well I don’t like whiskey either, but a whiskey mac, well that’s a different matter ….

little so n so is bigger than my gf, so will deffo fit a Spec Myka 13″ (try fleabay etc) might also be worth trying a 15 coz it will presumably last longer…. with growth

oh, if you haven’t already done it, take the cleat bolts out, apply copaslip/equivalent and replace

? were they done up too tight or is the fit iffy, I’ve never had spd pain (*excluding some iffy falls)

if you do a 2 for 1 place you can get posh specs and sports specs (*assuming you do sports) and it gives you a spare

oh, as well as frames consider the nose brace, if you get heavy lens (thinner lens more expensive) then you might get pissed of with them slipping down and diggin in on sweaty days (*or doing sports) – with two pairs you can compare how designs suit you

my mum died last year, I’m also an only child, me and my dad were never great chatters, we now chat every week for at least 1/2 an hour on phone now, and speak so much more when I’m up in Scotland, it’s amazing what you find out. Re ‘don’t have any other family close’, I spent 50 years ignoring relatives but I now have a soft spot for my mums ‘tory, religious’ brother (*family joke), he is a lot verbose but he really has done some really decent things in his varied life, and also has given me a completely new insight into mums life. Also I have spoken quite a lot to mums ‘best friend’ who again has given me some extra insights.

Hugs.

if the trails are multi use I’d look at making obstacles cover only 3/4 of path (ie leave sufficient access for walkers/family riders) so that it is truly usable for all

Yesish, not really a road rider – but happy to back lane bimble, but always plan routes so that any road sections are quiet/non dangerous (*or VERY limited busy road exposure – ie crossing only etc), and will use pavement wherever possible and appropriate (quiet/rural etc)

as jambo, hang round area at commuter and pub kicking out time, esp if on cut thru or alley etc

think of things like bins and recycling – and the likely future thereof – ie not allowed to leave bin in the street – but have to take thru house on bin day

are there any ‘facilities’ nearby that might mean reversing (bleeping) lorries or bottle banks being emptied at 06:00am

“It’s one thing a MTB or horse turning a trail to mud over the winter, on the whole they recover as soon as the ground dries out. Motorbikes and 4×4’s dig huge trenches which never recover.” – don’t entirely agree, but do accept on a per ‘type’ basis vehicles do much more damage than human power, IME I find you can often ride in or alongside huge trenches, and I find horses seem to use every available inch so making it impassable, I’ve also never seen a lane TROD’d(*usage banned to a specific user type) becuase of overhorseing, it certainly happens with overvehicling, another IME is that a lot of the BIG ruts are caused by agricultural vehicles, and I’m not sure banning them would be that clever.

I think that 2% is mean, and I’d adjust to 5% for vehicles, 65% for cycling leaving 35% solely as footpaths – sharing the countryside.

Given the numbers – 2% vs 78% I realy do think we should be trying to eat into footpath land and not trying to urinate on somebody else’s chips for a very small personal gain.

With my cynical head on, I wonder if there would be such an issue if there were a large number of free (*well parking charges excluded obviously) centres provided for people to go offroad vehicling at. I also wonder why people can’t take the attitude – well that X mile track doesn’t handle vehicles but that X mile footpath over there would – so how about we swop ?, it’s always take and no give.

“Onther other hand, completely trashed trails. “

Given that only 2% of ‘tracks’ in England are open to vehicles I suspect it will be quite a small % of trashed trails.

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/rightsofway/prow/default.aspx

I’m a lot more upset that I’m banned from 78% of the available trails (*actually a higher % than that due to limited R2R and new coast path).

if you ride in shrubbery/trailing vegetation land you may wish to get ones that angle inwards

IT started in 1980 – so consider myself very lucky as I’d never heard of computers at school.

School career advice was – you’re clever and given Glasgow + Strathcyde prospectives. Was looking at accountancy (*oh dear) and physics, bussed up for uni open day – accountancy – incredibly boring bloke in a suit, phyiscs – incredibly boring bloke in white coat, and can’t quite remember why but was taken through computing – which was blokes in jeans and Ts running about looking happy – decision made.

