Add me to the list.

Off there tomorrow. I'll look out for you. (Not that I know you!)

I also used to deal with these. We never had any form of central register for them. Every company we dealt with had an SIC that we allocated them, using our judgement. We didn't tell the company or anyone else what we'd chosen. Presumably some companies could have different codes with different contacts. Always seemed to be a very loose system, but the data on the SIC went somewhere central, no doubt to appear in official statistics, but we were never queried about our choice of SIC.

I dont want a mini PC, i just want to be able to put a route onto it so I can ride (specificly on the road) without getting the map out every 30 seconds!

Try the first link I posted. Should do exactly that. I use a Legend, plot all my routes on PC, transfer via USB and then just follow the directions given when riding. hardly ever get the map out. That's what you're after is it not? The system does work. Trust me. I'm not a doctor, but I do work for one!!!

I get the impression that most of the rants on here about Garmins are because the Garmin owners don't really understand what a Garmin is designed to do. It is NOT a mini PC strapped to your handelbars.

Here is some free mapping that you can upload onto an SD card in your garmin. Not quite OS standard, but far better than TOPO maps. Also free, but you'l have to buy the card.

http://sites.google.com/site/talkytoasteruk/ukmaps

Try here. It's free and might do what you want.

http://www.maptogps.com/

Thought you had to order before 1PM at CRC to get next day delivery?

When the Ron hills come out

No, please, no. Anything but Ron Hills!

what does it say before your post dude?

Doesn't say you've registered it. I was sympathetic at first, now I just think you're a pillock.

Have you registered Memory Map? I don't think it will work until you do.

But looking at that you've got it set wrong. On the GPSSetup screen you are showing Garmin and serial. You should use the drop down menu and choose USB. That will grey out the COM port box. At least it does on mine.

Edit, posts crossed. Just try setting it as USB, you never know what might happen!!!

If you are using Memory Map all you should need to do is go to GPS>GPSSetup and make sure Garmin & USB are highlighted, in the top two boxes. That's all.

I've done the club thing and am now generally pretty happily divorced.

Essentially "riding" is a solo activity. You ride up the climbs on your own (you might talk on an easy fire road or tarmac but who cares about them?; singletrack and descending certainly is. You only really chat when you're stopped, which is all too often in biggish groups.

My issue was that you'd do a 10 minute climb, then spend 10+ minutes waiting for the stragglers. Do a 5min descent – spend 10+ minutes waiting for the stragglers. All too often we'd end up doing way less than 20 miles in a 5hr+ ride. What *really* bugged me, is that it was always the same people you ended up waiting for – even after 10 years with the same bunch. Some riders improved enormously (good on them) others just couldn't be arsed*, and their attitude then affected everyone elses ride. For me it should be give and take. If the faster guys are going to have to slow down to wait for the slower ones, then the slower ones should be making every effort to get faster so we all meet in the middle.

Occasional group rides are fine, providing all the participants are of a similar average pace, but overall I ride harder and push myself further on my own – even on the scary stuff – there's more of an incentive to do it right first time if there's no one to pick you up when you crash. You just have to mtfu and BE as good as you think you are. There's also no one to affect your nerves by going "ooh that looks scary/I wouldn't do that if I were you" etc etc. There's just you, the bike and the trail. Bliss.

As far as motivation goes – isn't just being out on your bike in the hills enough to get you out?

*usually the same ones who turned up late, with non-working bikes that they expected someone else to fix and who needed to faff loads during the ride.

My thoughts exactly.

I run a Dell laptop. I get about one blue screen crash per week. Always gives a different fault. I'm so used to them that I ignore them. I've had the machine checked, and all the hardware is perfect. It's a software glitch to do with Vista. Been like this for 15 months.

(I do make sure that everything important is regularly backed up!)

We're not really arguing here

Never thought we were. "One size fits all" doesn't apply!

Have to agree with sfb there. I certainly ride harder and more technical stuff when with others. Not that I'm scared of injury when on my own; more the fear of looking a wimp if I don't ride what others can. But the benefits of being able to go where I want, when I want are greater than the "advantages" of being in a club, and having to do what has been decided by some clique in a meeting, or more likely by the clique after the meeting has ended when no-one can remember exactly what was said.

AGMs, Annual Dinners, ride planning meetings, rule books, committees, subscriptions, club weekends away. UGH, no thank you.

Bike clubs urgh the thought gives me the shudders

They are populated by 4 kinds of people

the insanely fit and competitive who cant understand that you just dont fancy a 24 hour enduro you just want to go out and have a ride and a laugh

the frustrated politician as soon as they join they will start causing schisms and encourage infighting just so they can be club captain

The organiser as soon as they join you find yourself paying club dues buying lottery tickets and desperately trying to avoid buying a tacky nylon club jersey

The All the gear and no idea they turn up with 5 grands worth of kit are hysterically enthusiastic and bang on about the soul of mountain biking and how they made a deep journey within themselves and how they cleared the triple black diamond with skulls run at Whistler. Luckily they disappear the first time you go on a wet ride and take up another hobby.

Yup, totally agree. Clubs generally get formed because one or two guys are on some form of ego trip. Therefore the club becomes their baby, and everyone else is either too scared, or too apathetic to suggest changes. This just leads to a self perpetuating oligarchy, where the powers that be decide everything.

