Depends how political they are too.
Do you really trust them to do the right thing?
Insecure bosses (most of them) can take this personally even if you’re being honest
Tread carefully and as above, be positive
Good luck

38. But as a regular cyclist have the body of a 28 year old :-)
And in the minds of friends I’m still a big kid, given my preference for spending Saturday riding round the woods on my bike

I used to come to the forum as a break from the stresses of work. It had a great sense of sharing and dry sense of humour (Picolax anyone?)
That spirit is still there but less dominant.
I still like the mag – better writing IMO than MBR and WMB.
I think the mood on here is reflective of the national mood, not STW specific. On the plus side, there are lots of people pointing out the bitchyness and trying to make it go away and Mark seems to be paying more attention to the bad threads so I guess in time it will go away
I’ve learnt a lot from STW – not just about bikes but getting the benefit about all kinds of stuff from people with very different opinions. It’s still a great place IMO, just going through a rough patch…

Recommend single speed if route profile allowa. Much less risk of a mechanical on the way in. And no need to spend the weekend fixing the bike.
Commuting’s great – massively increases your riding time and mileage. Enjoy :-)

IME a good club will have a number of paced groups and be happy for you to come out riding a few times before joining in order to find your pace.
A couple of important considerations:
1. If you ride in a big group ‘through and off’ you’ll ride a couple of mph faster than you do on your own or with a couple of mates
2. Ride with any club regularly and you’ll get faster.

IME, find your local club, get out riding and you’ll be in there with them before you know it… you sound like you’re happy putting effort in, which is what it’s all about tbh

Road riding with a club can be more fun than MTB sometimes, enjoy

Yes. But that doesn’t make it any easier for those involved to have it all out in the open…
This could be one of the best things that’s happened to the UK in decades. I had Sky as one of my clients once – got me thrown out of my job because I wasn’t prepared to be bullied by them…
A Murdoch family biographer on Newsnight last night was speculating that Newscorp would be Murdoch-free in the next few years after this debacle. I wonder if James will be so bold when his pappy’s not there to look after him.
The internet/social media is making papers much less powerful anyway so their influence is already waning and will continue to do so.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall listening to Dave, Miliband, Brown et al working out how to play this publically whilst between them plotting to bring him down…

Marilyn Manson – Sweet Dreams

Superbly evil

I’m no fun of U2 but this I love as much as I first heard it 10 years ago

One – Johnny Cash

as above +
1. When you brake hard, your body carries moving forward. If your heels are down you move ‘into’ the pedals which stops your weight moving forwaard, If heels are high your weight is more likely to move forward and you over the bars (or at least, less control). Try stopped hard and throwing your weight back as you do it – feels much more controlled
2. If riding flats it means you push the bike back into the ground on drops – stops bike disappearing from beneath you and keeps you in control

The thing about tyre choice for different locations that gets me is, rather than being an ‘odd’ choice, isn’t it actually the worst thing you could do?
By which I mean, I ride the same tyres wherever I’m riding simply because I know them – I know where they’ll grip, I know where they’ll let go – so I have predictability and control over the bike. That way I ride smoother and quicker.
If I’m riding different tyres every weekend, the ride characteristics change each time I ride and therefore I lose that deep feel for the handling you get from riding regularly, which ultimately gives you control, flow and speed…

No. this has come up before. I don’t understand people’s problem with it. Thread titles are usually obvious enough to be able to choose not to read if it’s about road stuff

I had 2 offs a few years ago and ended up with 2 broken shoulders and a head in bits that nearly convinced me to give up riding. Which wasn’t a rational response, purely emotional. Right now it sounds like your fear is winning over your rational mind.
My tuppence worth:
1. Don’t pressure yourself – you’ll worry more and ride worse. It’s ok to ride slowly and carefully. Remember if you look at the tree you’ll hit it!
2. Remind yourself it’s your fear talking, not reality. And the fear is a perfectly understandable and normal reaction after yr experience
3. I used some skills training to help me out. I briefed the trainer on a few specific techniques like drops but also really emphasised I needed some techniques to help me deal with the fear and to feel more relaxed and safer on the bike.
Good luck – it’ll come back in time.