Milk round – 1st job in London 1980, and then just moved when unhappy or made redundant (3 times), done London/contracting + abroad, now in a 35hr a week, 25 minute country road commute happy place

My decison making/judgement/astuteness got better with age, regrets – working hard for companies who didn’t work hard for me, but lesson learned.

suspect I’m there

2 O 5s 2005(think) + 2009, building up 26″, 9sp, generic bits spares set along the way, more than enough function for my ability, only change would be a motorbike if the law opened up for offroad (ho ho lookout for the falling pig excrement) and keeping an eye on leccy bikes for when my body really starts to go/when we get the ‘last house’ so we can nip down the pub

retirement, caravan and remote Scotland plans

see http://www.nigelross-sculpture.com/gallery.html

could they knock up a seat on a viewpoint from a single tree, such as this

http://www.nigelross-sculpture.com/image66.html

yep, walking dogs, car cleaning, lawn mowing etc, life was so much simpler then……

the I’d say was from a tape measure

I’d say 122.5 ?, which poss rings bells 1990s Giant Terrago, is it marked anywhere ?

I have a new UN71, marked BG1.37 73, which has had a very long and happpy life in my spares box, so long in fact I no longer need it, mail(sort of) in profile.

how does the good old carry on about police (and public sector) pay being the same (? presumably London weighting) in all areas, so in some areas they are very well paid indeed but in the higher cost areas no so ?

“Police officers may receive a housing allowance, take early retirement, and a pension package which is better than most public sector workers, he says” – being blunt here anybody still on a salary based scheme should be very relieved on being so.

it would be more sensible to obtain a clear and full definition of the benefits package and compare at that level:

– housing allowance ?
– free travel ?
– pension ?
– overtime rates
– hours
etc etc salary is only part of the deal

quick brain dump

re ending in Inverness – see Great Glen Way
http://www.greatglenway.com/route_users.htm#Mountain and Road Bike
*I have NOT cycled this but the area is bloody scenic, starts at Fort William – so I suspect some people here can recommend good off road routes around there and tell em to do islands on W coast if they can.

Trossachs – Lock Katrine/ pedal out, paddle steamer back (*again not cycled this but investigated as treat for gf) http://www.incallander.co.uk/trossachs_katrine.htm

stay in a lighthouse – http://www.ruareidh.co.uk/ (it’s got hostel facilities BUT really is the middle of nowhere with NOTHING else nearby)

see travelodge sale, find cheapie weekend

put popup tent in bedroom,take bbq/cooker (*don’t use in the room) and do a ‘part camping’ weekend

To a certain extent depends on the company, a very large one with ‘hr’ probably has agreement details in place (*to deal with working mothers) in a smaller/new environment … does anybody else do this or part time etc ? – if so find out what their deal is as that can be used as a basis, either way I’d make sure everything is ‘in writing’ so that the agreement is clear all round and can’t cause problems.

I’m afraid I do think it could affect your career – even if only at the perception level, ‘small’ means less cover etc, and if it’s a small company it’s a pita if the person if you need is not there. I work ‘earlies’, agreed with my manager, and the number of people who look at their wrists when I walk out at 4 is noticeable, as was the comment ‘it must be 4 X is going home’ from a senior manager, funnily enough nobody comments when I get in early …. but like you I’m living now, I’ve downsized from a London job and it’s worjking for me.

*meeting == teleconference facilities exist, so dial in

good call, I might well be wrong but we drive N to Girvan regulary and I **think** that as we go along past Clatteringshaws Loch/A712 there is a sign that says ‘Gatehouse of Fleet offroad’, from the map it looks feasible, anyway if you do any of that wouldn’t mind seeing a review.

Cheers
*Alternative Day Out: See internet: electric brae – I personally find it truly weird, Dunure, nearby has a nice ‘quaint’ harbour, cafe + pub and castle. From Girvan can visit Ailsa Craig but apart from that not recommended.

nice (*honest food, nice mellow feel – not trendy/posh/smart etc) pub in Gairlieston (on seafront) *they built landing stuff for D-Day there but I think all traces now erased with new builds.

You can have a cup of tea in a lighthouse (Corsewall Point, *also see Mull of Galloway vistor centre – which may be better)

I think we will get ***ed on this, below is an exaample of Ipsa in action.

“In response to a Revenue and Customs (HMRC) inquiry, it said MPs had a right to hire an accountant to fill in expenses forms and tax returns on their behalf and that the cost of doing so – up to £5,000 a year – should not be taxed.

This, Ipsa argued, was because MPs are effectively self-employed and deserved the same tax settlement as small businesses.”

I don’t know any other self employed people on a final salary pension scheme, do you ?

make sure you fit a new legal tap (one way valve to stop backfeed), have an inside cut off/isolator and have a down run on outside wall so after you turn off inside and run the outside tap then the outside wall pipe is empty (won’t freeze) and then shut off the outside tap

really gets my goat in a bad way this, probably as I come from a background of have not/make do and mend, so none.

