So if you plan on being ran over by an SUV get ti…and if not aluminium and carbon are still fine? 😛

aw he’s lovely!

That sounds like a very good idea! 🙂

Haven’t decided which direction to head yet but I’ll be off out this afternoon to see what I can find 🙂

Don‘t just dismiss me as a kid anyway, I know I’m young but I know my stuff. I‘ve built my own stem and am doing my GSCE tec 2 years early and have built a fully working nitrogen charged shock for my bike with damping of my own design.

Sorry it was bugging me!

You like to ride fast, some people like to ride not so fast. Bikes are supposed to be fun!

Suppose its “proper” riding, although having just had a quick scout on google maps satellite view, looks like more like cross bike territory to me, nothing exciting! maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised, as long as its not raining it should be alright 😛

[magpie]oooh, that XTR is lovely and shiny![/magpie]

that was the clincher when choosing which brakes 😛

Is that a Corsa? How are your brake hoses? Heading for an MOT failure there

yes it is, my MOT is next month having replaced timing chain (?), most of the exhaust system, and various bits of the brakes and fuel system in the last 12 months I’m hoping everything is in tip top condition now!

First ride last night, the feeling of fastness is probably partially due to being used to a ss but it feel very quick indeed (just need to work on my legs and lungsand I’ll be unstoppable!), luckily the brakes are very good to keep it in check!

why didn’t you get it colour matched?

thought I’d get it too match my car! 😉

Is that the anodized green?
Oh, and someone’s been messing with your number plate.

nope black!

and darn it, must catch those pesky kids that vandalised my number plate! 😛

We had a nest in our garden last year, they never did us any harm.

Looks like they’re coming back to the same hole this year!

blood poverty striken students eh?

This is what happens when you’re a just about tea-total student, with an interest free overdraft 😛 I did get the frame while it was on sale (and wheels and forks are second hand)

Looks good, what height are you?

I’m 5′ 4″, have a 16″ inbred but run it with a layback seatpost the wrong way round and a rather short stem because its a tad too big!

+1 for saris bones, I’ve got one – easy to get on and off the car, nice secure bike fittings, and when my friend had a minor accident in the snow and bikes impacted a wall, one of the straps was broken off (easily repairable) rather than bike damage!

Not sure of any cheaper options though im afraid

whats the consensus for a (reasonably priced) saddle bag with a good capacity?
or is coming up with a strapping system for a dry bag (that I already own) a better option?

The Apple store have a nice range of personal computers.

+1 😛

does that serve any purpose, other than making it look “individual”?

I do a dynamic risk assessment then just get off and walk
Too old and do not mend easily anymore

I’m not too old to mend but I am a wimp 😛

Camera on the 3G is rubbish. Was contemplating abandoning iphone when my contract runs out as I quite often find myself wanting to take a picture but not having my proper camera around, I’ve heard good things about the iphone 4 camera though.

I appreciate that logging is different to other trail users putting logs in the way to purposefully block cyclists.

Not much can be done about the logging as they own the woods, and i think technically we’re only supposed to ride the big bridleways through the middle.

There is possibly some potential to incorporate the logs but I assume they’ll be collected soon so they can be sold which will mean the whole thing will be trashed anyway, like here…

they’ve done this at 5-10m intervals over a pretty big area of the woods.

definitely gong to have an explore with an OS map and see what else can be found locally!

Logging at my local haunt has left this…

And the trails that aren’t covered in logs have been destroyed by the log collecting machinery, going to be a long time before its really rideable again… 🙁

People that purposefully move logs on to the trail for no purpose other than to stop cyclists need catching and showing the sorts of accidents it can cause!

Nearly had a coffee keyboard moment there Phil!

Having criticised by brother for coming home saturday being rather burnt, I managed to burn my arms yesterday, nothing major, just karma I think!