If you’re happy not riding as well as you can I wouldn’t worry about it.
If you’d like to ride well, smoothly, confidently, do things that scare you, fall off less then they seem like a great idea to me.
Why are they popular now? I don’t think it’s fashion tbh. I think the bike skills profession has worked out how to teach people the various techniques and also lots of us have bought fs and realised it doesn’t make us better riders and maybe it would be worth learning how to ride it so the £2k+ we’ve spent doesn’t seem like a waste.
I’ve done a few days training with Cycleactive and it changed my riding beyond expectation. I can do stuff I’ve not been able to do for 20+ years e.g. drops, bunnyhops on flats. I love the sense of achievement that comes from that. I also fall off less which after 2 broken shoulders a few years ago means there’s no debate of the worth of a bit of training…

Bit sad you’ve gone to that much trouble to miss the point

well i have told all this on singletrack forum and i have clearly upset a few people on there already …bitching about my grammer

Oooh the ironing… Is this what the CBI was talking about the other day when they said the younger generation can’t read and write properly… 1 typo, 1 grammar error :?

I suspect in 10-15 years time the OP will look back upon this event and understand the reaction he’s got here…

I think the mood on this forum recently tells you about the impact of the recession :-(
Is this the first time an STW row has ended with apologies all round for flying off the handle? Maybe things are picking up ;-)

It’ll take an eternity to get back to where we were

Personally I think this is possibly the biggest problem – one of the perception that 15 years of continuous growth was normal and sustainable, and the debt we built up desireable…

We took on massive debts and were spending money that none of us actually had. And I mean WE: the government, banks, companies, the people. IMHO we properly lost the plot, there were riots outside Topshop and Ikea FFS!

What we’re going through is a necessary correction, hopefully to something more sustainable over the long term – steady, sensible growth. To expect to get back to where we were is IMO a) unrealistic and will lead to disappointment and b) undesireable…

Sign up…

To try and answer the OP:
a) strictly speaking there is no recession as the economy is growing (slowly)
b) beware of people giving you answers which reflect their political beliefs, not the basic facts (but you know that already, this is STW!)
c) IME whether life is good, ok, or a struggle right now depends a lot on personal circumstances. I’m moving back to London after losing my job in Manchester and London feels like it always has, thriving. Manchester feels a lot quieter economically – I couldn’t even get an interview in 2 months.
Equally if you feel secure in your job, it’s probably ok.
IME people are confused between ‘recession’ which is a technical definition with negative emotional connotations and the combined emotional effect of fear of job losses, stagnant housing market, rising food and petrol prices and fear of interest rate rises. I don’t think the media or the man on the street is making a distinction between the two. ie: although the economy is growing, we’re all feeling a bit pressured and scared about the future, as we have since end 2008.
I suspect any serious economist would point out our prospects are better than USA, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Greece which puts UK in a better place than most of Europe, but the media story doesn’t reflect that.

There are lots of people with ‘keep calm and carry on’ memorabilia which I like. Digging in and getting on with it. That, I think, is the truth about how most people feel in the UK. Not fun but ok and coping…

You need to listen properly to Morrissey to get him. It’s not really misery, it’s describing life with brutal honesty, especially the stuff we don’t like to acknowledge. Which is why it sounds negative and he tends to split people into haters and lovers. Personally i find it inspiring
I’m looking forward to seeing him at Hop Festival next weekend

Glasto is like life. There’s loads you’ll love if you go and look for it. The mainstream stuff that loads of people go for is often the least fulfilling… Go with a closed mind and you’ll miss all the ops to have some fun.
Who cares if it’s more mainstream, it’s still a top weekend…

Personally I quite like the fact I don’t have to worry about having my stuff nicked cos of the fence and the middle-classness of it all. Although now some people go for stag dos I realise the mass appeal may have attracted people who don’t quite ‘get’ music festivals which IMO spoils it a little.

tbh the worst festival I’ve been to was V. When people fell down at the front, people just looked at you while you struggled to breath cos 3 fat lads were on top. At the front of Metallica at Donnington the only problem you had when you were on the floor was which of the hands reaching down to offer help you should choose from.

Chapeau!
Not a lot more to say…

jake-snake – Member
For all those in the loop we are taking this under ground keep an eye on your text and do not post on this forum.
For all the anity grumpy kill joys see you next Tuesday!

Maturity and thinking-of-other-people FAIL!

Just seen the video. frankly given the amount of contention around mountain biking in the area, a group that big charging around one of the most popular bits of Surrey Hills is really just deeply unhelpful.

Try and understand how it feels for someone out for a quiet walk with kids or dogs, people…

Hurtwood MTB code of conduct… Groups of no more than 6…

+1 for Bent_Udder as one of the most active people in the area helping to keep us access.
And he has a point. Events like this give the antis ammunition…

it’s easy to find out. Buy yrself a road bike and ride it regularly…

My brother’s groom’s speech opened with a deadpan. ‘it’s been a wonderful day, but very emotional…
…. even the cake’s in tiers!’

I know it’s a t’internet standard but my bro isn’t one for public speaking and he was looking a bit serious so it went down a storm.

