Yeah, I can just imagine: Oh look, a photo album – I thought I’d put that one away…

😉

I can’t respond to that Stoner. I vowed never to speak to you on here after seeing your thread about your month in France.

Not. Envious. At. All.

Capt – he’s hardly going to go from three for a tenner Aussie vat up to £30 a bottle Burgundy.

Try and spend about a fiver a bottle to see big increases in quality. Very roughly, if you think on a £3.30 bottle stuff there’s: 45p VAT, £1.61 duty and 80p retailer margin. That leaves 45p for the importer, the cost of the bottle, labelling, shipping – oh, and the juice… Duty kills the value on cheap wine so an extra £1.50 a bottle will get you juice worth ten times the cost…

I’m not a fan of generalisations, but for now if you don’t like cats pee, then stay clear of sauvignon blanc. There’s not much value out there right now with currency, but South African and South American wines are holding up well on exchange rates at the fiver mark…

Don’t get too hung up on grape variety either. Saying you like chardonnay is like saying you like steel frames – one persons version can be significantly better than another, even within a small wine growing sub-region.

Oddbins continue to have decent staff. Get into one and tell em you’re starting off, tell them your budget and listen to what they have to recommend…

He’s not trackstanding, he’s using his left foot on the front wheel – it’s nowhere near his pedal…

God. We really are sinking to new depths*

* Absolutely no pun intended. Really.

I’ve done that GT combination probably ten times now (I work in Scotland and come through Peebles home), so I’d say I know it pretty well. I’m not the best or fittest rider but I’m okay on my day.

I felt pretty knackered before I started after a big weekend, so thought I’d be slower. But to be faster while feeling ropey was a surprise.

The sheer displeasure from hitting the lower sections of the climb up to the mast and the bottom half after the Spooky descent were a surprise too. If the ride had been much longer I’d have been dying to get off. Spooky itself, Britney Spears and the other fast flowing sections felt much faster on the HT.

My knackers took a bit of a battering, my lower back was sore as were my calves – strangley. Maybe riding full suss has softened me too much… 😉

To all on here thinking that two abreast is wrong, can I ask:

1. How old are you (in minutes please)
2. How many of those minutes in your life have been wasted by being stuck behind two cyclists*

Jesus. Two abreast sometimes is inappropriate (and inconsiderate) – but really, I find some roads users impatience really quite unbelievable when they’ve been held up by a minute or two.

* It’s rhetorical, before you start…

Yeah well, I wasn’t even trying.

If I’d put my mind to it… 😉

No.

Edit. Oops, missed the quote – rule 66:

66
You should

keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear
keep both feet on the pedals
never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends
not ride close behind another vehicle
not carry anything which will affect your balance or may get tangled up with your wheels or chain
be considerate of other road users, particularly blind and partially sighted pedestrians. Let them know you are there when necessary, for example, by ringing your bell if you have one. It is recommended that a bell be fitted

I’d have a fresh pair of bib shorts and socks for each lap without fail. Spare shoes if you have them can be useful. I wouldn’t wear baggies if you paid me once I’m wet (and you will be)- lycra only all the way.

I agree with the food at 4am thing, choose something you know you enjoy.

Not really Al, I just thought the times help qualify the argument. I thought if I didn’t look at the times before posting it would have opened a ‘yeah but the HT is much faster/slower’ debate. The times are so similar it clearly doesn’t make that much difference. At my level anyway…

I’d always thought my Meta at 140mm was a dog on the climbs compared to a light full suss – clearly it’s slower, but not by much. And I’m MUCH happier on the FS – which is what counts.

Top of Scafell on Sunday…

You don’t give a flying fk, then can be arsed to spout bollocks like this:

Truth be told, I don’t really give a flying **** about kevball, but it always makes me sad when the knuckle-draggers forget that it’s just a game, and then end up getting all confrontational about it.
Get a life, get out on your bikes, and stop getting so worked up over a bunch of overpaid nancies chasing a pig’s bladder around a field.

Oh the irony 😀

Agree on 120mm.

I had TALAS forks previously and messed around for ages trying to find the sweet spot – I reckon it’s 120.

seven – Member
sram – x9 better than shimano every time

It was a good discussion until then! 😉

SRAM isn’t close to Shimano in terms of build quality on their mountain bike groups. I run X9 on the tandem because of the long cable runs and 1:1 pull. It’s plastic (not so) fantastic.

XTR on one bike, mixture of XT and XTR on the other.

Shifters on XTR are much better, and I love the multiple upshift. The XTs perform faultlessly, but feel clunky and a bit cheap in comparison.

The rest of the groupset is great, but for big improvements in terms of pure function, only the shitters feel light years ahead.

Hi Mick

I’ve never tried Topo properly. I thought I’d try open source first and if I thought it was lacking I’d stump up the cash for Topo, but I really don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

I’d thoroughly recommend trying it before you shell out for Topo.

Cheers
Craig

If you want to stay legal, the open source maps to have on the unit are great. The UK one I’m using has all the minor roads where I live, many bridleways and come with or without contour lines.

Brilliant: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

EDIT: I use the talkytoaster with contours: http://sites.google.com/site/talkytoasteruk/ukmaps

Dibbs, that’s all I do with my 705 (saving GPX files directly from MM to the SD card).

I’ve found mine doesn’t like ‘routes’ in Memory Map, but is fine with ‘tracks’. If I do a route, it seems to keep drawing random links back to main roads – although I’m bound to be doing something wrong.

If it’s mainly for movies, then you don’t need to give much thought to speaker cable. Nearly all of your sources will be heavily compressed (and your amp is compromised anyway).

Those KEF eggs sound pretty good (only heard the 2005.3s), as do the little Monitor Audio Radius speakers – the latter are VERY wife friendly.

