My MRS got £104 yesterday, and one of my mates got £1400!!

HMRC are being very generous this year. Wait until the “other” letters start being distributed, though…

HAHA!!

An “I like Superstar” thread was never going to last more than 60 seconds, was it?!

Merry Christmas, you grumpy old buggers! 😆

If you’ve only a grand, better to go for a HT – sorry.

This, unfortunately.

A couple of years ago, you could get some really good FS bikes for £1000. Alas, times have moved on, i’m afraid. You’ll get something much more usable for that price if you buy a HT, in my humble opinion.

Am i the only one that thinks that’s a misstype on the website?

Perhaps £1999, given the full SRAM XX build.

Got back about an hour ago. Lots of standing water, and plenty of surface mud.

The weather wasn’t too bad to us though… Just COLD!

If it was my own system though, I’d buy a Z68 motherboard, Core i7-2700K processor, 8GB RAM, ATI 6870 GFX card, and build a system around that…

Sounds like a great machine to me! But i feel we need a little perspective:

I’ve recently started working from home and am currently using my Samsung NC10 netbook (1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM) with an external monitor… … the netbook is surprisngly OK – not great but not as slow as I was expecting it to be.

I don’t think the OP needs a gaming monster!

The I7 is a good shout for rendering etc, but perhaps the 2600k is more appropriate – is £30 worth it for a 100mhz speed bump?

Realistically, if the OP can live with an Atom processor, then ANYTHING will feel like an awesome machine! I’d recommend something like an I3 2100 (or even an A8-3500), with a small AMD GPU. This would give you miles more performance than you’ve got already, and wouldn’t cost the earth.

The 456 and Inbred often get confused, but there are differences. The Inbred is more suited to an XCish build, with shorter forks and lighter components. The 456 has slacker angles, and is more designed for longer forks and harder riding.

For your purposes, i would recommend an Inbred. But either will do the job just fine. I’ve had a 456 for about 2 years now, and it’s been great! Can’t recommend it enough.

Would it help an aged (1.4gHz/128mB ram) pc?

You should try “Puppy Linux” that chewkw mentioned. It’s been designed specifically to scale onto older hardware. It’s not flashy, but it’ll work just fine on a decades-old machine that couldn’t possibly hope to run windows.

…and a few more from Scampton 😉

We went on an FD day to Cannok last week. Seven of us, plus bikes, in the back of a half-and-half transit. When we got there, i was quite ammused to find two more identical half-and-halfs on an FD day from Conningsby! Not a bad way to spend a work day.

Unless you’re building a server, you’ll not notice any difference between 4GB and 32GB, in my opinion.

Get the cheapest branded memory you can find – Scan are doing a good deal on Corsair at the minute. £22. Job done.

I hope you’ve already bought your HDD. Have you seen the recent price jumps?!

Edit – i forgot it’s triple channel. Bloody Intel… Try this. Bit more expensive, but nothing drastic.

And make sure you get a red one – lest the trail gods may strike you down where you stand, sir!

I’ve got a hope seatclamp on my 456. It’s a 28.6mm (i think). I realise the seat tube is 27.2mm on the 456, but it fits well enough.

I’ll echo what everyone else has said – White’s is better, by a country mile. If you fancy riding W2, i recommend parking at the forest park visitor’s centre; that way you can stop at Glyncorrwg for a bit of lunch at the half-way point.

@ fluffykittens – thanks for the offer! Send me an email to my gash email account, and i’ll send you my propper email address:

beckingham_diehard at hotmail dot com

If you’re as concerned about the Maths as i am, you might want to have a look here.

It’s a PDF of a maths textbook. It’s intended as a reference text you can look at when you need to brush up on a specific part of maths. I’ve stared chipping away at it like a workbook.

One of my favourite tunes of all time. This is the Opeth i love.

You’ll have to recommend me some good Opeth albums – Damnation is one my my favourite albums of all time, but i can’t stand death metal…

Which other Opeth albums follow in this dark prog kind of genre?

I use Mint on my laptop. I think it’s great.

It had Vista pre-installed when i bought it, but it really couldn’t cope. So before long, i decided i’d try Linux. I used Ubuntu for about a year, but i was put off when i upgraded to 11.04 (and unity).