What you really need is the bottle to go out on your own. If you don't have it then you'll never find it. In that case look on various internet forums etc., to find just a couple of like minded souls to ride with just when you feel like it.

Beware though of internet based "not a club" type groups. Some of these are worse than full blown clubs. There's even one around that insists on an online interview before you are even allowed to look at their list of rides; so how do you know if you want to go with them? You don't, and they are making it a closed shop, ie:- a club by any other name.

Was there this morning. Can send you a GPX of an 18 miler if that's any use. Mail me if you want.

Leaves have been like that here in NW since late July. Don't know what that means, but it's pretty early.

Numpty question answered…

You need a cable to connect your PC to the GPS. The more expensive models suppy these, the cheaper ones don't, but it's just a normal mini USB/PC cable which comes with cameras etc.

The mapping software – Memory Map or Tracklogs or whatever – has a little button that allows you to "Send to GPS" (or similar wording). Just connect the two together, press the button, and BINGO!

Very difficult to get to. Need to hire a boat, and it's a long journey. It's also usually very rough. In addition it is now a bird sanctuary, and I think you need permission from RSPB to land. Day trippers are most certainly not welcome.

Walk, and push the bike. that way you'll get super fit, and won't get another puncture. And it's free.

You know it makes sense.

I've just done something similar, and couldn't get the right adaptor. So…I rang Hope. It turned out that my calipers were one of a shortish run, but that could only be found by Hope from the reference number stamped on it. Once they knew the number they told me which adaptor was needed, and it wasn't the obvious one. Ring Hope.

IIRC SRAM don't have enough sprockets on the carrier to be prevent gouging the freehub body. As said, XT or XTR are the best, although you could always change to a steel freehub body which will allow you to use whatever you fancy.

Once every weekend, and two/three times midweek evenings. Give and take works well, and we've no kids!

I agree with OP. (Ducks for cover)

But…I've decided to find out what all this fuss about riding on artificial trails through artificial forests is all about. So I've got myself a nice steel hardtail, and will spend the winter hammering round Llandegla, Marin, Penmachno, Gisburn, Grizedale, Whinlatter et al. I'll probably go mad around New Year and get wild cravings for some nice Lakeland/Dales or even Todmorden riding. But it will be fun finding out.

EDIT _ It MIGHT be fun finding out.

No, Legend is plenty good enough. You could even go down to the Venture and not lose too many features, but for most purposes Legend will do everything that Vista will, only cheaper.

MBR seems to be written by wannabe race aces. This latest issue even has a feature on how to race your mates. All the photos are taken with the riders in an agressive "eyeballs out" pose, as if they are aiming for a personal best time on their chosen test route. They seem to have forgotten that the bulk of us just go out to enjoy ourselves, not to prove how good we are.

Then their bike tests are a joke. They rave about Specialized (they pay well don't they?), but every other bike seems to fail to meet their unpublished standards, and get marked down until such time as MBR's identified faults are corrected. Do they not think that manufacturers have their own testing programmes, and maybe the bikes sold are aimed at a market that MBR won't acknowledge.

The biggest joke this month is the essential tools. A Phillips screwdriver is apparently something we must all buy before we are allowed to sit on a saddle. Mind numbingly banal. Took me as long to read as it did to drink a cup of coffee.

4th Needlesports

I think they've just talked themselves into a lost customer.

Why? they don't deal direct to Joe Public, so what they say is correct. If you'd rung as mentioned above, then you'd have been able to talk it through with them – they are exceedingly helpful on the phone.

I don't know what it's like round your way, but generally walkers are pleasant and have been known to treat us like minor celebrities for getting our bikes to the top of x, y or z. Japanese and American tourists especially love us on top of Helvellyn. No one has ever raised the issue of whether they think, or the civil law thinks, we should be up there.

Totally agree. I've been riding Lakes and N England for years, and have never had trouble with walkers. Only trouble I have seen is when a bunch of wanna be dahnillas flew along Loughrigg Terrace in full armour and full face masks expecting everyone – including me – to get out of their way. 2PM on a sunny Saturday isn't the place for that!

This walker/cyclist argument seems to be(dare I say it?)a southern phenomenon.

Thank you. Only 10 speed, so presumably mainly roadies will be affected.

I ordered some forks yesterday morning. I needed a brake adaptor but didn't know which one. I asked them to supply as appropriate. 2 hours later they rang up to advise that they'd found the right one and check that the price was acceptable, and the forks were going in the post. Pretty damned good I'd say.

I've got a Mountain Morph and it has a pressure gauge on it. Takes a few more pumps than a big stand up pump, but it gets pressures up to just where you want. Very good.

Fast but minimal grip, or so I found. Useless in the wet.

Where do you live? There must be someone near you who would do it for a donut or two.

It's the talkty toaster mapping that I put on mine. Not sure what abductee's connection with them is, but he publicises it a lot, and it's good, and free.

You can store up to 50 routes with up to 250 points on each on a Legend HCX without needing to install an sd card. I have easily held up to a dozen routes on my unit. It's only recently that I've installed an sd card, and that was to hold some mapping software, better than Topo, but not quite up to OS standard, and that needed 2mb, otherwise I'd not have bothered with a card.

Anyone got a .gpx they could ping me?