Wicked, nice to have some goods news ref bike theft

Whilst backpacking in Mexico I ate in cheap local retaurants all the time and ate some fantastic food.
The day it all went wrong was visiting Chichen Itza. It was in the afternoon after a pleasant lunch. I had light cotton trousers on. It was hot sunny and lots of day trippers were still there. One innocuous fart later and I was in all sorts of trouble. Luckily I had a long sleeved shirt on which I wrapped round my waist as I headed to the loos to clean up.

nice on b r – hope your mate gets his bike back and catches the culprit at the same time.
Can I also hope he is a frustrated ex SAS, 5th dan black belt kung fu expert with a lot of energy to expend if he does catch said scrote!
(Or a police occifer)

Thanks tootall, I know the electric ones are much quieter (so just visor on my helmet, not ear defenders required) My next door neighbours son is a tree surgeon so I might see if I can get some advice from him ref kickback as I spoke to a couple of guys I know with saws who said for cutting down (not sideways) on logs trousers are not essential (I know, until you need them!)
FIL just gave me basic training on using his, not anything official

hi Tootall, no he didn’t give me any equipment, I have been told just the hat will be OK. Then someone else said I should get trousers (which are expensive) Then I was told that due to the safety cut out and the fact i am only sawing logs downwards not crossways trousers aren’t needed – are you in the trade or do you use these regular and what would you recommend?

Sharkbait – I think Stihl will be too much ££ for me

boblo – long story but electric it is!

Thanks Natrix, got a couple of saw horses and the FIL uses a petrol chainsaw regularly – he gave me basic training when I used his last year and I will get more – I don’t want an accident!

mrsnacho is currently studying nutrition and apparently processed sugars make you fat more so than natural ones as many are difficult for the body to absorb.
Also due to the huge amounts of sugars we now consume as a society (almost every processed food we eat has them added) most of us are addicted to sugars – so, if you have cut them out in the last 3 days you are probably undergoing “cold turkey” from your sugar withdrawal. There is a growing school of thought that processed sugars will be to the next generation what cigarettes are to us now…..

Ooh a Heckler love in! I have a 2009 w/ 140 revs, reverb, coil DHX4. Recently fitted a Works 1deg head angle which has helped for the downs.
It’s my everyday bike in the summer and I love it. (Have a HT as well)
Tested a Marin, Orange5 and a couple of others when I bought it.
Reliable, fun, and complements my rubbish skillz. Think it’s about 31Lb and was perfect for the Spanish rock gardens with Switchbacks.
If the new 650b is a noticeable improvement (and I can save enough pennies) then I will be upgrading next summer.
My only complaint could be a strike the pedals quite often and a little bit of pedal bob but I clear technical climbs better than I do on the HT which is around 4lbs lighter.

spacehopper & matt, well put, yes the HT post height is a compromise, I think what I am getting at is I am so used to using my reverb I now struggle without it, the seat height on the HT has been the same for a couple of years, it never used to bug me on my local singletrack but now as I get more used to being able to constantly adjust the height I’m sure I’m slower on the HT.

Done

theendisnigh – woodbury has some good riding, if you do get the chance to go out for more than an hour post on here, someone will probably show you round, I ride up there at least 2x a week.
At Haldon you can take the family for a day out, the blue and red are a bit of a let down compared to other trail centre graded runs but they are still a ride and there are some great cheeky trails if you explore.
East Hill I don’t know so well but have ridden there a few times and it’s OK so long as it’s not too wet.

2009 Heckler. Coil DHX4 shock, reverb, 140MM rev’s, xtr cranks, elixir r brakes, race race atlas bars, can’t remember the wheels, one is the original WTB, front is a heavier Mavic as I smashed the original WTB, weighs approx 31lbs. I would love a lighter bike but I ride heavy (OK badly) and break bits! But I love the bike.

I met some guys who did the regular NF ride when I was there 2-3 year ago, great ride, friendly chaps and a nice pub with good ale at the end of it, if I remember it was organised by one of the LBS’s, they certiainly put me in touch with the group. Will be at the BBB this year, kids are now 4 & 6 so they should have great fun 😉

Good question, TBH probably both and I didn’t ride a £4K 26″ straight after to compare but I have ridden £4k+ bikes before and the Cube was better than any of them I remember.

Wow, thought I’d log on before going out for a ride and read this thread, FWIW I would be quite impressed if I overtook a roadie on my MTB, although I am slow! I think the OP’s post was just lighthearted banter and really think some on here take it all a bit too seriously. Anyway, off to enjoy the sunshine now 🙂

Sharki, your enthusiasm for the subject is fantastic, as is your photography, thanks for sharing both. One of the joys of what we do is what we see on the way.

Well after 3 days of searching Triton Insurance Brokers saved me around £150 over my M & S quote, so for good bike insurance I would recommend them, Patricia was very helpful and all of our bikes are all covered

Brilliant stuff thanks Sharki, some great photography there. I see deer, badgers, buzzards, owls, deer etc down here in Devon regularly but never get photo’s. Can I ask do you work in photography and / or wildlife as you also seem knowledgeable.
I did have a kingfisher fly into our window last year, I looked after him for a few hours and then he flew off right as rain, was incredible to see how frail and beautiful they are!

