SlowManiac

Well flat by NZ standards maybe! Honestly though, the grades are very manageable, only the climb over the pass is of any consequence. I remember the climb down the other side being the most painful.

I got married at the Awaroa Lodge in the Abel Tasman NP. I ran there from the start the day before, got lost and my wife thought I had done a runner! I have hiked the Milford Track (perfect for kids - mostly flat and drop dead gorgeous). I have also run the Kepler (as part of the race they hold each year) and run the Routeburn track (both ways in one day). Taking my nipper for his first overnighter in a few weeks too here in Oz.

Some inspiration....

I've got a Megaboom and a Boom 3. Battery life is great, sound is pretty good and pairing them is OK. The 2-up function where you pair more than one speaker is great for parties etc but is a little finicky. They are super durable, get wet, knocked around, dropped and haven't missed a beat. Once in a while I'll strap one to my backpack and go a ride with music, it's pretty fun.

My friend is doing this. It's absolute madness. The race clock has been running for 105hrs, she has been on the bike for 96hrs. Less than 10hrs sleep since Saturday.... Currently just out of Ravenswood in QLD, there's not much till Alice Springs in 1800km or so. Madness

I've used it for years. It's fantastic, excellent quality kit. I'd never bother looking for anything else to be honest. For winter the fleece lined jerseys are great. I've used the bike shorts, mtb shorts, jerseys, commuter range, jackets, gilets, everything! And it's all good! Whether it's up to a Canada winter I don't know - I did have a thick fleece dhb gilet that I could never wear it was too warm.

Awsome - glad you are enjoying yourself! The Oaks is pretty much the classic Blue Mountains ride - a fast mostly downhill 25km with a fun section of single track near the end. Don't miss that, the entrance to the single is where the gate across the trail is at around 18km in. Save some energy for the climb out of the causeway! Bakehouse on Park in Glenbrook (where the ride finishes) has AMAZING pies and cafe 2773 is really nice too for a brekkie or post ride coffee.

Can you get these in NZ? A bit exxy but not to bad for a dual suspension. Will fit 26" wheels too. https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/2020-marin-hawk-hill-jr-kids-dual-suspension-mount Edit - my boy has the Commencal HT 20. They do a 24" too, they are seriously good bikes.

I'll have a go at the NSW trails. What kind of riding are you after? In Sydney on the north side there is Manly Dam which is 10-15km of mostly XC trails with some slightly trickier stuff. Old Mans Valley in Hornsby - short but fun flow type trails with some jumps. Beginner and intermediate friendly. Nearby is another short XC trail called H2O. Mount Narra trails - gravity orientated trails with some big drops etc. Does require riding up a pretty gnarly hill. Can be linked up with other trails in the area. IMO the best riding in Sydney but does require a level of competency and at least a trail rather then XC bike. Out of Sydney but close by - Ourimbah and Awaba - XC trails. Canberra has some great riding. Stromlo, Majura Pines, and others. If you are after shuttles then Thredbo. The mountain biking hotspot in Australia at the moment is Tasmania - Blue Derby, Maydena and others.

I've got a FR 35. It's a decent little watch, true doesn't have the fancier features but it does the basics very well.

Schitts Creek on Netflix is very funny! Classic sitcom with a twist and great actors

One is an obsolete death trap, the other is a penny farthing

Geez that dude was cool under pressure! didn't even stand up!

Did an extra 20mins at the gym in the morning, then an extra 20mins of annoying my family in the evening!

Did my first commute this morning. School holidays and I left a bit early so the traffic was not too bad (well by Sydney standards - there was still more traffic than I have ever ridden in). Went pretty well! Bus lanes most of the way and wasn't stressful at all. 30min on the bike compared with 1h10 on the bus and 1h15 on the bicycle! Stoked!

totally! but this is the Hub.... She's gorgeous and smart.....

Another one of my favourites!

My favourite show at the moment is '8 out of 10 cats does countdown'. It's a combination of the British panel show '8 out of 10 cats' and the long running pensioner/unemployed/uni student favourite 'Countdown'. There are lots of clips and full episodes on Youtube. If you are on the fence about it - Rachel Riley

Or I could just buy more durable grips? It's mtb'ing right, everyone crashes (even keyboard warriors)

I like ESI but boy they are are damaged easily. ANY impact to the grips will likely result in a gouge or tear. For this reason I've given up on them.

My new whip! Stoked, it's a pretty fancy! 300cc so just a little bike but should do everything I need. Lot's of practicing to do before I unleash myself on commuting

I just deleted my FB account. It does give you the option of downloading your data (I assume this includes photo's and video's) before deletion. I was also worried about losing memories but I'm really happy with Google Photo for that - automatically backs up everything from my phone, creates little videos and sends little 'On this day' reminders. MUCH happier without FB!

Yeah the MT-07 comes in a LAMs approved version but to be honest I found even the MT-03 pretty intimidating - it's been ages since I've been near a bike and they are WAY bigger, fancier and heavier than I remember. So happy to start off on something a bit more manageable. Test is a 2 day course, 3.5 hrs each day handling competency and then a theory test of 45 questions.

Looks like I'm going to skip the intermediate e-bike step and go straight to motorbike. Getting my learners license at the end of the month and been evaluating bike options. Will be 95% commuting. Like the look of the Yamaha MT-03. Pretty excited and nervous, haven't ridden a moto since I was a kid.

Good lord no. You need to be all kinds of crazy to attempt Barkley. I've done my share of ultra marathons but the most I'll ever do is 1 night with no sleep - with Barkley it's more like 3 nights!