Bought my first MX bike at 36. First motorbike of any kind! Had 4 years of amazing fun, no tears, built up to a few decent jumps too – double/double at Apex, big table at Finningley…
Packed in at 40, not age directly, but becoming a Dad. Looking at PW50’s in 3-4 years :)

That was exactly my thought process and my experience bears it out. If I lived in the Welsh valleys or Ludlow it might have been different. Or if trail bikes 8 years ago are wear they are now. But then, it was an easy decision.
I did a tryout day with Geoff Mayes for a stag do, another for my birthday then raided my savings account 4 days later.
Do it!
You’ll get your money back on a good used 2 stroke if you maintain it well.

I’d get much more actual saddle time, much closer to home on an MX bike. Big financial drain though when you get into maintenance.

Weekend DH racing – 8 runs practice, 4 runs race day – 12 x 4 = 48mins riding. £70.

Day MX – 6 motos, 20 mins a time, 120 mins. £25.

I had a spreadsheet for my YZ costing out my spend and nearly everything day to day per ride over about 3 years (track fees, fuel, oil, tyre wear, chain, sprocket, top end) and it was under £60 a ride (riding 3-4 times a month some times). With above, better value than DH.

Bike parts are about the same cost across both. A decent 2 stroke can be had for £1500-£1800.

Add in a 40 min drive instead of 2-3 hours and I quit riding DH.

Lad I know came from sports bikes, thought he had throttle control, got a 250cc 2 stroke and wrecked himself!

Very roughly:

600cc / 125 2 stroke / 250 four
1000cc / 250 2 stroke / 450 four
500cc 2 stroke :)

Another mate blew his 250F so I loaned him my 125 for the ‘expert’ sessions. He scoffed at the little bike, lit it up from the gate and wheelied the first straight, toes in the dirt, unable to climb back on and shut it off. :lol:

If you know your limits you don’t need to get hurt – I had bags of fun pottering around MX tracks as a latecomer, it’s awesome and I was learning on every lap. If you have time and money, go for it. For me it was actually cheaper and easier than racing DH – tracks closer, fees less than race entry, absolutely knackered in a day rather than a weekend away.

You don’t have to break yourself but you will hurt. I remember struggling to put my own socks on for a couple of days after a big session when I started. I got a lot stronger.

250F sounds like a good starter but can be very expensive to maintain, so don’t discount 125’s. £60 for a top end, and it’s good to go again.- I’ve seen sports bikers come off fast road bikes, buy a 250cc 2 stroke, get hurt and quit! In the right hands on the right track a 125 is still extremely competitive.

You’ll need to use the spanners, a lot. And a jetwash.
Basic kit will be OK but get good boots, consider spare goggles and eventually (once you can take a hand off!), roll offs if riding wet or sand as you will get covered in roost!
Take security very seriously, keep the bike really low key and out of sight.

2 strokes :)

I dumped a Yamaha amp and 5 speaker surround sound system for one.
Main reason was declutter the room. As the PlayBar also has two wired ports, which also work as a hub I connected the TV and Humax box to it. Neat.

This let me clear out an amp, 4 floorstanderes, centre channel and a network switch.

Soundwise it’s more than we need and performs well compared to the old system but I occasionally miss the rear effects. As above, can be done with 2 Play 1’s but not cheap!

Drawbacks
Doesn’t handle DTS
Most TV’s don’t pass 5.1 through HDMI to optical so it has to process stereo and do pseduo surround from that. An HDMI/optical switch or TV that passes 5.1 would be better.
Expensive
Only really makes sense when you add more Sonos gear
Would love a sub but how much???!!!!

Love mine, brilliant bit of kit especially for music but be aware of the above.

https://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=7623

I’d have pulled the little f*** off

8O

:lol:

Roller cab with as many thin drawers as possible is great, can pack lots in and it looks tidy with the drawers shut! Essentials on the wall, but I just have nails in some ply.

Nice to see a Quick Vice on the bench Mr Overshoot! I was responsible for that, managing my creation from design to manufacture.

Yodel have been great with me several times, last time the driver insisted on carry package to the hall. Bit disappointed really, above sounds much more fun.

Some 3rd party home delivery service despatched a foul mouth breathing witch who, with a lit fag and plumbers crack on display, walked past the front door (equipped with fully functioning with doorbell), came through a bolted side gate and kicked the shit out of the outside door of a double locked porch, then had the temerity to complain “You took your **** time” when I, somewhat confused and taken aback, answered. Sarcasm was lost on her and the company when we complained. Unreal.

