Managed to pop into a phone shop and have a quick look at the E71 and was really impressed. My only concern is that I’m guessing that I’ll use the phone as a phone and for general web browsing more than regular email. Might be better looking at one of the phones with a larger screen. Looked at the Nokia 8500 but it looks a little bulkier than I’d like. N96 looks good, but as it’s been superceded by the N97 (which I don’t think orange are offering as they dont like that it comes from Nokia Skype-equipped) I might leave that one.

Did have a quick play with an iphone and although a part of me would like not to follow the crowd, I have to admit it’s a superb interface, and does all I wan’t a phone to do very well indeed. The comments on the iphone becoming available on Orange. I know the new phone is our in the next couple of months and have heard rumours about apple having a clause to enable them to break their exclusivity deal with O2 after 2 years. Saying that, I’ve been hearing rumours like that for the past 12 months. Nothing’s happened yet!

Good to hear everyone’s experiences living with their phones though; thanks! Better than reading reviews when they’ve only had a play with the phone!

E71 was another I’d looked at, thanks for that Brant. Looks quite solidly built and not too brick-like.

I’ll have to find some time to pop into a phone shop. Always easier to see how sturdy they feel: if they look as if they’ll stand up to being thrown down the stairs by our 18 month old!

Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham. I travelled down from Manchester. Well worth the trip. Lots of independant shops and manufacturers and a good saving on ‘high street’ jewellers’ prices, with well informed service and the ability to customise the ring.

I got Mrs M’s ring from

http://www.crystalink.co.uk/

They were spot on.

I’d advise getting a certified stone, and also having a look at lots of different ones. Although you can tell a lot by the colour, clarity etc., the quality of the cut has a hugh affect on how much the diamond sparkles.

Specialized BG Gloves are really good, but the velcro is pants.

Sorry, poor phone photo.

Plenty of bluebells out in the woods by the path down to the West Gate at Lyme Park. Photos never seem to do the colours justice (although some of the previous photos posted seem to have done it perfectly). It’s a great time of year to be out and about.

Slightly OT, but I thought there’s suppose to be a bee crisis. Don’t know if it’s because I’m more on the lookout for them but I seem to have seen loads this past few weeks…

Remember having a go on an RC100 at the Bingley NEMBA event. After that, always wanted one.

[Another bike which caught my attention- I think I copied the paintwork on a DIY BMX paint job.

I think I’ve still got the 1989 Kona Catalogue. I had a Fire Mountain at the time, but always lusted after the Brodies at the back of the catalogue

Flew with my (road) bike for the first time last month.

Soft bike bag lined on the inside with a cardboard bike box from Halfords. Pedals off, chain off, bottle cages off, skewers removed (wheels put in padded bags inside the bike bag).
Plastic axle ‘blanks’ taped into fork and rear dropouts, Seatpost removed. Bars rotated under top tube. Lots of pipe lagging and bubble wrap over everything. rear mech removed and bubble-wrapped inside rear triangle. Saddle/seatpost taped inside front triangle.

Probably over-kill but bike made it there and back in one piece.

With a mountain bike I’d probably take the rotors off so the don’t get bent or damage other components. Don’t think there’s any need to let air out of tyres, forks etc. as the hold on aircraft is usually pressurised.

And don’t forget to pack pedals, chain etc!

Did that ride a couple of years ago. Started in Hadfield. Along the Trans-Pennine Trail at the side of the Woodhead, then a little loop near the turning for Holme Firth (that bit was a bit of a waste of time; very boggy- a bit of a tiring hike-a-bike session). Then down hill, right after the pub past Langsett Reservoir, Cut Gate To Dervent/LAdybower, then a bit of a road stint on tha Snake before Doctor’s Gate and back to Hadfield.

Was late starting so ran out of time, missed Doctor’s Gate- bit of a waste losing all that height on road.

Did it on a hardtail (Pace RC300)- not that I have a full-susser to choose from! Was fine as the majority of the route was on good surfaces. That was Summer- can’t say how things will be at the moment!

Not sure but looking at the tubing diameter and weight I’m thinking steel

Did the Cape Argus last month and was chatting to a guy from the UK who was riding on a newly aquired Bamboo road bike. kitted out with decent components- looked good.

He’d only got the frame a couple of days before- was one of the first few frames made in Africa with local materials- part of a project to encourage locals to make their own bikes.

