…see what happens the moment you stick your head out in front of the baying masses? :wink:

Each to their own I suppose, but I quite like the whole ride…nurture… ride… nurture…ride experience, there's a balance there, a kind of symbiosis if you like.

Rider and machine, mud and puddles, tea and cake.

It's a nice life…

…hmmmm "think twice about buying" thread? I haven't come across that one yet, but for what it's worth….

I've been running Pace forks, Crank Bros pedals and Race Face cranks and BB for a year or so. Love them all! Haven't had any major problems with them (ok, I have had the egg-beater-pedal-bearing-explosion-experience, but 2pure sorted that for me for free). The Pace forks appreciate regular greasing (as do the pedals) and the cranks, pedals and forks look ace.

For every negative comment on STW there'll be at least another person with a positive experience, who's just to afraid to stick their neck out in front of the baying masses. Ride with whatever you like and whatever makes you happy. Ignore the rest, it's just noise. :-)

Some products need regular care, cleaning and attention, while others don't. But things tend to fail when they're negelcted, some things more redily than others. I learnt that with the egg beaters, no problems since. I just don't seem to mind cleaning and greasing stuff after every ride, it's all part of the experience.

… time of the year?

I'm feeling pretty similar too! (Although it is spring here) Spring / Autumn put a bit of stress on the body – it's all to do with the moon and the sun, man*..

A combination of some weird head cold thing that wouldn't go away + not sleeping properly + bored with riding the same routes

= me tired and listless, with dead legs and strangely enough, also a niggling knee ache.

I'd take it easy and/or rest or try another activity for a few weeks. Work out what it is you want to achieve with your cycling, (do you even want to race anymore?), and plan toward that.
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* Ok, I can find nothing, even on Google, about this whatsoever. But someone told me this once – and it just seems to make sense, kinda, in a kinda hippy-fied groovy way. :-)

People who work in bike shops = consistently grumpy and with desperately poor customer service skills

… end of story.

I think it must have something to do with the fact that people who are into cycling aren't necessarilly all that great at sales and/or relating to other human beings. Yet, here they find themselves, facing the general public, every day of their miserable and failed, pointless lives*.

The number of times I've enquired politely and in a friendly way in a bike shop about something, only to be met with a blank 'who-the-F-do-you-think-you-are?' stare. Hmmmm…

The reason why I generally avoid bike shops like the plague and do everything online – including sourcing 'advice' (a very lose term!) from the STW massive.
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* NB: to any nice staff in bike shops (and there are a rare few of you out there!) – this doesn't apply to you. :wink:

…that really did get a little random, didn't it :wink:

I just sat down on a chair.

It creaked.

Someone coughed in the other room.

Echoing down the corridor.

A swift parrot on the eucalyptus outside.

It must be springtime.

I once did a 3.5 hour turbo training session, once.

I'm not right.

…are you seriously telling me that costs 4.5k?? 8O

b-b-b-b-b-but?

Am I missing something here?

…it's just a black bike, with wheels and some forks.

4.5k?????

I have never, and probably will never have £4.5k to spend on a bike. However i do not doubt that over the years i have spent well over £4.5k on bikes and ended up with a bike worth around £4.5k.

1991: Townsend mild steel piece of poo 100
1993: Marin Eldridge Grade: 400
1994: Cannondale M1000: 750
1997: Giant MCM Team: 1200
2006: Klein Attitude, built up with odd bits from here and there: (approx) 750
2009: Kona Jake: 450, Giant Anthem build: (approx) 1100
Grand Total:4750

Christ!!!!! how the F did that happen!! 8O

…and that's not including parts, clothing etc.

What happens if you use your chin as a ground anchor no.II

Chin hanging off before:

…and the hideous deformity after:

Pah! 'Tis but a fleshwound!

I don't want a medal or a Pride of Britain Award – just saying check your grips.

