I truely dispare with the whole rasism card. The boundrys of what is not acceptable seem to shift to the point of lunacy in my mind. How for example can a black board possibly offend anyone? No cant call it that, its a chalk board. Who you calling chalky? Where does it stop? Its got to the point where mindless ideots with zero common sense will brand everyone and anyone racist. Its counter productive and just confuses people, if not anoy them for something they ment absolutly no offense by to the point where I have just given up trying.

I went karting with some work colleagues last friday that we booked before the bad weather set in. It was outside on three sisters race track in wigan, in 70mph twin engined karts, at 6.30pm, in the dark and a frosty -4C, with Slicks! It was quite frankly insane, but bloody great fun! Bit like playing in an empty car park, but much much faster and on retrospect quite dangerous. 😛

3 weeks before Christmas – wtf?

Seriously, you are just pandering to these increasingly irritating Retailers that insist in bringing Christmas a couple of days forward every year.

Oh and humbug.

Couldnt agree more!

Of the few I’ve tyred, the only alcohol free larger I’d have again is Cobra zero. I was quite surprised having tryed some really poor efforts how close to the normal beer this was! Try a bottle for yourself and see what you think?

Lighten up neil, he wasnt having a personal attack, just making light of your post. I had a little chuckle anyway! 😆

Some manufacturers offer their own performace remaps, vauxhall for example have their own “vxr performance center” where they will install a performace remap whilst retaining a full vehical warranty. How are you going to distinguish between a manufactures remap and any other third partys. On top of that, there is nothing illegal about a remap and done properly emmisions will be no worse, most of the time its just a turbo boost pressure increase with a new base fueling map to ensure correct burn at the new boost preasure. If fact emmissions and economy can be bettered with a remap. So ill say it again, RUBBISH

Dirty diesal tuning boxes that simply up the fuel line pressure on the other hand, they are not so good.

This rubbish sprung up about a fortnight or two ago on all the car forums. Its just rumour and hearsay. Many MOT testers and Test instructors have confirmed they are made up.

Could she have avoided it? Not sure how

I’m not condemning the driver, accidents do happen and retrospect is not a luxury we have in the heat on the moment, but if she couldn’t see properly because of the glare, perhaps she should have waited a little longer and adjusted her visor or something until she was sure the road was clear? Was she in a position that forced her to make the manover quickly without checking properly it was safe? Complacency and lazziness probably had more to do with it, and she probably knows it, hence the breakdown.

Its natural to analyze accindents and ask what/who was to blame what could have been done to stop it. We can only learn from mistakes, and a guys life is an expensive mistake not to learn from.

My deepest sympathies with both partys.

If you have headlight washer jets, they tend to have huge capacity tanks. My signum (also a GM car of the same age) holds just over 8 litres. That said, the warning light should have gone off with after the first couple.

C) towball mount thule euro for me for all the reasons given above plus,

Its a much better way to secure an unconventional FS frame design with awquard hydroformed down tubes and FS linkages that just dont work with a roof mount system.

If somebody drives into the back of me, its their insurance claim and I get a new bike. If your using a roof mount and forget the bikes are on top, Its you that picks up the bill!

I can remove the towball mount rack in about 30 seconds and I dont advertise the fact I have bikes all year round.

Much happier being able to see and check on the bikes as Im traveling. The wobble on option A, and the poor clamping on non round tubes just scares me.

Obvious downside is the shear cost of having a towball fitted and the racks themselves are quite costly.

Strange nobodys mentioned getting shot at 😯 Just remember what exactly your signing up for.

whats the size like with the Chiba Drystar

Using their size chart, I was borderline Medium / Large. I went with large and their a snug fit. I recon I’ve got fairly big hands, and measured the circumfrance as 24cm. If yours are any bigger, Id go XL

Click here for their size guide

Ive had some Chiba Drystar gloves from merlin a few weeks now. Fantastic value for money for such a bloody nice glove. Lots of technical layers, but still not bulky, very warm and rated to -10, and the liners dont pull out when you remove your hands. for £25 they poo all over the rest and seem to be made much better than anything I tried on at Evens at twice the price.