Had a crack on my Pace frame at the weld between the BB and chainstay. Contacted Pace who were no longer repairing their own frames. They advised me to contact a motorcycle frame manufacture as thy are used to welding light aluminium alloy tubing.

Took the frame to a place near Liverpool. They repaired the frame for about £30. I was advised to leave the frame for a week or so, to allow it to age-harden.

Still going strong after 3 years [touches wood].

If the warranty option is a no go- it’s worth a try.

Thanks chaps!

I had done several google searches including:

“dream it” wristband

and

“dream it” wristband blue

With no relevant hits.

Didn’t realise the order of words outside the speech marks was of such importance. Ah, the subtleties of search engines…

Mow/weed lawn :wink:

ourkidsam- beat me to it! What on earth was happening to the blonde’s mouth when she was on the phone? It’s like the phone had some gravitational pull!

I’d forgotten how much shouting at the telly is involved in this programme. Safe to say I wouldn’t let any of them anywhere near our car (and not just because I’m a bit anal when it gets to car cleaning), they don’t know their @rses from their elbows!

Thanks jam bo. I’ll make a note for next time I’m down.

Great video. Being at the other end of the country I’ve ony managed one day out in the Quantocks but seems like a great compact mountain bike ‘playground’!

Couple of questions for the regulars: Is the downhill starting at about 2 mins 9 seconds the same one that links to the woods section at 6 mins 10? And does this section then lead past the really great tea rooms? (Are they still open? I remember hearing they were being sold.) I seem to remember a great, long down hill, but I’m not sure if my memory is combining a few different sections.

Some lovely bikes on here. Must admit, busy schedule means I’ve been getting out on my road bike much more than my mountain bike.

Sorry if the photo’s pants- camera phone!

Great thread!

CFH- JP was a great aircraft. My brother was in on of the final flights to do their basic flying training in the JP; ‘The Last of the Fast’, before it was replaced by the Tucano.

Cuddly appearance given teeth in Strikemaster guise!

Some good ones there guys.

“Human organs in transit”

– If I had an organ as big and heavy as this it’d be in a transparent bag :wink:

Liking the Vader idea, but guessing I’ll stick to my name and ‘handle with care’!

Decided to opt for a soft bag so popped to Evans after work to buy their Pinnicle bike bag. Looks the same as the Neil Pryce/Tifosi bags so hopefully will be up to the task. Need to get to B&Q for some foam lagging now!

Uplink- thanks for that. Bikeshak is my local shop but didn’t get chance to call in before closing today. I had had a good route around their website (I could recall them mentioning boxes before) but didn’t spot it tucked so far down in the bottom right corner.

Merlin bag does look like a good option- seems like quite a rugged bag for a good price- will likely be cheaper in the long run and maybe lighter.

Thanks for the offer IWH. I’m guessing that if it’s a padded bag and It’ll be pretty costly to post. The fact I’ll need it for 2 weeks this time and I’ll need another one for a week in the summer means it might make more sense to buy one, unless I can borrow or hire one locally.

Cheers guys. Some great advice. It’s a road bike so no disks to worry about. I guess The only risks will be the drop bars and STI levers which may be a lttle vunerable. I’m guessing the carbon frame will be less sturdy to knocks that an mtb frame would be.

I’ll need to up the bubble wrap!

Does anyone know how much shops charge to hire bags? Can you hire soft bags as well?

Another for early 1989…

Went up to Elterwater with my brothers, eldest of which already had an ’88 Rockhopper Comp with Exage Mountain. Hired a Kona Firemountain, black with pink splatter finish. 6 speed Exage Country, U-Brake (but fitted on the seatstays which reduced clogging a little!). After a great day in the mud around Elterwater and Grizedale, I bought the hire bike. Soon fitted with matching pink Blackburn alloy bottle cage, toe clips with pink Mt Christophe toe straps.

Black Strika was my first ‘proper’ bike after a hand-me-down tricycle. Just like this in fact:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Raleigh-Strika-bike-Grifter-Boxer-Burner-era_W0QQitemZ290296638649QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Collectables_Bicycle_RL?hash=item290296638649&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1684%7C66%3A4%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Tempting restoration project…

Followed by a black Raleigh Burner, then a 14″ black and pink splatter Kona Firemountain; also a contender.

Strika owners; did yours make that clicking sound when you pedalled? Not sure if it was some undiagnosed technical problem with mine! Remember the front end being pretty heavy.

In the good old days of 7 speed, my granny ring was 26 tooth and the cassette was 12-28. I think that was pretty standard.

