Ah right, sometimes words AND pictures helps.

I'm not actually after a working bike with a platform I'm just after the platform but set up for 26" MTB wheels.

Like in my pic but built for big wheels and better MTB stuff so I can trick it out and wizz over bumps more easily.

I'll contact Curtis and see if there is any option.

You built that?

I pretty much put up the same post about three months ago, reverse bleed is the way to go.

"Why wont my brakes work?"

If you're very lucky a nice person from the forum who lives locally will pop round and show you how to do it in return for ale.

Thanks again Sobriety, I owe you one 😉

This book explains in detail the alternative germany that had been tightly plotted by the generals and it is well worth a read.

Pop fact- the table shielded the blast which was then directed out the windows but it was still benough to blow the Furer's trousers off and out the window 😆

That's realy amazing, although I have to admit I didi get a bit of a flashback to 80's Art Attack with Neil Buchanan.

+1 Rootes1
As a qualified mountain leader, woodcraft instructor and scout leader I would heartily recommend a trangia with a gas converter.

That way you can run meths if you want or simply clip in the gas head and you have all the advantages of gas- hotter, boil quicker, less weight than meths along side of all the advantages of a trangia- entire kitchen packs into one package, windproof, tough.

I will be climbing all over the Cairngorms in two days with one of these and a bivvy bag

As for the “it’s bulky and heavy” naysayers- you can get small lighter alloy versions for backpacking trips where weight etc is an issue if you really want one.

Or a router with a narrow bit…and then a chisel

I've got a mate who works at an abatoir so our working Malamutes get fed on the BARF diet (biologicaly appropriate Raw Food) along with Royal Cannin larger breed Puppy food (one's just turned 18 months, other is eight months).

You should see the looks I get when I drag a sack of cow legs and ox hearts into the cellar after it's been dumped on the drive! Never mind the mess from sawing up a cow shin that was walking about two hours earlier.

I've had her in my menatl library for years since she was on Stella Street in the 90s.

She could be anyone you wanted – Tonight Matthew I going to be… Posh Spice

Just imagine the posibilities!

up next jump starting a car with a tazer?

I was impressed with Wallander the other night.

Sharkbait,

I used some silver ash batton like strips I had left over, steamed it to get a curve using the bin as a mold and then got some old aluminium draw runners from an old map case and took them apart, I routed the bottom of the ash to get a lipped bracket and slid the runners on.

At work so don't have access to my gear to take pics but I have two mid seventies through neck solid body basses that I use al the time.
One a Washburn with double cutaway and mahogany body
the other a Vox with a massive headstock.
Both with split coils and jazz with dual controls and three way toggle switch.

I run twin sets of pedals through two channels with two distortions and octave pedal and a chorus on one line and a phaser, a flanger and a delay on the other, both cannels run into a headrush pedal, I’ve a custom channel switcher to choose which channel or both or a little of one or the other.

Also have a whole cupboard of other vintage or unused FX pedals like big muffs and other phasers etc.

Have contributed white noise and effects etc to films and even got in the running for the mercury awards in the early 00s. My musical coutnter part in the early 00s band is in Rocksound a fair bit these days as he started a label to put our album out and then signed other bands and ended up moving to the US as it got so succsfull- we're still mates though.

I made a beutiful sledge this weekend out of ash and pine with metal runners a shaped and padded back it even has a brake.

It goes like the clappers and left kids on plastic sledges miles behind (yes that's right I'm a 30 year old man celebrating beating children to the bottom of a hill)

There's a snow dog ralley at Aviemore the 22nd-25th Jan so you might want to avoid there if big dogs that will want to chase you aren't really your thing.

I booked my challet in March and was told I was cutting it fine then, so accomodation might be a bit iffy that weekend too in the imediate vicinity.

Last thing I heard though was that it might not be on as the carpark was under 4ft of snow last weekend.

I've got a mate who's a dealer in second hand vinatge stuff, he sold Franz Ferdinand their guitars etc.

What are you selling?

TGA- C Div,

Sacades- PCSO= Police Community Support Officer

Saccades,
That was a PCSO, I won't get drawn into a long conversation about if they're any good. But they basically do all the jobs that don't require a cop with full powers of arrest to do. So the cops can get on doing stuff that only a cop can do whilst a PCSO takes statements, holds old ladies hands when they've gone arse over tit on the ice and stuff like that not to mention trying to move on blokes in cars that might have been holding up traffic by accident whilst they waited for their wife.

Nottinghamshire Police here, currently plumeting in the finding arse with both hands national league tables despite my best efforts. 😳

Giro Xen is a good halfway house, no face coverage but covers the back of your head really well.

He'd lose his P45 and have to start on emergency tax at the new job, that's about all I can think of.

There might be some kind of breach on contact issues if he's signed anything, but the cost of enforcing this would be way more than what they'd actually gain.

What breed are they? short haired dogs like boxers will be in trouble lapdogs like spanials will be in trouble too. Long hairs (and snow/mountain dogs obviously) will be ok in these temps. For example my Uncle's retriver is fine in the snow when we ski and loves being outside as much as possible I've come accross collies and labradoodles living outside right up inside the arctic circle in Northern Norway and Sweden too.

I'm learning, trouble is I keep spending the money on my bike instead.