At that point, i upgraded to Mint, and i’ve never looked back. I still use Windows 7 on my PC, as that gets used for gaming, but for a laptop, Linux is the best OS going. It also scales very well, so you can even use it on old hardware that can’t handle a modern OS.

, how much time did you spend per week on the course?

The OU suggest around 16 hours per week – they also suggest that each point represents around 10 hours of study (a degree is 360 points)

Although i’ve heard from many people saying they needed much less time that was suggested – and a few saying they needed much more…

Thanks for the input, chaps!

Having done some careful consideration, i’ve enroled on S104, due to start in Jan! I’ve been talking about it for long enough – if i don’t do it now then i never will!

Now i know there are a couple of Doctors on here, i’ll come hunting for you when i get stuck! The Science i’m not too concerned about, but the Maths i’ll struggle with… Better start practicing!

Thanks again!

Thanks for the info, chaps!

I think i’m leaning closer to Physics, at the minute. If the Engineering courses really are vocational, then that’s pretty much a show stopper.

@fluffykittens – I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an OU centre, so i’ll look into that!

Thanks again!

I had the same symptoms on my VW TDI last year. Took it into an independent, and they informed me that a vacuum pipe had collapsed. £5 later, it was as good as new.

Personally, i wouldn’t fancy joining an infantry regiment – a lot of the time, the young lads get treated like children, and as a result continue to behave like children. If i was to join the Army, i’d look into the Royal Engineers/REME or similar.

I left school with practically no qualifications. At 18, i joined the RAF. Some years later, i’m earning decent money, working with some good people and i’ve been to more countries than most people can name. Three square meals a day, job security(although i realise that’s a controversial subject at the minute), a good non-contributory pension… the list of benefits goes on. Best of all, i get free time off to go riding, and i get a metaphorical high-five on my annual appraisal for doing it! There are worse things to be doing.

It’ll certainly make a man of your boy, but i think a better quality of life can be found outside the infantry.

MBR is my favourite of the bike mags:

MBUK is the bike equivalent of Max Power.
WMB is aimed squarely people buying kit – more of a catalogue than a mag.
dirt and singletrack look like a-level photography coursework, and i find them very difficult to read.
I’m not saying MBR is perfect – not by a long way – but it’s still my favourite.

Of the 9 tristars 216 SQN operate only 2 have role equipment fitted to fly the route due to the cost of the kit.

That’s something that a lot of people don’t realise. 9500 people in Afghan – not to mention the Falklands, Gibraltar, Germany, etc – and we have 2 Tristar C2s (full passenger role) with which to support them. Add to that, the frames are over 40 years old (we bought them from civvi airlines), and you’ve got a recipie for disaster.

But the main thing to note is that we deliberately arrange for the aircraft to break down, just to wind up contractors.

Suck it up, sweet cheeks. You get paid more than us anyway.

Steve,
RAF Mover

I’ve not had much time recently, due to work/family/grown up commitments…

Team Fortress 2 – The game i’ve played most. It’s not as geeky as other first person shooters, and as such is much more enjoyable!

Fallout 3 – I’ve played through all the DLC too, and i’m having a break before getting into New Vegas.

Portal 2 – I’m a huge fan of the first one, and they’ve really gone to town on the new one! Some of the puzzles really have you scratching your head, but i can’t help thinking it’s lost some of the charm of the first one…

Half Life 2 – I always end up re-insalling this at some point. It’s getting on a bit now, but it’s still a masterpiece.

Crysis – It’s got it’s faults, but the first half of this game is bloody briliant. As soon as i reach the alien cave, i start again. I’ve not got Crysis 2 yet, but probably will in the future.

All on the PC, by the way! I did have a 360, but i got the RROD, and havn’t bothered replacing it.

Personally, i would use a Linux Live OS to boot from USB. That way, you’ll be able to access all your data files on your laptop, extract them to somewhere safe, and format your laptop.

Visit this link[/url]. This is a programme that will allow you to install a Linux distro to a USB pendrive, with which you can boot your laptop – i can recommend Knoppix to be very effective. Then all you’d need is an external hard drive to back your files up to.

