DH hardtail = totally pointless

id have to disagree hardtail dh is loads of fun, espeacially when you are worrying the rear tyre of someone on a £2k+ fs rig.
I dont do fs full stop so im not going to buy one espeacially at the price id need to spend for such a single minded bike. HT all the way!
*edit: whoah ^^ that is one fugly beast, love to have a go on it though

like i said, im after a bike that will give me a balance, i understand that dh and jump specific frames are different, im after a happy medium between the two

yep im in agreement, im after a balance really, the alpitude is just too long and just doesnt feel right, fine for trail centre blasting but doesnt feel great on dh, it may feel better if i had the smaller frame. I get the need for some length on dh but the alpitude is just too much.

no need for painters, what im after is someone who can plasterboard/ basic carpentry, someone who i can just give a list to and let them get on with a few jobs, while im busy with others.

no worries, was just thinking if anyone local needed a gap filler for cash. its a long old drive from st columb.
cheers anyway

up near bude mat

my easton elite creaks, weirdly not all the time though. Cant seem to sort it either

id say 8)
but… i wouldnt ride one meself, would scare the shit out of doggers on a night ride though and you could pretend your in Tron!

mr trout, you are a gent, thanks so much for the offer. Im tempted just to strap one of your lovely lights on my bike for a bit but a mate has leant me his spare.
I know where my next light is coming from though 8)

Wish i'd had the cash for one of yours trout! I didnt have high hopes for the dx build quality, but you makes yer choice..
im just hoping the replacement sees me through the winter

no not the charger smudge, It poured out of the body of the light, quite theatrical, i thought.

bingo!

yeah i know, its just a bit more of a ball ache when your dealing with a company in hongkong.

and have some decent manual settings for poor light, low cloud etc.

if a camera required manual control for that I would term it 'broken'…

My current camera, thats too bulky to be bothered to take out is shocking on its auto settings for those conditions. Maybe it is broken but has been like it from new.

no budget as such, as i will probably scour ebay for a bargain, just after something that will take a bit of abuse, be small and take good pics, needs to handle being used with wet muddy gloves and have some decent manual settings for poor light, low cloud etc.
mju sounds good!

legend…
thanks 8)

anyone know the number for the site, or name? Im not going to get there till 9pm, if i need to book in to get into the site

cheers gents, i'll probably try that site anyway, im arriving late(ish) so if its easy to find it'll do

been pontificating since first post and the conclusion i have now drawn is that, spending the amount of money the average working family can scrape together for a family car on a bloody push bike can never and will never be cool, therefore thinking you are cool cruising around on you £2k+ push bike, whatever it is, is actually the antithesis of cool.
If you have that much disposable income, instead of spunking it away on toy, spend it on something less self serving.
Now going back to your roots and trying to build a bike that suits your needs for under £500, like we all did when kids, apart from the silver spooners of course and then ripping up your friends on their stupidly overpriced ego massagers, that would be cool.

lapierre is as uncool as speacialised.
speacialized = mondeo man
lapierre = audi man
mondeo man has become audi man
therefore neither are cool but are bought by people who think they are cool.
now not giving a monkeys about the new must have bike/parts and just building up the right bike for you bespoke and not giving a toss what others think, is the only way to be cool.
in fact scratch that, how can you be even slightly cool when your a grown adult mincing around on a push bike!
i am not cool, but i do think steel is real :wink:

the dvd not the book, by the way.

like it…like it alot

same as 5am, i ended up having a discectomy and spinal decompression (now have a big scar that makes me look like i got builders bum all the time!
Play it by ear and see how it goes, if your riding already, sounds like you just irritated the nerve.
For pain relief, i was prescribed everything, including oramorph, nothing really hit the mark until…would you believe it i tried soluble asprin, it is the business for my back pain, nothing comes close (well nothing legal anyway)these days i only use soluble asprin and a little self medicating with herbs and i am reasonably pain free.
PS. dont bother with pilates, i went for same reason and nearly fell asleep every session (so boring) try ashtanga yoga, works on all the core strength but is fun and challenging too

