Aha! I know exactly what's wrong here!

Back in the early 90's I bought a stack system and it was lovely. Except after a few weeks the left hand speaker started making an eerie whistling noise. Even when the power was switched off! Now having spent a few quid on this system I was promptly onto the shop and put through to their engineer. He confessed that he'd never heard of this problem before and was keen to jump in the van and come over to check it out.

Whilst waiting on him, I decided to pull the speakers away from the wall to give him easier access. That's when our kitten's toy ball, which flashed and whistled when a sensor was pressed, fell out from where she's jammed it behind the speaker. It was a rather embarrassed Beagleboy who phoned up the engineer to cancel his visit. :oops:

B. :lol:

Would this be a bad time to mention that my 2006 model Orange 5 cracked at the top tube / seat tube junction last month? :lol:

I replaced it with a new 2010 Orange 5 frame, but like someone earlier mentioned, things do break.

B. :wink:

I'm probably just imagining this, but every time I've decided to save a few quid and bought cheaper bulbs for my Lumi's, I've regretted it and gone back to the ones that Lumicycle supply. I find them brighter, and longer lasting than the cheap as chips ones you get from B&Q etc.

Might just go and order a couple of new ones as we speak! 8)

I'd also 2nd getting Lumicycle to refurbish you're battery. I've always had superb service from them.

I've got mine fitted to my Orange 5 and they sit beside my X9 shifters quite happily. They are so much nicer and more powerful than the Hayes brakes they replaced. They're also way more powerful than the Mono's on my hardtail. I followed the setup instructions quite closely mind. There's a couple of helpful videos on the Hope website as well.

B.

I used to use a Scottoiler, but the darned thing kept breaking and I have the suspicion that it caused the 'apparent suicide' of a couple of rear mechs.

I was using Finish line Wet lube since I gave up on the Scottoiler, but this summer and now into the winter I've switched over to the Finish line stuff with the red top. It seems to do the job just fine and my drive chain is every bit as shiny as it used to be with a Scottoiler fitted. I think the red topped lube is the dry lube, innit?

B.

Hey Beefy,

I live about 3 miles downhill from the Carron Valley trails. I don't think the man-made stuff is worth the journey at the moment as folk have already mentioned, but I'd be happy to show you around some of the local, natural stuff in the area.

B.

I've got a Thule Clip-on High, rear carrier. It's absolutely rock solid on the car. It must be getting on for 10 years old now and I've never had a complaint with it. Very solidly built and because of the way the bikes are fitted onto the rack, pretty fool proof as well.

B.

If I didn't spend every last spare penny on shiny spangly bits for my bikes then it'd probably all go on beer and prozzies. Pretty sure Mrs Beagleboy would be even less impressed with that.

I can't ride for toffee, but my bike looks the part, and that's enough for me! 8)

Elvis dying here too. I was walking home from primary school when a lady came out of her house in floods of tears to tell me that he'd died. I didn't have a clue what she was on about. When was that 77' or 78? So I would've been 7 or 8 then.

B.

Why???????

I've got a 34t middle ring on my new 2010 frame, am I going to die? 8O Is it BB specific? I'm running an Octalink BB rather than these new fangley spangley ones.

I'm really scared now…. :(

I thought that the Union flag's background was white, but I'm usually sitting on it, so it's kind of hard to tell. :D

BTW, can you still get those old Planet X Uranus saddles? I think they are the comfiest saddles I've ever tried.

B. 8)

Stirling isn't too far away and the trails are bountiful. There's also a large number of friendly riders that'd be happy to show you around.

B. 8)

I left my house on Saturday morning to go out for a blast on my newly built up (by me), Orange 5.

List of thing's I'd forgotten to tighten / do…

5 miles from home, stopped to tighten the shifters
6 miles from home, straighten the bars, tighten brakes, adjust the saddle.
8 miles from home…did I tighten the wheel QR's….noop!
15 miles, aha! That's why the front shifting feels funny, I hadn't tightened up the front mech!

There's bound to be something else lurking about that I've forgotten to do, but it's all part of the fun innit?

B.

I've just replaced my 2006 Orange 5 (metallic blue with swinger 3-way air), which cracked just forward of the top tube / seat tube junction. I was very sad when that happened.

