I’m definitely treating myself to this set when it comes out –

http://shop.lego.com/en-US/The-Tumbler-76023

I was massively impressed with the ghostbusters Ecto1 set, but this one looks brilliant.

For 1500 quid a Beta Rev 3 is a very good bet. You could get a very decent 2008 for that. Some had an issue with the coil but most being sold 2nd hand now will have been remedied or not prone to the issue anyway.

Other than that they are a solid, reliable machine, very easy to use, 2 stroke so easy to maintain, and importantly a lot of fun to ride. Lots if them out there as they are considered a very good value beginners machine. It was my first trials bike which was perfect for the 5 years I used it.

As in the ride.io review, i find them really user friendly. Tons of power but fantastic modulation. Really impressed with them. Best and cheapest brakes I’ve ever had.

Shimano Zee Brakes – First Look

I bought myself the ghostbusters Lego set – Ecto 1. My first ever Lego set. I get it now, very enjoyable and satisfying. It’s very hard walking past the Lego store now.

It’s not really hard though is it? The number of different standards and the evolution of cycling technology in recent years has certainly made them more complex than they used to be but i’ve found that with the more complicated jobs – servicing forks etc. it’s a case of having the right tools and just doing it once.

I’m far from mechanically minded but I build my own bikes, service my own forks, shocks etc. I’ve built up a decent collection of tools which is a huge part of taking on the more difficult jobs but I can’t say i’ve ever been in one of those scenarios where you just wish you hadn’t started the job. I think the idea that it’s a very stressful (potential work place politics aside) or challenging job is slightly OTT. Sure, there are people who wouldn’t dare tighten a bolt on their bike but that still doesn’t make bicycle mechanics difficult.

Thanks all for the kind words. It’s hard trying to take my mind off it. Everytime I try and distract myself I end up thinking about those last moments. And now going through the ‘if i’d done this, if i’d done that’ pattern of thinking.

Speaking to our vet this morning, I feel a little bit better knowing that from the moment he had the seizure he would have felt nothing or had no awareness of anything. He was basically gone from that point.

Yeah, much better today. Come lunch time conditions should be perfect.

Had mine for 3 months used only for downhill. Used twice a week pretty much for all that time. Still good as new really. They’ve certainly taken some hefty hits in that 3 months – big drops, gaps etc.

It’s just poured down in MK/woburn for the past 3 hours. Miserable 🙁

I think sometimes when you see video clips like this which somehow manage to underwhelm you, you have to bare in mind just how fast these riders – the fastest downhillers in the world – actually are. And if one rider out of the fastest riders in the world is doing something they won’t then you know it is a seriously impressive piece of riding.

It always looks easy from the other side of the track tape.

Motocross bikes are targeted due to their lack of registration. Basically like nicking a mountain bike with an engine. My motocross bikes require 30 minutes of chaining up and padlocking and so far I seem to have been lucky but nearly all of my riding/racing friends and MX club members have at some point had a bike stolen.

A trail bike is likewise very easy to steal and manhandle and easy to sell on for a few hundred quid – take the plates/lights off and you have an MX bike to the untrained eye. It doesn’t mean you should steer clear of them but you will need to be security conscious if you opt for one.

Well exercise isn’t a problem. The motivation for getting a collie was our upcoming house move – small cottage surrounded by acres of open land. So he’ll have plenty of space to explore freely.

We took the sellers advice to let him off the lead on his first ever walk. We were nervous but the seller was quite right that his nervousness of this new big world would mean he wouldn’t venture far from us. Worked out well so far.

In regard to toys, do you go for toys that offer some sort of ‘puzzle’ for them?

FWIW someone I know who has done a lot more work with travellers than me reckoned there was quite a distinction between the Romany travellers and the Irish, although there is some mixing between the two. Basically that the Tomany travellers were generally alright and the Irish travellers were generally shocking scallies. Not sure how true that is an is obviously another massive generalisation.

Anyone seen Knuckle btw? Fascinating documentary.

Yes, sorry Grum, I should have drew that distinction in my post. My experiences were with Irish Travellers of which there are many of their sites in the areas we were working. I can’t say I’ve had any experience with Romany Travellers, not that I was aware anyway.

My father in law detests them, blindly hates them all. If there is crime in his village ‘it’s the pikeys’. I cringed with embarrassment everytime he spoke about them. Despite my own personal experiences with travellers only being bad up to that point I wasn’t going to give in to small minded prejudice so would attempt to challenge his views. I had to spend the best part of a year working with him a couple of years ago which involved us working outdoors all around the east midlands and south east. As a result we encountered travellers very regularly and our experiences with them were all bad. From aggression towards us, to rubbish being thrown out their car windows, to assault, to theft of our equipment, to vandalism of our vehicles and equipment and the obligatory tails from clients regarding their woes and difficulties with near by travellers sites.

Needless to say I no longer challenge my FiL’s views on them because it’s very hard to defend the indefensible. The best I have is ” i’m sure they’re not all like that”, which doesn’t really cut it.

Northwind –

https://www.facebook.com/rideio?ref=hl&ref_type=bookmark

Doesn’t scalextric have you bored to death in 5 minutes anyway?

It is a sexist thread though and I find the implication that little cars whizzing around is the sort of thing men would enjoy offensive and demeaning to us all. Shame on you.

Just been posted on the Ride.io Facebook page. Hopefully that will help spread the word.

Nice one. Nice when things pan out as they should in the end. Shame you had to go through that process to get what you were owed but at least you’re getting all your money back.

