I just ride all the trails around me and respect all other trail users.
I can’t say I pay attention to it being a footpath, no access or bridleway- I just ride it.
99% of the time I never meet anyone else, and the 1% of the time I do I slow down say hello and smile. The rare times I encounter conflict I give as good as I get. If they are polite, I’ll be polite and have a chat. If they go all guns blazing I’ll be less polite.
I’ve had a local farmer try and run me off my bike because i took a genuine wrong turn from a Bridleway to a footpath (zero signage at a fork) and I’ve had people push me off my bike when I was at a standstill to let them past on a Bridleway. You encounter all sorts of hostilities for all sorts of reasons. Just do your bit and be mindful.

So don’t vote for them again, if enough of your neighbours’s thought that way they’ll lose and another candidate will be selected. If you’re ‘usual party’ isn’t fielding good candidates, vote for another one.

Politics should flow upwards, MPs should be listening to their constituents, parties to their MPs and Leaders so their Party – not the other way around.

Completely agree, but there’s no other credible parties that could win here.

I’d argue all but the 2 big ones are fairly united, but do you want a single way of thinking within a party, especially with the FPTP system? I’ve been guilty of calling the last weeks a real mess, and in certain respects they have been, but really I think they’ve actually been the way Westminster should work. MPs are doing what they think is best for the UK with a ear to their constituents rather than *just* making childish noises at the other bench at PMQ . My MP represents one of the largest remain majorities in the UK, she has consistently voted in a way they represents us, often at odds with Labour HQ and usually at odds with the Government, isn’t that how it should work?

It’s not perfect, no system is, but I will vote for how I think is best for the job, and I’ll be one of those weird types who e-mails their representative a non-ranty, constructive few lines if/when the need ever arrives. Even if I didn’t vote for them.

Problem is that’s not how it’s happening. There’s numerous MPs that aren’t voting in the interest of their constituents, several of my local MPS included. There’s also arguments of the parties fundamentals that Brexit has highlighted, which really shouldn’t be coming into question. Personally I’ve never felt more removed from my MP and Westminster.

P-jay

something

I agree entirely, but what to do? It appears no party is united in any way.
With our local elections there is no clear party to vote for. Sure, a few have promised to fix some local issues that the current party have created, but then i’d be condoning the party as a whole on a national level.
It’s a mess! Completely disillusioned with the whole thing.

That is genius!
It reminds me of an awful Trump-esk manager I once had who would say ‘pacifically’ rather than ‘specifically’. He would use that daily. There were a few other words, but can’t remember them.

Start ordering some Deliveroo around the same time as he ran into you.
Wait until you meet your man and then discuss what happened..

mickmcd- saw your post on social media yesterday.
Looks like an amazing opportunity, but I’d imagine it would be high stress with the added corporate BS.

You’re clearly in demand, so could you not do some contracting/consulting and mix 1 and 2 together?
Do a bit of pottering and pick those cool jobs you actually fancy doing for a few months?
Also, start making the high end bike stuff!

I think it would have to be;
– a Whyte S150S ’18 with a new set of wheels and some other choice upgrades
– Custom Stooge Ti creation 29er+ capable with a set of sus forks and Trus forks

That lot should be within budget and cover all my riding needs.
(It’s almost what I’ve got too; Whyte S150CRS and Stooge Mk4)

Review here 😉 https://singletrackworld.com/charged/2019/03/28/yt-decoy-emtb-first-ride-review/

Didn’t even know STW had an E-bike section!
How do i navigate there from the main page?

Imstagram works well if you use it properly. The main one is to only follow things/people which you are really into. It builds algorithms around hashtags and content that you follow, like or interact with to give you suggested content you might like. Keep it short and around your passions.

I use mine as my own little photo album. Not bothered about likes. Works well for me.
I find it better than Facebook which seems to revolve around peoples opinions and sharing some poor content.

Looks smart and priced pretty well!
Still fancy a go on an FS e-bike. Looks fun.

cokie – I made the point these were Special Needs schools – costs are far higher.

