Signed

What Maxray says, only with a pork ragu, stonking!

MTG – Try this:

http://www.silicon.com/management/cio-insights/2007/07/18/peter-cochranes-blog-how-i-boosted-my-mobile-signal-39167877/

Made a big difference for my folks, used to get 0-1bar, now gets consistent 2.

Messiah’s probably right, with passenger seat slid forward a bike would get in there with only the front wheel off, esp if you took the seatpost out. 2+2 with both wheels off and space for weekend kit is possible as well. Love my ‘rado!

No worries. The seats don’t quite fold flat in the ‘rado. TBH i’ve never bothered trying just taking the front off, I find it easier to just whip off both wheels to avoid damaging the interior of the car. It’d probably go with enough messing around. I almost always need to get 2 bikes in the back which def requires both wheels off.

Just re-read my post. Obviously I don’t get 2 bikes and 2 people in the back of the ‘rado! You know what I mean though.

I get 2 bikes and 2 people in the back of the ‘rado pretty easily, but both wheels need to come off. A mate of mine has a 944, he can get a bike in the back (again, both wheels off), but would struggle to get 2 because of the gearbox being in the back (high boot floor). 5k would get you a mint ‘rado or a nice/decent 944 s2. Both brilliant cars. Both lots of fun. The noise of the VR6 on full chat is addictive. You have been warned.

Genesis Latidude – 853 or Ti. Designed for a 120mm fork really, although I suspect it would be fine with a 100mm. Rides very nicely, comfortable and fun.

These are great, cheap, easy to set up – fit and forget.

Seth – mine are open ended with separate plugs included.

Been beaten to it, but Specialized Enduro, comfy and light. Stay where they’re put with only one lock ring.

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/specialized-enduro-locking-item156234.html

Hmmn thats a good one- no 1 early B – deaf ears- big tune from 84 with mental vocal stylee. no 2 Buju Banton- Batty Rider- its about underwear not gay bashing, but yes buju is a homophobe. No 3 Wayne Smith- Under mi sleng teng- digi dancehall epic. No 4 little John and Toyan- Bushmaster Connection- ya nah conquer di rebel I. No 5 Barrington Levy – under mi sensi. No 6 Eek a Mouse- ganja smuggling. No 7 K C White- no no no. No 8 Mr Vegas- Heads High. No 9 Scientist- Dematerialize- heavy heavy dub. No 10 General Levy- Heat. And two extra- Niney and the observers- Blood and Fire and Ital Correction. Check em out – Iree Iree!

I’d rather drive something that’s designed to operate well in excess of the speed limits, and can stop on a six pence than something that can barely reach the speed limit in 30 seconds and takes 100m to stop at that speed. If I could afford to I’d drive a Maclaren F1 everywhere!

Rowan Atkinson is a proven race driver, taking part in numerous race series, I can only assume that he is a better track driver than me. I hope both he and the car recovers soon. The rest of the celebrities that have crashed, yeah fair enough, bunch of idiots!

Mintimperial – From my understanding you’re right about the preload. Like you i’ve tried every setting poss, none of them are satisfactory. Have you sent yours off to the likes of TFTuned? I feel a bit agrieved at the idea of sending new forks off for a service/so that they work, but those guys do know what they’re doing!

Z1ppy – Agreed RE the wheels I think. Bigger discs – already running 180/160s…not massive, but should be more than enough for my puny frame!

Thanks all.

Mintimperial – interesting to hear that you have similar experience of the recons. Have you also got the pre-load wound right out? It seem sto me that they hit a second stage in their travel around the 60mm mark that is very stiff?

Junkyard – New pads are def worth a go – whats the consensus on good all round pads? Std shimano? EBC? Sintered or organic? Help!

Angry ratio – I could re-hub the wheels, but I want to keep them whole – once i’ve eventually replaced the wheels and brakes I’m putting htem on the GF’s bike to try and boost her confidence a bit (she did her first drop off last week!).

