Scout or Remedy – apparently the 650b yeti 575 is a disappointment.

Very impressive busydog – I aspire to be you in 9 years!

Fraid at 63 and three quarters I work too much (but I have been lucky enough to find something just as I was turning 50 that I have a passion for) but happy to say that I ride every day, if only for 2 or 3 miles at night around local loops. I’m blessed that I can ride from my door and hit tracks and trails within a couple of hundred metres, and I’m also able to work from home for some of each week, meaning I can plan my day with little rides in the breaks. So I normally clock up between 30 and 50 miles a week.

Sure, joints ache a bit more, and stretching exercises are a must, but the endorphin release is a huge reward. I had a big tumble last year and sheared the ligaments holding my clavicle to the other shoulder bones, but it mended pretty well (I was back on the bike within a week) even if it looks a little weird.

So no reason why I shouldn’t carry on for many years to come. Climbs have always been a challenge but are probably better now than 7 or 8 years ago (better routine perhaps) and I very rarely do mad stuff in the air. I ride off road because I love it – the buzz, the wildlife (came face to face with a muntjack deer one night last week – I don’t know which of us was more surprised!) and the views. And on bright sunny days Mrsdekadanse deigns to come too – far better for her than endless combat and spin sessions at the gym say I. Brrr says she when the wind blows………

+2!

Dereknightrider – the Tories have moved steadily to the right economically, as the demonization of poor and disabled people evidently shows…..but some of the Cameroons retain a social liberalism about matters of lifestyle, partly because it ties in with libertarian free market thinking, and partly because growing up when they did they cannot avoid the fact that half their pals have come out. Hence the political space for the likes of UKIP (who in terms of my previous email would probably prefer ‘the devil you know’.)

Satan = Cameron and Osborne’s new special advisor?
Jesus = not LibDem any more, veering into Green territory?

Ed Mil and Labour = doh?

My heart goes out to you……and to your son, who must have been in a dreadful place emotionally.

I work with people who have had brain injuries, and so can explain neurorehab to you if it is helpful. My email address is in my profile.

Very best.

Proper ‘can’t wait til next Sat night’ stuff……..if you like Spiral/Engrenages, then check out Mea Culpa in the proper cinema (or at least at the more discerning screens) – similar modern policier, more violent, but also with corrupt/stupid boss cops – and has the virtue of being set in Marseilles.

The 1.9 Tdi is a very problem prone engine – muchos pasetas to maintain. And then there are the fabled GM electrics………..

Like Horatio above said – don’t do it!

Your experience of charity work is not the same as mine Samuri – I shudder to imagine where you worked.

2 days out of my working week involve working in the voluntary sector (or 3rd sector, as it has become voguish to call it). I have to say these 2 days invariably demand more and pay less. But my colleagues and I remain 100% committed because we genuinely care about the needs of the people we provide services for – in our case, people with acquired brain injury.

Some of the common patterns in the voluntary sector that I have observed include:

– passion and commitment very high amongst most staff
– high degree of specialist knowledge
– high level of subjectivity, which means pretty poor ‘big picture’ or strategic thinking (the downside of points 1 and 2)
– poor pay – worse than the public sector and all but the lowest paid of the private sector (‘they do it for love’ runs the cliché, which when translated means ‘…and therefore we can pay them peanuts’)
– cynical use by government, local government and the NHS of the voluntary sector as ‘providers’ – this means that charities have to compete for contracts with giant predatorial corporates like SERCO and G4S, which squeezes their already limited resources still further, and deprives them of what I believe to be the prime purpose of the voluntary sector – to ADVOCATE on behalf of those who are socially excluded or disadvantaged.

Hope that helps?

Santas are mostly small for their stated size.
I have an XL TR with 50mm stem and it fits perfectly – I’m 6′ with 33″ inside leg. Have previously owned XL Blur XC and XL Superlight, with similar excellent fit.

Fine looking car Hanchurch.
Not quite sure why it’s important to point out that the photo is from a few years ago, though. The S4/RS4 looks to be about 2006 vintage – not the slightest bit out of place on the road now(but there again I drive a 2004 200K mileage Saab 9-5 estate, so what do I know about auto cool?)

Or is it the bikes? Now they do look to be perhaps less common on trails nowadays.

But the question I wanted to ask about Audis is to do with their current reliability (or lack of it). As someone who’s always, like others here, admired their clean lines from afar but never owned one (apart from a brief dalliance with a 1991 5 cylinder A4 14 years ago), I had always understood that they were good for 200-300K miles easy. The 1.9 and 2.5 Tdis had a particularly bulletproof reputation. But now when I ask people who work in the car trade about used Audis, they suck their teeth hard and make the sign of the cross. The message seems to be: big bucks! AVOID! Is this true, and what are the reasons?

