krita is a pretty good free option as well.
not sure about specifically what it’s like doing what the OP is looking at, as I’m a fully paid up adobe zombie!

The green wildgripper front was an excellent I thought.

I never had the original white porcs but I actually really liked running green tyres. I was racing junior cross country around this time and always felt being able to see the tyre in your peripheral vision was useful when racing. the white even more so.

Probably not much of a concern these days but id be curious to see how they look on my current bike…

My last haircut was in October 2019, I eventually was made to go and get a trim this October by my wife and mum like a 47-year-old baby!

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Another vote for Will Carruthers – Playing the Bass With 3 Left Hands

A very honest and enjoyable read.

the second part of this track (6.00 in) is actually an advert for the band’s vegetarian restaurant. also happens to be one of my all time favourite bands and even where I got my name on here from.

YA HO WHA!

for me, im still staggered at how inept the government is. without sounding like a paranoid conspiracy theorist surely the UK government had a broad plan in place for if/when ‘this type of thing happens?

the government ‘govern’ but sadly for the many already lost, permanently damaged, or affected it’s too late. and we just at the start of what could be a long cold winter which doesn’t feel great either.

(a local friend is still recovering from the virus – 40 days in a medically induced coma, permanently deaf in one ear, severely damaged shoulder needing years of physio as he had to get a hole punched through his back to drain his lungs on the ventilator, need counseling after the dreams he had whilst under and can hardly walk up a few steps without a break – he’s only just over 50)

our politicians across the board are mediocre at best, I can’t help thinking about how different things would have been if we’d had folk that had even the vaguest clue. even dreaming of previous dud leaders and I think we’d have had a better chance somehow.

sorry, I’ve nothing very positive to say, i just hope everyone is taking care as much as they can…

this shite can’t end soon enough. thank god for my bike.

My wife and I continue to follow the rules, we live fairly rurally so it’s always fairly isolated, to begin with.

I’ve noticed (and felt it a bit myself) that slowly it’s getting harder to not get frustrated with what we can and can’t do. I’ve only seen my parents twice since the lockdown started and the last time, a few days ago, it was clear both them are beginning to deviate from the guidelines due to boredom and frustration.

It’s uncomfortable to see the whole conspiracy/paranoid angle taking hold as well fuelled again in part by yet more underlying boredom. I see the thread mentions common sense and I agree that many have become increasingly casual. The problem has always been that the danger isn’t necessarily to yourself but for others which is maybe too complex a message for some to understand.

Genuinely hope our autumn is kind so we have a fighting chance of avoiding a substantial second wave. I won’t be in a pub, go out for dinner, or head to the swimming pool this year.

I’ve been lucky enough to have biked and walked rurally and in almost complete isolation thorough this and its been a massive help mentally and physically.

way more than normal and loving it. no idea of the mileage but out every second day. as i have my own business working from home, I’ve just been working as and when required – weekend or weekdays make no difference. and the weather and trails have been great.

being rurally based and quiet out has made biking even better, managed to explore places i’d never got round to previously. and nature has been amazing to see at its quietly got on with its own stuff during these weird times. being a bit of a fungi nerd – it’s been incredible!

and finally, whilst biking is great for physical exercise, it’s been amazing for my mental health as well. ill try to keep this going as part of my ‘new normal’.

The last time I rode with anyone was September. Living rurally, going solo is my preferred option 99.9% of the time. This means I can stay out as long as I want and head wherever I fancy. The only modification to my normal riding and lockdown riding has been to not head anywhere too remote…

I’m in the Temple/Carrington area a lot and there are loads of new signs up on gates at the moment advising folk not to enter the fields (that I’d occasionally go into connecting trails). I think a major reason is simply that it’s way busier than normal and with folks that are perhaps less aware of common sense in regards to lambing/crops (as well as closing gates etc).

I’ve never actually seen as many cyclists out this way on the country roads and trails. 20+ on thursdays local loop when normally in might see 2/3 others…

Just another aspect of these totally weird times, farmers and estates are deviating from the rules and so are the public. As folk that are always out there, we just need to be extra sensible for now…

I think the real aspect in all this is doing some low-risk sensible exercise that you do directly from your house.

For some of us, that possibly means turbo trainer on the patio or garage. based on location maybe you can walk to the park or along the canal or seafront. and for the very fortunate it still means access to trails nearby possible as almost normal.