Should be ok for damp, yep raise it off the ground with pallets and keep it ventilated. Dirt cheap just build it out of what you got.
We came over to kent a couple of years ago to build a compost toilet in a chestnut wood. Built out of coppiced chestnut and owner asked if we could do a week or so of general coppicing after. We just got my landy and my mates van into the woods, tarped over both and it was home from home (mid jan too) slept in vans and had a fire in entrance to tarped cover. Would like some more jobs like that, was a good laugh

does it have to be take downable each time? if not just build a bender, bend hazel poles and weave them together to make a dome and use a suitable tarp like cover. Yurt is going to cost you more than a tipi.
Alternatively a tentipi with one of their internal wood burning stoves, think the tents are around £400
What you gonna be doing in the woods over winter, coppice?

namastebuzz – Member
If you fancy the Himalayas don't go to Nepal, it's too crowded and touristy for my liking.

Go to Ladakh in far northern India right up on the border with what used to be Tibet. You can go miles from anywhere if you want. Best way is to fly to Delhi, then fly/bus up to Manali. Once in Manali, you can do a week long paragliding course for £60 and then buy an Enfield and ride up to Leh then onwards over the high mountain passes. You can camp out or knock on people's doors and ask for lodgings

+1 been to this area twice now, head to Gangotri (source of ganges) like namaste said, loads better than nepal, more real, less crowded, the locals are awesome, climbing even more awesome. Manali feels a bit like a theme park though but ski resort where paragliding lessons are is a cool place to hang out. Definately hire/buy an enfield and head up to ladakh/zanskar

had some bad experiences with ebay bikes/frames but buy off here and have a chat with the seller first. You can get a good impression of how genuine they are fairly quick. Worth checking their post history too, make sure they are genuine site users.
I bought a gem of a bike off here not long ago, well chuffed! and i have just bought a frame off someone else today, not got it yet though, obviously

so no powder coat if its got cromo rear end?

Think they have shut down for a while, the shop has gone anyway, may be back open soon (babies i think).
just bought a genesis core 20 in 16" for my partner and she is 5'3", it is fine and she gets on well with it, i reckon at 5'4" it would be even better

confused!
DINO, does that mean an 853 alpitude cannot be powdercoated?

nice!
are you selling as a whole or splitting? may be interested in the alfine

just out of interest, how tall are you?
im 6ft and after much deliberation, went for 18" (partly cus its what came around at the right price). I usually like a smaller frame but hoping the 18 will suit all round use, it is going to be an xc hack aswell as a DH ride.

i got into soft shells through ice climbing, took me a while to convince meself that taking something not guaranteed to be waterproof into the mountains, in severe conditions would be a good idea.
When i did, it blew me away, like moving from canvas jackets and wooly jumpers to goretex and fleece. Flexibility, comfort, warmth, everything, best move i ever made, i use softshells now on bikes, climbing, hanging out at the beach after a surf and as my everday coat.
Just dont buy cheap, you really do get what you pay for.

i'll have a play, its getting on a bit now though, see if i can get another year or two out of it before i swap.
yep agree there are cheaper sets, dont know about better but at least as good i reckon, but will they last 10 years?
Although triggers broom does spring to mind

thought it may be, is it a simple case of swapping for a new one?

cheers gents,
any maps or grid references would be good, just to get an idea, i can work out a route on the map from there.

keep going squire you'll get there eventually. Hit them harder and faster and dont worry too much about trying to jump, just float them at speed and it'll soon become second nature. Then start trying to add a touch of style when you can focus on it instead of focusing on not shittin your pants!
try not to worry about bailing either, its gonna happen, its all part of it. Skin grows back and chicks dig scars!

doh! too late ^^

If you dont want to do it yourself, dont worry about getting a speacialist roofer in. Just give a local independant builder a call, you must know someone whos mates with a builder? Most builders would be more than capable and you should be able to do a deal for beer money. All builders like little jobs they can do on the way home to fill up a day and go home with some folding money in the pocket.

We have to wash ours hands before action here, as the lime mortar and cement could give you dermatitous of the old chap (tricky to explain).

didnt know that, i use lime mortar fairly regularly, im a bit scared now!