They want to pay me as a self employed consultant for 3 months

I was taken on in my present job on a 3 month trial period. At the end of 3 months I would have an appraisal and if they didn't think I was right then they would let me go. I'm not quite sure when they plan to do the appraisal but I started in March 1996 so I'm thinking it may have slipped there minds.

If you have the EBB to tension the chain I don't see that you'll need the Rohloff specific sliding dropout as you could use something like the monkeybone with your new disc mounts to act as a torque arm. A search on here should show a few examples of their use.

normally scoff crap hotel buffet food as fast as possible

Why is it you simply have to put everything you vaguely like on the plate then sit down and realise that it really doesn't go together. I usually end up with pasta rice potatoes and bread just to make sure I've enough energy for the derig.

Don't using fishing scales they'll add at least 3 or 4 pounds. Who ever heard of a fisherman who wanted an honest answer to how much his catch weighed.

Get them on the left chainstay as well, you never know you might become a hub convert and want a Rohloff on it one day. You'll hardly notice them when they are not in use.

don't forget to take away the number you first thought of.

If a driver is actually overtaking you in a safe manner you cannot bang on their roof as it is out of reach therefore no driver can have a reasonable argument against what you have done.

Is this dodgy?

I've got a Rohloff at the back and a Son at the front. I think they're probably the best available at doing what they do and at over a grand for the pair certainly meet the money no object criteria as well.

Thorn Sherpa, bit over budget but built to last.

It's a sign.

e mail link to the Chief Constable and ask for his thoughts. I've seen a normal police car do exactly the same to cross a pedestrian crossing.

Thorn Catalyst, 853 Rohloff. Rack and full mudguards came off when I changed it from an on road commuter to an off road one. Pace carbon forks replaced with Magura Odurs for low maintenance suspension.

It's a sensible question, if your going to buy a TVR you also need to carry something that has a chance of getting you to where your going.

Dealing with Dell and getting anyone to talk to you has become virtually impossible in the last year or so.

I wouldn't worry, in a few hundred years we'll all be speaking Spanchinglish.

No we'll just be back to grunting.

Unexploded 2" mortar on a Bridleway crossing a field which had just been ploughed. Called the Police who brought in the Royal engineers to dispose of it along with a couple more mortars and hand grenades they found when they did a sweep of the area. Made a nice crater when it all went up. The whole area behind where I live was used as a training ground for the Canadians who took part in the raid on Dieppe and later D Day. We used to go metal detecting when we were kids and often found mortar tails and bullet cases but this was the first live ordnance we found.

This might be a budget option. My brother in law has an identical looking one badged up by Lindy which works well. It's possible that your wireless network may interfere with it if it's running at the same time however.

When I asked the surgeon about recovery he said "well Pat Cash went to Wimbledon a week after having his out and won it." The basic advice was if it hurts too much stop doing it.

Pour out what you can back into your glass. If it's white you may need to put it back in the fridge for a while.

I do love the way folk are blaming labour for a scam run by a tory party donor!

I love the way people are upset because they can't now go into a job which was basically scamming people because they have now been scammed.

Weigh yourself pre and post a number 2

Best of all with a bit of hovering you could weigh yourself throughout the process.

So if your standing on a conveyor belt…

40 minutes or so depending on the wind and how deep the mud is. Actually usually the longest when the weathers nice and I take a few detours.

AV Technician

Everyday I'm in the office all year round. I'll be working in Berlin Munich and Hong Kong in the next month so they are all probably a bit far for the bike.

I'd be writing to your old supplier asking for an explanation as to why they wanted to put up your payments when you were in credit by over £300. Just make sure you end the letter by saying you will be sending a copy to the regulator if you don't receive a satisfactory response.

Chicco followed by a 5 speed Arena here. And I always wanted a Tour de France, when I was 9 or so that just looked like the best bike in the world.

Judging by the daily commute at the moment over the downs your in for a hard slog. Horses and tractors between them have made lots of bits impassable at anything but a slippery crawl and that's with Mud X's fitted. The wet chalk is lethal but whereas riding over it on on XC pros was really scary it feels a lot better with the Mud X's. I've found the best grip on wet chalk is at the bottom of the puddles so rather than try to avoid them I head right for them. So far this week the wind has been from the NE so if it stays that way you'd probably be best starting at the Eastbourne end and getting the hardest part done first with a bit of a tail wind. The prevailing wind is from the west however which is why most people start at Winchester.

Imagine if you smoked and mountain biked.

Don't Marins come with a pipe holder just in case you want to tackle anything that requires both hands on the bar?

Our old house had artex on the kitchen walls before I stripped it all. A nice rough surface makes a lovely trap for grease and dust. So if you do do it make sure you seal it well so it will be easier to keep clean. Another thing to consider is whether it is all brick. Some times what appears to be brick may also have some breeze block in it as well which will spoil the aesthetics a little.

I've never really noticed the balance issue but then I tend to keep both wheels on the ground. With suspension forks on my bike the point of balance is pretty much the same as a rigid bike with conventional gearing.

The oil bath should be a great improvement. I've got a Rohloff and servicing is a really simple job. Combine it with a belt drive and your looking at a drive chain weight very similar to a conventional set up. I think this will push a lot more people into trying the hub option. If this had been around 4 years ago when I bought the Rohloff I might have gone for this as at the time I didn't know whether or not I'd get on with hub gearing. In the end it was Thorn's 100 day trial period that convinced me to give it a try.

If they'd made that rear triangle split-able then I'd be very tempted as I want my next frame to be able to both run my Rohloff and offer the option of using a belt drive.

redthunder – all the words not necessarily in the right order. I think I get what happened though.

Maybe not the worst I've seen but most memorable was a guy driving through the middle of Birmingham while speaking on 2 mobiles, one in each hand.

Edward Elgar

woodsman that explains why on 2 occasions I've had small oil leaks. Both times occurred when the bike had been left in the warehouse at work for a couple of days in the winter and we have a giant gas fan heater which certainly gets the racking and the flight cases around it pretty hot. The bike sits a little way from it but is in the path of the hot air flow. I'd assumed it must be heat related as it never spilt a drop on the garage floor at home.

monkeyfiend the royal jelly is just a front, it's what he's doing with the rhino horn and tiger penis that's putting a spring in her step.

Other than pure bloody idleness what reason is there not to write the correct address on and stick it in the postbox?

What would you want to happen to your mail in similar situation.

Remember to hoover your detectors occasionally as well as check the batteries and use both optical and ionising types as each is better at detecting either fast burning fires or smouldering ones.

I'm not going back to dérailleurs. I ride off road to work year round and it just keeps going with virtually no maintenance and the drive train lasts. Previous chain did 3 years. It is heavier and at some point I'd like to try combining it with a belt drive as that would give a significant drop in weight.