Loving that pic too Postierich!

When we are in that neck of the woods I like the Merienda by the clock tower or the Square Orange just up the road – would be a late brekkie there though as they don’t open till 10am.

Just wait in the queue at the Mermaid, it’s always entertaining!

Nice! Thanks for the msg too :-)

That really is none of their business!! Make it about work – what you do or don’t want to do outside work is eff all to do with them. This thread reminds me how glad I am not to have to do civil service or corporate PDRs ever again. Whilst the principle may be good the reality is an unwholly mash up of bulshit & half truths. If it’s something you have to do then play the game, but don’t imagine it’s anything more.

Fox Enduro – basically glorified knee warmers, but the ones I wear the most. Sweet protection bear suit knee guards – same pull on style as the Fox ones but more padding should you actually fall off & bash your knees. GForm are a bit weird, try before you buy – I’ve got some in the back of the cupboard unworn since I bought the Fox ones (several years of wear so far). HTHs

Our thoughts exactly when we rode through there yesterday … random, messy and hazardous for some in a way that trail as it stood wasn’t in the slightest… ho hum. Was all still there last Sat.

Yup leave the eating until after class!

Golspie is just magic – last time we were there we also had weather like Somafunk’s pics. I do love our little island when you get views/ days like that :-)

Paper maps here too – I just like them, that & I’m rubbish with tech.

You’re a writer?
Never burn your bridges, always hold the high ground however much you want to say what you really think.
Walk away now.

Yup done that too!

They are great, just remember that we were the best group they’d had that week ;-)

Lovely tribute from Singletrack on the home page. It was a pleasure to see him at the awards ceremony last year. A gentle, softly spoken man, modestly doing great things. Remember, be inspired, keep riding.

Yeah I just watched that clip & can’t see what the fuss is about. It’s your expensive bike going in bag on a plane – pack accordingly. In answer to the OP – yes just use the space for kit up to the weight allowance, they don’t check and make sure as said ^^^ that you don’t put everything you need in one bag. Common sense innit!

If your contract with BT ended and you are now effectively ‘out of contract’ then phone up, ask to be put through to the retention team and negotiate. I did this, binned out stuff we didn’t need and with line rental, unlimited infinity broadband & evening & weekend calls (we pretty much never use the landline) got them down to under £35/month. FWIW – I spoke to a UK based customer service chap who couldn’t have been more helpful.

We are your demographic, and for what it’s worth are a two van outfit! We are far more likely to be carrying bikes than passengers so always had one van but when it came to say goodbye (very sadly) to my Mk2 GTI it made sense to have a van. So I have a caddy and the other van is a Vito (bought from a STWer!).

Before we bought the Vito we looked long and hard at T5s/ conversions and borrowed one from a trade friend who does conversions. This was useful as it made us look at whether we actually really wanted a sink/ cupboards/ bed etc in a van. And for us the answer was no – the main point for us of having a van is that the bikes & all the crap go inside and we use our van to go places/ get changed in out of the weather/ lug wood etc and for the money we didn’t spend on something bling/ converted we can stay in lots of lovely cottages/ B&Bs along the way – or whip out a tent if necessary.

Vans drive like vans! Get your wife out in one to see if she likes it. I personally love the higher driving position of the bigger van but if you’ve never driven something bigger & with a bulkhead like ours then you do need to get used to using the side mirrors more and parking. It’s not difficult but if she’s never driven one you really should try before you buy …. including parking, reversing up narrow lanes and hills/ round bends etc cause for some reason other drivers still seem to think vans will miraculously shrink when they get up alongside you … :wink:

Tailgate! Shelter, loading etc..

