I'm no whippet, but I quite liked the rocky climbing.

'Flow' is a little over-rated. Riding the un-flowing downhill bits quickly and smoothly is challenging.

I liked the quarry part, maybe more could be made of this?

Maybe the trail could go up to the Trig Point at Whelpstone Crag or is it outside of Forestry land?

As I said, I thought it was very good.

Do it on a hard tail if you have the choice

I did it on a hardtail because I didn't have the choice…. Ok, I choose to ride hardtails.

I went to Gisburn for the first time today and I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it.

I liked the tight singletrack and the rough surface on much of it.

There were a lot of berms, but a lot of the other parts reminded me of CYB(not been there for years though).

As expected, the Black bits weren't particularly severe, although I under-estimated the angle of that steep slope below the crag/trig point and entered without slowing, faster than I probably should have done. I hung on though.

If it is a hot-wire MAF, then you can clean them carefully with contact/brake cleaner and a fine brush.

From a generic viewpoint,

If any of the engine's sensors show an unexpected value, the ECU may reduce boost to protect the engine.

The first things I'd check are that the sensors you can see have good connections and that the turbo pipes are attached firmly with no obvious leaks (check when warmed-up).

Beyond that, it gets more involved.

For example…they couldn't give a toss about the standards on £500k-£750k plus property……they just put them up, flog them, and forget about them.

Indeed. Those large pseudo-Victorian-Edwardian houses are actually a bit flimsy and have a lot in common with those poor-quality, thrown-up, over-priced "1&2 Bedroom Luxury Apartments" that sprung up everywhere with lots of "TO LET" signs outside.

Housing association stock on the other hand, is a completely different kettle of fish. HAs know what they want, and also know that the property will still be theirs in decades to come.

Yes, when builders tried flogging their surplus "1&2 Bedroom Luxury…." stock to housing associations, they refused them.

I used to do a bit of climbing and mountaineering. I'd like to do more again, but there isn't time to do everything<sigh>

Alps back in the 90s (pre digicam):

Andean Mountaineering by rental SUV (~4200m?):

A nice scramble near Annecy:w

One thing missing from many cars these days – simple engine oil and/or water temp gauges – WHY?!!

Although I'd prefer to have them myself, all that most people would require is a simple warning to say that the temperature is too high or low. Even then, most people wouldn't know what to do about it anyway.

Modern cars warm up quickly and maintain temperature effectively.

Likewise for oil pressure gauges. I'd like one, but oil pressure is rarely an issue. If the oil pressure does drop, chances are that the engine will seize and need replacing.

If you live in an urban area then car insurance for a new, young, male driver will be extremely high whatever the car.

Even if your own car is almost worthless, the potential for causing damage to others is very high.

This is the reason why very few 17 year olds drive around in old 3 litre BMWs and tend to be seen in low-powered small cars.

"The Making of Modern Britain" by Andrew Marr -Fascinating and easy to read (his "A History of Modern Britain" is also superb).
"Tschiffely's Ride" -An excellent account of a horse ride from Buenos Aires to Washington DC in the 1920s.
"Mind Driving" -Having previously done IAM, I've not really learnt much so far.

Hora is correct about tyres. LSDs can make a big difference too.

BTW I own a 4WD for the safety of handling etc- its too low to be 'good' in the snow.

-Not really justification for 4wd given the context of living in a flat, low-land city and driving to mtb venues. 2wd is fine for most people, even exuberant driviers. Welsh farmers used to manage well with (2wd + LSD) Peugeot pickups like this:

before the Subaru pickup turned up.

Indian motorcycles

Yes, very Indian…

If a Mk3 Mondeo Estate such as mine can be said by the enthusiastic driver to handle 'well with a comfortable ride', how does the equivalent S-Max handle (body control, road-holding, bump absorption, steering feel etc.) in comparison?

My old CX frame snapped at the down-tube whilst riding along the banks of the River Mersey.

What was strange was that 3 days earlier I had been to Rivington and ridden the San Marino/Belmont descent and the Ice Cream Run with a certain amount of joi de vivre and it had been fine….

It is mostly down to the rider, but the life of the frame will be reduced substantially with rough use.

We too have a My3.

I used some old mtb inner tube rubber as tyre liners and added Inner tube slime. No unwanted deflations so far <Fingers crossed> and they should hopefully re-inflate with the pump if it does happen.