40MPG – Think you could be right. I didn’t write my post in order really….Hopefully the brakes and forks can get sorted with different parts.

I’d love the Genesis Lat Ti….got the Lat 10, which I guess is kind of like dreaming of Kylie and waking up with Dani…..

There are Oxford based MTB clubs? I didn’t know of this. Do they accept unfit ex smokers with an affiliation to beer and an overly shiny new bike?!

Driving at rush hour into the centre is a nightmare and to be avoided, driving into the centre and having to find somewhere to park, don’t bother. The ring road isn’t much fun either. Park and rides are ace. A friend commutes regularly on bike – he reckons 45 min.

Where are you commuting from? I wouldn’t regularly commute in the car, whats wrong with he bike?

I can’t believe i’m about to admit this on here, i’ll never hear the end of it. I used to work for Halfords. I’m not proud, I was a student and needed some easy cash. Anyway, whilst there I assembled many many bikes, all to the best possible standard (I always relished the chance to build something nice like the voodoo as it was a break from building sh1t bikes, so took my time over it). I guess what i’m trying to say is that they aren’t all bad….some are.

I’ve just checked on the Halfords site, a free build is included, so you order online and pick it up in your local store ready to go.

As for things to look for, this is tricky to explain here and to be honest, you shouldn’t need to (would you expect to check over the work of car mechanics when picking up a brand new car?). However, for peace of mind, its worth checking that wheels are on properly, everything that should be tight is (handlebars, stem, seatpost,seat, pedals) and that the brakes work well. The gears will require adjustment after a few hours riding as the cables will stretch slightly.

Back to the ‘comfy’ thing – it is all about the bike geometry – this will affect the way the bike rides, its difficult to explain and is dependant on things like the angle of head and seat tubes, bottom bracket height etc. My suspicion is that the Spesh’ will have angles set up more for racing/XC where as the Voodoo will be a bit more relaxed, making it a more enjoyable ride if you’re not planning on really fast riding. You wouldn’t really notice the difference without giving them a good ride.

Dave, don’t let your experience at Halfords put you off. They’re both great bikes, you can’t really go wrong with either as a first MTB. I think its unanimous (almost unheard of on here!) that the Voodoo has a better spec – Hydraulic Disc brakes rather than mechanicals, and a better fork. Beware that if you order online through Halfords you will have to put the bike together and set it up yourself (I think), if you’re not comfortable doing this I am sure your local bike shop will – at a price (approx £40ish)! I think you might have slightly mis-understood what I meant by ‘comfy’. I suspect that the Spesh’ when riding will have a more race orientated geometry, and therefore quicker steering and a less forgiving feel, where as the Voodoo will feel a bit more relaxed and forgiving, so more comfortable for general ‘trial’ riding. FWIW i’d go with the Voodoo. Hope that helps.

Hi Dave – welcome. Both look like good entry level options. If anything the Voodoo looks a better spec – Hydraulic discs instead of mechanical, similar groupsets and similar forks, although apparently the Specialised is a bit lighter. The most important thing is that the bike is comfy and fun. In my experience (I haven’t ridden either of these particular bikes, but have experience of both brands) the Voodoo will be aimed more at having fun/more comfy to ride where as the Specilised is probably a bit more ‘racey’.

Me too!

My laptop doesn’t detect any wireless networks. I’ve rebooted the hub (BT homehub 3 – not old) several times and am confident its working fine. The laptop is detecting nothing – ie not even next doors wireless. I’ve rebooted it, and checked the WLAN device status – all working apparently….

Odd. Sorry for the Hijack. Any ideas appreciated.

Blow it all on flights to Vietnam/Cambodia, once you’re there you’ll barely spend a penny (32,000dong to the pound. I’m heading out that way in October – can’t wait. Check the seasons though….

Its been a while since I used PS last. But I’d start by drawing a marquee around the trees, then you can select by colour (I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly how to do this), select the white in the trees (old sky) and turn the opacity down. Have fun getting the sky right in the reflections!

