Yes, we still have buildings insurance, and that went up a bit on account of having to declare the burglary claim for that.

It is risky but w’re already £4k up on what we would have paid for in premiums which would go towards replacing anything stolen in the future.

The burglary made us seriously rethink our security and streamline our possessions, however we were done at midday, on a week day when the house was secure, so I think we were just ‘unlucky’. Our neighbours were both in, the scrote was even seen carry my bag with my stuff in down the side of the house but assumed to be someone we knew! since then we, and our neighbours, are much more aware and our house is even harder to break into…..fingers crossed!

We had the same demands following a break in a couple of years ago when our contents were insured with a popular company on here. We’d also had a small claim based on a loss two years earlier so were then deemed a high risk.

The cost of the renewal (which had gone up considerably), the alarm installation and the maintenance contract was going to be in the £2k ballpark so we decided to risk it and self-insure by putting the money we would have been paying aside. We also spent a bit on beefing up security.

We thought we were in a pretty safe area so chances of a repeat were relatively slim, we also didn’t think we wanted to get in the habit of using an alarm and would therefore invalidate the insurance if we had it anyway. I’ve never had an alarm in any house I’ve lived in and don’t like the idea of alarming the ground floor when asleep upstairs, plus we have a cat which made the process more complicated (=expensive).

This was a big risk and as it happens we did have an attempted break in on our shed last year. Fortunately nothing was taken but it has obviously made me very nervous.

Once the earlier claim is historic enough not to be declared we’ll see if we can insure without the requirement of an alarm. Until then we’re taking our chances and hoping the neighbourhood is as safe as we think! As I understand it, the number of burglaries has increased during the recession and neither us, nor any of our neighbours, had been hit in several years prior to ours.

Damn you Mr File. I have found myself with a few weeks off this summer and, despite of a long list of jobs to do, I may have to drag the family back up to Skye.

One question though, just how do you manage to arrange such amazing weather?

Funky is not good. Get Chris to give you his medical opinion and take the stitches out while he’s at it?

I should be able to turn my head again by the 22nd. For now I can only go in straight lines.

The Southern Yeti – Member

LOL @ Dr Bakes – I’m not risking calling you middle aged… you needed time out with the ginger kitty to help calm you down

And now I’m suffering nicotine withdrawal, post holiday blues and Kitty is a thousand miles away. I’m not sure I’d be able to control my rage this time. How’s the arm healing up?

the only fatties I saw were middle aged mtbers from the UK.

Careful who you’re calling middle aged Yeti 😉

I just got back from the Alps too. I saw lots of fat people; mostly on Oranges and with odd French accents, “Bon Jor”, “Mercey”.

Another Trance owner and SS XCR user here. A bit of fiddle to get it set up right but no problems riding anywhere including a week in the Alps last year. I’m running 1×9 on the middle ring position of the cranks.

Yeah, pedalhead that is very understated. You’ve transformed from a weekend warrior into an endurance ‘athlete’ over the last three years that I’ve known you.

Admittedly one with an amazing array of kit and a fantastic level of mental commitment. 😉

They will most likely be too long, however in the past I’ve cut down the ‘female’ part of the bolt by a few mm and they worked fine. It just requires a decent hacksaw blade and something to hold the bolt (in my case a bench vice).

bike memorabilia drawer

Ha. 😆 I can just picture it labelled as such with a dymo label?

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Picture1[/url] by rogerbaker01[/url], on Flickr

As an aside, Snowcard (insurance people) state that to be covered for it you need to take out their ‘MTB – track and trails competition‘ policy.

Kudos to Adam for ‘fessing up, but as Pedalhead says, not really in the spirit of things.

And it kind of puts the soloists at an immediate disadvantage too.

MarkyC – Member

Name and shame!

If it was the same team I heard about then they might be seen plucking stringed instruments in their shop. One of their teams in the Old Gits cat came in a mere 44s ahead of the next team!

I too feel your pain as ours gets close to being a three-nager!

The strops tend to revolve around food so we’re going to try a bit of tough – “if you don’t eat that you’re having nothing” – love for a while.

The main problem is I can’t get away with snacking between meals as I invariably get caught with my hand in the cookie jar!

Hamish…..really sorry to hear that! It was quite spectacular but I’m afraid I didn’t get a picture of you.

I got one of Pedalhead on the last of his 21 laps in Solo SS. Check out his expression….

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IMG_1057[/url] by rogerbaker01[/url], on Flickr

Well done Mark!

BristolPablo – Member
“DO THE JUMP!!!!!!…..” followed by “loser” or a manic cheer!

Special mention to the guy who followed Matt Carr’s request only to land on the front wheel, endo for a full 3 metres before cartwheeling over the bars in a heap with bottles flying, in front of 150 baying spectators!

Someone had to do it!

I echo all the thoughts above, a great day, unique atmosphere and I’ll be back next year. How Paul gets the weather to behave so well I do not know.

gee – Member
I got a 25:45 – a Torq rider, not sure who but I would guess Lee, did 25:15.

Wow, respect! I think I just managed a sub 30min lap but that headwind was brutal.

In contrast to your earlier thread, ride bottomless? Let the air circulate.

And yet more evidence.

Sorry I’m an aquatic ecologist!

Sounds more likely that it could be blackfly. Quoting from Davies(1966) in ‘The taxonomy of British Black-flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)’ in the Transcripts of the Royal Entomological Society London, 118(14):

Despite the abundance of larvae and pupae in water courses of all types, well known to students of freshwater habitats, adult black-flies are not familiar to the general public in Britain, nor to the majority of entomologists. This seems largely to reflect the fact that we do not have a common black-fly species that readily and generally seeks to bite humans in preference to wild or domestic mammals or birds. Nevertheless, instances of annoyance or even quite severe effects on humans caused by biting black-flies have been recorded in Britain (Edwards, Oldroyd & Smart, 1939). In certain years black-flies are a considerable problem in various parts of the Scottish
Highlands, particularly in the Spey Valley, where they are known to the inhabitants as “birch-flies” (C. B. Williams, personal communication).