I had a romantic weekend in Bruges about 5 years ago when I first met my now fiancée. This move just **** ruined the memory. 🙄

I quite like comic book influanced stuff and vampire movies such as

Watchmen
The Dark Knight
The extraordinary leauge of gentlman
X Men

Blade
Underworld
etc

Appeals to the child in me 😳

Anything like drivers down here it’ll be 30mph, but 2 inches away from the car in front

There is method in their madness. With only a 2″ gap, if the car in front brakes, there wont be much time for the speed diferential between the two vehicals to change much before the impact, resulting in more of a nudge than a smash 😀 😆

Obviously I’m not saying its a good idea, but if you think about it, it kinda works out!

Your not alone CG. Unfortunatly for staffies, they seem to be the dog of choice for your typical low life scally.

I bought some chiba drystar waterproof gloves from Merlin recently with the weather getting a little cooler. They really are a very nice glove, and phenominal value for money for the high quality compared to some of the others I tried on at the local Evens cycles at twice the price.

http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/Bike+Shop/Apparel/Unisex/Winter+Gloves/Chiba+Drystar+Waterproof+Gloves_52312100.htm

German brand, nicely built, good for -10 but so far only tested to -4 and pleanty warm. The palm side of the fingers are constructed with something ze germans call digital carbon fiber? whatever, but its very grippy! Liners are stiched in solid and dont pull out when you remove the glove, and they’re not to bulky. Warm yet breathable. I know people tend to rate whatever they own highly, but these really do get a 10 out of 10 from me. Theres nothing i’d change. Have a look at the chiba website below.

http://www.chiba.de/2009/eb1.php?Eb1Id=303

http://www.chiba.de/2009/katalog/katalog.php?KatId=24#/8

Go to Maccys, pinch a few straws, tape em together, slip em down the dip stick hole and suck! lol. 😆

My mortgage defaulted from a fixed rate to the base rate +1% just over 2 years ago. Ive been saving the difference and so far have just short of £9000. If rates go up, and I miss the best deals by not being quick off the mark to re-fix, theres still no way i’m going to be 9 grand down. Its an absolute no brainer for me. Stick with the 1% + BoE rate and save the diffrence, pay a lump of your mortgage with the savings, and pay intrest on a smaller amount in years to come.

I doubt youve got much rights on this one i’m affraid. I’m sure youve googled private car sales and already seen that its essentially a case of paying your money and taking your chances. Cars sell privatly for a lot less than a garage for exactly that reason. It really is a case of buyer beware and once youve driven it away, sold as seen. Your only hope is to play on his conscience and if he’s offerd to pay half, personally i’d take him up on it before he changes his mind.

I know you want to hear otherwise, but deep down you know your screwed. I’m sorry

I’d recomend anyone who cant tell the difference the freestroke screw makes just stick to basic deore spec and save your money.

Slightly off topic, but how on earth do you go for a pee wearing Bib tights? Its a faf with a pair of lycra shorts under my baggies, so I can only assume it a complete sodding nightmare. 😕

I’m with DT78 on this one. I just cant see a third party sparking the driver out without provocation. More likely the guy started ranting at the cyclist for riding into his door and generaly bashing cyclists to the point the culprit saw red and offered him a big hand of shut the **** up.

Trying to translate some PLC ladders written in technical German so the HMI shows fault messages in english for the machine operators. I’ve had some highly amusing babble fish translations so far. Later I’ve got to get the cherry picker out and figure out whats wrong with one of the gas heaters on the roof. I’m not usually bothered about heights, but this thing wobbles and sways about a foot in each direction when at full height 🙁

Might dunk my chain and cassette in the solvent bath later before I leave for home. Thinking of changing from squirt wax to wet lube. 😕

I read this once: –

“Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together…”

Brilliant 😀

6. crushed egg shells, they wont cross them
7. balance them on a banger, light, run, Bang…..SPlat!
8. Ferrets. They love em! perticually fond of beer soaked ones. (they keeps cats out too for an added bonus!)

what can people find to talk about at 3;20 am

Not a lot, were all far too tired here at work to actually talk. By 5am, were fit for nothing and more like the living dead than the emergancy repair crew we’re supposed to be. Coiled spring..Phfff, more Like coiled rope.

Bar work in a good little pub. Its more a social event than real work 😉

😆 Just flicking through the pile of todays papers and I read this little jem from one of the lesser quality rags. 😳

Dogger Robbie Drance, 50, a regular visitor to Delamere forest in Cheshire with wife Judith, said the sell-off would be the death-knell for the couples hobby. He Fumed: “Our woodlands are a public resource and should remain so. If Private firms build holiday homes in the woods, there wont be any place for outdoor recriational sex.”

