I wish everyone would stop criticising Jimmy Saville.. I didn’t have much as a kid, and when I was eight years old, Jimmy fixed it for me to milk a cow blindfolded..

Every cloud, every cloud…

Arley actually http://www.arleystation.org.uk/ for the track replacement segment at least

The train refurb was based at Bridgnorth though, which is predominantly what the programme was about.

How deep is the scratch?

@fevouredimage, good on you for taking a positive step, time now to regroup and decide what next. I cannot know your exact situation but if I were in your shoes I would suggest you find something you enjoy doing, you need to stay active mentally, indeed perhaps even become active and engaged mentally in a way you haven’t done with work before.

Absolutely. I have a few ideas. I certainly don’t intend to sit at home watching the box all day. God forbid!!

But without the pressure of needing to obtain a certain income to maintain a certain lifestyle it means I can think more creatively. As someone who has been building bikes (purely for pleasure) since I was 15 I thought I might purchase old tired single speed bikes and tidy/repair them and sell them on for a bit of profit. SS speed not my scene really but they are popular and cheap to buy/simple to fix and make pretty so it’s a way to make a few quid.

I’ve never really utilised my degree in Furniture Design and Craftmanship so that is also something I am going to pursue.

These were things I’d never even humoured the idea of doing because I was too preoccupied trying to maintain a certain lifestyle, but now I have time and the desire to pursue things that I really enjoy.

I’ll admit that I do quite like having disposable income, so I’m not sure how I’d find doing such a thing.

There is an element of fear there I’ll admit but the feeling of the weight on my shoulders that has been there for so many years being lifted is immense. I always believed that money and subsequently ‘stuff’ was the route to happiness but it was always fleeting. It’s taken me a long time to realise but I absolutely believe that this course of action is right for me and my wife.

It’s a big shift for us both but I hope that not being so wrapped up in my own selfish misery will enable me to be a better person and a much better husband.

Was the railway the one at Bridgenorth?

It was indeed.

i suppose not being to bothered my material trappings, is also a liberating state to be in, just need to persuade my wife not to covet another pair of boots……

This 100%. My foray into this mindset begins today.

I’ve just done something along these lines.

On Friday I handed my notice in at work (I hated my job). My wife loves her job and just about earns enough to keep us both afloat. The misery in both of our lives was my hatred for my job and therefore the need to buy crap to fill the void that my Monday to Friday life left me with. I dragged the both of us down.

So after long discussions we decided I would resign, be a ‘house husband’ for a while, actively simplify our lives and try and bring some joy back into both of our existences. On the surface it sounds selfish I realise. Me just dossing at home whilst the wife goes and pays the bills but my intention is to do all I can to ensure we are both content.

Lots of needless crap will be sold and we will both be having some fun again.

Surprisingly taken with my iPad at Loch Ness. I was mildly impressed.

Sorry but Clerks 2 is appalling (and I am a huge clerks/Kevin smith fan)

No way. Clerks 2 has a surprising poignancy to it. It warrants a second watch. Most people who didn’t enjoy number 2 just couldn’t get over the fact it wasn’t black and white and was polished. It is far from appalling.

Pretentiousness and a penchant for accusing others of being pretentious and therefore not nice people. You could sum it up by saying I was just a hypocritic, which I am.

Not a good quality or one I am remotely proud of.

I buy expensive things to fill the many voids…..so:

Since 2004 I’ve purchased a new motocross bike every 8 months because I honestly believed that after 8 months and 12 hours work thy were waaaay beyond their best and needed replacing. Back in 2004 a new bike was 3.5k. Now they are around the 7k mark.

A full on DH bike. I live nowhere near anything that could ever challenge it and it has been used in a race once in 12 months.

A blokart. Nowhere near a beach hence used 5 times in 2 years. Good fun though.

My iPad 3. 500 quid on impulse. It is great though.

What would STW regulars film and edit with a go pro? Slo mo of bumbling up hill on a SS rigid fat bike?

When will people start practicing the right not to be offended.

On reflection, I still don’t think we, I certainly don’t, know anywhere near enough about Islam as a faith to really be outraged at the level of supposed offence that certain elements of the muslim community take from these silly cartoons, and such like.

So now you’re comparing dogs to bikes…you must be trolling.

Which explains why he takes his dog with him to trail centres. Bikes, dogs, boats, horses. All essentially the same thing.

I don’t know why the reasons for dog ownership are particularly relevant to this particular discussion. Working dog, blind dog or handbag dog – they shouldn’t be on mountain bike trails at a mountain bike trail centre.

(although a handbag dog will probably be less of a problem – their little bones would almost certainly crumble under the weight of a bike and rider)

Personally can’t stand Humphrey so the sooner he’s gone the better.

