Ewan – Remember that thuggish lottery winner from Essex a couple of years ago? The guy who bought a large plot and started racing bangers and quad bikes with his mates, much to the displeasure of his neighbours? Thats a good example of somebody disrupting their neighbours quiet enjoyment of their property…

My wedding day was ace, so much love & happiness in the air (even my best man was on his best behaviour!) however last night I was feeding my 9 week old daughter at 3.30am and just before she started taking her milk, she suddenly started giggling a smiling properly for the first time – sticking her tongue out and everything!! That memory will stay with me for a long, long time 🙂

What a great day. It was 90% new to me, despite living relatively close.

Good to meet a few more STW’ers too, and a massive thanks to Graeme for the cakes, yumm BFO + savoury cake 🙂

Yeee Hah!

Best news Ive heard all day.

I’ll be back again next year, can’t beat the annual 2 1/2 hr Prestwich mud bath 😀

The snapped frame I alluded too is the same one Gavgas mentions and as shown in Gary C’s photo, so isnt an additional snappage…

By the way, I spent 2 years there staying in Kensington, which although good fun and handy for getting in / out of the centre, are about as far removed from its more famous namesake as you can get 😀

When I was at uni in Liverpool I stayed in a flat owned by Downing Developments, who werent bad landlords.

Towards the end of my time there I think they moved on from there 20 or so 4-6 person flats and built some big student blocks near the city centre. Give them a try.

Hungry Monkey,

Both chainstays snapped at the same time by any chance?

Vinte,

If you can wait til Monday you are welcome to join us:

http://www.bogtrotters.org/rideslist.php

Wallop, Anybody who followed the Tesco’s flouting of the planning permission saga in Stockport will realise that the supermarkets can afford to throw more money at lawyers and planning consultants than the respective councils, hence they almost always get their own way, or if they dont, they just ignore the ruling and do what they want anyway…

At least in stockport the planning inspectorate bit back and enforced the ruling about Tescos not being able to trade in the excess space they built over & above their permitted floorspace. 😛

IME the design life of photovoltaic systems doesnt usually equal the payback period, so make sure you factor that in if you are running the calcs. A bit like the electric cars tested on topgear where the batteries only last a few years (3-4?) then cost £xk to replace.

And as said above, dont think the feed in tarifs will exist forever.

As part of my work I frequently have to attend meetings with Change Managers (WTF?) from the Royal Bank of Scotland – In the last post project review they were a little bemused when my entire feedback consisted of a comment that “I was thoroughly impressed by the quantity and quality of TLA’s used throughout the project”.

I think they realised I was taking the pee. 😆

I did the Mega 2 yrs ago on an Orange Alpine 160 which seemed to fit the bill. Mind you, i didnt win the race but maybe next year. 😀

Ive managed several projects using Bauder systems and they are pretty good. The manufacturers inspection of the completed job (when using an approved installer) is essential in getting the guarantee validated as mentioned above.

+1 for Lake Garda. Base yourself in or around Torbole and use Luca’s bike shuttle (van) uplift service.

Plenty of gps routes available to download although you’d be ok with a basic trail map as the signposts are quite good.

We did sections of the 601 in May and it was the toughest techfest trail Ive ever ridden.

El Diablo / Skull trail also amazing.

* edit – the vid doesnt show any of the 601 / Diablo before everybody says it doesnt look that bad!

Thanks guys and girls, Mum and Baby are doing fine and hopefully coming home tomorrow.

I know its just wind, but I swear she keeps smiling at us!

Here she is (excuse the crappy Iphone pic). Amazingly after just existing for 36 hours in Wythenshaw, she has picked up the local gangsigns 😆

Bunnyhnop – you do know me but maybe not by my username – ask NBT for the facebook pics xx

Amazingly, without even coming to our home yet, she has somehow managed to turn our house in to a launderette!

Happy days indeed 😀

Pah! Ive seen enough of these finely crafted, immaculately maintained underground structures.

Here’s one for Stoner or any other surveyors out there:

These lurveley tunnels link buildings any person who regularly treks up to the Lake District may recognise.

And these are some of the buildings they link:

I surveyed these in 2006 and I know that virtually nothing has been done to them since then, so they won’t have improved with age 🙄

I presume the warranty is only valid with the original owner?

I bought an Io singlespeed last year off the bay and its been perfect for commuting, but I noticed a hairline crack down the drive side dropout a couple of weeks ago.

Im still riding it and the crack doesnt seem to be getting any worse, but I’d be interested to hear where I could get a new dropout welded on (wwaswas). Based in Manchester it it helps.

In theory your ten year old artex shouldnt contain asbestos unless whoever built your flat ten years ago had a huge stockpile of very old artex bought before the import of ACM’s was banned.

Sale FTW..

Just outside of the M60 so doesnt feel as busy and manic as Chorlton & Didsbury. Easy access to the motorway, can be in the lakes in an hour.

