Thisisnotaspoon – I go through this sometimes to.

I love riding in a group, enjoy the company and banter… but local groups can go through bad patches when ‘other stuff’ (competitiveness/strong characters/bad feeling etc) seems to get in the way of just riding your bike with like minded folk. I found that things often calm down and come around again. Don’t burn any bridges, just go and enjoy the trails on your own for a bit and come back to it in a few weeks :?

Sofaking – Is that a Kelpie? Lovely looking dog.

Meet Meg Dog, a Kelpie cross. 16yrs old and still going strong :-)

Meet Millie…

She decided to move into the Flower household about 6 years ago. All the vet / vaccination advice is good, but Millie was also very timid and trips to the vets are kinda stressfull for all concerned, so I have minimised them as much as pos…
Fleas & Worms – you can get drops for the back of the neck from licenced pet shops (ie Pets at Home) I use Drontal & Frontline.
Spaying – Got to be done if you don’t want lots of little furry rockets, and you could get her microchipped at the same time.
Vaccination – (am ready to get shot down here) as she’s a mature cat living in a rural location with very few other cats about, I don’t get vaccinations done :oops: If I had a cat from a kitten, or if I knew that it had been previously vaccinated then it would be worth doing, equally if there are lots of other cats about.
Beds – I waited to see her favourite spots and put a throw / towel on it so that I could give them a quick wash.
Scratching posts and litter trays – there are plenty of these in the woods outside.

Sue w – I had a look for some good perscription glasses a couple of years ago (I also have a small head don’t know the size, but kids helmets or small adults done up as tight as possible on the rachet fit well)… sorry to say I couldn’t find any in the local opticians and was reluctant to send off for some. I eneded up going down the daily disposable contact lens route. I have a stigmatism so contact lenses weren’t supposed to work, but I tried them and found that they were fine 8) Now I pay about £10 a month for a dozen pairs through the post, means I can wear them kayaking, biking or skiing with regular sunnies / goggles with no worries, still wear my specs to work.

Doesn’t answer your question – sorry, but worth thinking about.

Dave – Decathlon do mail order, but the only clear female ones I can see on the web are ‘Raid Trail 700’ glasses with photochromic lenses, which make them expensive at £34.99. I can vouch that Decathlon Ladies glasses are small with rubber arms to help a snug fit.

I got a great pair from Decathlon. They were woman specific, although I seem to remember they were marketed for running not riding… Pale blue and grey frames, fitting my rather small head and with interchangable clear / yellow / brown lense – all for about £20.

I went back to get another pair last year, couldn’t find the same ones, but it might be worth a look if you have a store nearby.

My bike is way nicer than my other halfs :-)

I have a Whyte 19 trail with bling cobalt wheels, and a Commencal Meta for the occasional Alps trip.

Mr Flowerpower has a 2008 spec rockhopper.

Why is it that way around?? I ride more and have put more money into buying my bikes, he is a closet roadie and spends his money on his two girls…

Not sure its all to do with what sex you are… just how important you bike is to you.

I did the Exodus trip (Atlas Descent) a couple of years ago.

I know that they do have bikes based in Agadir as a couple of the guys on our holiday used them, but I have no idea if they would just rent the bikes out. TBH the organisation was a bit shonky, with a UK guide who didn’t really rate Exodus, although the local guides were great.

The holiday was amazing – just for the scenery. We didn’t ride from Agadir, but rode back down to the coast to the North of the city, from the high Atlas mountains, at the end of the trip. The trails that we rode were all small roads / donkey tracks. The area is very agricultural and single track paths were few and far between as a very sparse covering of short wheat is grown on any available spot. Riding off road would likely wipe out the families daily grain ration in one easy swoosh.

As Mostly Balanced said the rough roads and trails inevitable lead to a group of houses with kids showing a great interest in your bike. We didn’t come across any malice of any sort, but you do feel a bit of an arse when you are riding a bike which (possibly) cost more than they earn in a year :oops: If you can find a bike and are happy just exploring the back roads and villages then I would go for it, if you are looking for techy singletrack then you would need a guide… although if you are lucky you may find some lovely grippy rock slabs to play ‘chicken’ on :-)

http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/

I rode LEJOG this year – loved it :-)

I rode it with a friend in 10 days (1000 miles), didn’t really get much training in, a couple of 120mile rides and one weekend of 100 miles each day about 6 weekes before we set off (I have reasonable MTB fitness – rode Kielder 100 last year). We were lucky, had great weather and took it easy, even having a couple of beers each night. By the end of it I was feeling fighting fit and sorry to have to stop, so on your level of fitness you should be fine.

However – we were well supported and only carried minimal kit, staying in YHAs & B&Bs as we went, it would be a different matter if I had been trying to ride fully loaded…

Mark Leadbetter… Not sure of his contact number, will have a look.

Or take the wheel into Flying Fox Bikes in the old mill in Alva and they will pass it to Mark.

Or check out this thread… http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/good-wheelbuilders-in-central-scotland

That would fit. There are quite a few different varieties from shrubs to small tress. Commonly know as ‘Dog woods’.

Just my guess mind :? !

The leaf shape and red stems look like a Cornus of some type. Does it have white flowers in summer?

What ‘shape’ is the tree?

I bought a couple of sofas from ‘SofaSofa’. I think that they have a showroom somewhere – but it is basically just internet sales. Loads of styles to choose from and different material options for each style. They send you fabric samples to get the right colour before you order.

Basically good, solid sofas at a cheaper price as the company doesn’t have ‘shop’ overheads.

I think you have 14 days after the sofas are delivered to change your mind and they collect them and refund you if you aren’t happy. Mine are great quality and they were easy to deal with and buy.

http://www.sofasofa.co.uk/

Not as good as the above… but mine from last year. You kinda have to know my BF to get it!!

