D’oh, yes, wrong link! Thanks

I got some Muc Off foam cleaner which evaporates away and works a treat on sweaty helmets (?!) etc so that might be worth a look for the armour.

Am erring towards the POCs as they seem to offer a little more shin protection that the KSs but will try and test try some KSs on first.

Mine clicked slightly and it was the caliper catching on the bolts that hold the rotor onto the spider – just needed some careful tweaking.

Maverick have used this approack for years and I am not aware of a single frame wear issue.

My last Maverick was 4 years old and still on its original FSA headset and my current one is 2 years old – both 100% issue free.

203/183 on my trail bike and the same on my HT so I can interchange wheels.

My daughter has an Ridgeback and my son has an Isla and whilst the Isla is better, if you can find a good price on a Ridgeback second hand, I woulnd’t discount it. It is pink though!

All decent kids bikes seem to hold their value well so the total cost over 2 years is pretty low.

I didn’t like the rear coaster brake on the Hotrock or the older Isla’s as both of mine are now good with both brakes and it the like being able to back pedal when setting off.

I’m looking into the same thing at the moment – Halfords seem to make one and Thule make 2, but they all look equally crappy TBH!

Bell & Ross

I rode down those 17 years ago on my ’89 Rockhopper Comp with rigid forks, 150mm salsa stem and 480mm bars!

I’m only 33, but two of my regular cycling group are over 50, and one guy we sometimes meet up with who can kick all our asses in terms of fitness, is 62! He regularly does 12 and 24 hour events so you’ve got plenty of years left yet!

Thanks for the feedback – I’ll do some more experimentation and post the results for slaughtering comment.

The grass does need cutting, but in my defence, I broke the starter recoil on the lawn tractor at the weekend (suspect it was more due to a stiff engine than my huge biceps) so am waiting for either a spare part, or the wife to get someone in to mow it, whichever occurs first. I don’t like neatly pruned bushes as I like to think of it is an orchared garden, and the goal post on it’s side was down to the dog….

Aaaaand, this is my hardtail, so 680mm bars and an 80mm stem or fine thanks!

PMSL – No moobs thankfully, but will have another tweak of the straps etc.

My son (3 1/4 but tall) had just gone from a Hotwalk balance bike to a CNOC16 which is just OK for him size wise and it’s awesome. He’s standing up on the pedals already after 3 days!

His sister has a Ridgeback Melody which is their equivalent and although in terms of build etc, it’s as well made as the CNOC, it’s just a bit bigger alround (reach, brake levers etc) and weighs a little more (not much though).

A CNOC14/16 or Ridegback would be fine – I personally don’t like coaster brakes so would avoid a Hotrock. A good bike will hold it’s value well so the total cost of ownership is quite low.

Whyte 19 trail?

Here’s a quick lap of the back garden from my 960 – i set it in upside down mode to get the angle right and no, I don’t normally ride my bike with a shirt on!!

It’s in 960/25 fps (the PAL equivalent of 30fps NTSC) and works pretty well I think. Will give it a run in Wales this weekend hopefully.

Is Brechfa worth the extra journey time? Looked at the Afan site and all trails are open over the weekends apart from Penhydd which is closed all summer.

I’ve never done CwmCarn but is that just worth it on an uplift day?

Well picked up a CNOC16 this weekend and after dropping the saddle ALL the way down (with a slight trimming of the seatpost!) he was off like a mad man!

He needed a slight push to get him going first time, but after a quick demo from his 5 year old sister on how to get going he can now set off by himself on the flat. Considering his balance bike didn’t have any brakes he got to grips with them immediately and was doing skids today!!

Asked me today when he’ll be old enough to do a loop the loop which he saw on youtube – I feel a youth spent in A&E on the horizon!

Happy days!

I can confirm that bar spins done by a 3 year old are VERY cool!! Most times he comes to a stop, Chatrlie throws the bike forward, does a bar spin and then pops it up on the back wheel with a big grin on his face!

He loves watching freeride videos on YouTube and always asks when he’ll be able to do backflips – Time to take out private medical cover I think!

Thankfully no visible lump for me and the x-ray looked fine so am hoping for a 100% recovery.

Bugger! Thought it was all a bit easy! I’ve seen a 16GB class 10 for £18 – assume that would be fine?

I’ve just taken delivery of 960 from Jenson and didn’t get any customs or VAT charges I’m pleased to say!

What is the best memory card to use?

Looks like it’s well on the mend – not had a sling on for a few days now and feel much better. Very strange how the bruising appeared and changes as time passes and my ankle got much more swollen for a while.

Hope to get out on the bike again this week so am hoping that’ll be it for another 20years! Can’t believe how frustrating it has been.