Logical conclusion of New Labour really – love the market, love the causes of the market. Ideological numpties. How truly sad to forget what you believe in – especially in a world so brim full of injustice that it makes me get angrier and more militant as I hurtle towards bus pass status (assuming these buggers don’t pull bus passes for older folk that is).

And all the time that tosser Osborne gets away unchallenged………

There are some brilliant Polish chilli vodkas to be had – remember a happy evening getting blasted on a variety in a pub in Bath (and I don’t even like vodka normally!)

Saab 9-5 TiD estate – 2004 and just hit 200,000 miles today!
huge, well built and the 2.2 TiD engine is very reliable. Cheap as chips too.

Bury Ditches?

On the subject of flying Santa, do try get to see ‘Rare Export’, a Finnish film which gives a unique take on the activities of Santa and his elves…………

And the very stupidest thing about the cuts to public services is that the private sector companies who take advantage of cuts in direct provision invariably get into trouble. They’re less efficient, they’re corrupt, they’re found with snouts in the trough, and they end up failing so catastrophically that the state is forced to pick up the pieces again. Think G4S, SERCO, Care UK, Capita, etc.

But poor people rarely vote Tory (indeed rarely vote, and looking at Labour who can blame them) and can usually be demonised and blamed for their own poverty and vulnerability………….

Agree with most of the above – only downside I know of on the ‘old’ 575 was that their frames are pretty big for their stated size. In other words, if you’re on the margins between frame sizes, go for the smaller and not the larger. For me at 6′ the size L 575 felt a bit like straddling a farm gate.

Just doing it at the moment so will tell you in 2 or 3 weeks.

Seat Leon or Skoda Octavia.

Or even Jazz?
My wife’s can fit 2 bikes with front wheels off, or 1 bike with front wheel on.

PS – I’m not sure that looking at prices fetched on Fleabay is a good idea – in my experience (and I HATE eBay) prices fetched one week will vary hugely from prices fetched the following week – totally random process really.

Hi, I’m the guy who’s selling the other 2010 Trek Fuel Ex 9.9……..

My pricing is based on really wanting to move it on as quickly as possible (to release funds for another bike of course!), so I suspect I’m pitching it a bit low (but the ploy hasn’t worked yet – lots of tyre kickers but no buyers)

Also mine has a couple of totally cosmetic marks on the Evo swing arm, which reduce its perceived value a bit.

So assuming yours is in really excellent condition, and given that you have XTR brakes and a dropper post, my suggestion would be that you pitch it at £1K for a quick sale, or hang out for £1.2K if you’re willing to wait for ages until the ‘right’ person comes along.

Hope that helps Brian?

Mike

You ask???

Seriously, the more you wander away from the main tourist routes and the whole San Marco area, the better you will find food and drink, and the cheaper too.

Am amazing place – a working city that is afloat. And the vaporetti are its lifeline – far more on time than busses!

The area around the Botanical Gardens (Gardinieri vap stop) is particularly fun.

Enjoy………..

Even though at 6′ with 33″ inside leg I’m between longer size M bikes and size Ls, and have in principle subscribed to the ‘short but chuckable’ school, I now have a large 26″ Foxy XR which I love. I find no problem at all with the longer top tube/minimal stem combo, the front wheel doesn’t tuck under (more of a steep geometry/long stem thing surely?) and doesn’t feel twitchy. It manoeuvres exceptionally well, and handles tight corners better than a large 2013 Spicy (which has similar slack angles, but shorter top tube/longer stem).

So yes – Forward Geometry wins an unlikely convert.

Lucifer – that’s the stuff!

Tenerife has lots of trails but may of them are akin to riding on the surface of the moon – volcanic lava a go-go. Just don’t fall off!

Best cars in the world – as evidenced by how many of them still used as daily transport. I’ve has 4 16Ses, which were all storming, plus my beloved 900 Carlsson (which I drove to 250K miles and sold still running, but which was never quite the same after some idiot drove into the side of it.)

But how come they stole it? What about the gearbox lock? Normally the only way to break that was to sit in the back seat and deliver a well aimed kick.

Trust you’ll be able to get it fully cleaned and rebuilt under your insurance policy? Contact me via here if you want to know of good Saab specialists with lots of bits. I know most of em!

