i forgot to ask. does anyone know where the young guy on the trax bike finished? he came into the shop o nboth days complaining about his bike falling to pieces. someone had stolen his bike before the event and so he went down to halfords and bought a cheap 90 pound job. by accoutns he was going pretty quick, but i didn't get his name or number. will have a look through the photos when i have time but think he deserves credit for hammering that bike way beyond what it was intended for!

schpleep- the medics thought it was a broken femur, but i was down in the shop and he walked into the ambulance. the medics down there were talking about his humerous which makes sense to what was looking painful.
there was someone else who attempted to roll the step down on stage 6 in practice but ended up using his face on the landing. he was taken off to hospital, but nothing too bad was the update i heard.

all round it was a good weekend. made better by meeting nico while he was having lunch on the saturday. the results are now up on the website for anyone wanting to check out the times (in case someone had missed it).

when i first saw this headline this morning i thought it was going to be one of those, "it's no longer 500mb, vodafone have got their act together and are now offering more in line with other providers". can't believe they are now making it a hard limit. i have only been vodafone for a few weeks so have a long time left on the contract and this won't make it easy to keep under control.

for anyone on android, there is an app called 3g watchdog that keeps a track of your usage and warns you when you are getting close to your limit (and free!).

i am using the legend and so far have been very impressed. doesn't quite have the power of the desire but nicer looking and a little bit more solid if she is planning on taking it out riding.
i chose it over the others because:
a) i liked the android platform (had done a few weeks of reading around before deciding on it,
b) it used the most up to date version (android 2.1) of the software
c) the reviews sounded mostly good for it
d) i got a very good deal for it (£17.50 a month with vodafone for 600 minutes and unlimited texts, 500mb of internet)

having not used the others i am biased, but have really enjoyed it. i was tempted by the sony ericsson (mainly for the cameras), but couldn't justify paying £10 a month more for it. agreed that the desire/ nexus one looks great, but again was looking at £25 a month at least which was more than i wanted to pay. hope this helps

wow, great photos! had a feeling there would be some great pictures that would come from the eruption. that picture up there ^ is the best, but there are lots of amazing photos. might have to change over my desktop image now!

cheers jontawn for posting this. don't know if it is a double post but i don't care!

shouldn't this come with a not safe for work tag?
just a bit weird for this time of the day

Defaultslipper – Re Aplinequest, which maps did you use? I'm guessing the UK one linked from the website?

If you want to create your own custom maps then you have to download the AQM Map Creator, there is a link on the page i gave above. Once you have downloaded that, start up the Map Creator and you have access to OS Maps for most of Europe. If you are looking for the UK OS Maps, use the 'Multimap UK OS Map' from the dropdown in the top left corner. There are instructions on the AlpineQuest website on how to use MapCreator to save your files. Once you have saved the maps, just copy them over to your SD card and you get full OS mapping for your selected area.

I have tried using the demo links that are linked to again on alpinequest but for some reason they don't agree with my phone. all the custom maps i have created seem to work fine. i am looking forward to the development over the next few weeks before paying the 3 euros for the full map features. It looks like it will be pretty similar to viewranger, but without the need for buying new maps each time you go somewhere new.

i am keeping an eye on alpinequest, a GPS/ OS Map app. it is only a few weeks old but the developer reckons it will get full gpx functionality over the next few weeks. it differs from the other free GPS apps in that it stores the maps that you create on the SD card so you don't need to rely on GPS. Also means you don't need to download when you are abroad! All maps are free to download, including a fair coverage of Europe.
i don't think it will have as many tools as viewranger (you don't need them all anyway!), but currently there is a free demo lite version on the market. there is a paid full version for something like 3 euros, but there isn't much extra functionality at the moment.
it is worth checking out before forking out for the maps for viewranger. website of info is available HERE

Got the Legend for £15 a month on Vodaphone a few days back because I ordered 2

damn, beats my 2 at 17.50 a month. but we are getting 600minutes and unlimited texts with that which i believe is the £30 tariff for this phone, so a decent discount!

