RubberDuck – I’m in Stevenage itself – well to the south of Stevenage really – I prefer to tell people I’m on the border of Knebworth……

I’d definitely be up for a ride as I am keen to find some better places to ride.

So does anyone local fancy organising a ride as I’m in a similar position to the OP?

Whilst there is an impressive bridleway network in the area I’ve struggled to find anything good (and/or long) in terms of singletrack. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in both Bramfield and Mardley woods and really not found much.

Help…….

Looks good.

Just about to order mine – was going for shiny black but I might change my mind now……

TRIM!!!!

Plucking is just too nasty.

I now have snowy white nasal hairs which I actually think gives my face character. So I may start growing them into an attractive topiary.

Saw them at the O2 on Friday. Top night out.

Thread hijack.

Anyone fancy showing a slow fat biker around some local trails one day?

I’ve ridden out and about from south of Stevenage and I’ve found little that excites……

I have (I think) found the trail through the scout camp but not much else.

If I leave (and I likely will) I shall go politely. The 6 month rule is always there for a return.

There is scope for work on a contract or consultancy basis – and I’ve always fancied having my own little company.

My area of expertise is IT Project Management with a specialty in IT Quality (I am currently Head of IT Quality). But I’m also a trained auditor. So there are vairous angles I could choose to utilise my experience.

The last two years has barely seen me on my bike. But this year has already seen me give less of a flying one for work and I’m spending more time in the gym losing weight and getting fit ready for a full season on the bike.

Thanks fellas – I did think I might get people suggesting it was wrong of me to jump. But it seems it will be the right thing to do.

then you should have negotiated a pay rise

They wriggled out of that one by giving me the role ad interim. So my T&C stayed the same…..

I have raised the ‘walking all over me’ issue with them (I didn’t say walking….). Got me nowhere.

I’m pretty much out of the door in my head. It just seems, well, wrong in this climate to ditch a regular pay check. I think I just need to get out there with an updated CV and see what happens.

“Work to live” – I like the sound of that 🙂

There are jobs out there but not a huge number.

I think it’s the thought of jumping ship after 12 years thats putting me off. I’ve not had to be interviewed or complete a CV for so long now.

It just annoys me that a lack of movement in sorting out the issues has driven a decent department to destruction. The stubborn part of me wants to see that fixed.

But the other part of me is saying enough is enough.

To be blunt I travel like a dog, work stupid hours, and sort out all the crap that flies our way. I’d be happy to take a pay cut and do something that meant I could forget work when I got home of an evening (instead of being expected to answer blackberry messages whenever)….

Go on the Staten Island Ferry. It’s free.

Just get off on Staten Island and get back on again. It does give a reasonable view of the Statue of Liberty and Manhatten.

Did I mention it was free?

Grand Central Station is a nice place to go and spend time (for free).

Central Park often has baseball games (amateur) or concerts at weekends – for free.

Excuse the free motiff – New York is expensive…..

Don’t know about iDave diet. I am losing weight and eating healthily and for breakfast I have, either:-

Full fat bio yoghurt with mixed seeds (sunflower, pumpkin etc) on it. If you find this boring add some organic honey. If you find it not boring enough add some flax.

Or porridge made from Quinoa, with chopped fruit in in.

Or eggs – but I find them boring without tom ketchup or chilli sauce.

They can’t sack you for poor performance during an official consultation / notification period.

Just enjoy being a slacker for a while and concentrate your energy on finding a new job.

Walking away from a failing company straight into a better job is great. Doing it with a nice cheque in hand is even better.

Good luck.

Well, the plane still ain’t here!

I get the feeling it’s gonna be a long night…..

LOL

The test of a true relationship – The Mrs, or 1st Class Lounge……

Actually – you’re not missing much. The wine isn’t great and the wifi keeps dropping.

I’ll roll a few crusts back from the front of the plane 😉

If there’s only one of you I can bring you in as a guest?

I can sleep standing up.

Business class is much better than cattle it’s fair to say. I’ve got a nice bed waiting for me – facing backwards, which is better. What **** me off is they turn the temperature right up to make you sleep – but it gets too hot.

LOL – are you waiting for the BA flight as well?

I’m sat in the 1st class lounge which is taking the sting out of the wait……

Sleep through take off
Drink a little GnT
Eat the food
Fall asleep watching a film (Cowboys and Aliens was sleep inducing this week)
Get more sleep
Wake up
Get off plane

I travel a lot and it gets easier and easier to sleep on planes. Sometimes I just put the iPod on shuffle and go to sleep listening to that as it drowns out the cattle.

Currently I am sat in the 1st Class lounge in San Fran waiting for the terminally late BA flight to arrive and whisk me home. I will sleep most of the flight.

