*Dog bike
*Posh Bike

Football. (Parts of game can be ok, but ruined by relentless TV and radio coverage – who is that git on 5 live who says "penaltyerra" as one word?) I dont want to hear people arguing about the bloody game while I am at work, either

F1- what is the point. Make it like moto gp with no fuel or tyre stops and that would be ace.

LONDON MARATHON! ok if someone has a poo

It's only a game. It's not like it's life or death or anything.

Just a shame that all us non-interesteds (in football) have to suffer for it, to pay some of the cost of policing, insurance etc and then be subjected to having it rammed down our throats on the TV and news etc,

+1 to that.

hobby footballists are just as bad. I dont want to take my 2 year old son onto the field on a Saturday to hear 11 idiots screaming, shouting and swearing at each other for the whole time. Seems like a team game played by 11 idividuals who like to blame each other half the time, and who like o shout at the opposition/ ref the rest of the time. Not a good example to set IMO

have to disagree with the " 1.5H without a result" comment though. After all, a nice, civilised (ok used to be) game of test cricket can be a draw after five days…and still be fantastic!

Mine was sticky going from 1 to 2 and 8 to 9… (usually about 1/2 hour into a ride until it wouldnt change at all)

I just removed it and oiled/ worked it back and forth for ages over a few visits.
In time with loads of working it got better and its been ok the last few rides.

I changed cable, too. On its own not too bad but enough to make the tight mech effect worse.

has been better than this but bit crap over the last few days and internet dropping out all the time. (and router needing resetting..its all happening)

used to be on virgin (and blueyonder for years) with ace internet but they annoyed me so I went to slomo copper to cut my nose of (face spiting)

more 'HD' channels though

That I spent most of my 20s building up enormous debt, getting fat and drinking far, far too much alcohol. By the time my wife and I calmed down and started a family, I was 4 stone heavier, £75 grand poorer and 10 years older. Got to love those secured loans, takaways and 8-for-a-fiver booze deals.

I like to post if I have an opinion.
I save my lurking for the bikeradar forums

I bought a Maxxis Advantage for the back of the Meta….

Puppies are cuter than babies

and a kitten playing with wool beats the puppy.

where does a penguin falling into a lake come?
what about Meercats

for the record I always hated the kids on "Youve ben framed" until I had one…

but the Dog clip always wins

oh and I always coo over puppy pictures but if the baby picture isnt of mine, I kind of pretend to be interested

Im talking more of having little ones. Im sure it is different later on

an example is of someone I was aquainted with. During the week He left the house at 7.00Am and didnt usually get back until 8.00pm meaning his son was a stranger during the week. This is not unusual; we all have to work. Like you, he played football "Most Saturdays" and did the odd tour etc meaning he only got to see his child grow up for 1 day in 7 during the first few years. His wife had no time for herself apart from on the Odd Sunday and got pretty depressed about it.

Of course, with the older ones you can do stuff with them. I agree you need your own time but the balance is different for everyone

When you tell people you like cycling, if they don't ride a bike they simply can't understand it. It's bloody hard work, you get covered in mud/run down by cars, and can be cold and wet and miserable. Yet most people on this website would say it has added something valuable to their lives, I think. But if you hadn't really ridden bikes, you may find that hard to believe.

pretty obvious where I'm going here so I CBA to type it out…

I have a mate that calls what we do "boring" even though he has never actually done it. (he likes to bivvvy up next to a lake for 12hrs waiting for a carp to ring an alarm)

Let me see now
Last year apart from being out most Saturdays ….
Easter – Glentress for 5 days
May – long weekend Afan
June – 2 weeks in Colorado
August – long weekend Spain
October – long weekend Afan

Yup – it's impossible

sorry but for me that would be totally impossible. I work all week leaving my wife to look after my son. If I then spent the time I had left in the saddle, she is still left holding the baby and I miss out on all the good stuff. If it was the other was round there would be no way I would put up with that..

unless you are bringing your baby with you that is a lot of precious time your are missing out on there

My wife and I were p**sing away our lives drinking all the time, going out, getting fat on Takeaways and spending every weekend sleeping until 4 in the afternoon if we were not at work so our decision was a little different to yours.

We decided to turn our lives around and had a child soon afterward. We couldnt afford to run 2 cars now, so I decided to commute to work on my bike. (the first time in 10 years)

Now, 2 years on I am fitter and thinner than I have been for years (although Xmas has a lot to answer for) and the happiest I have ever been. Nothing could have prepared me for the utter joy and daily astonishment you feel when seeing that child develop…

however I wonder what our decision would have been if our lives were different before then (ie if we were fit and actually did stuff.
The brutal truth is that I never get out on my bike nearly enough as I would like; its just not possible. I work 6 days a week regularly, sometimes 7 so the time that I have left is time spent with my Wife and Son – time you can NEVER get back if you squander it. My bike time is usually done after dark or at odd times around shifs; very very rarely at weekends .