Highly unlikely given the distribution of the species but….. sounds similar to the Blandford Fly

This species of blackfly is associated with the Dorset Stour but has been recorded in other parts of England. It can cause nasty blistering but you’d be the first to find it north of the border as far as I know? There may be other species of blackfly (as opposed to flies that are black) that bite humans, found in your region?

He’s so divisive a character I’m not surprised he’s got some negative reviews! The majority seem to be very positive though. I’ve only just ordered a copy myself so can’t comment personally.

I did an out and back from Sligachan to Camasunary Bay last summer and was very lucky with the weather. Still got wet feet at the stream crossings though!

It’s a great trail in both directions and I was warned off the loop because of the bog and the road sections. I managed to pinch flat three times in quick succession on the rain gulleys as I tired on my way back.

Also recommended is the route up by The Quiraing.

I’ve already got a similarly cheap alarm that sounds in the shed. However it is within reach of all but the shortest criminal and wouldn’t take much to break it before it draws much attention.

With the sensor for the other alarm placed in another corner I hope it may go unnoticed long enough for me to get down there with a pair of Bombers. When I’m not in the house I’ll put it in ‘alarm’ mode so the sound may attract some attention from the neighbours.

The more deterrents the better as far as I’m concerned, I just have to remember to use them all!

Following a break in to my garage last Friday, in which they had a good go at a lock but to no avail, I have added one of those wireless alarms to my security setup.

I got one on ebay for £32 that can be set to chime inside the house when triggered, or can be set on full alarm if wanted. I already have an alarm inside the shed anyway but have always suspected that could be battered into submission pretty easily.

It was one of these[/url]

I largely agree TINAS, particularly with:

They’re not all the same

However despite thinking the XTC I tried would be faster, more comfortable and better for racing than *my* 5″ FS this was not actually the case (obviously all 26er 5″ FS’s are not the same either!).

I really fancy giving a Swift a go in the future as it happens but for now I’m happy!

Glad it works for you tetsujin. Although there’s not much of the bike I sold you left in that picture!

I bet the new wheels have lightened it up considerably.

You may be talking about me Munqe Chick, but actually I don’t regret it.

I tried a alloy hardtail 29er (Giant XTC) and didn’t get on with it but I think a lot of that was to do with comparing it to a carbon 5in full suss which I love.

I was looking for a bike for epics, racing and reduced maintenance winters but found I was quicker on the 26er on almost all the riding I do; found the carbon full suss so much more comfortable on long rides (predictably); and having two bikes just doubled the maintenance anyway. It depends what you are comparing it to and what kind of riding you want it for, so give it a go.

I sold mine (ex-demo) on before losing much money on it and consider that itch scratched…… for now. 😀

So:
Do I regret giving it a go – no
Was it for me – no
Will it be right for you – maybe?

gigles, Dreaming Tyres are not a club, just a collective of ’20-40 somethings’ who ride bikes a bit around Oxford and beyond. Email me and I can let you know details of where and when we’ll be out next.

Sounds like shinsplints to me. At its worst I used to do an excruciating massage down the side of my shin bone to relieve it a little (after physio advice). I think it finally went away with rest and a change in footwear.

So I’m not special then 🙁

Pleasure 😉

They’d better improve my recovery by at least 5% or I’ll be asking for a refund.

Just watched the BR ‘rough terrain’ vid and could scarcely believe what I was hearing…..is it a wind-up?

>I thought the same, that second video is absolutely absurd.

It’s 1st March right, not April? Shocking videos aren’t they. A few classics:

“The 29er whistled up there, it would’ve been nigh on impossible on a 26er because you can’t control the torque forces over the rear tyre”

“The fact is you are going faster [on the 29er], it just doesn’t feel quite as fast.”

“A 26in bike feels fast but it’s a visceral speed that you’re sensing”

Not until I saw the truly awful videos they’re posting on Bike Radar this week in “29er Week”.

In tomorrow’s they’re going to tell us that a 29er can fly you to the moon faster than a rocket.

Definitely chunks.

And next time top with hash browns.

Is it lunchtime yet?

Another take on the 29er with 140mm forks here.

I don’t know much about Kingdom bikes but I know the trail they’re talking about and have ridden with Jim. He’s not someone I’d have thought would take to a 29er to be honest!

It says a lot of the league that a ten point deduction still keeps them in second position, nine points ahead of the team in third!

Probably better off buying a f-off big lock for that kind of money.

Yeah, I’m always suspicious of a product whose marketing shots are taken through a lens liberally coated in petroleum jelly! Was there a price mentioned?

We could substitute a night ride for an Oxford vigilante mission?

That looks interesting. However have you seen the size of the ‘top cap’ unit? You’d have to push the SFN so far down the steerer you’d not be able to use any conventional topcap without installing a new SFN.

Shame as I’d be interested in using that for ‘town’ duties then removing it (heavy battery, electrics probably not great when used in soaking conditions offroad) at other times.

It’d be interesting to try it out on a few sting operations using a bait bike though?

I had a similar problem with a Northwave goretex lined winter boot. I didn’t want to cut the liner to remove the plate.

In the end I managed to turn the plate round 180 degrees so that I could get the cleats in the correct position using the other pair of holes in the plate. If it happens again I’ll be screwed (excuse the pun).