+1 for the Corrado. And ignore this talk of the inherent little foibles, they make the ownership interesting and give the car it’s personality! Besides, once you open it up and hear the VR6 growl you’ll instantly forget that you’re nearly bankrupt…… And when you hit 60ish (if it still works) the spoiler raises up automatically! Seriously though, great car, and if you choose carefully you should be alright. And you can easily get two bikes in the back! You will struggle to find a loved one for £800 though…..

Was gutted that I didn’t take my bike when I went. As the locals say though;”you get 4 seasons in a day here”……..

Based on a few rough calculations the difference in cost (due to fuel economy allowing for the extra cost of diesel) between the two isn’t going to amount to a great deal based on your mileage (maybe a 2-300 quid in favour of the diesel). This could easily be offset by the increased servicing costs. I’d go and test drive a a few and base your decision on what you prefer to drive.

Personally I’d forget a 1.4 or 1.6 estate, it’ll be gutless, especially once loaded. Try the 2.0, it’ll be nicer to drive and probably not that much different in economy in real world driving.

Incidentally, things don’t always work out as you expect. I took a hire car from Oxford to Birmingham and back yesterday. It was a 1.6 Vauxhal Meriva. I cruised at brisk pace – middle/outside lane with 2 passengers and used £27 worth of petrol. On Monday I did exactly the same journey, same no. of passengers, same time traffic the lot in my 15yr old car – with a 2.9 litre V6 engine. This used less than £20 worth of petrol!

HTH

Hi Foxy,

I wouldn’t do a great deal tbh, i’d consider the following at anytime of year, so I guess this is stuff I’d do over and above usual:

Use a wet weather lube on chain
If my bike suffered from crap cable routing I’d think about continuous outers, but its done fine so far…
If its really wet and slippery I generally drop my saddle by a fraction for better control.
Give the bike a good clean regularly and wipe down with WD40 – it stops mud sticking so easily (and smells good).
Check drainage holes are free/not blocked.
Tyre pressures…maybe.

TBH though, its a mountain bike, I figure it’ll cope with most things better than I will.

HTH

On second thoughts:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/day-01/day-01-alfine

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/vapour/vapour

If you haven’t found it already the Environment Agency is a good place to start:

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/business/sectors/31364.aspx

HTH

+1 for the Genesis range.

I bought a Latitude 10 not long ago and haven’t looked back. Its within your budget and leaves some cash for immediate upgrades. Love the way it rides, it seems to encourage you to hit the gnar harder!

Indeed, Wickes are much more set up for construction rather than weekend DIY. Much higher quality as well.

Looks like you’ve got quite a project on. Good luck and have fun!

Hi MTG,

Firstly, if you haven’t already, download this brick dims table

http://bricksalesltd.com/Brickwork%20Dimensions%20Tables.pdf

Secondly, don’t use B&Q, they’re cr@p. Try the Wickes website, much better at telling you what will fit with what.

The 910 opening is a standard metric structural opening. I can’t remember what size frame it requires, but I think the door leaf to fit is 826mm.

Again, from memory, you need to allow 7mm either side of the frame (for building tolerance, and expansion/contraction). 910 – 7+7 = 896mm – 826mm leaf = 70mm total frame / 2 = 35mm frame thickness. Sounds about right.

HTH

PS, Self supporting cladding……..?

Thanks Paul – some sound advice.

You’re probably right – the forks are the place to start. I was wondering if anyone had any experience of upgrading the internals as I thought this might be worth a go first. I fear Fox maybe a dream for quite some time….

I’m pretty happy with the way it rides at the moment, I suppose only more miles in the saddle will tell……

My thoughts on the brakes are partly driven by the fact that I can only compare them to my old V’s – are XT discs way more powerful than the std discs on the Latitude?

As for the wheel – all in good time…….

I am on the Champix too! about 4 weeks in. I’m finding them really good, despite the slight nausea and vivid/mental dreams….I made friends with a man sized otter the other night!
The lack of lung capacity will get better – your lungs are beginning to clear out all the crap and open up – stick with it!