OP – friend of mine swears by his, he lost his front teeth in an over the bars in a conventional lid and after healing up started wearing parachutes, he has gone down a few times and broken a chin guard but thinks the helmet has saved more pain and expense. Non-scientific but he seems happy and its a lot lighter/more comfortable than a full face. I’m considering getting one myself (or possibly a casco viper).

The bike racks under my building, other bloody residents buy £75 internet bikes, chain them up and then abandon them, shocking waste of low grade steel.

But the tip is the more practical option, surprising how many half decent hack bikes get discarded there, if you have a local council recycling centre they may also have some in better nick

I use a krypotnite kryptoflex for in-sight locking of the bike, for longer stuff I tend to use a mini-D although that bordo looks interesting. D’s are no use against bottle jacks but if they can’t get the jack in they can’t use it.

What I really would like to try would be a Knog Milkman for ‘in sight’ lock ups like pub stops as it looks perfect, that is if Knogg wouldn’t keep changing the due date for stock every month since last october (latest eta is April).

It cuts both ways – I passed a chap on a Trek Fuel 8 in the new forest last summer on my cheap hardtail while out on a pub ride, he commented “I must look a right knob on this” and explained he had just got it delivered that day and really really wanted to ride it hence being a little overbiked for a fireroad.

Nex are very nice (2 friends have them) although I still prefer my Sony DSLR as I like having the really wide range of glass (old minolta) you can pick up second hand. That said it is a tad unwieldy and its a pain to carry all day with associated kit. Personally I think you get more camera buying a similar price DSLR than a Nex type camera as you are paying for the small form factor but they are damn good cameras and a big step up from a compact type.

I’m waiting until the dust settles this weekend with the consultation falling over then I’m going to write a short note to my MP thanking the coalition for listening to the public – positive reinforcement and all that.

On the access issue its a thought that if the government is sticking with the forests now then they could look at improving returns on the estate through encouraging cycling use – open up some more woods to permissive use and make a bit of cash off the carparks for example

HMRC didn’t change the policy, they revised the guidelines.

Fair point although I do feel that given HMRC adopted a postion of benign ignorance over a decade or so of the scheme its a little bit more than simply providing more detailed guidance and does reflect a shift in enforcement policy as regards employee benefits in leiu of pay, HMRC dressing it up as a mere clarification belies the number of people (and by implication companies) who have used/absued the system to date – its unrealistic to think that the widespread abuse of C2W could have persisted if HMRC had not opted to ignore the issue until recently and I suspect its tied to last summers ECJ rulings on the handling of VAT recovery under such schemes as much as to concerns about C2W.

Arrgh, I look at singletrack to get away from this junk, going to look at bicycles now.

wow, looks like someone in the eurozone just found out what competition looks like, I have some limited sympathy with distributors who sink a lot of effort into promoting a product but not a whole lot given the alternative to open competition is to let companies divy up the market and then charge whatever they think they can screw out of people in each region.

In any event unless the manufacturers themselves (as opposed to distros) start enforcing specific conditions on sales over the web then all the moaning in the world won’t matter – as long as product is shifting vendors will be happy.

worth checking the montane sacrab as well – fits some better than others (and also half price at go-outdoors at the mo…)

Picked mine up today – the pair of red and black betrays i bought my s/o as she has commented on them before are very nice, the orange jawbones i bought myself are pretty silly but I’m very pleased with them.

Only defect appears to be a tiny pinprick sized gap in the interior coating of one of the jawbone lenses but its totally undetectable when on. Must now resist temptation to walk to work (in the dark) wearing them.

Similar problem with my (public sector) employer – the HMRC guidance allows options for the employer to choose from – my HR department are going for the fair market value option as its ‘easiest’ in their view.

Not to further depress people but I’ve had a similar battle to the OP on behalf of some of our BUG and HR have simply refused to play ball – they are not required to choose the option thats cheapest for the employee and as they resent administering the scheme to start with (we had to fight to get on it) they seem to be taking pleasure in hitting users as hard as possible and are refusing to consider longer hire periods or paying tax on the benefit in kind. I don’t think we will have many takers for the next round of the scheme based on feedback from the BUG as many are now suspicious that HMRC will simply change the policy again.

Another for Camelback Podiums – only ‘tasteless’ bottle i’ve found to date

Late starter here (if you discount messing around on BMX’s as a child) – 1998 on a friends borrowed Rockhopper (I think…) round the back of durham university, ended in a crash for me and a full on face plant for my mate on his new cannondale.

Maloja – find it irritating how much of their kit has appeared in photo shoots for the other less good mtb magazine but which isn’t actually available in the UK.

I’m going to have to be putting the price of all my auctions up in future – i’ve been doing it wrong by trying to establish a competitive price based on what things cost rather than rrp. I’m not cytech qualified but i own some tools – 5% extra on top sound fair?

Thats one nasty looking bike.

yeah how long for you guys to get a dispatched mail?
ordered sat pm but still nothing

I ordered late on friday pm and got the dispatched mail this afternoon so I wouldn’t worry.

For info they have updated the site now and removed all the factory seconds glasses so i guess thats all folks for them.

Thanks to the OP for the tip!

Mike Patton

Si is a seriously good guy – sorted a big problem with one of my orders a while back

Jawbones in ‘Atomic Orange’ ordered, if nothing else they will draw attention from my poor bike handling skills

For harsher stuff you could go with the likes of Converter ( http://www.ant-zen.com/converter/ ) and other ‘powernoise’ acts,

Grendel (http://www.industrialnation.nl/grendel/) are pretty angry on their day and Combichrist is worth a try.

