I was there on Tuesday. The surface was a combination of ice and snow covered ice. The trails were mostly ridable except hully gully where the big berms were very slippy.

Can’t imagine it’s thawed much and is possibly a little icier by now.

The Hope line is finished and rides very well, the bottom bit being particularly nice.

My 456 (SS SS) has an ISCG mount. I use one of these to great effect. http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=56&products_id=336

If you don’t have an ISCG mount you may still get away with the BB mount option. The tension is adjusted by sliding the roller up and down, but unfortunately I only get about 3/4 of a link worth of adjustment so need to be careful with sprocket sizes etc.

Why would the insurance company be interested? More claims increases the cash flow through the industry and provides a reasonexcuse to increase premiums for those unfortunate enough to have to make a claim.

The only thing that might make them interested would be if they thought there was some significant residual value that could be recouped. I doubt ~£500 would be sufficient.

If there were no thieves and no people making fraudulent claims how much do you think your household insurance would actually cost? Theives and fraudsters are what makes the industry its money and only when things get out of hand do they start acting, such as with car insurance now.

This or maybe I’m just a complete cynic about the whole industry.

Downhills are for resting.

I disagree. Resting time is at the top of the hills while you wait for your mates.

Downhill technique involves getting as much speed as you can from the terrain by making better line choices, pumping and laying off the brakes. You can do this a bit better because at the top of the descent you’re not pondering gear choice, and you know you’ll want to keep some speed to help get up the climb at the other end.

Be prepared to hate it at first. Stick with it for a good few rides while you build strength and improve your breathing. Remember to really attack hills, get out in front of your mates as being stuck behind someone who’s slowly grinding up is worst of all. Don’t forget your new 3 gears, and don’t be shy about using them.

You’ll find new challenges in moderating power on technical or slippy climbs, and keeping up on flats. In return you’ll get more strength and improved breathing, a smoother riding style and a simpler more rewarding experience.

I recently discovered that uht doesn’t last that long after all. I found this out after finding a ‘glob’ of milk in the bottom of my tea.

Tea seems to be something that’s only ever right when brewed at home.

For me this is the line that set the alarm bells ringing ‘ This Is On Of Orange Top Of The Range Bike And Will Not Find A Better Down Hill Bike’.

Can’t blame the guy for venting his anger a little. I’ll add that I’ll also keep my eye out over the coming weeks around the local trails.

Liked roam, I think I preferred seasons personally. There’s something inspiring about seeing people who can ride a bike far more skilfully than I’ll ever manage.

The sweary northerners vids are good for showing normal folk riding tricky stuff. I prefer the demonstration of riding ability aspect to the provocation aspect, intended or not.

I think Rupert likes them best of all 😉

It’s easy as long as you take the time to read up on the subject beforehand. The latest regs are part 17, and there are plenty of books available for the DIY-er. Just make sure you get one that’s updated for pt.17 as there are some significant changes from 16, especially in the area of circuit protection.

You’ll need to inform your local building control department as wiring is now covered by part P of the building regs. Mine (Leeds) were happy for me to do all the work myself, including the testing, though it was recommended to get a spark to do it. Sensible really as the kit you need for testing is probably more expensive than paying someone.

Just make sure you keep revising up before you tackle each bit of the job, ensure you have correct cable sizes for the circuit, factoring things like where the cable is run, e.g. under insulation etc. as these have a notable impact.

So in summary, it’s a little more complicated nowadays than it used to be where you’d just string round some 2.5mm T&E and stick it on a 30a fuse, but for the person who’s prepared to read up and understand it’s all perfectly do-able.

Lastly, I’d recommend getting as a big a consumer unit as you can fit in the space you have. Most of the stuff on sale doesn’t really have the capacity to meet pt.17 and give you a bit of room for future expansion and working space in the unit.

Good luck!

Moral of the story, mountain biking is dangerous, and more of us should get some first aid training. There are loads of courses about, and even a normal course will help, although there are some advantages to the outdoor specific one. You might even be able to get your employer to pay for it.

Hope the bloke comes out ok.

Thanks all. Very helpful link David, cheers.

Andy, I have quite a neat tensioning solution, but it’s a little limited in range in that it’s only about 3/4 of a link.

So, my options are to either find a half link chain of good repute, or change my tensioning solution.

I’ll spare a thought for you next time I’m hooning down miller lane or playing ‘spot the burnt out car’ in Ravenscliffe wood.

Good all round. Not the best for the really rowdy stuff unless you’re a lot smoother than I am. 4ft drops feel a little harsh.

I’m not entirely convinced they’re as slack as claimed on the web site, not that I’ve measured it.

Edit: I should add that I really like mine and use it far more than my FS bike.

I seem to remember the manual for my old cavalier claimed 3 hours per gallon for idling. Newer cars are bound to be better.

If you’re going down the coffee and a sit down route check out this bike shop http://www.lakelandpedlar.co.uk.

What I want from an lbs is a really good mechanic, including wheel building skills, lots of clothing, shoes and helmets to try on, and at least try to knock a little off rrp, even if it’s through some kind of loyalty scheme.

Aside from this I reckon cheap bikes and kids bikes with the odd bit of serious kit.

Oh, and offer proper demos.

