We have sent/ re sent you the replacement seatpost today

Hotel Banhoof right by the station (clue is in the name) offers good dorm/ and private rooms. Nice self catering kitchen and loungue etc. Not sure about bike storage as have only stayed there at the end of a ski touring trip.

Any work in the UK that comes under IRATA rules requires that anyone must always be attached to 2 separate systems. So you have a third system when changing over etc.

Had three berlingos (No.3 still ino our poseesion). No. 1 was a van. No. 2 a car.

No. 1 did a lot for us, and we missed services on it. It needed lots of things just out of warranty. Front discs, power steering pump. It needed a new regulator after the old one got water damaged due to incorrect mounting: water dripped into it. Kept it for 3 years and it did about 60 000 miles

No.2 needed nothing doing to it, but we only had it for 1 year. Lost a lot of money on it. Bought at 3 years old, and sold it as we moved to france.

No.3 is the new style, brand new, limited edition rossignol xtr. Suspension has been harsh form new, and shock heads replaced. But this is a know problem with the XTR's.

JUICED.

GET UP COME ON MAN GET UP

USE alien has got a nice matt weave. Bit fragile though.

Pooks, yes indeed. Didn't the M People win over some more worthy bands. Who was it though? Blur?

I had the joy of living there for 2 years whilst going to the university. My first uni experience was moving into halls of residence about 500m from where there had been riots 3 months previously.. and then getting mugged.

Moving from there to Sheffield to go to uni was like going to heaven, esp for a climber!

The thought did cross my mind, but would prefer to sort out the cd storage too!

Assuming it's for semi serious road riding and not just an occasional blast.
Then having just seen the results of a proper biomechanical and bike position assessment for Mrs Mugsy confirming the poor position of her on her current road bike, copuled with my identical experience 2 years earlier…

Then I would suggest determine exactly what dimensions she requires via a profesional and THEN look at bikes, rather than going 'sit on this love, yeah that looks about right'…. Take note a recently burgled well known yorkshire bike shop.

Mind you not all bad, I got a nice custom carbon frame that fits me spot on! And Mrs Mugsy is likely to do the same.

We have the new Berlingo, in XTR Rossignol limited edition guise. It's fwd but has different modes, off road, snow etc on the ESP, higher clearance than normal model, sumpguard, sensible 'all weather tyres'(Michelin Lattitude) ok they're not snow tryres but we shall see.

Seemed like a good option for us up in the hills above Grenoble. Doubt it will beat the wife's old 206 in the snow though.

old style 4×4 panda or the old 4wd kangoo are highly rated here too.

For me it's probably been the island of South Georgia from Patagonia on mates 'yacht' for a climbing trip. Southern Ocean is no joke, let alone in a homemade skip!

However we massively enjoyed Peru for our honeymoon. Did a fair amount of trekking away from the usual tourist treks. I've just got back from doing a feasibility study for a gold mine in Azerbaijan. That felt quite adventurous esp with the locals form time to time.

Peru, Patagonia, wife has spent 1 1/2 years in Taiwan etc etc are all good. But currently eastern eurpoe, former USSR countries stretching across to Mongolia are exciting me!

Can we move onto Haiku's now please?
This is brightening up my Friday night in a hotel in Azerbaijan…

Congrats. We are 1 month into life with a mini and a micro. It's crazy but good fun.

I have just had to buy a ultegra rear mechanical. The newer version was 20 quid cheaper than the older. Bit fitted as it does not match well with the rest of my older ultegra groupset.

Is the height really the problem or is it actually something else? For example "difficult putting the kids in"

For instance if the rear doors were sliding rather than conventional hinged type…now that makes a lot of difference. Try it, you'll be suprised.

Loddrick,

I think you'll find the French have a lot to say on child welfare, and some of it spot on.

http://www.mappy.fr will let you work out toll costs etc. saturday is change over day, and certain peages can cause huge tailbacks.

If you're hiring in France, then the hire company will provide a seat suitable for the child that meets the legal requirements for France. They might even have to by law. < I'd have thought>.

Mugsys_m8and me

theyEye: if you mean income tax, then it is cheap in France compared to the UK. A very common brit misconception of France.

If it was me, id' go for 'french' switzerland rather than 'german' switzerland.

We're on our 3rd Berlingo. 1st was a van. 2nd was the Mk11 car. Both non HDi diesels. To be honest I wasn't massively in love with the car, it did ok, but I missed the van too much I guess (kids eh!)

