I’ll throw in another “don’t” for an old 9-5.

I’ve been running a 2000 aero for the last 3 years, and every year something major has gone wrong. This year the turbo, rear suspension, aircon and the ‘brain’ died. bye bye car. this was also a car with a FSH, so was well maintained.

bad investment!

Raemoir House Hotel, near Banchory, 1999, with some nice port and cheese to finish. Bloody amazing.

i love this one. Half a mug of hot milk, a scoop and a bit of lavazza gold ground coffee in the press, and 2 marks of hot water, ppuuuusssshhh and viola, bloody delicious!

Kev

I was there as an undergrad from ’92-’96, and if I could do those 4 years on an endlessly repeating loop I would be a happy happy man. :-)

After uni I lived up thre for 7 more years, moving out to inverurie, met my wife, loved it. In 20 minutes you can be the only person on the beach or on a hill, and the northern lights are a truly amazing sight to behold.

Now live in Basel, CH, and the parallels with Aberdeen are strong. Very wealthy, the large international community has made the locals a little more…. Protective? Doric is a f**king impenetrable dialect, even for a Scot, and it took us 2 years of living in inverurie (port elphinstone actually), before neighbours embraced us. But my goodness, once they do, it is like an extended family.

Your kid will have a brilliant time wherever they go to uni, just make sure they are far enough away that they live at uni, as that is where you make the fiends and have the life experiences that set things apart from just a higher education.

Go for it!

Kev

Urchinboy, Another note of praise for that time lapse effort. Absolutely fabulous and very well synced with the music. Bloody marvellous.

I was watching it with the missus, and towards the end as you see the wee bit of orange coming in we were both going ‘here comes the sunset… Here comes the sunset….. yyyyyessss!’

Nice one mate.

Kev

I am sure the swift is great, came ‘this’ close to buying one, but ended up with a chumba HX2 currently running on 120s.

Bloody marvellous. Had a brilliAnt run out on Sunday, and just confirmed what a total blast that frame is. Popping off stuff, riding berms, skittering through rocky bits, just bloody marvellous. Even let’s you get the power down on the way back up without any flexing.

Kev

I have a feeling that the remote cable’s, whilst nice, do add to the problems. It certainly didn’t help my specialized command post at all.

Now have a joplin (3″ drop) with the under saddle lever and seems to be holding up well.

I now find them utterly indispensible, but unfortunately for this priece of kit, do treat them as a little expendable.

As long as you go into it fully appreciating the benefits, and that it will break and will ahve to be fixed and then replaced, your laguhing.

FWIW, i think the i900/950 are about the best out there.

Kev

Yup, and to a comment on the Lego thread…. Aaarrgghghghgh f******g pieces of Lego on a wooden floor. Oooooowwwwww!

Meant amazon kindle cover of course. FFS. :roll:

I looked at what was out there, most of the rest was fairly poo imho.

Went for the kindle cover, does exactly what it says on the tin.

Kev

Father in law has one, with the punchier diesel engine, and it is great. Like all 4x4s driving is a bit more like ‘piloting’ as you lord i about the countryside. We would have got one recently but for the need for 7 seats. Like them alot.

Get leather seats, much more able to cope with mud than a fabric seat.

Kev

I am in Switzerland, but have used JensonUSA a fair bit. Always incredibly fast, great price and normally have the stuff I really want (freak 29er clown bike rider so a bit harder to get the parts in Europe).

I can’t comment on your importing expereince in Oz, but as an online store they are as good as CRC IMHO.

Kev

Nice!

oh yeah, and Kaesae – your approach is definitely the future!

For me, next is wheels, as as stiff as the Halo’s are, they are fookin heavy! It has amazed me how much difference it makes when swapping from RR to MK tyres (about 2-300g per wheel I think), so new hoops would be lovely.

Kev

Hairy – ta, will check it out.

Swift – that’s the 2.4RRs, which as you know are MAHOOSIVE in volume and size. The Ardents 2.4s are about the same in terms of clearance, so seems to be OK. Will confirm when I get home! Really, clearance back & front is top notch on this bike. Amazed how much space there is around a 2.4 Ardent on the rear, although I don’t ride in the kind of claggy glor I used to at home in hte west of scotland.

tthew – Thanks! yup, 120mms. Bought from the famous JensonUSA (availability and price!)

Really wanted 2011 fox f29s (maybe even the talas ones!), but delivery etc was going to be a pain in the tits. They will send rockshox anywhere, but fox only in the US. I have friend in various parts of the US, but it was going to be a bit tricky. I relaly am very happy with the Rebas. They are breaking in now, a little more plush than at the beginning, but think I might take a squeak more air out to really sweeten them up.

:twisted: @ Si!

