Peanut M&M’s.

AH is great. It takes some skill to ride it well. It’s not open fast flowy downhill trails, it’s techy and challenging but you get tons of satisfaction when you nail a really good run and I find it a good place to pick up some riding skills. It’s got off camber stuff, rooty stuff and very tight and steep stuff which all require some thought to ride well.

I’ll echo what others have said about DH bikes there though. It doesn’t need a full on DH bike. I’m much quicker on my 125mm DMR Bolt down there than I ever was on my DH bike.

Did anybody ever see the extensive range of ‘hoaxley’ sunglasses they had in pound land not so long ago?

Northants, border of Warwickshire.

Of on a slight tangent but I’m aware of the potential unhealthy implications that come with living with severe damp (particularly with a pregnant wife and subsequent baby on the way) so what sort of dehumidifier should I be considering?

It’s hard to work out what’s adequate or not.

I am tempted to excavate the floor. I think the severity of the issue warrants it. It’s going to have to be a job I’m going to need to do myself though as we just didn’t factor in this cost but with our first baby on the way I need to get ourselves a home sorted fast.

I know from digging the external trenches that half of the foundations are sandstone which predate the house so obviously there was some other building here long before the house. Because of the terrible patio and garden beds the clay below and around the foundation is saturated with water and we have areas of the sandstone foundations with fist sized cavities. No wonder moisture had found its way so easily under the house. We currently just leaving everything to dry and breath for a while and we’ll take it from there.

Old building, no foundations, modern materials are likely the issue. A property that old would have been drafty originally, and would have been able to breathe freely. Build up the ground outside, put in concrete floors, modern plaster and start shutting up the drafts to keep the heat in also hold all the moisture in too.

With cold walls due to the old build, it’s a fair bet that condensation from general living moisture is more of a problem than you think it will be, as well as the rising damp.

Yes, i suspect you are right. Finding the way to remedy this and allow the property to breath without being an icebox is the challenge.

The wall hasnt been rendered with cement or similar has it ? Nor repointed with cement based products ?

The property is rendered (ye olde white cottage) couldn’t tell you what with though. Don’t think it is cement though.

Get the patio away from the wall , get a french drain in along the exterior drawing the water way

Yes, thats the plan externally.

Isn’t the survey supposed to pick up on stuff like this?
Surely the previous owners knew about this… so aren’t they liable for the cost in some way?

Well, they almost certainly knew about it and did a very good job of covering it up on viewings and we only had a secondary survey carried out to identify an issue with an extension. We had no knowledge of a damp issue sadly.

This stuff is amazing. Slap it on and forget about your roof for a long time.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/ronseal-isoflex-liquid-rubber-black-2-1ltr/36010

This stuff is amazing. Slap it on and forget about your roof for a long time.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/ronseal-isoflex-liquid-rubber-black-2-1ltr/36010

My neighbour, who had completely had enough of the 5 cats from the property opposite shitting in his gravel drive, decided to soak some cat food in anti freeze and leave it in a bowl under his car. Unfortunately he got my 5 month old cat who had just started to venture beyond our garden gate.

It was a very traumatic end to his short life.

Well, i’ve packed it with grease this time around so hopefully that resolves it. Incidentally how tight do people generally find they tighten their stem cap bolts? It’s not something I’ve ever had call to worry about before – just tightened until no play and smooth steering, never had any issue before.

I don’t know why he thought that would work out, even if he had got a perfect rotation, the downslope was far too shallow and the speed of the approach was nuts.

Oh, I know what I am getting.

Which will be?

Fervouredimage, you ridden either of them? (or at least the 2014 TCX?) They are quite different to ride so could be an easy decision.

I’ve ridden a 14 TCX which I really liked. I haven’t ridden a Caadx but am a fan of Cannondale’s generally and got on well with my Caad8 I used to have (before it was nicked!).

How does the ride differ between the two, do you find?

Sure he comes across as a bit of a pillock,

No he doesn’t. He comes across as a young lad who enjoys what he does, is good at what he does and celebrates accordingly without the middle class, middle aged anxieties and overwhelming self awareness and pretentiousness that is so readily expressed on here.

…. I realise that I don’t get Dr Who but I do try. I thought Capaldi may just be what turns me on to it but nope, I just don’t get it. It still reminds me of a secondary school drama class GCSE production.

Maybe a diet of American Sci Fi has left me cold to british attempts at this sort of thing but it just makes me cringe to think we’re beaming this stuff around the world.

Well after much deliberation I’ve narrowed my choice down to either the 2015 TCX SLR 2 or a Cannondale Caadx 105.

But i’m really struggling between these two.

Didn’t hear much braking action going on either.

Yes, I heard he actually wanted to kill the child.

Parents fault 100% in that video, poor example for this thread.

predictable, but I would have commented exactly the same thing..

Of course you would… Much love.