Wife has expressed she does not need the green Ps I bought her from halfords as she has now driven in all weathers other than scorching heat.

I'm in bed racking up a phone bill of epic proportions.
Put on one too many layers walking the dogs across snowy fields last night and got a chill after my sweaty shirt got v cold suddenly when I got back and flopped infront of the TV.

"Can't say I've ever noticed any homophobia on Top Gear."

What about the bit when they invited someone from the audience up and he sat next to JM with his arm along the back of the sofa and they all ran away from him and refused to sit on the sofa again in case they caught gay?

I'd call that pretty homophobic.

Arcadia have been making sly reductions in most of their stores for the last few weeks.

I'm a scout leader 🙄 cue predictable jokes.

So I have a pretty regular access to conventional fire wood too c.o some woodland that we own and also have a mate who's a tree surgeon.

I'm prety sure it was once a real fire, it's a 1920's semi so I'd assume that it had an open fire when it was built. Bizarly it had a sweep's equipment in the cellar too.

The current fie place is a mock vinatge set up that fit's into a builder's aperture.

Has dissapeared up it's out of touch backside.

It was fun for a while, but then became a a parody of itself with the presenters getting increasingly homophobic and generaly less likeable every minute.

I have a very similar problem, I have two 10 stone Malamute dogs and presents and wife etc to cram in, half the reason we went for teh Berlingo was that we could get the dogs in it and we are going to some races whilst en route to relatives for Christmas.

There's no garuntee you will get your claim honoured however being polite but faintly comedic regarding any substandard attempts to keep you happy has alwasy been my best weapon.

It was the timing belt!

It jumped and then knocked (off?) other bits in the car , so it'll be an engine strip and rebuild.
Except the dealer's Mum has just gone into hospital and the local Citroen mechanic has slipt on the ice and bust his hand.

So we'll not be seeing our car until after Christmas now and instead the dealer will be lending us one of his which e will have to insure.

I declined to travel to Manchester to pick it up (well I couldn't do it anyway as I can't drive). So I'm waiting on the dealer to tell me how he is going to get a car to me in the next two days.

Claim you will move when the economy makes it more viable to do so then conveneintly forget, if you work hard enough and you're invaluable eneough they won't really give a monkeys in a years time as long as you're turning up on time and not winging about your commute.

My first job post-uni involved three hour each way commute to a job in London from Wisbech. I wanted the job so much I didn't care, although the Hatfield train crash messed it all up and I had to quit.

VH- they are just delightfully idealistic.

When you're just about getting by with all manner of commitments. You just can't suddenly just find the cash to buy new kids shoes after they've wrecked them again, repair the boiler and all manner of other cack that life throws at you.

It was the emphasis with which he laid down the law to me about it brought a wry smile to my face

Mink are nasty little things. I have litle interest in, but no qualms about wearing mink as long as it wasn't skinned alive -which I really do draw the line at.

When I was young I spent an afternoon out in the fields with my mate's Dad and some guns & sticks after an AL group had freed a load of Mink into the local area and they were devastating the wildlife.

I've been to the north pole and frequently do dog sledding events in the arctic cirle as well as eastern Europe. If someone has a problem with a rabbit fur hat well I really don't know where to start.

If they are not wearing leather and don't eat meat I'll respect their point otherwise tough.

I've shot and eaten all manner of animals and I'd rather show it the respect it deserves by using all of it than shying away from the realities of nature.

And I know a hungry wolf or bear would happily snack on me if it caught me unawares likewise my concerns for Mr Bunny's feelings are of little consequence to me too when I'm cold or hungry.

I wouldn't wear a panda skin coat -don't get me wrong I beleive in preserving the balance of nature, but a rabbit fur hat!! Crickey, where they waving their copies of the guardian at you at the same time?

…and breathe.

doosuk
update just been posted.

OK all,

story so far.

Dealer agrees to pay for repairs unless they are uneconomical whereupon he will refund us.

I contact garage tell them to contact dealer.

Dealer asks them not to touch anything as he would rather have his man work on it and therefore keep an eye on what's what. Garage have yet tio find anything wrong and want to strip the car down.

Dealer spends a day trying to get a quote to get car from Notts to Manchester.

Yesterday's task was for a flat bed truck to get from manchester to Nottingham load up car and get back in the snow.

I am currently waiting on contact from the dealer as to if the car made it back and what the deal is.

I have requested that we NEED a car for Christmas, dealer has offered to provide us with one if we haven't got a fixed car.

Ideally we need OUR car as my wife needs to get used to it over Christmas with a couple of lengthy Crimbo present runs (Blackpool & Essex) before we go all the way to Aviemore in January in the snow for the sled dog racing (did I mention the car needs to be big to hold two 10 stone Malamutes).

Have done recomended online checks and all MOTs etc match the service history.

Current gueses as to the problem are:
Clutch
or
Mis-timing cranks hitting other things in the engine

however it's really anyone's guess at the moment.

Ourmaninthenorth

I was thinking more Rick from the Young ones, but I think you're spot on with Wolfie.

He got a tie and some soap from his office secret santa this year.

What about a bottle of the new English one that was on the news? – it'll have novelty value if retained.

My £13 machinemart ones have yet to encounter a problem- they're big ones and as long as I chop quick there's no messing with them.