i would be checking out the tallboy in the classifieds- nothing to do with me but great bikes with not too radical geometry

Look up ‘over the top chilli’ on you tube – cook on a smoker/kettle bbq- awesome flavour

I’m doing smoked shotgun shells this xmas on the weber- canneloni stuffed with sausage meat and cheese all wrapped in bacon- yum

I got a sharp stabbing pain at the base of my right hand middle finger when moving a heavy wood cabinet and the finger 5 weeks later is still twice the size of the left hand one- tried biking after a few weeks with it strapped up and it wasnt great…..doctor has referred me to a consultant and i got the letter on friday suggesting 15 Feb 2024 for an appointment!!! Dusting off the business medical insurance in the morning

I give my road and then tell me to ring when they get there and go outside to meet them plus usually reference having to collect it in advance form where I store it – saying that most have my sales/purchases have involved meeting at motorway services around the country due to a high level of niche from when I had more money than sense

There is a nice stanton switchback for sale on FB marketplace-(mountain biking uk marketplace) its £1200 at the moment reduced from £1450 but his ad says £999 takes it…..im not connected at all to seller but was tempted myself

Orbea Oiz or S/C Blur would be my suggestion

Greggs do giftcards – good alternative to giving cash and they can use it when they need it

Ive had high BP for around 10 years and am currently on 10mg of ramipril and individual readings are still too high ( around 150/90) but when Ive had 24hr recordings done they have been much better which suggests I have white coat syndrome to a point

One fact that stuck with me since AO level human biology in 1979 is that if you ate a whole polar bears liver you would die of Vit A poisoning – fun fact kids!

I used a pair of varifocal transition Rad8s for around 6 months with the only issue being the nose piece is moulded on and disintegrated but not sure if that was because I was wearing them every day but to be fair Rad8 replaced them foc and you just need to pop the lenses out. Unfortunately mine have got scratched to I just use for riding now as the scratches bugged me in normal everyday use.

Look up julie phelan on you tube – she has a gpx / komoot link of a 23 mile gravel ride around cannock

as above you need to weight the front more than a more traditional geometry based bike- once you get that dialled its a
really stable ride

If only there was a very reasonably priced set of Lyriks in the classifieds eh??

Defo large as its fairly stretched out as is teh fashion- should have bought mine that was advertised a few weeks ago as I ended up giving it away virtually…

Im just over 6ft with a 32 inch leg and definitely wouldnt have wanted it bigger

Great bikes by the way just dont seem to have much profile for some reason so if you go second hand you may be able to get a good deal if you are patient

Bryn Williams at Port Eiras ( sea front just outside Colwyn Bay) is worth checking out and there is a bike shop next door

I pretty much had to give my Stage evo away in the end( not a single sign of interest on the classifieds here for example) really weird how little coverage and kudos they get – it was a great bike but combination of covid lung and holiday home surrounded by big up has made me go e bike

Just posted my Orange stage evo in the classifieds -shameless plug!!

My singular kite, ti stem and seatpost for extra bling

View post on imgur.com

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/112604861#/?channel=RES_BUY

£210k 3 bed detached

Ey up me ducks!
Like Jekkyl I also live in the area actually returning after 10 years in Sheffield ( mainly for babysitting reasons) and like all cities that were rooted in coal and steel its hit hard times but it does have some positives including cheap housing, access to the countryside as highlighted earlier and contrary to Taz’s portrayal very friendly people as long as you don’t want to wander around the town centre engaging with the dust monkeys. I don’t go into the town centres so that doesn’t bother me in the slightest tbh.

Areas to the south I would suggest are the Westlands, Clayton, Trentham. Penkhull, Hartshill and Barlaston. If you venture north east Endon, Brown Edge, Stockton Brook and Milton are pretty nice. Meir is grim but Meir Heath isnt bad for an estate type environment and is really good value. You may also want to look at Alsager/Church Lawton to the North.

not so stealth ad but Im just about to list a Levo sl at that price point – in my opinion is it the ideal bike for someone who isn’t after the full fat bike assistance but needs some help – feels a lot more like a ‘proper’ bike than a full fat and is actually ok to pedal without power on the flats etc – spech warranty is transferrable ( mine has best part of 14 months left) and overall the levo sl has proved to be much more reliable than the full fat levo- its been ideal for my post covid recovery but most of my racing buddies are singlespeed heathens so Im going to try a normal geared bike…….

but if you listen to music while virtually cycling do you not run the risk of being hit by a virtual truck- be safe out there kids

I enjoyed it but 2 big questions for me are:
1) Bond and his watches have form- first thing a baddy would say is ‘can you take off ze watch Mr Bond’ surely?
2) As touched upon earlier how did a knackered Toyota out muscle all that brand new 4×4 technology

otherwise totally believable and my bladder lasted at 57 ( just….)

cheers Harry- forgot to ask about location for stay- we only have flights currently so need to book accommodation – I had automatically assumed Reykavik?

