Must admit as much as I enjoy the built trails at Cannock, I wouldn't want that kind of thing at the Wyre Forest too. It's nice to have a bit of solitude on quiet non-purpose built trails as a contrast / alternative to Cannock. (Both are about the same journey time away from where I live.)
I do think there should be more access to singletrack trails in the bulk of the forest, but I don't think MTBers (or horse riders for that matter) do theirselves any favours by keep riding in the SSSI areas. (The tracks are plain for all to see.)
I'm not adverse to poaching the odd bit of cheek, but that's a bit too cheeky I feel…
The Kinlet area is a bit crap tbh. There are some good bits of singletrack, but a lot becomes unrideable in wet weather and a huge chunk of the area is taken up by the testing facility which limits the loops you can string together.

In summary – I guess I'd like to see open access apart from marked footpaths and SSSIs.

Why on Earth would you want to kill a fox???

Not that new, but I just bought "Temporary Suspension" by Planetary Assault Systems (Luke slater).
I'm liking it a lot – proper, good old dancefloor techno vibe, bit of variation and the production is top-notch.

I'm a big fan of Cocoon Recordings too. Phil Kieran's "Shh" album is a winner. Most of their output is currently in the tech-house camp at the moment though. (But still good stuff!)

These days, I'm more into this kind of thing…

Ukalen

Fast and flowing with some nice technical stuff to keep me awake!

Ditto. 🙂

I believe the Enduro route is going to be waymarked in the near future.

The guy in the bike shop told me that too.

I bought a ss to cover commuting and off-roading for a while, as my commuter frame broke and the forks packed up on my hardtail at the same time.

A year later I still haven't bothered to fix my hardtail, as I'm enjoying ssing more now. It's ideal for forestry riding (Cannock, Wyre Forest, FOD, ) which make up the vast majority of my cycling.

I'd still want gears and front sus for trips to the Peak / Lakes etc, but I haven't been travelling to ride much of late.

I love the smell of muddy grass and wet leaves in autumn and early winter – what I call the cyclocross smell. (Cuz that's what I associate it with – even though I haven't ridden cross for years.)

Sound – knobbly tyres at high speed skipping down a gravelly trail.

You guys must be rock 😉
I tried 32:16 for a while for mainly Cannock & Wyre, but the short and steep variety of the hills killed me. I'm not as fit as I used to be and the successive hard efforts were too much. I found I just couldn't get on top of the gear unless I could carry some momentum into the climb. The tight switchback nature of some corners often make this difficult.
I use 32:17 now and although it's a bit twiddly on the flat and downs, I'd much rather be able to climb without hyperventilating!

I really should ride more often…

Not posted any pics for ages…

Howies are best jeans I've owned. (I'm not quite so thrilled with some of their other clothing, but the couple of pairs of their jeans I have are superb.) Fit, comfort, style and longevity – all boxes ticked.

Coming in a close second for me are Diesel.

I loved the live footage.
Good to see that they still can put on a great show and there's no lacking in energy!
As a fan of Maiden in their heyday, I find it difficult to accept that Janek bloke as part of the band.

I was a big fan up until Seventh Son but kind of lost interest a bit(in metal generally, ) around that time.
Saw them at the Birmingham Odeon in the 80s – my first ever concert. Happy days.

Blazing Saddles is still one of my favourite films ever.

The cute old lady gets some of the best lines, imho.

Sheriff: "'morning mam. And ain't it a lovely morning?"
Old lady: "Up yours n*****!"

And when she's getting beaten up by thugs,
"Have you ever seen such cruelty?"

Makes me laugh everytime, anyway. 😆

My 2003(?) TALAS lasted for 5 years with pretty much no effort on my part.
Finally started leaking oil and I noticed loads of wear on the front and rear of one stanchion.

I'm not too upset after that length of time, but on the other hand, the 2001 Marzocchis (now on my hack / commuter)are still showing no wear at all.

I got 5, but would have scored lower if it wasn't multiple choice.

Nice little vid. 😀

If I'm pushed, I'd have to say the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Despite the misguided attempts at adding a bit of humour, the huge liberties taken with the story and the evils of "Hollywood Blockbusterism" it still was clearly made with a great love and respect for what's my favourite book and for every cringeworthy moment there's several genuinely moving ones that bring a lump to my throat.
It was fantastic to see these characters that I've loved from childhood finally done justice on the big screen.

Beej wrote:

Rocketdog (without random capitalisation) – I can't believe anyone else has even heard of that (IBAVM). My girlfriend tracked down a copy on VHS for one of my birthdays, after I spent years trying to find it having seen it at Uni. It was rubbish when I was sober

Don't you believe it.
I went to the cinema to watch that piece of crap!

