Ali C

Pretty much just saying what Chimp said but yeah, most top riders may have ridden "pure" trials but back then those bikes were almost identical to street trials bikes today. I did comps on my Pashley and that was considered a great comp bike back then. I actually think its REALLY beneficial for riders to start on shorter heavier bikes, it teaches more about using bodyweight and technique than riding a lighter longer bike would. Those skills then translate to good style and bike control for comps, TGs and even MTBing in general. I think there are quite a lot of new riders riding streetier bikes and one reason is that comp bikes just look so odd and are not very practical for anything other than trials, streetier bikes can be ridden anywhere and look much more normal.

is that a personal thing or a general rule for best results?

I've just got back from the gym, I did a range from basic stretches to some shoulder movement and deep bodyweight squatting drills and then went on to front squats (working lighter weights with good form rather than just racking the bar up) and then I did some active and passive hanging with some proper form pull ups and some front levers (work in progress). Then some plyometric box jumps, some planks and some final stretching. Felt great!

Semi related but Jane has been raving on about Sirt food plans. She's really keen as she's got a science background and the Sirt food idea has very good scientific evidence to back it up. It's not a weight loss "diet" as such more just a general eating better and getting stronger and healthier but saying that in the few weeks she's been doing it she's lost a few kg (not that she was ever fat) and she feels strong. I've been eating some of her recipes and they are actually delicious! The green juices the plan suggests sound and smell horrible but actually taste great too and the date brownies are like rocket fuel! I've been struggling with energy most of this year so far but I think it's helped get some back and I'm feeling like I could actually go and ride for longer than 20 mins now which is excellent. I'm impressed with this Sirt food idea so far.

I'm going to change my name by deed pole. I like Ali Carlton.

getting a mini ramp made across the road from the flat on some waste ground! It's being commissioned by a local charity to help boost the area. I could throw a rock and hit the area it's so close, I can imagine some sweet summer ramp and BBQ sessions this summer. Also generally happy as I've had lots of good things happen recently and some promising things to look forward to.

Lee Mill can't "close" it's public access, it's just losing funding so the trails won't be maintained. Won't change a thing for trials use.

skills!

My other half is half way through a pretty in-depth nutrition course at the moment (Body Type Nutrition) and it's such a complex subject! From what I can gather from attempting to listen to her explanations, the simple thing is you need to exert as much or more energy as you take in if you want to lose weight...its pretty simple. It get's complex when you start going into WHAT to take in to get the most from what you eat. Dieting is often a bad idea unless you know exactly what you need to do. Cutting out foods you like can be a bad idea too, as soon as you cut something out it makes you crave it more making the whole experience unpleasant. I'm not sure where I'm quite going with this. Jane has a private FB page called Optimal Health, once she's filled it out a bit she'll make it live and it'll have a whole load of information on health and nutrition on there if anyone wanted. Also I'm sure she'd be happy to help if anyone wanted specific help, just search for Eureka Health and Wellness on FB.

I'd say rather than work your body to help trials, work your body to help you FROM trials. Once we get specific to one sport our bodys also become specific, most riders will have a natural "hunched" form from years and years of being in a certain position, our joints and muscles will only work up to a limit put on us by our bikes. Unless you're wanting specific goals I'd say work on your mobility, look at people like Ido Portal or Hunter Cook. You don't need specific machines, just floor space and a few weights/poles/whatever. This way you'll keep your body fresh and mobile which allows you to continue riding for longer.

I like the rubbery nature of it though, that milliput says it can be tapped which suggests it's just a car body filler-type deal which is completely different from what sugru does. I agree that it's a little expensive though.

It's my birthday next month, I've asked for socks! I love a nice pair of Bamboo socks, so soft and warm plus socks always go missing so a man can never have too many socks! I've also asked for a battery bank, they seem pretty handy and are pretty cheap, if he hasn't got one already that could be a shout. I'm also a huge fan of Sugru. It's useful in so many ways! I've fixed my fridge, tools I use it on my bike and in my van. It's so handy!

your dog does not look impressed!

annoyed cos I've not ridden for ages. I don't like riding with coats on or in the rain or dark so my only option recently has been skateparks but since I wrote my van off I've not been able to get anywhere

any idea on the engagement points of the new xc Pro4s? I have found they have 8 degree movement but I've seen the trials hub has 4 degrees which would suggest they're ~44 engagement points. I thought that was what the old pro 2 evo (XC) hubs were at? Hope said they increased the engagement but that doesn't sound like it. Edit, turns out the old hub was 36 engagements, so it's a little higher at 44 now

I'm saving for a new van after hitting that deer.

Shame about the filming, I was saying to Danny the other day that Jack could do with a really good video as his riding is next level stuff but sadly despite this being fairly decent quality it seems the filmer has never filmed bikes before and was just too close for just about every shot. If he'd got more in frame it would have been awesome. I've got to also mention Jack should get some pointers on decent form for his workouts, he's doing himself an injustice doing them like that.

Even though I don't live there any more (although my dad still does) I'm really sad to see Hebden Bridge has been hit by severe flooding, all the shops I know are f**ked, my friends house is flooded and it could get worse. At least my dad lives up the hill enough to avoid it.

people complain about them being plastic but I've only seen one broken lever body. I think the material is fine (people who think it flexes I think are mistaking the high mechanical leverage for any soft lever feeling, I think they compare with a Hope Mono trials with a long lever blade feel wise). Hopefully they'll listen to feed back from Danny and beef up the lever blade, they did make some CNC prototypes for us but they need to be refined....no idea if they'll end up on production brakes though.

the lever blade has always been Alu

Pad rock with the MT5 pads is reduced and goes away completely after a couple of weeks use. Alternatively Trialtech pads get rid of it all together

the deer was pure muscle, I would say it handled it but it definitely didn't, at least it stayed in one piece. Yeah the deer took flight for some distance, then bounced out of sight.

I'm getting..... My Girlfriend a Zippo hand warmer as she's always got cold hands and needs to warm them up when she's at work massaging folk my Sister a smelly Skye candle My Brother in law some Sugru moldable rubber my Niece a book on Greek mythology (she's mad on it) I'm getting them all a joint present of some thermoplastic head moldable plastic that can be made into toys, DIY stuff and jewlery. getting my mum some spirits my Dad a hat my Brother some magnetic Sugru my Sister in law a smelly Skye candle Some Chocolates for my Uncle, Auntie and Cousins family

Hitting a deer was less than ideal for both it and my van. At least I'm ok, poor deer was definitely dead though

I would agree with Kenny that on a steel frame and fork tapered is overkill, it's just adding weight (even if it does look pretty). I'd deffo like tapered on ally bikes (mainly forks) though.