[fatdoc]

That Blur LT is very nice. If I was going to have only one bike I'd look at Blur LT, that new Pace 405, Santa Cruz Heckler (bombproof) or the Specialized Enduro, Turner 5 Spot or Cove Hustler. All bikes that would be fantastic round here but perhaps not the nippiest possible uphill.
For shorter travel bikes I think that I'd be very tempted to stick with my Santa Cruz Superlight. Its simple, light, reliable and easier than a hardtail on rough uphills or even flat gound.

You're welcome to have a ride on it if you like - riding as many bikes as possible will help you decide what it is you want from a bike. Definately for you FatKid, as you're new to the game

Turner six pack, new marin wolf ridge also meet those criteria

most peeps (roadies or not) can get these up the hills in the peak, i beleive they are worth the hsul for the downs!!

Fatkid, i'm free tonight 

you dont need to spend more than £2k, well... until the upgrades get to you 

I'm also of the opinion the handmade USA frames arnt worth the huge extra cost... i'd prefer more bikes with less expensive frames... of same no. of bikes with more bling / cash to upgrade or replace the bust bits!

[Percy B]

Fatkid - PlanetX bike sans carbon wheels cost me a grand, so I guess I'd want to get at least £700 for it.....

[fatdoc]

Fatkid's looking at 2 bikes in a month...

could of sworn sometime recently he said the marriage was sooting him dear

 


looks like he intends to lay down the law with the missus from the outset

[fatdoc]

annnndddd

back to MTB...


guess what?


i went out for an XC ride




and broke something 



damn new forks AGAIN, travel adjust not working.. again.


phoned LBS.... kinda wanting a DECENT BLOODY FORK




they phoned distributor... (i phoned tim flooks, not a known problem according to him)


I ring LBS back.... they have swung me the new fork...


With a classic......." well Jon, you could of course get an upgrade  - as it will be at cost, probably with some discount."




bollocks.




that'll be a Pike 454 air U-turn then



 



i have just no self control

 

[tlr]

Anybody fancy a road ride from Hathersage on Wednesday afternoon starting at 5pm?

I'll be leaving work then and probably doing something like Edale, Monsal, Calver, Sheffield on my way home.

Otherwise should be out at the weekend - I've not been on my bike for a week now due to a cold so probably taking it fairly easy.

[fatkid2000]

Fatkid's looking at 2 bikes in a month...

could of sworn sometime recently he said the marriage was sooting him dear

 


looks like he intends to lay down the law with the missus from the outset

The planet X isn't for me!!! Its for a mate who wants to join the great road cycling revolution. Cheers Percy I'll let him know the price and get back to you.

I'm laying down the law from the outset - I control the cash in the house, otherwise we wouldn't have any -The Mrs would blow it.
Anyway Mrs reckons if I keep cycling I won't get fat so she doesn't care. 

Oh look fatdoc's broken his bike again, there's a surprise - 

Fatdoc - I'm around this evening if you're still free.

Think I may die -  got over Winatts Pass - I'm slightly wrecked. 

[SA Chris]

Doc tell what to buy I'm no good at choice.

 

Only thing better than spending your own money on new toys is spending someone else's money.

[fatdoc]

Doc tell what to buy I'm no good at choice.

 

Only thing better than spending your own money on new toys is spending someone else's money.

i'm Sooooo looking 4fward to this 

SA Chris,

if the weather's shite on sunday in scootland.... where i'll be.... i was thinking driving north to laggan (wolftrax) would kill me to get home....  so i'm considering going south and doing glentress (not done anything in the north, no navigation to speak of & i must be the only mtber on in the UK that hasnt been there), then was gonna limp home, via a 3 hr kip in a layby..... have you any other venues that i could consider??

