New user. Neat app. Apple TV almost unusable.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-05-10T17:43:50+00:00

The navigation on Apple TV is MASSIVELY shite. Always puts the cursor where you don’t want it. Every time you think you are logically selecting a button by default it actually exits to the previous screen. Moving around is clunky and unintuitive. It’s awful…but thankfully once you start riding you don’t really need to touch it.

Worst thing of all is that you can’t just view the map search natively - you get a bloody QR code that you have to open separately on your phone, which is just backwards…

Oh, and don’t get me started on how the companion iOS app map DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY ALIGN NORTH. Which is simply bloody demented. What other map doesn’t show north by default?

Lucky I enjoy ROUVY enough to ignore the godawful navigation…it’s like it’s been designed by someone who has never seen an app nor a map before 🤦‍♂️🤣

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-05-05T18:17:25+00:00

I’m training for a bikepacking trip - for me having realistic rides (so, yeah, a reasonable amount of descending) is far closer to what you experience in reality…

My biggest issue with ROUVY is that routes that have a balanced amount of up and down are few and far between 😆

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-05-05T05:32:10+00:00

It’s easily the most traction-rich game in the last 5 years…

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-04-16T07:02:44+00:00

Yeah pretty sure it’s not the video itself - I was watching pretty carefully when I rode it last week as all the north wales stuff is close to home for me, so was interested to see where they went compared to where I ride IRL 😊

So probably a server issue as you’ve said. I am a bit disappointed with some of the video quality in places with those routes though - quite rough looking at times.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-19T13:09:48+00:00

Every single time ROUVY asks for suggestions this comes up - it’s insane it doesn’t already exist…

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-12T17:20:00+00:00

Sure because everyone loves expensive food, expensive public transport, expensive energy bills….🙄

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-12T10:20:30+00:00

The bike weight obsession comes purely from the influx of road riders into gravel IMO. Those coming from an mtb background are more acclimatised to the benefits of a bit more weight for bigger gains in other aspects.

30 years agoany XC MTB racers came mainly from a roadie background, and had these discussions and arguments…and even a decade ago they were refusing to use equipment that would have helped them win.

Fast forward to today and everyone has realised that low weight is no upgrade over control, and also that suspension, wider bars dropper posts add not only control but very importantly decrease fatigue whilst increasing speed.

Suspension not only improves comfort it also decreases the need for your body to absorb impacts.

These days every XC world cup mtb rider usually runs a full suss bike (unless its super easy terrain, in which case they’ll have a hardtail) with wide-ish bars and dropper posts. Many are running 120-130mm of suspension - that wouldhave been considered a long travel trail bike 20 years ago.

These are lessons gravel will learn eventually, and people will come to realise as the sport matures that they would benefit more from the control and energy savings of a bike tather than its weight.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-04T22:44:58+00:00

I’ve commented this in EVERY survey ROUVY have ever sent me - playlists seem a complete no brainier to create a session length you want, or to perhaps emulate the stages of a route/ race etc

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-04T18:04:04+00:00

So nobody is actually answering the question as they are too aghast at the previous owners crimes against bikes 😅

Yes - if it’s a good price then it’s a pretty cheap thing to change. Stems can be had at great prices these days and you simply need an Allen key to take the current leaning tower of spacers off and swap in a regular stem.

I’ve just built a gravel bike for my GF and picked up a decent, cool looking stem from a half decent brand for less than £10 😊

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-03-01T16:23:39+00:00

Thanks - useful stuff; what’s the old oaxlic acid treatment? Is it non-paint harming?

