But what happens when the robins and chickens get scarce? The most cunning foxes survive. At a macro scale our history is not too dissimilar. I find it hard to see any change to the patterns from ancient history to the 21st century. The sets use less swords and more megabits of data but otherwise it’s the same old story…

Why can’t our politicians be brighter ANC work this out for themselves……?

I think I need some whiskey…

Junkyard, I don’t take offence, carry on good sir

Junkyard we are still mammals. However absurd it might seem, our awareness has not exactly won through at any given point in history anywhere.

On another point, has anyone really got a definitive understanding of economics? Really? Why does it seem like such guess work and bluff?

Dazh

You had it in the bag until the end and you went and made an assumption.

Nope, many very worthy people need help, but quite a few work the system..

It just seemed that the Labour Party held their heads high as they blindly let this happen. It’s entirely likely that now there are many that should get help can’t due to the system supporting itself and failing all those that now are on their own.

Welfare has to exist for obvious reasons. But, why should it be that it is open to such abuse too?

I hope for a better way soon, but the current bickering style of British Politics is just not working…

Dazh

Really? Oh well in that case I’ll be off then.

Hang on…..

So how come kids die everyday and end up wrapped in cloths and left at a rubbish tip? Not in Africa…right here in the UK! How come so many elderly die of cold and malnutrition every winter?

Time to take responsibility for our own failings and flaws. Blaming inequality of the distribution of wealth is like labelling a fox a cruel for killing and eating baby robins. It’s not anything except the normal order. I am not at the top or the bottom of the pile but I think a lot of us can see that spending somebody else’s money without the means to pay it back in order to help more and more people that work the system is just plain wrong!

Berm bandit. It’s easy to say we should help all those that need it but the reality is that in not too many years there really won’t be enough to go around. If more has to be spent to prop up the debt, how long before China will have to bail out Western Europe? No, I don’t think they’d bother either, so carrying on regardless and waiting for the next guy in the line to pick up the tab is frankly a stupid idea.

Junkyard, I doubt the Tories would have increased regulation, but equally I doubt they would have spent quite so much money propping up the ridiculous levels of welfare state spending.

What country out there can afford to carry a large number of people through their entire lives purely because they kept on popping out more kids?

There is a massive difference between wanting to work but can’t, and those that expect the state to support them because it’s their right, having been born here.

Nobody is blameless and nobody is doing anything different to solve any of it! They just carry on playing the same old games they did when I was a child in shorts in front of the TV on a wet Sunday afternoon.

It’s time to stop empty promises rhetoric, throwing muck over the fence and all the other parlour tricks. Just get down to some serious work of sorting it out.

How quickly Do we seem to forget the years of muppet based gov spending by Labour. Each time the Tories drag our sorry backsides out of the u bend just in time for the general masses to have utter memory loss as to who put us down there in the first place. Then Tories sell off state services and we all lose.

Politics in its current form (which seemingly hasn’t changed since the creation of the Labour Party)utterly leaves me cold. Bunch of useless weirdos that you avoided like the plague when you went to school with their sort and now they get over paid to pick at the bones of what was once our great empire.

Reality check! We are a small voice on a big blue ball and there are more pressing issues we can all fix with a bit of common sense. No more nanny state, no more taxation of this, that and the other. No more sweeping statements about saving this and freezing that followed by hand bags at dawn until the media get bored.

Politicians, please just quietly get on with sorting our country out, so people can have jobs and pride in themselves. Everything else is window dressing. Stop it and sort it out.

I am shocked. What was the judge thinking.

Patriot pro….nope. I’m running nine speed with a long cage standard rear mech because that’s what I had. Not even come close to dropping.

I think clutch mech just stops chain slap.

It’s on a Krampus, so perhaps it’s the silky smooth ride…… 😀

Not dropped my chain once in 200 miles. I still wonder how long it will last once it starts to wear, but it seems we are all in the same boat….

Mars bars are the arbitrary unit of fat reduction. I have not consumed any for many years, but what is the equivalent in effective effort required to get them out of my temple….