Hope have great back up, service and spares, customer support, great company etc…

Untrue.[/u] I had hideous issues with two sets of Mono M4s years ago and the customer service was crap in the extreme! The LBS ended up swapping them for Hayes brakes as we were getting nowhere with the muppets at Hope

But unfortunately their performance is not on par with many (also much cheaper) brake manufacturers…

True.

They’re not great brakes but they do have a loyal UK following. I’d never have them on a bike again though.

Hmmmm, personally I wouldn’t. It might make your girlfriend feel a bit cheap.

Be grateful.

I’m in the US this week and it’s pretty much all that’s on tv. In the hotel gym last night there was an extended bulletin on “the bath” where saint Whitney died. It went into excruciating detail – you’d be surprised how expensive the bath oil she used is……

Worse still the Bodyguard has been playing pretty much non-stop just so the yanks can once again hear what a great song writer Dolly Parton is.

But it all pales into insignificance as I was here when Di died. That really was ridiculous (was asked to have a prayer session for her with some clients…….).

Pah – report it stolen and keep his money

As above. My Patriot fits the clamp fine but the swingarm does make the bike sit forward on the rack so clamping the front wheel in isn’t ideal.

It doesn’t flap about or owt so it’s no real problem though.

home made cranberry sauce still hiding in there….

The home made sauce from Christmas 2010 is still in mine.

I saw the fuel as well. This one did seem a lot more xc oriented.

I’ve been impressed with the solidity of Norco bikes in the past so will try and wangle a test ride.

Edit. It was a fluid I saw. Not a fuel.

FunkyDunc – I’m rich* so cost isn’t a huge driver.

* – I don’t shop in Aldi.

Well I do see your point. I always used to have a new one every few years but I’m just so damn comfortable with the old Patriot.

Isn’t most of the sanitisation done to prevent trails being ripped up by hooves?

My OH doesn’t shoe her horses – but she has in the past and it is a pain when the trails get muddy as it can pull the shoes off – and this is a nuisance as it tends to annoy the horse if it’s only got three shoes and isn’t used to walking round without them.

I guess sanitisation is just a fact of life these days. As trails become more and more used there’ll be some twonk who think putting hardcore down will prevent erosion. So instead of a naturally formed and naturally evolving trail we get obvious man made motorways running through the countryside.

Stop washing colours and whites together for a start.

Wheres the fun if there are no laws.

For me the lure of murder has always been in thinking how you would get away with it…….

Hmmm, this is pretty easy (even in a hatchback).

Take the front wheel off each bike and remove the handlebars. You can then stand the bikes upright in the boot with the fork legs dropped into the passenger footwell.

I’ve got three in like this before and had space for kit and spares and a third person on the back seat (assuming you’ve got a 66:33 split).

And this was three big DH bikes as well…..

Only problem is it kippers rear view out of one side of the car so you do need to be careful.

If you can hear it in your roof void it may well be a rat.

Poison and lots of it is the best answer.

But are they ACTUALLY playing it……

The guy in the middle is playing the same strings as the girl – and that wouldn’t work. He also spends a lot of time resting a D-chord shape on the three strings the girl is playing – and that wouldn’t work either.

But more importantly – the guy in the middle is really ugly when he sings.

Walkley and Crookes will be full of students.

I lived in Firvale which was nice.

Done it several times. Don’t be anyone else – be your camp and female inner you.

It’s a great way if chatting women up! I’ve always ended up being propositioned and getting phone numbers when our dressed in drag.

It shows you’ve a sense of humour.

Higher earners pay plenty of tax so are down right entitled to such perks.

As a higher rate tax earner myself I’ve always wanted to see a scheme where my tax input was recognised. Perhaps a certificate telling me how many scroungers I now own?

There are too many people out there that expect something for nothing – “my life didn’t work out so subsidise me” types. And it’s usually these people whinging about the state of those that earn a wage.

“Benefits” of any shape are benefits. They’re not a god given right. And I get annoyed at the reverse elitism shown by the dole bleaters.

Not sure I believe it. He’s getting tone and semi tone note changes from a very small turn of a tuning peg……

You’re a bit late with Yule greetings…..

Ahhhh, this thread is such a trip down memory lane I almost shed a tear :weeps:

Prawn I heard you’d moved to that London, become a pimp, and was then violently murdered in a gangland shooting.

Perhaps we should organise a “watching Prawn fall off, get unconscious and be abandoned by Hora” ride? It would be good to see how people had got older and uglier.

A gypsy once read my tea leaves and said that due to the length of my life line and the fact I carried both a rabbits foot and a four leaf clover that if a black cat should ever cross my path whilst I walked under some ladders then I shouldn’t read my horoscope.

It is all the biggest pile of nonsense ever. That is of course unless you are a fat, ugly, 40-something divorcee with nothing better to do than spend 89p a minute on premium rate phone lines that will tell you you’ll meet a tall dark handsome stranger when you’re buying discount coffee in Aldi.