I had this happen in Canada last year and I managed to lose two of the pawls and couldn’t find any replacements – though I have a strong suspicion the only shop I could find wouldn’t own up to having any usable replacements so they could sell me a new wheel. Still, $60 Canadian for a deor hub and sun singletrack rim wasnt as bad as I was expecting, which lasted the rest of the holiday and is surviving the abuse of towing a trailer with two kids on a regular basis, which is something my hope hub fails at, as the stress of the trailer attached at the QR bends the axle 🙁

Bit of a hijack here, WackoAK, the arrochar loop is a regular of mine and I agree a nice evening ride…..Where are you based, I am in Helensburgh

If you do go around the Arrochar loop, start at Tarbet train station, as this adds a nice section of trail to what is effectively a 1 1/2" loop

Made a visit over the weekend, had great weather on Saturday, managed 5 runs of the red and one of the world cup track. Between the three of us we managed one big stack each, one causing an early retirement and the other two much giggling. The red is definitely a step up in severity from the trail centre norm, its a shame the marked finish to the red following on from crossing the world cup track isn’t of the same quality as the main part of the trail. Though completing the decent on the world cup course is top fun and wiping out on the jumps of the 4 cross course seemed to amuse some of the vulture like tourists waiting at the bottom (what a saviour body armour is)

In a mates kayak, which I then put back on the car roof rack, so that who ever took it off the roof the next morning got a little surprise. As it was below freezing that night my pall got a face-full of frozen turd.
This was done in revenge for him depositing a large poo in my dry bag during a multi day river trip in Nepal.

I have had a pair of Dianese for about 6 years and dont find them at all uncomfortable. Though they still dont stop the arse cheeks ripped apart feeling of land flat on yer bum sidee-ways

I recommend the Chariot trailers, we have a CX2. The build quality is excellent and it is really strong. I managed to roll it into a ditch, the wee fella (as he was then) wasn’t too impressed but was unmarked. We now take both boys (It has a hammock like arrangement for babies that cant sit up) and the suspension can be set to account for the differing weights on each wheel. Re-sale prices hold up well, so you can almost get your money back when you sell it on. We also have one of the accessory packs that allows my wife to go running with it.

The only warning I would give is to stick to the advised speed limits. I apparently had it up on one wheel on a fire road corner. My wife rather strongly suggested I slow down somewhat……

Just dont let the price put you off

Having worked and lived in the middle east and still having a few Qatari friends. I can honestly say that the reason Arab children don’t tent to hang on street corners in gangs and threatening easy targets (such as mothers with young children), is not because of the threat of having an appendage chopped off, but due to the morals taught them by their parents and grand-parents. There is an over riding respect of others in society engendered from an early age.

This is where our particular problems stem from. Not the last of physical violence available for parents and adults to practice on younger generations.

Now that would have made a great post late night baby feed de-stress. Pitty I happen to be offshore for the first time in 3 months :cry:.

I agree with the speedy ascent times, last time I did this it took 2 1/2 hours to get to the top, with about 20-30% rideable. One and a half hours would kill me. Take a full face helmet and body armour and dont touch the brakes………..

My 2 1/5 year old is madly into Lazy Town, to the extent that he keeps trying to emulate him on his trampolene. That and any mountain bike DVD

Oh and another thing with contis…….an almost enless stream of pinch flats – even at 55 psi

Another vote of no confidence for Continental tyres here. I had gravities for a while on my full sus bike and thought they were OK`ish, then put some 2.1″ verticals on my HT, the first wet hard pack corner I tried them on I was off and in to a ditch, which was a patern that lasted until they were ditched (no pun intended) I replaced the rear conti on my HT with a WTB Wolverine, which spun up on wet tarmac! on the way to the trails. Much slidey entertainment was had…..

I started this a few weeks ago, got to week three and was plodding along nicely until my 2 1/2 year old decided to jump on me from the sofa in mid push.

My bloomin back is killing me now…..

Will get back to it once the pain goes

At the moment the oil industry is in free fall as far as jobs go. If you don’t have a trade and no medical or offshore survival your chances of picking up a job are close to zero.

As far as some of the mentioned jobs. For wireline you will need mechanical engineering or electrical engineering. If you go for Skumberger expect to give your soul.
Mudlogging you will need geology or know someone who will give a good word for you.

I am a wellsite geologist and when my current contract is up (next hitch) there is no sign of new work until the 3rd quarter. Most of the guys I know are in the same boat as me – no sign of new work for the foreseeable future.

If you are still interested look in the press and journal. You will need qualifications and experience for jobs advertised on the industry websites

Baby Bjorn and Little Life here. We used the Baby Bjorn up to about eight months, when it became too uncomfortable to use. The little life is brill and has been up all sorts of hills in the last year and a half. We got the one with the sun shade and waterproof cover (which was very well tested the first time out – where I got back looking like a downed rat and my son was nice and dry and warm)

I had a ride planned for today, everything was going swimmingly until about an hour before the off, whan my wife started shouting down the toilet telephone. That’s twice now, she had the bad grace to go into labour three weeks ago when I had another good ride planned.

I now have a hyperactive two year old who has me building train tracks for Thomas and a three week old screaming the place down.

Oh the joy 😆

The most recent addition to the familly (two weeks ago) is Ruairidh, and I am certain he will go through life hating us each time he has to spell it. Add to that the fact no-one spells our surname correctly, well……I can feel his blood boiling already

Thanks for that, will give it a try

I have never owned a TV, dont see the reason. I listen to the radio, read books and do “stuff”. If either Mrs H or I want to watch a movie, we go the piccies. Dont know what is going to happen when H junior gets to school and comes under all the pressure he is likely too from his peers.