Hmm.. I’m not keen on lending or borrowing tbh.

As a former kayaker, this MTBing marlarky can be expensive. I don’t earn a huge amount and riding is my main hobby. Mates have offered me bikes to ride in the past, usually when more travel was required than my old 3″ fuel could provide. However my feeling was – if I can’t afford / justify spending the money on buying a bigger bike then I can’t afford / justify having to repair or replace someone elses should the worst happen.

The same goes in lending. If I know that the other person isn’t happy spending money on buying or getting their own repaired then I am not happy to loan mine to them. However now i have two really nice bikes and if it is a mate who just wants a try out, or needs a bike and I know they would look after it, then I would be reasonably ok with it.

Like many of the others have said – it all depends on who and why…

I take it that neither the wife or sister in law have bikes? If they do then suggest that, due to his size, he would be better borrowing theirs (its only a bike…)

Yep… Go for it.

I rode it last year (in the dry). It was by far the longest ride I had completed, although I did get a couple of road 100 milers under my belt during that summer, along with a few big 8 hr mtb days out in the hills.

I am pretty certain that if you are fit enough to ride for 8 hours, then you will physically be able to keep going for another couple, for me it was just a matter of determination and stubbornness that kept me going towards the end. More of a mental challenge at that point somehow.

Having said that, I completed it and was happy to do so, but I won’t be back. It is a good event, well organised and an amazing sense of acheivement to finish, but as a days riding it was possibly one of the least enjoyable that I’ve had :roll:

druidh…

If I rememeber (used to help run the Plean CX for my club) you just have to pay a couple of quid extra for a day licence if you don’t have a race licence… Paid on the day with your entry.

I ride with a bunch of friends and we meet at 7.30pm, giving most folks time to get home and grab some food. I tend to eat a light (or half portion) meal before I go and then something when I get back.

The down side of it is that I’m often not home till 10pm and am usually wide awake for the next couple of hours… Trying to ride to work more at the mo to make the most of the (just) light evenings for now.

I would also say go bigger :-)

I’m a 10 stone burd and my first kite is a flexi foil rage 3.5m, which I bought after having a play on a friends 4m kite. I bought it second hand on ebay.

It all depends on the wind, but my kite is a good work out in mid to light wind and I know that as I get better I will be able to take it out in stronger winds. My BF is a similar build to me (11 stone ish I think), but with better upper body strength and he is happy to fly it in most conditions…

I tend to head for the beach where possible, it is more fun for getting dragged around and a softer landing if things do go wrong.

Open it to get into the spare room…

Don’t know… but maybe give him longer than 2 days if you can, before you make a decision…

I know that I can act like / come accross as a bit of an arse when i’m in a new and strange situation. Could be made harder for him as the person he is replacing (you) is still around and obviously liked and respected – could result in trying too hard, but coming across badly… just a thought.

I use Dainese knee and shin guards. They have a hard shell and maybe don’t look lightwieght, but they have mesh backing and fit really well, so in practice they feel cooler and more comfy than softer pads… well for me they do anyway!!

I have a Collie cross, now too old to do much, but for years she came out with me on the bike the whole time.

I started by doing dog agility classes with her, they were loads of fun, kept her thinking and wore off a shed load of energy. It also taught her to look back to me for directional signals, to work to verbal commands and made her into an incredably attentive obediant dog. Collies are bright, yours will soon work out what is required. I also taught her to heal to either side and then getting her out with the bike was easy. Meg had it nailed from the start, staying on the pavement through town, even as I went round parked cars etc. Just needed to watch her on singletrack if in a group, as her attempts to round up the back marker wasn’t always appreciated!!

Sorry – It works for me :?

It was the HM customs site: http://cccfcalculator.hmrc.gov.uk/CCF0.aspx but the other one should do the same.

You can use this or this online calculator to work it out.

It used to be alot cheaper to have a van, but they changed the tax rules and now it is creeping up (although guess you’ll still save some). I think I heard that the tax rules were set to change again in a couple of years – so worth checking that out too incase it goes up part way through your lease.

The fuel used to be all included (you didn’t get taxed on private miles at all with a van) but that has changed too.

Hmmm… before you hand yourself in to the polis, just check that it isn’t one of these..

Russin Vine (Fallopia baldschuanica) not Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica), is closely related and looks similar, but Russian Vine is very common, grows like mad (also know as ‘Mile a minute’) and is perfectly legal to plant, grow and sell. The leaves on Russian Vine grow in pairs (or threes) from the stem as you describe. More info here

Or Bindweed, which also has similar leaves and grows in the same way, but has pretty white flowers instead of the long tails of tiny flowers that the two vines above have. More info here

Hope that helps…

So noobie here… jumping in with both feet and expecting to drown ;-)…

When I was 34 I could have said the same (except I guess I’d be the wierd Aunt, breeding cats??)

I was just divorced from a embarrasingly short marriage, had a string of relationships in the past and was wasting my time with a guy in a on/off relationship that was going no where. In retrospect I struggled in my relationships because I didn’t get the time I needed on my own, and it made me frustrated and grumpy (without really knowing why).

Then I took a job 300 miles away, moved to a city where I knew no one and got out more and more on my bike. Got fit, rode Kielder 100, entered a load of No Fuss events and started to have the time of my life. Didn’t really think about relationships, just had fun.

Last year I met a guy on a ride, he has two amazing young kids that he loves spending time with. I’m happy to join in with the kids, but use some of that time to get out and ride with my friends, which is what I need. I’m nearly 40 and never thought that I would feel as settled as this.

Life is good, take it as it comes, try not to worry and wait to see what happens!!