Dunfermline should be / was a nice place once, but is a real hole now. I worked there for a year 5 years ago. So many new build developments were being built for commuters to pour into Edinburgh every day. On the plus side, you will be not far from great countryside, trails and beaches.

Definitely Stirling as suggested, but whilst the Falkirk area might not be pretty, it is great for transport and amenities. I would also suggest Perth as I grew up there and will throw into the mix, Cupar.

How many of you put tabs in your camelback? It is something I have never done, but have a long distance ride coming up and would save carrying a separate bottle for electolytes.

It’s really interesting that on this and the other 5 v 4s thread, a lot of people with 5’s, really rate and prefer their 4 and 4s.

I am swithering between a 5 or 4s at the moment. I am switching back from a Samsung S2 and Andriod, but previously had an Iphone3. I am out of contract and not too bothered about either the 5S or 5C, I think you will still be paying a premium for either phone. The iphone prices are already dropping on the 5, but I could get a 4s for nowt and a great tariff for £23 per month from Three.

My main concern is falling too far behind the IOS / tech curve. Sounds like 4s will be fine with IOS7, but what about IOS8 and 9?

Surely it has to be Mama Mia….

Do you know, er cough, you can make a pretty solid argument for that. Maybe not best film ever, but number of Oscar etc award winners onscreen, having fun… yep

They are really good those you tube videos. Although I can understand why he chose to bleed the front brake single-handed.

The caliper adjustment is a secondary issue, but the video shows that it is easier to do than described. Still a bit of a faff, but once done, looking forward to having excellent brakes again.

Thanks for the responses. At least I know the seals are new. I think I will tie off the lever overnight and then top up the reservoir first.
The next time I bleed, I will also ensure I have a mate standing by to check the resevoir levels. A bit tricky to do when bleeding the rear brake.

It is a shame you cannot loosen off the caliper and re-tighten at the bite point, like other brakes to centre it though.

Duckman- Instead we got Blair. No comment required.

True, but before he became an unconvicted war crimminal, he did finally initiate devolution for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Of course you can argue that he did that to stop eroding votes to the Scot Nats, Plaid Cymru etc, but he was the one that fianlly saw it land on the statute books. Then again, he probably thought Labour would rule in Scotland forever, continuing their personal fiefdom.

I have no doubt that John Smith and Donald Dewar were very capable and sincere men, hell even Gordon Brown would qualify on that count, but like most parties, they are a den of vipers where party interest always comes first. Labour sat at the trough for many years and did little to curb Maggies excesses up here or anywhere.

Don’t get me wrong, the sun does not shine out of the SNP’s backside, they equally implement policies that are popular (minimum pricing, indendepence – maybe not), but much of their success appears to be reasonably good and honest government. That of course does not necessarily reflect in a majority for independence.

Second hand pram maybe, second hand car seat – be very very wary. May have been in an accident, generally booted down steps etc.

Yip. Definitely would not touch a second-hand car seat unless i knew the owners and history of it. We were gifted a second car seat from a friend but would not have bought one from ebay, or taken one from a well-meaning stranger.

Maxi-cosi Pebble with iso-fix was our first car seat, and will be used again in December.

We have an Icandy Peach which we got after scouring the land for best prices and got John lewis to price match. Expensive, but very good and highly manourevable. Had the maxi-cosi attachments too for those short trips to the shops, so as not to disturb the wee one in the car seat. Not being patronising, but you only keep little ones in the car seat for a short time initially (2 hours max IIRC).

Declaring a note of interest is a.waste of time in my experience and I’ll also add that fixed price isn’t all that fixed any more, nothing to stop you making an offer.

We sold last year. Started out offers over, offers around and then went to Fixed Price and ended up accepting an offer that was lower than the Fixed Price, but was acceptable to us.