Would it be possible to go for a ride, and keep going until the Mars bars are gone? What is the likely effort be to remove 1stone of Mars bars….for example

Cheap and cheerful for a winter hack. Stats suggest we all drop a bike now and then, especially in your first year. I did…twice. Both at slow speed but both made a mess of the bike. Rain, leaves, mud, ice and the ever present diesel and not forgetting man hole covers.

I agree that heated kit makes sense. Not battery powered! Make sure it is powered by the bike. Good kit lets you daisy chain vest to trousers to gloves etc.

Enjoy but be sensible and never underestimate car drivers stupidity!

Well done for the quick thinking and speedy recovery Mr Barnes!

Welcome, enjoy and see you out there

What is the record for the shortest return to STW before being banned again?

Thisisnotaspoon I salute you (in an utterly non military manner as I wouldn’t have a clue)

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires, flash bangs and men disguised as bushes. I obviously bravely ran away and had a cup of tea.

Welcome to the Krampus niche. Trust me, the toil will be paid back in smiles per pedal stroke

Only in Surrey eh? We’re they wearing Barbour wax jackets and cowboy hats per chance?

Try joggists running up Deer Stalker 😯

For those that don’t know it’s steep, downhill and made by bikers for bikers and no run off anywhere due to lots of pine trees.

So much for being a millionaire then….

I’m a Krampus rider, and I’m loving it! It’s more like semi skimmed.

In regards to extra effort, maybe, but more grip on wet chalk means less walking up green chalk climbs. It is lots of fun, and I’m not going any slower….

Horses for courses, fat bikes for niche, who gives a fluffy fat rats farse! It’s just fun, makes me smile and end of.

But a set of bombers would 😉

I wonder how many of the thefts that have happened tare also people using some sort of web based ride tracking service?

33km around north Hampshire, just before it got blowy. Managed to feel tough all the way round, only to find I’d beaten almost all if my personal bests.
Big puddles but limited slime. Nice

It’s obviously not funny, but this

You can’t tell that a forklift drove over it in the factory

What music does cheese like best?

R’n’ Brie

I’m here all day

Wwaswas

I think you have it. Seriously.

Other than that I will leave this thread due to the small minded fools that judge others on their own misguided principles. (Previous pages, stupidly read it all just now)

I’m off to cool my pi$$ before it boils over , in a bucket of iced water. After that, as a fattie I will obviously be compelled to eat the bucket and drive to the nearest burger bar and order the entire menu …..twice

Very sad. My condolences to his family

Are CO2 cartridges a blend?

Spam

I did thanks. Cleared a lot of cobwebs out. Had a lot of fun going slightly off piste on the way back. Very dusty and fun. Love riding there.

Not very much, or just enough, but definitely stopping before too much

Let me know when you can make it, my mail address is in my profile.

Sure.

Could meet up in Swinely or Frimley if you ever get out that way?

The Krampus I built has a lefty, or Hefty I should say (yes,I am that funny) and so far I am matching or bettering my previous times. (I happen to use Strava to measure my own improvement as I hopefully move from Shirehorse, to Irish Cob and finally to Italian Stallion ( I can dream…as does my wife)

It’s a lot of fun in a way that seems to make little sense other than full sus seems over the top on the UK trails. but it depends why you ride…

If you want to go faster for longer and be all gnar n stuff then go full sus.

If you want to keep the greatness of a good hard tail but add a couple of extra dimensions, such as ridiculous climbing and cornering grip and stupendous amounts of momentum, then I would seriously suggest having a go on a Krampus.

Added bonus last night of explaining to a random bloke asking for a 29er tube from me in the Swinely car park, that my inner tube is bigger than his tyres. He looked at me like I was talking utter rubbish until my hand gesture moved his gaze towards my Knards. Enlightenment followed.

Jumps and stuff are fun, but enjoying all of the trails is even more fun.

How tall are you as I am selling my Blur LTc frame and fork (Lyric) which sounds about perfect for your needs….

I bought a Krampus and seem to be riding faster with a bigger smile on my face. it then I have a Glory for the really BIG days

No guide, no clutch, no rear suspension and not slipped off once.

Fat bikes rule