badunclang – Member
aka_Gilo: Was that the only thing you looked at in the club book in your formative years?

I don’t know what you mean……….?? 😉

I remember looking at them in my mum’s club book as a kid 🙂

7.

Summer road bike: Look 585
Spring / Autumn road bike: Cannondale Six13
Winter road bike: Ribble steel
CX bike: Salsa Chili Con Crosso
Mtb: Ragley Blue Pig
SS: Early 90’s Kona Cindercone with track ends
Fixie: Specialized Langster resprayed in Vegas colours

My Salsa Chili Con Crosso on Dundry (near Brizzle) earlier this afternoon. ‘Cross bikes are ace.

Rusty Spanner – Member
I love dogs. Can’t bloody stand many of the owners.

This.

Great film. Can relate on so many levels….

pottsathome – Member
Is it me or is Bristol the capital of stolen bikes it seems every scumbag down your way must have a new big with the amount stolen

Lots of good trails within an easy ride of the city centre + fairly affluent city + thriving cycling scene = a depressing amount of bike thefts. I doubt in % of bikes owned it’s much worse than comparable cities.

It cost us 20,000 men for a mornings work

I really struggle to comprehend the insanity of that, or many other similar examples from (in particular) WW1.

I tend to think of WW1 and the horror of the trenches on Armistice Day, as when I was a kid those were predominantly the images that were shown. But I think of everyone of all nationalities who has lost their life in conflict, and those they left behind.

Bike up by the Vic Rooms is pretty decent, about 15 mins walk up park St from Queens Square. Evans is less than a 10 minute walk towards Broadmead. You’ve also got the Specialized concept store at the bottom of Park St.

Don’t love any of then, but Virgin are pretty good (I use them for their interest-free balance transfer options).

I’d go for the Boardman. In fact I’m very close to pulling the trigger on one myself through Cyclescheme at work.. 🙂

Paid for 35 hours a week, probably average 42-45. Over the last year we have had a continuous reduction in headcount (no backfill when people leave) yet increasing workloads. In the main I enjoy my job though so don’t mind the free hours too much.

Our two cats, Elvis and Priscilla, don’t seem remotely bothered. ‘Cilla was sat out on the balcony earlier watching the rockets go off a few doors down.

Annoyed doesn’t even get close………………….

superfli – Member
Top gear rd, is that the Upper/Lower Chapel rd? That was a corker, lots of peaks, troughs and bends! Still havent got my sportsbike out since. Its filthy, needs elecs sorting, and the trailie is more fun in this anyway lol!

No, the Top Gear road is near Crickhowell, near the top of the valley above the A40. It’s a belter.

Sorry to hear about your health problems shedbrewed, hope you can make the next ride in the Spring. I rode the bulk of your route today with a mate who lives in Abergavenny – it’s a cracker. The bit between Talgarth and Chocs Away was new to me – I loved it and will spend a fair bit of time getting to know those roads better next Summer. The bit around the reservoir didn’t really do it for me, though the roads were greasy as hell with wet leaves which didn’t help.

A few pics from the Top Gear road:

I always took the view that having kids was new mates to act the fool / talk cr@p with.

Pretty much worked out that way with my two daughters (now 12 and 9). Obviously there is the responsibility angle and making sure they grow up with the right (to me and Mrs Gilo) values, and hopefully end up responsible members of society.

But so far it’s worked out as I hoped – two smaller sized mates to shoot the breeze with, teach how to play air guitar to AC/DC, explain about the origin of grunge, the merits Of Doc Martin boots versus cheap copies, teach how to ride bikes, go camping with, let them witness me wasted to hopefully put them off booze for a good few years, just….. be mates and enjoy each other’s company.

That said, we are on the cusp of the teenage years, I may tell a different tales in a few years time….

On the rare occasions Mrs Gilo and I go out for a meal without the kids she usually orders a pint and I order a bottle of wine. Confuses the waiters / waitresses no end..