Would have loved to have been in the same position with my first flat, where I had 6 offers and went to a closing date. For the right house in the right area, this still applies but it is definitely a buyers market out there. Which worked out for us when we bought our new place. :-)

Just how much mud are we talking? Is this trying to ride uphill, is it on sections that friends / others appear to clear easily? Perhaps you may want to look at your technique first, before looking for new tyres? If you are trying to ride through a bog or a ploughed field, sometimes you are going to come unstuck.

I run the classic combo of Minion Front / HR Rear, and cannot fault the grip. I have found the mix to be quite draggy however, and used to think it was the Super Tacky Minion slowing things down, but it is probably the HR on the rear TBH.

Now that they are starting to wear, I am thinking about switching to the On-One Chunky Monkey Front / Smorgasbord Rear combo that has favourable reviews on here and seems insanely good value.

Great memories of J M Richards. I drooled too at the sight of Haro Sport’s and FSR’s in their window.

I got my first MTB from Richards, a Muddy Fox Courier. I’d saved up money from milk rounds and paper rounds and bought one with a 21″ frame. I ride a 16″ HT frame today, but was so desperate to buy what they had and ride it away that day. Still got in my folks loft.

JL would make a killing if they worked out how to allow people to put contributions to, say, a washing machine or fridge freezer.

They do, they are called vouchers, or faulty tenners if you prefer :wink:

Asking for cash is pretty naff and would not appeal to me. Personally, I am not so keen on honeymoon contributions, but understand it and have made gifts that way if that is what the couple want. Always better to ask for something tangible and concrete.

Most weddings I have been at, including my own, have stated being there is a gift enough. This shows an appreciation of the time and effort people spend on attending. I equally think that some form of gift shows an appreciation of being fed and watered. This is all within reason and is dependent of course, on your circumstances and relationship to the couple which they will equally understand.

However, some people still wish to give gifts so better to tell them what you want, or direct it where you want it.

Anyone know how usable Three’s unlimited data coverage is in Glasgow area? For streaming / net radio 6 Music, Facetime etc Or are these things still best left using with a solid wifi connection?

I am at the end of my contract with O2 and thinking of jumping ship to Three. I am aware however that not all unlimited data tariffs mean unlimited data, so may have more traction pushing O2 for more but usable data and getting a better deal.

+1 for the Riverside Museum which is the fantastic new building housing transport museum. It is free to get in, and they have the Tall Ship moored there too, which is also free to get on too. Danny MacCaskill, Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman’s Lotus bikes are amongst the exhibits.

You can easily spend the best part of a day there, and the restaurant is great too. If you enjoy it, do leave a good donation, to support the fantastic work the museum does.

You could combine this with a nice stroll through Kelvingrove Park up into the Botanic Gardens. Or take a bus tour and jump off at the Riverside museum.

We went for a Copilot taxi. It is really solid and provides good protection for the wee one (Well she is 2.5 now and still loves it). It sits on a Blackburn rack so provides a solid platform, and hopefully makes for a comfortable ride.

Can be a bit of a faff removing the rack and seat on my HT, but can be done in under 5 mins. Or just remove the seat and keep the rack if you commute etc.

The Hamax seats look good, but we preferred the coverage of the Taxi. When I rana front mech, the cable ran down exactly where I would mount the fixing bracket. I did here of reports on here of the ride being a little bit bumpy with the Hamax’s.

The Chainline looks ok. I plan to get a single speed chain ring but was wondering if there was anything I could do to the existing set-up first. Like I say, I am running a chain guide (not the best one admittedly), and have removed some links.

One of my first outings with the 1×9 set-up was at Fort William. No, not the DH, but the Witches Trails inclusing some the of the DH Red which we pushed up. I lost the chain once.

My locals trails have some great natural sections with a lot of rocks and roots. It is when bouncing over some of them, I find that I am dropping the chain. Sometimes pedalling, sometimes not and probably in my middle gears.

Thanks Northwind, a Works Components chain ring sounds promising. I certainly don’t think the ramped stock chain ring is doing me any favours.

