Any recommendations for a Quantocks route guide book?

EDIT: removed.

This is why backups are important.

Bit of an old picture I'm afraid.

Black wednesday – wasn't that the day in 1992 we were squeezed out of the European Monetary Union?

That was a _good_ thing.

The political classes woke up and realised the whole monetary union thing was mad, and we all got back to sensible interest rates and economic growth.

Why is that?

It's so widespread that it seems unlikely to be there by chance. At some point in our evolutionary history, it must have conferred some kind of survival advantage, causing the carriers of this mutation to be better able to reproduce.

For those that are interested I could include a little bit on what I ate

Yes please. I'm slowly building up a list of things that really don't work at all.

That is truly amazing. I found just one-way SS unspeakably painful. Inspiring.

Got to try the elderflower champagne I made a few weeks ago….

How did you get on?

Unspeakably painful.

Got my dog from there. World's laziest greyhound!

EDIT: removed. Just unpleasant.

I know this sounds boring but:

– Make sure your ISA allowance is used up for this year. That's £10k accounted for.

– Read some scary predictions about pensions. Do something about it.

– With the remaining cash, just go mad and get yourself a pair of Nobby Nic tyres or maybe even some Stan's rim wheels.

I thought people with satellites could track them now by watching the plumes of heat rising to the surface of the sea?

So no matter how quiet it might be, the Chinese, Russians and Americans will all know exactly where it is.

Does anyone know what time it starts at Chilcombe?

There seems to be nothing on the BHF's website, and nothing in the bumpf they've sent me.

I like them.

I found Racing Ralphs to be very fast when dry. If it's loose then the front seems to start letting go (or maybe it's my lack of ability though). In the wet they become a bit rubbish, as you would expect.

I switched over from Panaracer Fire XC pros to Nobby Nics last year. The NN's seem to be quite a lot faster, although they have a bit less grip, but in a fun kind of sliding-fast-round-slithery-corners sort of way. Not had any problems with sidewall tears, but it's not very rocky round here.

You can often get them cheaper if you hunt around a bit.
HTH.

Using the word disinterested to mean uninterested. Pedants corner is alive and well.

Surely you mean:

Pedants' corner is alive and well

.

I reckon there are at least two pedants, hence apostrophe at the end.

Apostrophes in the wrong place, or missing entirely.

Especially on this forum!

I have never understood apostrophes so my English teacher told me if in doubt leave them out

It's pretty easy!

1. If you're missing a letter out. For example "you're" is short for "you are". I missed a letter (and a space) out so I put in an apostrophe. Similarly "it's" is short for "it is". I missed some stuff out, so I put in an apostrophe.

2. Just like the above, but for possession. Before apostrophes were invented I would have to write something like "the post of TJ was thought-provoking". No-one has said anything like that for 300 years – instead we say "TJ's post…".

Just like (1), I missed something out, so I put in an apostrophe.

3. Don't be confused by "The dog has eaten its food". There's no apostrophe here because "its" is just the same as "his" or "hers", only for things. You wouldn't write "He has eaten hi's food".

4. There's some confusing stuff about apostrophes with plurals. The apostrophe usually goes on the end, but if in doubt just use the collective noun instead! "The flock's needs were met by the shepherd."

As unemployment rises benefit payments rise, tax revenues drop and the deficit gets worse. I predict at least another million unemployed

As credit ratings fall, interest rates rise, more of our tax revenues are spent on debt repayments rather than useful services and the deficit gets worse (£74Bn in 2014/15 apparently). We would have had at least another million unemployed under Labour.

TJ – I'm sorry but I have to strongly object to what you've just written.

It's not

Browns mistakes

.

It's

Brown's mistakes

.

Sorry, but no matter how bad things are/will be, it's always worth getting the apostrophes right, otherwise we are little better than savages.

Why should the public sector suffer because of 1) bankers Gordon's mistakes

There. Fixed that one for you 🙂

And the actual answer? Because Gordon spent more money than he actually had, and messed up bank regulation while he was at it. We couldn't really afford what was being spent at the time, and now that the financial services sector – which pays a huge proportion of our wages in this country – is shrinking, we can afford it still less.

EDIT: I think I know a bit about the depression of the '30s! That was finally sorted out by a world war though.

EDIT: And whether Greece gives up the struggle or not, having been downgraded to junk status means that Greek taxpayers will all be paying even more of their hard earned salaries in interest repayments.

Taking money out of the economy at this time is wrong. History tells us this, the vast majority of economists tells us this.

How about very recent Greek history?

How happy would you be right now if your pension fund was invested in Greek government bonds? Knowing that there's a pretty good chance they won't keep up the repayments on their enormous debts and will be forced to default or devalue?

I thought 29" tubes were always marked 28", due to the baffling way that tires are measured.

i.e. 29" = 700c = 622ETRTO

Someone who knows what they're talking about will be along soon enough I'm sure.

Just as a followup, I managed to put a sidewall tear in my front Maxxis Ardent today, cycling to work along the Cambridge Guided Bus of Doom.

Looks like you can't get the SKF ones for love nor money any more 🙁

I used Racing Ralphs last year. I had a couple of punctures but that was all. I think if they'd been tubeless they would have been fine.

The pinch flat two miles before the finish was particularly annoying!

@clink: I'm using 36×21.

But I have no idea if that's sensible or not. I tried a couple of the hills towards the end on the 26" bike earlier this year, and at 2:1 they were doable (just). So I've geared down a bit from there.

I do know that I used a very similar gear height to yours (46") at Afan, and that was just about right – got up everything but I had to *want* to get up 🙂

tis my birthday that day ..what shall i do

It's a fantastic ride, but quite hard work. I think anyone with a modicum of fitness and determination can do the 65 mile ride. The 100 mile does a get a bit tiring towards the end!

Surely it has one gear?

Otherwise what are the cranks and chain for?

Nice though.

I'm pretty impressed by foxyrider, tbh.

Not sure I'd have had the cojones to do that.

I'll be joining you this Saturday.

100 miles.

Taking the rigid SS 29er this year, having done it with gears and suspension the last couple of years (which is cheating, obviously).

Not yet made the sandwiches though. Probably go for cheese and honey!

Sounds like I should bring my wife's bike, duct-tape the basket into place, and wear a full-face helmet and body armour.

Would that about do it?

Slice of toasted buttered malt loaf.

Had to buy the malt loaf myself though…

If people enjoy riding it, I guess that's all that matters.

And is better than a chain, or just more niche (which amounts to the same thing obviously) ?

We have proper dogs (greyhounds)!

+1!

Laziest dog In the World though.

Sometimes I have to prod him just to check he hasn't died!

Sorry to sound negative. This is a genuine question. I'm puzzled as to what the point of that trail is.

It just seems to be terribly flat and uninteresting.

It looks like I could ride it quite happily on my wife's bike (a heavy ungainly 700c pig-iron lumpen piece of nastiness) and not feel under-biked.

What am I missing? Is it a lot more exciting in the flesh?

Can't you get gas-powered fridges?

I hope not! That's more-or-less what I'm going to use for the South Downs Way next weekend (36:21, 29").

No wonder people fly tip, there is so little info and what there is is so hidden away, it is a joke!
There's absolutely no excuse for fly-tipping, as all the information you need is readily available using a few simple searches on the internet.

There. Fixed that for you 🙂