Are you for real? No I’m not trolling. This scholarship popped on a news feed. When I first read it my initial reaction was “should you be trying to improve inclusivity by excluding certain groups?”

Honestly your view is just so far outside of my social circle I sorta assumed so. I think this is the second year strayer have run it or last year they did something similar with wizard works. I honestly see this nothing but an amazing step at trying to increase the diversity within cycle. And don’t see it as racist or discrimination at all. It’s similar to what the likes of bcn, velociposse and new forest off road club are doing to a degree.
Cycling is basically full of white males and until we have a more even playing field in terms of participation stuff like this needs to happen.

I didn’t mean to cause you any offense it’s just so far away from any conversation I have had about this.

Given your responses Trailwagger im like sorta sure your basically trolling there is no way you can be this unaware of structural racism and an unconscious bias.

The difference between this and say women’s day or black history month is that this is an opportunity that is only being offered to a group of people based on their race.

Do you not think plenty of opportunities are only offered to white people (specifically males) due to the colour of their skin?

Personally I think there is a good thing until the diversity balance in cycling is addressed more needs to be done to get woman and BAME people into the sport.

Imagine joining a team and being the only white guy there and surrounded by a group of people who throughout your life have made your life harder bet it wouldn’t be a very welcome feeling.

In an ideal world we wouldn’t have international woman’s day, black history month, pride, men wouldn’t get paid a 3rd more to do the same job as woman, but this world isn’t ideal so we do. That also means we need stuff like this to address the balance and increase diversity in cycling. If they opened this to all they would be swamped with applications from white people (most likely blokes) which makes it less likely that a BAME person would get selected which would continue the diversity problem in cycling.

Yep agreed, but what percentage of arts graduates work in the industry, is it 100%?

And what has that got to do with anything? Do a 100% of math or science students end up in related industries? Why does it matter if someone takes 100 years to pay off their student loan or not . If your argument is that money could be used to fund public services lets tax the rich a more realistic rate. Its slightly worrying your transactional view on education. Uni is something everyone should be able to experience if they want to spend 3 years getting a BA in whittling or business studies so be it.

The government believes too many students are racking up debts studying “soft” three-year university courses in arts and social sciences, and is looking to funnel more 18-year-olds towards technical training that is cheaper and will pay a faster economic dividend.

This actually gives me rage the tories have been taking shots at the arts for years! My degree was not “sort” I worked bloody hard to get my degree (a first at that) and the career I have. There is more to life than maths and science. Uni is about more than education its an extremely important life experience imo any way.

Complicated subject.

Given that taking, say 50% of the population, out of the workforce for 3 years and paying for their education costs a lot, there has to be a balance struck. The money that pays for it could also pay for homelessness, social care, NHS etc.

Funding degrees which lead to high paying future careers makes fiscal sense, HMRC gets the money back plus extra and we’re all better off for it, more tax revenue for HMRC which raises everyone’s standard of living.

Funding degrees with no fiscal payback is less obvious. You can argue it’s great to have lots of baristas in costa with degrees in poetry, contempory media studies etc, but that money could also have paid for knee/hip ops or housing for the homeless etc.

You are actually so clueless its unreal! The arts industry contributes billions to the UK economy. Im so thankful my parents didn’t take your opinion of my career choice I was lucky to have a florist and joiner for parents who see value in creative careers. I just feel pitty for you if thats your view.

All she’s doing is handing the Conservatives more power.

The mask slipped and we all saw her for who she really is.

and what would that be im intrigued ?

Loads of good modern stuff on High Focus records

Fully agree with this. There is so much amazing ukhh right now and has been for a very long time now. Obvs HF put amazing music out on a regular basis like recently we had new Pitch, Ed Scissor, Dat Kid, and TrueMendous’s Misdiagnosis Of Chyvonne Johnson is legit one of the albums of the year.

Can’t post videos but True Mendous is amazing production from HFs Dirty Dike too https://youtu.be/Hf3XZM3Dq2k

One of my favourites right now has to be Juga-Naut https://youtu.be/5XWTKtP2HwM

Creates of Habit dropped a new album recently too https://youtu.be/cre17w3z8VE

Also Outkast rerelease recently too https://youtu.be/cEXsOqXP34s

I could geek out on hip hop for hours its basically my only other interest next to bikes

When ever I commute I go through central London I was born here so im bias but there honestly isnt a better city in the world. The buildings are amazing and views going the bridge are unreal especially the winters when you catch the sun coming up.

Even in the winter its still better than the tube. Crips mornings multi layers. bike are best basically.