No work for me though 😛

Santa? It’s Santa isn’t it?

ssssh, I was trying to keep it a secret 😛

A nice gentle morning watching the grand prix. I then rode to visit my grandparents, and then to watch my brother play football (rest of the family drove), got a lift home with them as I was pretty knackered. Nice sunny dog walk and a good home cooked roast dinner. Off out to enjoy the last of the evening sun with someone I haven’t seen since Christmas.

Pretty good day I think!

Revision starts tomorrow…

I always use electrolytes when racing, and then on longer rides or on hot days. Not sure how much difference it really makes but it makes me feel like I’m less tired / faster (although I suspect its all in my head!)

That’s awesome!

Sometimes I wear a proper jersey, sometimes just a t-shirt, just depends where I’m riding, how much stuff I want to take (e.g. if I need the extra pocket room!), and what the weather is like, and who I’m riding with!

a box of cereal bars is always good, I find tesco value pretty unpalatable, but the sainsburys basics ones are alright 😛

I’ve enjoyed the sun, although my ride wasn;t as good as I’d have liked – they’ve taken logging up to the next level so an awful lot of the decent riding in my local woods has been trashed, either by the machines or the fact they’ve left whopping great piles of logs everywhere – going to be a while before it gets back up to good riding conditions I think so will have to find somewhere else 🙁

Looking forward to my road ride tomorrow even more now – too much unburnt energy in the legs!

Try B, and perhaps some nail varnish, if you can’t fix it, then go for C. I would assume that if you can feel it and you keep riding it, not only is it going to drive you crazy it’ll probably do more damage to the forks in the long run!

Not sure if thats when I’m in France, hope not…quite fancy my first bbb!

I don’t because up until this point it was a word I’d never ever heard before!

My friday afternoon meeting cake was one of those little chocolate muffin things…wish id gone for the donut as i think i’d have made less of a mess!

I considered it, especially as I found a nice scenic canal side detour. But as it was the end of my week of work experience I was too excited to be done and ragged it all the way straight home instead!

Cheers chvck, that looks like a helpful tutorial.

I’m under the impression that to start using scripts I have to set a path for it?

And no, no coding experience whatsoever!

Should have seen that one coming!

I used to be a real morning person, uni has began to change me, although still awake by 8/8.30 most days!

Work experience this week and I need to be out of the house by 8.30 and feeling actually awake and ready to go by 9! Setting an alarm means I wake up at least 10 minutes before it actually goes off, and then knowing I have to be somewhere means I get up.

Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, then you have to get up to turn it off!

mmm hobnobs…I only buy them when they’re on special offer otherwise it gets very expensive!

Someone brought some chocolate ones into work today..I only have 1…the rest didnt last long though!

Mind you…I ate a big packet of asda smart price rich teas in one go the other day…

Don’t like wishing my time away but tuesdays suck.

They’ve been nice for the last 6 months, as all we’ve had in labs in the afternoons. Experiencing a week of actual work and I can definitely agree that Tuesdays are awful, Monday…you’re well rested from the weekend, and wednesday onwards the next weekend feels pretty close…but tuesday… *yawn*

I used to love watching the moomins!

Why you doing some courses? need any girls to test your courses on??

It seems confidence is a big thing for a lot of people!

I need to get the confidence to try steeper / rockier things. Was at sherwood at the weekend at got off the bike at a couple of places near the dh bit (whereas my friend who was mountain biking for the first time just did it without thinking!). Did a rocky drop that was about 1 ft (so not huge I know), it wasn’t graceful but I did it, mainly because I was going to fast to realise it was a drop and then had no choice but to do it!

I’ve got a rack for the back of the corsa (which would fit on the back of a fiesta as well), i just prefer having the bikes inside where possible (I do have a plastic sheet so they don’t get the car muddy!)

Have looked at the focus estate, falls into the practical but possibly a bit big category!

I’ve sent my mum a funky pidgeon personalised card, and will be taking her out for a meal or something like that when I get back home next weekend.

That said, I probably won’t end up riding anyway…I shall see 😛