A wee bit over budget but I’d +1 on the next gen Slackline!

(The price will be forgotten long after the quality and fun remains!)

Great fight…and the right fight to make for top contender…going to be a great card but interim really!? How many fighters have only defended their belts once every 9-12 months Conor takes a few months off after an active few years and the belts on the line…BS!!

BJ was great but the sport has evolved 10 fold in the last few years.

He looked averaged at best in his training camp on the countdown show…Rodriguez is a young gun in the new era…I think he’ll destroy BJ quickly!

It’s difficult because as we found dealing with this builders/kitchen fitters the customer service is not quite what you might get from the likes of John Lewis/M&S.

We have recently had a new kitchen fitted and opted for Quartz. As already stated kitchen fitter did not fit ours but the supplier who templates, check I was happy and then manufactured/fitted.

If you paid the going rate it’s bloody expensive so you want to be happy with it. I’d invite them back (if not already onsite) to discuss your concerns nicely and take it from there. Saying that nearly all tradesmen will try and convince you it’s right, your worktop in particular would be one expensive mistake to put right!!

Everybody keeps on about the high prices…has anyone considered the 2nd hand market?

Some amazing bargains to be had! Some bikes have hardly been used and most decent HT’s sell for circa £1k with a good build. I know you don’t get warranty but how often does a decent HT go wrong useless you do something really silly?

I’d go for a Stanton but I’m biased! ;)

3 26″ bikes…have ridden a few 27.5″ and can’t really tell the difference…gone back…never left.

Hate for cross breeds?…tell me a dog that hasn’t been cross bread over the last couple of centuries? Very few and even the ‘ancient’ breeds are said to be very different to what they originally were!

Yes…grooming adds up, we have ours groomed every 2-3 months.

The other thing to be mindful of is that they are emotionally ‘needy’ dogs.

We’re fortunate in that my wife does not work so is at home generally more than those who work…Cockerpoos can suffer from separation anxiety which is relatively common, this leads to several behaviours that can be negative such as chewing things they shouldn’t, whining/crying lots etc. Although they are just as happy to be chilling around the house or off of big adventures some of them don’t sit well with being left for long periods!

As for shedding, if you go to a good/experienced breeder they should be able to know from experience that their dogs do not shed. The breeder we went to specialises in Cockapoos, most from the same couple of studs, various moms but he’s good at predicting the dogs size from the parents. Most of his look very similar in terms of coats and features (not colour obviously).

Also once the littler is born he starts to get a good idea of their personality traits.
My wife wanted one at the smaller end of the scale (to my disappointment) and a quieter dog, that’s exactly what we’ve ended up with, some of his are bigger and even more lively!

Haha…true to a degree I was being a little flippant but I suppose what I was saying was that people spend lots of money on bikes, amounts of money others might see as absurd…and yes an Asda bike was a silly example but you can’t tell me that a new carbon Santa Cruz tricked out with XTR and Chris King gives the rider any more joy than me on my 26″ 2nd hand Orange Five pretty tricked out costing 1/5th of the amount!

Is a Cockapoo worth paying the best part of a grand for? Are Chris King hubs worth £600 when you can get hope for half that? Who wants to waste money on XTR? What I’m trying to say is that suggesting an alternative that is cheaper might be great if you want to save money but if it’s something you really want you’ll buy one and all costs are relative.

Talking of which the people complaining about the upfront cost of a dog being £850 need to seriously consider the lifetime costs of a dog…that extra £500 will be nothing in the grand scheme of things!

I think people are taking this far too serious…it’s just an ongoing joke.

As a direct competitor i.e. British designed, independent brand predomently specialising in ‘hardcore’ hardtails it’s seen as a swear word in the group page hence the whole C***c thing. The biggest joke is that most who joke about it have been found to have actually ‘liked’ the C***c page!! Shock horror!!

Dan in my experience talks positively about C***c, certainly no animosity there I wouldn’t think.