Granted, things have come on a little since then…

kids from feepaying schools tend to do less well at university compared to kids from state schools in comparison to their A level results

Could be related to learning more self study skills. Could also be due to them underacheiving in their A levels, then studying for a degree on a more level playing field.

If that’s the case, the risk is they might underacheive at A level sufficiently to not get to the university they want to or get to study the degree they want to.

A couple more questions on tensioners (I’ve got an EBB so I’ve never used one).

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a fixed tensioner (such as the Gusset Batchelor) or a sprung tensioner (such as the On One Doofer)?

Are rollers significantly noisier than jockey wheels? Any more drag?

Also looking at the On One converter kit. Will 2 spacers be sufficient to fine-tune the chainline or would I be better opting for a system with more spacers? I’m also guessing that a 2 spacer system won’t fit on a 7 speed free-hub. Is the standard on-one sprocket (not the groove armada one) likely to mark a freehub body?

Thanks for the advice

Interesting reading the different views on this subject, it’s obviously very emotive.

We’ve got a few years before we have to make the decision ourselves. I went to a comprehensive school, Mrs Mefster went had private schooling. We both have achieved similar academic results to degree level and have ‘got where we wanted to get’.

I feel that we’d have both pretty much achieved the same at either state or private school, as we were well motivated through school, and most importantly had fantastic parental support. I honestly believe that the parental support and encouragement outweighs any other variable.

Plenty of my friends at school were less focused, messed around much more than I did and maybe didn’t achieve their full potential. I think that for the more easily distracted child, the discipline and expected academic ‘work ethic’ at a private school would possible enable them to achieve more.

A big difference I can see is the extra-curricular oportunities and sports. At my comprehensive school there was a great reduction in the oportunity for activities that took much time outside school hours (cricket, outdoor pursuits, etc.) as this relied on the teachers time and goodwill. Speaking to my wife, private school offered much wider opportunities. Even our local grammar school does not always fully encourage pupils who excel to fulfil their sporting potential, lacking the flexibility needed for coaching and international competition.

We’ve got the option locally of state school, non-fee paying grammar school or private options. I think if we are lucky enough to be in a financial position for private schooling without sacrificing other important aspects of family life, we’ll do it. But I’d like to think that if we’re not, with good parental support, our little man we be able to fulfil his potential wherever he studies.

Same here Andy, there were a few things which could be plausible; the six kids for example!

Looks promising Tracey…

I had been mooching on ebay and on the on-line shops. Missed that though. I am always getting told that not looking for things properly is a male thing!

Heard a few clips on Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie’s show on Radio last night. Sounds fantastic! I think it’s showing at the Cornerhouse in Manchester. Need to find someone to go and see it with me as Mrs M doesn’t fancy it!

rest assured we will do everything to get to the bottom of this matter

Let’s hope that’ll be with a saddle still attached 8O

It’ll be for off road use, but also on some trailer-bike action with the family. No monster hills. I think he’s certainly going to be going rigid.

Any advantage of roller or jockey wheel?

I guess I may be OK without a guide, but as I wan’t to be able to stick suspension forks back on with minimal fuss, I’ll be keeping the hose the length it is at the moment. I guess it might be a little long with the RC31s.

Thanks for all the responses chaps. I think I’ll give the self-adhesive guides a go. I was always a bit concerned about how well they’d stick, but reassuringto know they do the job.

Skiing on older (non-carver) skis is tough for a beginner, even harder if the edges are dull and the snow is uneven. You might have a laugh but you run the risk of doing youself a real mischief, especially if you’ve not skied before.

The binding should be fine with newer boots as long as your boots are a similar size to the previous owners. As older skis had to be drilled to fit the bindings, there’s only limited adjustability.

Set the bindings on their loosest setting. It’d probably be worth taking boots and skis to a ski shop (but not on a Saturday afternoon). I’m sure in a quieter time they’d be happy to check things over and make sure the the bindings are safe.

If you go ahead get someone to video it. The £250 from ‘You’ve Been Framed’ will sweeten the 6 weeks in plaster! Enjoy!

Very sad news. Bless the Weather and Solid Air are two of my all time favourite albums. Great legacy to remember him by.

Found this:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=46006&DOY=7m1

on the Maplin site. According to the FAQs, it isn’t suitable for electrical connections. Can’t find anything called ‘silver epoxy’. Am I being dim?

Thanks guys.