how could Mark and Chipps justify closing down such a thread when they have the Knog adverts in the calendar – that would be massively hypocritical!!!
and don’t get me started on those, because they aren’t offensive either.

what – women don’t come on the forum much because of a thread that lasts about two hours on friday lunchtime, that they can easily avoid. i don’t believe that for one minute.
if i check out STW on a friday night, my wife asks if the ‘friday kylie thing’ and male equivalent is on.
nothing personal TJ, but just can’t agree with you on this. if you don’t like the thread, don’t open it.

I find this thread offensive and stupid. However, I clicked on it and shall continue to comment on it in an inane, self-righteous manner.
Tango Man – pmsl, priceless…
if you don’t like the thread, don’t read it FFS

wwaswas – if people don’t want to visit the thread then fine, but there’s 1000’s of other posts on STW to look at…
Personally I don’t have a problem with the Kylie Friday and male equivalent, but hey…its not worth getting upset about…

CFH – here here
TJ – why do you even look at the thread if you object to it so much. Are you not better off spending your time on threads that you think you might enjoy. Really don’t see what the problem is. As for your ‘go and look at Sports Illustrated’ chat – does than mean that anyone with a car buying query should leave STW and only consult Autotrader etc?

I’m 6’5” so it would have to be a 21 i’m afraid bunnerscj.
The thing about the Scandal 29 + Alfine is that it would be perfect for my commute, but with the potential to add some knobblies in the winter, or as epicyclo says to nip offroad on the commute home…

There were 11 of us of real mixed ability, so it was quite a casual jaunt over three days. Whitehaven-Keswick 35 miles-ish in afternoon, Keswick-Rookhope is a hilly 65 miles or so and some of the irregular cyclists found this tough going, and Rookhope to Sunderland was 40 miles in a morning. With a larger group and some of the lads not so fit, I think averaged about 10mph when we weren’t in the cafe or pub.

In 2009 I did the full Sustrans route on a rigid ’93 Orange Clockwork, with 1.5 Specialized Armadillo tyres. That was keeping to the route (mostly roads and easy tracks)- but it was perfect. There was only a few miles of proper offroad after leaving Rookhope. Depends what offroad you are adding, and how much…

I looked at the back end of last year mate, and they were long gone…

sleeping was worst – about 2-3 weeks of painful lack of sleep.
6 weeks until properly healed, but not time off sick.

oh lazlo, please come back, it was so much more entertaining with you around…we all miss you.
or are you still finishing a big helping of humble pie?

Bullheart – you posting puts the OP and his entire rant into perspective…

i’ve been on the forum years, and i don’t think i’ve come across such a prick as lazlo in this thread. quite a time-wasting rant for such a trivial issue.
i’m still waiting for mine, will enjoy it when it finally arrives, but it is plain to see what the problem is…and its not the guys at STW.
MTFU FFS…
Chipps et al – very professional responses to to what is obviously a pain in the arse thread, i’m sorry that you have to put up with this sort of stuff…

Legend, and a Sunderland fan to boot!
The best fielder around, took important wickets now and then, and averages more with the bat than England captains Atherton and Hussein. That innings against SA was just HUGE.
What a way t finish – and I hope he leads the team out tonight.
And a gentleman and nice bloke.
If he was a biker and on STW he’d be perfect!

Folks – this is a storm in a tea-cup (or STW blue coffee mug) surely?
I have my STW calendar up at work, and I’ll have to take it down when it’s the Knog picture, but it will go straight back up.
It’s free, so if you don’t like it bin it.
If you like it, or like 11 months of it, then surely you’ve got a bargain.
From an STW perspective – they are supplying a calendar thats not costing them anything.
And as for Knog – I didn’t know who they were or what they did until last year’s calendar…but I do now. I wouldn’t buy anything of theirs I don’t think, but at least they have better brand awareness.
If people get upset by this then they really need to grow up and get a life – how sensitive can people be. If this is all you have to worry and moan about, then lucky you…

I’m after one of their road bikes potentially, so any feedback would be good. Seem very good value, and a mate loves his aluminium road bike. And don’t they have a UK helpline now or something like that?

i’ve just got a free HTC Desire on upgrade from Orange, but it would have been £120 for the iPhone 4 (£35/month + insurance) – i’d shop around a bit, you’ll be able to do better…

