The hamsters are tired. Give them a break, it is Sunday night! ;o)

Magura Marta SL. There are some of the red ones going cheap on eBay (leisure lakes I think), if they’ll go with your new Niner?

Great vid, really makes me want to get out and ride. I must go back there too. I must also put one of those GoPro HD cameras on my Christmas list! What’s the first track BTW?

I use Etymotic ER20S musician’s earplugs when playing in the band and at work when machining and things. They stop noise but you can still hear sounds and voices pretty well. I’ve never used them on my bike but I reckon they’d do the job.
If you’ve got bigger ear-holes look at the ER20. I’ve had several pairs from that seller on eBay too, they’re very good.

My bikes have been 1×9 for 5 years, using an N-gear Jump Stop on the inside and a bash ring on the outside. I’ve settled on a 11-34 cassette and a 33t E13 Guide Ring. The only time I’ve gone back to triple rings was for a week-long road trip of the Welsh trail centres a few years ago, where I definitely needed the granny ring on a couple of “I’m going to die” occasions.

Worth watching for Alesha’s resplendant “Scania wheel nuts” though.

Cheers. If you’ve got the legs you’ll probably be OK on the SS. I might come and spectate for a while and do some cheering. My Mrs has just suggested I could race! Hmmm…

It’s certainly not rough enough for the Zesty but I’d rather have the gears round there. I’m local and ride through there on a lot of rides I do as one of my regular riding buddies lives just around the corner.
I don’t know which of the trails they’re going to use for the course but it is very up and down, no real big climbs nor descents but lots of fun pumpy undulating bits and a couple of cracking-but-short downward bits. It’s mostly ferny, sandy loam single track with lots of roots. Took this there:

Make sure you have fun 🙂

I’ve had a set of Magura Louises on my bike for the last 2 and a half years, having only ever run the ultra reliable Hope C2s for 9 or 10 years before that. All of my riding buddies have some issue or another with their brakes (assorted Hope, Shimano and Avid users). My Maguras have performed absolutely flawlessly with almost zero maintenance. Think I’m still on the original pads too! I probably won’t use any other make of brake.

Oh, didn’t see that! 🙄

fatmuthahubbard,

I’ve got a pair of unused Shimano SH-W101s in size 43 if you want them?

They’re really nice but just a smidge too small for me.

Email in profile if you’re interested.

Cheers guys, just booked us a room at the hostel in Llangollen. Really looking forward to it now.

Magura Louise. They’re brilliant and bombproof.

We spend about £75 a week on our weekly shop, for 2. That’s everything; food and household stuff. We work out what dinners we’re having and what we’re short of and write a list. Most importantly: There shall be no deviation from THE LIST!!!!

Castle Venlaw[/url] is down the road in Peebles. I’ve never stayed there but really want to, after having a birthday dinner there a few years ago. The food, wine and service was AWESOME. I would be very surprised if the accommodation wasn’t.

My old Explosif with it’s red anodised Mavic X517s, on a very sunny day in 2004.

The Black Chili ones are OK, if you don’t mind your tyres “drifty”. Bloody expensive too. I was given a pair but I won’t be buying another.

I’m a longterm fan of their Weirwolf and Timberwolf tyres but haven’t used the Raijin. Both the Weirwolf and Timberwolf are great all rounders, with the Timberwolf being more biased towards winter and the Weirwolf more biased towards summer. They are lightish for their sizes and are durable. Just make sure you go for the ‘Race’ softer compound, not the ‘Comp’ harder compound.

I’ll be trying to spot and cheer-on my wife amongst lots of other people running a half marathon in London.

jahwomble, I’ve got Sperzels on one of my other guitars. You’re right, they do make life much easier.

Slight hijack but any info/links to the guitars you make?

I thread the string back through the machinehead and pull it tight when it’s this far away from the twelfth fret:

Then cut off the excess and wind in the slack whilst maintaining the tension with my right hand. I end up with 2-3 wraps on the machinehead:

Hope that makes sense and helps.

Bistecca alla Fiorentina, at a tiny backstreet trattoria in Florence. Unmatched, so far. Awesome pear and chocolate tart there too.

Took my summer tyres off my bike after some very sketchy moments on Sunday’s ride. Looking forward to slippy roots and mud now.

I think the poor quality of Rob’s commentary has a lot to do with the “delicious water” that he drinks during the runs. Personally I think he’s great on freecaster, even better when Cedric Gracia’s “commentating” with him.

Well done. Hope you’ll be happy together! Did you go for the Breath or the Life in the end?
Mine is 28 lbs, built up with sturdy parts and big tyres. My bars are Easton EA70 high rise, full width, with a “standard”, 70mm Thomson Elite stem. Seat post is 27.2, clamp is 29.8 and front mech is 28.6, I think.

😉

DMR do some really beefy ones too but they're heavy.
Yes, there are lots of reasons to go rigid. If you've not ridden a rigid mountain bike before it's well worth £40 for the On One forks to suck-it-and-see. Personally I think everyone should "learn" on a rigid bike, with crap brakes and "earn" suspension and decent brakes as their skills progress.

I've built 10-12 pairs over the years. It's good fun if you're in the right mood and it's very satisfying. I started off doing-it-myself when I worked in my LBS as a Saturday boy 15-odd years ago and I've not bought a complete wheel since. I've done a few pairs for family and friends too. Gerd Schraner's book is good too.

I'm sitting in Wembley Stadium waiting for Biffy and Muse right now :oD

I've got a 16" green Breath. I'm 5'10", with a 33" inside leg. Mine's fitted with Pikes set between 100 and 120mm, depending on my mood, and a 70mm stem.
It's a cracking frame, don't be put off by the lack of info on the website. I'd say definitely go for the 16" rather than the 18". I love the new blue colour too.
I know someone with a Life, and they love it, but I'm not sure I'd pay the extra for the "853 magic".

Mine resting:

Saw it last night, along with 2 or 3 shooting stars. Pretty damn cool.

I was thinking of trying Swampthings this year. Every year I think of getting a set to try but never get around to it! Is it worth going for the Supertacky on the front?

That video must be a bike marketing man's nightmare – proof that you don't need full suspension. Great riding. Anyone IDed his bike?

+1 for Magura.

He's one of the reasons I ride bikes. A true hero.

GW – Gotcha. I've seen that video before and was mightly impressed. Not sure I'm ever going to be able to do that :o)

So is scrubbing different to pre-jumping?

Oil changes are so easy, don't be afraid.
Subarus are really easy to work on, compared to some other makes cars. Everything just comes off and goes back on again with the minimum of fuss. I miss my Impreza.

Yup, do most of my own servicing and maintenance. Quite satisfying really.

33t ring and 11-34t cassette works for me.