Right down to almost BMX height when going at it downhill, all the way up to efficient pedalling XC jey height for everything else bar the very occassional slight drop when getting proper slow and technical.

Not really such a thing as 'the best'. All have weak points – you have to decide which is the best for you.

BRG, Appetite whetted! Perhaps we should suggest it to Orange?

Maybe a Ltd edition Blower Five?

Hmm. A British racing green Orange 5…

Black spokes, colour matched rims, black forks, shiney silver seatpost and stem, union jack on the downtube with light grey Orange graphics.

Very Blower Bentley, quite like that idea.

What was discussed? What was the purpose of the meeting?

Yes, go to your official Orange dealer and they should have samples of tube in every colour.

For me it would be a choice bewteen White, Chrome Grey or Powder Blue.

EDIT: although polished does look pretty cool too…

For.

Our lives, our deaths indeed. Yes, there are issues surrounding it that have to be addressed, but there are with everything.

Maya here. Computer games development.

Orange are not, IMO, Boutique. My idea of boutique is all that fillet brazed, intricate dropout sporting niche nonsense you see at the handmade bike shows, typically bought by people for whom directional speaker cable is a concern.

I think the argument here is large vs small scale manufacturing.

Large scale manufacturers provide the most bang for the buck through economy of scale. This is great for us, but with it comes a downside. The target market for such products is so vast that their bikes have to have mass market appeal. Fine for say 70% of riders, but too comprimised for the remaining 30.

If you have more specific tastes or requirements, perhaps dictated by your geographic location or trail conditions (what works briliantly for California rarely works so well in the Peak District) or pure personal preference, you have to look to the smaller guys who better accomodate or focus on those requirements. You'll get less for your money, but that's the price you pay for getting what you need.

If you really don't have any such specific requirements, buying from the smaller companies makes little financial sense. Marin, Giant and Specialized are your friends.

I couldn't recommend anything other than a big-brand bike to anyone that asked for my opinion. If someone can actually justify a more boutique product they should know what they want enough to not really need my opinion.

My commute takes 20 minutes on the SS road bike.
It takes 30 minutes on the winter-tyred, geared mountain bike.

Don't know average speed because I hate maths and there's all the stop start traffic light rubbish, but commute is about 7 miles.

But whatever, I'm much, much slower on the mountain bike.

Sweet ride, glad you're back at it 🙂

Glad you like my work.

Long time to go till June, get training for a bit, you'll do it easy.

However in a straight fight I would break a chair over her back and see where we were.

Love it.

I dated a girl who was more than proficient in martial arts a couple of years ago. I freely admit she'd wipe the floor with me.

Hi vis jacket, waterproof socks

Trail centres are your friend for this sort of event I would have thought.

A Peaks slog could be a bit grim for those unaccustomed to this ridiculous activity we call a hobby.

Alec Baldwin in Glengary Glen Ross.

Coffee's for closers only!

Try having the seat in a different position (further forward or back) – might get your knee out of whatever position is currently giving you problems.

I feel slightly dissapointed that this hasn't turned out to be about Deltic configurations.

Me too. Word up Barrow Hill massive!

ugg what?

And to answer the query bearing in mind a repugnant post on another thread currently active today:

Because it's day 3 of a rock concert?

haha, blimey.

jackthe who?

My favourite knock know joke is the one which goes:

'I've got a good knock knock joke, you start.'

'Okay. Knock Knock.'

'Who's there?'

…

Back on topic though, sometimes it can be quite genuine. All the media profile in the world won't grab your attention if you switch off whenever certain subjects come up.

For instance the first I knew about jade Goody's cancer was when she died of it.

Yep thats that…fact

In a moment of absent mindedness got my 90 cross axled a while back, so my mate jumped out of the passenger seat and shoved me off. So by that reckoning a human man is a better light-duty high-mobility utility vehicle than a Defender 🙂

I like, no, love Delis, by the way. Nearly bought one as a tow barge. If Mitsubishi would import the D:5 into the UK I'd be down the showroom in an instant, check book in hand. I think it would quickly become one of STW's favourite bike wagons too.

But I must say in my years of competitive offroading, I'm happy that I never swapped my Landies for one – They just don't have the angles and articulation for it 🙂

In fact the only thing that ever got close to tempting me away from the Green Oval was a rather lovely Pinzgauer for sale near me. I came > < that close…

That angry noise you get under heavy cornering when your tyres are working really hard for grip.

iDildo

Was posted recently, but regardless of that, I just love:

'Ditch the Isis cos they're useless' is the proper answer.

Though I've got one that's 18 months old and still going strong, used 12 miles daily on the commute bike through all weather. I think it's a Truvativ or something, DH type affair. Though it weighs as much as a small family hatchback, if such things bother you.

They're great, just be strict with yourself when it comes to the time you wear them for. Two of my friends have done permanent damage to their eyes by leaving them in for too long.

Mitsubishi Delica L400

…goes offroad as well or better than a defender…..fact as I have towed a defender out of mud.

Literal lol. That's that then, fact.

Great in dry summer, useless for the other 364 days of the year.

A literal lol at the horrendously offensive and judgemental things people say to each other when on forums.

Although a fellow STWer I recently met did call me pathetic and wierd to my face.

Swallowed it back down I needed the calories

is a sentence that actually repulsed me.

No.

Lol, that first pic is going to go down well on here Joe.

I reckon the Mountain Cycle San Andreas from the early 90s was well ahead of its time and looks perfectly passable as a big bike today.

Used to have the occassional hurl after a particulalry hard run back in my DH yoof.

Not happened for years until I last year when I decided to race my colleague/neighbour home from work – me on SS hack bike, him in car. I won, but it was a chunderous victory.

Oh and I always managed to get the XC susser in the back of my 90 (with bulkhead and dog guard) with both wheels on. There's just a knack you have to learn 🙂