The chassis is not strong -the base of the handle, especially when extended, is a a weak-point.

Despite having never taken it anywhere more gnarly than the Trafford Centre, your honour,(c.f. "I was just riding along"…) At 4 months we had our frame replaced (I kept the slightly modded wheels). The new one felt much more sturdy, so the original one's joints must have loosened over time.

How did Goldsmith earn all that money as he seems like a clueless idiot to me?

Earn?

(click)

completely fecked=frayed 360° in a thin line, in places it looks like the tube is trying to bulge through.

rubbing brake pad?

1. Up to the Pike- down the drop offs
2. Climb (not on that cheeky footpath, oh no not me) upto Winter Hill
3. Down San Marino/Belmont.
4. climb round on the road- and push up the gully run off of Winter hill (its a circa 5min push?).
5. Down the Gully and rejoin the curve round to finish at the ice cream run and down the singletrack by the road back down to the barns.

Addendum:

2a. Hora disappears off to the Trafford Centre with his Missus

Just a thought, what pressure do you run them at and do you actively avoid road debris?

No Speach debelle this year?

Scandalous.

-that it got anywhere near the shortlist last year.

Actually, who cares about awards anyway?

tiger_roach – Member

probably at some poncey private school

But they tend to be the toughest places!

Well, I occasionally encounter people from schools who played rugby against our (state) school. The common consensus is that we played, ahem, 'robustly'. I'd never really noticed as it was normal to us.

uplink – Member

Has anyone seen the Brian Glover [PE teacher] scene in Kes?

My school was similar(in the late 80s), albeit with a proper (rugby) ball -none of that poncey round ball stuff-.

We had the benefit of these very much 'old-school' chaps who made Brian Glover in KES look soft:

I think we had training cancelled once in 7 years -the field was water-logged and the pitches were getting too cut-up which might spoiled the up-coming 1stXV and 2nd XV games. Of course, when it was frozen we just wore trainers & not studs.

We had a match cancelled once due to icy conditions and fog -it was an away game- probably at some poncey private school 😉

Interestingly, the school always did well at rugby, cricket, track & field and even football when it eventually sneaked in.

Its not about what is fit for purpose, its about what the Joneses next door have.

They have a Mondeo….

..and so do we.

Oh.

by using The Force, of course

surely these chaps could go for a ramble around the area?

I suspect that it might be more effective than snipers!

They're now called 'crossovers'.

Low profile tyres are part of the concessions to normal road use, as is 2wd.

2wd is fine in most situations, especially with a limited slip diff (not necessarily nice for on-road).

I rented a 2wd Ford EcoSport (small version of an Explorer) in South America and it was fine on Andean mountain dirt tracks. It only struggled when I tried to drive up very steep, loose tracks to see what it would do.The tyres could have done with being a bit narrower and taller.

The soft springs and tall ride height soaked up bumps well, although it was a bit roly-poly on the road. .

4wd for a non-high performance, UK road car is fairly pointless.

Poncey SUV coupes are a bit pathetic really.

I ride a motorbike, enjoy doing it and, having put in the effort, I ride to a reasonable standard. I mostly use the bike for commuting (in all weathers) which helps to improve/maintain skills.

I like making progress on twisty roads, but get most satisfaction from doing it smoothly and well rather than screaming down straights at high speed and over-taking where I can't see ahead. I don't ride a sports bike because I don't see the point on typical UK roads -A dual-sport/large 'supermoto' style bike makes a lot more sense and point-to-point (without going stupid on straight roads)on bumpy, winding roads are at least as effective as bikes with twice the amount of power, especially when wet.

A lot of people have extremely powerful machines (mainly for bragging rights?), but don't do that much riding which, in my view, is not a good combination.

Some bikers do seem happy to overtake and corner with little visibility and pass between oncoming cars at speed, but to me it seems unnecessary.

Had I ridden a motorbike 10 years ago I possibly could have been a liability, but experience, age and responsibility have made a difference (it applies equally to mtb…).

The Cat & Fiddle is a great road, but a twisting mountain road needs to be travelled with care.

Don't tar everyone with the same brush.

Not fashionable, but fairly capable and good fun:

You want a comfortable, narrow bike that doesn't cost a lot to run. It needn't look fast or nick-able. Something that might also be fun at weekends(ie. most bikes) would make sense. See what it available. Heated grips are excellent. A tail-pack or top-box is useful. Panniers are too wide.