DPD rule.

Stay on the train until you get to Grindleford!

Something like this does Bluetooth and also has a port for charging, but if are using it for both at once there’s no point using the Bluetooth connection, just plug the audio in for better sound.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/7dayshop-Wireless-Bluetooth-Receiver-Charger/dp/B00BASP2MC

You mean a wireless device with a wired passthrough also? Could be harder to find.

You could just unplug the wireless dongle you choose and plug your phone in when you need.

But if you put your music on the free Google account, you could stream to a Chromecast with zero phone battery drain once triggered.

Chromecast Audio will do that from phone memory, as long as you are on WiFi.
You can use the Play Music app, or an app of your choosing and the mirror function.

Yup, from within the Chromecast app you can cast audio. This lets you send YouTube audio from a device to the Chromecast, just not from natively in YouTube. Works nicely though and means you’re not stuck to the apps with Cast built in. There may be some lag if you are bothered about syncing with video.

Just replaced my Bluetooth thingy with a Chromecast Audio. Sound is far better, no range issues and can be expanded to multiroom if you want. Might be worth a look.

You can ‘cast’ any audio from your tablet as long as on same WiFi network, or cast from Google Play Music (upload your own music for free if you don’t subscribe), Spotify and BBC radio.

Not sure if I should admit it but I helped a mate build one. We got accepted at auditions based on work in progress but it never got completed, mainly as we liked engines and welding and nothing about electronics.

Was more scrapheap challenge than robot wars, ran on 2 2-stroke engines with diaphragm carb so worked inverted powering a dragster rear wheel made from a BMX hub shell on a T45 steel tube axle and using Land Rover bevel gears. Started with a power drill. The weapon was mass and speed. Tool steel battering ram and pivot steering. Noisy and dangerous, probably best it never ran…

Did something like 22 DH races one season. All SDA, Dragons, NPS and Midlands that didn’t clash. That’s full weekends from Friday to Sunday in the van, pack Thursday, sort kit Monday. Fun but pretty tough to fit in.

Haven’t raced in years now but loving riding more than ever now my mediocrity isn’t being timed.

Funnily enough, last night I was reading an AA post with the same title as this thread :)

Note the slightly ambiguous comments on winter tyre law for Germany (and presumably Austria)

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/winter-tyres-and-snow-chains.html

Since you’ll drive through a few countries, this is useful

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/snow-chains-winter-tyres.html

So you’ll need chains, and winter tyres are law if it’s ‘wintery’ in Germany.

Yup, call Rick!
Currently looking after Sam Dale and Manon.
Or Twelve50 bikes in Frodsham.

My router is in my cellar and one powerline unit on the ring main down there, fed of it’s own breaker.

I have another in the garage, which is on a spur from the house consumer unit, over 100 feet of underground cable, into another consumer unit and onto the socket ring main in there.

My WiFi powerline happily sits solidly connected on the second ring main on this spur.

TPLink solid here.
Plugged them in to adjact double sockets for setup and pairing, then moved to final location and been there ages now. Great.
The other temporary one gets moved and used as required. Also solid.

Depends a lot on wiring and router I imagine.

Looks like the guy on the floor is a bit flat, needs an STW style pick me up!

http://www.topeak.com/products/pumps/smartgauge_d2

Currently with Sky, but looking to cancel. But their series link, set record from phone app

Free Sat box from Humax and the Freetime app.
Replaced Sky+ and haven’t looked back. Box is better, has loads of on demand built in and beta software does Netflix too.

That and a Chromecast is a great combo.

Tyres depending, of course. ;)

Probably any, as long as fitted with decent winter tyres, going by my experience of ski transfer mini buses in various vans.

Yup, full bikes fit in a Kombi easily, depending on how many.

I put them sideways but larger bikes have to go on a diagonal. Tuck the back wheel in first right behind the seat and bungee on to the headrest posts.

Couple of DH bikes easy.

3 fully built trail bikes will go. I’ve had a full sus 29er, my 26″ 150mm trail bike and a 150mm forked long hartail in there.

5 with front wheels off.

I have the 2+1 rear seat which also makes it very flexible, unclick unwanted seats for more space.

My 56cm road bike goes across the way, no bar turning. very neat. I just hang the bar over the seatback, job done!

My wife has a car and I have a van. Had 4 vans (T4, Vito Mk1, Vito Mk2, T5) in the last 14 years or so and much as I looked at cars at my last swap, couldn’t do it.