Also ALL Mrs H`s family and friends think I am some sort of neanderthal weirdy.

All I can say is **** em, **** em all back to their boring lives spent locked on to the box that usually takes center stage in their sitting rooms and their lives……

Along with his noodlyness “well **** me those are gonna come in useful” have made my day

I find heading out on the bike, both road and mountain to be completely relaxing and a great de-stressing tool. In fact I have taken to using this to my advantage with Mrs H, as when I am crabity and bad tempered she sends me off out for a bike ride 😛

I use 5.10’s and an old pair of Salomon shoes that eventually had the 5.10 rubber sole added (only after my flats destroyed the original sole)

Done, thouh what good it may do I have no idea.

I have some suspicions about way this seems to have only just appeared. There is something worrying about the way mountain biking in scotland is being manipulated by some organisations. And how all the supposed consultations are so poorly advertised.

Smokers who think it is their right to drop the butt of the ciggie they have just finished. What do they think gives them the right to do that?

I purposefully drove into the back of the car of a guy I was sharing a house with.

It was an old Mill house with large yard that would flood on a regular basis. So instead of parking his wee little Honda sporty thing (it had a glass back) by the side of the house, he would park IN the gateway, blocking anyone else’s entry or exit from the yard. And in doing so, causing me about a two mile detour to use some old farm tracks to get to the other side of the house / mill. His reasoning to me was that as I had an old series two land rover then it was no bother for me.

So one day in the peeing rain after a long day at work (we both worked for the same company) I found myself trundling down the valley on my way home, knowing that the knoob would have his car in the gateway. I decided on not slowing down as I came round the corner to the mill.

And KABOOM, there was his nice wee car in the way. Though now shunted about fifteen feet into the mill yard, and into about three feet of water. The glass hatchback disintegrated and a wall of water washed over his car into the space once covered by the hatch back.

My excuse was:

I did warn you about parking there, and you know how crappy the windscreen wipers are on this landy. I simply couldn’t see your car in all this rain!

Honest………

Well worth the lost no claims bonus

39 for number one and number two will be 41 (hopefully close to the due date this time)

My mother and Father in-law. The poisonous, idle, scheming, ignorant, bigoted, slimy, poisonous – did I already do poisonous, just to make sure poisonous, backward pair of NED’s I have ever had the misfortune of becoming acquainted with.

Also the aforementioned couple, who dont have the common decency to be on the other side of the street, writhing in agony as their clothes burn, so I can pointedly ignore them and NOT cross the road to p1ss on them to put out the fire of social cleansing that has so fortunately afflicted them.

Oh and the seemingly never ending flow of kn0bs who park on double yellow lines, so they can just “pop into” the post office, even though the town car park is free and there are plenty of spaces around the town. The lazy idle b’stards

Your local timber yard and a wee bit of effort will work out far cheeper. I have a 16 foot by 16 foot that cost me £200 and a few days labour

As I work away 5 1/2 weeks out of every 10, about 1/4 of what I would like. I do have access to an excercize bike and do an hour 5 or 6 nights a week when away. So I dont die on my first cycle after getting home.

To each their own would be nice. The problem is the vast majority of those with religious beliefs have no problem aiming vicious criticism at those who

b

est chance that they could be wrong.

Where as the average atheist accepts that though there is no proof for god or any of the other nonsense associated with the belief in such superstitious rubbish, that at some far and distant and unlikely point in time they could be proven wrong. After all, I fully believe in evolution, even though it is still only a theory. It is just the best theory that fits the facts.

And the facts as far as I can see them, prove that THERE IS NO GOD YOU MUMBLING SIMPLE MINDED IDIOT………….

And relax

A letter to Mr Brown:

Get those printers running……… I get paid in $$$$$$, so roll on parity

Damn, I would love to give that rout a go, but as the new familly addition is due in April I dont think me dissapearing off for a weekend would go down well.

I remember well attempting to map Glen Clova and Bowens type section for metamorphic gradation in May. Under about 6 foot of snow……….

Me, I am stuck in the office and have been since 7am, looking out onto a sun drenched beach, watching all the locals enjoying the start of their holiday.

Ho Hum, home in three weeks……….When, if I am lucky I can escape the turbo trainer and get on a propper bike.

My Patriot is 38 lbs with 2.4 maxis advantage tires, lyric coil forks, XT group set and hope wheel brake set, my 456 is 31 lbs with 2.1 conti diesel tires and magura durin fork, magura louise brakes, mixture of X0 and X9 with middleburn cranks and rings. I can survive just as big and long a day on both, unless there is lots of very steep techy climbing, then I last longer on the 456. Which I put down to the differing geometry of both bikes.

However……. considering that my camelback, filled for a long day with tool kit, spare inner tube, 2 or 3 snack bars plus sarnies, pump and shock pump, 2 or 3 litres of water and camera weighs at least 9 lbs, and add my 195 lbs then I feel the difference is moot.

broken shoulder, dislocated shoulder, concussion, lost oodles of skin, but most of all, keeping me fitter than just about any other sport I have done.

A couple having sex one Sunday morning and a surfboard. Though not all together.

Bloomin hot n sunny here in Rio

Lostwithiel, says it all – Cornwall, moiy loverrr

The lad is just showing that there really is inbreeding in Cornwall

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque has to be the book that left me feeling more than any other I have read, though it certainly isnt a happy feel good book.

If I want some easy entertainement then I find Christopher Brookmyre quite good. Some of Tom Sharps books have made me laugh more than any others.

Consiltant exploration geologist for a big-ish independant oil company. Currently in South America.
And as I consult I get 5 months off a year 🙂