CountZero- I have been using android for a few days now and there is a new app being developed that allows full OS mapping across all of the UK, and decent coverage of Europe from what i have seen so far. Prior to this app, I couldn't find a OS mapping app for android that allowed maps to be stored on the SD card rather than downloaded "live" which is debateably sketchy in many mountain areas. It is only a couple of days old, but the app looks promising for the future. For any of you android users, check it out. The app is called AplineQuest- available direct through the market. There is a free version, but the paid version looks to be getting the dangly giblets in the near future. All maps are downloaded free using another tool, and are fully customisable in terms of area and scale. Doesn't quite work in the same way as Memory Map, but is looking good if the developer keeps updating it.

To the OP- i am not a fan of iPhones, but i don't think i would be swapping a 3GS for a Hero- if they offered a Legend or Desire then different. The Hero is running on Android 1.5 which limits the apps you can download. Although it should be getting an update to 2.1, the upgrade has been delayed from January and now to June. A long time to wait, and no guarantee it will not be delayed again.

Suppossed to be a load of good riders coming down including Nico Vouilloz, so definitely worth a trip!

i just went to the apps market, then selected 'top free' on the toolbar and google maps was top of the list. it isn't a new app, it is just an update. think it is only available for android 1.6 and higher, but not all phone models have been checked.

good work STW'ers. Will get navigating then. I had just read some reports saying it was data and battery intensive. Just wanted to make sure i don't blow over 500mb within days of joining vodafone!

fbk: does 3gwatchdog do a running data check aswell- so i could go out and use google maps for a journey and then i would be able to figure out how much data it uses? will download it a bit later anyway as it sounds a useful app to have!

i am only days into the android experience but have been digging around on google maps. can anyone tell me how much data it uses up when using it? i am on vodafone, so there is a monthly usage of 500mb- i don't wanna be using it all up on google maps navigation.

total distance – 722.18 miles
max speed – 9453.35 mph
average moving speed – 891.28 mph

sounds to me like you chucked your phone inside that there volcano on iceland and it has been shot out with that ash cloud.
should be getting my little android device later today and have been looking into some of these gps apps. will give mytracks a go first and then have a play with some of the other ones. although i doubt i will be hitting the same speeds as Kato- my tyres aren't rated for that kind of speed!

i have been working in the ae bike shop for a few weeks now. there is no 29er in the Ae bike shop for sale- we only had one in yesterday because it was in for a service. we would have the same problems as any other bike shop getting the stock in. but there must be a 29er sitting around somewhere that would be of use?

good luck!

'slipper, Do you have to knead the dough for a long time between letting it rest and rise?

nope, only a few minutes to knock the air out of it pretty much. i usually cut a cross across the top of the dough when leaving it to rise. can't remember the reason behind it, i think it is just to help it breathe a bit. if you want i can send you the entire recipe by scanning it in (i am sure i still have the book lying around somewhere), but you will have to wait til tomorrow evening as i am working all day. my email is in profile: just send me an email if you want it

caerlaverock castle is about 10-15 miles from you. alternatively if you are looking for a nice little castle to walk around then Sweetheart Abbey is not far from Mabie.
A nice sandstone arch near Powillimont and walk along the beach not far from Southerness could be nice if the weather stays good, followed by a huge plate of scampi at The Steamboat Inn in Carsethorn. They are not easy to find, but i could give you directions if you want them. i havn't done much eating in dumfries, but i am sure that trekster or one of the other more regular locals could give you a long list of good eats in dumfries. or if you do a search you might even find someone else has asked a question like this before?
if you are looking for a day trip with a bit of walking then i would suggest you look at heading to Moffat. It's about a 30 minute drive north back towards the M74, but a great little town with a huge sweat shop- earning you extra brownie points with the kids. Then head a little further north again and do a good little walk up the side of Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. Could easily extend the walk over the top, but the waterfall is the highlight of the trip.