Sounds like he’s actually laying the foundations for Lockdown 3

I think things will have to get pretty peak for another lockdown. Zahawi was on the new this morning semi ruling it out. (obvs cant say for sure) Personally another winter lockdown would be rough.

for me there are two types of road lights being seen or seeing. I ride a fair bit of gravel / forest stuff early morning so have a Exposure six pack and Blaze mk3. When I was just commuting I just had a lezyne set as doing city riding its never really that dark.

To limit employment opportunities and access to events based on having a jab or not is not cool at all. Even as a double jabbed person I think this is wrong. The jab doesn’t last forever so in 18months (im pessimistic on boosters for young/non vulnerable) time will I offer any more or less protection to those around me than a non jabbed person. who knows.

Agree with the comments about brakes they are pretty useless on a bmx. I used to ride brakeless its actually not that bad once you learn to scrub speed you just get through a few more pairs of shoes.

I agree with everything written by everyone in every post since my last one.

Thanks, not sure why you felt the need for the dig. but cool. cheers! 👍

Or do you just not agree they could have raise this money in other ways?

Let’s have a bit less of “the young subsidising the old”. The “old” have paid for their care throughout their working lives via NI contributions, the young are simply being asked to pay for their own; because yes, they will be old one day.

I would agree with this argument if the rate had stayed the same but it hasn’t. And fact is I wont be retiring for another 30+ years (if ever) which im sure in that time I will still be paying for your care.

They could have got this money in so many other ways but why would a bunch of rich people vote for a wealth tax, tax on second homes, or hell even a more fair NI tax.

At the Manchester Utd v Newcastle Utd game on Saturday, the club will ask supporters through the turnstiles if they’ve been vaccinated. They stress that nobody will be turned away if the don’t want to answer. Aarrrgghhh.

Thats the same at all games though right? father in law goes to the odd Brighton game is supposed to show his covid passport and sister in law show her negative lateral flow (shes like 14/15) they rarely get asked.

I sorta can’t see it happening, but apparently there is a press conference later today. Gotta be honest I would rather see other rules come in than another total lock down.

D) Our youngest 32yo cousin and recent mother of two who’s been having parties at home all they way through the pandemic and posting it all on Instagram, put her Friday night activity up yesterday. A small, loud dingy club with everyone shoulder to shoulder and visibly sweating during the drinking of many shots. Jesus…..

I mean the first bit parties during lockdown is just stupid had a similar situation with a guy I used to work with parties on IG all the way through lockdown with a partner who is a nurse go figure. The last part depending on how you feel morally, ethically and how much risk you want to take she hasn’t really done anything wrong so not a lot you can say really… I think any as clubs are open these days right?

could that up take simply be due to testing going up again?

Durable Rutlands have to be the best I have ever used. Less than ideal for road rides but off road bloody amazing. Currently running some 44 Raddlers (tubeless) the puncture protection one and although I have had stuff like thorns and nails stick in them thankfully they have never gone down.

It makes absolutely no difference whether the vaccine is 100% or not, I think you know that’s a straw man…

if your argument is that unvaccinated people can spread a virus so should be removed society and the vaccine doesn’t 100% stop transmission it does matter.

I guess though we should just agree to disagree there are more important discussion than the fictional splitting society by jabbed and unjabbed.

…actually don’t care enough.

As much as I love my Solaris this isnt doing my itch for a longer travel hardtail any good at all!

Why not? For the “can’t”s then sure. But for the wont’s? When they go out in the world they endanger other people, they’re causing more strain on the NHS.

Because its unethical, you cant decipher the “cant’s” from the “wont’s”, and the vaccine isn’t 100%. You as a jabbed person could catch covid and pass it on. So as you can still pass it on why should you be allowed to Tesco and an unjabbed person not?

And once again society already has enough issues with social mobility, class and privilege so why add more boundaries.

The unvaxxed will be where the virus does its mutating. So yes deny them entrance to events on the basis of “you want a social life, join with society”.

You can’t create a two tier society its just wrong. There needs to be a system in place where if you cant/wont have the jab you need to take a test before attending mass events (similar to going football these days). You can’t say to someone sorry no tesco visit for you until you have a jab. Society already has enough issues with social mobility, class and privilege so why add more boundaries.

Just saw this.

You do know you can be rude without offending someone. If your comfortable being rude that’s on you. Not me.

haha, the thought of it being rude to jacket your jacket off before the groom is actually comical. I was not offended or thought people were rude who took their jackets off before me at my wedding.

Doesn’t the ruin the sound quality?

Not really… well not for me any way. Im sure some audiophiles would be horrified but I got decent headphones so it sounds ok. Most of the time its done simply because my hood wont fit over my headphones.

Not really. People just got lazy.

And yes it’s a thing – it’s rude to lower the formality of the man of the days event before he has.