And yes Nachtmahr do seem to attract lovely ladies!

Responded in detail, key decision already taken of course, only issue is how much goes and how badly public gets done over.

Made similar points to IGM, also suggested setting up a quasi-corporate vehicle like railtrack to take the FC off the governments books as another option but suspect the reality is going to look like:

1) Sell land to forestry company/national trust/local nimby’s/van hoogstraten’s

2) New owners rigourously apply access rights thus banning anyone who as a result of our archaic access laws is there on FC sufferance

3) “Get orf my land”

For short stuff I only carry duct tape and a small dressing since if its really bad a first aid kit isn’t going to be any good and if its minor its not going to ruin a short thrash

Longer trips I carry duct tape, suncream (seasonal), painkillers, some plasters, couple of dressings, tick remover and antiseptic wipes. All the above is only to deal with small injuries that could spoil a ride.

Also carry a space blanket, compass, whistle etc although thats more suvival kit than first aid.

IIRC the head angle was felt to be too steep for the fork length – racer boy head angle with a long fork. There was a thread about it when O-O started doing the frame deal.

If you’ve ever wondered why no one regulates them out of existance like other forms of pollution their trade association gives to both labour and the tories and is very aggressively opposed to regulation, I found this out because I complained to the local council and then the trade body after one of them called me a ‘miserable git’ for not shaking his hand and followed me down the length of the high street asking me over and over again why i couldn’t spare a minute for ‘the children’, council have few powers and trade association is violently opposed to taking any action that would cost its members money.

/rant off

To be fair I am a miserable git, What tyres for running them down?

CK came out against them close to a decade ago and they don’t seem to be going away – think Cube use them quite a lot on more xc focused mtb’s.

Tbh despite the CK position and the seeming common sense of not running steel on aluminium I’m not aware of threads on the web complaining about how an integrated (cupless) headset destroyed a frame so not entirely convinced it really represents the problem its presented as in real conditions.

Up to £899 I’m afraid, suspect CRC noticed the sudden spike in interest!

Similar (positive) experience here – Go-Outdoors do have very good customer service when things go awry – my local store sorted out a stock transfer after my online order went out of stock a couple of months ago.

As for the bike event I got SLX Shifters, SLX Front Der and a shedload of lube and energy food all at half price yesterday.

I got a set of half price skins (socks, shorts and top) in the 50% running event on monday as well as a pair of new running shoes – I went on spec expecting all the good stuff to be ‘missing’ but they had lots out – I’m a medium in skins and size 10 in shoes which are pretty common sizes so you never know the cycling event could also be good. Fingers crossed.

Have done it and would do it again, partly because I’m nice like that and partly because the one time i needed one (had left chain tool and links in the wrong bag after a 4am start) I was riding solo and the only assistance I got trailside was a lecture from a rather self important woman on a hybrid who was passing about the importance of being prepared properly. She was right but dear god she was pleased with herself.

Think of the gram saving from ditching the bobble!

Jeez they’ve got old and dull, should have packed it in when Richie vanished or at least done a joy division/new order and changed the name, boring old dadrock with a touch of soft socialism now.

All road diesel will need lowlevel (5-7%) bio in it from the 1st of Jan under new EU regs, not sure if UK has implemented yet. The Morrisons bio was pulled after lots of manufacturers refused to treat vehicles burning it under warrenty as it was outside of intended use for engines.

I think there is a significant difference between astroturfing and the groupthink that tends to go on here and on other niche forums. I don’t think there is much guerilla marketing here as much as most of us like similar things so when someone asks ‘what bike’ we all end up listing out on-one/ragley/orange/cotic unprompted because most of us would quite like one/own one already.

I’ve got a Gerber Suspension, only had it six months but its been ace so far and seems well made, all blades sharp out of the box.

Is it pure bio or mix?

Bio has the potential to eat non-compliant seals and make a mess of piping that isn’t suitable for bio so be careful before using it.

Its also hydroscopic and prone to contamination/growth so be aware of the neeed for clean tanks and higher than normal care when handling.

Oh and be sure its actually good for the environment, a fair bit of bio is worse than straight hydrocarbon unfortunately.

was pretty shocked by this myself but a quick google reveals the chap is a ‘professional activist’ who appears to have a towering hatred of the police so suspect there is more to this than the headline story.

BBC interview was terrible although (and not belittling the godawful condition he has) the chap appears to be rather more mobile than he lets on to the news (he actually mentions on his blog that after the incident he “got back up and stood in front of the horses.”) which does slightly alter the situation since he appears to be quite willing to lie to make the police look worse.

Still scary stuff, his blog is at: http://jodymcintyre.wordpress.com/

One of my mates (who was a junior DEFRA scientific advisor up until a few days ago) puts it down in part to an EU-wide ban on some of the stuff that is allowed in pesticides and commercial pest control products in the last couple of years. Not sure of the truth of it but there do seem to be lots of them about.

I think what has upset most people is that Emma & Tracey are fundamentally responsible for Mountain biking in Scotland as its is known today.

Wow, sense of proportion fail, classy move tagging this thread with your company identity as well.

One of our local CAMRA greybeards has a policy that if it has a website its rubbish!

Not my locals by any stretch but when visiting london The Rake in borough market is well worth a visit for ales (and US craft beer on tap), alternatively Zeitgeist near Albert Embankment is damn good for German Beer (10+ German purity law beers on the bar plus loads of bottled).

I favour Uniqlos Windproof Heattech jeans, I can remain ‘yoof’ while also being stupidly warm.