*I think the figures are ‘probably’ ‘complicated’ by supermarket etc type ‘waste’ – sell by date, incorrect colour/size etc, however I also think we’ve reached the stage where seagulls might be more appropriately renamed as ediblestreetlittercollectorgulls

I’m also taking a liking to some signs I now see appearing in the ‘all you can eat restaurants’ – along the lines of ‘If you don’t clear your plate there will be an extra charge’

would prefer that they had done a real job for a min of 20 years, well actually would rather we had a small management committee

no
no
IT, Degree got me my first job, since then it’s been skillset, skillset, skillset.

can you get a strap wrench on the cup ? and wiggle it out

There is a killer on Islay (and I think that’s about it), now removed from latest OS maps, I was sent there by local Tourist Office – started laughing hysterically about halfway down the “it’s a nice family walk” – I was now unclipped as it was about foot wide sheep track clinging to the edge of a hill with a rather nasty drop to the side and then I had to carry over about a mile of thigh deep bog/tussocks, worth it – to have a golden eagle hovering with you – yes, very indistinct/good map skills/gps reqd – mail in profile, not really recommended unless you want a challenge

Arran is glorious – recommend forestry track from Lamlash to Whiting Bay (via Glenashdale falls and Giants Grave, you can go down edge of coast from Whiting Bay to Kings Cross point (*stiles, nav difficult – I used to live there) and then along to Fish Farm and up or you can deffo walk along beach to lamlash and there was talk of ‘pathing it’

“Question from the USA—what would you say is the percentage of your trails in the UK that are trail-center vs bridlepath, multiuse and similar?”

http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/rightsofway/prow/default.aspx

Can’t really see the issue with paying for custom built trails facilities – I pay for hockey, tennis etc.

Is Plockton too far – Skye and Torridon not too far for biking, lovely village, local facilities (walks , boat hire etc), train station, Torridon/Applecross road to drive/view, otter spotting on Skye, oat trips.

I do Scotland in May or Sept to reduce risk, and I own a midge net hat and I have worn it whilst riding.

*Complete aside and wrong direction – but Glentrool/Galloway forest area is very overlooked. Lots of biking, beaches, night sky, sailing etc

it’s shooter time imho

merc with 3 hi level hi intensity brake lights, foot on the pedal all the time at the lights, merc with 3 layer led lights – normal driving lights as brights brakes, audis as well – is there a teutonic lights race on ?

top prize bmw, orange side/driving lights – king brilliant, must remember to try to sell flasher relay to the twunts to make themselves even more distinctive.

smiling, you’ve just reminded me of caramac apples, take one mum, small child, pan, knife and apples and a short stick. Melt chocolate, add extra holes to apple, fill holes and cover apple with caramac, bung stick in end, shout at child about getting burnt, wait for a while, mmmmmmmmmm. I was also allowed to tke jaffa cakes, turn them upside down, butter and strawberry jam.

yuppie – we used to do bangers on a small branch and hold them over the fire – more skilled than you think, can also do marshmallows, spuds in silver foil in embers ditto nanas and smarties for afters, you can also do tins of beans in the embers and get really irate when they fall over and get ash in them,

cheers, useful info.

In your position I might be tempted to see if there are any tax deals on art etc etc – as if there are they MUST allow public viewing, or make enquiries about SSI and subsidies etc

I ride cheeky most times now, and the gamekeeper has been the only fly in the ointment, I get moans and comments from a few ramblers but they are ‘not the landowner or an appointed factor therof’ or whatever it is, all other people who have known the law and had the legal right to apply it have been happy, smiley helpful people and not the least bothered aboout it.

Cheers

I asked as I ride on the land of somebody ‘rich’ who has an estate, I’ve now met the gamekeeper twice

#1 – he was a twtt, had a right go about 30 dumped lorry tyres, and didn’t seem willing to take it on board that a normal person can’t carry let alone cycle with a lorry tyre.

#2 – much less hostile, but stated that I could have my bike confiscated under section 59

“Section 59 Police Reform Act 2002 states that –
Where an officer has reasonable grounds for believing that a motor vehicle is being used in a manner which contravenes Road Traffic Act Section 3 (Careless Driving) OR Section 34 (Driving elsewhere than on a road) AND also the manner of use of the vehicle is causing or has been causing or is likely to cause, alarm distress or annoyance to members of the public, Section 59 can be used to:-“

so that won’t happen on a bike

#3 the land owner could be something to do with parliament and could have tried to get full access to shared paths for horses, whilst only allowing horses to use paths on his land

DalesRider

I was just going to post the bit about ‘criminal damage’ – which is a criminal offence, – I read somewhere to carry some sweeties/money etc and when challenged to offer them in ‘as compensation for any potential damage caused’ or something weird like that.

If you could post anything that might help others understand this area more I’d appreciate it.