HE? whats that?

Higher Education – I would say "University" but we like to be inclusive…

Bracing ourselves in HE at the moment….

Few bikes are likely to be an investment – one exception being a Moulton -if you bought one of the more esoteric f frame moultons from the 60s or an AM series some time ago you'd probably be quids in now – crazy prices on E-bay.

I reckon a brand new Moulton might actually be a good investment – I'd guess in 20 years time you'd at least get your money back plus inflation.

Its not the AM Jubilee currently on e-bay is it? (because you could get a brand new AM Esprit for little more than the starting price…)

Two people in black cloaks and cowls rummaging arund the woodland near Newland Corner – geuinely creepy like that M Night Shylaman movie – the Village maybe?

Very bad – tiny weight saving in exchange for terminal hassle – avoid

Just wondering if you consider everyone who criticises the Israeli government/military as anti-semitic?

No just those who have readily to hand the kind of cartoons posted above…

Well that would certainly explain your hostile reaction to my posts

Nah – just hostile to anti-semites who dress up their racism in the language of the trendy left…

No country which in history has been responsible for slaughtering people has the right to use the term state terrorism ?

Well if I were PM of Turkey I'd prioritise making reparations to Armenians, Kurds and Greeks for my country's genocidal past and repressive present over whining on about a handful of my terrorist-supporting citizens who picked a fight with the wrong guy..

give it a while – you might think of something

How about Armenia?

Norton, you do know that the Nazi party was democratically elected?

Yes I did know that (well through a plebiscite which is not quite the same thing as parliamentary democracy) However, I didn't think you could vote out the Nazi government every 5 years in free and fair elctions with universal adult suffrage (unless of course you are reading the Nick Griffin guide to 20th century history, which given your views on Israel I guess you may be doing)

The Turkish Prime Minister has described Israel's recent actions as "State terrorism".

Israel being described as state terrorists by Turkey – words fail me…

No pics but really pleased with my new Moulton TSR – a truly different and practical take on the bicycle and looking forward to spending three weeks in France on it next month.

Israel is a racist fascist state

Don't know where you get your political definitions from (the Socialist Worker street seller's manual perhaps?)but I'd have thought a parliamentary democracy is quite some way off being a fascist state.

Lets look at the reality of it – nothing to do with humaitarian aid and everything to do with a publicity stunt for the terrorist Hamas government – Israel invited the ships to enter the one open port to unload their "humaitarian aid" , 5 out of 6 ships obeyed the 6th didn't whose rather large "crew" (100s to crew one cargo ship ???)then promptly attacked the boarding Israeli soldiers. The one mistake Istael made was playing into the hands of a deliberate set up by terrorists who put a low price on human life if it means getting their story into the headlines.

How about this one? I've got a Thorn Audax 853 for sale – medium

If you have to sell your labour then you are working class, if you
earn income from the the profit made from employing others or your investments or property then you are middle class.

What a load of nonsense – the Tories haven't won anything – they got just over a third of votes cast from a 65% turnout – how does that give them constitutional, moral or any other kind of authority?

Vicious Cycles do some very nice steel rigid disc forks bit $steep new but can pick then up used – I'm very happy with the mint pair I got off ebay for £75.

Not a folder (separates), but very good first impressions on my new Pashley/Moulton TSR – start around £1k.

My audax bike uses 26" wheels with not very special CR18 rims – been running 25m GPs at 115psi without problems for a couple of years

In the 6 days war most of Israel's neighbours conspired to lauch an unprovoked genocidal attack on the state of Israel. But they lost and quite naturally Israel has since taken advantage of the land they gained as a result of winning the war – pretty much like the Uk , USA and most western nations have done in the distant and not so distant past.

If you don't want to lose territory then don't pick on a nation that basically doesn't f*** around when it come to defending itself

EU states do not pay directly for the tuition of their nationals at another EU University – however, afaik English students at a Scottish University are the only examples anywhere in the EU of an EU national being asked to pay a higher tuition fee than that charged to those from the state in which the University is based.

Try and get on a Foundation year or "year 0" of an Extended degree – these are usually designed to feed into a particular Uni's normal degree programme and can be run by the Uni or effectvely sub contracted to a partner FE College. Use this to get into the nortmal first year and then think about transferring Uni if its not the one you want to graduate from.

