sure the views great.

I am really tempted to try that butternut squash trick though.  In full pumpkin and squash cooking mode right now as they are super cheap at the farmshop.

Yeah should be thick enough that cold the next day you can slice it into glorious carb bricks. Mix of pork and beef mince works really well and almost twice as much bechamel as the recipe suggests.  Always add nutmeg to that as well.

If only we could send him and Pauline Hanson shark diving together.  Sadly given Australias recent performance he might be more welcome than not grrr.

Biggest issue I have with this, is the lovely red colour is now unlikely to be the next Flaremax colour :(  I really like the slightly darker red Cotic use sometimes but South Downs based means a Flaremax is really the better bike.  Maybe need a demo!

If you can ride greasy wet green chalk you can ride anything fast? Great race that, some of the crashes look gnarly. Jackson’s run was nuts though, 4 seconds in that field is madness.