@TM – you are only just about in Redhill now though :wink:

I live in Redhill but luckily right on the edge in a nice green part 8). I seldom go into Redhill town centre as it is not that pleasant, particularly at night. Reigate, although stuffy :-), has nicer parks, restaurants, pubs and feel. It is full of accountants and city escapists but it still has a bit of the old town vibe left if you make an effort (I grew up in Reigate).
Commuting from Redhill is easier than Reigate but trains have been a bit of a mess lately and it depends where in London you are going to. I go from Earlswood as it is closer but trains tend to be slower.
Doorstep riding is pretty good considering and there is a thriving biking community particularly if you like beer. I generally night ride from home and make trips to Leith/Holmbury/Pitch/Winterfold for day rides (25 mins in car). Boxhill, Headley and various commons and heaths are the local riding focus.

Don’t feel sad (and hopefully not me)… I thought I was a contender, I wasn’t, I moved on. All very pleasant and good communication.

I thought you had invented some new sporting activity like humane fox hunting but with GPS tracking devices.

We have given geocaching a go with the kids but the quality varies massively and a run of missing ones and ridiculously difficult ones soon sapped their enthusiasm. It is still a good way to liven up dog walks for the kids though and the free apps are pretty good.

I’m out. I only wanted a posh singlespeed hack child tow’er. With a decent fix this is now entering non cracked Simple or Solaris territory. Interested to see how high it goes though and then to see the finished build photos on here …I’ll count this as a PSA.

All very encouraging. The only problem is someone else has now started to bid on it…. Hmmmm.

Full fat cheese

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I assumed it was just the owner of the cafe.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cotic-Soda-frame-/231544476942?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e920550e%5D

Wouldn’t the speed bumps be problem?

Long boards always make me think about this

Black, black, box of bits bike.

Edit: just noticed the silver cranks fail

@mitsumonkey – I don’t want this to become an advert (I guess I could try the classifieds) but it is the last of the old style Renault Meganes 1.4i 16v Expression +. They dumped sun-roof, air-con, electric mirrors, computer, steering wheel controls, 6 cd multi changer, 4 air bags etc on it to make it attractive. I guess I could rip the cd changer out and sell that.

@B.A.Nana – trying to avoid hassle and so a fixed priced or may be a low reserve sounds sensible. Thanks

Smaller but often quiet spaces can be found around the inns or temple. Interesting buildings and nice pubs all around. Lincolns inn fields is a favourite….

This may be worth a look: http://www.dogsinneed.co.uk/gallery.html
The DalmatianXSchnausher is brill.
My wife is a volunteer with them.
We got our Irish rescue dog from them too as a puppy (he could be anything but most likely LabxCollie or LabxLurcher). Amazing temperament, great with our kids, the cat and even the hamster. Very impressive bark for unwanted visitors, happy to run all day or lay by the fire.

…and a billion times more scarier. I had one when I was 17 and there is no way I would put my kids in one (and the dog wouldn’t fit). Luckily we have a sensible car too.

Hmmm. It’s impractical, uncomfortable, prone to mechanicals and I don’t really fit it …. sounds like my Hemlock and so should be fun. Thanks again for the input, it has given us some things to think about and stopped the initial rush to purchase.

Thanks for the info. We looked at one this afternoon and, although it felt cramped for me to drive, my wife loved it. Still not sure between a one and a Cooper but the Cooper interior looks less tatty. We seem to be in the 2004-2006 price bracket and have found a number of low mileage ones. Colour and condition are the deciding factors at the moment – but at least now I know a few more things to look out for (tyres duly noted).

Some of the components appear to be made out of cheese so possibly. 15 minutes editing time and I still failed to embed a decent photo :oops:Hobgoblin is stronger than I was expecting. Just got to revive an old dropper post for it now.

Public service broadcasting

Got mine – thank you!

Dunno but Jack Daniels wood shavings on the gas bbq did impart a fair bit more flavour compared to the lava rocks alone.

Tried gas with lava rocks last year but couldn’t get on with them. Hot spots, dead spots and flare ups. Discovered a wonder starter gel in france for coals and got consistent and relatively speedy glowing coals each time. The taste was so much better too.

Bump….I can also drag it into central London if that helps.

To be honest, if it is the right size for you (6ft +) and you can somehow pick it up, you can have it for free. The reducer headset is down to a straight 1 1/8 steerer. You could probably just get a different lower cup and crown race for a tapered steerer. Cable stops will be more of a pain. You would have to bodge something or track down a pack, otherwise the cables will just fall away from the frame. It is not going anywhere so keep looking then drop me an email.

It’s not a complete no-no as many originally came with 120mm forks. It just makes for a low bb and a lively feel, great for smooth trails, less good when things get interesting….high top tube meant it was hard to get off in a hurry too.

I’m in Redhill, Surrey. My old Jekyll is 135mm rear travel and so 120mm forks may make it a bit too twitchy even on slack mode. I used to run 145mm Nixons. It is a big bike (check geomtery) but is fairly light. It has a reducer headset fitted. No idea about state of pivot or shock but was serviced before hanging up 8-9 years ago.
As above, I would try and swap your fork for a straight steerer and then you will have more options….old marins were fun, low maintenance and can be picked up cheaply. Giants are also worth a look.

Think you are a bit far away for this but I have a l/xl one that has been hanging in the shed that I would get rid of for £50. I am the original owner too as this was a stop gap bike in the days I had money before kids. It was fun to ride, only things that annoyed me were the silly cable collars and the limited clearance on the back wheel. Think mine was the last year before Prophets took over.

Staying in Niton. Fossil hunting mornings followed by pub lunch followed by amusement park/castle. Two days left and so will try other recommendations. The weather is making any pub garden a winner.

Thanks for the ideas. Went to the Chequers as we saw it first. Great playground, good beer, ok food, 1.5hrs in the sun excellent. Happy family.

We generally go to headley heath or box hill for camp building. Box hill also has a kids outdoor play trail with balance beams, see saws etc. Some pretty impressive camps partially built to give a headstart.

The rat-boy segments of this show some of the trails (nice vid): https://vimeo.com/91402963

Jim at The Mountain Bike Adventure | Jardin Porta Da Vila | Lagos | Portugal will probably be able to sort you out. He does gnar to pootle and has hire bikes too.

Stand down. Phone now found the old fashioned way.

Unfortunately it has to be a hamster because of this:

@wwaswas – how far up the country are you?

From my phone camera but I like it. Looks better on my phone….

Gutted – tracked some down but they look like a naff Star Wars rebel trooper’s helmet (episode IV) on my Hovis shaped bonce. Lots in Redhill if people still looking.

The 29’er idea is interesting but I am trying to use bits from my spare parts bin which leaves 150mm coils or 120mm air. It was previously built with 150mm revs which felt great but they are now on my other bike. I guess the 120s with a headset with a big lower crown could be ok’ish with more sag in the rear shock. The local trails are not that challenging and so the coils would be dead weight.

Dpfr talks sense and yes, Ecology, because I was coming from the conservation, land management side of things. Engineering and geology are a different and less tree huggy route and kind of the opposite of why I wanted to study environmental sciences. GIS training is a good way to get into a number of roles. Depends on what you are after really..