[SA Chris]

Depends which way you are heading home? Wolftrax is good, but pretty small, not really worth the detour in the wrong direction. Better saved for a road trip to include Learnie Red Rocks and Golspie Wildcat. Glentress would be great, I love blasting the red trail there; some superb fast flowing riding, but find the black a bit long, rocky and tiresome.  You can get back onto the M6 via the A7 (expect slow traffic), or go A1 if you are feeling brave. Alternatives are a detour off the M6 you could get to Mabie, http://www.7stanes.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-6XRFHK or Carron Valley http://www.carronvalley.org.uk/. I have not been to either, but heard good things.

This site is dead handy http://cycling.visitscotland.com/mountain_biking/mb_centre/

[SteveM]

I'm moving to Sheffield (car load by car load) at the moment. Got any recommendations for circuits in the 20-30mile range coming out of Heeley or the train station? I moved the bike from Leeds to Sheffield the hard way last night and am feeling suprisingly good this morning, must be the extra padding in my shiny new assos tights

[Norton Sharley]

Doc tell what to buy I'm no good at choice.

 

Only thing better than spending your own money on new toys is spending someone else's money.

i'm Sooooo looking 4fward to this 

SA Chris,

if the weather's shite on sunday in scootland.... where i'll be.... i was thinking driving north to laggan (wolftrax) would kill me to get home....  so i'm considering going south and doing glentress (not done anything in the north, no navigation to speak of & i must be the only mtber on in the UK that hasnt been there), then was gonna limp home, via a 3 hr kip in a layby..... have you any other venues that i could consider??

Go to Glentress.  Do the black.  On your white Whyte!  Was all that travel adjusting why you were so slow on Sunday? hehe

Wednesday night after dark session?  Wy**** Br***?

[chappers]

hey guys. i just wanted to tell you about my recent trip to the pyrenees (i would have done it before but i have had a bit of a shit week.)
we flew to toulouse then got the train to montrejeau where we were met by Julie of the company www.velopyrenees.com, quick stop at the super market to get museli bars and we were off to base camp for the week. by luck the weather was perfect blue skies, sunny - bliss. after a lunch and a home made cake we went out for a quick 30 miles to check that we had built our bikes back correctly!

over the next 5 days we rode in near almost perfect weather, taking in 13 of the big cols and clocking up about 400 miles. the highlight for me has to be our 105mile ride taking in the col de aspet twice and the tourmalet (which was covered in snow at the top).

the people we stayed with were amazing, lee is a total beast on the bike and he and julie did an amazing job cooking to feed our massive appetites. i would 100% recomend this place to any keen roadie looking to ride some famous tour routes without the crowds of the alps. (lee says that there is top quality MTB stuff close by XC i imagine).
cost - bed and breakfast £108. amazing, and we were charged 18 euros for each meal which in my opinion was amazing, 3 courses every night including a bottle of wine - challenge anyone to need to ask for seconds!

i will post up a few pics for you maybe tonight...
at last i feel like a "propper cyclist!"

[chappers]

oh i should add, that lee guided us free of charge (we did buy him one coffee so i guess that you could say it costs 3 euro for expert local knowledge).
when he was not avaliable he gave us a map, route profile and even offered a gps bike computer, we didnt get lost even once from his directions. if he couldnt come out for the whole day,he would ride with us for half of the route then nip back on a short cut.

somthing special about riding a bike to a ski resort (super baniers) and popping out above the cloud the the most amazing views!

[SA Chris]

Go to Glentress.  Do the black.  On your white Whyte!  Was all that travel adjusting why you were so slow on Sunday? hehe

Thus spake the expert. If you are at all knackered or hungover, just be aware that it has some hard climbing. On a full susser you should be fine on the rocky descents, on my hardtail my arse was in tatters.

[Percy B]

Sounds awesome, Chappers. The list of cols I'd like to ride is growing at an alarming rate. A trip to the south of France before the end of this year could well be on the agenda...... Managed to get out for a bit last night, but knees still painful, so I am in the process of tracking down a physio with cycling expertise - easier said than done, but all the people I've spoken to it about say that seeing a GP or a physio without specific cycling knowledge will be a waste of time and money. If anybody has any contacts in the Sheffield/Chesterfield area, let me know. It was awesome riding in the Peak last night - everybody seemed to be out on their bikes and it was a beautiful evening. Made being cruised past by Malc Elliot and his training buddy all the easier to take!
How was Winnats, Fatkid - did you finally have to put your bike in the small ring?!?! 

