FFS! I told you all that it was a badger! I’m guessing those thinking it is a dog are city folk? 🙄

Tokina 11-16 is a better lens than the Sigma 10-20. Especially where build quality is concerned.
Is your camera a full-frame or cropped sensor? If full-frame you probably don’t need to go as wide as either of those though.

I can’t see how you think the price includes import duty? It looks to me that you’re going to pay as much as you would over here (especially if you paid the full asking price)!

If you’re fed up and want a change, go for it if you can afford too…life’s too short!

I’d been working for my dads business for 15 years and while I couldn’t really say I hated it, was really bored and knew I didn’t have enough interest to take it over at some point. Anyway, I left last summer not knowing what I was going to do. After looking at the job market realised I was going to have to re-train if I wanted to do something different. I’m currently at uni studying something I’m interested in and really enjoying it. It’s been hard work at times as I hadn’t written an essay since I was at school. It’s been a different kind of stress though and have enjoyed the challenge. Will I be able to get a job at the end of the 3 years? Who knows, but at least I’ll have tried.

For anyone wanting to change though, you will need to re-train if wanting to do something different. At least if you want to earn a half-decent wage.

Don’t want to seem like a member of the STW spelling police, but there’s a few typo’s in your ad.

How many of you with Jones’ live in rocky environments and love descents? Not many I’d guess.
And before some of you say ‘ah, but if you’ve got the skills’, I’ve rode with a few Jones owners and ended up having to wait for them…that was in Yorkshire too, god knows what it would have been like here in the Lakes!?! 😛

It all depends on the ability of the group but 100 Miles off road in the Lakes could be punishing if you have to start on the passes or Hike a Bike stuff

This +1. If you are up for a challenge though, you could try modifying the Lakeland 200! 😀

Houns – Member

Hate to ruin everyone’s guesses but it’s a dead raccoon
The the one in the original ‘montauk monster’ case was. The above isn’t, it’s fairly obvious that it’s a badger.

It’s either a seapig or a swamp donkey! 😀

Search Google images for some ideas…there’s 100’s, although I think the best ones are those that can be attached to the line after it has been setup. A length of elastic with a knot tied in and then tied to your line helps stop the cam gently too.

Have you tried recording at a lower resolution and seeing it that works on your PC? It might not be working on your PS3 due to the file format, what format does it save in? You maybe able to convert it on your PC then playback on your PS3?

BMX wheels! I watch out when you use it on a longer rope…do you not think that it will pick up too much speed? Most setups I’ve seen use small pulley wheels.

Odi Xtreme are the only ones I’ll use. Can’t understand why anyone would use the sponge ones above…will be minging when wet and would be destroyed in crash. 😕

I’ve been looking at pics of the bikes from this show on a few different websites…it’s got to be said that while some of them look amazing, others are simply hideous. I’m not talking about the designs either, more the component choices or parts with bold, modern graphics on classic looking bikes! Don’t get me started on those where the handlebars are a different colour to the seatposts either!

You don’t know anyone with a business that’s VAT registered do you? My dad had been looking at second hand ones for a while. He ended up paying about £200 more for a new one though after he’d struck a deal and claimed the VAT back.

Alloy stem bolts, especially on a downhill bike! 😯

Hadge, some beautiful specimens there!
Anyone wanting one for guarding things should try one of these:

For those of you with low morals, the whole series can be streamed over on Movie2k! 😉

I’m being told my ’52 plate 330 isn’t the “success” image our customers need.

Haha, some of the richest people I know drive about in old cars (at least their daily runabouts).

trail_rat – Member

see .. to me that , if your a sales man tells me – well im paying too much for his product
+1

Sales is a funny old game…one of my old mates does well at it, is a flashy *^^%$ and is obsessed about what he has being better than other folks’. I don’t bother going to see him anymore as his mates are the same as him too…they all talk shite for hours! I’ve found that’s why they all get on, as they don’t even listen to what each other are saying! 😀

Yeah, I think so. I only live a few miles away but haven’t been up for a few months…if I get chance, I’ll pop up there this week and report back.

You can save on the quite steep parking charges by parking at the car park signposted on the left just before the main visitor centre car park, which coincidentally is on the blue route.

Are you sure this is still the case? I think all the extra carparks have ticket machines now?

xiphon – Member
Personally, I think it’s boring and very unchallenging…

You stick to your downhill tracks then! It’s a red xc route FFS!

There is no way you can buy a decent Macbook cheaper than what you can through the education store, fact! They come with 3 years Applecare too which would normally cost about £300…some folk think it has been reduced to a year but that is wrong, the extra you can pay is to upgrade to an extra two years telephone support, not the extra two years warranty!