All about the delivery, and relevance IMO

I found them draggy and could break surprisingly early. Rampage seem to grip on everything and in all conditions tho

New Soul will take 140 max but even in the rocky Peak you only need that on the rocky descents. 125-130mm seems to be the sweet spot for singletrack. 150mm could break the frame and IMO steering would be way too wandery

Cy recommended I used a layback post. Feels fine to me

They wouldn’t be that rich if we’d never had to pay for any of their music. they’d still be playing in the back rooms of pubs…

Although there’s a protest planned for U2s headlining Glasto slot I gather which is designed to point out that they manage their finances such that they pay very little tax in Ireland even tho they live there. Which a) isn’t very helpful for a country that’s in serious financial straits and needs every penny of tax take it can get and b) U2 make such a racket about making poverty history.

I suspect it’s very hard to find like for like to make a really fair comparison.
But I do know a union rep (PCS) I used to live with had been convinced by the union that he was being done over and victimised by the politicians and any evidence to the contrary was wrong or he ‘didn’t have time to read that stuff’.
The main conclusion I came to was that even if the facts were that he was better off for being public sector, he would remain angry that he was getting the worse deal. He certainly didn’t work as hard as I did.

Now I wouldn’t for a minute suggest all public sector workers are like this (none of my friends who work in the NHS are like that) but it did strike me that the union were just as political as the politicians…
I think we should see the current strike threat as a political action rather than having any basis in fact, especially when comparing terms and conditions with the private sector.

Which IMO is doing their members and the general public a great disservice. maybe they could accept the fact that the population is getting older and living longer and what they used to get in terms of pensions can no longer be provided and get on with fairly and openly negotiating a decent settlement… private sector isn’t in a great place either…

I was a Friend until I moved away last year and have turned up for a few dig days and I wasn’t aware the access issue was this critical.
I’d be gutted if we lost Surrey Hills access. Especially if it was because we alienated ourselves from lack of gratitude and consideration.
I’m in Manchester right now but moving back down South in the next month or so if anyone’s interested in getting involved in some kind of communications campaign to support Mark in this, it would be good to hear from you. Email in profile…

BKB is a runner’s, walkers and bike trail. Nothing up there is bike-only.
Which means, as mentioned above, we do need to ride with the awareness that kids, dogs, OAPs etc could, legitimately, be round the corner.
Yes it means less flow and gnarr etc, but personally I don’t want my Sunday ride experience to be one of putting a kid in hospital with concussion…

Short answer, no it’s not NEEDED. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t own one.
My thoughts
Depends where you ride. I prefer my hardtail for smooth singletrack and Peaks (I know it’s rocky but I still prefer it). For Lakes and other full on all mountain stuff I prefer FS, and also for rooty stuff – more grip and easier to keep on line.
I recommend one of each – use your hardtail to learn how to ride, pick lines etc, use the full suss to get used to just ramming through stuff and then ride the hardtail the same way. You then ride both faster and smoother
As said above, you can ride the same trails regular and not get bored if you alternate bikes

I suspect OP has had too many rides now where his MTB chums who also ride road bikes have left him for dust due to superior fitness…

Often on loose stuff when you’re riding fast you can be through it before you realise you’ve drifted.
Re weighting, putting weight on the front wheel doesn’t necessarily mean moving forward. Go low over the bike ie: head closer to bars but keep weight distributed across the whole length of the bike ie: try and keep your torso parallel with the top tube. So there’s more weight over the front wheel but you’re not taking weight away from the rear – does that make sense?
What I was told on a skills course and seems to work for me

As a marketeer with 15 years experience IMO that reads a whole lot better…
A couple of things IMHO
1. You may want to source all your claims about the benefits of cycling – more believable and may help to persuade resistant senior people
2. STW may or may not be your target audience, would recommend trying to get some focus groups together if you have the budget
3. One of the biggest barriers to people taking up cycling is the fear factor – you may want to address that as a key message
4. You’re one of the few organisations I’ve seen using social media to engage properly with their audience i.e. taking the criticism on the chin, openly joining the debate and making changes.

Best of luck, hope it works, more people riding the safer it should get…

Good quality cables + middleburn cable oilers (3 for the rear)
I only have to change cables once a year with these and shifting is smooth as… a lifesaver and cost a pittance

Dettol was one.

I had this debate 3 years ago, got the Focus
1. better reviews
2. more fun to drive
3. after 3 years they’ve lost a lot of value already. Yes it can still depreciate but most has already happened
4. The Golf was a lot more expensive. Yes you get a better price when you sell it but you’ve already paid that additional amount up front
5. Had no probs with the Focus – perfectly reliable