Google will give you plenty of tutorials on how to do this, but it really is quite a simple process. Here[/url] is one example i found after a quick search. (EDIT – this is a tutorial aimed at the CD vesion of Knoppix, but it works just the same with a USB version)

This is the process i used recently to recover data from one of our old laptops, all of a few weeks ago. Hope this helps!

And if you can’t find your Windows boot disc, put Linux on it for good. Either Ubuntu or Mint are good windows replacements – although there are hundreds of others.

Bad Ass Bikes in Burrington are good – but i wouldn’t go there based on the name…

I’ve always used “Somerset Bike Center” in W-S-M. friendly chaps, who’ve always seen me well.

My Orange 5’s what?

Classic! 😆 😆 😆

Should be repairable – might look a bit industrial, but it’ll add character!

Right, i’m pretty much set now on starting S154 later this year. Thanks for all the input, guys – very much appreciated.

One last question – what tires for an OU course?!

S207 is a good course without the maths being too heavy, though maybe not the ideal first course depending on your background.

I got good grades in science at school, however i’ve not really done anything science related since then – and the only maths i get involved in is adding two whole numbers together!

I suspect i’ll probably start with S154, and see how i go from there.

I’m currently doing a history degree and am studying Total War and Social Change 1914-55

That’s the one that interests me. How about you just give me a quick summary, then they can sign me off!

Seriously though, i’m pretty much set on getting started later this year, but i’m really quite concerned about time constaints. I work full time, have a missus and 2 young kids, and i’m also a wannabe cyclist… Perhaps i’ll have to reduce the amount of time i spend idly staring at internet cycling forums!

Thanks for the input guys! Keep ’em comming!

Thanks for the input, chaps!

I’d like to do history, but realistically, the only history i’m interested in is military history. So i’d suggest the history course would be wasted on me, for the most part.

I’d also like to do a science course, probably Physics related. I’m concerned that Physics would be a bit heavyweight for me, but we’ll see.

How much flexibility is built into the system, with regards to time? If i went away on a course with work for a couple of weeks, for example, will i be able to put my studies on hold temporarily?

We got ours as a gift. I think it’s a 56cm. I have to admit, if i’d paid full price for it, i’d probably be a bit disappointed. That said, it really is a joy to use.

I’d say buy one, if you can find one with a healthy discount. (or get it given to you!)

It’s a bit late, now:

I’m 5’11” ish, and I ride an 18″ 456 and a medium Pitch. The Pitch is a touch shorter, which i feel is in keeping with it’s “Rad to the max gnar” bias. I have a friend with a Large Enduro, and it’s quite significantly bigger. Not too big, i’d suggest, but much bigger then the Medium.

So in conclusion, if it’s an only bike, and will be used for general XC duties, then i’d go up a size. If it’s a second bike for trail centers etc, then i’d get the medium (this is what i did)

Enjoy! You’ll have a pretty comprehensive stable, and they compliment each other nicely!

Duffer, I suppose its a matter of taste.

You’ve got me there… Some of those G-Shocks are gopping.

More like Audi vs Skoda, as far as i’m concerned. A Salsa would be nice, but would i enjoy it any more than an On-One? i’m not so sure.

I guess it’s all about whether you would want to wear a casio or a Seiko/Citizen/insert reasonably priced nice watch brand. Would you feel the benefit when you tell the time. Probably not but when some one else notices your nice watch and tells you that they like it. Maybe. Not to mention not having to replace a battery or cheap scratched lens or strap…
Not that I’m dissing scandals. I have cheapo bikes and expensive ones and like them all. Don’t have a casio though

As a matter of fact, i do wear a Casio (G-Shock)! I bought it in Kuwait some years ago, have worn it every day since (in various places across the middle east, Africa, Scandinavia, etc, etc…) and i couldn’t ask for any more. In fact, it’s still showing a full battery!

To each his own, of course – but would you wear a Seiko/Citizen/insert reasonably priced nice watch brand working long days in Afghanistan?

NB – There’s a vaugely cycling related metaphor in there, somewhere!

Kia vs Alfa imo

More like Audi vs Skoda, as far as i’m concerned. A Salsa would be nice, but would i enjoy it any more than an On-One? i’m not so sure.