[fatdoc]

Go to Glentress.  Do the black.  On your white Whyte!  Was all that travel adjusting why you were so slow on Sunday? hehe

Thus spake the expert. If you are at all knackered or hungover, just be aware that it has some hard climbing. On a full susser you should be fine on the rocky descents, on my hardtail my arse was in tatters.

Forks bust again  

I've spat my dummy out, replacments on the way.

And it not  a whyte, it's a marin....

Nice advice, glentress it is.... if weather not good... this place i'm staying seems to be in spitting distance of Weem, shame no one else on the trip sport climbs - the bouldering guide says it's rather good!

[fatkid2000]

Percy - I'm doing an MSc in sport medicine starting in October - so can't help at the mo. One of the gassers at the Northern cycles with the guy who is the medic / doc for the UK cycling team. I think although not sure that he's a GP based in or near Sheffield. I'll try to find out for you.
My mate doesn't want your bike percy he's already bought an S-works SL2 Tarmac - rich git!!!!!

Had to use the small ring - always wandered what it was there for!!!!!!

[fatkid2000]

Cheers for the advice lastnight fatdoc. I'm thinking the Mount Vision should serve my needs - although the blurp on Marins website claims that your bike is better designed for abuse etc (although thats doubtful in your hands)

In previous post Tim mentioned the Santa cruz superlight being good. Is it worth looking at? Its got less travel.
I'll organise a demo at Stans but its going to be a few weekend away - as I'm working the next two.

Winnats is on the legbreaker and the small ring was used last 200 yards was pretty evil. I'm going for the 130KM legbreaker not sure I've got the legs at the mo - some serious hill training is coming up - anyone up for for it???

[tlr]

Percy

The lad I ride with is a physio who specialises in knees. I'll speak to him and then pm you the best contact details for him.

We will be out tonight I think starting from Hathersage at 5pm if anyboby is available. Probably be fairly gentle as I am still feeling pretty ropey from a cold, but I need a to get a few miles in.

Superlight is a classic single pivot design. Probably not the last word in sophistication, but its reliable and it works (I'm not lending it to Fatdoc). I think that with the modern pro-pedal style rear shocks it probably works a lot better than my old version. If you want something similar but burlier   then the Heckler gives more strength, weight and 5 inches (might be 5.5 inches actually). Either frame will cost around a grand. A Specialized or Marin will cost a lot less. Whether its worth it or not is personal preference (and depends how long you are likely to keep it or break it). A friend of mine who rides a lot got rid of his Specialized because it was costing him a fortune in pivot bushes/bearings. I've changed mine once in 6000km on the Superlight for £18. It needs doing again though at the moment.

 

[Percy B]

Pleae tell me you just forgot the punctuation, Fatkid.... Reading your last post its sounded like you just used the small ring for the last 200m of Winnats! Tell me it ain't so....

I rode my mates old Colnago up Winnats last year - its smallest gear was 42-21. Needless to say, it was a multi-pitch ascent! He used to just get out of the saddle and honk all the way up when he was fit. He never was the brightest spark...give me the compact everytime!

[Percy B]

Finally found a man who might be able to help - Simeon Hempsall. Has a practise on Eccy Road, has fixed loads of cyclists ailments, and was British amateur road race champion in 1990. He should know what he's on about, I reckon. Bring on the knee fixer...

[fatkid2000]

Yes it was a mistake I was in the bottom ring from the bottom cattle grid, with 4 gears to go, but quickly ran out of gears on the way up. Did manage it in one go.

One of the cycling gasser at the Northern recommends the chap you are going to see Percy. I'm doing a list with the chap who knows the doc who works for UK cycling on Friday - so I'll find out his name and whether he sees amateurs etc.