But for now, just take it easy if you can still get out to cool places, ride like your not wearing your helmet whilst still wearing one…

I think in general for all of us, being able to still approximate our biking passions makes this a tiny fraction easier. its just that now, we have to be super careful.

i think that the whole thing around this horrible situation is that we have all been handed the broad facts and been advised what to do – actual laws and red tape seems secondary compared to our assumed natural instinct to actually try to survive this thing as best we can.

we are currently being treated as grown ups with human rights and brains.

it’s clearly up to each of us to work out what that means day to day. whats essential to one household is irrelevant to the next. all the ambiguity just makes it plain it about personal responsibility rather than operating within or outwith any law.

the one thing that seems ceertain is social distancing eventually halts the spread of the virus, and then ultimately leads to it being contained and destroyed. (some computer simulations on this really make sense).

im no big fan of the police or current goverment but ill be doing everything i can to not waste a second of their time until this is over…

stating the obvious, weather is always a bit issue with any of these routes even in may. as far as skye goes, the main cuillin ridge can be a tricky place. ive been a few times were weather conditions have suggested its not the best idea to head there. glamaig and marsco are both great vantage point thought if you have a few hours just to get a proper look at the black cuillin up close.

glencoe – the walk up to the lost valley is pretty cool, again you can see how you feel before deciding to continue on to bidean. similarly in torridon the walk round to coire mhic fhearchair on beinn eighe is cool and pretty low level, you can climb back over the tops weather and mood dependant.

all 3 places though are spectacular and if you are lucky with the weather, you’ll have an amazing trip…

jones

haha! correct – although i did buy the best of simply red for my mum years ago which caused an amusing ripple with my amazon recommendations…

some fantastic music mentioned here – dead c, terry riley, of course reed’s metal machine music always gets a mention.

i write an experimental music blog in my spare time – OBLADADA. i suppose stuff like roland kayn’s scanning or a little electronic milky way of sound are genuinely challenging although i absolutely love them.

merzbow, gaseneta, fushitusha and les rallizes denudes can blow folk of their feet a bit as well with some wild japanese savagery. i suppose its what you like and i geniuely am drawn to what many folk see to find unlistenable (my wife for example).

for me, unlistenable is music that actually causes that weird second hand embarrassment. so music thats so hideously cheesy to make me squirm. top loader, lighthouse family, simply red and m-people are just a few masters of that oeuvre.

give me atonal jazz, strobing minimalism or alien electronics over that rubbish anyday…

OOIOO

just ordered some flats and shoes – will report back but im looking forward to my first non-spd ride since …erm 1990!!

useful thread! im also chin stroking the whole flat pedal thing. been on spds since shimano started making them.

its a mixture of wanting to try something new and fear of trying something new!

i think for me, riding a rigid, non dropper bike in the wilderness, perhaps flats just helps the simplicity factor. when its really muddy or over grown, i guess the whole pedaling efficiency thing is less important than just being able to generate forward momentum. perhaps it will be more fun?

i suppose another factor thats still not fully formed in my mind is the whole knee pad vibe – i hate wearing too much kit but guess its part of the whole thing as well. nothing constructive to add to the thread though…

im probably overthinking the whole thing and should just try it!

the ‘cornology’ boxset is a superb bonzo collection of everything you’d need.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cornology-Bonzo-Dog-Band/dp/B000006TDV

firstly, its no surprise that your son had his confidence shattered. we all have crashes and many have had bad ones.

i had a head on collision with a rogue motorcross bike once that still makes me shudder decades later (mud guard went through my knuckle – fractured skull and shattered Etto helmet – it was a while ago!). lying in a heap in the seconds after that one i remember the thought ‘dont let this put you off’ because realistically it was the sort of thing that might just do that.

perhaps time off the bike isn’t so bad as others have suggested. its fine to get a fright (and hes also been lucky) and when it feels right, he’s come back to it. and the experience will help him to grow as a cyclist if he chooses.

good luck!

the sound of my hope hub, the song of a yellowhammer and that inner ear buzz of silence when you stop at the summit on a still day…

20psi on an ARC 40

i picked up a aquila 29 x 2.4 after it being highlighted on this very board. reduced from £70+ to £19.99!

i was looking for a tyre for the scottish winter sloop as my stash of geax gatos have now all died (i still thing these original versions are the best mud tire ever!)

ive only had x2 3 hours on muddy local loops but i like it. running it out back with a 29 x 3.0 surly dirt wizard up front and feels like a good match. works well in really wet conditions and bites through slop into the harder stuff below. has got a bit overwhelmed in pure clay but almost anything would.

its pretty draggy on any unavoidable tarmac sections but for a small price tag, im happy to find something that feels workable for the next 4 or five months…

talk talk – laughing stock and spirit of eden
matt johnson – burning blue soul
the outsiders – cq
simply saucer – cyborg revisited
paul marcano – 100001 dreams
folke rabe – what??
natural information society – mandatory reality
lichens – the psychic nature of being
oren ambarchi – hubris

Vivera Veggie Kebab, served with salad, pita bread and your preference of chilli and garlic etc is total winner. my wife are both veggie but we have got several meat eaters totally hooked (including my incredible sceptical dad) . so tasty!

heck super green sausages are also fantastic as a superb meat free option in any sausage scenario! (ooh matron!)