…everybody say it now in unison: "Check your grips"

"Check your grips"

"Check your grips"

… and the OP will be happy. :-)

Abhorrence of violence + malice + cruel wit + sharp tongue + tiresomely (and predictably) argumentative…
sfb, I think you really just need to get laid. :wink:

(this thread has had me in stitches from start to finish)

Get well soon Derek and keep up the riding! :-)

I was gonna comment on the rather nobby, overly earnest Tim-Westwood-esque style commentary on the video, but then I realised it was Dan Atherton talking.

So I won't. :wink:

OMG! This really has turned into a "What tyres for Afan?"-type thread.. 8O

I was gonna post a tongue in cheek rediculous 'question' of that ilk for a laugh, but I've no need to now!

I thought the "What tyres for Afan?" thing really was some sort of daft urban MTB myth, but it seems to be a question that really does plague some people. 8O

From my last sojourn around Afan – isn't it all pretty well draining cindery, gravelly stuff with a few rocks here and there, that could be conceivably ridden with any tyre, save (maybe) for slicks?

Hmmmm… :wink:

Great trail, by the way..

I've had some for ages, not quite sure what it is they actually 'do' though, other than just look pretty?

(1) If you can wrestle with the little fiddly O-ring and finally prise the bastard thing open enough to get the nozzle of your WD-40 etc can in to the little hole, great.
(2) Then you can marvel in wonder as, reaching for the can of WD-40, you'll find it happily sprays through the hole, WD-40 runs outside the cable outer and drips straight on to the carpet, never coming anywhere near your filthy skanky inner cable.
(3) I find it's altogether quicker and more effective to simply pull the cable outers from the slotted stops – al la old skool way – and do the classic shimmy-shimmy-spray-spray – works every time!

…but they do look pretty.

Or am I just missing something here? 8)

OMG! That IS the sexiest bike I have ever seen, ever!!!!! 8O
I WANT IT – NOW!!!!! :P

… chilli plants really won't like frost!

Bring them inside – quickly!

If you've got chillies on the plant they'll continue to grow inside quite happily.

Hmmmmm… yes, I was considering a Puma as a potential future replacement for the Civic for when I eventually have to accept that it has become somewhat economically rediculous to keep running.

From what I've read on that car guide thing (Harpers? Parkers?) they seem pretty reliable.

Love the shape and sporty, swoopy look of them, can't stand the fact that the interior and switch gear reminds me of my Dad's mid-90's Sierra, and that the steering wheel proudly says "FORD" on it, to constantly remind you that you are driving what is in effect, a Fiesta. (or is that a Ka?)

can anyone explain to me why despite NOT spending 8 hours on saturday night taking phet and most of sunday taking valium like i'm eating smarties, I feel somehow dirtied by being in close range of the event. 2 of us felt the same, kind of like we'd been there

…I know where you're at there. I had a similar experience when I gave up pills. I continued to hang out with my hard-house mash-up friends at their hard-house mash-up parties, but I was always completely and utterly sober.

Nevertheless, I used to have this odd kindof 'empathic experience' if you like. I felt like I was on drugs, even though I wasn't; simply because all around me were completely off their faces. It was experiences like this that made me realise the whole drug-taking thing was completely unncessary – and probably a bit of a waste of time. :D

It pains me to say this – because I want to keep ALL the remaining good-condition pre-1996 Honda Civics in the UK MINE – and let no one else know just how good they are, but hey, I'm outa the country for a few months more at least, so there's no chance me snapping another one up right now. In fact, I have a very beau silver Civic Esi just languishing on my Mother's drive right now as I type… as it slowly rusts into oblivion, the leaves collecting under its tyres, birds making nests in its grille… *sigh*

I digress..

Honda Civics are ace. Totally flinking reliable and bomproof, apart from running gear like CV joints and exhaust which might need replacing every 120,000 miles or so. (I did nothing to mine, save oil changes, for 2 years.) They go like stink (for a 1.5 / 1.6) and handle like a go-cart, and will happily hold a bike or two, while joyfully returning 40 mpg when driven about like a granny.

You will have trouble finding an original one that hasn't been totally chaved up by now though. (I did though!)