However, after the first weekend on my new 2010 Orange 5 (gunmetal grey with Fox RP23 somethingorother), I must say I'm a very happy bunny again. I always thought the new swoopy top tube and creased downtube was just for aesthetics. Certainly though, the swooped top tube has allowed me to go up to the Large frame size. I think my old, medium frame, which I needed for my stumpy legged body, cracked because of me running the seatpost out at max for all those years. :cry:

I think it climbs amazingly, digging in even better than my old model and it feels wonderfully plush. How much of that is down to the frame design, and how much is the new fangled shock I don't know, I'm not a good enough rider to tell. I have noticed an increase in pedal strikes, but then I'm running a shorter (130mm fork on it), and I haven't quite worked out the rear shock settings yet. I wouldn't swap it for anything though. I love it. :D

B.

This is Enid, my Raleigh. Upgraded her to 4-pot shimano XT brakes and a Bomber fork, but she still feels like you're dragging an anchor on the climbs. Also a funny whining noise coming from the back quite often. :twisted:

Does have 'Pilot' and 'Co-Pilot' printed on the top tube though, which is pretty cool. :lol:

A couple of years ago, a good friend's mate was up from Yorkshire, so myself and my other mate, the wonderful Bazz, decided to show Jo and Kate around the local trails. :D

On a lovely summer's evening, we climbed up to the top of the hill and stopped for a breather. Now I've nearly always got a hipflask with some sort of Islay Singlemalt (currently Caol Ila), on me. So when we stopped I naturally offered it around. At this point though, Jo's friend Kate points at Bazz's camelback and asks why he's got a bunch of plastic cups with him. "Aha!" cries Bazz and whips out a bottle of Champagne!

That very day he'd just been offered a new job in Edinburgh, thus saving him from having to relocate to Cambridge (somewhere in Englandshire), and had decided to celebrate in style. So, the hipflask was emptied, the bottle of Champagne was emptied, the girls DID NOT pull their weight, leaving Bazz and I to do the majority of the work, and then we squared up for the descent.

Waiting for Kate at the bottom of a rocky chute, she turned up and claimed it was unrideable. For some reason, I was absolutely full of confidence (full of something anyway), and went back up to show her how it was done. I rode down the chute, and smooth as you like pulled up to Kate and said something along the lines of , "There you go, nothing to it"………….Kablooie! My rear tyre exploded.

Never, never have I been so humbled, and helpless with laughter at the same time. It truly is a cherished memory. Booze and Bikes, both five letter words beginning with 'B'. Oooooh, wait a minute Booze, Bikes and Beagy…..woooo.

B. :-)

(If you haven't guessed already, I'm a wee bit 'tired and emotional'. I was out today on my new Five for the first time today, which replaced poor old Johnny, my old, cracked Five. I'm a bit confused because I loved Johnny, but this new frame…….ooooh, she's lovely. :P

I love my job.

I'm a research technician in a molecular biology lab. The pay is rubbish and the commute into Glasgow is a nightmare (my bus is the window licking zoomer express), but I wake up in the morning looking forward to what the day will bring me.
I think a lot of the excitement and enjoyment I get from my job is because after leaving school at 16, I drifted from one job to another before settling as a stainless steel welder in a factory. The subsequent, soul destroying years of monotony, before I quit and went back to college then Uni, really bring home to me how lucky I am with my job and life now.

B. :-)

Neil Young live at Massey Hall 1971, on my old stereo at the moment. It's absolutely wonderful, sounds like he's just sitting behind me, ooooohhh, he's just about to sing 'Old Man' to me. Bye-bye! 8)

Orange 5, three years ago. Effectively still paying for him, and the frame snapped last week :( I was very sad up to the point when I ordered a new Orange 5 frame yesterday. Now I'm very excited, it's one of those fancy scooped and swoopy ones.

I really must try and pay off my credit card debts though, I really must. :twisted:

B.

Sorry Druid, just feeling sorry for myself :?

Spoken to the bike shop chappie just now and he's Ok about me cancelling the order. He reckons he's got at least four or five customers interested in the same bike, if it ever turns up, and will be able to sell it no bother. What he can't really offer me is a decent mountain bike as it's not really that sort of shop. He reckons my best bet is to cancel the Cyclescheme voucher and go elsewhere.

There's another shop in Glasgow, an Orange dealership that I've spent literally thousands of pounds in. I'll see what the cyclescheme and my employer says, and then maybe I can sort a deal out with them.

As an aside, the bike shop guy says that the payments definitely should not have started coming out of my wages until Cyclescheme had received the completed voucher, so my employers are in the wrong at the moment….according to him anyway. :-)

Sorry Druid, I should have realised it was all my fault in the first place. :roll:

I was under the impression that other folk had gotten frames from the scheme. :? As far as allowing my employer to take the payments, I've had a continuous stream of "It'll be here next week" excuses from the bike shop, who to be fair are at the mercy of their supplier, although they could have found out quite easily, as I eventually did, just what tosh their supplier was talking. Anyway, I let the issue of the payments coming out of my wages without my having received the goods slide as the money would have to be paid at some point anyway.

