an old hardtail of your own that has served its off road time and now deserves years of tearing around town for retirement. My rockhopper was knackered as an off road mountain bike when in 2002 i delegated it to commuting but 8 years of 40 miles a week has hardly marked it so much less wearing is tarmac. And although it is a cheap mtb it is probably stiffer and stronger than most hybrids and purpose built town / city bikes. And if it is nicked then at least i have had my £550 worth.

I don't consider myself to particularly like heights but strangely that was OK and all i had to do was fold my arms quite tightly. I imagine its a million times worse in reality due to the inevitable wind at that height, the wind noise and the whole thing moving about. And almost certainly i would forget a really essential tool or piece of equipment!

I principally undertake middle-lane drivers whenever possible. I consider it an educational measure.

ditto. and overtake then cut them up. Pretty dumb but they are so annoying. And when I finally get level with them I hoot lorries that have sat there overtaking their mate by a margin of half a mile an hour.

I must be turning into a grump old man.

A vexing issue without a doubt. Pure roadies I know insist on doing it and over the course of a 50-80 mile ride will always get hooted at by some oaf even though they move in if it is narrow (eg a single width country lane). They do it so they can chat and for no other reason.

Personally I thinks it suicidal madness on all but the quietest roads and even then I always move accros as soon as a car comes but if you dont ever go on the outside you get described as unfriendly etc.

I prefer to ride through and off.

Mate, we have pot holes in London and thats not an excuse to buy a 4×4!! Such vehiclles use more resources to be made, more resources to be operated, take up more road and parking space and if you collide with something or someone (someone's child, a cyclist maybe?) you will do more damage than if you were in a lower, lighter, more soft nosed vehicle. Being fortunate enough to live somewhere rural doen't give you the excuse to be so selfish – examine yuor conscience!! They buy something smaller.

Good thread. According to my bottle of blue top 'whole milk' it is 3.6% fat that is basically sod all. More than fruit and veg but way, way less than cheese (15-30%), crisps (20-30% plus), red meat and fish (20% plus), cake (15-30%). Brown, wholemeal bread and pasta are marginally lower at 1.5-3.0%) but that is splitting hairs I think. I'm a skinny b@stard to say the least and at my last medical I was 12% body fat so drinking milk @ 3.6% (bearing in mind it has all the extra nutrients) is no big deal surely. I get through 3-5 pints a week.

At my last medical this June my colesterol was so low / good it was almost off the scale and the doc was obviously well impressed. That said I eat very little cheese, no biscuits, not much cake, no gravy, no butter or margarine and try to keep booze under 25 units a week.

not yet

Food standards agency. I'd have thought they'd be experts on it.

Thats were you are going wrong!! Such people are typicaly too risk averse and lacking common sense. They are the sort of jobsworths who are going to lose their jobs in the great public sector clear out that is so long overdue. Use and sell by dates are irrelevant for most stuff for several weeks and longer for dried or tinned stuff.

Anyway, whats wrong with food poisening – its a super relaible way to lose weight.

David Attenborough eat your heart out – great photo. Real fight action in the blurred wings and a look of "i'll get you you b'stard") from the sparrowhawk

anyone would think it was the silly season – what a boring topic to discuss. Radio Four normally does much better than this.

i'm running that exact set up and its going great. When you first inflate you may find they go down over say an hour or two. IME its best to blow up then immediately ride as that really evenly coats the latex around the tyre's inside and seals up all the invisible micro holes that otherwise give you an effective slow puncture. Don't skimp on latex – its the key to sealing small holes without you even noticing. It also helps to seal the rim.

Spot on Tinners.

Cornwall is beautiful on a sunnny day (I was there in June and it was really hot) but overall its been ruined by out of control incomers. Too many retirees (hence the various references above to care workers), too many second homes and too many holiday homes. Its a shame but that is the free market for you. Until internal migration to vulnerable rural areas is better managed then such areas will be ruined.

A slashed tyre (as opposed to a hole) is pretty fatal IME but probably just statistical bad luck. Same thing happened to my Nobby Nic first ride and wasn't even that flinty – really worrying but I patched it internally with a tube patch and just I have just ridden all 7 days of Trans Wales (plenty of slate and sharp bedrock there) without a problem so initial mishap was just bad luck / chance. Last year did it on Racing Raiphs that feel even thinner.

