We have a springer and a cocker – had the springer for nearly 11 years (since I was 10 and my brother 5!), he was (and is) great. We “rescued” a cocker a couple of years ago and as much as we all love the springer my parents have both said if they could go back that’s what they should have got to start with as he’s slightly less hard work 😛

There’s a few programs that I watch every week, so about 5 hours…

But I’ll quite often have something like Scrubs/Friends/Top Gear/Simpsons etc. on while I’m doing something else, so not necessarily watching it but its on!

£20 is reasonable 🙂

I hope I still have my riding mojo when I get back on a bike!

I’m not supposed to be riding again until well into the new year, but if things improve quickly and I reckon I’ll manage a blast around Cannock I’d be up for it!

Sounds like a much better way to spend xmas day 😛

Does your LBS do interest free finance?
They might agree to to do a discounted bike (or at least give you some free kit) if you go at it that way.

If not depends how much you value getting it somewhere local. Although getting a free bike fit might well be enough to make it worth it as some of the little adjustments they can do might make a real difference!

Don’t rule out bike comfort either – sit on the cube and the trek and have a ride if you can, worth sacrificing a few things spec wise (can be upgraded later if you want) if the bike is more comfortable for you!

*chuckles*

If you’re racing to actually race rather than just have fun, then maybe you need to rethink your training?

Look at areas where you are weak, and target your training to focus on those points and hopefully you should see improvement.

That said, yes, everyone will plateau somewhere, some people just won’t be as fast as others, no matter how hard they train! (although I imagine most people lose interest or don’t train effectively enough to ever reach that plateau!)

I’ve just been using a squidgy stress ball thing, my hand therapist said it was just as good as a lot of the more expensive options out there and it only cost £1 in Hawkins bazar, and it has a smiley face on it so it makes me feel better when I’m struggling!

You may find doing wrist extension and flexion with a small weight helps too (that’s what I’ve been advised), I have to do it with a 0.5kg weight several times throughout the day (sounds light but its difficult!)

Much appreciated….my dad still has my 1st gen nano, I’ll be getting that sent back!

I put any money I want to save into my savings account.
Doesn’t have a debit card or anything associated with it so no impulse buying, and although it’s only a couple of clicks away (don’t like the idea of having to lock my money in an account in case of emergency) but its acts as enough of a reminder that I ought to be saving it!

really?

Still well over 130 in Northampton, I always make sure I fill up when I’m at uni as its about 6p a litre cheaper here!

😮 😮
I want one!

Just seen how expensive those things are 😯 – someone must really like you 😛

Unrealistically a cross bike, an xbox and a fully working/pain free arm!

Realistically a new book or dvd or 2, some chocolate and a jumper 😛

I’ve spent the day lounging about, vaguely doing work and day dreaming about bikes! Stupid arm…

I’m not bad thanks – my consultant has decided I can probably get away without needing more surgery (yay!), just lots of physio instead – so I’m just feeling rather sore 🙁

Haven’t been using it because its a bit boring, and I figured it’d probably be just as easy to start building back fitness, say a month before I can start riding again, rather than chugging away and getting bored/frustrated in the mean time.

I’m split between Nottingham/Northampton.

My dad has a pendle rack. Very good.

I have one sitting in the garage at home (I’m at uni and not home home at the moment), it got used a bit on rubbish weather days over the summer when I was racing and “needed” to do a recovery ride or whatever.

I’ve used it once since I crashed at the start of July. I expect it’ll sit unused until at least the christmas holidays when I might be getting close to be allowed to ride properly again, and then it might be useful to build back a bit of fitness before I ride outside!

I didn’t chuck a lot of money into it – bought 2nd hand from here; unless you know its going to get used a lot I don’t see the point in spending loads (although some of the virtual reality things look very good!). Pretty quick to set up, and not overly loud.

Where are you based CG – if anywhere near me you’re welcome to borrow mine for a few weeks 😛

If you’ve signed something to say you’ll be there for 6 months then you’ll be obliged to pay the rent for 6 months.

But most landlords/landladies will probably be fine about it if you find someone else to move in and pay the rent (as long as the new person is OK) as they’re still getting the money.

If you move out without agreeing an alternative with the landlady you’ll be liable to cover the rent (and I assume any costs she has to incur to force you to pay if you didn’t pay!)