800mm does look crazy wide to me but its a look im warming to.

i remember decades back loving the scott at4 bars and they were less that 500mm wide (and a nightmare to install especially when you decide only a few weeks after you got them to go super cool and run your thumbshifters flipped and under the bars). i had a cannondale sm1000 back then and these bars with that 13″ high bottom bracket brings me out in a cold sweat… really fast and super twitchy!

amazing how we learn.

i have been running jones loops for around the last 8 years and whilst they are only 680mm wide i really like them (wider than anything id tried up to then). earlier this year i decided simply to see what straighter wider bars would feel like as a little experiment so bought some 800mm bars and a 50mm stem.

i actually really like them although the amount of crashes I’ve had has been crazy. i’ve hit a couple of trees due to the extra width but i suspect the wider bars are somehow giving me more confidence to go faster. then I’m getting into trouble more often. i just need to wise up!

im convinced wider is better although its clearly something to play around with before getting the hacksaw out or that assuming that gap is wide enough…

Thanks everyone so far… sounds very encouraging.

Not going to work for the Forestry Commission!

impossibly fussy original bladerunner nerd here and i expected to hate it. however, i was pretty moved by the sequel. fleshed out the original world, had that same blend of odd and familiar future. the sound in the cinema was absolutely incredible though, less of a soundtrack, more of an amplified smbience.

goslings awkwardness was prefect.

my only disappointment was not seeing off world but i guess that’s maybe one for another time. considering various revisits and reboots are little more than nonsense, this is a great film and for me, a very solid sequel.

i tried some IXS flow shorts as a total gamble and love them. despite getting hammered, they are still holding up despite several tumbles and loads of bush whacking.

tough and with a bit of stretch. i always wear my shorts over bibs and these are great. definitely worth a look.

I’ve been running a x1 set up for quite a few years now after 20 odd years on various x3.

Although I’ve lost the biggest gears I’ve gained more lower ones and for me, having fewer gears doesn’t seem to make much difference. I’m not racing but i still feel that I’m going as fast as previous but now have the ability to scale stuff I’d maybe toil on before. I’ll tend to settle into gear and work harder and shift less. It’s a bit like having a singlespeed with gears!

Riding a rigid bike and heading out into pretty wild places with a simpler set up works for me as well. I don’t think front deraillers were particular bad or breakable but less is almost the same. I’ve actually daydreamed about an adventure type set up with a x2 up front with a round 32 and an oval 30 might be cool to try at some point as a nerdy experiment.

And although its ridiculous to even say this, visually, i think bikes look so much better with a x1 set up.

Went to see Tony Law on Friday, his show was a shambolic mess = totally amazing!

trail centres

for me, as someone that totally loves the freedom of biking in scotland offers, this video made me wince a bit. like everyone that bikes up here, I’ve had anti-bike comments from walkers and i suppose ultimately this video gives them fuel for their ‘us and them’ argument. the runners comments and the hikers near miss are both bound to happen the more you explore.

i suppose the common sense part is that i always try to avoid busy walker paths (or ride then early or late in the day) to minimise rush hour traffic.

i really enjoy bens videos and i suppose another factor is riding a proper trail monster of a bike following the guy that own the company makes them, will make it very hard to just roll along the trail. i always imagine myself dong the same on my rigid bike and the assumed difference speed between biking and walking isn’t nearly as much of an issue.

first and only one was when i was 15 on the road- 30 years ago.

I’ve been veggie for around 12 years, my wife has been veggie almost her entire life. i suppose the best way to approach it isn’t to think of meals as ‘without meal’ or somehow not complete anymore. it does encourage you to approach food differently and on occasion, you’ll be disgusted at the lack of options on certain menus.

I’m veggie as i care for animals and not vegan as living were i do in a small rural village would make thinks almost impossible on a day to day basis. If we ever move back into the city, it would happen overnight.

for me, the whole topic comes down to personal preference. eat what you want and like everything, a little bit of moderation is always the best. choose less meat has an environmental impact, a health impact and means you get to explore all sorts of new stuff. it makes sense for everyone to at least be aware were their food on the plate comes from, how it got there and choose accordingly. even doing a meat free day once a week is at very least making a tiny difference and introducing creativity in the kitchen that might just be fun.

a carbon stumpjumper expert 2008.

it was my ‘getting back into biking’ experiment. loved it but quickly moved onto more compliant bendy tubed niche craziness…

what’s the situation in the smallest gear?

from this to this…