Will the bike shop, a Genesis stockist, really be out of pocket? If they do ever get the bike, they'll still be able to sell it. I don't see the problem there. Surely I'm the only one out of pocket at the moment? :roll:

Robbo,

I got the job done here http://www.williamspowdercoating.co.uk/, which might be a wee bit of a hike for you, but there are plenty of places around the UK that can do it. These guys specialise in doing blinged up car wheel trims etc. However, I just sat with the bloke for 5 minutes, explained to him what parts needed blanked off and I got the frame back in a couple of days. If I remember correctly, a simple, single layer of powdercoat, like the Kawasaki Green that I'd originally lusted after would have cost about £35-£40.

It does look rather special when the sun hits it. Brings back memories of my black Raleigh Chopper, with holo decals on the chain guard that mimicked an exhaust with flames spewing out…..aaah halcyon days 8)

I'm 6ft 1in, but I've got stumpy little legs (32in inside leg), my 19inch P7 fits like a glove.

Now, I know you're not going to like this, but it makes me smile on a sunny day. I got Johnny powdercoated in the summer when I was off the bike with an injury.

Base coat was a matt black, which was then coated with a layer of 'holographic' flecks and finished off with a high gloss laquer. On a dull day it looks like it's covered in silver glitter. When the sun, or nightlights come out though, it's disco-tastic.

The guy did the job for £70 and the coverage is superbly smooth, thick and strong. I whacked it with a hammer by accident when refitting my shock, not a mark. I was going to get it done in Kawasaki Green which looks lush, but was swayed by the 'disco flecks' :roll:

A good mate got his bike done in the same place, his has the same matt black undercoat, but with ruby red flecks through it. Much more classy than mine, but hey, no-one's ever going to mistake me for classy. 8)

B.

I've got roughly the same setup as Ton. Lumi Halogen 12w spot and 20w Flood with the enduro battery. 6hrs+ of lovely, natural coloured light, way nicer than LED light in my opinion. On the wee farm roads that I take to the trails, the light cast is powerful enough for drivers to think I'm a tractor and pull over. In one case a car actually reversed up a hill to get out of my way! :twisted:

The only real downside, and it's becoming increasingly more common as my fitness increases, and the lights 'arms race' heats up, is that I'm finding my Lumi's completely overpowered by the super powerful lights of those on the trail behind me. I think of nightriding as a completely different, more challenging creature than daytime riding. I don't actually want to bring the daytime with me. :roll:

B. :-)

The Pro II hub on my Orange 5 is like one of those clackety football things. It's great for clearing the trails in front of me, and if there's a bunch of us with Hope hubs, like today. We get a clear run for miles. Pure genius in my humble opinion. 8)

I've ordered from them quite a bit and never had any problems. Spoken to the lass on the phone once and she was very polite and helpful. No complaints here.
B.
8)

Okay,
At Falkirk Tech, I was taught chemistry by Doctors Cox and Bottom.Might not amuse you, but lord, I thought it was funny. :lol:

At my wife's nursery is a poor child called Versache……..Versache McClatchy…I kid you not. :roll:

B.

Around my way, the dogs seem split between pooing in bags and hanging them on trees, or putting the bags in the red poo bins. The dilemma for the poor wee puppies seems to be whether they should litter the paths, or litter our front garden and bay window when the filthy, pestilent, local chav's reach into the red bins, fish out the bags and throw them at windows. I'd like to catch a couple of them and rub their noses in it. :evil:

The frame was £60 off ebay, Hope Mini's with braided hoses £30 off a mate. Everything else out of my spares collection. It's a lovely flier of a bike. Unfortunately he's been stripped back down again to feed my Five and P7's never ending need for spares.

B.

I quite like the Percol fairtrade instant stuff.
:D

Are you feeling hungry at all this morning?

8)

In all seriousness though, I think a visit to the doc is in order.

Sorry Geoff, but I hope you're luckier than me. I ordered my Genesis Croix de Fer in mid July through the cyclework scheme. The paperwork was done within a few days and everything sorted. Except the bike. Where is it? Who knows, probably in a container on the high seas somewhere, but it's looking unlikely that I'll get it before the first Scottish CX race at the start of October.

Spoke to a bike shop chappie today, (not the bike shop/chap I ordered it from as he's only capable of saying it'll be here next week) :roll: and he reckons the Genesis bikes won't be in the shops till mid October. I hope I'm wrong, and I really hope you get your bike quickly, but you might have to wait a few weeks for it. Sorry.