Not sure that the aircraft museum is worth a special trip unless you are looking to waste time- it is quite small!

hope it helps!

always followed Jamie's pizza dough. Never failed.

350g plain flour
350g strong bread flour
30g yeast (roughly 3 packets if bought from supermarket)
30g sugar
30g salt

add warm (not hot) water to yeast and then mix into flour slowly. leave til it doubles in size (~45mins) in a warm room, then knead the dough. leave until it doubles again (~45mins). enough dough to make 4 huge pizzas, so i freeze 3 and cook 1 straight away.

tomato topping i used to make a nice one from tomatoes with all the bits, but if time is tight then a good pasata will do fine.

toppings you can go for any variation, but a recent favourite of mine is chorizo, parma ham and hot dog, with a little bit of cheese, topped off with some basil. scrummy! just don't overdo the flavours with the toppings as said above, and try to keep the dough dry so that it can crisp up in the over. if your base is thin and dry enough, 10 minutes at 200 degrees should do it, but make sure the base is crispy!

homemade pizza is the shiznits!!!

Another bump for this. Trailbuilding is on for tomorrow at the Forest of Ae. Meet outside the cafe at 9am, back by 1 ish. Free lunch in the cafe afterwards- if you havnt tried the BLT you are missing out! Still have plenty of time to go riding in the afternoon. The Granny Green Luv section is almost done at the top, another few trailbuilding sessions and it will all be finished.
I have done a few of these sessions now and it could really do with a few more numbers to keep on top of the repairs.

cost price is effectively the cost to the buyer (e.g. middle man). sale price is the cost to the consumer (e.g. customer). therefore answer should be 4/23 if it is worder as cost price. if it is worded as the sale price is 19p and he takes 4 p profit then it would be 4/19. again, all depends on the wording, but as written above i would assume it is cost price, and the answer is 4/23

fractions have to be written as integers (whole numbers), so gallons in litres = 2/9

choccy bar question. profit = 4/23. because 23 is a prime number, this is the lowest fraction it can be written as.

i have been drinking, so sorry if the above are wrong STW massive.

defaultslipper where abouts do your 'friends' hang out?

you have clearly never been down oxford road side of town on a saturday night! not the most fun i have endured in reading. i am just glad i am out of that place. i miss the friends, but not the town.

like a lot of people on here i am cracking up with laughter. not with the OPs request, just the familiar responses from som eof STW more notorious members.
my 2p's worth is that she should probably look outside of Reading- i never saw much in my almost 20 years there (the first 20 years for me anyway). now in a completely different part of the country, and although there aren't as many eligible women, at least ther aren't hookers on every corner.
i have tried foreign and would recommend it, although thankfully their english was pretty good!

think they may be the same ones i am running. are they 130mm with a quick release, or the 150mm with the thru-axle?
if its the quick release i have run 2.3 high rollers and a 2.35 specialized chunder tyre in them without any problems, but i suspect that 2.4 may be the limit. however, i have seen a 2006 model running 2.5's, although they weren't massive knobly tyres.

did the days Steve was off

i think that is the plan for once i have settled in, but just getting used to what the shop caters for. for such a small space steve has got a lot of the spares covered, and still found some space for a few display bikes. lots of friendly people in last weekend, got to know a few more of the local faces.

Xan – Member
I'll be at Ae on Sunday

come in and let me know how it is riding over the weekend. last week it was surprisingly very dry and was running fast on the less rough sections. let's hope it keeps riding well after the trouble winter caused!

to start with just working the weekends to help cover the busy times. weather is looking good for a busy weekend, last chance for the families with kids to get in a ride before the end of the easter holidays. really enjoyed working in the shop last sunday, and the opportunity to play with some expensive bikes and learn off steve was too good an opportunity to miss!
that snow looked pretty deep last week up at glentress, i wouldn't be surprised if some of it is still lingering despite the warm temperatures. i hope im wrong if you do head up there!

trekster, i will be at ae this weekend, all weekend!
have just started helping steve out in the bike shop at the weekends. i will have to take my bike for an evening run one day, but it will not be this weekend. am currently free during the weeks if you wanted to head out for a ride sometime? i am particularly interested in your mabie excursion as i may have commented before!

but some of those long distance routes towards moffat or the lowthers also sound very interesting. i had a look at your natural ride from durisdeer last year but didn't get around to riding it, so that is another one for this year's list.