A brief bit of eBay research right now found two of these little beauties going for about 450pounds with MOT. Hmmmmm…

…as mine, sitting abandoned on a drive in the UK for a year, slowly rusts itself into oblivion. Crap. :|

(a bit like the GF / relationship-thingy I also abandoned too.. Double crap. :| )

Off the top of my head I'd say – place it in a well lit spot, but not right next to a window with hot midday sun pouring through it – you'll burn the leaves and make it feel really ill. Ensure the temperature does not fluctuate too much, or ever get too chilly or drafty – a sheltered, well lit spot in a regularly used kitchen say would possibly be ideal, rather than right next to a radiator in a lounge. Water sparingly – only when the compost gets dry to the touch on top – do not allow it to stand in water, (or on the other extreme – the compost to ever become completley bone dry, crispy and dessicated!). Feed with weak tomato food once every 3-6 months or so, depending on croping rates (i.e. more fruit produced by the plant will require more regular feeding) – remember though – less is more – when it comes to feeding. Depending on the age of the plant, you may have to wait until next summer for fruit (chillies) to be produced.

Good luck – plants are ace! :D

Dude…

At risk of sounding completely cheesy – you have a level of resilience, inner strength and positivity that I find somewhat humbling and completely heartening all the same.

Go well and beat this – my thoughts are with you.

I piss myself laughing at all the people walking around in their own self imposed hell while convincing themselves it's the best place on earth

:D

… couldn't 've put it better myself!

Try to convince the seal that tubless is the future – point out the combined advantages of lower rolling resistances and an absence of pinch punctures, especially at low pressures. If none of the above work, try bribing with fish – should do the trick.

i was hoping for something good like finding £5 or a picture of a mole

:lol:

..it is peices of brilliantly irreverant wit like that that keep me coming back to this place endlessly (and getting noooo work done in the process)

I've been using one of these for the last 4 years:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8-LED-SUPER-BRIGHT-HEADLIGHT-LAMP-FISHING-CAMPING-NEW_W0QQitemZ130332890555QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches?hash=item1e587215bb&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Batteries last for ages, it's bright enough to run at speed along the cliffs of the Pembrokeshire coastal path at night in a Force 8 gale, sits comfortably on your head, doesn't shift or move about at all ever, the angle of the beam is adjustable, it is as light as any other (Petzl, Alpkit etc.) led head torch and costs all of oh… 6 quid (delivered).

… Though whether you want to trust the advice of someone who has run along narrow paths at the top of sea cliffs in Pembrokeshire in a force 8 gale in the dark, however, is another thing :wink:

Given that a nuclear power station only has a life span of 40 years I'm guessing it's not going to be a problem.

Yes.. but I'm pretty sure the core has to be kept in a 'stabilised' state – in situ – for around 100 – 150yrs after shutdown, to allow the radiation to decay.

I think Dungeness is considered to be a bit of a timebomb because of this issue.. (It's not talked about much though!)

Pretty cool responses..! This kinda gives me the yearning to get back into it one day.

When everything was going right, it really was a euphoric experience, skipping over the water and jumping over waves..

Fav board: Mistral Screamer

I saw a newer looking one on eBay the other day in really good condition – it went for about all of 95 quid – complete with rig!

It's a cracking spot. Really tres beau and quiet… in a kindof weird apocalyptic way.

Incidentally – the nuclear powerstation is built barely 20m above sea level on an unconsolidated shingle bed that has been characterised by geomorphological dynamism (i.e. it's very, very unstable) for at least the last 8,000 years..

…Add to that the predicted effects of climate change and associated sea level rises and… Hmmmm…

Predictably Awesome! :lol: Awesomely predictable! :lol:

I LOVE STW!!

(I think we'll have to try starting a 'Padded Fred'-era thread on paedophiles or something of that ilk to somehow ever top this :wink: )

…and the outright wittiest response so far? (apart from the previous post, of course)

This is the world's biggest monster thread, ever. I simply can not read it all, though some of it at the beginning was absolutely flinking hysterical. Can someone provide a synopsis..? :P

Soooo much vitriolic ranting children..

Now, to follow up – on a more positive note.