I had thought about getting an N-stop, but is that not partly what the Chain Guide should be doing?

My LBS had performed the initial chainset removal, so no I did not measure the chain. It felt ok at first but removed a couple oflinks to fit a Power link and have since removed a couple more.

The Deore mech is the original part that came with the bike, so is bound to be a long mech.

TBH, I don’t think either Andy Murray or Chris Froome will regard winning SPOTY as the pinnacle achievement of their sporting year.

We are stopping overnught at Tyndrum too. Whilst the thought of the Real Food Cafe will keep me going, not so sure that a fish shupper will be the best carbo cruncher for the next day!

What tyres are you using? (Seriously). :-)

I am doing it in September, Milngavie to Ft Bill. I think my usual ST Minion front / High Roller rear combo will be too draggy for the WHW. I am happy to scarifice some grip for improved rollability.

Sweet, will enjoy this tonight. I thought Bob Haro was one of the “stunt” riders?

I wanted a Kuwahara too but got a Raleigh Night Burner :cry:

Once you have received your new contract and are happy with it, I would suggest having a chat with your old Boss advising them that you have received an offer and are considering it.

It is more courteous for one, rather than slapping down your notice and could lead to a counter offer being proposed. Chances are, you are leaving anyway, but do it right and do not burn bridges. Those contacts could serve you well some day.

Bill Hick was a genius. Maybe even a genius of comedy.

Frankie Boyle should be sucking Satan’s c*ck.

+1 Everyone stating that this will be the most supportive and receptive audience you will ever have.

Plenty of basics in this thread, “on behalf of my wife and I / ex girlfriend”, say a few things and thank and toast the bridesmaids.

Do prepare something, don’t panic and don’t drink too much before your speech. I was happy to speak after our meal, but knew that my father in law and best man were keen to get it out the way and enjoy their dinner.

If you are shy or feel uncomfortable about speaking in public, keep it short and simple. Nerves are good but do not overly worry about it.

Important edit there, or the mother of all freudian slips :oops: :-)

We did the Hoover building tour years ago. The live gun show in the basement was quite surreal!

Just to clarify, the Hoover building is the HQ of FBI. They ran public tours and showed you the gun that Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly used to kill JFK. At the end of the tour, the highlight was an FBI officer firing off a few rounds in the basement followed by a Q&A session. I had to sit on my hands to stop myself from asking if this glorification of guns was perhaps not helpful to efforts to curb gun crime.

I was there long before 9/11, but was amazed that you could go on tours of the FBI, White House, Washington Monument and no doubt Capitol Hill. I have no idea if these tours still occur, no doubt you have to apply and book first, but really fascinating.

On both of my trips to DC (years apart), I have visited the Arlington Cemetery. It is an incredible place, quite moving but very interesting and provides stunning views across the city and Potomac.

We did the Hoover building tour years ago. The live gun show in the basement was quite surreal!

I am pretty sure they could launch planes off aircraft carriers with the Pomas at Glenshee! I have seen children in tears being pulled off the ground by them. I too have had the indigity of walking after missing the poma too many times, when learning.

Despite half-term, it should be a little bit quieter on Thursday and am sure the lifties will help you out. If you fall off, just walk to the side and wait for another turn, rather than re-queuing from the back.

Some of the lifts have an initial kick, but once you get used to it, you will be grand. Pomas and t bars are a fact of life in Scotland, but if you can ride them here, you can ride them anywhere.

Set you expectations low, but if the conditions and overhead work in your favour, you could have an awesome day.

Enjoy

Thanks for the reminder. Season 3 has been fantastic and David Morrissey is just awesome. Cannae wait…

Raleigh Night Burner followed by a Diamond Back Formula One.

1988 Muddy Fox Courier, the Lavender coloured one with a U brake handily placed under the chain stays. Two years of paper rounds and milk rounds to pay for it. So desperate to get my first MTB, I bought a 21.5″ Frame. I ride small / medium framed bikes today!