Getting involved in the community side of things can’t hurt either.

I thought I was risking it at 50 psi

I was armed with ear plugs and safety specs. Given the ‘ghetto’ nature of the solution it’s been suggested that the bottle is wrapped in something such as the leg of an old pair of jeans. Not sure how dangerous a pop bottle could be, but I didn’t want to find out.

+1 Pop bottle method. Cost me 17p from asda, and what happened to 3l pop bottles?

I managed 120psi, but after that air started escaping from where I’d fitted the valve.

Gisburn has quite a lot to offer depending in what you’re after. You can pootle round xc style quite easily, but there are plenty of opportunities for more technical riding with a couple of black graded berm sections (hully gully & whelpstone). There’s a freeride course with some bigish drops etc, and the hope line with some nice table tops.

It’s quite climby but if you’ve done gt you won’t find it a problem. The south loop is mostly wooded singletrack with some lovely bermy sections. The north loop is a little more technical and exposed.

Make sure you visit the dog & partridge in Tosside.

FTW

I’ve narrowed it down to that or a worn rubber washer.

Try switching it off and on again. If it still leaks then my money’s on the rubber washer, or if it’s the same as my old one that leaked a little rubber concertina pipe that goes to the top of the drum and had just popped out.

Is that why my washing machine is leaking water all over the kitchen floor?

If it’s running any McAfee software, then probably yes.

Mac OS is BSD unix not Linux based. It’s a common misconception that it’s Linux.

Linux is everywhere! If it’s not on your phone it’s in your TV, DVD player, PVR or media streamer. Who knows it may even be in your washing machine.

I bet Linux deployments now outweigh Windows deployments by a long way. Easier to use too!

Not mine but worthy of a post

I like the sound of this ‘windoze’ thing. Where can I get some?

Try here http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Windows_Me

Windoze! That’s a blast from the past, not heard that for a while. I think having to use ones middle finger to click a mouse button might be the root of the issue here. A bit too complicated for a Mac user ;).

Interestingly I find night riding helps me focus on the trail more. I tend to ride stuff faster and better. A recent example being a night ride at Dalby where I got some big berms spot on. Went back in the daytime and wasn’t nearly as fast/smooth.

Erm, except dot 5. If you use this bad things will happen. Dot 4 and 5.1 are both fine (and mixable), 4 has a lower boiling point than 5.1.

There’s a video on the stans website that demonstrates the required preparation. Apparently you should rub down and clean with solvent the wheel before fitting the tape.

I didn’t get the yellow tape or valves with my wheel (hope hoop). You might get away with the valve from an old tube to save a little cash as unlike with the mavic rims it seems to be a generic part.

Cheers. That thread seems to answer my questions.

I’m not jerking any knees. The sentiment has been building for years.

I imagine the problem is much worse in some areas than others, and I guess the cultural shift that’s needed is that dog ownership shouldn’t be entered in to lightly.

Surely only the responsible owners would have their dog licensed and chipped

You attach draconian penalties to unlicensed/unchipped dogs/owners. Random stop checks and some high profile cases to make examples of people.

Only licensed people can walk dogs. All dogs must be chipped with a corresponding DNA record. All costs covered by the dog licensing tariff. Transfers of ownership to be formalised like it is with cars.

Dogs on leads mandatory in public places where children are likely to be. All dogs liable to bite must be muzzled when in public or around children.

Owner is ultimately responsible for their dogs actions, whether they are present or not. This would mean of a dog rips a childs face off, they are tried as if they had personally done it.

6 month amnesty to become compliant.

Sorry if this offends, but recent personal experiences have left me feeling that something significant needs to be done. I know it punishes responsible folk, but so does the insurance industry and many other things we put up with.

Edit: I should add that I would hope the high penalties and initial costs would put off the numpties and that the eventual costs would be within a reasonable bracket.

Was that a ‘hang on a minute, do I want world + dog on my local route’ edit? 😉

Thanks people for your help. Next time I’m over this way I’ll bring the bike and explore some of these options. I’m thinking it’ll be good to maybe hook up and compare my old neighbourhood with my now familiar West Yorkshire trails.

Loads of fresh lettuce

Lettuce is a con! Do you know how much you have to eat to get one of your ‘5 a day’?

Spinach FTW, (with maybe rocket, watercress, lambs lettuce etc). Popeye ate it and I bet he was quick on a bike.

I tried to read the book once. Got to the bottom of the first page after about 15 mins of reading and re-reading then put it down.

It (the film) somehow manages to add comedy, very strong characters, realism and a cracking soundtrack to a very grim and tragic story.

I love how it got criticised for promoting drug use. Only an imbecile would think it promotes drug use.

I read somewhere that the internal dimensions of the chain are the same as 9sp.

a 10spd MTB cassette and 10spd road shifter appear to require a 9spd rear mech to make them work

I understand the pull ratio is changed for MTB 10sp, but maybe on road it’s the same as 9sp?

I reckon a bike shop is your best bet. Sizing’s a nightmare IME so try some on.

At work we are expected to give 110%, which of course doesn’t make sense. As such I assume it to mean 110% of a normal contribution, so apathy + 10% = mild motivation. I can live with that.

Top of my list that one. An understated masterpiece.