I can’t argue with the price of that Gerber…

Is the Wave worth 4-times the price? Perhaps not. But it’s still the one i’d buy!

My recommendation. 25 year warranty, too!

Lowest price place to buy one? The States 😉

On a more serious note; in my experience, they don’t tend to be discounted too much, so i’d recommend getting one from one from Amazon, thus saving money on Tax… If i recall correctly, you can have it engraved if you buy direct from Leatherman.

Personally, i wouldn’t bother with the smaller ones; the “Wave” is always reckoned to be the best / most popular. Whichever one you buy, i don’t think you’ll ever NEED to buy another. I’ve had a “Crunch” for over a decade and it’s still as good as new, having been used most days at work. I’ve been trying to justify buying another for years… I love them.

Edit – Personally, i much prefer them over Gerbers. Your results may vary.

How about Angelina Jolie? Her usual accent is pretty nasty, but when she puts on the upper-class English accent (ala Lara Croft) she sounds lovely (she’s still pretty rough, though). As for singing, then it’s got to be Hayley Williams. Have a listen to some of the unplugged / live stuff she’s done; serious eargasm material.

The best Male voices are Patrick Stewart and Rowan Williams!

A vote for the On One, here! It’s nothing fancy, just an honest machine. (NB; i am a bit of a fanboi)

I don’t buy into this argument of higher quality steel ensuring a better ride quality… There are too many variables to make it that clear-cut. Honestly, though, i think your mate would be happy with either.

No pictures of mine, i’m afraid.

I wanted a Pitch Pro, but when i got mine they were all sold out. So i ended up getting a Comp (the blue one) and told myself i’d upgrade bits as they wore out. Alas, it’s still pretty much standard! The Brakes really played up in ’10, so they got replaced with XT, i had the back wheel rebuilt last year and it’s just had some new tyres. Otherwise, it’s as it came from the shop! (Just remembered, i replaced the headset a few months ago, too)

I can’t speak highly enough of the Pitch. It’s a bit like riding a sofa at times, but it’ll take anything you can throw at it.

And the colour matches that of my 456!

Always been a Leatherman fan, myself. I got two about 8 years ago, and i use one of them most days at work. Simply flawless.

Can’t argue with £18 though. I don’t think you’d get a decent Leatherman for that price…

Only baggies, here. I don’t own any cycling gear that could be used to warm my legs…

I also wear only a base layer for most of the time; when it’s really cold, and i’m going downhill for any length of time, i also wear a light windproof top layer. Perhaps i’m just an unusually warm person, but if i wore any more than that while Cycling, then i’d overheat.

bizarrely enough i retained most of my strength but came down to about 12 stone very quickly

This is an important point – don’t be fooled into thinking that strong muscles need to be big muscles. Look at the 60kg Olympic Powerlifters; they’re only small, but they can lift something like thrice their own bodyweight…

I am unfamiliar with the kinds of equipment that you will be required to work with, but i would be very surprised if there was anything that a fully grown man could not manage, so i don’t think strength is the issue. I would recommend that you focus on Endurance / Conditioning; lower weight, higher reps. This will help get your muscles used to working, and will stop them aching the next day.

Just to add, this is all based on experience; good or bad. I’d recommend you get some advice from a professional. Failing that, Dr Google will provide you with loads of advice and training programs to follow.

For Strength / Power training, lift 3/4 sets of 8/10 reps at a heavy weight. Concentrate on fast reps for power, smooth controlled reps for strength.

For Muscular Endurance, lift a lighter weight (perhaps 60% of your max) but do 5/6 sets of 20+ reps.

Presumably there’ll be someone at the gym to help you develop a training plan…? You’ve got a timeframe to work to, and 2 months is plenty of time to see some good results. Good luck!

The old “Aircraft on a conveyor” argument is entirely stupid in all respects. To even consider it requires a complete ignorance of how an Aircraft actually functions.

And anyway, just turn the Aircraft around on the conveyor! 😉

Doesn’t brake fluid degrade over time/heat cycles? I wouldn’t leave the fluid in the car for years and years, but on the Bikes it gets left until something goes wrong.

The XT brakes on the Pitch have never been bled in the 3 years since i bought them new. The Hayes HFX 9s i have on my 456 were bought 4 years ago second-hand; I bled the rear one a few months ago (because of excess lever travel) and the font has never been touched.

On a slightly different note – i spoke to a trials rider the other day, who said he fills his brakes with Water instead of Brake Fluid. Apparently it ruins the seals reasonably quickly, but it makes the brakes incredibly grabby (which i gather is a good thing in trials, where you simply want to lock the brakes on).

Shenmue

I remember playing Shenmue and Shenmue 2; on the Dreamcast, if memory serves! Wonderful game.

Few games have moved me more than FF7 did back in the day. It seemed to have everything; Good characters, hugely varied gameplay, interesting storyline, groundbreaking graphics… (actually, i lied about that last one…). I’ll never forget that game. In fact i could still probably navigate my way around the ShinRa Building or the caves of Cosmo Canyon to this day…. Sad, i know.

The game that’s captured my imagination more that any other in recent years is Portal.

Thanks for the input and encouragement, all!

I’ve been doing quite a bit of strength training on my legs – Squats, Calf Raises, Hamstring curls, etc – and core strength too… I’ve seen marked improvements in my leg strength (and size) but I imagine this all counts against my capability for running!

Cycling is the priority, though!

What an interesting thread!

Unfortunately, i’m not really old enough to comment directly, as i missed the early days of PC gaming. For me however, Portal was a revolution in Gaming. Made in someone’s lunch hour, and tacked onto the Orange Box, it really did buck all the trends; and GLaDOS is one of the best characters ever written.