Women into beer and chips!!!! Spot on, love it! 🙂

I prefer to think it’s as relevant as punk.

Punk will always be relevant. To me at least….. 😕

To todays 20 year olds this is as relevant as glam rock

Feel old?

Yes.

However, Smells like teen spirit was playing in a clothes shops recently I was in with my 12 year old daughter (she’d just bought a pair of purple Doc Martin boots – I was really rather proud :-)) and she wanted to know what / who it was as it sounded cool….

20-odd years later I *really* get what all the fuss was about…….

Naked sleeper here, can’t abide wearing anything in bed.

Trouble is, my daughters are now 12 and 9, and if they happen to witness me stumbling to the bathroom au naturel I get shrieks of “disturbing!”.

I’m under pressure to wear boxers to bed. Harumph.

I like(d) Nirvana a lot, but their recorded stuff always lacked that last few % to me.

First time I’ve seen / heard this – it’s superb. Nirvana as they should sound.

Thanks chaps.

My dad’s funeral is next Friday. He was a mathmetician and loved numbers and dates. When my sister and I realised next Friday will be 11/11/11 we HAD to arrange his funeral for then. He would definitely have approved 🙂

AndyRT – Member
I just wanted to thank Gilo for guiding us on such a brilliant route

No problem mate, glad everyone enjoyed themselves. I do feel very lucky to have such superb roads (almost) on the doorstep.

Happy to show people round any time 🙂

Yay!!

AndyRT – Member
Welsh twisties have ruined my local roads, they all felt straight!!!

Better head West again next Spring then Andy 😆

superfli – Member
Would you believe it, a day out with italian v twin’s, and the jap bike breaks down lol!

Yeah, the irony wasn’t lost on me! Mind you, when we left Mr & Mrs Poddy in the layby I went to toot my goodbye to find the horn had packed in…….

5thElefant – Member
Ducati?

Suzuki….

Good day, nice to meet you guys. Hope you enjoyed the Welsh twistyness 😀

Sorry to hear you didn’t make it home under your own steam Dave, nightmare!

A few (real!!!!!! pics):

Erm…. sorry folks, overslept a bit………

Bit late now, but dry and chilly in olde Brizzle town.

Cool, I’ll aim to be there a bit before 10.30 then.

Are you guys who will have come a fair way likely to be wanting food soonish after meeting up? If so I suggest we head to the Honey Pot cafe just outside Talgarth first – they do a good cooked breakfast among other things. Probably about 40 mins from Aust.

Do we know if shedbrewed is coming? He put a good sounding route together, but if he’s not I can sort it out, and I’m sure MKChris can too.

Forecast looks like clouds/ occasional sun in the morning / early afternoon, showers then rain coming in late afternoon / evening. So we should be ok.

I’m in Bristol so if MKChris and I report in between us we should have a fairly accurate picture of the weather (can’t guarantee it’ll be before 7.00am though….)

Are we still looking at 10.30am at Aust Services? I suggest we meet in the first car park as you drive in, rather than the higher level round the back where the petrol station is.

Here’s mine, built it up at the start of 2010. Love it, don’t miss full sus at all.

Andy

YGM

Ditto – I’ve no problem with cycling in the rain and cold, but motorcycling – no thanks. For 9 years a motorbike was my only transport so I’ve done the year-round thing. These days the Tuono is a toy, for nice(ish) days only…

Amazing weather this weekend, went down to Longleat with the kids today and it was 18degC – watching the birds of prey show it was so warm I nearly took my jacket off and sat in a T shirt.

Let’s hope it lasts until next Saturday. New rear Sportsmart fitted.

MKCHRIS – Member
Quick query from me about Aust services…does it have a westbound and eastbound side?Or is it a pull right off the motorway job(never been)

I’d hate to be waiting on the wrong side….

Nope, no worries there. Just take the last exit (just) before the old Severn bridge, down to the roundabout, third exit and follow the road round into the services carpark.

Been pretty chilly the last few mornings, hope it warms up a tad for next Saturday!