I have shed aspirations.

This is my actual owned ‘ting so in the future the wall behind the shed, well that’s the kitchen.

Planning permission? Simples.

Anyway, it’ll fit screw-boxes & tools on one wall plus foldy-up tables & some hinged worklamps to keep space.

And a nice bit of Creosote.

In my current & recent experience the difficulty isn’t necessarily finding work, it’s the “temporary” nature of many positions in the current circumstances.

I’ve been fortunate in one regard by getting a succession of well paid, temporary employment in supply chain & logistics work. By default or design i’ve been made redundant from no-contract situations three times in 8 months, with little or no renumeration. The first and only instance of notice was voluntary redundancy of a career-job a year ago.

As said before, positivity is key. Believe in your ability, understand your skills & learn how to sell your contribution to the business, profit & customer satisfaction. It’s no surprise how many people are “hard working, dedicated and reliable”.

For me, it’s Spring so manual labour beckons. And the cycle repeats until luck prevails.

Inspired.

Pop-Punk YouTube Sunday Morning it is!

I wish I had the disposable income for this!

Bananas.

Been riding two years, only ever on singlespeed. 32:16 Inbred. Can’t wear jeans now but it’s all worth it.

Ups- All in the head… And “core”. :)

Flats- Can get a spectacular uptake of pace plus a “super thigh induced extra acceleration” only known to singlespeed folk.

Downs- Smash it, hard, on the zenith then get to spin out point asap before forgetting about brakes and smashing past the mincers.

Good technique, no fear.

Sold one this week to a happy customer who wanted the moon on a stick, or a bike to take to the moon. Anyway, in the end The Ogre fit the bill.

Bombproof doesn’t do it justice and the rack could move a house. Tank green too.

This will be good.

5 Sets agreed.

Yeah, wonder what it’s like to be able to clean a bike just by blowing on it!

Ahh, bliss. Spose this is “roost envy” then?

Yo Kev, are you near the end?

I always find being sheet-faced just around the point where you start to feel the madness is quite an intense ordeal.

Kurtz. Innit.

Yeah user I think there’ll be a few of us who can phoning dads & sons in the morning.

Being thankful tonight, sipping.

Could someone tell Shark when his bike will actually arrive?

Or will that thing not happen this year?

jools, that is a quality malt.

Got it on a cheeky Tesco offer over christmas and sensibly left it at my mums 200 miles away.

59% ABV is it? Ooooh, vicar!

Looked at Mrs. C last week and said “can we just turn this pish off”.

She said aye and we haven’t had it on since.

This old dangly doodad called DAB is the future, images are too distracting.

I love the snow!

Sounds daft but being the young idiot that I am, I like to watch bike videos and then go riding.

So, I watched Where The Trail Ends & From The Inside Out.

Turns out,the technique the pros use for riding Gobi/Utah desert sands are the same for snow. Ish.

Arse off the back, hips, momentum. Repeat.

I need new hubs though. Bad, bad , bad lateral landings.

Two Three words.

Pinot.

Grigio

Headachetomorrow.

Interesting.

Cycling,SS, XC style, through deep snow, is hard.

I found the most fun to be had over the past fortnight is stand at the bottom of a hill, pick the bike up and walk to the top.

Check tyre pressure.

Remove Fear-Limiter-Brake-Toucher.

GO!

I find that if you let “wheeeeeee” escape, it helps.

So far in the past 12 months, via thrice redundancy, I have seen my salary travel from 12k to 19k to 0k P/A.

For two spells of that, I signed on. Declared myself unemployed. Subscribed to JSA.

I learned that the Job Centre is a vacuum void of hope & help and the only person dependable enough to secure employment is me, myself & I.

It’s very paining in the arsing.

My theory is that quality kit is quality kit.

EG: A 2012 OEM Demo with Fork & Shock that’s been cared for would be a perfect first DH bike.

The thought of how much any DH rig will cost gauging by the current year on year inflation scares me into thinking i’ll never get one.

While the old timers are here, since you’ve seen technology come & go…

With all the hubbub about modern tech, what gizmos “revolutionised” cycling but were really just cack.

There is much SS love on this thread.

Embrace the gear, love your quads. :-)

Whenever I ask myself “what tire for” I think:

Hans Damf?

If the answer is no then

High Roller

If the answer is no then

Hans Damf.

Can’t stop thinking about this now. I think it’s fair to say that with limitless facilities available, there’s endless scope between Fort Bill & Inverness.

Google Earth’s my favourite toy.

I wonder if people already have plans?

Hijack, being 26 and that.

Very interested in this thread, being that I’m looking forward to being 45 and saying…

“Remember all those different wheel sizes”? Or something…

And very excited looking at the technology employed by the bikes presented here, what currently exists, and what’s going to come-and pass- in the future.

Hans Dampf. Answers all my own “what tyre” questions.

I really do actually only need one gear.

“Flow” is a real thing that can happen.

Surly Singelators are indestructible.

Steel dropouts will eventually bend.

I am the only member of the piss-pot & goggle club.

Edit: One persons prestige Ryan Leech Trials bike is anothers perfect Gift-for-Girlfriend!

Lottery win.

Then, buy everything I could round Fassfern by Fort Bill.

And a digger.

There’s a lot already in Fort Bill but everytime i’m home I’m overloaded with “what if” visions of excellence.

bump

Also, could someone post this to a relevant Facebook bit?

I’m still in the dark ages.

Lordy, just bought Joe Strummers solo catalogue.

True greats pass to soon, what excellent music!

This has been a good punk week.

Well, I have 100mm on the front of mine but SS Inbred is my only bike.

It has yet to fail me and there’s nothing wrong with buying new trews cause of one-gear-hill-fuelled GIANT QUAD ATTACK!

After a decade of skirting around “The Classics” of Punk n Ska by way of Rancid, NOFX & most stuff on 90s Epitaph I’ve only made myself pay attention to The Clash & Specials this year.

So after having had London Calling on repeat for a month I need to phone my Dad to apologise for all the Greenday I made him listen to in me yout…and that he was right all along.

Bit of an epiphany, listening to lyrics written decades ago that reflect the contemporary state of affairs precisely

Hello Mrs. C, my name is Mr.C.

Like me? Like bikes?

Good thing she does because we are not getting our deposit back on this flat cause… Well I’ve ruined the aesthetics with Bloke Dynamics.

If this is the quality of thread that’s been up here lately, I’ve been missing out.

What on earth is going on… I haven’t chortled like this in a bit. Good words.

Unassociated post:

Can get from Edinburgh to Fort Bill and back with the bike for 20 quid with my 16-25 railcard.

They even let you get pished and talk Gaelic with the locals. BOOSH!

I thoroughly outdid myself this year,

Was home at Fort Bill on the 1st, did a couple runs of the World Champs XC.

Turns out, I cant do the “air to berm” thing.

Oops. Still pickin gravel out.

I decided, responsibly, to set an achievable goal;

Landing into a berm from, a double, say without holding the brakes.

Today, I have a new scar…

if at first & that

Dreading that shite week between tomorrow and Hogmanay.

Can never decide whether to party full tilt or wait for the epic exaggeration and disaster that is ALWAYS New Year.

This rum’ll sort out the melancholy.

Although, Mrs. C is super excited and I’m really enjoying myself wrapping presents n shiz so… less Bah. More Braw.

Flasheart, good job. I will consider this as a plan for “Postie Gift 2013”.

Dear Steve,

Thanks for being useful.

Not bein funny, rite, get the Vinnie Paz on goodness me, what a brap!

Funny who comes out on a friday!

This is A.M.AZING tho.