Would probably be quicker and more succesful than trying to do A levels first. I also think you'll find that a lot of Unis ask a fair bit less grade wise than Bristol…I've known 2 Es in the past..

Alternatively, there may be some engineering-based Access courses at a FE College which feed into the local Uni.

Niner EMD?

I think Stif may even have an ex display bike for under a grand..

as above 5'9" and 17" fits me fine, 15 would be way too small for you

so to be English, working class and with kids of university age is to be doubly screwed by the Scottish state. A large portion of your taxes goes to propping up what's left of the ailing Scottish economy and their spendthrift social policies, but if you choose to take advantage of your investment in Scotland and send your kids to Uni there, if they don't discriminate directly against your kids' applications, you wil then have the priviledge of being the only EU national to pay tuition fees – someone is having a laugh I think…

Getting back to the original post – the HE situation is far worse than described. Do you realise that English students are the only EU nationals who pay tuition fees at Scottish Universities? That's right live in Latvia – no charge, Portugal – no charge, Northumberland – that'll be be £3k.

How can that be legal I wonder…imagine the outcry if English universities singled out another EU country to pay tution fees.

Interesting – the Chumba is on my 29er shortlist – comparing it with Niner I'm trying to work out if its a direct competitor to the EMD or more of a bargain priced alterative to thier more upmarket frames – maybe a bit less XC orientated than Niner? What's your verdict on build quality EBB etc?

crazy – the University I work at (a post-92) is experiencing a 30% + increase in UCAS applications in a single year + even higher growth in postgrad

Pipedraem sirius looks really good value – what I would go for if I was buying (pity they don't do a 29er)

The Vicious cycles steel fork I picked up on ebay is excellent – but not sure I'd be willing to pay the asking price for a new one.

Otherwise Project 2s or Salsa cro moto ?

Several UK custom builders I contacted refused to build a rigid fork for disc use – not really sure why.

I've got a new & unbuilt Woodman D m/l frame for sale if you are looking for a more budget option. Slidey dropouts 1.5 headtube etc (google for pics). £400 inc Sherman breakout plus 20mm, Orbit extreme pro headset, spacers and stem all new and never built into bike.

This whole circus is a terrible indictment on our country – I can think of few other places when the media can whip up a lynch mob of the self righteous so effectively – I really wonder what millenium let alone century I'm living in(although it does have shades of 1984).

They commited a terrible crime when they were 10 years old and one of them now seems to be being retried by the court of Sun reading public opinion as if he had committed the crime as an adult today. Think back to what your understanding of right & wrong and the consequence of your actions were when you were 10.

The public has no right to know about the current issues (even if they are genuine and not simply set up by some insider with media links). The current storm of sham outrage is not helping anyone actually involved with this case, including the Bulger family.

Similar case elsewhere in the world have been handled very differently (viz Norway). Think for yourself and not what the gutter press tell you to think and put your righteous anger towards a more productive target.

Overseas and premium price – that'll be Scapin then (hi Stefano).
Otherwise the Pipedream Sirius looks amazing VFM for 853 and sliding dropouts at £299

have ridden other Ti frames that do have that elusive all day ride quality though.
Norton, Which ones?

Spent the majority of my riding time in last year on a 26 wheel Matt Chester Ti s/s which really does give that "legendary" springy, responsive, all day comfort ride. Radically different ride feel from the Dean, but I guess different geometry too

Out both days previous weekend too – don't think it was raining?

where can you get a Fargo frameset for £399 – I thought they were alot more than that?

Buy some knackered old gas pipe racingbikes from the 70s and sell them on as fixers to gullible Guardian readers working in the meeja..?

The Sirius is amazing value though – 853 and sliding dropouts for £299..

Owned a Dean Scout for a couple of years – beautifully made and at the time (2004) very reasonably priced for US built Ti, but it didn't have the "magical" ride quality all the mag articles led me to expect from Ti – in fact it was pretty stiff and rode pretty much like an alu frame. I have ridden other Ti frames that do have that elusive all day ride quality though.