😆 So it looks like we can add Doggers to petition list 😆

Next time I’m on a night ride through Delamere, I must remember to shout “alright Robbie, evening Judith!” at every dogger we pass

Fortunalty we already have Shower facilitys and even a workshop if you need the bike tweaking. The drying facilitys would just be the jewel in the crown.

As I mentioned, my Lycra shorts, baggies, jersey, gloves all go in the dryer on a regular basis for years and they are still going strong. so I didnt for one second think it would be an issue.

Ill see what I can sort out with a drying room instead, but £10 says that If I put the option of a tumble dryer in there too people will use it. 😉

On average, I think south manchester holds the more afluent areas, perhaps where you’d be looking to move too if she’s failry well off. Perhaps Lymm would be a good location, easy 20 min commute into the center and yet far enough out that your on the green belt of cheshire, Ideal for a quick doorstep ride through the countryside, down the transpennine trail, or the wandering canal through the cheshire planes. You’d be close to the M6, M56, M62 and M60 motorway networks that will get you to a massive selection of riding within 30 minutes. Delemere forest, peaks, lakes, rivington, north wales, macclesfield forest, lee quary, etc etc etc. I live in Davyhulme, and often ride down to lymm through the farmland, nice area, shed loads of nice pubs in and around the area for the pub ride, just got its own bike shop too. wish I could move there myself.

Get the drill out! Presta valves have no place on a mountain bike. They have No benefits over a Shrader valve which is far more reliable and sturdy.

It depends on just how straight the walls are Hora, but if you have to apply any sort of bend to the skirting to get a tight fit on even the slightest curve in the wall, no nails is useless, especially if the skirting board is slightly warped to start with as is often the case with B&Q stuff. Your far better off with a couple of frame fixing bolts into the brickwork behind. Normally just a couple of well positioned bolts are all thats needed and will pull the board in tight. Any small gaps between the board and plaster can be filled later with decorators caulk.

What size skirting are you fitting? If its decent 9″ tall stuff usually found in old houses round your way you’ll need a bigger sliding mitre and not the cheap little ones.

I have one….You can borrow it if your stuck but you have to be very carefull! the Guard lasted about a week and its a big bugger.

I cant quite work out what that roller is doing. its too far back to be used as a guide and its past the contact point so it cant be adding any more tension

I think the roller is positioned there to stop the belt lifting up off the sprocket and skipping. It may allow you to run slightly less tension, reducing the load on the bearings.

Had my hotpoint Aquarious washer dryer for just over 6 years. Nout special, cost me £200 for a B grade one with a slight dent in the side which you dont see sandwiched between the kitchen units. Asthetically pleasing and matches the rest of my kitchen applience suite in graphite, unlike some of the quite frankly ugly miele stuff at 5 times the price.

Runs almost daily with either the usual laundy, dirty bike gear, or the fury vet bedding from my fiancee's guinne pigs.

In 6 years, the drain pump blocked once with fur, and the heater cutout thermostat needed re-setting when we used the dryer function for the first time in 12 months. (fan was a little sticky). Neither cost anything to fix other than an hour of my time and were due to what could be considered abuse.

Sorry I saved £700+ on a miele or the likes……err Nope.

Still I guess you pays your money and takes your chances.

My mums cheapy 8 yr old hotpoint needed its first repair last month too. A new door seal after her pet chewed it. £19 delived of ebay + 30 minutes to fit. 8)

Onyx 😆 😛

I wouldnt worry about it Stuey, from what I understand, and I'm willing to be corrected, Lithium Ion cells have a much safer chemistry than primary lithium cells that could vent and explode if there was a short or something. Even so, the Li-Ion cells have a pressure release valve, (rather than a vent) so if the absolute worst should happen, the pressure cannot build up within the metal body of the battery to dangerous levels and then suddenly explode. Having a thin rubber membrain such as plastidip is not going to hold anywhere near enough pressure to become a problem.

I used PLastiDip after seeing the results on another forum and got fantastic results. My batteries are now completely air tight! Its fairly expensive at around £13 delivered, but you can do a fair few packs with one tin and so I did my mates cells too. Its reasuring to know they are totaly waterproof so worth the small outlay I recon you'd agree. Looks a little more profeshonal than bits of clingfilm and tape too 8)

Link to forum discussion click here