Quite a few STW’ers around here, and of course there’s the legendery South Manchester Massive 8)

Only downside is that I have bumped into Hora a few times in my local sainsburys 😆

Wow. Impressed. My M&E colleagues have just specced a solar pre-heating system to accompany the air source heat pumps and under floor heating system, rainwater harvesting system and self contained packet sewage farm system for a project im running.

Whilst I don’t have a clue how it all works, it sure sounds impressive, although having just opened the tender returns and found its £400k over the original budget estimate, the client suddenly thinks that BREEAM isnt so important afterall 😆

Time to move on. Just be sure to cancel your direct debit to the landlord in good time to make sure you have the upper hand with the deposit (tell him he can keep your deposit in lieu of your final months rent if its the same value)

hh45 & Lady Alex,

If your Carlo is the same Carlo im thinking of (and there can’t be that many Carlo’s running bike hire / guiding in torbole!) then he may be slightly hard to locate these days, as according to the owners of carpentari bike shop and Luca’s bike shuttle 6 weeks ago when I was there, Carlo is being investigated for tax evasion, and not having the relevant licences and permits to run an uplift service (basically an un licenced taxi service!)

Check out Luca’s bike shuttle for daily uplifts to all the good routes. There are loads of gpx routes on t’internet. I thoroughly reccommend the Diavolo trail (also called The Skull) and also the serpent trail.

If you’re feeling brave, try the 601 trail!

Gunmetal Grey. Love the polished finish above – Can you get that as a refurb job Oxnop? Mines over 3 yrs old now and could do with sprucing up.

Now got a CCDB which has made a great bike even better.

Actually – Perfect day = Diavlo/skull trail in the morning, then another uplift to virtually to the same point as for the Diavlo, but take the “6” trail heading south along the East side of the lake. Only downside is the 9k road ride back to Torbole, inc unlit tunnels.

It really is as clsoe to MTB Nirvana as you’ll ever find in Europe 🙂

You are spoilt for choice! But 1 day doesnt really do it justice.

I had a week there in early May, and if you want to hire a bike, go to Carpentari bike shop in Torbole – a few of our group hired Cube Fritz’s.

Depends which day you are going, but google Luca’s bike shuttle for details of the uplifts available. Tremalzo is a good, fun day out, but nothing very tech. For me, I’d try and arrange an uplift up for the Devil trail (Val Di Diavol) (also called the Skull trail).

Wherever you go you wont be disapointed. Email for more details if you want.

Here’s our group enjoying ourselves 🙂

Bogtrotters Garda Vid

Oh, hang on, your smiley suggests you don’t think disabled access is a good thing – why’s that then?

Because they have replaced 100mm kerbs for dropped kerbs which is fine, but left the 120-150mm pot holes in the middle of the roads that catch wheels, including cars, bikes, wheelchairs and prams.

I know one set of funding will be a capex budget and another a maintenance budget, but to proceed with non-essential works when there are more urgent repairs needed is daft.

NorthernStar,

Around here in Trafford the roads are a crumbling mess, and the council are struggling to get through the backlog of repairs from last winter, however they have somehow managed to find the money and resources to dig up loads of normal kerbs to replace them with DDA dropped kerbs and tactile paving. 😯

Park in the car park by the entrance to the park at the end of the road to the left of the chippy by the old bike treks shop (think it’s either a scool or church car park, can’t remember). Safe, free parking, may be an honesty box to drop a few £ in iirc.

I’m a building surveyor but on the wrong side of the Pennines for you (and I don’t do residential!). I’ve got a mate who works for Smiths in Barnsley, give them a try.

Failing that, go on rics.org and use the ‘find a surveyor’ function.

Make sure you fully understand what type of survey you want too 🙂

Ah, think it was you then who we passed on the road heading around towards the rugby pitch in the p*****g rain yesterday afternoon?

[

Meet Marik. This was taken last Sunday, 30 mins after my parents collected him after he was put up for re-homing by his original owner. He’s settled in to his new home really well. 60 seconds after after being introduced to his new garden, he took a full speed dive into the pond. 😀 Typical Flatcoat Retreiver..

+1 with the same issue. How the hell do those grub screws bend??

Binners – Plumber lives over that way now.

Hora – McDonalds in Stretford might have closed, but at least you can nip over the road for a pint in The Drum 😀

And the guy at the start of this vid is Nasher off here and owner of R.Bike

another vid

Epic place, went with Riveira bike a few years ago. Some of the best trails Ive ever ridden.
See Plumbers videos

I have just given my defunct summer season frame to P Austin as he’s set it up as a tourer. Looks kinda weird tho.

My Genesis IO singlespeed is my ideal commuter for my south mancs / Irlam / warrington commute (started commutng again yesterday 😀 )

Have you actually made a formal offer yet? As the house is on at 285k my first offer would be less than 250k anyway. It’s only just more than 10% under the asking price, which as an opening offer wouldnt be too far off the mark given the current market.