Looks like he’s just about to go up Butser Hill, the last big climb of the day.

Big apologies to all on STW, I clean forgot to ask what tyres he is using. 😉

Managed to catch up with Richard and two other support riders on the SDW from just before Chantry hill above Storrington to Amberley mount. He is seriously trucking along especially when you consider the distance already covered, looks very focused and obviously not wanting to chat. The group did say they really appreciate all the support that he’s getting out on twitter and the Internet.

Mighty 8)

Well it looks like he’s either started or is just about to start the return leg from Eastbourne…good going 🙂

(bit difficult to get the map update thingy to work)

Bet he’s going to enjoy the long downhill into Southease today 8)

I’ve had 4 flats withs Stans notubes over the last year. First time I used an inner tube (v messy, but it got me home), second time it was a terminally shredded tyre on South downs Flint (bodged to get home) however with the other two I used anchovies to do a repair and they are flippin brilliant (less than one minute job including pumping the tyre back up to full pressure), used one just before doing the Maxx enduro last year and the tyre stayed inflated for the duration and is still ok 🙂

To be honest a lot of Japanese cars tend to be better for shorter drivers for all the obvious reasons. The only car my wife ever really felt comfortable driving was her parents Toyota Corolla . However if you like Fords and need load space then you might want to look at a C-max or Kuga as they both have the same seating position (high position which is good if your short of stature) and a lot of adjustability for both seat and steering wheel. Also some of these have electronic handbrakes so lever reach is less of an issue.

That big wood louse is just about to come out Checkovs’ ear…

Ooh, it’s the bloke from Fantasy Island…. 😉

Yours is superior.

Actually this would most likely go to local magistrates court, not crown so no jury and therefore no prejudice ( are there any magistrate or solicitors reading this?)

Well done for both catching him and showing the necessary restraint to get the police. Make sure you follow up with the police as they should take this to court.

Book him Dano… 😉

I run Maxxis Advantage Exc’s on Stans Flow rims, never managed to get the soapy water trick to work. IMO the best thing to centre the tyre bead in the mid grove of the rim and then either use a track pump (pump very fast…)and if that doest work I use a CO2 tyre inflator to pop the tyre onto the rim properly (this was the LBS recommended method and it really does seem to work). Just do not try and pop the bead onto the rim by hand as you can’t create a good air seal this way and the tyre won’t inflate.

The voodoo method with the chicken only works during every other full moon. Don’t use a KFC bargain bucket as this will not appease the gods (unless you have extra coleslaw) 😉

I think you all trivialising this and ignoring the real question:

What tyres should use for riding on a lane whilst being assaulted by a mad woman? 🙂

I run standard maxxis advantage on Stans arch with sealant. All seem fine and the sidewalls seem ok: no sidewall damage in one year of running them with the worst flint the South Downs can throw at them. The Nobby Nics sidewalls are thinner than the Maxxis ones, I would guess that the High Rollers are similar.

Did the Buxton one last year…very good fun and very well organised. Just note that it does take about 2 hours to do the course and its a much larger area than you first think it is… We all felt (with one exception) like we had been beaten up at the end of it, my 12 year-niece, however, enjoyed it so much she wanted to go round a second time 8O…flippin kids. 🙂

Very sad news. Condolences to his family and friends.

Nuke the site from orbit.
It’s the only way to be sure…. 😉

I’m about three quarters of the way through and am really enjoying the book on kindle after a recommendation from SpookyB329.

One slight issue was that the road cycling bits were so enjoyable to read that they ended up persuading me to stop prevaricating and actually buy a road bike…if this carries on I will have to do the Etape du Tour 🙂

Swans can’t break yor arm, that’s just a mix of urban myth and avian hyperbole.

They can however give you a rather painful chinese burn.

…or you could go for the inspiration for all motorbike travel books and Charley Boorman, namely “Jupiters travels” by Ted Simon

Mortice locks on a garage door are good but it’s better (ie easier) if you mount them into the door and put the striker plates in the frame. This way you dont have to worry about the length of the keys, you just have to be able to drill three holes per lock in the garage door ( 2 for bolting in the lock on the side of the door and one for the keyhole on the front, takes a bit of time if its a metal door but it’s not a major problem) and then chisel out the hole for the striker plate in the frame.

You can get a kit for this from places like Wickes, however they don’t sell dogs that are of a, ahem, happy persuasion, , or any kind of pets for that matter. 😉

27:49… Er….must try harder, or alternatively, must actually try 🙂

Well, the above are all good suggestions but I would suggest you think carefully about giving most, if not all of it to a good cause. I can suggest a very good charity, of which I am the founder and chairman of, that works tirelessly to support the almost forgotten cause of white, middle-class men in their early 40’s, living in nice parts of the Southern England who are struggling with the results of a happy home life, a fulfilling marriage, a string of pretty good career choices but still do not own a Whyte 146, a Willier road bike, an Audi or a Rolex.