I started a thread about 18 months ago about where to get one.

Lots of commenters about getting rescue dogs and ‘silly money’ but just ignore the naysayers.

Do your research and you will truly have a wonderful dog.

Like some have said, loving, fun, smart, active but happy to chill every letting you could want from a family dog.

Happy to share my experience and provide a great breeders details, which funny enough a came across through the thread on her (thanks STW). Drop me an email at nwill1 at ymail dot com.

Always have to laugh at people who believe spending £££’s on a bike they’ll ride for a couple of years think £850 is a lot for a pet dog! ‘You can get a xxxx for £250’ bit like saying you can get a mountain bike from Asda for £119!

Daughter is on her third sized Isla…so far I’ve only lost about £20 over 3 years. The last bike I sold I got back what I paid..paid £200, the new ones went up to to £250 so got the full amount back, put that towards her £330 bike…will be interesting to see what I get back.

Obviously as a biker and general out door type what ever the cost worth every penny to instill a love of the outdoors and being active.

Did OP ever buy the Ti Blender??

I have reduced processed sugars from my diet on a number of occasions in the past and will be doing similar in the new year. Obviously there are benefits from beans in the form of protein etc. Rather than spend money on expensive ‘low super’ options or spend time making them myself I just drain most of the sauce and along with it goes most of the sugar. Fast simple cheap…if you were going to be really strict if just make them myself but life’s too short!

Only read OP but what pees me off is that if you’d had £000’s worth of bikes nicked they wouldn’t have even come round…’hate crime’ is a priority…nicked bikes isn’t!

West Midlands

We were quoted for a straight conversion, stairs, couple of roof lights, electrics, plaster, heating, building regs £17k, to have a dormer with ensuite, £25k (excluding bathroom fittings).

If you like a beat um up then Tekken Tag was ace!

I used to love Dave Mirra BMX to but that’s was a PS1 game…still rad though!

Stanton Slackline – there’s been 3 models…original 26″ with Straight Steerer tube, the 631 which was also 26″ and accepts tapered steerer and they have recently released a 27.5″ called the 631 Next Gen.

They no longer have any 26″ in stock so you’d need to pick up a 2nd hand bargain or call around stockists, I’m sure someone will have one knocking about.

If your on Facebook, check out the ‘Stanton Owners Group’, loads of info and photos on there.

I ride a Ti Slackline and its crazy good!!

I run a 36 float lowered to 100mm. Might pick some up at a fair price if they’re older 26″!?

I have one, had it since 2008.

Was my first ‘proper’ Mtb after an entry level Giant XC bike. I’d come from years of dirt jumping on a BMX and to me it felt great…I used to ride it for light DH, XC, 4X, BMX tracks.

However I’ve since ridden other bikes and came to the conclusion it climbs like a pig!! I now ride a Stanton Slackline Ti for XC/Trail duties and Orange Five for rougher trail rides. I used to just think I was not fit but that weren’t the whole story even given my relatively reasonable level of ridding fitness I find it tough to climb.

The Blender is now reserved for playing on (Pumptrack/DJ/4X) or going to the park with my daughter. Short blast fun, point it DH and it’s super fun, more so than the Slackline but general trail XC ridding it’s not ideal.

Saying that if you decide not to buy it drop me an email and put me onto the person selling it…I always fancied a Ti one…

nwill1 at ymail dot com

….ps I’m not sure of the A2C measurements on the Pikes.

Haha…cheers I might go for it…I thought about SS although I love the idea think I’d struggle with the reality. Do people think the C2A height on a 29er Carbon fork will be similar to a 26″ pike at 130mm?

If you run large volume tyres the circumference difference will be minimal compared to a smaller 650b tyre.

What is it about Shimano that’s not working/you don’t like?

If it’s not broken don’t fix it IMO

Thank you..there’s a £200 saving on the hob and its from a UK online store and the 2 year warrenty is with Neff so think I’ll roll with it.