It’s the correct stance for STW to take IMO and it was right for them to point out their position. But i do take issue with the contempt that STW has shown for its users and magazine buyers in its tweet.

Mark just said he’s given up on trying to please everyone. Fair enough, but it seems his sense of superiority has become so great that he basically sits on his pedestal picking out plebs he feels are just about worthy of associating with him.

They’re not that good to be honest. You could be awfully anal about the time travel anomalies but that would be unfair given most time travel films get some things wrong.

You could and many people already have. Very few anomalies in the BTTF trilogy, Time travel theories were well considered. There is artistic licence of course but it is a film.

All three are incredible films. Number one is just a fantastic character driven story, number 2 is a brilliant piece of sci fi with the genius and brilliantly executed idea of going back into the first film from a new POV and number 3 is a genuinely great western. Not to mention Alan Silvestri’s score which still makes the hairs stand on end.

+1 for the Gaggia Classic. Reliable solid machine that makes a great espresso and has a perfectly decent milk steamer/frother. I enjoy the process of making espresso so it’s perfect for me.

Very happy with mine. Used multiple times a day everyday without issue.

Yeah, people who buy full downhill bikes AND full face helmets should be able to hit everything at full speed, clear every jump, drop and basically throw themselves at everything without a care in the world. I’m glad you pointed out these shameful, cowardly human beings to us. We need their names so we can humiliate them further.

Identify yourselves!!!

Oops sorry. Yin.

I’ve tried to learn both the piano and guitar in the past. I’m just not coordinated enough… Or not patient enough.

I still love mountain biking, it’s not something I intend to give up but it would be nice to enjoy something a little less errrr sporty I guess. I’ve spent a big chunk of my life racing and competing. Would be nice to find something just to enjoy for the sake of enjoying it.

Media blow minor grumble into muslims causing trouble again shocker.

No issue with ads obviously but that pop up National express ad at the bottom of the screen completely screws up viewing the site on my ipad/iphone. Forum flashes and blinks and jumps sizes until I close the ad. The process starts over as soon as I open a thread.

Post him back his cable. Smile, safe in the knowledge that he’s obviously quite a tragic character to be so upset over a cable. Live your life without the hassle and undoubted upset and anxiety that going through a spiteful lawsuit will cause just so you can feel satisfied that you got your own back.

Novelty wore off after a couple of months. I have no interest in watching back my own rides from the perspective of the top of my helmet or from a chest harness and no one else will be interested either. However I did use it for filming stuff from various holidays including a trip by boat in the Scottish Highland. After editing it I put it on the boating companies Facebook page and a couple of weeks later they emailed me and offered me and my wife a free holiday for the following year as the response to the video was so good. Unexpected surprise but the GoPro paid for itself at the very least.

There’s a new script for each show?

Actually, I remember when my daughter was about 2 and her favourite TV show was The Teletubbies. I was always amazed at the way they kept showing the same stuff over and over again. In fact, in any 25 minute slot there would sometimes be only 5 minutes of unique material. Apparently, the developers of the show had commissioned some psychologists who told them that constant repetition was the best way of catching the attention of an undeveloped brain.

I guess the team behind Top Gear used the same psychologists.

Clarkson and May are starting to resemble teletubbies as well and they both talk nonsensical shit. Although they are slightly more bigoted, ignorant and xenophobic than LaLa and Po.

Wrestling. I can’t imagine a sport less appealing but who am I to argue? so I’ve just been practicing my microphone technique ” if ya smeeeeeeeeeeeell what the Rock is cookin’!!”

Wrong wrestling?

Still happening on my iPhone and iPad (safari). It’s a bit annoying but I’m not a paid up subscriber so just quietly sat in the corner suffering this torture.

One on test over at Ride.io http://ride.io/reviews/projectfun-first-look/

Weird time to buy. Most popular models have sold out, and new models are not out for a couple of months.
Just to clarify, you 100% can get a race orientated bike for £1000-£1500.

Good point and good to know that will buy me something raceable.

is winning races in our league on a standard planet x xls which is £999 with planet x

On paper how does the Planet X stand or would the On One Dirty Disco be a better bet?

How busy does the circuit get with these cycling events?!

I’ve done a few at Silverstone that had a good turn out but I can’t imagine how many cyclists there would need to be on a motor racing circuit to mean that you’d be almost piling into the back of others if you glanced away, inexperienced or otherwise.

Contacted the DVLA. They advised they were lacking a postcode (my dad is sure the buyer put one in but clearly not) and when the did a search on the street address they were unable to find it hence them contacting my dad for further info. My dad explained what had happened and the DVLA asked him to fill in the form they sent stating he has no further details on the buyer and the date he sold the car.

Hopefully they will just confirm that my dad is no longer the registered keeper.

Doesn’t have to be kayak related at all, it was just a means to paddle to some of the islands on the Lochs.

Very good point. Would have been helpful to mention it. Oxfordshire.

BTR Fabrications everyone luvs em ……………no one hates can afford their bikes

YT Industries. Well priced, well built, good spec, quirky, fun.

Whilst the judicious use of signage can’t be neglected the onus on looking after property must rest with the owner. Comments regarding a lack of signgae just point to deflecting personal responsibility on another party.

No they don’t. There is no suggestion of blame being placed elsewhere or that a lack of signs make it the fault of the centre/cafe etc. Political correctness gone mad? Go on. You know you want to.

The ‘fun’ brands that don ‘t appear to take themselves too seriously but still build some decent reliable bikes/frames – Transition, NukeProof, DMR.