2 laps of ae in 3 hours! that is a decent speed to keep up over nearly 50km! i managed one loop in 1hour 30 last weekend but a second loop would have been no fun to ride as was truly knackered.
some of you down at ae this weekend then? don't want to bad luck the weather but the forecasts are looking good for anywhere round dumfries.

my brother has one of the GTA 3.2 V6 versions of the 156. Beautiful car and pretty nippy. Despite the boot being extremely spacious and quite deep, i think you would struggle to fit anything bigger than a suitcase into it. i think a bike would be a challenge and you would end up with a few cursing moments trying to get the bike in and out. my brother would never try it becuase of the leather seats.

not the best biking car for me, but gorgeous for driving. he has of course had a few 'Alfa-moments' and the notorious expensive service but he decided that he wanted a fun car for driving around in, and fully understood that the car would require attention and a financial commitment to keep it running. As long as you don't buy an Alfa expecting to be reliable you'll be fine

or the on-one has a couple of tyres at a tenner each at the moment. some michelin, conti speed kings and maybe a couple more. worth a look at least

ae red route was all clear except for the first couple of hundred metres due to some big trees coming down. it was running really nicely yesterday and the weather has stayed nice since so get out on it!

yep it was just me and another andy, can't remember his last name (used to work in rik's bike shed), but he commented on your researching the route through bog and trees! today was cancelled and given the go-ahead a few times during the week which is why it was a poor turnout today- someone called the shop yesterday but was told it had been cancelled.i just assumed it was on and turned up to find a slightly empty looking trail builders meet. i think andy was keen to get granny green luv finished in the next trail building session; but he was thinking about a mammoth session in the summer by advertising it as a world record attempt to try and tempt a few more people to come along.
he has also been looking at putting a new route in, but the wind over the last few days has torn down a couple of hundred metres of trees- quite spectacular really but it means that the new route has been postponed for the meantime.

i thought the red route was really good today- was expecting it to be a wet slog especially across the edge section but it all rolled nicely. managed to get round in around an hour and a half which might be why i met so many people!

Ae was dead today for some reason.

It was pretty quiet this morning. just two of us for trail building this morning and only 4 people went past all morning. After lunch it got much busier- i must have met at least 15, maybe 20 people as i went round in the afternoon. there was an uplift day there aswell moved from inners cos of the snow i think bringing another 50 people and an army of camper vans. you must have been at a different ae as its the busiest i have ever seen it!

that's not a big wave. This is a big wave! (and after checking on the web is actually real despite appearances)!

what about the human bird guy that jumps off cliffs with a wingsuit? i can imagine that is a hard sport to get into. at least with surfing you can start out on small waves to learn technique. with the wingsuit it might be a little harder?

Gotta be this video: (Not recommended at work)
Horny condom dogs

All you need to know is in the thread below:
Skye Mountain biking
a few other links are in that thread should tell you all you need.
Enjoy!

just done a google search as hadn't heard about the facebook nigerian variant scam before. found this great conversation some bloke had with a nigerian scammer pretending to be his friend:
Nigerian scammer hilarities

Tell him that you have just come into some big money via a Bank Nigeria lottery and that you can pass on some of your winnings to him if he gives you his bank details.
or arrange to meet in a dark alley and pawn him with biking accessories?…

Woo, just came back from holiday to find that i was in the top ten for last week! have sent an email off to claire but is it too late for claiming a prize?
'foo fighters- one by one' was mine if it helps?