@Hammyuk: where are you not?

Just done the first ride out – 16 miles and I’m happy to report it’s SOOOOOO much smoother than my old Orbea and, at over 4lb lighter it climbs like a goat. Happy days.

@ernie_lynch: I never said we should get stuck in ourselves as in put British boots on the ground. There are other options that should be explored first; I think that’s what the Govt has been trying to do. However, all that seems to do is attract criticism. Therefore, the preferred option by those who criticise is to literally just stand by and watch whilst civilians get slaughtered. And personally, standing by and deliberately doing nothing is morally inexcusable.

As for the comparison to the loss of life when we went into Iraq, I was referring just to casualties suffered by friendly forces (and before anyone snaps at me for not referring to the continued civilian death toll in Iraq, I am more than aware that it’s ongoing).

Whoop! Build complete. I wouldn’t comment on the garden if I were you as my mum will hunt you down. You don’t want that. Anyway, 17lb with Aksiums, 105 gp set and MTB pedals. I’ve only had time for a quick up & down the road so far but it’s SO much comfier than my old Orbea. Very happy!

@ Wrecker and CountZero: I genuinely wasn’t trolling and I’m not absolutely clear where I stand myself on if outside nations should intervene. What I do know is that to go in (and I would be one of those ‘going in’) would be absolutely horrendous, far more challenging than the invasion of Iraq and would probably result in far greater loss of life. However, call me naive if you want but the fact that there is such a massive loss of civilian life means that I think there’s a moral obligation not to just “stand by and watch” like you suggest.

A while back whilst in training, I did a little research into a concept called ‘Responsibility to Protect’ and came to the conclusion that at times there is a moral and ethical responsibility felt by states to protect the vulnerable. Maybe sometimes, states intervene not just for political gain but because they feel morally obliged to do so. Just a thought….

disgraceful backing of the war by the UK, USA and Russia

I’m genuinely not trolling or anything but out of interest, what do you suggest we do? Stand by and watch?

Just had a proper look at the new frame and inside the head tube there appear to be a fair few burrs. I’ve never built up a carbon frame before – do I just whack the headset in and force it in or sand down the burrs before pressing in the cups? Cheers.

So everyone’s bought one, but no one’s built one yet?!

Oh balls. I knew I shouldn’t have logged on to see the words, “they’re back in stock”….

For quick carbs, I like the flavoured couscous you get in single serving packets in supermarkets. Ignore the instructions, heat some water and when it’s near boiling, whack it in, roll over the top and leave for a few mins. The fact you’re not having to keep something on the boil means your fuel lasts longer.

Nice one once again Mark. Good luck with increasing the diameter of the seat tube. If it’s anything like my Cinder Cone, the tube walls are pretty damn thin in the first place.

Sui – I’ve not seen someone brew up in the back of a 4 tonner before, that’s pretty dense! Sounds like we’ve had very different experiences – I had a Sqn working for me for about 2 years including a tour etc etc and have only good things to say about them. That said, I’ve just finished a training job instructing Brit recruits and some of the youngsters I’ve seen are complete spanners!

Sui: could you be any more patronising? Got any experience of working with Gurkhas?

Mark, just sent you an email. I’m ex QGS & MIAS L2 and might have a few contacts for you to try.

Large 2010 Heckler with Fox Float 140s, King hubs on 819s, Maxxis Minions F&R (with tubes), SLX Chainset, front mech & brakes, SRAM X9 rear mech & shifters. Thomson stem, Raceface bars, a random Spesh seatpost and saddle. Bang on 30lb with pedals. Tis much fun!

I was next to a car which his a squirrel today. I looked back and it was still convulsing a bit. I couldn’t face finishing it off and I still feel bad… Sorry Mr Squiggle! :(

I’m opening myself up to a raft of abuse it seems but I reckon I can tell the difference. Someone told it it’s because of the oxygen levels in the water i.e. boiled water has less of it. Not sure why that should make a difference though!

Really? What’s wrong with it?

Troll??

If that isn’t a troll, think about it… It’s saying that everyone’s equal but insinuating that being black, brown or yellow isn’t normal!

As the kids say these days, I’m “well jell”! Last time I saw them was supporting the Foos. I’d be hard pressed to say who was better as both were incredible, absolutely mind blowingly good.