Get a helmet that fits well and has a good visor seal(-check it)

Try a few ear plugs and buy a big box of the most effective.
-I use Howard Leight laser (I think). I find that foam ones need to be rolled very small at the point for them to work at their best. Don't just plonk them half-heartedly into your ear.

I've never understood the point of tattoos at all.

What is the logic behind having a(n often prominent), permanent and deteriorating mark placed deliberately on your body? We all change our opinions, our hairstyle, clothes, cars, furniture etc. throughout our life. Why burden yourself with a permanent tattoo, especially if you suspect that it might be chavvy?

Will you still love it when it is a green, amorphous blob or a painfully-lasered pale patch in a few years' time?

Each to their own and all that, but why? I once read that a fifth of the population had at least one.

I've been watching the TT coverage too.

It's fantastic stuff. The on-bike footage looks as if it has been fast-forwarded and I like the fact that the helicopters can't keep up.

As someone who rides a motorbike (at nowhere near that level of skill), some of those 'moments' make me feel queasy -The composure of the top riders who manage to, very calmly, hang on throughout these little incidents is amazing.

Long may the madness continue!

If outdoors/hills/biking are your priority, then yes, Ramsbottom/Rawtenstall way are a good place to start although quite a long way from Manchester.

If you want to live closer to town, then there are some nice parts of Prestwich & Whitefield.

The Peak District will take a while to get to from anywhere in the Manchester area if you have to travel on the A6 through Stockport or through Glossop.

If you do choose to live on the Cheshire side, then Wales is very close-by.

BigBikeBash – Member

I have decide the job is beyond my ability. I know my limitations and mechanical aptitude is one of the big ones.

Probably a good thing that you thought about it then!

He was on about swapping the old head onto a new short engine, so there would be no re-building of the bottom end.

It would probably be better to just buy a replacement engine, swap it over and then sell the old top-end and any other bits that are still use-able.

Did you go on to scare him despite the Honda?

I only occasionally drove my Dad's economy model cavalier at the time, so even the XR3i felt quite fast to me. It would be an understatement to say that the instructor wasn't impressed by my furious, exuberant, erratic lift-off over-steering 'style'. I loved it though.

I suspect that, quick cars and fast bikes later, the cars wouldn't feel as rapid to me these days, although the steering would still be sharp and I'd hope that with a lot more experience, knowledge and a much different attitude, I would be a lot smoother.

pps. Take frequent photos as an 'aide memoire' ….and for the photoblog

I've swapped and re-built motorbike engines which is quite straight-forward, but most parts of a car are less accessible and many are difficult to reach unless you have small hands. In my experience, expect a lot of knuckle-skinning.

If I was doing it, I'd first read the manual thoroughly and note any 'special tools' that will be required.

I'd pay attention to exactly which fasteners and gaskets will definitely (and the ones that may) need replacing.

I'd recruit a capable assistant & find myself a nice, wide covered area to work in. A gazebo tent will do in the absence of a garage. Unless you have a few friends to help, you'll need a hoist.

I'd start very early on a Saturday morning and work through the weekend until it is finished.

Buy a box of those thin latex gloves.

ps. It will help if you have alternative transport for fetching various tools and fasteners that you WILL discover that you need part-way through….

However, I (and all the other 'super cars') were being overtaken constantly by the single seaters. They looked like way more fun.

The Single-seaters are very rapid and responsive.

I did a Formula Ford (with tuition in XR3i) there in the mid 90s. At the time I was 18 and knew that I was the world's greatest driver. They felt phenomenally fast and I can admit now that I was all over the place. Even so, I did manage a couple of small power-slides, much to the delight of the marshalls (who waved their blue flags in appreciation), shortly before I went off 😉

-It would be interesting to have a go again now that I've a lot more experience and know that I'm not actually the world's greatest driver.

Marketing:

"selling you the solution -and the problem"

I was 19 when i realised that I'd amount to nothing. And it hit hard, and deep.

It's not so much 'amounting to nothing' as being Joe Average -just like most other people.

Unless you inherit wealth you have to work very hard and/or be ruthless.

I think I realised that I wasn't going to own a Ferrari at about 17.

I passed one of these in Altrincham earlier:

I think it was one of those, rather than a 250 GTO(or replica).