[Percy B]

Cheers, Fatkid. That'll be a good contact if this Simeon guy can't help me. Did Winnats a few times last year, but before I had a compact, so it was a struggle (although I was riding a stealth cheat gear - I had a 38 tooth small ring which just helps that little bit). Still found it epic at the top, when the 38-25 ration was still seeming a bit too ambitious. Its just that little bit too long to be possible in a oner without some serious bearing down! Monsal Head (or Mam Nick) is a path in comparison, but both are probably good training for the gradient. I was about par on Winnats, for every time I'd have to stop to prevent cardiac arrest, I'd have a good go where I'd do it alright. It is a proper good hill, that one!

Whilst still on about road issues, I got a copy of a recent Top Velo magazine whilst in France recently which has a huge weight weenies section, including a review of a 4.5kg Schmolke bike and a test of 6 bikes that weight 6.5kgs and less. Makes all our kit suddenly seem, well, a bit heavy?!?!

[fatdoc]

Cheers, Fatkid. That'll be a good contact if this Simeon guy can't help me. Did Winnats a few times last year, but before I had a compact, so it was a struggle (although I was riding a stealth cheat gear - I had a 38 tooth small ring which just helps that little bit). Still found it epic at the top, when the 38-25 ration was still seeming a bit too ambitious. Its just that little bit too long to be possible in a oner without some serious bearing down! Monsal Head (or Mam Nick) is a path in comparison, but both are probably good training for the gradient. I was about par on Winnats, for every time I'd have to stop to prevent cardiac arrest, I'd have a good go where I'd do it alright. It is a proper good hill, that one!

Whilst still on about road issues, I got a copy of a recent Top Velo magazine whilst in France recently which has a huge weight weenies section, including a review of a 4.5kg Schmolke bike and a test of 6 bikes that weight 6.5kgs and less. Makes all our kit suddenly seem, well, a bit heavy?!?!

er.... amd you wonder why your knees are fucked??? 

Percy

The lad I ride with is a physio who specialises in knees. I'll speak to him and then pm you the best contact details for him.

We will be out tonight I think starting from Hathersage at 5pm if anyboby is available. Probably be fairly gentle as I am still feeling pretty ropey from a cold, but I need a to get a few miles in.

Superlight is a classic single pivot design. Probably not the last word in sophistication, but its reliable and it works (I'm not lending it to Fatdoc). I think that with the modern pro-pedal style rear shocks it probably works a lot better than my old version. If you want something similar but burlier   then the Heckler gives more strength, weight and 5 inches (might be 5.5 inches actually). Either frame will cost around a grand. A Specialized or Marin will cost a lot less. Whether its worth it or not is personal preference (and depends how long you are likely to keep it or break it). A friend of mine who rides a lot got rid of his Specialized because it was costing him a fortune in pivot bushes/bearings. I've changed mine once in 6000km on the Superlight for £18. It needs doing again though at the moment.

 

I agree, reagrding bushes, get a drift for £10 off BETD and do it yourself for the shock bushes... it's rare for spesh to have repeated bearing issues (to be fair Intense - aka Santa Cruz design house - have an appalling reputation for bearings) unless the frame's bent!
In addition Tim, you've ridden a lot on that superlight.... with minimal component damage; fast smooth roadie on the MTB trails technique no doubt... for me it's blundering, bashing. falling and vainly huckin about!

[fatkid2000]

It was awesome riding in the Peak last night - everybody seemed to be out on their bikes and it was a beautiful evening. Made being cruised past by Malc Elliot and his training buddy all the easier to take!
How was Winnats, Fatkid - did you finally have to put your bike in the small ring?!?! 

I'm quite surprised Malc still gets out on his bike - loads of pros never ride after they quit. Was he on some awesome dream bike ? I got out after work yesterday evening for a couple of hours, peaks was awesome.

So it looks like the Mount Vision - I'm working the next two weekend - bollocks.  I'll book a test ride at Stans after that. Maybe I can sneak onto those wedding essentials that the missus keeps harping on about!!