When you sent the hangers I was This close to asking for crampons. Not in gold though. Hideous! :lol:

Graham, I try! Although I have a feeling that what the comment really means is that it looks like a dogs dinner but is clearly loved by it’s owner. Guilty!

Coyote, aye, it looks a bit different now, but it ain’t half better to ride.

Anyone know the best middle ring to buy? I keep wearing them out, and of course the implications that causes on the rest of the kit.

Ta!

Kev

They were all on my local trails! Fookin M25 this morning, normally we are the only ones out!

Kev

I added to the communting fun this morning by leaving an hour alter, which means the traffic is pretty bad. That always spices things up! That truck that stopped suddenly on teh roundabout almost had a Kev shaped hole in the side. Screeeeech!
:twisted:

Brilliant, you guys have made my night. I am crying with laughter listening to thoe old clips. Space oddity was absolutely fabulous!
:lol:
CAN YOU BACK OFF THE MIC A BIT.

Kev

yup, thems the ones. Excellent they are.

what singlespeed stu said, plus I find they are not all that good at cornering in anything loose or dusty.

So: light, fast rolling, great in straight line or on hardpack corners, crap on anything else.

I going to try ardents and see how they get on, but I do like mountain kings for most stuff (although heavy).

HTH!

Kev

Marvellous! I cannot take credit, it was the good people here who helped me out also.

*Kev sits back with warm 'play it forward' style glow*
:-)

After a recent similar experience myself

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/where-is-that-cracking-coming-from

advice to swap wheels to test theory identified that is was indeed the freehub that was borked. It unfortunately required me to replace the whole **** hub, but at elast all is now smooth and wonderful.

Kev

As mentioned, I would deffo check caliper aligment, but also check for sticky pistons.

Pads out, get a bit of brake fluid around the pistons, and carefully work them in and out (squeeze brakes, lube, clean, retract, repeat), cleaning and lubricating (with relevant brake fluid) as you go.

Bob's your uncle. :D

Kev

Never really got on with mine. This can be totalyl attributed to my crapness, but there are a few issues with mine.

When they worked, feel was great, but often ended up with squeaking and singing pads due to sticky pistons, and also sticky levers (the piston would get sticky into the lever resevior). A MAJOR pain in the arse if conditions were muddy. :evil:

Never had the issue with Avids on other bikes, and decided on a pair of tech M4s for the new build for sheer loveliness and fabulous support from Hope. Wonderful brakes, so far faultless even after some serious abuse.

YMMV of course!

Kev

It simply has, has, has got be Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.

Awesome!

:lol:

Brilliant pic!

I am sure somebody more knowledgeable will jump in, but to my layman's medical understanding, that sounds an awful lot like dehydration and not replacing electrolytes as well as fluid. Normally what it is with me when I feel like that.

Get drinking!

Kev

TheSwede – Member
Nunchaku classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsEZ2lpM0Yw

Oooh, I have tears of laughter. Superb!

second Jawbones, best sunglasses I ever bought for my huge noggin.

For just reading books, it is absolutely brilliant. All the books you could ever want or need on one device. Fast purchasing through your amazon account (I have the older kindle with 3G chip and find it rather handy), very clear text, as good as a book, plus you get a dictionary built in for all those dead difficult words an that.

You of course can also sync all your books with the kindle app for various devices.

My iPad has pretty much replaced the kindle now, as it is so much more flexible, but jsutfor reading books it is second to none. Better than a book unless you have that weird obsession with smelling fusty paper. :-)

Kev

Not sure about tyres on stan's rims, sorry, but I will throw in a couple fo observations.

I use conti MKs 2.4s back and front, and also RR 2.4s when dry out.

RRs are, as others have said, massive. They are also pretty light (I have folding), and this is a pretty noticeable difference compared to MKs. You can really feel the reduction in rolling mass when you are fighting to get up something tiring. I have also found that RRs wash out pretty damn quickly in loose dry corners. It is predictable, but they are deffo lacking in grip.

MKs feel heavier (perhaps both drag and weight), but for my riding they offer very good grip and shed mud nae bother at all. My riding is mostly forest.

They do wear pretty fast on the rear however.

Kev

Ooh, I second 'caledonia'. I can't sing that without my voice cracking and a lump in my throat.

Same goes for 'wires' by athlete. I challenge anyone with kids to try and sing along to that without being blinded by tears. Bloody marvellous stuff 'i see it in your eyes, I see it in your eyes, you'll be aaaalllllll boohoooooo right'
:D

Wow, i'm keeping response on record for future trips.

Agree that discovery point in Dundee is really excellent. FAb museum, very interesting.

If you do go in to Flakirk, the falkirk wheel is well worth a visit also. Amazing thing.

Have fun!

Kev

Actually, he was right. I am a complete w*nker. :D

Kev

PS written from my iPad. Lovely!

thegreatape – Member
If it's for your kids to use on holiday, is it really appropriate to be transferring 'all that jazz' onto it?