Crysis is also a standout title of recent years. To think, it’s still a real test of a gaming machine’s rendering and processing, and it’s five years old! In an industry that moves as quickly as PC gaming, that’s something special! (lets just forget how crap it gets when the aliens arrive, shall we?!)

14st is chubby nowerdays?!

Be still, my beating heart.

I had one, and used it for my 15 mile country lane commute. Unfortunately, my work moved to about 100 yds from my house… As a result, it sat unused until i sold it, here.

I’d never owned a road bike, nor have i owned one since, so my opinion isn’t really that valid. But i enjoyed owning it. It felt sprightly (as you’d hope, given that i’m more used to MTBs), and was pretty comfortable.

Sorry i can’t be more constructive, but at least there’s some nice photos to look at!

I really enjoyed it. There was only one part i didn’t understand:

Ralph Fiennes’ character was Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. After the death of M, he then somehow takes up the role of Head of MI6…? Surely, the Committee would be charged with appointing a new head?

My Steam account seems to have been automatically credited with CS:Global Offensive. Strange.

I’ll probably have a quick look. I’ve never been much of a fan of online shooters that make an attempt at realism. I much prefer the comedy gameplay of TF2!

EDIT – Just realised, it’s because it’s F2P for this weekend only.

tbh i have no issues with shoulder room in my ninety. (ps the door tops havnt come off a showroom stock landy since 1985)

I stand corrected on this one.

In my defense, all of my Landrover exposure is in Military ones, which differ from the showroom models in a few areas (series doors being a notable example).

anyone that says a defender has no shoulder room wants to try a jimny

It’s all part of the “Modular Concept” – No shoulder room? Just take the top half of the door off! 😆

Would a Landrover Defender (or Santana equivalent) tick the box?

Even the Defender has fallen victim to new legislation (or market forces), meaning that it’s a lot more complicated than it used to be. A Suzuki Jimny is much more like it. Once you get past the hairdresser looks, it’s essentially a 2/3 scale Defender – ladder chassis, beam axles, et cetera.

Cheap to buy, simple to maintain, reliable and it’ll still get you to work during the inevitable snow/floods/next sale. Cons; they’re not big enough to use as family transport, and they’re thirstier than any 1.3 engine has the right to be.

41 posts on PC gaming, and no mention of Team Fortress 2…

Be still, by beating heart.

I’m also in the process of getting a new car. The dealer requires a soft copy of the insurance certificate, then they’ll tax it.

In my case, they offer 7 days’ insurance free, for exactly this purpose. Once i’ve got it home, i’m free to change my existing insurance policy to reflect the new vehicle.

I use the official one, here.

Expensive, but highly recommended. Holds the Kindle securely, without the need for straps etc. And it’s very high quality.

Steel HT? Cold set (bend) it!

One of my favorites from LandyZone, belonging to a chap called Lucifus. Interesting thread here if you fancy a read.

Yeah zeus i was looking for a truck cab top for it but realised that id have nae where to stick the bike

Can you comfortably get a bike in the back of a Ninety? I’ve had bikes in a One-Ten before, but i imagine the SWB will be a bit tight? Wheels off?

Really fancying a Land Rover at the minute….

You don’t want any of that Italian rubbish!

You want this! 😉

Is there anything to really replace Pikes yet?

Isn’t the Sektor meant to be the Pike replacement?

I’ve never had to consider replacing my Pikes – they just won’t die…

A mate has one of those. Take that carryboy off the back, and you’ll get 8 bikes in there, like this:

It’s not as refined as a car – clearly – but it’s not too bad for a truck. and surprising quick.

Do the old red bull on the Sunday, has a new name, but it’s the one that goes through the horns just before the cafe where everything starts, someone will tell you the new name

You mean Tarw? If that’s the one you mean, then i seriously recommend avoiding it. It’s the worst trail centre loop i’ve ever ridden on – especially when the other trails there are so good, you’d be mad to ride it, in my opinion.

Once you’ve ridden the Beast, a lot of the other trails cover the same ground; Dragons Back and MBR particularly so. Not necessarily a bad thing…

Personally, i’d recommend riding Cyflym Coch.

Is it worth putting my Swampthings on?

Thanks mate. I’ll hopefully have my susser repaired by next week. Otherwise it’s the Singlespeed for me!

Oh, and i don’t own any mudguards…

Right, the time is upon us! My course starts next week.

By cross-referencing this[/url] with this, it looks like the trail centre is open until 2030, so that’s a real possibility.

Alternatively, can i persuade anyone to show me round the local area? Beer will be provided, obviously!

@ b r: is the offer still on the table?

Your newb mate has a good taste cycling machinery!

24 points as a Soldier on Badlands! Well chuffed with that!

I’m usually rubbish with the Soldier, but i’ve had a concentrated push on using him and done quite well out of it!

Banshee is a good iTunes-like music player/organiser.

And if you’ll be playing much in the way of films, then XBMC is a must have…

The Canyons are worth a look, but they tend to be lightweight XC builds.

Such as this.

I commute every day – but it’s only about 500yds… Proper riding; once a week if i’m lucky – 2 hours max…

It’s only because i currently live in Lincolnshire. When i used to live in Somerset, i’d ride 2 x 2-hour night rides a week, plus a 3-hour Sunday ride.

A mate of mine can get 8 bikes over the tailgate of his Nissan Navara. Another 4 on the roof would be possible, if he owned a roof rack.

Edit – Like this: