Blowtorch for the stubborn bits?

I used a blowtorch to remove a stuck seat post a while ago and it did a pretty good job of burning the paint off!

I’m watching this thread with interest as I’ll be stripping a frame soon for a fixie.

Surely any ninja looking for optimal range and damage would be using ryvita crackers?

Mine is 52×22.

It’s fine for my 16 mile commute, infact it’s pretty fast when up to speed, but any headwind can make it a bit of a grind.

I foolishly ran it 52×16 to begin with and it nearly destroyed me!

Cheers for all the suggestions guys.

Managed to get hold of American flyers and will be watching that tonight. Infact im going to work my way through every suggestion on this thread.

I did promise myself no more bikes this year, but after watching the trailer I reckon fixation just might be enough of an excuse to build the fixie I’ve always put off!

Battlefield 3 for me.

The fact I can’t yet unlock the mp5k is driving me mad. New pack out soon and can’t wait to raz about on dirt bikes!

Take a shovel and help them build?

Why not approach them as both a mountain biker and a concerned local. That way you can actually influence what they’re up to, maybe suggest line choices that avoid paths or create corners that slow you down before entering a path. I’m hardly an expert trail builder but you get what I mean.

Compromise and working together is always better than this tribal approach some people seem hell bent on taking.

“stay on target, stay on target”

Classic, this is bound to pop into my head now!

Results are up!

Spreadsheet

I did better than I thought!

Bollox

I thought the course was great and will definatley be doing the summer one. I did the fun category and there did seem to be some fit looking riders at the start line chomping at the bit, but we’ll see how quick they were when the results are published.

I must admit when I got to the startline and saw the other riders I went straight to the back as I was the only one on a singlespeed and thought I’d just get in the way. I actually made up quite a few places so the field can’t have been that competitive.

My legs are bloody aching now, but had a great time!

Have a listen to the Bald Move podcast ‘breaking good’

They are a couple of proper TV geeks, who basically watch each episode and then disect it analysing characters and motives, as well coming up with some pretty wacky theories for how it will progress.

I got pretty obsessed with Breaking Bad, and the podcast really fuelled the obsession!

Can’t flipping wait for the last half of season 5

No fear.

When I was at school in the 90s they were really exclusive and only the rich kids wore No Fear. I remember the slogans seemed really inspirational, to a teenage lad anyway.

Nowadays they are the epitome of chavtastic.

I’m tamworth so I’ll keep an eye out. If it was local kids there’s a chance the mtbs might show up at the track or the skatepark. I use both so I’ll sneak a look at anyone not on a bmx.

It might be worth talking to the second hand shops in town and making them aware. Then if they get offered the bikes they can take details. They might even be stupid enough to take them into the local bike shops ( two wheels only and Dave Owen) so perhaps a word with them too.

Gutted for you mate, bloody scallies

Done

Definitely technique over strength. Grind the hills and on technical climbs you’ll develop a kind of hip thrusty movement that adds momentum to pedal strokes. Gurning helps too

Snowing in sutton Coldfield.

If it sticks i’ll have a lunctime spin round Sutton Park tomorrow.

I actually spent about half an hour the other night trying to decipher the binary on the seat stay!

Love the bike tho, infact i barely ride anything else.

[/url][/img]

Number 3

Just wait till you get your first night ride puncture. All alone in the woods, trying to find the tyre lever you just dropped.

But your right, night rides are ace. Love it when it’s cold and there’s a bit of a fog to add atmosphere.

I think it’s ace, the bold colours and settings are fantastic and will have lots of significance if you started to analyse the scenes.

My wife finds it too disturbing (especially after the school scene) and won’t watch it anymore

So, was it any good?

Why not make women’s cycling more sexy? Surely part of the reason many women don’t get involved is because it’s seen as a male sport.

In a society where such importance is placed on image, there are so many bad role models for women, who are celebs just because they are good looking.

Who would you rather your daughter admired, the likes of Cheryl cole and Coleen Rooney or some of those amazing and gorgeous women in the wiggle team?

I never really see ownership as the problem, people will still use them anyway creating ‘non official” paths and trails. Cheekys still cheeky.

There was a lady on r4 this morning talking about making forestry a more profitable business in order to save the ancient woodlands. I guess we might see more logging and replanting?

I’m in, I’ve even been practising my endos!

Barnun – I thought it displayed it, try matthewDOTkinsonATgooglemailDOTcom

Barnun – I actually live in woodend, which is pretty much tamworth really.

Kingsbury woods despite the name isn’t actually in kingsbury, its just past planters garden centre and backs onto woodend and goes round the back of the TNT depot. It’s reasonably big, and with it being old mining country there are some interesting hills and drops. I want to plan a route that links the woody bits of wilnecote (via the bmx track) too but haven’t quite got round to it.

If you fancy a ride give me a shout, email should be in my profile.

I’ve not encountered that particular lady

Her name is josie, but I call her old squiggy eye. She’s a proper nimby who wants the woods for local people only, but she took things a bit too far by impersonating a security guard working for Tarmac (they own the non MOD part of the woods) then after plenty of arguments and complaints to Tarmac, she was finally ousted in the tamworth herald as a nuisance.

Just tell her to bugger off

Mindmap3 –

Mattk…when you say local woods do you mean Hopwas?

Yeah i do hopwas every now and then, I’m not into the jumps as some of them are bloody massive but they have made some lovely bits of singletrack. I rarely see other riders, but I imagine they get put off by that weird lady who hangs out by the pig farm posing as a security guard and telling people to get out.

I have a loop in kingsbury woods that I’m slowly expanding (it’s about 5km) but i think I’m the only rider that uses the woods.

I’m also slowly discovering stuff around atherstone that’s pretty good too.

If you fancy a ride sometime give me a shout

I’m from tamworth and either ride local woods or Cannock.

But I also ride with Coventry Godiva trailriders in the week. They’re a good bunch and they like a pint or two!

Then of course there is the stw birmingham urban ride, the next one in a couple of weeks. We basically raz around multi story car parks and ride down stairs, but it’s way more fun than it sounds!

Focus, hocus pocus

That’s my ‘turbo charger’ tune when training.

Oh and good luck with the fight!

1hr in a giant industrial dish washer, loading those plastic pallets that supermarkets put vegetables in.

Up until that day I’d always said I wasn’t too proud for any job, but that one broke me.

I’ve been known to play magic the gathering, although I do claw back some man points with Thai boxing

Watching return of the Jedi a while ago (the bit with the ewoks on endor)
my wife turned to me and said

“that looks like the woods near our house, do you think they filmed it on earth?”

Loads around Birmingham, can’t wait to go out for a spin later

Cheers nuke, just got my Flickr account today, obviously need some practice.

I didn’t encounter nasty puddles, but I did have to wee on my spds to defrost them.

Hmmm Flickr link fail

Local woods followed by a mooch around Sutton park

Am I going to have to brave lycra

If its really cold I’ll wear my baggies, otherwise I’ll be lycra’d up

I’ve entered this and will be riding my 100mm hardtail, which I’ve always found just right for Cannock.

I’ve entered the fun category (as its not really my first race) and am ‘trying’ to train for it, but am failing to put the miles in each week.

If I enjoy it, I’ll be entering the midlands xc series afterwards – and do some proper training, ….maybe

8

3c