(live in a shared house in the UK and someone had to move out midway through the agreed period)

Madison do some child saddles
http://www.madison.co.uk/searchresults.aspx?style=0&kw=madison+saddle&size=Child
there’s some on there bigger than those, but smaller than adult ones too

Not that bad 😛

Mind you we give virgin lots of money so if it was any less I’d be complaining!

2 of my friends drive around red bull branded cars and get given lots of red bull. I think they had to apply for that though (they do get paid well though!)

Drinking hot chocolate and eating ice cream, feeling a bit sorry for myself so might just go to bed in a minute!

I did a season helping coach a youth football team a few years back.

Will soon be volunteering in the audit dept. at the local hospital, but there is a remarkable amount of paperwork that needs doing before they let you in!

Only races I’ve done I’ve not bothered with spares. They’ve only been around an hour long and I know that by the time I change a tube, or attempt to fix something else (I’m not particularly mechanically minded) my race will be over anyway!

That said, that’s always been on a course where in that hour you can do around 4 laps so although it’d be a pain it’s going to be a particularly long walk back. Touch wood not had any mechanicals yet, and only 1 crash (yes…the hole in the arm one!), and that was thankfully near the start (and therefore the “road”!)

I wouldn’t carry any more than tube, levers, co2, a powerlink and a small multitool.

If according to them you’re the right size for either it comes down to personal preference. People of the same height are proportioned differently, and even with the same proportions some people would prefer to me more stretched out on a bike than others.

I’d say frame size comes more down to the length of the frame rather than where you want your post.

Do you know anyone with a medium you could try? (or ask the shop?)

And got a picture of you riding it?

Beckykirk,

Perhaps we can swap notes and see what we can do to arrange events next year in your region?

Sounds good – my e-mail is in my profile 🙂

Thankfully never needed an air ambulance, did get a ride in a rapid responder car though 😛

When I’m riding again I intend to do as much as possible to raise money for local air ambulance, and the mountain rescue guys etc.

Not in the area that you’re looking to hold you’re first event – but hope you manage to get it organised and raise lots of money!

success without

a) bickering

or

b) funny but irrelevant posts

*mixed feelings*
It has to happen every once in a while, no one would ever ask questions on here otherwise 😛

Huzzah! I win…

Using the test print thing (and the info on hp’s website as to what that should like) I realised that its the black thats not working. Took it out and cleaned it with a baby wipe. Had a bit of an argument with the printer which decided i hand’t put it back in when I had. Tested again, all is good!

Thanks guys! 🙂

Do a test print from the printer itself. Hold the power button down, press cancel, release both together.

Didn’t know about that. No that doesn’t print reliably so must be the printer!

I’ll keep going with the cleaning cycles then…

Just strikes me as odd that somethings will print fine, and the the things that don’t print consistently wrong!

If the touchpad and an external mouse aren’t working then it’s not the mouse that’s the problem 😛

I assume you’ve tried the faithful turn on and off again?
Is everything else working OK?

I like the sounds of that. Dare I be brave and give up getting coffee (or any other hot drink otherwise I’ll still be spending the same amount of money!) out of the machine at uni?

This may severely impact on my education, or may make me feel better and raise some money for a good cause!

Arsenal above the scousers already despite a shocking start and homing in on the top four

Oddly, as it stands – Arsenal are 12 points off the lead, but 11 points above the bottom!

defydude you have just made my day a little bit better!

I went tubeless at the beginning of the summer. Tbh, I didn’t really notice any difference in how it felt to ride or anything… touch wood no punctures yet though (although I haven’t ridden since the beginning of July so not had a full season of testing!).

I’ll keep my tubeless set up on that bike until such at time that it would need more sealant or some other maintenance, and then I’m going back to tubes!

If you don’t need the extra memory then no point in getting it. And if it’s only go to be used with wifi then don’t bother with the 3G models 😛

John Lewis are selling for exactly the same price as apple directly.

http://on-one.co.uk/i/q/FOOOCR26DV/on_one_cromo_26er_mtb_fork_v_brake__disc ?

Congratulations! 😀

Hope the happiness continues for many more years!

Been told I qualify for an extra chunk of money, this has cancelled out my general grumpiness, going to have a chinese later – this takes me into happy territory 😛