What’s next hats indoors……cutting your toenail on the train ?

thats some pretty peak male fragility if someone taking off a jacket before you offends you. But do you mate. Im cool with hats indoors even hoods up. I could often be found at my desk at work with a hat on, hood up and headphones over hood. its comfortable and means I can block people out. But then I did work in the type of office where it was acceptable understand thats unlikely to happen at a law firm.

What passes as formal smart these days has really changed – I got married about a month ago and didn’t wear a tie or did the best men. You could even wear trainers with the right trousers and blazer. Only people that had full on suits at my wedding were the oldies and the only young people (well 30s) in ties didn’t wear jackets. I would say pick a few brands that your comfortable in you like and see what they do.

Always gone by the groom removes jacket first.

Is this a thing? I wish i knew i would have made people sweat… literally.

Plenty of folk are just getting on with life and not really worrying about it… and I’m starting to wonder if they might have got the right idea.

Im fully in this camp of living my life these days because I simply don’t have the space in my brain to continue to worry about Covid.

How much longer are we expected to put stuff on hold this virus is not going any where, we can’t wait it out in our bunkers. I put my marriage off for a year and was just not willing to do it any more. All you can do is make sensible adjustments to limit the risk. My basketball group all take tests before we play, if I see my old parents I take a test before hand, wear a mask, get jabbed. Apart from that I don’t get what else I can do.

Im off on a little staycation honeymoon type thing soon its not the dream holiday we planned some may say thats immoral, stupid or unnecessary, but if I don’t go now when can I go..? We will take a test before we go, wear a mask and all that apart form that there is nothing we can do.

If you’re over 6ft I would suggest staying away from Fox. im like 6ft 3, Standing they sit around my ankle bone on bike obvs higher. Don’t really both me but if that does you I would suggest staying away.

I would be totally honest with yourself how much off road stuff you plan on riding. Going by spec it can only take a 35c which is pretty narrow in the gravel world which wont be super comfortable. I run a 44c which although slower on the road i can run lower psi and have a more comfortable grippy ride off road, and ride more interesting stuff. But for road riding it will be perfect i ran a 35 for commuting days and it really good. Fast enough and nimble enough to not feel sluggish, but also super chill for awful london roads.

I put a thousand pounds behind the bar and told the barman to just keep giving them beer until it was gone- it was all that i could afford at the time and it was a poor gesture but it was better than the ****s in my village who went home.

That is insanely generous. I don’t agree with the war or armies at the best of time. I feel sorry for this lot they just went and did a job and due to poor management it was basically for nothing.

Recently moved to a bank so got my first experience of a grads and they are basically what i thought they would be. Of the 4 I have met (yes this is a massive generalisation) they are all upper class white males who simply want to work for the bank and don’t care where they end up. As someone whos wanted to be a designer since they were 12 their lack of passion for my craft irks me.

Agree never have the issue myself and been using one for ages. Pull it tight then use the buckle to hold it in place. The additional straps ot pull the bag tighter are a really good addition. Totally had the issue mentioned on the older bag it would never stay in place.

A couple of records that due to covid wont be pressed / relased until next year! I do sorta feel like covid isnt an excuse for delays any more. Work out a different process.

I also get the the impression that Cotic owners are older dudes or young with a grandad mindset like Jon richardson, how many riders would gladly own an alloy, carbon or steel frame compared to riders who would never go steel for full sus.

haha, I guess that makes me a young person with a grandad mindset. No clue who Jon richardson is though… maybe im not old enough or have enough of a grandad mindset. I just think they make nice bike that fit me ride well and have a good brand ethos. Pushing trash free trails and the whole woman of steel thing whats not to get on board with.

recently got some fizik gravita really good. not as stiff as 5:10s but stiff enough for riding but also easy to walk and drive in.

Massive, massive, MASSIVE congrats to everyone whos kicked it here. Watched my old man try for years and hes never managed it so totally understand how hard it is. For obvious reasons im also a non drinker and I am amazed the reaction it gets. I once had waiter in a bar scoff and say why are you not drinking its a friday – so i played the alcoholic father card just to see how awkward I could make him feel.

I can see where Cotic is coming from even though I love my Rocket. It’s from the first batch of Gen 3’s so before the Rocket Max came out, still massively more capable than me though! Of the other ones I occasionally see they’re mostly 29ers so they must be selling well. My trail bike is now a 29er and if the Rocket ever gets replaced then it’ll most likely be a 29er too but I have to get a Solaris Max first!

Totally with you on this. Have a rocket myself and its an amazing bike and totally far more capable than me like you said, but I can’t help but think a 29er will be just that little bit better. Mines only a few years old and for 18 odd months of that we have been in a pandemic so it hasn’t seen any where near as much use.