I can see Hora’s point to be honest.
We’re lucky – we have a great nursery with great staff. Very sensible and pragmatic. A sniffle, snotty nose, little bit under the weather etc, and they will still take them and give them more tlc than normal. Obviously if they are proper poorly they don’t go/come straight home, and we have to be flexible with work. And they have been fab during the snow – working hard to keep the nursery open as many hours as possible.
Brother-in-laws nursery – the merest hint of a sniffle, pimple, runny snot and they get asked to pick them up asap. And they have to miss days and day of work.

not got mine in Edinburgh…

Which one is most likely to leave some biking-related goodies under the tree on the 25th…though i’m very grateful for the other fella for sorting out some holidays at this time of year…

Not sure why he’s apologising – I’m sure most of the girls were just after a one night fling with a ‘star’.
Given how he looks now in that pic, I bet he’s not quite so successful…
…three a day though how did he have the time!?!

It needs to be music if I’m trying to do some work. Is Spotify good – do I need to join the 21st century and get signed up?

Right now, today, Arcade Fire…but could be Arctic Monkeys, older REM…just depends…

Cheers Intense, will get it looked at…

Cramond to S. Queensferry through a fairly well cleared Dalmeny Estate, but the snow was pretty deep and unrideable where it hadn’t been cleared. Will give it another bash tomorrow. Lots of time getting ready for little riding tho…

Ditto what Brant said. I’ve got pals that have one, and its great for their kids and looking at photos, but they use the laptop/PC most of the time…

Agree with TJ. Ride every time, but tuck in to the railings if someone is biking/walking the other way…

I biked all through last years winter, but just 5-6 miles each way. on an old orange clockwork with 1.5 armadillo’s. i must have had about 4 slips/crashes on icy roads and paths, and already two this year. but still beats getting the bus.

I still would…

Well, after years of poor service in Edinburgh from the Bike Coop and Alpinebikes, I have for the last 2-3 years used The Bike Chain – as I know others do on here. ALWAYS get EXCELLENT friendly service. Not the biggest shop or range of kit, but the quality customer service makes up for that in spades. I still buy the odd thing off Wiggle or CRC if TBC don’t have what I want, but I wouldn’t go anywhere else in Edinburgh and my next bike purchase will be from them. Just helped me get some Shimano boots this morning.
So if you don’t like a bike shop’s service, head elsewhere…

+1 for Wendy at HIM on Queen Street…coffee, tea, beer, good chat, and she looks after my 4-year-old with DVDs and biscuits when he needs a cut too.

prize knob, even on the after show…will anyone employ him?

aye, you boys are right. lets just head to the pub and have a pint of maturity…harmless banter, no? of the stag-dos i’ve been on no one has been upset by the banter or pranks.

dwarf smurf stagmair angle

not me or mates this time, but if you search for ‘sunderland echo’, dwarf and stag-do…there’s a cracking story about a group of lads who paid for a dwarf for the weekend, to be chained to the stag for the whole weekend. including sleeping. the dwarf looked as if he enjoyed it too. and then google hiring a dwarf and be amazed at how many sites there are. priceless.

have a look on youtube, searching under ‘mair angle’ for the clip of the 3-bum pint…a true engineering feat…

I got stripped naked on the streets of Kendal as well as lots of minor bits and bobs – tequila, but snorting salt and rubbing the lemon on my japs eye etc. I thought i got off lightly.
Subsequent stag-dos have involved:
the bum pint – a pint poured down an @rse crack of one of the lads and then downed by the stag. increases one crack per stag – the last lad had to have a pint that had been down 8. and eat an edible c*ck ring that had been on one of the lads all afternoon. and wear a mankini…with viagra slipped into his pint 5 minutes later with obvious results…

Stafford Street Dental Care for me. superb, but private only

Go. We went to Botswana on honeymoon (before Zim and SA) and it was perhaps the best week or so of my life. Apart from the obvious honeymoon activities…spent 2-3 days in three different parts of the Okavango – safari on foot seeing elephant and lion at (very) close quarters, jeep safari seeing wild dogs, a pack of lions making a kill, leopard, and then at the last camp (drier part of the delta) in a lodge over looking a small watering hole where you could often see more than 20 elephants, and lions came into the camp looking for water. Just amazing. All the wildlife was in the ‘wild’ – no reserves, fences, gates etc, and hardly any other jeeps about. i’ve heard nothing but good things about namibia too. go, go, go. i’ve now got two young kids and its a huge wish/desire of mine to take them to the okavango so they can see it for themselves.

got 15% when i bought a mountain and road bike from MTS in Durham back in 2003 – very happy and they offered that when i would have taken their hand off for 10%!
Anyone from The Bike Chain in Ed reading…because I’m ready for a new bike…