I hear what you're saying but I am looking for something that can handle both, trail riding and enduro/marathons, hardtail as I don't have time anymore to fettle a FS. I do like to ride steep/technical terrain when I can and the bike my well find itself on downhill runs (Pila, wales etc)

Jonb – win..LOL, just looking to finish :0)

Vortex – 140mm forks on a soul would be rubbish uphill right? (I've always fancied a soul)

Scott – I am expecting to just about cover the cost of the new frame from the sale of the meta 5 frame…

The meta is a heavy frame (compared to say an Orange 5) and I would expect to have to throw the best part of 500 quid at it to get it under 30lbs….

yep, like the look of those kinesis 120s too, do you think they would climb ok with 130 mm forks?

Do they have a bit of flex in the stays?

There is a lesson I learn't very quickly when I first moved to the alps. No riding buddies at first but there was no way I wasn't goint o get out there (Italian lakes area so not a busy uplift resort area). I had a stack while riding something I shouldn't have attempted on my own, 3 inch gash on my forearm followed by 1.5 hours riding down an alp with my riding shirt as a bandage (this was 10 years ago), through town traffic and straight into casualty!.

What did I learn:

-Body armour (especialy arm pads) are cool
-First aid kit v.important
-Most importantly: when on your own ride within your limits and take more conservative decisions on what is ridable and what isn't. Take easier line choices or god forbid walk the most techie sections – the time for risk taking and pushing it is with a group – end of.

So I would say yes, ride on your own, take a first aid kit, be conservative with speed and line choice, reign in the adrenaline and concentrate on riding smoothly and in control rather than on the edge. Basically get down in one piece!

Ha! total opposite for me, I have fat feet and use both road and MTB versions as they are a wide fit (and hand-made in italy)

Definitely (1), but that is the same as a lot of other great MTB destinations in Italy
2) I think a lot of it has to do with people liking to drive to MTB holidays, all the spares, toolkit etc. with sardinina this is easy for italians who take the ferry.
3) Definitely, I am sure you are used it now but for the average brit June/July and August in more southern parts of Italy can be too hot for sporting activity (destinations in Liguria etc can have the same problem)
4) If I remember correctly the race you mention is similar to a road sportive but off road and over a couple of days, IMO the average uk mountainbiker does not enjoy these hard events, rather riding laps round a field and drinking beer. The italians / belgians / spanish are much more into the XC enduro side whereas in the UK the sport is dominated by middle-aged all-mountain dudes more focused in railing berms and fettling in the garage than fitness..

To qualify my comments I have been to Alghero on holiday and am regularly in Cagliari on business (visiting Tiscali), I lived near lake Como for 3 years and have ridden in lots of areas around italy (mainly northern) – my wife and daughter are both italian.

I love Sardinia but would always take my road bike due to the challenge of finding off road routes. Porchetta, pecorino sardo, mirto…..mmmmmmmmmm

coffeeking

Those were my symptoms EXACTLY, it was moving a fridge that did it for me.

One visit to the osteopath and he found my pelvis our of alighnment and clicked it back in, immediate relief. Now regular application of ice (10 mins on, 20 mins off) and 2 more visits and I'm pretty much back to normal.

If you don't deal with the root cause of the issue it will come back.

IME GPs are very hit and miss with back pain, the fact that he checked your spine and didn't even consider your pelvis (major cause of lower back pain) says it all really…

Osteopaths can now be referred to by the GP however if I was you I would spend the 40 quid and get myself to an osteopath asap.

chapaking, same problem as you, various times over the last 10 years. My experience is physio doesn't help as it is due to my pelvis becoming misaligned. Diplofenac and diazapam certainly help manage the pain but the osteopath actually deals with the issue.

Can't rate osteopaths highly enough, however this is of course my experience and not a medical advice.

Keep fighting both of you.

Remember that being strong isn't about being strong and in control all of the time, it's about rolling with the punches that sometimes seem like they're going to knock you down, crying and screaming and then picking yourself up and fighting the next battle.

And remember this forum full of argumentative geeks is right behind you!

works for me when I have to vist work HQ in Cardiff, good nightride before the drive back to Brighton.In fact I've never ridden it in the day

14.5 stone "bull in a china shop rider" (ie. limited skill, lots of speed)

2008 Meta 5, Cwmcarn / Afan through the winter, 2 summers in the Alps (Pila, La Thuile, Sestriere etc), no cracks, no problems.

ingerlish grimmer is not my string pont 😀

IMO there is only one way to learn a language, you need to live in the country for a number of years. Yes there are many ways you can learn to "get by" in a language, I know many people who claim to speak french / other languages but in realty they can just get by and for me that is not speaking a language.

I studied German through school and Uni but only learn't to speak German when I lived there.

Having never studied Italian I am now fluent having lived there for 3+ years.

However if you can't get out there now then I suggest studying the Grammer and learning ONE new word every day. Range of vocabulary is often the limiting factor and if you can make a habit of this you will have a massive head start if you can eventually get out to live there.

How cool does that look! cheers Ian

Yep, car hire company will take the fine from your credit card

If you're down here in Brighton I suggest getting Freedom bikes in Kemp town to build you up a set of Mavic 729s on hope pro2 hubs.

Stamner park is good, have you been to Friston forest yet?

"The descent from Pila to Aosta is great, but I wouldn't really call it smooth and flowy. It is in places, but it's also **** steep in others. Serious brake-burnage. Nearly hub-deep in dust last time I was there too."

Seconded, too darn dusty this year, its still good but there are better options in the Aosta valley

Pila = dusty steep downhill (still great fun)
La Thiule = flowey trails, quiet, no braking bumps

"Ah, we were confused it has to be said. We did the hour climb and almost the entire descent was fireroad! An hour of fireroad descent!! We were not amused!"

B*gger, sorry, he reckoned it was a mule track/singletrack and technical.

I'll spill his espresso if I see him again…..

Sestriere it is then next week…….more meetings ;0)

BTW we didn't do the T trail at La Thuile, the older chap I met at the bar on the sunday before had done it and liked it a lot.

Hello mate

The Pila photos realy show up the amount of dust, sure I've still got some left in my lungs…..

Did you prefer Sestriere or Suaze d'Oulx?

Ben

nope, not cheaper IME

Boooooooooooooooooring………
IGMC

I would suggest a road-bike, italian maps and trails can be very…….italian 🙂

Nibali flying!

quite an easy descent tho (in relative terms of course)

lance drops wiggo

and goes nowhere

contador attacks

could be wishful thinking but contador seems a little more uncomfortable than usual

the schlecks, contador and kloden now 1.20 up on brad/armstrong

"Kloden, Lance, and Brad are all meant to be good dh"

Nibali just dropped them, but he comes from the big mountains so should do

is brad saving himself for the final climb?
has he hit his limit?
we'll soon find out!

http://www.isposure.com

Just shown the crash again on italian TV, Davide Casani reckons he wasn't concentrating. Can't imagine he got up after that, however he is pretty tough so who knows

looks like the lanky Basque has it

Roche group 7 seconds down

Roche 15 seconds down, if his group gets back on the leaders he could be in with a shout

"Did you see the sparks coming off the bike in the slo-mo?"

I thought that was his specs 😯

Wiggo leading them all down, go on son!