Must retrieve the Courier from my Folks loft and see if I can run it as an SS / Commuter.

Plenty of strong opinions seemed to have been formed well before reading his book and further reinforced following its reading. Did you miss those pages regarding him fighting his demons over racing clean or become “professional” and dope? It is kinda the point of the whole book.

He could have served his time, done nothing and possibly doped again. He has shown genuine remorse, become engaged where it can make a difference and helped found a genuine anti-doping team. I don’t believe canonisation and getting mega-bucks was a game plan he devised when resuming his career.

As for the Olympics, the original BOA stance was noble but why limit yourself when Kazakstahn and others have no such principles e.g. Vinokourov.

Haters going to hate as they say, and this is your thread. My respect for Millar has increased even further having read Tyler Hamilton’s incredible story. Millar will be the first to tell you he was a doper. He needs no reminding of that.

Loads of great suggestions so far. My tuppance:

Aviemore will give you more family and wet weather options, with biking in the Cairngorms and Laggan all close by. Family cycling options too (As davetrave points out above). Landmark Centre, Highland Wildlife Park, the scenery, Loch Morlich for beaches and watersports, beaches on the Moray coast nearby (dolphins) and Inverness and Loch Ness would be a good day trip and is only 40 mins away. Whisky country too, plenty of fine distilleries to visit nearby. And the midgies should not be less fierce than those on the west coast.

Oban is beautiful, far prettier than Fort Bill, but use it as a base for exploring the area and got to Mull so the kids can visit Balamory if they are young enough!

East Neuk of Fife would make a great family holiday, but not so sure about biking options?

Galloway will give you beaches, amazing biking, and family days out (Cream of Galloway is very good).

I’d maybe think about East Lothian, Dunbar or North Berwick areas? GT and Inners are probably about an hour away, you get beaches, surf, museum of flight, swimming pool when it is wet, East Links centre is great for all the family. Plus Edinburgh is only 40 mins away which will be super busy in August, but well worth a day trip. Plus a slightly shorter drive than going to Aviemore or the West Coast.

Sorry to hear that, but I’m sure you know you have done the right thing.

Our 2 year old girl loves rabbits and maybe in a few years time, will see about getting her a real one.

Cold and wet feet in 5-10 Impacts and merino socks the other night. Maybe other 5-10 models are less sive like?

Plan to get some knee length army surplus gore tex socks to keep the feet dry. I found Sealskinz socks to be very waterproof, albeit water got down the top of the sock, leaving your feet in a pool of muddy water.

Been looking through many of the balance bike threads. Just placed an order with the LBS for a Pink Hotwalk for my little girls Xmas (she will be 2 yrs 2 months then). I can’t wait. :D

She did say it was too heavy when I tried her on one in the shop, but thankfully “too heavy”, is her response to most things right now. A lot lighter than the Scoot and Decathlon bikes anyway, which she had tried before.

Nearly went for the Rothan, but will worry about braking with her first pedal bike.

Given what Rothan’s, Hotwalks and Likeabikes can go for on e-bay plus postage, you might as well buy new (IMO).

Deal Extreme prices are incredible but what other kit and how much effort is required to secure them to your helmet and bars? Was thinking about 2x Magicshine 808’s for this purpose.

Smudge do you have or could get any more V1’s in?

+1 for the meet up group. Only been out with them once so far, but very welcoming and good company. Looking forward to more trips with them.

You could take a road-trip through Scotland going up to Thurso taking in Golspie and Laggan on the way up or down.

The beaches of East Lothian are fantastic, check out Sam @ http://www.c2csurfschool.com, and can easily be combined with Glentress and Innerleithen.

And of course you have the remaining stanes and the lakes going home.

No. But used this school on many trips to nearby Biarritz, which I can recommend: http://www.touradour.com/shops/lagoondy/gb/lessons.htm