Good luck to him. Yorkshire Regiment? Know which Battalion yet? Chances are I’ll either know his Pl Comd up in Catterick or once he gets to Battalion. A few pieces of advice: if you don’t hear from him for a while, do not worry. As soon as the guys arrive, they are grafting from dawn until well past dusk and then some. Give him some space and time to settle in but make sure he knows that you’re only on the end of the phone when he needs you – he’ll be in touch soon enough and he will need you behind him. I’ve trained over 150 recruits in the last year and the changes you see from start to finish is amazing – they really do arrive as boys and leave as men. Well, most of them… ;)

Ton,

Where’s he going and when does he start? If it’s Pirbright, feel free to ask any questions you want – I’m an instructor there.

Without Limits about Steve Prefontaine is pretty good.

Without Limits about Steve Prefontaine is pretty good.

So does Arlissa qualify for an exemption?

Flashy, were you by any chance listening to Radio 2 earlier this evening? Possibly Jo Whiley and her guest whose EVERY SINGLE SENTENCE finished with an inflection?

I don’t think you remember Mark, but I was in touch with you about a year ago – the rehash is actually partially your fault! I’ve just PM’d you on retrobike.

Yes, Fox Float 32s reduced to 100mm and run soft. Feels fast, very, very fast!

@pussywillow: Except it’s not just mud and it won’t necessarily repair itself will it? By cutting down saplings/trees etc it can destroy the root system which hold the earth together, encourages good drainage and prevents erosion if it’s done extensively enough. Also, as posted somewhere above, how do the diggers know the area they’re digging in does not contain wildlife which they’re disturbing unnecessarily?

About 10 years ago, a group of young guys with jump bikes started doing exactly this in my local woods using what looked like piles of earth as the foundations of their jumps. Thing was, those piles of earth was a badger sett which they subsequently destroyed. Despite them not riding there anymore, the remnants of the trail is still there and it’s now pretty much a bog.

Waiting for my 97 Kona to come back from getting powdercoated at Reality Motorworks in Bristol. Their reputation’s meant to be very good as they do work for the Hell’s Angels apparently. Pretty cheap too – £55 for a frame, £15 extra if you want any special effects as well i.e. metal flakes etc. I’ve gone for the original colour but they should be able to do the fade effects as per the Ritchey frame.

I seem to recall the Swiss forces had something similar until recently.

Clicky.

I spent the afternoon bimbling around Cannock and the first time I’ve not had to clean my bike since the summer. Woohoo!

Rain tomorrow though. Boohoo!

Oh come on, stop being snobbish about his bike – all because he’s not building an Orange to go with the Audi.

Good effort on the build. I dare say there are a lot of people on here who have no idea how all the bits fit together.

Mother & baby orangutan.

Hungry snow leopard.

I train recruits in the Army so have to go through a similar background check process to teachers all in the name of safeguarding vulnerable individuals (rightly so in my opinion). Anyway, we are in no uncertain terms not allowed to physically reprimand recruits even in the manner you have described, unless there is immediate danger to the individual.

Bottom line, if I’m not allowed to do it, then that teacher sure as hell isn’t allowed to do it!

If you’re feeling brave, and I mean really brave, google “food for louis” and search for the frozen mice video. It’s revolting but might give you an idea of what a blender can do.

I say again, only watch it if you have a strong stomach.

Bazinga!

My girllfriend and I like it but she likes it less now I’ve adopted Sheldon’s “Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny…” replacing it with her own name.

Loose nipples?

@edlong – Yeah, I think the sniper got the good news not long after that, but not before he put a few rounds through my mate’s day sack!

I’ve not done anything like the above posts but the bravest thing a friend of mine has done was deliberately show himself in the open in Afghan knowing there was an accurate sniper around in order for his blokes to identify the point of fire.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8379544/Paras-play-deadly-game-to-draw-out-Taliban-sniper.html

Those heatholders are amazing! In fact, I’m wearing a pair of them now and my feet are toasty whereas normally they’d be blocks of ice.

Ok, yeah, I’m on the Welsh side, up near the racecourse. Tell me what bike you ride and I may recognise you! I’m on a black Heckler.