I was in Camden at the weekend (not been before) and that must rank as my favourite town / city area now. Amazing place!
I was there for a concert and the afterparty, but spent some time exploring the markets, cafes and bars too.

I wouldn't say London as a whole necessarily, but I'm warming to it…

Avonmouth sticks in my memory as being about as dire as anywhere I've been.

A trail centre could be o.k. using the forest down Priors Holt way, I reckon.
Wouldn't like to see too many more bikers (well, anyone really) cluttering the place up on a busy weekend though, tbh…

………..and i've promptly changed my profile pic of my 10 month old boy in his cycling jersey

Oops! 😉

I'm not massively excited by Italian food.

Status updates on Facebook.

That reminds me of another one:

People who put photos of their kid(s) as their profile photo on Facebook.
WTF!?!

Does having children mean you cease to exist as an individual in your own right?

(I'm a proud parent too, btw!)

Drivers who can't be bothered to indicate.

People who can't leave their mobile phone alone for more than 0.01 seconds.

Local radio.

Anything to do with X-factor/ballroom/skating/got talent nonsense.

R&B / soul / motown /urban music.

What has the makings of a good film being right royally ruined by being given the Hollywood Blockbuster touch.

My commuter and hardtail both developed seriously expensive problems at the same time, so I bought an off-the-peg rigid ss to see me through for a bit, covering both bases.

Loving this thread… 😆

Frankers wrote:

Sorry Franki, must learn to stay away from the keyboard after consuming 4 pints after my wednesday night ride

That's cool. I was in a particularly arsey mood yesterday. Apologies for the tone of my posts too. 🙂 I don't usually set out to wind people up.

Yeah, enjoyed it a lot!

Frankers wrote:

If you don't use the facilities there may i then ask why bother taking finger to keyboard and commenting on this topic??

Actually thinking about it i'm super impressed with your dedication to mountain biking without feeling the need to lower yourself into actually eating or spending your hard earned cash at these horrid trail centres.

Can i also ask what your packed lunch normally consists off, and do you normally prepare it yourself or by the hand of another?

Do you like Scotch Eggs?

Well that's me told then, eh? 😆

Scotch eggs are yummy. 😉

With all these facilities, if you don't use them you will lose them, and for the people who are driving there, taking all their own own stuff, and not using any local facilities what exactly do you think you contributing to the local economy?

If the answer is nothing, don't you think that might impact the future of this resource or are you happy to be all take, and no give?

I don't travel to these kind of places to bail out the local economy, I go because their countryside has bigger hills than where I live. I used to ride in Wales before there were any trail centres and I still will if they disappear. Most of the riding I do away from home is "natural" anyway, with no cafe or bike shop at the start / finish to cater for those who aren't self-sufficient…

To be honest, I couldn't care less if there's a cafe at any of the trail centres. I never use them anyway, I always take enough food with me for the ride and after.

I recommend the episode of Spaced 'Epiphanies'. Its like they were watching me on a night out.

Ditto! 🙂
I still get goosebumps watching that episode!

Listening to a lot of old Hawkwind right at the moment.
Other than that, mainly minimal and housey techno, psytrance and a bit of dub.

i've got a bit of chris liebing stuff and it's just darkish techno to me

Yeah, he rocks! He's playing the next Atomic Jam in Brum next month!

As for the music you heard –

Darkpsy maybe?

I run mine quite far forward, as I seem to be able to clip in easier and quicker.
Feels comfy and stable enough to me.

Thanks for the offer fella! Might just do that.

Good to meet you Ayatollahofniche ! That's one funky machine, mate!

I had a great day exploring and seeking out some nifty bits of trail.
That Dr John's is superb!
Had a quick spin round the FODCA to warm up – not ridden it for probably 10 years(!) was much more fun than I remembered.
Mustn't leave it another 10 before the next FOD ride, I'm itching to go back now. 🙂

Spotted a guy on a PA (iirc) at the cycle centre with one of the old blue STW shirts, but didn't get to say hello.

Facebook's been great for getting back in touch with peeps I haven't seen since school,(1987ish) and other old friends I lost touch with.

I can't be doing with the stupid applications or posting what I'm up to every 2 seconds, but as a way of contacting friends it's well worth being on there.

Big game?
I'm sorry I haven't a clue what you're referring to.

That upside-down wok thing sounds like it might be a "hang drum" to me.
They sound pretty cool.