B. 8)

I'm a big lad, not as big as I used to be, but still Big (15st). I gave up on Shimano hubs a long time ago as they just constantly rattled apart. It's interesting that you comment on the front hubs as I never had problems with front hubs either. I always put it down to be being a bit of a heifer and transferring too much stress down to the poor rear hubs. Mind you, I don't think I ever had anything better than Deore. These would have come with the bikes before being replaced with the Hope hubs that I now run pretty much exclusively on my bikes.

B. :-)

Ok Steve, main problem is I've been waiting over 6 months now for an apology over the 'doctored' email I was sent that's only intention was to drive a wedge between me and a good mate. The author, who'll remain anonymous, let's call him 'The Don', seems to think it's a big joke. I on t'other hand seem to think otherwise.

It's a tangled love life saga, way better than Tomas' Eastenders. It's not going to be resolved, so like Shane, riding off into the sunset. I'm going to 'don' my silly hat, and exit stage left.
8)

Tried fishing, scared the bejesus out of me when I caught a fish. You should see the size of the teeth on those things! 8O

TF, thanks for that, I was wavering for a bit, but you settled my mind. :wink:

I can't listen to music when I'm riding. One of the points of getting out is to get away from things, and manufactured noise is one of them, so that idea's out. How do you really push yourself when you're on your own though? Without other riders around I find I just ease up and won't push the pedals till I can't anymore.

It's the same when it comes to the lairy stuff. Before I rode in a club / group environment, I had no idea that some stuff could actually be ridden. Even now, I still need to see a better rider than me actually ride a section before I would even consider it.

I dunno, maybe I should just take up fishing. Apologies for all this wastage of valuable bandwidth, especially to Heather :wink: Just feeling a bit poop at the moment.

B. :D

So I went for my first solo night ride in a looooong time last night. I completely bottled a wee rocky chute that I normally never think twice about and I nearly keeched my pants when a dog walker stepped out from behind some trees on the fast rocky descent through Torwood.

Sorry, don't really see the fun in it at all. A wee bit too much time for introspective soul searching (boy, I'm not a very nice person :roll: ), and not enough time spent pointing and laughing at other riders misfortune.

I did go a fair bit faster, with shorter breaks than I would on a club ride though. Mind you, a lot of that could have been down to sheer bloodyminded anger, after a run in with a gang of 14 year old chavs on my way to the trails. Eugenics is highly under rated you know. :evil:

So, getting back to the original point, I need motivation to go solo night riding. If I can't find it under 'bike accessories' in Chain Reaction. Where can I find it? :?

Wot Simon says! Riding with the club, usually in a group of six or less, has really developed my riding to a point where I only need visit casualty once or twice a year. That's the biggest thing I'll miss, alongside the laughs. (just re-read that and it sounds like I'll miss my trips to casualty, that's not what I meant. :lol: )

I think I'm just a bit of a social animal at heart, and don't really see the fun in solo riding. Who do I share my Whisky with?

Actually, someone way back up there suggested forming a splinter group. Maybe I should cast around and see if there's interest in a secret Tuesday night meet. We could ride in a group at a friendly pace, chat and laugh, drink singlemalt…..and plot to overthrow the world order!!!!

B. :twisted:

The club that I'm on about is actually great, the majority of folk in it are really sound and I've made some close friends out of it. Riding in a club environment has for me, opened up a vast number of new local trails through shared knowledge and, as a non driver, given me the opportunity to ride in some wonderful locations.

Further, going out on a club ride in the middle of a dark wintry night gives me a safety net. As someone mentioned above, riding solo, is only going to lead to my skill levels going down the pan as I'm more and more likely to get off and walk the scary bits. Without having the 'club ride' scene, I'm also going to struggle to motivate myself to get out, and away from munching custard creams in front of the telly. :oops:

It's that crucial motivation that I lack and need to find from somewhere. For the better part of a decade it's come from knowing that there'll be folk waiting at the meet point ready for a good laugh, and that gets me out the door, even though it's a 10 mile road bash away. However, the attitude of a couple of key members in the group has really changed in the last couple of years from being friendly and open to everyone, as was the case with me when I started riding with them, to being much more self centred. Which has led to a culture of 'if you can't keep up, you're dropped'. I can fully understand why their attitude has changed, and I sympathise with it, but I don't like it.

I don't want to play that game, it's cack and it's rude.

So I just need to try and find some motivation, somewhere. Oh and a large lashing of bravery. Did I tell you about last year's solo run where I nearly had a heart attack trying to pull away from the thing that was following me in the darkness? A branch, it was a flipping branch, hooked up in my rear mech. It nearly killed me.