Drove past Sports Direct and picked up a 70% off Karrimor which fits the bill perfectly! Christ I didn’t realise how cheap that place was – got some Airwalks for me, Airwalks for my daughter, the Karrmimor bag, a Nike compression top and a Camelback cleaning kit (Karrimor branded but looks identical) and had change from £60!

I’d avoid wood too – got a cheapy one from my daughter and whilst she learnt to balance on it just fine, it soon got very loose and wobbly and looked tatty when it got wet.

My son has a Hotrock and it’s a fantastic bike – no brakes but at 2 years old that isn’t an issue. He was 2 1/2 when he got it but didn’t have the seat anywhere near its lowest. At 3 1/4 it’s now at full extension so I’d be surprised if it didn’t fit.

He’s about to get a CNOC16 so if you are interested I’ll be selling it pretty soon. It was new last August and has the usual scuffs and scrapes but is mechanically perfect and technically still under warranty.

Think I paid £110 for it so I’d be looking for about £70 posted. It’s blue and black.

I have been through 2 Krups machines (circa £150 each) and they both lasted about 2 years before the pumps failed or they sprung leaks.

Think I’m going to get a Nespresso next as most restaurants I have been to recently use them and the coffee always tastes great.

I guess something big enough to carry a picnic for the wife and 2 kids but also not be too big for hand luggage.

Something like this looks OK so anything similar:

http://www.dakine.com/street-series/guys/terminal/

Managed to pick up some used but unworn Minion 2.5s so will report backmonce I’ve tried em!

Try again – not sure why Flickr has hidden those:

Here’s a couple I fluked a few years ago with my old EOS 350d – according to the software it was:

Exposure 1/2500 sec
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

and this is another one

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 49 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

I think these are pretty good but guess I just need to spend more time playing around with it to see what the various settings do.

What’s a crop sensor BTW?

I went from a 350d to a 550d and even to a luddite who doesn’t really know much about cameras, the difference is marked.

The 1080P video is a nice feature too.

Here’s one I fluked a few years ago with my old EOS 350d – according to the software it was:

Exposure 1/2500 sec
Aperture f/3.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

and this is another one

Exposure 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 49 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV

I think these are pretty good but guess I just need to spend more time playing around with it to see what the various settings do.

What’s a crop sensor BTW?

I’ve recently bought an EOS 550 DSLR and really wish I knew how to use it properly! I have taken lots of fantastic pics but far more through luck than skill and I just try all the settings until I get one I like!

I have the standard Canon 18-55 lens and Sigma 10-20mm which I use for wide angle internal roomshots – is there a good idiots guide to DSLRs I should look at so I can understand what on earth a900 / 50mm f1.4 means!?

Our Westie got attacked by 2 alsatians earlier this week – got a call from a tearful wife who was with him.
The owner got his dogs off, gave them a whack and just buggered off. Wifey was too upset to think to follow him or get his details but I was appalled he didn’t wait to see if he was ok.

Makes me cross that people can be so irresponsible.

Hope the puppy is ok – our dog is fine bar the bald patch where he was bitten but not had the bill through yet.

If it’s creaking and inexpensive I’d change it for sure.

I ran a slightly short steerer for a while on my Whyte 19 – probably 7-8mm showing inside my Thomson stem.

Never slipped, never caused me any issues, I still have my front teeth – even occasionally took off!

I’d clamp it up and see if you can move the stem with the wheel between your knees – pretty sure it will bend the wheel before slipping!

I had a 5GT Turbo as my first car (student loan paid the insurance!) and loved it. A mate still has a 16k miler sat on his drive under a cover. Probably appreciating in value if it’s not rusted away!

Great thread! Always wanted my dad to get a

but he just got a boring 2litre version on steel wheels.

Then he had a couple of Rover 800s before turning into a boy racer and having 4 of these:

I remember reading about the Ferrari Mondial as a kid and thinking it would make a great family car – 4 seat you know!

Mini Cooper D is probably the only one that is really any fun to drive. I’ve got one for driving into London and it’s great. Exempt from the congestion charge, free road tax, 50mpg all day long (more on a decent run) and most importantly for me, it is fantastic fun to drive. All others similar things I test drove were dull as dishwater and handled poorly.

This guy is fantastic and can see you in Mill Hill or Harley Street (if you don’t mind paying more!).

http://www.osteopathy.org/find-an-osteopath/Timothy-John-MillwayCentreforHealth

http://www.harleystreet.com/doctors/directory/?entryid130=242241&p=4

Thanks for all the info – are maxxpro just harder wearing versions of the super tacky ones? These will only see very limited use so I’m guessing super tacky would be the bet option?

Is it worth getting the front and rear specific tyres?

My LBS had some in and they gave them a fairly average review – have some 970 XTR SPDs but fancied a bigger platform for my Alps trip – they recommended some DX SPDs.