I do think that BBC coverage of F1 is on borrowed time now anyway so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that sooner rather than later it will only be available on pay to view television.

I don’t think it’s really ultra pedantry. You may use that terminology to defend your own nonsensical response to one comment from one person if you wish.

If you read my own response you will see quite clearly which point I was agreeing with, you will also see quite a few times where I mention my own dog so far be it from me to suggest that a dog is merely a luxury lifestyle choice.

Interesting to hear that people riding thousands of pounds worth of bike for fun, in their own time, consider dogs to be a luxury lifestyle choice.

People? Person I think you mean. One person made that point.

I have nothing against dogs, but for the vast majority of people they ore nothing more than a luxury ‘vanity’ item, a lifestyle choice. My problem is only with people who seem to think their dogs are more important than other people. I sometimes experience the odd idiot dog owner along the canal towpath, who let their poorly trained dogs wander about when there are cyclists and children about, but most are ok.

I accept that if i’m to enjoy my lifestyle choice of riding a bike, I must be considerate to other towpath users, and give way to others etc. I expect the same behaviour from others, including dog owners. As for trail centres etc; perhaps some dog owners need to rein their egos in a biot and just leave the dogs at home. It doesn’t matter how well trained you think your dog is, you are deluded if you think that, as it’s ultimately a wild animal and therefore unpredictable. You don’t have the ‘right’ to take your dog wherever you please, but people have the right to go about without fear of being attacked or otherwise hindered by dogs.

Exactly. Some people just think because it says on paper that they can, then absolutely should. The ability to make careful and considered decisions based on their own circumstances and use considered judgement seem utterly beyond the realms of so many people.

Not so long ago I was taking my dog ( west highland terrier) and young nephew for a walk in one of these combined cycle/walk/go ape type forest places. It was very busy being a sunny Saturday afternoon and I came across an area that was marked ‘Dog walk area’. I wasn’t entirely sure what this meant at first but then a sign further along said that dogs could be walked without leads if under control as cyclists were not allowed in this particular spot. Now I opted not to take my dog off the lead because a) he was 10 months old b) he’s a disobedient little sh!t c) I’d never see him again d) I never would take him off the lead anywhere.

So, as I continued to walk this Labrador came hurtling towards us smacked straight into my Westie, flipped him upside down and then carried on bolting down the path. Needless to say after checking my terrified dog was ok the oblivious owners of the Labrador walked by and I asked why their dog wasn’t on a lead as he was clearly out of control. Their response was “because this is a dog walk, you’re allowed to take them off the lead!” When I questioned their logic and pointed out that because it says you can do something, doesn’t mean you should they looked utterly bewildered and could not grasp that simple concept. The very notion that they may have to make their own choices beyond that of a sign terrified them and I fear that from reading this thread that same mentality exists amongst so many on here.

In the very unlikely event that you were to see him out with me and you did have a problem with it I’d love you to come tell me. No really I would.

You understand that being overweight and a dog owner doesn’t make you a) scary or b) ‘ard don’t you?

It was a very sad story no question but I had trouble being overly sympathetic with both him and his wife. As two adults they had the choice to go ahead with the trip or not. She stated herself that she wouldn’t ask him not to do it because of it’s importance to him. The victim in this is that poor little boy who had no say in the matter, no right or ability to question the decision so I would have hoped that the two adults could have seen beyond their own selfish aspirations and done the right thing by their son.

Sad story but I was just angered by it more than anything else. I absolutely understand the notion of exploring and adventuring, pushing your limits and taking risks but like it or not when you have children your own desires have to take a back seat for a while.

If those posters can think of another way to get a collie lurcher to run at 15-20kmh for a few hours without a bike I’d love to hear it

Lead attached to car/motorcycle/Jet.

How you get your dog up to speed isn’t really my problem, it’s yours. It only becomes my problem when I see it in front of me whilst I’m on my bike at a trail centre (rarely). Soon after that point however, it becomes your problem again.

Uncle Ben does it again.

My mum taught me to be polite to customer service/staff etc

What else did she teach you?

As there are so few places where you cannot take your dog I don’t see why it’s so much to ask for dog owners not to take their dogs to man-made mountain bike specific centres. Can’t they just be left for mountain bikers to use?

I wouldn’ t go ripping up the terrain on my bike at the local village cricket ground or go tearing my bike around the kiddies playground so it’s nice to go to a trail centre supposedly safe in the knowledge that I am only really going to come across other cyclists on the trails. Not dogs, cats, motocross bikes, go karts, jet ski’s, hang gliders, ramblers etc.

