Nothing within 1.5- 2hrs for me. So it’s Red Spider (climbing wall) or the garden woody. A little boulder nearby would be great though. A few years ago I did try and get the local council to fund some Sheffield style boulders in parks, but failed. Money went on some sort of fitness trail thing instead.

Definitely stick then if your mileage is low.

I haven’t been, but isn’t there a lido with slides at Aldershot? Could be the best of both worlds. Spectrum stuff but without the intense noise, infected spots etc and a nicer outdoor environment? Might not be though….

The spectrum is unbelievably noisy, more than any other pool I had been to. Went a few times with kids though. Although missing slides, on a sunny day Petersfield Lido is excellent. Swim, muck about and have an ice cream or cup of tea poolside.

I haven’t tried them, but they are pitched as xc/light trail so suspect they will out-roll any combo that had a high roller in it. Whether a rekon race/rekon is quicker, not sure. In general though I am happy with vittoria’s xc tyres and use Mezcals, Barzo, Peyotes and they are all good.

Yeah, I would be more worried about festivals but instead my son jumped on a 5hr train ride to Dartmoor and wild camped/ hiked for a few days. Now he’s done that he’s keen for more. Plenty of national parks accessible by train here and in Europe. Seems a reasonable plan to me.

Probably depends on the kid. Would you say 16 is fine (generally) then?

Edit, just read the article. The kid has just done his GCSEs and is young for the year. Most of his mates will be 16. A lot of kids are off doing stuff without parents at that point so it’s a non story imo.

Yes, all that and it took 6 weeks to feel normal again. Don’t push it until you are recovered.

Our velopac ones have had zip failure recently. I think the right corner radius and stuffing other stuff in them with the phone probably means failure is inevitable. Just replaced them with some muc off ones because they were cheapish. Fwiw, the camo one has a beefy zip and the flouro yellow one has a weedy/ waterproof-looking zip.

This is the beefy one;

Essentials Case – Camo

Doesn’t fit the biggest phones though.

Thanks everyone.

Augustuswindsock, thanks but we will pass on that one. He might be fine in it but if I use it I think I would want a fraction more sitting up space.

Yeah, the 3 man tent per person was quite light, but the group is fairly fluid and some of the others who weren’t there already have 1 man tents. If it was a fixed group of 3 every time then I would suggest new poles for that tent and carry on.

New options to look at then from above:

Phoxx 1UL,  Lanshan 1/2, Forclaz

I will float the idea of a hammock/tarp. Plenty of the Network Scouts locally have gone down that route. I can that in a n+1 fashion, if you wild camp enough you can justify both hammock and a tent.

10 years out of Vango Banshee is impressive! Excepting a polycotton force 10, I have never had 10 years out of a tent in regular use.  I guess that extra bit of weight on the Banshee may be worth it.

He’s 5’11. Thanks.

Leaking sunroof – need to clean out the exit grommets regularly. (Above wheel arches – rear needs liner popping off to access). Leaking sliding rear windows – clear miniscule drains/ give up and seal up/ nuke from orbit.

Rust – maybe on door corners/handles/ bonnet chip areas etc. Egr valve/ turbo/ turbo and exhaust manifold gaskets/ driveshafts etc as expected for age and mileage.

Electrics – there is a wiring loom area under the drivers seat that is vulnerable to water damage causing central locking issues. At 130k I would expect it’s failed already and been redone, but worth asking.

+1 for a set of nuts first.  I started with one set of nuts and a few hexes and that was fine for quite a while. Eventually added friends, quadcams, aliens, RPs, brass offsets, more nuts…. but you don’t need all that to get going with. I know it all looks shiny and exciting in the glass counter at your local climbing shop, but just go simple and learn to place nuts really well.

The pierceable canisters are not recommended for Scouts, so if it’s that type then don’t offer it.

Yes, good coverage on Disco+ with Matt Groom and Shauna Coxsey on commentary. Felt nice and familiar, like IFSC coverage. Setting was very good. I think the setting team should feel pretty happy with their work.

Dunno. Maybe test it first. I still have a gas stove from 2000 or so in regular use. Still current coleman-type screw-fit gas and works fine. I have an even older MSR multifuel thing, but that definitely isn’t safe until I do some repair work.

Give it to your local Scouts or Guides? Some gas stove standards haven’t changed so hopefully it’s still current.

Tiffin is like a Rocky road without marshmallows and with a bit more dried fruit (sometimes). Crushed biscuits, chocolate, some other stuff as sweet aggregate for structural stability.

Empire biscuit?? Biscuit sandwich with jam, icing and a cherry thing? Well that’s only really a Scottish thing. Rarely seen south of the border imo. Even then it’s got a different name.

Tiffins and Rocky road type biscuit mashups are also good. They feel like a viable pre or during activity snack and millionaires shortbread for after. Less of a sinker.