Please, please give what to you can to this excellent cause, make all cheques payable to the Charitable Access Support Helpline, or CASH…. 🙂

Or alternatively just get the mortgage paid off (or a chunk of it to keep the bank onside) and have a nice holiday and sort the house out. Oh and get a nice bike too 8)

Sketchbook pro for work
Kindle for reading
Plants vs Zombies HD for using up the rest of your life 🙂

Hmm, its obviously all a conspiracy as everyone knows that you can build and maintain a trailcentre, visitor centre and cafe without having to spend any money whatsoever…how dare they make you pay to park there 😉

Take whichever bike you are most comfortable riding for 14hrs plus ( if you get backache then a full susser is a very good idea), 29ers are apparently good too so I’ve been told, DONT use 2.4in DH tyres: anything else that can roll ok, survive a bit of flint damage and also grip on damp chalk should be ok, bring a pump, a few inner tubes and repair kits, take lots of food/gels etc, a nice big camelbak or a couple of large water bottles and know where the water taps are because you will need them (BTW the one in Adur valley is sometimes not working) and FFS try and start early (ie before 7am, preferably before 6am unless you want to roll into Eastbourne after midnight!) Weekdays are better as you dont have so many walkers/horseriders out. Oh, and pack some lights…

When you get to the umpteenth long slog climb of the day you can marvel at all the people who say that the South Downs are “rolling rather than hilly” (a direct quote from MBR…)

You can do shorter prep rides going from QECP to Arundel/Worthing or Worthing/Brighton to Eastbourne and use the train to do the outbound or return leg. Both these rides are ace long days out and you can easily get a good 40-50mile late spring/summer ride out of this 🙂

Start looking for another job (but whatever you do dont tell ’em)

There is some barefaced cheek for your employer to say you can have a pay rise but only if they sack someone and you take on their work. If this actually happens then your employer can be taken to an industrial tribunal by whoever gets the boot.

Alternatively, you could set up on your own…a combined south coast beer/biodiesel business might just work and I’d like to try something other than Badger, Fullers or Black Sheep as my ales of choice whilst also having some cheaper fuel for the car 🙂

Spaced.

Cos as everyone knows ”Babylon 5’s a great pile of sh…” 😀

And they did a cracking good gunfight scene too…

Toyota MR2 was not sold in France as its name, MR2, when pronounced in french was “M, Air, Duex” or “Merde”… 🙂

The freehub is most likely a bit chewed up where the cassette sprocket mounting touches it, it probably needs a bit of gentle (firm) persuasion with a large flathead screwdriver levered between the sprockets and some choice expletives.

If the freehub has come off with the cassette then you really can hit the freehub out with a soft hammer (just dont use a club hammer…) 😉

Blimey. Track racing, its flippin ace isnt it? 😀

Stanmer park in Brighton, a pathetic 5.5 miles in well over two hours but the laughs, lack of grip and the many “where’s the singletrack? the trails gotta be here somewhere…” issues made up for the lack of distance 🙂

Sod an Ompaloompa Daddy, I want these NOW! 8)

Hmm, the turbine thingy in the exhaust….interesting…but how about using the pressure of the exhaust gasses to increase the flow of the incoming air into the engine combustion chambers, you could then effectively increase the swept volume of the engine meaning that you could use a smaller engine but get higher power output like you would from a bigger engine, sure you’ll have some lag between the turbine spinning up as the exhaust flow increases and the flow from the input turbine but just think of the possibilities.

Why has no-one thought of that befor…

er….oh, hang on…

Turbocharger? 😀

Im not sure Ming would know, or indeed notice the difference…

As for you, if these are the kind of tools you use at work then all the issues I’ve been having with a certain telecoms company this week now make so much more sense 🙂

Zip ties, Gaffer tape, flippin big nails and a large, sturdy hammer…. 😉

“poetry is sissy stuff that rhymes” 🙂

Or from “how to be a young Elizabethan”: “Coo er gosh, posh eh? Youd never hav fort a pair of blooomers wud hav made all the difference”

Molesworth, we salute you, may you forever covet the Mrs Joyful prize for Rafia work 😉

Wow, this really is just like using twitter…

In as much as I’ve managed to join the conversation approximately 14 hours after its faded out 🙂

The unspoilt countryside that HS2 will ruin, yesterday:

What you really want to do if your telescope can do object tracking is plug a webcam into where the eyepiece goes on your telescope, take about 200-300 frames of, say, saturn or jupiter and then use something like Registax to compile the images together….telescope power is more about light gathering than magnification and this basically means that you get seriously good detailed amateur astronomy pics 🙂