Giving the bottle a good shake and using lots are pretty important as well. I use the JRA stuff rather than Stans but only out of habit.

Tubeless is definitely worth perservering with I think.

People like me I guess that aren't competent or interested in repairs and appreciate the personal and prompt service (mainly in the form of repairs). For me saving say £10 on a new chain and cassette is neither here nor there compared to the cost of alot of stuff.

I buy everything I can through my small town LBS and stuff they don't stock I research on net then they order it in for me. They can get most brands and if not then at least they have had the chance.

In return I get 10% (or 15%) off everything and instant service for all repairs. With 5 bikes in regular use there is always something needing some attention.

Corporate LBSs are pants except for browsing and smaller ones that can't be bothered to provide decent service deserve peoples cynacism but mine is just great for me.

IoW has loads of bridleways on the southern amd eastern three quarters. Buy an OS map and you can't go too far wrong. Its a chalk ridge with lots of shortish, steepish climbs and descents. I've done various navigator races there and found it fun but not spectacular. I'm not aware of any perticularly amazing must do routes but its all pretty pleasant. Possibly ideal for you if not looking for knarly, adrenaline fuelled madness. Lots of good pubs, teashops, nice views, pretty villages……

Only just got home from the Trans-Wales. All kit in the process of being washed. 3 loads done, 2 more to go plus tent to dry out.

But at least my bike is still in good working order. Looking forward to puting the fitness to good use in coming weeks.

how far to the nearest A&E?

Nice bulldozer though….

Crests on Hope hubs should be good for that if you are light enough. I can't see them supporting a 15 stone rider but you did not eleborate upon your weight!!

Then had to ride through some cows in a farm, which was a bit of a worry

poof.

On five nights we should be in or very near a town with shops (eg a Spar) that is handy for snacks post ride. I got a bit hungary between arriving at camp at say 3PM and dinner at 7PM so its worth packing some Soreens, dried fruit, biscuits etc to snack on in the last afternoon.

Don't worry about pasta overload – last year was shepherds pie, curry, roast beef and normal 'school dinners' type menu items.

I'll be there but not sure whether to ride Flux or Soul.

Either way I'm praying for sun or at least dryness.

There is a footpath near QEP in Hampshire that must be the best part of a mile long and pure good quality singletrack. I would hope there are a lot of much longer pieces than that elsewhere but its not artificial or going round in circles like some of the above.

Qs must be great after all this dry weather – hope you got over annoyance at dumping and enjoyed the rest of the ride.

Great footage. ta.

I had a shoulder op on 18th Dec and arm in a sling until start of Feb and first rode bike on 6th March. I reckon I missed out on about 80 hours riding including commutes, road sessions, Gorricks and Thetfords etc). I did do 4 x 1 hour turbo sessions in Feb but fairly half hearted. I also walked up escalotors and stairs that is something you presumably can't do.

On 6 march I felt ok in terms of getting up short (200 metres etc) hills but felt there was no endurance and had no wish to ride beyond say 2 hours. I did HONC on Arpil 11th and got on fine, not as quick as year before but riding with a slow friend so not strictly comparable. My commuting bike is SS and I was able to turn that over OK.

By end of May I was marginally less fit than year before judging from results in tour of wessex.

Overall I was amazed that all that hard winter riding counts for so little. No that it will stop me winter riding next year.

crazy-legs is right.

220 – age was way out for me. I think max hr declines as you get fitter but a lower max is not a bad thing in its own right.

after riding with a hrm for a few years i could predict / tell what my hr was in ay given situation and as crazy-legs says now use that to determibe my effort.

Crests on Pro IIs running well so far. I'm a bit lighter than you but similiar terrain. I also am getting along fine with 2.25 nobby nics running tubeless.

I don't need any willpower to exercise because I love cycling. The only time I go 2 days without riding is if I go on a skiing holiday. It might only be riding to work but it gives me my fix of riding.

to give up beer, cheese, junk food etc – now that require will power.

Dried apricots are good for causing wind. Probably the best in fact.

My sister and her husband moved there about 10 yrs ago and are now have some sort of citizenship. They love it, skiing, diving hiking (aka tramping). A mate moved there about 5 yrs ago from Bristol and hes not coming back either.