BSN- timing is around best time for the lights which is either Sept/March allegedly and we werent confident enough to go for September with travel restrictions- we have moved 3 times already!

Scruff- good info I definitely want a rest as well so quality rather than quantity is the order of the day

ceept- similar to above I’m sure we will be happy relaxing in between seeing stuff plus we wanted to make sure we had a good chance of seeing the lights so a week hopefully increases the odds

I would look at a second hand levo sl – quite a few for sale when people realise they cannot keep up with mates on full fat eebs and warranty is transferrable upto 2 years and in the world of ebikes they seem to have a few less problems. I got mine for £4.1k with 23 months warranty left – rides much more like a ‘proper ‘ mtb but enough help to assist- caveat though is to get the best out of it depends on a high cadence which may not play nicely with knee issues

Tbh I like the simplicity of the looks but the warranty wording and duration would be a big concern for me

Ive tried Rhug 3 times for a bison burger and they’ve never had any in stock

Define decent? Conwy has loads on places to eat/drink , there is a great greasy spoon overlooking the sea at penmanwaer (sp) -llanfairfechan has a cafe next to the beach, also there is Bryn williams place at colwyn bay or the Mulberry at Conwy marina- hope that helps

Interesting- I was considering but need to drop to 120- does this mean a standard fox 34 airshaft wouldn’t work?
OP – may be worth adding a review in the website to advise/warn people as its a bit naughty of CRC imo

Just caught up with this thread- I got the bad covid last May with a stay in ICU which left me with a heart rate of 165 just taking a dump when I eventually left hospital and reduced lung capacity due to scarring
Bought a s/h levo and it was great for getting me out when Id recovered a bit more but became too much of a lump for me -most of my riding buddies are singlespeed luddites and I ride cannock so found it hard to start getting fitness back unless on my own or with other e-bikers.
Roll on a year and I bought a levo sl and for me its great – rides much more like a normal bike but still can make me ride further and enjoy it more- I toyed with the idea of going back to a normal bike but at the moment just ride with eco set really low or even with it switched off but know I have help if i really need it- still messes with my head a bit and feel a bit of a fraud but if it gets too bad I’ve just built up a rigid singlespeed so I use that as payback.

we’ve just been quoted £1400 for a solidor composite door fitted- Stoke area

In the process of building up a ti kite – bloody hard work sourcing parts- latest challenge is a 2 week wait for some sram hydraulic brake hose ….. looks like it should be a good looker and lightweight to boot

i also spoke to Wayne at Rourkes and he suggested the walls are thin on 953 which may make it prone to cracking dependant on how hard the gravel riding is ( gravel means different things to different people I suppose)
He suggested if ss was still a desire 921 would be a safer bet as its a bit thicker and possible more comfortable?

I’ve bought and sold bikes using PayPal and tbh I worry just as much if someone wants to give me £50 notes – if it’s done friends and family I assumed there isn’t the ability to claim back- am I wrong?

got a shower pass refuge when it was reduced ( still eye wateringly expensive) but a great jacket – took me a few months to pluck up courage to get it dirty though because of the cost…..

Did the marin ( now gwydr mawr or sumfink similar) last week after a gap of several years- car park is still free and trails were ace as feels out there but still has waymarking ( small diversion for logging near the end)- still amazed how i originally did this on a rigid singlespeed….
I like the fact much of the climbing is fire road although some don’t.
Saw a video of penmachno from the weekend and no rivers on the trails- get in early before it changes!

Trying to add attention seeking pic- chicks dig scars eh?

Untitled by Larkin Pop[/url], on Flickr

Similar to Tired above I had a mole on my face which changed colour and was proved to be cancerous – result free face lift courtesy of the nhs