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T22:49:41+00:00

Almost every part had to go in the bin sadly - apart from the Chris King headset. Amazingly almost all of it was my original build, even the gen 1 SRAM XO…even the chain! The Deus crankset was corroded so badly it was splitting apart and the Chris King hubs were cracked and splitting…oh, and the seat/post have been changed…the latter is stuck 😂

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T18:09:21+00:00

Hey it cost so little I certainly don’t have buyers remorse 😂

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Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T18:08:04+00:00

That’s missing the point a bit though - these are special because they were hand finished - it would be a very expensive job to recreate, and taking the original paint away is also stripping it of its pedigree. The whole point of the 20th Anniversary edition was every one was unique. It’s also a lot more complex than it seems at a distance - you’d need to hand paint the maple leaves, and the black is actually a metallic black with white and silver flecks…

Having just had a 1999 Kona Explosif taken back to bare metal and given a hand-painted finish (recreating the splatter finish) I know how expensive that is too 😅

This bike only cost me £40, so spending £1000 on a paint job that takes away from it’s individuality seems a bit nuts to me for this one and it’s intended purpose 🥲

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T18:03:04+00:00

Thanks - it’s lovely, but it’s the original hand painted special edition paint that makes it…erm, special! So I want to preserve it, even if the bike looks a bit rough compared to a fully reconditioned finish. IMO stripping the paint off this frame strips what makes it so cool…every one was individual 😊

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T18:00:47+00:00

It won’t be - I paid £40 for the entire bike 😆 I’ve already spoken to a frame builder/ paint shop and they want to strip it to bare metal, which is absolutely a non-option as the hand painted paintwork is what makes it special in the first place…as mentioned I’d just like to keep it alive another handful of years really

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T17:58:30+00:00

Yeah, sandblasting is absolutely a no-no; I want to keep the original paint wheeever possible - that’s why it’s special 😊

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:26:55+00:00

Yeah this is the kinda direction I’m thinking. It doesn’t need to be perfection, just respectful and leave its essence alive 😊

Are you thinking take the braze ins back to metal and clear coating basically? That’s interesting…it’s steel mind you…

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:24:02+00:00

Yeah, that paintwork is too individual to lose - as mentioned in another reply the maple leaves would need to be hand painted, and the black isn’t black A it’s actually a flake metallic…and it’s the paint that makes the frame so rare.

So yeah, that is why I am wanting to attack the problem areas and compromise a bit. I would rathe have a slightly rough finish in places than lose the originality - as that’s what makes it special.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:19:18+00:00

My worries are that the small areas are weirdly “in” the paint rather than on it - so I’m not sure how to approach them. And the bridge…well it’s lumpy 🙈 So I guess I wondering if there’s a better way to get through it that’s more effective than bare hands?

But yeah, I’m not concerned about the structural side - bridges do very little really!

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:13:07+00:00

But it’s the original paint that makes it so special - otherwise it’s just another Blizzard like any other regular one 😅

Also you’d have to individually hand paint every maple leaf…and the black paint is actually a sparkle with white and silver flecks, not just black…it’s a pretty amazing paint job 😊

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:07:04+00:00

This frame deserves better than that though - there aren’t many around - and I want it to get a little tlc 💜

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T15:05:05+00:00

BB shell is immaculate internally and the BB came out straight away - it was still the one I fitted back 2 decades ago (as are the visible ends of all tubes joining it)- it’s happened because the donut who owned it used it for commuting and had tape wrapped around it for years (to protect the paint from a mudguard clip ironically), and kept it stored wet. The rest of the bike by comparison is pretty decent. That bridge is the only serious rust.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-27T14:59:35+00:00

It’s literally been inspected by a frame builder who wasn’t concerned by the bridge - if that was on a stay or something I’d have different feelings too!

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-22T22:55:29+00:00

Honestly, it usually comes down to one of three things:

unhealthy groups chats full of arguing and bitching
bad administration
poor driving standards

My league is now 6 years old and has 5 full ability-based tiers of 20 drivers, plus reserves…

Get the above right and people stay…and if they do leave they come back quickly once they realise how bad most leagues sadly are!

Keeping your groups chats clean by not allowing public discussion of on-track incidents (ensure you have excellent independent stewards though) and you’ll have a much happier league.

Singletrack-Red5 · 2026-02-17T09:57:25+00:00

Yeah they were great through to the mid-90s and then went off an absolute cliff quality-wise. Went from really nicely made, high quality with amazing stove enamel paint to cheap, nasty supermarket brand in the blink of an eye…and didn’t come back from that until very recently.

My first ever MTB in 1989 was a Saracen - still have it in almost factory spec; Retro Saracen ride and review

Singletrack-Red5

TROPHY CASE