7am on the 25th

I enjoyed it so much, I think it's a worthy VOD.

It cracks me up how everyone who lives in Canada thinks NZ is paradise, and everyone living in NZ thinks Canada is paradise. Growing up in NZ, now living in Vancouver means i'm in a pretty good place to say you're both right, so don't forget to enjoy where you're at, and if you get a chance to travel - do it! Really nice vid, thanks for showing off my home(s).

There is an argument for wearing a stiffer helmet if you spend a lot of time in jagged rock gardens which (at the speeds pros ride) could have a sharp impact, splitting a softer helmet. However, for the majority of us, a bike helmet is going to be a much better option for 95% of the trails we ride. It is also worth noting that a lot of the latest research indicates neck trauma may be the primary cause of concussion. The theory is that your brain detects the impact in your neck, and forces your body to go limp because a limp body sustains less overall injury than a stiff one (that's why drunken falls often result in less serious injury than the same fall by a sober person). From what I have read the jury is still out on whether neck braces help with concussion (they do help in other ways), but it is worth thinking about.

I can give personal testimony to why they shouldn't warranty xc bikes for rides like this. When I first arrived in Canada, I bought a 2006 Stumpy. I rode it on the shore, and kept blowing out the shock because I didn't really know how to ride trails like that. I was landing hard on everything, missing trannys, making bad line choices etc. I thought about the damage I must be doing to the frame, sold the bike and bought a Reign X1. Now, 5 years later, I am a much better rider, and I am sure I could ride the trails without doing serious damage to an xc bike. Problem is the manufacturer only has your word about where, and how well you are riding it, so they have to set their guidelines based on the lowest skill level (me 5 years ago).

The trails are getting destroyed, and need some love and attention, if the city wants to put some resources in to that, then I think it's great - but they need to know what appeals to the kind of riders that travel the world for this stuff, and plan around that. Every time I'm there I seem to be chatting to someone from who came from out of town to ride what made cypress famous. They certainly aren't traveling for gravel paths. Tech trails attract real riders, and can be made and maintained in a much more sustainable way.That needs to be the focus of the message mountain bikers put across.

I'm not sure it's a good business move for Andreu. Changing bike sponsors this often implies that you have no loyalty and will just ride for whoever will pay you. 2 years ago he was saying Kona were the greatest thing ever, then Mondraker, now YT - how are we supposed to take an endorsement from this guy seriously?

I don't get why the awesome MTB movies are released at the start of the snowboarding season - can anyone explain? Trying to tie in with Christmas presents is all I can think of, but for me, a May release of this would get me pumped for the season at hand.

When the obvious doesn't help - try the subtle. I had an annoying creak that took forever to track down, turned out it was the metal cable end rubbing against the frame when the rear suspension was active. Also, don't trust your ears, the noise sounded like it was coming from the cranks, but was generated half way up the frame. Just work through every possibility and eliminate one thing at a time, if possible, take parts off as you eliminate.

To each there own. I find with fatter grips (ODI Rogues), my hands feel fine after a day of riding, whereas thinner grips really seem to make my forearms pumped at the end of the day. I like the internal end clip and the tapered concept though - both good ideas I think.

I used to think like you Raleigh - until i got an iphone. Handy on the trails for the nice camera, there are also a lot of places coming out with gps trail maps. I can get a whole map of Squamish riding trails on my iphone which will give me exact gps coordinates telling me if i'm in the right spot. Having gloves that make that easier is a nice little feature.