LA’s fund SEN schools at twice to three times a standard per pupil rate and the same is true for the private sector.

(so your £80k for a private boarder would multiply up as I said)

Posted 3 seconds ago

Ah, got you- thanks.
Didn’t know what SEN stood for.

On another note, I think we need culture shift to put family and community at the heart of society. I spend a fair bit of time in Switzerland and it just works so well. People don’t spend the day with smartphones glued to their hands. Families spend lots of time together. Through taxation your local community gets to visit and decide where it get’s spent. People take pride in where they live. Most retail shops shut sundays. They fund out door related activities. It’s lovely!
I would have moved there already had it not been for my other half.

The UK seems to be really egocentric and revolving around an instant gratification society. It’s amazing how much poverty there is in the UK, considering it’s the 5th largest economy. The divide seems to be growing.

In line with the responses since wwasw’s post I should add that I did see the charges for day pupils and residential and they are eye watering. If you go to the school’s website and download the Ofsted report it will contain the fees. For day pupils the rate for one school was £45,000 to £85,000 per annum and £50,000 to £90,000 per annum at another.

Quick look at the infamous boarding schools (Harrow, Eton, Rugby, Wellington, Marlborough, Cheltenham, etc.), none of their boarding fees are above £85,000 per annum. That’s a far cry from £250,000. Not arguing at all, I just can’t find any schools with these fees and curios to see what sort of school it is.

For what it’s worth, our local boarding school does a huge amount in the community. They saved a local youth club that was about to shut down. Refurbished it and bought lots of new kit, plus saving some jobs. The local council had given up on it years ago. They also provided resources to a local failing state school that was in urgent need. They didn’t print their name across either and both happened behind the scenes. There’s also a few other large projects they’ve been working, including running a couple schools in Africa.

Locally it costs £80,000 + £20,000 transportation to send a pupil to a private school 12 miles away as a day pupil and £250,000 residential.

What schools that? Not seen any annual rates anywhere near that, unless you mean total but then that figures too low.

I agree though- education needs and overhaul.
It’s failing kids and knock on effect on our society is evident.
The failure will keep trickling down effecting generations to come.
There is so much missing from the curriculum that could easily be slotted in by replacing the pointless parts.

I think the way a pupil is assess also needs to change. This emphasis on a few crucial exams and limited coursework is no reflection of the real world or somebodies intelligence.

Update: Tees will be with me 10th April

How dare you communicate that to us. Logging a Paypal dispute ;)

Has anyone come across any great 29er front wheel deals?

On seeing a mention for the Fiat Tipo I shuddered

Seems to be a common theme for these.
They look quite smart online and the boot is pretty big.
All the reviews are scathing though and it appears to be a Fiat parts bin special with some vacuum formed cheap plastic panels to make do.

I’m not bothered by looks or cabin quality. SE & EX seem to have all the toys I’d ever want.
I’d have a car you could pressure wash the interior of if I could.
I can see why they’re so popular from the above to be honest.

Sounds like the ideal small car to me!
We’ve got a new shape Qashqai as our main family car, so this will be used for those smaller trips, town and loading up.

Thanks again all.
Sounds good enough to go and check out.
Will take the bike and give it a trial fit.

Thanks all.
Test drive would clearly be in order, but didn’t want to waste time if a bike didn’t fit and feedback was poor.

Not sure there’s enough length from the rear hatch to back of front seat to manage a FS 29er though. Dimensions are here if you want to compare (149.5cm long boot floor with rear seats down).

Hmmm.. my bikes a 1211mm wheelbase + 29er rim @ 311mm (1/2 the diameter) + tyre 50mm = 1572mm/157.2cm.

So, boot;
Lenght= 149.5cm
Width 101cm
Gives you a diagonal measurement of= 180.4cm. So should fit in diagonally okay, especially with a front wheel removes, reducing the HA making it shorter still..
I was thinking of fitting a 15mm mount to bolt the forks into.
Sounds Like I need to take a trip and try and fit it before the test drive.