Our 3rd, we bought brand new has made me re fall in love with the berlingo. (others were 2nd hand, nearly new). It's a Rossignol limited version of the XTR (came with skis). Not sure if it was brought into the UK. Anyway it's fantastic. The xtr verison is a must really as rear seats are all individual that can be very easily clipped in and out, rather than unbolted. Comes with light off road pretensions (lattitude tyres which we hope will mean that we don't need winter tyres until we need to replace, multi mode esp, bash guards, higher suspension etc etc. World apart from the old berlingo. A LOT more expensive though. The xtr's do have a history of suspension clonks.

Bettyhill.

I take it all back. Howies are lovely people ( Like most people, I can be bought) :)

Howies?

Starting to get massively annoyed with them. I ordered some stuff from them 1 month ago, and the courier they've used delivered to the wrong adress. And it's me having to do all the chasing depsite me paying £18 for delivery.

They used to be good, but I'm starting to question why I buy things from them, and whether I will use them again. Happy people on phones are one thing, but sadly they don't knock out the product.

hmmm why did I throw my old HS33's away…..
I think I would like to pretty much make one as per the chariot made one.

Has anyone got a suitable brake ?

Simonm: could you send me some photos? Would be very much appreciated.

Can't help you am afraid, but we're thinking about a Tigris 400 for my wife, me and our two small children. We're more used to mountain tents (i.e. a Quasar)but now our daughter is born it will be more of a squeeze. So we're breaking out into the world of family tents (it's a big step for us weekend warrioirs!)

So any views on the Tigris range in general? as well as the 400 and the 800?

<Apologises for Hijack>

cyclefit in London leading onto a Serotta? I've got one of their custom Glider GPM carbon frames made to their dimensions and design by Viner in Italy. It's lush, but 2nd best compared to a serotta.

Can I wave my willy and say:
1st time I got on a yacht I crossed the Tasman sea.
Then did UK to Portugal via Bay of Biscay twice
Then…..Patagonia to South Georgia and then across to Uruguay. I now know what it is to stare death in the face and feel the triumph of pulling through…in a homemade skip.

Now THAT is what sailing is about!

I tried…..

Depends how you do the 'living' in France. The tax could work… However the biggest problem is social security. In my sceanrio: Moved to france to live but tried keeping my salaried job in UK, with no need due to my job to be in France I needed to pay French social security and was not entitled to pay NI or to a reciprocal health care rights from the uK as I was living in France. I did it for 3 months or so, then the risk of illness etc made me formalise it as I have a family with me. My wife is fully working in the french system so my son was covered, but I was not.

To pay social security in France when working for a UK company is possible, but it will cost your employer huge amounts as it's more in France than the UK. So my decision, was to give up the salaried uk job, become a registered french liberal professional (self employed) and work for my old company as a subconsultant basis. Because I'm french self employed, IR35 does not come into it.

Feel free to e mail me. DanJDOTheywoodATgmail.com

Trivial titbit: John Shuttleworth was my cousin's long term partner, they had kids (well they still do.) etc. I always saw a big remeblance between the John Shuttleworth character and my Uncle (i.e my Cousin's Dad).

Never got round to meeting him. My parents have though.

ps: I've got an Austin Ambassador. Y Reg.

I live up in the hills above Grenoble Airport, only I'm currently sat in Chesterfield…

|BAusch and Lomb. Pure Vision I think.
. Supposed to be able to keep them in for 1 month. But opticians advise against. I keep them in for 2 days stints when bivvying etc and no probs. I am however sensitive to solution and use the preservative free bleach type stuff.

Hey, everyone's welcome to come and stay at ours when on the road. We live to the north of Grenoble, by Grenoble Airport, which is not really Grenoble. Happy travels, exciting times.

Dan

Juan,

I'm trying to sort one out for myself. I need SFR due to poor reception on anyhting else. I'm looking at the HTC as that seems to get the best reviews and is new. Are you looking at SFR?

Has your wife seen the new berlingos? esp the xtr slightly off roady version? Lot more easier on the eye.
And the XTR version is a lot more bike friendly (if looking at 5 seater rahter than 2 seater) as the rear seats are made of 3 individual seats which recline and are on independant quick release brackets.

Used inflatle Sevvy's in the Ace Race Series. My dislike of them was part of the reason I decided to stop doing the ace races.

Weren't you complaining that trial bikes were too samll for you?
And now you're asking about a pocket rocket!

I too am waiting for a repsonse to 2 e mails I have sent to them, the first one being 3 weeks ago.