I know its being held up from the middle, and as I said i know that flex is to be expected, its just that I hadn't expected it to be as visible as it seems to be in that photo.

The larger one looks like the front and rear of the plane are sagging slightly. I guess there will be flex built into the fueselage of the plane but it looks a bit odd. Alternatively it could be an effect caused by the lens used to take the picture

woody got there first, not just you woody

The windows on the far plane look bigger than those on the near plane. I thought that plane windows were a fairly standard size, like wise the doors (what you can see of the far door anyway)

loving the little move at 2:50 – so smooth :)

I'm going for mainly black with orange handlebars, we'll see what it looks like when they arrive.

I'd go for b, c then a Helios

if only the OP was as easy to answer. has any one thought to Google it?

iirc – my fire mountain had a magic ratio of 34:16 which was perfect for where I lived at the time.

In terms of paint/stickers and stem it looks very similar to my '92 Fire Mountain that I had. The downtube sticker looks identical.

As far as I can remember Kona did every model in either a colour or in black.

Congrats :)

Hope the stay in the SCBU is not too long.

Prepare for your riding time to disappear totally ;)

man those are crazy even by Oakleys standards

Surely Baggies are the way forward here? with tights underneath if you think you'll be chilly

helmet in a rucksack and you're good to go

Great that she got a medal :)

However I'm surprised at the lack of technical tricks. There seems to be a huge divide between mens and womens snowboarding in terms of what they attempt.

Just to put my thoughts in:

Having done a training course I found that it confidence inspiring that both instructors were on HT's (Emma and Tracey @ the Hub FWIW). The majority of participants were on FS's and knowing that an obstacle can be ridden on an HT provided a great demonstration of what is possible. Taking the onus away from the equipment and putting it on the technique.

A lot of people will feel (or at least try to justify to themselves) that they need to improve their kit to improve their riding and seeing someone demonstrate what is possible on an HT will help them to realise what the bike is capable of doing, if the rider has the confidence to attempt it.

I love the fact that there's a group of guides in the Alps (trailaddiction?) who use HT's for their guiding, a great demonstration that its not what you ride its how you ride.

If I went on a training course I would take a great interest in what the instructor was riding, partly to see what kit he/she rated, but also to see what a rider more skillful than I felt was necessary to ride what was going to be attempted that day. At the course I attended at the Hub I was on my HT and had been nervously looking at the 5 & 6in FS's that the other participants were riding, wondering what I was letting myself in for, and was very relieved when Emma and Tracey bot turned up on HT's.

If its a bike for work you are thinking about I would take into account what impression is going to give to your course participants.

Apologies for the essay :)

I guess the concern is based on the fact that it is different, therefore people are unfamiliar with it and are uncertain about what to do when things go wrong.

The only way to approach this is to be quick and consistent in your response times with replacements. Which you appear to be. If I could afford a set of Iodines I would buy them based on the experiences of people on this thread.

Great

Thanks both :)

http://www.leathergoods-online.com/radley-bags-handbags-purses.php

envirofone were pretty good, money in my account less than 2 weeks after posting the handsets.

ART – I was made redundant from my last job on the same day we found out my wife was pregnant with our daughter – quite stressful. After a few months I found this job which ticked the right boxes from a career point of view and also location and it all worked out. I felt a bit of pressure moving my family to a totally new area but fortunately its worked out really well. Doing a similar job (environment manager) to my old one, but in an entirely new industry.

the great ape – yep, So far I'm enjoying it, its a nice change from the South of England, although the recent arrival of my daughter means that I've not been able to take much advantage of the riding and skiing available yet.

jojoA1 – close, Blar Mhor

just stepped out into the carpark, Ben Nevis is shrouded in cloud, but the Nevis Range has a bit of sun on it. pic with camera phone so not great quality unfortunately

A view of Aonoch Mor from my window, and if I step out into the carpark, Ben Nevis :)

Oh and a good coffee machine too.

and the housewives too I imagine?

and another, like it :)

lovely, thank you

I've got a feeling it might be 68mm as that is what the PA's & LoveHates were. If you can wait until tomorrow I'll measure it when I get home.

MGF? interesting choice of car – maybe your sister did you a favour

I am watching you though thisisnotaspoon !)

following on from your MX5 post – the handling is not dismilar (as much as it can be going from a 2 seater to an estate). it drives much more lightly than you'd expect. I also went from an mx5 to the 6

We've got an 05 one – its been brilliant, the only real issue we've had with it is that it is pretty rubbish in snow, certainly compared to the Golf that we also own. OTher than that its been superb and is a much more enjoyable drive than the Golf.

any progress with this?

back to the original question about Dave Yates – wasn't one of the bikes built in the Mag feature on Dave Yates a 29er?

The training artcles were interesting, other things that would interest me are artiles that allow you to see how other people do things – tips from pro mechanics on ways to make maintenance easier, tips from the current proliferation of riding coaches on how to approach certain types of trail, tips from photographes/videographers on how to shoot riders or POV shots of trals being ridden.

I think the best article from STW was the frame building one – a real insight into an aspect of mountainbiking that is not well known

muddyfoxcourier = genius :)

the Phil Wood EBB on my love/hate has been faultless, I've not had experience of any other makes to comment on those though.

has anyone tried a gearbox bike with an Alfine, similar to the GBoxx idea with the Rolhoff?

a quick response to ballsofcottonwools point , in the Deuter the storage space is reduced as you lower the seat to fit the child as it grows. it quite clever really, as it ensures that you don't become too top heavy.

I've got the Deuter one, its great, v comfortable, just like a large rucksack really. Its quite bulky though, the amount of support it has is what makes it so comfortable, however it means it doesn't squash flat when not in use. My son has been riding around in it since he was 1.5, he's now 3 and still loves it, I reckon he'll be comfy in it for a few more years as well. Its got good storage space under the seat, and the capability for adding a hydration bladder as well.

sizewise both my wife (5'4") and I (6') have used it comfortably, although my son is too heavy for her to carry him like that now for long. happy to answer any other questions you may have.

no idea if they're still any good, ours is over 5 years old and was starting to make a funny noise, a call to dyson and they sourced the problem over the phone and we were able to fix it ourselves at no cost.

I think that level of customer service is impressive

similar to Oakley in my eyes

I guess i'm mostly concerned about the screen, due to cracking the screen on my blackberry storm.

Any recommendations for a screen protector?

go on then, I'm interested :)