null[/url] Around the central north island check out Multi Day Adventures – we did a hire bike and ride day with them last year and were great. They were really cool at customising the day to what we wanted and will guide all over Rotorua and Central Plateau. They also do kayak trips etc if you want to mix it up a bit.

The trails near Rotorua are way marked and you can ride there from town but I reckon if you only have a few days in a plce why waste it getting lost!

get onto the bank asap. there is some law about monies credited in error and the recipient has to give it back…banks use it all the time when they make similar mistakes

the longer you leave it the harder that will be – he will have to hope the person who got it doesnt have internet banking!

Good campsite in Inverdruie – tent sites are very cute in the trees. turn left over the bridge out of Aviemore and its about 5 mins further on the right hand side. Dont be put off by all the statics as you first drive in (and see from the road). there is proper camping at the back but with good showers.

otherwise its scotland – you can camp anywhere. some quiet spots to be had if you follow the directions above and keep going towards the outdoor education centre – loads of forest / lake spots

We had a car stero remote in the camper and it meant you could turn the radio on or off from bed. awesome…esp in the winter (or summer in scotland) when its cold and you dont want to get out from under the duvet, that was until we lost it! we still live in hope that it will turn up…

oh and flight centre are often pretty good for a deal

Air NZ all the way

but Malaysia is pretty good and KL airport is ok for a stopover. You can often get a cheap deal through them if you do a longer stop eg 8 hours. its not quite direct but isnt a real stop over. they have cheap hotels which are good for a sleep and a shower. and that 8 hour break and 5-6 hours good sleep makes a world of difference and not much to your travel time.

[/u][/b]DONT FLY CATHAY did that last year and their seats dont recline!!!! they just do this slide thing which leaves you no room for your legs. very strange

Christmas budget to pay £1,500 anytime from mid december. New Years eve is a cheap time to go if boxing day isnt an option

for those like me who arent so techie…can we use our current turbos for this or does it require us to fit a new flywheel with the generator inside? I love the idea of this even if its practical benefits are small but I also love my virtual reality so dont want to give up my current set up. Can it be done more along the lines of the old style dynamo light?

its quite flat in WA…you might need to take up a new hobby! otherwise, just do it. Maybe rent your place here for a while instead of selling etc if you are worried?

I rate these : http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Vittoria_Randonneur_Cross_Hybrid_City_Tyre/5360010650/

bargain at £13. I've ridden over loads of stuff and thought they would puncture for sure but havent. They only go down to a 25c but they come up narrowish, my 32s look more like my old 28s. Not fast tyres though!

I got a virtual reality thing for mine, great fun – like early computer games. The crowds even clap as you ride past!

my clamp broke. its ok for adjusting gears but I end up propping the front wheel on something to stop it moving too much, hence no good for anything you need to move the front for. Either that or you end up with the wheel off.

its BS, they should refund you, keep arguing. The only time they can argue is if it was a transaction that you stood in the shop, swiped your card and entered your pin number for. If the scammers have made a clone card and done that then you would have to prove you werent there. Otherwise anything online they should refund. That's why they charge merchants such a huge fee for card not present transactions, the merchant would have to prove that they sent the goods and the goods were recieved at your card address.

Well I might make it a weather call. Is the trail waymarked the whole way or do you need an OS map?

oh and one more please….any camping at the trail centre?

anyone know if the ones with the silver collar are the same? the pic looks slightly different but you never know…

lol, I am having a sock-less day myself, although, being a girl you can gloss over it a bit by wearing strappy shoes 🙂

edit: I'm with Tim41, which probably means I will forget something else tomorrow!

is hiring a bike or taking one for a test ride an option? if she likes it after that then build one together? then she will be able to be part of the trade off decisions

Decent socks are def much more comfortable for any long rides. My favs are a pair of Bridgedale hiking socks but at £15 a pair I would probably never buy! (mine were a prize) Day in day out (esp winter commutes) I have multiple pairs of woolie boolies which from time to time these guys http://www.krankdirtwear.com/products/gloves-and-socks/woolie-boolies.html have on 2 for 1 special. After about 18 months of abuse they are still going well 🙂

I stayed at Dar el Souk (www.darelsouk.com)- just ask them to come meet you where the taxi will drop you off. its beautiful and ask them to cook you dinner at least once – cook is awesome and you will get much better food than outside

gilet and arm warmers with your fav short sleeve?

plus – if she starts loosing weight i'm afraid that this is where she will loose it first so maybe buy one and then wait a bit before she buys another!