My old Saab 9-5 TiD estate with almost 200K miles on the clock has taken us on a number of long distance jaunts (including S Spain and SW France) with 2 bikes in the back and piled high with luggage. Minimal hassle, maximum satisfaction. Can understand putting the bikes on roof if carrying kids and/or other adults in the rear seats, but otherwise for security and safety purposes (not to mention fuel economy) it’s a no brainer.

But having said this, people do what they want to do – no point getting mega-judgemental – smacks of OCD issues!

Reverbs are good and generally reliable, but I have a couple which drop a couple of mm when you first sit on them. I’ve been lucky – have an early Command Post which has (crosses fingers and self)……never failed! Thomson seems rock solid ad probably best overall quality.

Probably not for the money unless it’s a Canyon Strive.

Agreed – unless you’re desperate for the latest must-have 27.5 bike (in which case go for a Canyon Nerve or Spectral at the appropriate price point – if they do one big enough – or buy my size L 2014 Boardman FSR Pro frame for £250!), then go for used 2012/2013 bikes. There are some amazing 26″ Stumpy Evo, Trek Remedy carbon, or high end Zesties, Spicies, and Mondraker Foxy RR/XR deals to be had – check on here, Pinkbike and Fleabay.

I’ve had so much fun on almost all the Santas I’ve had over the years (and all bought second hand of course).

Loved the Superlight, even though it was an 04/05 frame. Far more capable then a pure XC bike should be.

The Blur XCc, which I have only recently sold, rode like a race horse but the harder I pushed it, the tougher it got. Its new owner called it a ‘crotchrocket’ (!)

The Blur LT2 I had for a couple of years, and it was a real ‘steady Eddy’, just totally stable and unphased whatever the terrain – a real confidence inspiring bike that handled everything.

Only the Nickel fell a bit short of expectations. It looked the biz and was lovely and quick, but for reasons I still can’t fathom (though rider error certainly comes into it)it managed to throw me OTB more than any other bike I have ridden. It promised but couldn’t deliver (or maybe that was me!).

So that’s my Santa Cruz history so far. Beautifully built and mega reliable IMO, and normally totally involving to ride………and right now I’m building up a Blur TR frame with 650b wheels, so we’ll have to see where that takes me.

Am late to the feast, but surely the convergence of the major parties shows the decline of genuine POLITICAL debate – sheer managerialism.

We need choices. We need alternative visions. We need alternatives to capitalism in crisis and its apologists in the cycling classes (hi Jambalaya – why not rename yourself Eton Mess? – and Boriselbrus) and please, no more about the Labour Party favouring the unions. There is so much to unpick in this erroneous statement!

Who is this ‘we’, Tom W1987?
You? Me? The other folks on STW? NO – I didn’t think so.

Not over-identifying with the British state and the British establishment by any chance are you? Wrapping yourself in the union jack? Because ‘we’ (that is, ordinary people who are not part of the UK state’s war and propaganda machine) have little interest in playing further divide and rule with the peoples of the Middle East (look at all those straight lines on the map if you don’t believe me). Rather we should campaign for peace with justice for the Palestinians, and for support for the PKK, the section of those ‘regional players’ the Kurds who are fighting hardest against IS but are given no help by the West and are attacked by the Turks, and for popular democracy from below, rather than external solutions imposed at the end of a barrel of a US/UK gun. Believe you me (and on the evidence of 2003 it isn’t too hard)’our’ intervention will only make things yet worse.

England
Yes
England

Remember, Hermes is or was the winged messenger of the gods!
Something’s got lost in translation then.

But our local Hermes lady is lovely, though this doesn’t stop them taking 5 days to Parcel Force’s 48 hours.

Methinks at this rate myHerpes won’t be around for too long.

Marketisation ideology’s got you by the goolies then jambalaya – you really are saying ‘there is no alternative’. Dare we not strive for something different, something more? What the Scots debate is saying to us all is that we can do things differently if we dare, and whole new worlds can open up. And it need not be threatening.

While your mottos may be ‘TINA’ and ‘mustn’t grumble’, I prefer the old anarchist slogan – ‘be realistic – demand the impossible!’

Yes!
Again like binners I’ve always found Monbiot a bit of a limp biscuit until now, but what he’s said is the main point for me – that a Yes victory gives us all some hope that there is an alternative (as in ‘there is no alternative’ the Tories’ favourite line) and that we don’t have to take all this subservient cow-towing to the market crap any more. Which in its turn will lead us all (not just old white frightened UKIP supporters) to wake up and start making our futures free of the shackles of traditional Tory/Labour/LibDem consensus mindrot. Many things (and not all of them pleasant) will become possible……..

Coop or MoreThan.