Slow speed stalls are nothing to do with tyre pressure. It’s all to do with your reflexive brake finger. Death grip through rock gardens for the win.

56% in favour in breaking the union

I’ll be sorry to think of Scots as foreigners

Every time you practise going into the corner, turn to look out the exit and ignore everything else like it’s not there. The point into the turn you turn/look-out will have a big effect on your exit line from the corner. Start by going in comfortably and go a little faster each time. Play with it, it’s a lot of fun!

The last time I did this I was startled how fast I could go in, so startled that I turned/looked-out a bit too early into the turn and cut the inside of the corner, missing the outside berm entirely but keeping traction and fired out very fast into the wrong line for the next corner! It’s a lot of fun messing about like this.

Trailstar on rock do that: Dampfs, Marys. I personally don’t cherish the grip-slip feel of the weakened side knobs rolling over. I find that Pacestar Dampfs perfectly grippy up front and they don’t erode the same way.

Great machine

When something major breaks, ~200k (Honda)

i was always trying to ‘solve her problems’to which she didnt want a solution

Agreed. That never works!

The one I hate is: “What are you thinking?” [Do I look like I’m thinking?; shit!]

I get a few each summer (a nymph on Sunday). Just remove them carefully and be aware of the symptoms of Lymes.

Bike building the garden on Saturday. Brisk walking over the Qs on Sunday; very few people about, including just one cyclist.

One of the Shipham crew, its most venerable and respected rider, recently bought a 29er. The shockwaves are still reveberating!

650 what?

If you want things to get better you need to accept something is your fault and apologise. Listen to what she has to say about that. Ask her what she would like to do. Don’t say that’s what you’re going to do though. Best bet is to nod sagely and agree. Unless she asks you what you want to do. Then it’s whatever she said

Aint that the truth? You’re a normal guy if occasionally you are a bit block-headed and intensive. But personally, I’m past the age when I’m prepared to put up with that sort of nonsense from women. You wouldn’t put up with an equivalent sulk from one of your children!

Dead useful to guaranteeing your saddle automatically goes back to the correct seated pedalling height after dropping it a little for the fun bits.

“it’s just a ride around a marked course as fast as possible.”

How is this different from racing?

MONDRAKER[/url]

OK, so it’s over here tick-and-banjo county rather than the home counties, but it’s not that far to drive.

Get a slackset and fit it negatively giving a steeper head angle for a more exciting feel.

Positives:
Not commuting time can be spent sleeping or working
Fewer distractions from co-workers
Change of scene
Music while you work

Negatives:

Unless you have clear goals, it’s all too easy to drift
It can feel lonely and isolated so you get unproductive and paranoid
Co-workers think you’re treating it as a day off and resent you

Tips:
Try to have a dedicated work space, ideally a room converted to an “office”
Have very specific goals that are best achieved with no distractions
Do your communication days in the office

Paralleling Sabbath with Metallica indicates a lack of understanding of both bands and why they are important in contemporary music. Metallica playing at the festival is a turn-up really and I hope there continues to be better representation of heavy rock styles in future. Mastodon anyone? I wish.

Cyanide sounds great to me but probably a bit to prog for many!

“it is nearly 1 mile long and as I said 6 foot high”

Yes that’s quite a task requiring team effort or professionals!

I get around 40mins continuous use out of my battery hedge trimmer. I just ordered a second battery.

Nothing is entirely foolproof. A top guide doesn’t help the chain stay on the bottom. But it does help the chain re-seat when you pedal again (when it doesn’t jam in the device). You can, at a pinch, use your old front dérailleur by using the stop-screws to keep in the middle position.

Far better is preventing it flicking off the bottom. A narrow-wide seems to work great IME. Checkout Superstar Components [hides]. Or buy a full device with a roller if you don’t mind the weight, cost and noise.

“laziness” or efficiency? Or simply lacking the hubris to think I can do a better job than someone who has already done it ;-)

Why re-invent what you can re-use? That looks comprehensive, thx Alex.

We are all just prisoners here, of our own device [the device in question is a bike, or 6]

But spineology always looks even more dramatic on film than it is. Fish-eye effect I reckon.

I think maybe it’s because you’re slumped on sofa while watching the video, compared to being just about to roll off the “Drop of Doom” ™ on while perched on a push-bike.

I’ve been chased by Cows with calves while walking, though this is unusual IME so I guess they were in a “mood”. I’ve never been chased by a Bull with Cows and Calves. I think Bulls are generally only bad-tempered when there are no Cows present.

Back on topic. After polite questioning, there didn’t seem to be any *actual* incidence of cyclists startling cows and causing them to be injured. No doubt the farmers in question have had some issues with livestock and the public, and don’t really cyclists (does anyone?). And so I reckon this was a conflation of those sentiments.

Look out for cows.

Patch the tear with an anchovy or two, top-up the goop if you’ve lost a substantial amount, and carry on tubeless. Quicker and less messy than putting a tube in.

Belief

It just depends on the state of the thing. When the knobs get worn down, more of the carcass is subject to puncture risk.

As an aside, I’m having problems again with Trailstar Dampf on the front – the side knobs are half ripped-off just after that weekends riding in The Lakes. It doesn’t happen to the excellent Pacestar Dampf so I’m thinking it’s just a weak compound to be using for unsupported side-knobs. Frustrating to be throwing away an expensive, nearly new tyre!

Funny accents. .

Is it St Georges day? Oh no it’s St Rooney day.

Polonium tea

Dusty Mendip, mostly faster, steeper stuff. With Candodavid

Rachael went through the tape on the outside of a corner in a WC race last season (Windham?), nearly crashed-off but got back on course, was not DQed, and went on to win the race.

It’s up to the commissioners to decide if the rider could have gained advantage by going though the tape. This is open to interpretation.

A good bike is one that is ridden.

Walk a mile in a man’s shoes before thinking about stealing them.

Failure to acknowledge to true co-dependencies of human society.

I forgot some the other day and rode bare-handed. Fortunately I have ESI grips and it wasn’t too bad.

I like close fitting leather palmed gloves; they feel nice.

The downhill red is absolutely great but needs some respect and you’ll get better with each run as you put together the lines over the slabs neatly. So it’s worth stopping and studying the slab sections on the first run rather than diving in.

The WC course is a DH race track – not a trail-centre trail. Definitely stop and study each tech section. I walked down one of the big rock gardens (before the bermed left-hander) as I just felt too intimidated; Hey, it was wet and windy, and I was alone. Overall, I think it was worth doing for the hell of it, but I didn’t really enjoy it enough to ride it again. YMMV.