Other cars around the same price, year and size:
– Fiat Tipo Estate
– Skoda Fabia Estate
– Peugeot 2008

Whyte S120 looks good, providing you like 29ers.

Judgment is due 1st May 2019.
Apparently ATB have been trying to get Rich Energy/William Storey to attend court for a couple years now (hence IP- 2017). I don’t see how RE could win this over Whyte. Still, RE have continued to produce their product with the logo (40,000 can delivery recently). Good thread here too– some major sleuthing from one poster.

Awesome video. Amazing how creative he is with a feature.
I’ve dreamed of similar things when I’ve ridden past fallen trees. Sometimes looks like a natural quarter pipe. His perseverance is awesome!

Is that a motorbike helmet though? Looks a bit like one…

Giro Switchblade- he comes from moto trails roots, so suits his riding down the ground.

Yup, the UK is broken.
I’m always reminded how bad it is when I travel around Europe.
Effective and reasonably priced train travel/public transport. Copious cycle lanes. Pedestrians and cyclist are the priority. Strict speeding enforcement.
The UK feels about 20 years behind and it won’t change.

Hundred and one ways of them being able to get into the house.

We had a friend who was born into old money family- you’d never know. He rented a small flat and drove a shed. Didn’t do big holidays. Lived very humbly. His parents and brother died in a helicopter crash and everything was left to him. He stopped working and moved into a caravan in Cornwall and bought a new RS6 and a nice watch. He would have preferred his parents were still around.

A chap I worked with owned a niche accounting software company as a 90% shareholder. He lived modestly in a 3 bed semi with 2 kids and drove an old Passat. He sold the business after 6 years to one of the largest accounting companies in the world for a high 8 figure sum. He carried on living the same way, but sat on millions. He could have bought anything!

Cycled Bristol to Bath & back on Saturday. No wind or rain.
Lovely ride actually. None of the 45mph+ winds forecast.

I had a rat do exactly the same thing on a ride once.
Ran straight into the wheel and made a comedy ‘ping’ noise before it rolled off into the bushes.
Stopped and looked for it but it had disappeared. Glad it didn’t get stuck. Could have been messy.

If she isn’t image conscious then the Honda Jazz.
Plenty of toys on SE and above. Most reliable hatchback, and hold their value.
Plus a tardis boot.

If you have time en-route you could always visit Gawton.
Some good trails there and easy pushup.

n Cornwall (Falmouth) right now for two weeks. Also from the desolate north and would say the MTB down here leaves much to be desired. Most of my fun has been had riding down staircases and alleyways.

I hope Jacobs Ladder is on your list.. :D

As above, it’s a fantastic car and get’s all the praise for best small hot hatch.
Great engine, gearbox and handling. ST3 has lots of toys and are good value.
If you don’t need the space, I can’t think of a better car out there for this price bracket.
I’ve PM’d you too.

I really like the Hope grips.
Sticky and soft.

Ratboy Burgtec specials are 38mm rise

A variation of one of these that sits in the back of the car. Seats flat and slide this in at an angle. Little side walls lined with rubber to keep mud and water on the rack.
Doesn’t touch the interior. Sadly doesn’t fit the Fietsa.

What about the new Stooge steel bar with the high rise options?

I’ve got a set Junkerbars coming too, but they might be a bit extreme and I quite like the integrated stem/bar look.

Cheers taz!
Not spotted these somehow.. will ping Andy and see what the deal is.

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V1.0 of the Tazbah was an exercise in mentalism. It had downsweep, like a Cafe Racer, it probably shouldn't have worked but it did, beautifully. V3.0 will be a little more sane, but not much #stoogecycles #rockthetazbah

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How odd- stem length increased with bar width.
I guess they are very XC orientated.

Great! Thanks for the feedback Bonesetter.
I think the dual stem suits the Stooge too.

Look forward to seeing what it’s all about personally