It’s a spectrum. We’re all on it somewhere.

+1

Haha…I was looking at induction hobs and the model I want in the UK the best price I can find is £820. There is a website that imports from Europe selling a very similar one with all the bells and whistles for less that £600. I called and they said on the phone it would be fine but I wanted to seek the wisdom of STW!

Is the Long Mynd easy to navigate/sign posted?

Cheers, no there is no intention or need for copying CRM, our buiness is not overly complex I know the company names and contacts and have relationships with those companies. Likelyhood is if/when I change jobs I’ll look to change sector anyway, I’ve been left with a bitter taste, if it were not for my favourable terms I would be out of there already!

Hi all, would like to say thank you for all of the comments and advice.

I very rarely get any type of anxiety but woke up at 2:00 am and felt I needed to write an email and get my thoughts down on paper/screen whilst they were running through my mind.

This post was created as a sanity check that what I was doing was the right thing and many of you have re-enforced that providing that the email focuses on the right area and is written in a positive and appropriate/professional manor that it is the right thing to do.

I don’t want to go into too much detail but the company was a former not for profit organisation and we moved into private ownership just over 12 months ago, is our product strong…given the nature of what we do I’d say no it’s more about corporate and social responsibilities and when companies are running tight budgets on the coal face its lower on their agenda he sees the challenging market. There have also been competitors in the market withdraw from the contract that we deliver due to the challenges.

I will re-read my email this morning and amend as appropriate, ensuring all facts are outlined and a plan is to be put into place upon my return from annual leave.I also have a list of ‘tools’ promised by the company two years September that have not materialised.

Some very interesting points above also about potential restructure…I certainly think this is on the cards, they’ve already announced an amalgamation of HR/IT etc which will lead to redundancies, and having been through it twice before I can see the signs.

As for the comments RE a struggling CEO I see that as the case, it’s interesting that from the small amount of detail in the original post this has been picked up. Unfortunately for him he has been stiched up like a kipper IMO handed the reigns of the company as we approach challenging times.

Thanks again, I will be working through the thread cherry picking what I see as the most appropriate advice and implementing it appropriately.

Cheers

2nd hand Stanton Slackline Ti? Saw one for about £500 recently, £999 new ;)

Baznav…how long have you been in the trade?

I remember 2009/10 maybe, all Shimano stuff rocketed overnight…SLX cranks up from £70-£80 to £120 over night…rear mechs XT up from £35 to £50 and XTR went crazy cranks from like £180 to £275-£300.

They’ll slowly creep back down.

I have a HT and FS, don’t find the HT unbalanced. I generally ride them on different terrain though. FS for rougher terrain and HT for lesser rough terrain, I think if the terrain is really rough with lots of big rocks the HT is less fun guess you could consider that an imbalance. Considering converting the Hat to rigid in the winter with carbon forks just to try it out.

So funny…I was about to say Zootopia! Took my daughter recently…top Disney film!

+1 for Stourbridge. I wouldn’t want to live too close to Brum…Some good ridding around here and easy commute.

BTW this is where I got my offset bushings from…

http://www.offsetbushings.com

i have a 2011 Orange Five and love it…wanted to bring it more ‘up to date’ fitted offset bushing…lowered BB and slackend it out. Feels even better now.

Make sure you have a good shock to, I run a CCDB coil, paid £200 notes, good as new…with my Pikes, short stem and wide bars it’s a weapon!

When I was younger considered a tattoo…glad I didn’t. Whilst I understand those that do (and I’ve got mates covered!)

I look back now at my hair, clothes, glasses etc and so glad I’ve been able to change them all! That wouldn’t have been so easily done with a tattoo.

Saying that if I did ever consider one it would have to have real meaning to me then it would never feel ‘out of fashion’.

See my Saint cranks polished here…

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/11321170/

Caustic soda but BE CAREFUL ! The stuff is leathal !

Rinse then wet/dry them working finer and finer, finish with autosol.