Get down to Lands End tomorrow, be happy with 50 miles a day and I’ll ask my Dad if there is room for one more 😉
They have support and probably a place as one guy dropped out as he has to have a triple heart bypass.

Awesome Mr Woppit, go for it and let us know how you get on!

How old are you Mr Woppit? I think you will do it no problem based on how much you ride now.
My Dad is 76 and starts his tomorrow although they are doing it over 3 weeks, approx 50 miles per day and a couple of rest days, go Dad 🙂

thanks gents

What a fascinating thread this one has been, it’s made me feel really happy then really sad depending on the person contributing.
And thanks Tod456 for the e-mail, I’m proud of my Dad, especially as he only stopped smoking and took up cycling around 5 years ago. He started by mountain biking with me until he came off on a loose, scrabbly descent, we had to pull him up and out of the gorse that broke his fall so he switched to the road! He’s a dedicated roadie now but I forgive him 😉

Phil, can I ask what made you think of this thread?

FWIW my Dad has my utmost respect and I would never try to harm him, I would take the beating. Although TBH he got to a boxing final in the armey and I can’t remember the last time I had a fight so he would win anyway. He is 76 and cycling LEJOG, starting next week, target 55 miles a day, camping en-route and raising money for Devon Air Ambulance. Go Dad!

How do you make your living?
Sell computer hardware.

Are you happy doing it?
No. Stuck in a rut as the pay is OK, especially for down here in Devon.

Would you consider a change of career?
Yes, I stopped enjoying it a couple of years ago. I should do more to make a change happen as well, but due to ougoings (mortgage, kids etc) and lack of qualifications it’s difficult for me to change.

Does it pay enough for you to MTB comfortably?
Yes. No new or “dream” bikes but if anything fails I can replace the parts and I run 4 bikes.

Got a DHX5 on my Heckler. Ride it everywhere from the blue at Haldon to Switchbacks type stuff in Spain. I know I am overbiked anyway for my skills! But my opinion is so what if an air shock would be a pound or so lighter. I don’t race, I’m slow up the hills anyway, it’s smooth, reliable and works. And I have fun. 😀

Cheers yunki, I’m looking at cardinham on t’internet now, might try it.
EDIT – Anyone been to Cardinham, doesn’t look like it’s fully open:
http://www.1sw.org.uk/experience/trail-hubs/north-cornwall/

Cheers all, will be avoiding the Quantocks, will save it for when it’s a bit drier and more fun! Was going to do FOD but it’s closed, been riding Haldon to death recently as don’t want to trash the local (Woodbury) trails, can’t be arsed driving all the way to Afan to ride in the rain so gonna go to Bristol methinks, might call in to see my brother whilst we are up that way

Hi m1llh0use, I think we would go for the Quantocks as opposed to Gawton

psling – we were going to ride FOD this weekend and if we enjoyed it (and the DH not too crazy) then try an uplift when the weather is a bit better 😀

Philby – we thoguht of the Quantocks but someone at the LBS said it’s really boggy. I don’t want to ruin the trails! Also we would have to use a map as we don’t know it well – unless anyone from here is riding at the weekend…..might need to start a new post!

What a bummer. I rarely get the day out (2 small kids, work etc) and had the day booked for Saturday, don’t think I’ll be able to do Sunday and now I hear FOD is closed. Gutted! Stll better to hear it on here than drive all the way up on Saturday. Might have to go to Afan or Cym Carn. I would have been on my Heckler so sounds like the DH stuff would have been fine 😥

Does anyone know the Halfords item code for these? Link doesn’t show them and can’t find on website so gonna call my local store!

Had a mate buy some Iodines as they were on offer. First attempt at the black run at Afan and the rim dented. He said they were fast rolling but too soft for a proper trail wheel.

OK firstly I am no mechanic so don’t shoot me down as this is only what I have been told – but I have heard if you have Avid brakes (yes me too) that turning the bike upside down can cause a bubble in the air and therefore you have to bleed your brakes lots. (My mate had many problems with his avid’s and was told this maybe a factor)
However I have exlixir r’s on my Heckler and it has spent lots of time upside down, including every time I get a puncture 😯

Aaaargh! Timber! Now you have expanded my choice not reduced it, I have never considered (or used) a bill hook! TBF they do look pretty handy!

Depends on your relationship with your boss and how much your company value you. Could you express your worries to your boss? Is there any way you could go back to your existing job if it doesn’t work out?
You probably want to know what % of current sales people reach their targets and if not why not. Do you have a decent relationship with any of the salespeople whose brains you can pick? A lot depends on your particular industry – in ours (hardware) sales are down across the board by 30% or so. If they were sacking people for not reaching targets there would be very few sales people left in my industry!

Had a ride planned for tonight but we have an amber warning down here in Devon, as everywhere is already saturated/starting to flood before the real rain begins and the wind is picking up I think I might watch the Leeds Chelsea game!

Jeez. How sad is that? I MTB regularly, ride on the road only occassionally and it scares the bejeezuz out of me.

Cheers blurty. Been talking to the boss about it regularly and he trusts me to do my job, he’ll be fine wtih me (I hope) it’s just a bummer when it fails at the last minute.
glupton – no chickens, got a few eggs in the kitchen though, not sure how many……….