I do have access to a car if I need one however…

Prefer the van, even before I fill it with bikes, days out at the bmx track, full it with camping kit, or go and fetxh 8×4 or 3m long material for DIY etc. Nice driving position on motorway. 5 seater fits 5 bikes (front wheels off), people and kit in comfort if needed.

Downsides – bit more expensive to run on VED and fuel. Insurance similar for me. Not as fast, generally but plenty quick enough.
I find parking my van easier than the wife’s estate, wheels right on the corners and big mirrors help lots.
Heigh restriction the only problem I’ve run into.

Commute is a 15 miles, moslty motorway, few times a week plus one or two long motorway drives (expensed mileage for these), not sure it would be as much fun with lots of town driving.

Career break and some travel before nipper starts school.

My wired connection on my TP link is faster than my fibre which gives something like 78Mbps on Speedtest, whereas WiFi only hits about 30.

Loads of trails parallel to fast track, just follow the top fire road and look for entrance points and explore.

Lots are steep and techy and tricky in the wet, which is half the fun.

Possible to link a really good trail ride up in the too with some knowledge.

Are you after trail bike stuff or ‘proper’ DH?

Either spend a lot of time exploring or really need to be shown round to get the best out of it though.

Powerlines work on the same consumer unit, even over split circuit. I have one in a garage on a spur.

As above, access point is better than repeater as a repeater will halve the bandwidth as it is literally ‘repeating’

Do you need WiFi? If just connecting a computer a wired powerline adaptor is cheaper, faster and more stable. WiFi versions are OK too though.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0084Y9N3O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451476279&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=tp-link+powerline&dpPl=1&dpID=418ZLpKRboL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00DHB2T44/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1451476279&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX220_SY330_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=tp-link+powerline&dpPl=1&dpID=418G-LktvOL&ref=plSrch

Go Outdoors do a 10% price beat promise. Worth a try against the Winstaley price.

Ironic really, that he’s having a stock clearance now with all the history over the last year. Took 6 weeks to get mine from him a year ago, took money, no communication. Warranty issue, no communication. Fortunately Ison are the new importers and awesome. Great lights, good price, but read up as above.

No, mine is rock solid even using an old HTC Desire as one of the controllers as well as phones, tablet and laptop.

Dropping the bridge helped as it uses Sonosnet 1 and the components use 2.

For network info, have a look at
http://X.X.X.X:1400/support/review
with an ip address of one of your Sonos units in place of x’s. If you don’t know your router will give this. Might help identify the network issue.

Visit here and set it up for Garmin
https://www.strava.com/upload/device

Then install Garmin Connect app on your phone, go to Devices and set up Bluetooth and Sync.

My Garmin rides are usually on Strava by the time I’m in the front door after pressing stop at the gatepost. Works well.

I then use https://tapiriik.com to sync to other trackers and Dropbox.

IKEA! Awesome. I’ve been just for bags before.

Where do people keep their music?

– Cupboard full of CDs
– Ripped and stored on a NAS drive for local access or copying to portable devices and sticks etc
– Music also synced to Google Play Music for access anywhere

A streaming service makes sense if you buy lots or explore new music, I’m tempted but still trying to move from ‘one time purchase’ to ‘lifelong rental’ model in my mind.

PlayBar only has a single optical in (and 2 network ports), no 3.5mm

Play 5 has a 3.5mm in

Connect has RCA in

The line ins let you ‘piggyback’ in and play the source around your system, but you still need the app to select that source and group speakers.

PlayBar is good as you can then stream TV inputs round the house, so you don’t miss the comedy when you go to the kitchen, or can enjoy YouTube music, for example.

Phone – Chromecast – TV – Playbar – SonosNet (your other speakers)

Another plus is the network ports turn the unit into a mini range extender/hub. My TV and Humax are wired to the PlayBar and stream HD on demand, no need for wireless dongles or wiring up the room.

I have bluetooth on one stereo, looking to replace with something wifi based as the range is crap, if I leave the room with my phone in my pocket it unpairs.

To that point, Sonos only really makes sense for a multi room system you want to expand. Once you have a couple of rooms set up it’s brilliant and seamless.

Expensive as a single room solution and not portable, which is where you’d want a battery powered bluetooth unit.

stumpy – good point, it’s a bit ‘closed’ but downloading the app is about as quick as pairing on Bluetooth, mates have it, it just hooks up when they are on my wifi. Just make sure you trust them not to fire up your tunes full blast on their way past your house back from the pub :twisted: