Ah, there was I thinking I got my edit in fast enough…..

Woo hoo!

Cue the title of my next post..

“What digital SLR for a SLR noob?”

This has reminded me of one of the funniest insults I ever heard when I was at school.

To sum up:
Girl likes boy*,
boy doesn’t like girl,
girl writes boy a soppy love note in French class
boy shows his mates said letter…..
after a communal effort, boy responds with letter stating that girl:
“looks like a bulldog whose face was set on fire and then extinguished with a spade.”

It’s not big, it’s not clever, but I laughed when I heard it the first time and it still gives me a bit of a smile now. I guess I really never grew up after all.

*not me BTW.(I was too fat and ugly to get any such interest from the fairer sex at school)

yes please Charlie – YGM

Yes please Julian (the ride, not the stoking….I'm too scared) :wink:

Running 140mm Vanillas on my new Soul – only had it out once so far, but I reckon they're spot on.

The DaVinci Code.

Utter, utter tripe.

+1 for the Sons and Daughters – top band, great music and very good live too.

I collected it from the Police station last night. Whoever took it did a far more thorough cleaning job on it than I ever did. Honestly, there's nary a speck of dirt on it!

I won the auction btw. There was no way I was gonna risk letting it go to someone else (plus, by doing that I also prevented a crime).

I need to contact ebay to see about getting the auction voided somehow. Anyone got a contact email address? They're a bit reluctant to post on the the ebay site.

No link, but it was item number 140442406089

You'd need to search for completed listings though.

It was a Cotic Soul.

I paid full 2010 retail price for the frame. It's academic now anyway as I plan to take the bike back to the shop in person. I think the petrol costs will be less than the postage and I'll get the refund sorted there and then.

Thanks for the advice

Pie

As I said in the original post, the frame year wasn't mentioned at all when I spoke with the shop on the phone. It's not unreasonable to think you're buying a 2010 frame in 2010 is it?

So, my fault for assuming therefore I pay the return costs.

Bummer.

I've got both. The Singletrack is better in my opinion. The Humvees rip quite easily in comparison.

I managed to get one! It should be on it's way to me early next week.
Thank you Swinnerton Cycles :P

Best thread in ages, I actually spat coffee on my monitor whilst laughing.
Please keep this going….

Yes, I could do that, but in the spirit of the STW forum, I thought it would be better to ask a bunch of strangers for their suggestions/opinions/advice/thoughts….. :mrgreen:

Yeah, they've quoted 2-3 weeks wait though. If I can't get one before then, I'll most likely get the frame from them. I like that shop a lot (uber bike porn) and they were really helpful when I spoke to them.

A cheeky bump for the Monday morning crowd :D

Thanks folks. I've never claimed anything before and I don't know what the outcome is gonna be.

Thanks for the offer Jules,

I tried the Blue Pig for size when I was at your place once. It felt really small – what size frame is it?

Hi Mark, I know you very kindly offered and I'm sorry for not responding at the time.

I'm thinking of getting either a Ragley Blue Pig or a Cotic Soul as a replacement for the P7. I know you've ridden pretty much every bike there has ever been :wink: , so have you any advice regarding those two choices?

Hi Chris, I'd love to, but I've not got anything to ride….(starts to weep again).

Hopefully I should have a replacement built up within the next few weeks, so count me in for the next one.

Bear in mind that I obviously want to keep riding as much as ever, but that I simply don't have a bike to do it on….

Thanks again one and all.

To top it all off, I don't think our insurance is going to cover the bikes. They weren't locked to an immovable object (AA contents insurance fine print….grrrrrr!!) and, because I left the window they got in through closed but not locked, I can't see them paying out on anything (they got my PS3 as well – seriously, two of life's little pleasures gone in one fell swoop).

However, my absolutely wonderful wife has done an amazing thing. She just received a nice little tax rebate, (that I didn't realise she was getting), and has just given me what amounts to a decent starter fund for a new bike.

What a woman. Far more than I deserve. :?

Thanks for the support every one. My rage still hasn't subsided yet…….I reckon it'll simmer for a while yet.

re PROJECT – it's funny you mention the locks. Our landlady just changed out front door lock from a key to a twisty locking thing. Apparently it's too much of a hazard in case you can't find your keys in the event of a fire. Ho Hum. Live and learn I guess.

Anyway, the bikes were taken from Floyd Avenue on the Merseybank estate.

Here they are…..

Thanks Paul/John.

I'm so annoyed at myself. I left a window unlocked and they climbed in and simply took them straight out the front door, also taking my PS3 on their way past. The P7 is security marked though, so there's a very slim chance it might get recovered but I'm not holding out much hope……..

OMITN – Aye, it was me you sent to Stu. Wheels are still going strong.

No probs about the clothes, in 6 weeks we may well have a few other bits and pieces too (he's a bit big for his moses basket already).

We actually went to NCT classes in Didsbury. Look out for an ever so slightly scary woman called Marion who ran ours and may run your class too. Don't take everything she says as gospel though. She (and possibly the NCT in general) seem to be very anti-NHS. She promoted home births very strongly and criticsed many, many of the NHS practices and policies. In fact, the midwives at Wythenshawe were great.

We actually did both the NHS and NCT antenatal classes.
The differences between the two are quite stark. The NHS is very much "here it is, this is what will happen, here's what to do" whereas the NCT was a bit more "this is what/how you'll be feeling, remember that how you give birth is your choice…" and so on.

Mrs Pie has made some really good friends through the NCT classes though, so I'd definitely recommend exchanging email addresses (at least) and not being shy during the classes.

Iain

OMITN,

We've got loads of baby boy's clothes if you want any more. Some of it's never been worn and those that have been worn have only been used a handful of times. He was born weighing 10lbs, is three months old on Saturday and already needs 6 months plus sized outfits!
They're yours if you want them, I'm near Chortlon on the Merseybank estate. email in profile.

Cheers
Iain

Four:
Heckler
P7
Guess Road bike
Kuwahara steel fixie

I love em all.

Good shout geezer…..

Although how am I supposed to get ANY work done now?!?

3 times in the last 5 years; twice in Glasgow and once in Wilmslow. Each time it was what the CTC now call a SMIDSY ("sorry mate I didn't see you").

No serious injuries, thank goodness. I do kinda think that it's only a matter of time though….

I rode it the Sunday before last. It was in absolutlely fantastic condition, probably the driest I've ever seen it. The sun was incredibly hot and my arms are still peeling!

We ended up stopping at the small river/bridge instead of going to Fairholmes. Best ride I've done this year, although I did miss criss-crossing through the stream on the way down, since it had completely dried up.

Go ride it.

+1 if there is a group buy please.

Sings:

"I ate all the pies, I ate all the pies……"

Nuff said.

I feel sad at how misguided some people are.

Milk chocolate hobnobs. There is no finer biscuit.

End of story.

I'm doing the 52 miler if you fancy it.

Try looking at the Seldom Felt label. It's all new stuff, but has that "proper bangin' techno" feel from the early-mid 90s. Me likey lots!

I'll drink to that.. Slange Var!

I commute ~40 miles or so, a couple of times a week, mostly on a 48:18 fakenger/fixie. It's great. Your body gets used to always pedalling very quickly and it will help other types of riding.

I'd advise a bit of caution on using two brakes though. It's actually quite disconcerting if you grab a handful of rear brake and the wheels lock, as often your legs also lock in an unusual position (i.e. not horizontally as they would naturally tend to be with a freewheel). I found it so unsettling that I took the rear brake off. You can generate enough stopping power from a front brake and the resistance your legs can generate to cope with most situations, even emergency stops.

Pie.