Yay Mama – always stylish [you and your bikes!] 8)

I iz freaked out, it’s change and I’m not ready … us oldies need warning for all this new fangled technical malarky … :wink:

Snakes in Suits: When Psychopaths Go to Work, Paul Babiak

Super cute, gonna be a cracker! :D

+ 1 for Anna Jones – either one, ‘a Modern way to cook’ ‘a modern way to eat’
+ 3 for Thug Kitchen – get the latest ‘Thug Kitchen 101’ it’s properly funny too which is a winner in my book
+1 for Leon’s Fast Vegetarian

So I was about the give you my red onion gravy recipe but it appears Cougar has been in my kitchen ;-) although I like a bit of garlic with the onion, I leave out the paprika & marmite (if you use bouillon for your stock it will be plenty salty) & make it really swanky with a dash of red wine at the end. Bisto FFS

20+ years together, not married, separate accounts. Whoever earns more pays proportionately more of the shared outgoings. It’s all ‘our’ money, we don’t need permission from each other to buy anything, the big stuff gets discussed & agreed as necessary. Works for us.

For all its flaws I liked Dirt Mag. The website is horrid beyond belief & it’s hard to believe they still have readers.

Lidl is brilliant for fresh fruit & veg, those huge tubs of Greek yog, tinned staples, snacks, cleaning products, olive oil … Most stuff really. Bulk shop there then Waitrose for treats! :-)

The universe is back on an even keel … Thanks Knottie for posting bikes, posts & countryside pics. Watch & learn peeps :wink:

In which case now is the time to be kind to each other & not turn this into a ‘thing’. Next time it happens just take the keys out & gently mention it saying that you’ve put them safely inside. It helps if you have hooks/ bowls etc where these things live – so you (both) actively notice that they are in the ‘right’ place rather than dangling in the door. Life is hard enough in the circumstances you describe – make light whilst still ensuring that your stuff stays safe.

I did this several times in our old house, In fact on several occasions the keys were dangling in the front door overnight while the old (and now rather covetable) mk2 Golf GTi sat in full view opposite the front door. FWIW these episodes coincided for me with busy/ stressful life patches. I’m sure she’s not doing it deliberately, she’s probably just got other stuff on her mind & simply gets distracted/ forgets when she shuts the door. Offer to do shopping/ help unload perhaps rather than give her something else to worry about?

Seriously flirting with the idea of a bumbag for shorter rides having used them loads years ago. This thread is not helping.

In my misty eyed reminiscence they were more ‘artwork’ with vague ‘directions of travel’ .. :D

if my obvservations and strava are anything to go by.. are only used by a handful of riders. i certainly don’t see many off those main routes in the first list.

… think I may have said this before [ahem] but it is possible to go riding without strava and to ride for a whole day at the same time as other people and amazingly not see anyone.

What I liked about all the trails on the Qs from riding them over many years was that people explored and found them and well you know, just rode them. Only now there’s the internet and pics and maps and strava an’ all –

They will all be 4″ wide at this rate

Canopy is the new Knottie, only with maps & descriptions for the masses rather than the nice pics of bikes & posts – I claim my tuppence :wink:

Yes, although the new ‘swoopy doopy’ bit on the lower red through the felled section is not as good as the original & the section after that used to run into the boardwalk has ‘gone’ (it’s still there but in the felled area & blocked at the end- sad days). But as above the rest, including the off piste stuff, remains cracking.

Scarily, I’ve been posting here (and GoFar) for almost half my life.

This! I maintain that there is nothing the STW can’t answer- really where else could you find this level of community. Nice one Ton.

Ovo – lovely comms & service but then we were with BGas & Southern Electric so being better & cheaper wasn’t that hard.

Relax – if your head tube is tapered great, if not Fox & RS still make 1″ 1/8 steerer forks and the second hand market is good. As above externally routed droppers are still a thing you can buy new, as believe it or not are 26″ rims or indeed whole wheels, if you need to replace the whole thing. :-)

Your post damping is ‘gapped’- air & oil mixing – a service will sort it out. Simples. :-)

I used DHL, any of the main, reputable couriers e.g DHL, FedEx/TNT, UPS, DPD etc will be fine.

Food processors are your friend although by hand is easy. As above flour, butter (cold cubes) pinch of salt + the odd herb if that takes your fancy, water. Rub butter into flour – cold hands help, then gradually add water to bind. If you have time put ball in fridge ahead of rolling out but if not no bother. Easy as …. :-)