I was looking at second hand 15″ MBP’s and to buy one with a decent graphics card was going to cost over a grand…pointless when you can buy the basic 15″ for £1280 + the Applecare through the Education store.

The other option would be to look on Amazon, Apple upgraded the processor specs yesterday so many places are having to reduce the prices of what they had in stock. These ‘older’ models are only 0.1GHz slower!

EDIT: Oh, and whatever you do, don’t buy from eBay if the deal seems too good to be true! I did and I’m waiting for eBay to refund my money (over £1000)…I’ve already waited more than a fortnight now! 🙁

Try MTB#. Most of the routes won’t be in the file format you want but that is soon sorted in GPSies…convert them to GPX track or maybe route (Route doesn’t work with my older GPS).

Get a grip and stick with something plain! (Pun intended, IGMC).

Ah, I didn’t realise the foundation courses were something someone would want as a standalone qualification. I thought they were a stepping stone to get into uni or for folk to see if it was going to suit them.

I’m currently at uni, doing my first year and I’m 34. Loving it so far, not doing the same thing day in, day out is great. The thing that has helped me the most has been the internet…if I’d gone when I was 18, I know I would have struggled. Being able to look online for guides on writing essays/reports and how to reference properly has been a godsend (a lot of the uni sites are good for this).

Really look into the financial side of things, I’m lucky as my house is paid for…I live 30 miles from both uni’s I attend though, if I had to pay rent and run my car too, think it would be a stretch too far. That’s with me getting a grant that around the same amount as my loan too, due to me living alone.

Regarding feeling old compared to others, I started my course late so was told how old the others were (two folk are older than me!). The course I’d looked into originally has no mature students at all…I’m in certain lectures with that group and they all sit different corners of the room, in same sex groups and most aren’t even friends with one another on Facebook! I was only telling someone the other day I’m pleased I didn’t choose it instead. If I had of done it just means I’d spend more time working though, the thing I hadn’t considered was the social side of things (outdoor activities, not drinking!). I saw this quote above: “You are likely going there for a purpose, many younger students are just following a path with little direction… this can be weird”. I agree with this, I have no idea why a few on our course are actually there and wonder if they’ll see things through.

Zulu-Eleven Also – are these ‘foundation degrees’ worthwhile or a bit of a con?

I looked into a certain degree where I didn’t have the required grades to even get a look in, a foundation degree would have enabled me to though. I think they’re to get students up to speed or sort out the wheat from the chaff. I definitely didn’t want to do one as it would have been an extra year to put in. If you’ve the relevant experience of the subject, don’t bother and just make sure you know how to structure essays/reports.

The best way to do it if you’re wanting to do all of it is: Blue, South Red then North Red.

It’s very good as far as trail centres go, maybe pencil it in if the weather’s bad? Saying that the Bash is good in bad weather too. I’d skip Walna Scar…the descent isn’t what it was and the bit earlier on, Stephenson Ground and around there, has been unbelievably wet for ages. Grizedale’s all good though.

Edit: Now then Jon! 😉

Check if the back of it is as solid as the rest…a lot of safes were built into walls meaning the door was the most solid, the rest not so much. Some dodgy characters I used to know referred to them as ‘peely backs’ and would crack the back open with an axe (not sure what kind of axe?!?)!

Is PF30 the same as BB30?

No.

I like Raceface chainsets…easily removeable (allen key), rings don’t cost a fortune either. I have the SixC on one of my bikes and it’s been faultless…apart from the looks doesn’t seem much different to the Deus Ex on my other bike though. I got a good deal on mine but wouldn’t pay the RRP.

I think Zest was the main place to go in Whitehaven, haven’t worked down that way for a bit though so haven’t heard any mention of it lately.

Geordie Paul, I hope you gave the dog a kick up the jacksy! 🙂

My Mojo HD140

G-O aren’t doing neoairs cheap as far as I can see.

Ah, they must have sold out, they had been doing them for £60!

It takes a few goes with a Neoair to work out how much air you need in them…which is less than you think. Go Outdoors have been selling them for not much more than Alpkit ones! They’ve also had an 15% off offer on but that finishes today.

There’s quite a few caves about, if you plan around staying in one of those you won’t need to change anything if it’s raining.

Google shopping search is your friend. 🙂

This kind of thing?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Unior-188-3-1-4-Drive-Sliding-T-Handle-600830-/190776088010?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2c6b2415ca
EDIT: I know what you mean now, although the above would be fine with an extension. Otherwise search for a T-handle driver.

Photomatix is better than Photoshop for HDR

New lowers, stanchions and a service! I don’t even want to know how much that cost!