Beautiful! What a bike – if (when) I go 29er that’s the route for me.

**rushes out to shed – digs out Ridgeline 26er – takes photos – puts on ebay – contacts nearest Lynskey dealer**

Er hang on Rustler – you sure that’s you??

Who is Rustler??

Wow Rustler that is wild. Hard enough to get your head around walking something like that never mind riding. I’m getting some minor vertigo just looking at this on screen. Very impressed – where is it??

Rode the Ciaran trail last weekend – really built up in my mind to be the greatest thing ever.

Granted it was raining and chilly, and the path was river for the most part and the top part was axle deep mud, but setting that aside, it is a +1 from me for “disappointment of the year”.

Last km into the village was a great track, but the top 7km was cack imo.

Just didn’t get it. Maybe have to try again in the summer but wasn’t that impressed – much better tracks around that area than that one.

Sealskinz keep your feet warm dry but not dry warm ime.

FTFY.

+1 for “new format sucks”. Too many lingering shots of Wallace pulling silly faces and Torode looking like he’s going to cry. Cack. Hope for return to normality soon.

I need a pee reading this thread.

Following this with interest – would happily trade in the head if that kind of deal was on the table.

Ah – just thought – next question – would the Seca work with my NiMH L&M battery??

can’t find my lifecycles dvd.

need to post a parcel.

18-135

I had this lens for a week or so – took it back as just wasn’t impressed with the image quality – very average. Now have the 15-85 which is more expensive but a much better lens in several respects.

A great resource for Canon lens info (as opposed to camera review) is

Here
Here
and here

Dazzlingboy, how much did you pay?

£299 on Amazon. I shopped and shopped and that was as low as I could get it. Next day delivery too. Thought what the hell and bought it – worth every penny.

Have already sold my G9 on ebay – now planning on selling Olympus EP1 and Lumix FT2 – all redundant now I have the S95. It is that good.

Keeping my 7D though!!

I don’t know why people have such problems bleeding Avids.

+1 – 10 min job tops.

:D

Just bought a Canon S95 – as an owner of (currently) 7 cameras and dozens over the last few years, this is so far the best camera I’ve owned, and that includes SLRs.

Yes cameras are great :D

Sounds good – will give them a go – thanks all.

Top day out by the looks of it – some good pics there although the cake one kinda spoils the otherwise good images to that point! :wink:

“please note you must use the email address that this email has been sent to”

I haven’t spend much with CRC lately

That’s why you’ve got it – “we haven’t seen you in a while” heading.

I got one to my old email so best of both worlds – although don’t have £50 to spend!

Bowmore is my No.1.

Well, actually Springbank is No 1 but Bowmore more affordable!

Try both.

No shots but like dyls says, my night rides usually 1.5 hours. Cycling diablo between high and medium gets me home with the red light on. Medium plenty light for climbing etc and then full beam for downhill.

Have just this week invested in a piggyback battery enabling me to run at full for my whole ride. Works really well but to be honest not sure I need it.

I can’t understand how people decide their dog needs a damn coat. Wish someone would enlighten me.

Allow me.

I have 2 labs – young one (he’s 10) is big and strong and has dense thick lab fur. Hillwalking in -20C in December. No need for a coat.

Old one – had his spine rebuilt twice. Very bad arthritis in both front elbows. As a result he can’t run about to make himself warm. Main thing though is that 5 years of heavy steroid use for pain relief and anti-inflammatory has made his fur very thin. Labs have 2 layers of fur and his undercoat has never grown back due to the drugs and being completely shaved for his 2 spine ops. So yes, he needs a coat especially in the kind of weather we’ve had up here before Christmas.

Nicolai have both the AC and AM in 29r guise now….

Yer – been drooling at the prospect. This is however a textbook case of Want as opposed to Need. Should maybe use the ones I have a bit more before thinking about another one……..

Daughter now 3.5 – about year ago went out into the back garden, pooed on the lawn, came back in and announced that she’d pooed on the grass just like the dogs.

OK – tired but had a good ride at GT Monday night – seem to still be recovering for some reason.

Skint after Xmas and a ski holiday but change in my tax code has netted a few bob extra which is welcome!

Work is always interesting but quite stressful just now.

Currently checking out summer alps trip options with Mrs D which is quite exciting but both ferry and flying options looking expensive.

Best of luck Lowey – feel for you mate – I had similar a while back but not nearly as much on my plate as you.

