I saw a clip on Breakfast the other day and it was so disappointingly bad that I can’t bring myself to watch.

First time for me too, my partner in the pairs was in a quad last year and we have the opposite plan, singles during the day, for as long as we can then move onto 2/3 lap stints if we can cope. We won’t be fast but we’ll keep going (as long as it’s not raining too hard).

I have also bought a Solarstorm X2 from that seller. I’m not sure it’s 5000 lumens but the transaction was fast, easy and as expected.

I’m taking both, a Nukeproof Mega (I know) and a borrowed Ibis Tranny. I’m planning on riding the ht for as long as I can bear then use the Mega for a bit of comfort during the night.

I take my hat off to all you rigid, ss gods.

nikk, i went through the same thoughts and have booked a room in Strathpeffer for the Friday night. The last thng I needed was to only get an hours cold sleep before the race so I booked a room. As for after the event, we’ll just be taking it in turns to drive down the road, I’m not sure what others do.

Is the job in Peebles, as a Business Analyst?

I’m going to buy thermal socks and brake pads tomorrow. I think I need to hire a van to take all my stuff.

Would it not be easier, and safer given the amount of rain in the last week, just to drive to GT? It should only take you 30 mins to get there and the blue is just what you’re looking for. There are trails in Yair and Thornilee but they’re not what you’d call technically easy.

Sorry for the Scottish bias

Torridon
Devil’s Staircase + Ciaran Path
Tweed Valley
Kirroughtree
Mabie

No points for the video, but this is my favourite tune of the year.

P7rich, that album is pretty good and shows his versatility, but I think Lee Gamble and Zomby do that sound a lot better. I have been liking the Akkord and Logos records too.

Trentmoller – Lost
Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven
James Lavelle – Living in my headphones pt1

Disappointed by the latest Bonobo and Daft Punk as I’ve loved their albums in the past.

I’ve used Go Where to explore Torridon. It was a great weekend and really useful having his expertise in the area.

I’m Scottish, lived in Scotland all my life and will be voting YES.

I was undecided until a few weeks ago but the discussions I’ve seen and heard in the media have persuaded me that we have to give this a go. The arguments against independence have driven me mad. I’ve heard a number of mentions of it being like the end of a relationship where one person wants to leave but the other doesn’t want to let them go. This allegory trivialises the debate, for me this is about Scotland having the ability to govern all aspects of Scottish life, not about problems with a relationship. There is only 1 Tory MP in Scotland but we have to accept being governed by a Tory led coalition, how does that represent us effectively?

In PMQs yesterday, CMD said independence would cost each Scot £1000. That is a price I would happily pay, even if I can’t really afford to, if it meant that we would be governed by people that understood the needs of this country.

I got a custom drawing done at Red Hot and Blue in Edinburgh. It cost £20 that was deducted from the cost if I went ahead. It did, as the drawing was amazing.

Monarch RT3 for me.

I just went through this.

I put the chain on big to big then removed all the air from my shock and fully compressed it, then pulled the mech forward until it was at about 45degress (no protractor was used so maybe +/- 5) and then linked the chain at that point.

After my first ride I still had to take out another 2 links. Rides well now

HTH

+1 for the Mega. I recently built one up with the X-Fusion Vengeance 170mm forks, running 1×10, the bike climbs well and descends better than I can. Really good fun bike.

+1 legend.

I like the full gold run. And deerhunter. And 3G.

I’m doing it for the first time, in a pair. I’m kind of looking forward to it.

I am Pilgrim

I’ve used Slater Hogg and Countrywide to sell property in Glasgow. This was in the late 90s so they didn’t have to do too much for their money, but both properties were sold within 2 weeks of going on the market.

They were both good, we got better service from Slater Hogg but paid a higher price for it.

Some of it is shot in Tollymore forest near Newcastle, Co Down. And yes there are loads of good trails in there.

Should be worth more that £200. I’d say closer to £400 depending on condition and bearings etc

I know the trail of which you speak and yes it is very steep. There are a few trails in the valley that I can only clean in dry conditions, this is one of them. The others would be north of the river. I’m not sure about the name or history.

I’m in Peebles and have lived in Innerleithen as well. The track from the cairn does eventually head back down to the trail, I’ve only ridden it once, while the descent was being built. It did get pretty wet and boggy towards the end and joins the SUW at the circles view point.

The other trail, at the SUW crossing was the way the XC used to go before the fast jumpy descent was built. It was a climb back up to join the wet boggy trail mentioned above. We always just used to fly down the SUW to get to the circles though.

As for the proper riding spots, there is a warren of downhill trails from the first and second fireroads. Most of these are rideabl on an XC bike, Iride most of them on my hardtail. The gold run, Cresta run and Make or Break are the ones on the map but once you get into the bottom section there are many options. Some do end up and drop offs (Matador), so be careful on your first run.

All the best for a speedy recovery SFB

Diesel jeans have always worked for me. Fit well and keep their colour.

The hanger door was a bit ridiculous but the bloke looked so pleased with it.

I liked it too. Nice house for £450K

Try Black Circles and choose a local fitting centre. I’ve found they’re always cheaper than the local garages.

+1 for Aeropress

It is similar to a cafetiere but also has a filter so the coffee is as strong as you want and clean without that sludgy texture you get from a cafetiere.

I bought mine for camping but I now use it everyday.

+1 for Red Hot and Blue. Jason did mine but I don’t think he’s there anymore. They only do custom work which is what attracted me.

+1 slowclimb. Osso is the best by far.

+1 for Northwind

There are loads of good options at both GT and Inners. At GT we usually take the route Northwind suggests, it misses out Spooky Wood, which is probably the best known bit of trail at GT, but not necessarily the best. I love the Boundary trail and Deliverance/Redemption.

At Inners there is a warren of trails down the main face of the hill ranging from Caddonbank which is the XC descent to full on downhill trails – maybe not the best option for your first time, the one with the biggest drops is call the Matador. We usually ride a selection of Make or Break, Cresta Run and Gold Run.

As for Ae vs Mabie. I’d go fpr Mabie nice flowing descents and the climbs aren’t too bad. Ae does have a new jump park section in it which is good fun though.

Have a great weekend.

Where I live, the Tweed Valley, with Skye a very close second.

I like to mix long rides with shorter faster more intense rides. I can get lazy on a long ride and just spin away whereas I find it easier to maintain a high pace if I know its going to be over soon. Like everyone I suppose.
I made a decision in the spring to ride every day when I could, it’s not always possible with work, kids etc but even 45 mins keeps me ticking over.

One of my pals bought a carbon 29er HT from Canyon a few months ago and we can’t keep up with him (or keep him in sight) when he rides it. Needless to say he love it.

Other peoples holidays/nights out
Technical bike nonsense – “I’ve changed to a 48-34-20 at the front and it’s made a huuuuge difference”
Football – I’m from Glasgow and used to love it as a kid but can’t stand the religious side of it now. It seems to be worse these days since Rangers demise. Just really boring.

+1 for the comply tips, they eventually lose their spring but they come in packs of 5. I had a pair of beats tours that would not stay in my ear for longer than 5mins even when sitting still, the comply tips sorted them so they stayed in. Having said that the comfiest in ear headphones I’ve used are these Klipsch x10s