Shit man… Can I take this opportunity to point out that I’m a nasty **** **** and if I meet any of the silly little boys on this thread claiming that it’s their right to act irresponsibly around kids, and if we should happen to get into a confrontation on this subject whilst out on the trails I will gleefully and without any fear of recrimination, lose my **** shit in a very violent manner…
/keyboard warrior

You’ll shit your pants in a violent manner?

Its a bit boring, but make sure you get the PPE too – trousers, helmet & gloves as a minimum.

No, you’re quite right. After witnessing my Father in Law (an experienced tree surgeon) cut a 5″ long gash into his thigh a few years ago with his Stihl, I won’t be ignoring PPE.

Don’t be a douche nozzle, there’s nothing wrong with Boardman bikes.

You’re quite right and I was going to say that my problem with Boardmans is completely unfounded bike snobbery based on absolutely nothing frankly.

It is a bloody nightmare. Buying a new bike should be a pleasure but I find it stressful. I like the Caadx but not sure about the sora stuff on it. Seems a bit too low end but for £670 what should i expect?

I keep getting drawn back towards the Boardman cx team, on paper it seems very very good value but well… It’s a Boardman.

The hack seems pretty good too. Also found a Bianchi d2 zurigo for a very good price but a gamble as its a 58cm, which should be about right normally but bianchi’s size guide recommends a 61 so guessing bianchi’s come up a bit small?

Lovely bikes CG, but at 6’3 I don’t think a 52 will be too comfortable. thanks anyways though.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Cannondale Caadx7 Sora. Some deals on that at the moment for around £650. Worth considering?

Do like the look of the Arkose though.

Yep, had saints on my Nukeproof Scalp and have Zee’s on my DMR Bolt.

I’d opt for the Zee’s everytime without question, the saints IMO are silly powerful and do not forgive an over zealous braking technique. The Zee’s have all the power you need but require far less finesse to get the most out of them. It took me a long time to find my way with the saints and for a long time regretted buying them, The Zee’s were spot on immediately. Given the price and the perfect modulation on the Zee’s, it’s a no brainer.

I don’t have a status symbol as such, I don’t know how to put this but I’m kind of a big deal.

As already said, in context there is little to be offended about and –

Perhaps he looks at everything from a purely logical point of view, leaving out any of the emotions that are an integral part of humanity?

This, very much this.

My status symbol…. Is my casual scruffiness, flippant demeanor and general ennui that only the truly well-to-do can pull off. Like using an Old Etonian tie to hold your troos up.

The truth is often said in jest. Unfortunately my inlaws are much the same, the difference being they are not remotely aware of it so lacks any contrivance.

Just work it and have a day off in lieu? Avoid the masses swarming on everything like its their last day on earth.

+3 for Bay.

Most other directors tend have their fair share of good and bad, but Bay consistently churns out utterly offensive and awful 4 hour long bore fests.

I haven’t seen the actual beheading, nor do I want to, but the lead up to it is on YouTube and I would say that, like anyone would be, he is paralysed with fear.

Truly awful.

Sorry, I didn’t mean full on downhill runs as in push up, ride down, I just meant some decent trails with some fun descending thrown in there. Living in Northants means I don’t get much chance to enjoy hills very much so want to make the most of it.

An often overlooked Miyazaki film is Castle of Cagliostro. It’s not in the same saccharin sweet vein as most of the other Ghibli/Miyazaki films but if you enjoy anime generally, it’s worth watching.

I love coffee but I’m amazed how many cups of the stuff people can put away in a day. I would struggle not to have a cup a day but one or two is ample. I feel guilty if I have any more. Surely 5-10, as mentioned above, is excessive?

I don’t see any need to stop altogether but cutting down if your having half a dozen cups each day is probably a good thing?

Zee’s are pretty easy to bleed or, as above, just keep the caliper below the lever and you might get away without a bleed at all. You might find you need to shorten the hoses anyway?

Go outside?

Can’t find that on Netflix. Any good?

Welcome back ton… you big girls blouse 😉

Our westie had a seizure after battling with meningitis last week. Seizure was so big it left him brain damaged and he had to be put to sleep. Incredibly traumatic and upsetting experience but I am glad we’d got him insured. Vet bill up to his death exceeded 2.5k over a 9 week period, in various tests, medication etc. and we were being cautious not to go overboard as we were of the opinion that if our dogs prognosis wasn’t good in terms of quality of life, we didn’t want to keep him going for our sake. Our vet thought otherwise, no doubt considering an early demise meant less income for him.

As upsetting as it all was I’m now glad our westie made the decision for us.

I hear it is a well paid and vital role that the state supports to keep it’s people’s safe….

Yes, but it’s a high pressure, highly stressful, demanding role with a skill set only the finest intellectual minds are able to acquire. I don’t think 5 years of university education could prepare you for it.