Ah yeah, the original Hub cakes and slices were very good bitd. All the other recommendations are noted for when I am out and about around the country. Thanks!

Anyway, perfect ratios, butter, not overworked aside, where is the best millionaires shortbread then, within striking distance of some biking?

I propose Durleighmarsh Tea Barn, between Rogate Bike Park and the SDW. Ratios, chocolate, shortbread, all good. Slices are massive which is handy. Little bit of white chocolate decoration too for a posh finish. Mmmmm.

It is good, and whilst a reasonable default, I’m not going to rush in and order it without a thorough visual inspection of all the other bakery treats. A meh millionaires isn’t going to trump a decent carrot cake or lemon drizzle… But a good one is indeed impressive.

Looks bad. I wouldn’t ride it.

For whatever reason, (and there may be many), the cracks are at the alloy/carbon bonds, so any more failure may result in more movement/ more separation and you having a very bad day.

Fretting usually happens when a bearing seizes. It might free-up but any period of seize would immediately result in fretting. The plastic top hats give a little bit of protection from that. Anyway, stick to shimano, find a shape you like and polish it up if don’t want black/grey. Or for ultimate durability, square taper and middleburn.

Probably none in the FS XC type. Mine has, but it is 10 years old now. If you really want it, then probably hunt out a secondhand frame and build it up with new/used parts. Likely looking at non-boost too from that era. Eg Pivot ran a front mech mount on the 429SL up to 2016. When that was replaced with the Mach4SL then it went 1x. So you are likely looking at an 8 year old bike at best I think.

One advantage of laurel is that it only needs 2 cuts a year. One early August just after all the birds have gone and then one sometime in September to keep it looking good until the following year. The first cut is a monster one though, a huge amount off the top and sides. Yeah some leaves die, but it recovers quickly.

I have an Ego pole trimmer/ polesaw kit for laurel/mixed species hedge and similar. Heavy but balanced apart from reaching into the middle/top of a deep hedge. I was going to go for just a massive regular trimmer but i haven’t got the reach or strength for the top of a deep hedge. Pole trimmer is much easier.

Maybe run the SRAM dub one and if it doesn’t last very long then change to a Shimano/24mm crank/BB and sell the dub crank. Yeah big initial cost but that v lots of future BB swaps.  BB92 is a pressfit system designed around Shimano and the 24mm axle.

I started yoga to try and help with injury prevention, but then I injured myself doing yoga. Same net result of injury/physio/rehab x many weeks/per year as usual. Now switched back to regular climbing, although I have a shoulder injury that I am currently treating from that too.

To improve the back of kombis a bit you can swap the basic door cards for a nice molded one with lots of cubby holes/ door bins. All the camper fit out aftermarket places sell them.

Yeah rear windows will leak unless the new ones have improved this. The drain holes are tiny and clog easily. Same for sunroof drain pipe outlets, but they are easyish to access and unblock.

If you are just going to be shoving kit in the back then get a kombi. Sportlines will be more expensive because of the extra bodykit, more bhps and all the scene costs that attracts. A more basic spec kombi should be cheaper than a caravelle.

No. Mine was slow and shit before, so no change.

BB92 with shimano is fine. Easy to swap in and out when they do wear and also not too expensive. Plenty of room for decent size bearings with a 24mm axle.

It’s amazing, but without the problem solving of regular climbing as the route remains the same.  So, yes it has rightly been separated from combined boulder and lead. Even better would be individual boulder and lead, but every sport wants more.

Good job DrP! Glad to hear nothing went wrong.

Mostly use Hardhurst Farm in Hope. Good central location, flat pitches, not too expensive. Basic but sufficient facilities including showers. There is a trainline abutting the northern edge, but I am not fussed about train noise, so it’s all good for us.

What with this and the spring compressor stuff… Did the spring compressor/ slammed car thing work in the end?

Yes, same for son and I a few years ago.  Both from tick bites about 2 weeks apart. Local (south downs park) drs don’t hesitate and we were both on antibiotics. Son felt better within a month. I took 6 weeks or so and then had a additional blood test as I was taking so long. That was fine and I felt better anyway after a bit. This is a pretty similar occurrance to a lot of locals I know. The really small kids tend to get ticks in their hairline though, so harder to find.

Mostly use insect repellent now on exposed skin if riding or walking. Sometimes I forget and then will pick up a tick or 2, even under trousers.

Most folk with us were consuming 1 gel + 1 bottle of torq per lap. Mostly 750ml, but maybe a bit less. Except for my son. He had a full sweet shop/ bakery laid out on the table and in one of the sit-down pit stops he also had one of those nice sausage and chutney slices from the coffee van. Lots of pretzels were consumed too. The bottle and gel lot were quicker…