:lol:

working now, we'll see how it goes!

Aye, tis different. House thing hasn't bothered me as they do not really accumulate value much either. Prices pretty stable so it is not an investment like the UK, but you do get tax breaks as mentioned above. Swings and round-abouts really.

We are thinking about buying in France now, just over the border, as it is getting a little frustrating paying the eye watering rent. Not for investment reasons, just because we really want our own place again.

I'm sure this is true of lot's of places in the UK, but it is also a really 'outdoorsy' culture. weekends in the forests with the kids at a grillplatz (council run picnic areas in the middle of nowhere with big permanent BBQs and freshly chopped dry logs) grilling some cervelas. Even in winter this is great fun.

anyway, as I said above, it is a very 'marmite' place, and you won't know till you try it, and if you don't you'll may regret never finding out.

Do it!

Again, two words: the alps.
:D

Kev

Generalisation such as Swiss are dull, unimaginative, conservative and narrow minded seem fairly accurate although obviously there are exceptions.

erm, yes, that is definitely also true. One might even go as far as to say 'comically right wing'.

Should mention, that as BBB says, there is a large an vibrant ex-pat community of all flavours. Feels a bit like being a fresher at uni as you are a bunch of people all thrown into the same melting pot.

Kev

Diatribe coming up, sorry!

Hi Dave,

I moved over here (Basel) 3 years ago with my family (wife and young kids), and, first comment, we absolutely love living here. It is ridiculously safe (crime, cycling, kids etc etc), very high standard of living, very nice countryside (biking and skiing are obvious standouts!).

I am on a local contract (i.e. swiss).

It is not for everyone however. It seems to be a bit marmite. Compare it to running a 29er rigid SS. Not for everyone, but for those who like it it is great. Others hate it.

I suggest you look at http://www.englishforum.ch/

Also if you have any Qs, feel free to email me. I am sure others will chip in also.

Tax = much less (I think about 16% for me, but it varies canton to canton. And if you are a super high earner you can negotiate your rates with cantons to choose where to live) :roll:

However – :evil:

Cost of living = ridiculously high. You do not ever think 'oooh, I've got low tax and loads of free cash. Everything costs ALOT more. First is health insurance, which pretty much negates any tax savings. You can get cheap insurance, but you will 'pay' for it at somepoint.

insurance in general is not cheap, car, household/house, personal are expensive and I think personal is a legal requirement.

They giveth with one hand, and taketh away with the other! :lol:

It is very dificult to find ways around any of the systems e.g. tax, housing, and you ahve to accept they are totally infelxible (with very few exceptions). However they are noramlly very fair.

Big standout for us recently has been dentist costs. Holy-f'ing-moly. 5K for root canal and a crown. Jesus. My wife needs three done, so we're flying the whole family back to the UK to get it done as it's about 1/5 the price.

Everything else from groceries to cars are comically more expensive.

Langauge – German in thenorth, French in the south west, Italian in the south east. English is 4th language, but if you speak french you'll be laughing. Also, and no offence to German speakers, it is a most unpleasant languge to speak compared to French!

It is very strange moving to another country, this being true of moving anywhere I guess, and it takes you a while to stop thinking 'british' (if ever!), but you will adapt to the Swiss rhythms and then you start to really 'get it'. There will deffo be a bit of a culture shock.

Can I now say some of the wee things I love (that some might hate!), and this is certainly true in Basel but often most of CH:

It is not a 'showy' culture – they say the swiss also wear fur coats, but have the fur on the inside

It is not a big consumer culture. Most shops closed at 4pm Saturday, some open Monday (not all), NOTHING on Sunday (except bakers). Almost everything stops for lunch. This takes a while to get used to, but as everything is so frickin expensive it might be blessing! We also love this as it means you spend most of your free time doing family stuff. Initially this was forced as there was nowt else to do, but now it is something I absolutely treasure and hope they never change.

Gartenbads- these are the 'Garden Swimming Pools' that up here almost every village has, and they are almost indescribably beautiful. Wonderful places that we spend much of our summer.

Pulic transport – I drive like once every 3 weeks. ride to work, we use the trams, buses and trains for most everything else. Amazing value.

Groceries tend to be mostly local, even in supermarkets, which means stuff is fresh, still muddy, and very tasty. very little flown round the world produce.

The alps. End of.

:D

Kev

Ha, good advice. Best Man is the fall guy, just be yourself and be honest. Anything else will be sh*t.

And, if you can, take a moment with your drink of choice to view the carnage unfolding before you and enjoy the moment. Will be an awesome day, jsut try to remember to enjoy it with your missus.

The only thing you HAVE to say: 'on behalf of my wife and I…' then smile, pause and enjoy the cheers and applause.

All the best!

Kev