It’s just ok. Just turn a blind eye to Radcliffe having a wife and kids whilst only being 7 years old himself.

It’s creepy rather than scary.

For all the threads full of STW member bashing on here it’s a thread like this that reminds me that you’re all good folk on this little forum, even the Tory voting ones 😉 .

Thanks for the nice messages, made a very good day even better.

Thanks all. Absolutely chuffed now it’s sunk in. The debt incidentally was due to life changing surgery overseas for my mum so wasn’t being frivolous or careless with money.

After paying it off I’m going to treat the wife and I to a holiday. Haven’t had one in 3 years. Ticket has to be verified and then you are sent a cheque for 20 thousand pounds.

I don’t know what I’ll do with the 10k. It hasn’t entirely sunk in really. like most people I’ve never really won anything before so it’s weird to think I’m just going to be given 20 grand for nothing. The most money I’ve ever had.

I’ll have to treat the wife and I to something.

Last time I opted for next day delivery with CRC it came 2 days later, despite the fact I ordered in the morning. When I emailed them to request a refund of postage costs (which they state they will offer if not received next day) there explanation was that next day simply indicated it would arrive next day after dispatch and didn’t automatically mean they would therefore dispatch it the same day you ordered it.

i.e. you order it Monday morning, opt for next day delivery. they dispatch it on Tuesday, you receive it on Wednesday (next day). Utter nonsense and last time I’ve ever used them.

😕 Looks like I’ll be getting a Nexus 7 then.

I’m suggesting that everyone has a level of acceptable risk/consequence and they mitigate against that as they see fit.

There is always something more you could do to prevent the risk (including just not getting on a bike in the first place!)

So we all have to make a decision about where we stand on that particular sliding scale and take precautions as we see fit.

If a grown adult has considered the risks they face and made an informed decision that they don’t need a helmet then fair play to them I say.

Chastising them and calling them names for that decision is daft.

You’ve just decided to wear one more piece of protective equipment than them. Woo hoo.

Tutting quietly behind you on the scale is someone who thinks your mad for not wearing knee and elbow pads. And tutting behind him is someone who wears a full-face motocross style helmet. And behind him is someone who thinks everyone should have spine protectors. And behind them all is a grumpy old sod sat on the sofa with a cuppa, rolling his eyes at all these silly mountain bikers putting themselves in unnecessary danger.

If that could be condensed into a media friendly sound-bite it would be a near perfect summation of the issue in my opinion.

I’d considered that but if it’s going to be 300 quid plus then it’s more than I want to spend. I’m far from Anti-apple but don’t want to spend silly money on it. Although if it’s only a couple of days away from launch info then yeah, definitely worth holding fire.

illiterate gibbons.

Surely we need literate gibbons before we can have illiterate gibbons?

Me and my mates were always churning round the army ranges, constantly looking for a new hill to fly down. We couldn’t afford dirt bikes but gravity was free and a bike that wouldn’t break let you use that big free engine.

While I do cycle up what I cycle down, riding for or choosing a bike for the climbs is like going skiing to ride the lifts!

I like that sentiment.

I’ll give it a bash. What tyres (maxxis) tend to run well at FOD in dry and wet conditions? Never ridden there before so would be nice to have a decent starting point.

I feel just as bad when anyone is treated badly, they don’t have to be vulnerable to be more deserving of my empathy and compassion. If it was your eyes being poked out with a red hot poker or the eyes of a child, it’s just as bad..

Absolutely. I never been unable to understand why we put so much more value on the lives of certain people/animals over others, but I do understand that as human beings we naturally tend to feel more protective (and therefore more horrified when we hear about abuse etc) over those we deem unable to protect/defend themselves in the same manner fully able, fully grown humans can.

It’s flawed but I think it’s probably why we have that automatic reaction to certain things happening to certain people/animals.

That’s a fair point to raise. For me, there’s something nauseatingly cruel about picking on the innocent, the vulnerable, the dependent, the trusting. So I feel an especially vehement response when animals, children, the elderly and the disabled are treated sadistically. I simply don’t get that when I think of grown adults. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to feel particularly protective of the weakest around us, whether they’re dogs or children or horses or grannies. But to take it to the extremes of sending death threats is the mark of a nutjob.

You’ll get no flaming from me. I fundamentally agree with you. But I wonder if it’s just simply to do with the cruelty to our perceived most vulnerable (children/elderly/disabled etc) of which our Dogs and Cats etc are part of, which we find so immediately abhorrent.

Clearly some just prefer animals over people which I find a little unsettling.

Just re-jigged really.

Now that should be in the Paralympics…

No soon as Downhill Mountainbiking gets its slot in the Olympics.