/Do you want to be a good employer? Retain your staff? Then giving a few days more than legal minimum is a decent way to do this. 28 days is stingy.

Agree with TJ and others here. How much work gets done for 3 days over Christmas anyway – F all in our experience. I cannot believe any business will notice that on the bottom line – and I speak from experience running a business with currently half a dozen employees. Give staff a bit leeway and 9 times out of 10 you will be repaid with loyalty and being able to call on favours etc when extra hands are needed on deck. Give it to them tight over Christmas and when you put the call out for someone to work after hours/weekend or something you’re liable to get 2 fingers in return! As they, likewise, will be tempted to stick to their “legal minimum”.

What goes around comes around IMO.

Nazi Empire was held together by a “propaganda machine”

It is in the book above ^^^^^

Seems muc off getting a bad write up – I’ll stick with Fairy Liquid from now on I guess.

I tend to keep my drivetrain spotless – could eat your dinner off my chain and sprockets – but don’t look after fork seals as well as I should do I guess – squirt with the garden hose although certainly no jet wash.

TLR to the forum!

Fair point Bikepawl. As mentioned above – spread the cash around a little bit although the danger is that spread too thin the benefits may become harder to see.

+1 for hippie and malt!

We’re agreeing more than disagreeing here.

you want a chairlift

I don’t want a chairlift – it was a (poor) example of where money could be otherwise spent.

A new cafe was well overdue IMO.

agreed. Just not a £9m one!

doesn’t pay just to avoid parking charges is out of order

agreed.

Most sections on the red have been changed in some way in the last year

again – agreed! But I think this level of expenditure was a once in a blue moon chance to seriously upgrade trails and build new trails both at GT and Innerleithen. This level of money won’t be spent on a Scottish Trail Centre for a long long time if ever.

TBH I think there’s a better case for spreading the money out- Laggan did more for its area per penny spent than GT does I think. Big honeypots are fine but throwing money to the biggest centres seems a bit off.

we’re in 100% agreement there mate! :D

^^^^^ backhander put it well!

OK – not a penny – I exaggerate. But what you mention are repairs and tinkering around the edges of the established trails.

What I’m talking about is another red to ease the congestion. Add additional loops to the blue so less experienced riders can add a bit at a time. I mean major new routes.

Or why not spread the dosh about? Certainly “not a penny” being spent at Innerleithen AFAIK. Even a decent bog there would cost buttons. Huge forest there – what about another trail there? Or chairlift (another whole debate I know). We have this shiny new gear at GT but Inners is like some poor relation despite having the downhill trails and big crowds at the weekends.

I just think the dosh could’ve been much better spent, but if you ask 10 people you’ll get 10 difference suggestions on how to distribute it.

Get a Dyson. Only solution that doesn’t involve disposing either GF or dog!

run a serious disruptive / boycott campaign on the new cafe

To be clear TJ – and I know this is slightly off the original topic – my point is not about the new cafe – it can sink or swim for all I care as I don’t go to GT for tea and buns – I go to ride my bike on great trails.

My point is about the disproportionate spend – if even a tenth of the dosh was spent on trails then GT would be the most exciting thing ever for newbs and old hands alike. As it is it is just getting a bit tired IMO and the biggest fanciest cafe/visitor centre/shop/conference centre/office in the world isn’t going to keep GT at the top of the biking tree. Great trails on the other hand will.

Agreed Legend – if that is all we get charged then that’s great – but I suspect that will be the thin end of the wedge!

someone else’s trails

– sorry – who’s trails??!! Think you’ll find they belong to the taxpayer – for now!

Have just read the Scotsman article.

What they seem to be saying is – “we have to generate more income so we can spend money on the trails. “

Which sounds fair enough and at least their is some recognition that the trails need improving/adding to/maintaining, but they could’ve spent some of their huge pot of cash on the trails in the first place!

TJ – your point about trails is fair – the trails are great – but seriously, to spend £9-11 million (I’ve seen different figures quoted) to create a facility mainly for bikers and not a penny on new trails (which is the driving force behind the whole setup – that’s why people go) is I think both bizarre and scandalous. Surely keeping GT up there as a world class biking facility relies on having world class trails more than having a great cafe? I accept a new facility is needed, but the trails are the heart and are being neglected.

I disagree with your view that other users are going to flock to the new centre. I just don’t think that coach parties want to share a cafe with muddy bikers, or that walkers want to go here either especially given the multitude of better, quieter tracks and paths within a few km of GT. I think the FC would like to broaden the user base, but I don’t think it will.