Yes, I'm totally with you there Mr Woppit. Them downhiller types with their (apparently silly) heavy bikes get muchos cred from jey-boy me. To watch someone fly 12ft through the air on a bike and land another 12ft below from where they started – landing with a CLUMP and a WACK of bottoming out suspension and rattling deraileurs and general machinery is truely awe inspiring and completely humbling all the same. I wouldn't have a hope in hell of being able to do that ever (being only able to go uphill a little bit like a mountain goat). It's great to watch though.

And to watch the world downhill champs, where they fly even further and even faster is so jaw-droppingly humbling that I think I might actually need to take up another sport. :-)

Ok, this is many things:

(1) Look well ahead when riding into rock gardens too fast in driving rain
(2) Don't ride into rock gardens too fast in driving rain
(3) Avoid landing on sharp rocks when crashing
(4) Don't ride around for an hour with blood pouring out of your chin before going to A+E

Alternatively:

(1) Build up a bike from scratch – nothing can surpass this experience
(2) Don't bother trying to build wheels yourself – unless you don't mind the expense of various tedious 'failures' over the years, whereupon 15 years later you finally figure out this dark art – and build something round, true, evenly tensioned and strong, and wonder why it ever seemed like such a hard thing to do.

I haven't read the latest, but I find ST typically tends to miss the mark when it becomes somewhat lost in its own uniquely irreverant and 'down-to-earth' ethos…

There's a fine line between doing this well – and producing an engaging magazine, or simply ending up with endless pages of waffle that are of little or no interest to anyone.

Unfortunately, most of the time I find it tends towards the latter. :(

Ask a simple question… 8O

I thought this thread was a about a sort of 'forum ride' group trip over to meet the mtbr forum lot for a bit of argy bargy and a ruck, fight club stylee..

ME TOO!!!

Can we.. please??!!

It would be pretty cool… Them on 5 " Trek and Specialized trail centre bikes.. and us on our One Ones, Joneses, and weird niche-core cyclocross bikes…

Can we!!

Who would win??

Awesome..! Ask an engineering-type question to the STW massive and great answers will come streaming in thick and fast!

Ok… so what's the difference between a gas turbine and a jet engine.. or is that a daft question..?

'Air bleed'

– so does that mean the main jet engines are started by some sort of pneumatic system driven by the APU..?

So.. what actually starts the APU – an even smaller APU? :P

Oooowch… That looks BAAAAD :?

Cool kiwij… I'll have to try to hook up with you guys at Cyclingo sometime..

I was riding up at Launceston – apparently the pretty much superb trails in the hills near the gorge area are where the Aussi MTB team train.

Catch you later, maybe..!

Hi kiwij – I'm in North Hobart, so we're practically neighbours!

If you wanna meet up for a ride sometime – get in touch via: alan.jones@imperial.ac.uk :-)

Slow reply I know! …Living in Tasmania, Australia at the mo', so I'm a few timezones away.

Pics:

Hard to make out – but the first is a rather shoddy screen grab from my mobile phone. Note the mud! I carried on riding for about 1 hr after the 'off', as I didn't think it was all that serious – and got the wound covered in mud as a result. The guy in A&E spent about 30 mins actually pulling it apart and cleaning the mud out of it.. Owwwch..! (Much to his derision.) The photo was taken while cold, shivering and probably a little in shock at the time – and waiting for my lift to arrive (who was, inevitably, late!). And yes – I was on my own! I couldn't find a mirror anywhere and I knew something felt damp and fleshy down there, but I just thought it was probably a bad graze – I couldn't quite work out what was going on when I saw the photo. Little did I realise that my chin was kinda hanging off…

….and the aftermath. Back home, clean, dry and kinda sore. It doesn't look too bad in this photo, I suppose – yet!

I was riding the same tracks the Aussie MTB squad train on – and having waay too much fun. I think that's why I came off. It was so much like the 'European' style of singletrack riding I'm used to from the UK – which is why they train here. Unfortunately rocks are – and probably always will be – my nemisis. Bastard things..!