M&S – they do a copy of the shock absorber which in my opinion is better and more comfortable, and half the price

Otherwise check out some running forums / sites like Runners World, they usually have reviews

be careful buying a breadmaker – I dont know anyone (me included) that didnt put on at least 5kgs as a result!

I just cruise in but guaranteed at least once a trip that means right past some bloke who cant be passed by a girl so then busts his a** to catch up and pass me back. I get to cruise up to the lights not even sweating, look over and see him about to have a heart attack. Beautiful. Only bettered by the time it turned out to be a bloke from work who had to admit he'd chased me from Clapham!

second the semi perm hair dye conditioner (about £4 at boots), suggest that plus wrapping in a hot towel or cling film to keep it warm as you use it.

try also minmising how much she uses the hair dryer

My hair used to be fine with bleach but after I turned a certain age I couldnt do it anymore…ho hum

for robh

havent got around to uploading many others yet – this is at Loch Leven

try 15 weeks to renew an existing visa for the UK and £900 fee!

We've just got back from 2000+ miles of trouble tree Scotland road trip in ours (although its a 1989 and we've spent a bit on the engine recently). As for biking its perfect. We have a bike rack on the back, can stop, get changed, warm up, cook lunch, make coffee, keep beers cold, sleep anywhere…all in comfort, awesome!

We started out wanting a Bay but decided it was too much cash, to buy and then keep running. We thought we were old van purists but have been thinking about getting a new one next time, mostly for the easier driving, power steering, fuel economy, travel speed. We cruise at 60mph which limits your reasonable driving range. It will go faster comfortably but then you really start burning fuel!

when all of your holidays involve a bike

if you do go on a "mixed purpose" holiday you can only sit still for one day and that day may involve fixing your bike for the next day

when your other half demands you go out on a ride before they will talk to you because you arent making sense / being rational

when you resent anything that gets in the way of going for a ride

when you will take a sick day because you might be coming down with something and you couldnt bear to miss that weekend's ride if you did

How do these trails compare to Welsh trail centres? is it similar riding? ie rocky but rollable? My BF just coped with Afan the other week, dont want to freak him out day one of the holiday!

I'll be the one a minute inside each one….ok maybe 30 seconds

druidh – please dont tell me that's summer?

Thanks Devs but for us Scotland is so far that if we ever go it needs to be for a few weeks so this is our opportunity. We do weekends to Wales and I agree the riding is great 🙂

Thanks guys, great place to start & thanks for the tip on the rain / coasts.

maybe have a look at your brake lever angle? are they the same?

slightly off topic but anyone seen any specialized shoes on sale? need to replace mine and boy they have gone up!

My worst time I was riding down a hill right near home and there was a gang of kids – obligatory hoodies etc – three on one side of the road and three on the other shouting at each other. I wasnt paying much attention. Same kids had thrown rocks at me before but they are pretty bad aim and had never hit.

Then I hear "get her get her" and one launches himself across the road and aims a karate kick at me. Luckily I was riding pretty much in the middle of the road (loads of people opening car doors without looking there for some reason) and his kick was square on my thigh and not bike / foot / hand but it still sent me across the road. Lucky break number two was I was on my MTB and not road bike so I managed to hold it upright and could pedal off but still had to get past a couple of his mates further down the road.

That one was scary – and round the corner from the police station too, not that anyone was there to be of any kind of assistance.

I didnt ride that road for about a month but I got too annoyed at having to take detours on account of little sh*theads and have gone back that way. People walking out into the road too fast still give me the sh*ts though

so have I, unfortunately my boss is wondering what is so funny in the legal docs I'm meant to be reviewing!

please have some saved up for tomorrow!

You might want to think about making sure that one of your methods you practice has one hand spare when carrying – of the hike-a-bike bits last year you were scrambling up bits that you really had to hang on to something to help pull yourself up, and its pretty steep so there's a good chance of tipping over backwards!

I used the saddle on the shoulder strap of camelbak method which left my left hand free. You can also manouver the bike easily through / past trees this way too without having to put it down and pick it up again. Then again, I'm used to carrying it upstairs to my flat and work everyday

Halfords and B&Q do coloured ones if you are sick of black!

leave the tyres – the whole point is that you use bits you have. too perfect and its…too perfect!

it is very nice though 🙂