The Scotland story / analogy is fairly true. The weather, esp in N island isn't great, there are v few rights of way so the scenary might look great but you can't ride there, there is sod all history (even less than the US!!) or old buildings or interesting vilages etc. There is skiing but its pretty limited and my sister and her friends go to US and Canada now.

You just have to assess your own priorities. I wouldn't want to be so far from my main family and friends but its a free choice.

the Post Office, reasonable rates and no commission.

Hense the fact that despite rather liking BMs, I would never own one. That makes me particularly shallow doesn't it?

er, no not really. Reckon there are loads of people like that. Including me and BMWs, golf, and a few other things as well.

after 4 years mine needs a new bushing in the main pivot and the name has worn off the down tube so def don't buy one. also the bottle cage bolt was shonky and wouldn't unscrew so can't use a bottle that is irritating.

But apart from that its the nuts and strangers are always really polite about it and admire it even though its normally covered in mud.

Good for anthropology and the study of 1950s classic brutalist concrete buildings. Some of the later are still around for us to marvel at but sadly the former will put you off hanging around for too long. Hertford is really nice though (in a more classic sense but you could argue it is boring, smug, Victoriana commuter cack) and home to McMullens brewery with loads of decent pubs selling real good beer.

In the south I've always thought Dorking must be about right, Leith Hill about starts about 200 metres away, town is quite small, pretty and fairly safe from development (Green Belt, Surrey HIlls AONB etc), lots of decent pubs, yet close to M25, trains to London, Heathrow and Gatwick, the coast. Its just very expensive but great off road and on road rides right on your door step – no need to load the car up nonsense.

Presumably they will pay your accommodation costs in China? When my sister was there for 4 years with an oil co in 1998-2002 expats could only live in certain places (typically ratgher naff gated estates with club and security etc) and they were shockingly expensive. I recall her rent was US$10,000 pcm. I get the impression their salary is pretty much doubled for going to semi uncomfortable places (China, Iran, Kazakhstan).

A mate went to Moscow in 2000 and had his UK salary doubled plus free flat (vast and very central), flights, private schools for his kids etc. Moscow was considered rough at the time.

some great advice there, esp from MF. I would simply add (and I know I sound like a miserable old b'stard for saying it but) that half the trouble is alot of people simply cannot understand that if you ain't got the money you can't have it. New clothes, gadgets, better car, white goods, furniture, DIY etc are rarely urgent and it won't hurt to defer for a few months or even years.
Buying an iphone whilst still carrying any credit card debt is just plain bonkers and totally wrong priorities, pay off some off your mortgae, say 20%, before spending more on doing it up or replacing the kitchen or bathroom. Obviously valid exceptions to each of my examples will exist but the gist of my argument is right. My bro in law and sister have just retired at 50 with a pretty decent pension saved up (self funded not employer paid) despite never earned that much and inheriting zilch. How? They lived like students most of the time (no kids admittedly), great holidays, nice but modest house, no car, no crap, no waste. All the under 35s at work are up to their eyes in debt but think nothing of having a gym memberships (run round the park!!), 2 foreign holidays a year, enough clothes to start a shop, a new car every few years and so on. Don't spend what you ain't got. And always pay off debt before anything else.

Rode my new Soul 3x last Friday to Sunday and also totally pleased with it. I've been riding a Flux for the last 4 years and this is so much fun, surprisingly quick up and down and just fun. I know I'm behind the curve compared to most here in getting a hardtail but better late than never.

I said to some upvc double glazing salesman that i wasn't interested because upvc were "ugly" and he retorted " like your face" and hung up. I'd like to be ruder but worry I'll get done for general harrassement and a part of me feels sorry for them. Surely they only take such jobs because nothing decent has come along? Then on the other hand cold calling is a king nuisance IMO bordering on being immoral. We're young enough to laugh it off but some people get quite distressed by it never mind ripped off by said windows / kitchen etc they don't need.

Labour regularised our relationship with EU. Until 1997 it was a nightmare of endless tacky arguments over Europe. And all due to be re-started soon.

I think their worst habits were too much spending, too much spinning and too slack re immigration. I do accept they meant well most of the time.