Your life will change forever, its true, but you will never resent your child for it. Without a shadow of a doubt this has been the hardest, funniest, scariest, most enjoyable, most tiring, most rewarding mental 2 years of my life.

I discovered mountail biking BECAUSE I had a child!

good luck in your decision

At work on earlies right now. Nights all next week starting tomorrow night

Might take the dogs/ dog bike out to Standish tomorrow afternoon for an hour but thats it.

22 minutes and no DX references?

Oh well here goes…buy 2 dx bicycle lights (one for head, one for bars) and spend the change on some meaningless bike bling…

Ill find A link 🙂

for example Wait for ages for it to come but you will be chuffed to bits when it does (or really annoyed cos it dont work, innit)

for the record, I run the above on the bars and a 1 cell P7 torch on the head. Weeelllyyy goooodddd

llok at her hands!

I have snapped a couple of chains and both times i was in the wrong gear so changed up and pushed hard simutaniously on a steep climb; seen a chap in front of me do the same once, too

Good work. The worse I did was buy a 5 grand quad bike on my credit card when drunk on ebay.

luckily it turned out to be not as advertised and I got my money back…!

Seatpost mount Pointed down a bit you get to see your forks working…

(No need to comment on the hardcore content…)

Commencal Meta 5.5.2

my other one is a Halfords Road Bike

[drool]sigh[/drool]

Winstanleys 384 for the 2008 ss! ooh might do it? Drink more beer first

What size did you go for. I read a review of a 5'11" chap (which is what I am) and he said 16" fits like a glove. Seems a bit small to me .

Have to say thank you for the heads up. I am so going to get the SS version if bloody work will get the Bloody Cycle to work scheme up and running…(440 quid from treads so it will work out quite cheap)

and Ill ride it to work. Sod this tiny tyres silliness

Wow I like this. Think I may have answered my "what 3rd bike?" question

and sub 500 quid for the ss rigid…

actually It has just made me want an Inbred ss 26er. No more beer! Hide the wallet! Kill Google Kill google

Oops I didnt catch the send in Email. All done now. 98KG 🙁 Thats 6kg up from all the good work I did 2 years ago when I started this cycling lark. (was 109 though so I know I can do it…)

Oh ok ill hae a look. If all else fails I get some from jensen usa and fit the outer ring until they arrive

+1 for boxing day.
anticipation is fun but after that the tree just gets in the way

Had a top one out with little fuss. After a bit of wiggling, the dentist casually said, "Dont swallow it is on your tongue"

The only reason I had the top one out was becasue it was cutting my bottom gum and causing loads of infections.

…my mate has just had his top bottom on one side finally removed after the dentist broke one6 months ago and failed twice to get it all out. It was a hospital job for him resulting in having to spend 2 weeks looking like a hamster with a black neck. He is cheery enough though.

good luck, dude!

My X9 is of similar age and (espcially in the cold and wet) hates shifting down at the limits (ie onto smallest sprocket and from largest to second

It did this even on the bench ie it had 2 tight spots at the top and bottom of its stroke . May be worth removing the cable and checking it springs back nicely to the same position.

What I have done is oiled and 'worked' the mech back and forth loads to free it up. It now changes with a nice click. Think I read someone else had the same prob and had their mech changed for free.

I like this one.

really bleak..

Citreon AX 1.4 diesel. Horrific car

took all day to start and smoked more than Dot Cotton

…

Thanks all for the ride and cheers, Sheldon for the pics.

Worrying thing is that, less than a week later, I have shed 1/3 of my available gears…must have been the nicheisms wearing off on me. What will be next? a 1×9? a hardtail? a SINGLESPEED???

i like the trek being used as an ornament!

too right! I may suggest Mrs Dancake ditches her weird-shaped bowl thing and lets me get one of these myself!

amd lol @ mi©k

Thats great work. Heep it up, all. I ran the gauntlet by adding a teaspoon of oil to each fork leg without protecting the carpet; probably being extra careful this time as got fork oil all over my pads last time 🙂

ooh..that Trek is rather sexual…

Slowrider: loving the "Move the grip out to stand bike further from wall" technique. genius

I will see how freeing the mech up and fitting different outers does but will defo consider oilers if things dont improve. Refitted mech now after some working and seems to move with a nice click now rather than a soft thud

That looks ace

My dog (stupidly) likes fireworks and sits watching them.

same here. Found myself in the spare room at 12.15 with my wife, 2 dogs and a freshly woken (by fireworks) 20 month old watching the local pub's display.

Little dude actulally went back to sleep afterwards which was unbelievable.

lots of paper lanterns here too. First time I saw them was earlier this year. Thought it was some kind of natural phenomenon 🙂

nb I wouldnt be so cheery if Little Dancake was up all night after his rude awakening….

My god you are right

to be fair I have done worse

Cheers, all for the ride.

I may have had the longest and most pleasurable bath in history today so its all good.