Those Missions I mentioned though – a second hand bargain if you can find them all (they’ll take much classier amplification for future upgrades)…

eBay it.

Mission 753s front, 751 rear and a 75c centre. Should pick that lot up for £500 or so. Last of the great Missions, and they work well in an AV set up too.

You’d have money left for a decent S/H sub, which is a must if you don’t have neighbours…

Out of the 50k or so that fill Sid James, about 30k are normal dour football fans who share a lifetime of mediocrity with us lot down the road. The other 20k are stupid knackers, who always seem to be the ones in front of a camera making a great soundbite for the media.

Newcastle easily have the highest number of pricks supporting their team. I feel sorry for the 30k or so normal fans who’d quite happily go about supporting Newcastle under the radar.

Absolutely hope they get relegated for a season. Wonder if the Bigg Market gets smashed up again (not that it really shows)…

FTM.

Sounds like you know more than me then! 😉

The bridleway from Satterthwaite back towards Hawkshead is great, if you don’t know it youve should have a look. Did it yesterday, sadly going back home tomorrow.

Where are you staying? I did a nice 30 from Coniston to Grizedale, Satterthwaite, Hawkshead, Ambleside and back to Coniston. Some road, not much, and the singletrack from Satterthwaite is worth the ride alone if in my opinion…

trailmonkey – top answer.

A miserable 100 minutes of rain soaked GT Black to mast, Spooky and Pie Run.

I hated every single minute of it today – I should have stayed in Newcastle and gone out on the road bike: the wind was strong, but at least it was dry…

EDIT: And I obviously hate anyone on this thread who saw even a glimmer of blue sky. Erm, ;-), if it makes you happy…

Check out the Cervelo forums if you’re thinking of running Campag 11 – there are some compatability issues which Cervelo won’t cover if it goes wrong (clearance issues around the bottom bracket which differs between each frame due to build tolerances).

I think the RS is a bit of a killer frame – I like the idea of a longer headtube but less spacers…

One man’s poison, and all that, but a downtube of a Ti bike should never look that big, in my opinion…

I was doing okay until I had to take some customers away on business for a couple of days – I reckon I put on 2lb during the trip. Scallops, foie gras, beef and booze coming out of my ears…

Not sure the percentage figure is right for me though. I set a pretty hard target of losing about 22lb, taking me down into the 11st something (not since I was early 20’s) – so 5lb off so far should be more than -.2%. I’m not that heavy – really… 😉

It’s just a weird dream – maybe you should write books…

Died in a dream a few times myself – can’t say it really bothered me really. Never did try save myself with a beige blanket – I probably would seek help for that bit. 😉

High Rollers are on my list to try, but I’m really liking my Rubber Queens on 2.2

If it’s any consolation, I thought your story was a good read. I felt I was with you. 😉

I’m not surprised that some people think it’s okay to ride past somebody (and I’m sorry for all the senstive types, but especially a girl crying) and not stop.

I wouldn’t go for a beer with any of them. Inconsiderate f**kers.

EDIT(!): What happened to the swear filter?

Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen.

Miracle drug… 😉

I’ve managed it at Comet too.. Last one was 10% off a new TV (it was already a good price). I went in 30 minutes before closing on a Sunday afternoon and asked the manager if a last minute grand would help the week’s numbers for him. Didn’t take him long to say yes (all of 20 seconds).

It ended up £50 cheaper than pricerunner or google could find.

juan – Member
I never could see the attraction of drinking. Getting pissed, doing stupid stuff vomiting.
Thank you very much but no thank you

I never understand this attitude. Maybe some people drink because they like the taste of it, the fact that it’s alcoholic can be a side issue? It’s like that for me, I don’t really like the feeling of being pissed (well, not very often anyway) 😉

I drink a glass or two of wine most nights, although I am trying to have 2 or 3 dry nights a week. I’ve also gone back to buying good bottles of beer and cider, and limiting myself to just one bottle a night through the week (admittedly, M&S’s organic cider is about 7%)…

I find it dead easy not to drink if I’m having boring food (jacket potato with something or other), but if I’ve cooked something interesting, which is most nights, I like a glass of wine or cider to go with it.

I could give it up, but I don’t want to. I do like to keep my units to under 15 a week though – no science, it just feels right…

I’ll make it three.

I would have thought a 180/160 would give you ample power. The lever is completely adjustable for feel and the set up and running of them seems to be pretty faultless.

I know a lot of brakes are one finger-able, but not like these. My old Magura Louise FR were fine with one finger but it took a bit of power in the old digit: but it’s an absolute piece of with the new Saints.

Very easy to modulate too – by streets the best disc brakes I’ve used.

Yeah, that’s a good shout CK. The pedestrian tunnel is good to see, maybe play for a bit in Marsden quarry on the way up or back down (maybe head across to Cleadon Hills for a quick lap).

If you pick up an OS map there’s a footpath through a farmers field that cuts from Wellands Farm in Whitburn up to the mill on Cleadon Hills, then loop aeound the golf course to Marsden Quarry. But… It’s been 20 years since I did that and I used to know the farmer – can’t vouch for bikes in on that path now!

There’s nothing of any note really. But I’m bored in a hotel room so look at the link I’ve just sent you to a pdf I’ve just uloaded to Googledocs. If you want a pedal out for a couple of hours to burn off the hangover it’ll do, but it’s not exciting (nothing is local).

There are some fantastic road rides just north-west of Gosforth – I’d bring that if you have a choice…

EDIT: Link sent to the hotmail address on your webpage. The route will probably go past your campsite…

i just don’t see how anyone who likes riding bikes doesn’t like trail centres. I’m not saying they’re the holy grail, but they are still bike rides in the hills – right?