ventured up to golspie to ride the wildcat trails for the 1st time. Brilliant fun riding up and down. Have to say that lactic ladder is aptly named. Had a backside/woodland interface moment when i couldn't decide which line i was going to take, but overall a great ride.

I did the "one bike" thing, when on-one had a sale of the ti 456. was an offer too good to be missed. No regrets, its superb! Not sure what the new 456 will be like, the only fault with the old one is the bracing on the disc brake side which i feel makes it less compliant than it should be. Benefits from large volume rear tyre for comfort!

get a skoda roomster, they are good on juice and we have fitted 4 people and 2 mountain bikes inside. It's the best car we have ever had.

Gettin my ar$e out the door!

coffeeking you need to get your better half back to the doctors as the distintive rash is a sure sign of infection. Has she any other symptoms yet?
It will not go away on its own, antibiotics for atleast a month are needed.
There is a test for lyme, but sadly it shows a lot of false -ives. NHS guidlines say that diagnosis should be by clinical means and that a -ive test should not exclude lyme. If you get nowhere with the NHS then i can pass on details of my private doc who has helped me improve, and it hasn't cost the earth.

HHHMMMM where did i put it? must have put it somewhere real safe.

we had "secret smile" by semisonic. Our lass needs a stick to walk, but i chucked it off the dance floor saying "you don't need that, I've got ya wifey!"

If i was you i would start on the white ash red then cross over onto the ordiequish routes haggis then dragons tail, soup dragon then back up for the gully monster black and then back over the a96 to finish the white ash red.
Wouldn't bother with ben aigan, its a massive climb to the top and the hammer just doesn't work. The pink fluffy bunny and mast blast are fast and fun but over so quickly (uplift days here are popular for a reason!)

thank the lord i don't have to go through all this sh1t now! delighted not to have a part time business anymore.

the wife and i spoon every night, we have always done it since we met.

a 200 or 300tdi discovery would be a good bet. More comfort and economy than a 90 or 110 due to higher gearing. oh yeah and its a 100" wheelbase with plenty of room to get bikes in with just the front wheeel off.
Probably the most bike friendly landy.

the cotic is designed to be a bit more hard core than the pace i think.
Pace certainly know how to build an award winning frame, its just a bit early to tell about it, i think it will be a superb xc singletrack flying machine with comfort thrown in.
I would go with the Pace.

i think they mean CEN which has produced a EU standard for the construction of bike frames to make sure they are strong enough for the job.

You won't go far wrong with a 456, i had an steel inbred which i loved. The rear end which is pretty similar to a steel 456 was very complient.
Got to be the best value hardtails going!
Now have the ti456 which is great, the only downside is the bracing bar between the chainstay and seat stay seems to make the rear a little harsher than the steel one.

My latest project, just about finished. Built using as many yorkshire, lancashire and uk made/designed bits as possible.

YGM

my ti456 is mostly using bits that are designed,made or both in yorshire or lancashire! obviously not possible for all components, but done the best i can.

I have always found that i get much more done when there is something else really important that i should be doing, otherwise i just end up sleeping. I call this proactive procrastination.

Got xt on one set and the other wheels have On-one 456 9mm QR front and hope xc ti on rear.

cracking bits of kit, i have one of their original jackets from the early nineties and its had loads of hard use and its still going strong. just wash it and proof it on a regular basis and stay dry.
The new stuff is quite a bit lighter. It is warmer than ordinary waterproofs so need to wear less underneath but with loads of vents and the flexibility to roll up sleaves it works great. very comfortable next to the skin too.

I have pace rc40 fighters 130-150mm, the front hub is an on-one 456 with a 9mm qr for extra stiffness. I ride it at 130mm unless its gettin steep and rocky.
Loving it!

has to be the SDG bel air

gonna be back at gullane for most of next month, just wish it had been in summer like my last visit with plenty of day light after lectures.. Looks loke it will be warm evenings in the golf view this time.

coastkid, very impressed with the picture quality!

snowslave, you lot over those hills need you're own bike company

It's not as awesome as the yorkshire rose it wears with pride!

I loved it,there was bags of standover and the frame is not much shorter than the 18". I found it spot on for "razzing round" the trails.
You will need a long post 400mm for climbing and for fast xc and on road you might want a longish stem to stretch out a bit more. I went for the 18" 456 ti as its gonna be my only bike now (deal with wife) so made sure it was large enough for all situations (road, xc, trails,etc)

By the way the steel inbred has a more compliant rear end than the ti 456 with the new brake brace. (the only dissapointment of the 456)

I am just shy of 6 foot and 32" leg and i rode a 16" inbred with an 70mm stem. Now have 456 ti and went for the 18" with a shorter riser stem, still have enough standover. Fork wise like it says on the frame 4,5 or 6.

My "green" landrover discovery (i have recycled and rebuilt it, no extra CO2 from building a new one) which just happens to be be green, has been a joy in the recent weather. My disabled wife loves it, as she can get out and about without fear of getting stuck.

On the flat i have hit 46mph on my road bike when i was in my late teens, i had an electronic speedo. Downhill i have reached 55mph going down into swaledale from buttertubs when i was fully laden on my touring bike which only had sidepull brakes..After cycling to malham to see my girlfriend on my way back i raced a coach for 5 miles from clapham to bentham and overtook it going downhill into bentham..no speedo that day but great fun!

Just wish i could still do it!

got 3 weeks of gullane next month, luckily sat cosy inside for my final fire safety module. Shall be having a pint or two at the golf view.

To answer the original question you will need to prove your alround abilities from being able to read, write, count and common sense physics type questions. Also prove your fitness with bleep test and other physical/practical tests which will also spot if you are a team player.
The modern fire service is also interested to see how you deal with people and the problems they can cause, and diversity issues like sexism or racial, homophobia for instance.
Best of luck, from my experience the first 20 years are the worst lol.

andy

you certainly need to go to your doctors. for more info go to http://www.bada-uk.org

the lyme rash from an infected tick bite can vary in appearence or it could be alergic reaction. if the rash appears elsewhere on the body or expands further then it will be lyme.

if it is lyme then antibiotic treatment early on is normally very successful.

andy