Plus 1 for Airport Express. £70 odd for each box – I thought it was black magic when we visited some friends who had it.

Even a Luddite like me can set it up. I got an adaptor so that I could even get the Airport Express to work through an old Bose Sound-dock that had no connectivity (that I was going to get rid of until I found the solution).

Plus it’s great fun when visitors realise that they can play their music from their IPod / iPhone and a battle commences :lol:

if you wander round the shops on a saturday.

Why would you be doing that?

Do it!!

Swapped from SPDs about 6 months ago and couldn’t be happier.

Reason for change was a couple of skills courses (jumps and drops) and it’s been the right thing to do. No more cheating on bunnyhops, climbing is as good as ever (probably not saying much though) and you’ll only lose a pedal if you don’t have grippy soles.

BTW – thanks Ton for the recommendation!!

Beat me to it!!

I’ll answer for him (although I’m sure he’ll be along in a minute) – the grip is good overall and sometimes, when the pins and the lugs on the Stealth soles come to a convergence (look at me getting all planetary and up my own a4se with big words), there is too much grip and I have to lift my foot off the pedal to adjust it’s position.

Upon the recommendation from Ton, in an earlier thread, I got some five:ten Exum Guides.

clicky

Picked 1 1/2 sizes bigger than normal to allow wiggle room and they’re perfect, I think I’ve got pretty poor circulation but my feet have been toasty. They’re also a helluva lot more waterproof than my “normal” five:tens.

The only problem is that they look massive on the end of my chicken legs – although I won’t blow over in a gale!

Another who wouldn’t call myself a Downhiller but that’s the bit I enjoy the most.

eightyeight
Anyone else based in Manc on this thread?

Yes, me!! Well, not quite – I’m in Cheadle Hulme.

I’m a member of the Macc Forest DH Group where I ride this:

Just fitted an Angleset to bring the HA down to just over 64 degrees. Booked onto the uplift at Cwmcarn this Sunday and then at Antur Stiniog on Sat 1st Dec.

From the comments above it looks like I need to get some proper Dual-Plies for Antur though? What tyres for Antur Stiniog? :lol:

There’s some crazy fool on BikeRadar that’s had a problem with them (well actually with Royal Mail but he’s blaming them) and started a thread – but he’s opened a whole can of whoop-ass on himself as everyone disagrees with him and the majority have had good experiences with them.

It’s an entertaining read because the guy has the social skills of Hanibal Lecter!!

My tiny brain can’t even understand what’s going on in that Alejandro Paz video….

How about that fool Jake Bug?

I can’t sing for toffee but I think I could do a better job than him on the intro to his latest song (Two Fingers I think it’s called).

It’s awful, retro, throwback trash that should’ve been left undiscovered – IMHO. What the ears have heard cannot be unheard.

crikey
A 2 mm scratch? Yes.

It’s a mountain bike, it’s a tool, a means to an end, not a ****ing ornament

I know It’s quite likely that I’ll put scratches in them pretty soon, but I really can’t understand your logic of accepting damaged goods for your hard-earned cash.

Agree to disagree?

crikey
Ooooh that’s really, really bad…..

So you’d have kept a brand new set of forks with a scratch on them?

Perfect, I’m planning to visit in November!!

See you then :lol:

AD – that’ll be JW then?

I often visit, see SW in tech and HW in purchasing, as we sell quite a lot to you.

It’s purely a coincidence that my bike is always on the back of the car when I visit and that Whinlatter’s on the way home :lol:

AD – Member
Rubber Technologist…. really.

Who for? I might know you?

I sell chemicals…..into the Rubber Industry…..

Well, that was a win!!

On the evening before her B’Day I told Miss P that she needed to pack a bag as we were going away, but wouldn’t say where to – only that it would be warmer than here.

Then a surprise meal with 12 friends and family that night.

Then on the morning of her Birthday I gave her 2 B’Day cards, the first had a photo of the hotel inside (which could, obviously, have been anywhere) and the second contained a small street map showing the area around Times Square. She guessed it at that clue and was pretty excited!!

Anyway, thanks to:

Captain Flashheart
1. We stayed at Hotel Mela and were very impressed with everything – the staff, room, location – all were perfect.
2, Top of the Rock – superb (thanks also to Crispo, enduro-aid, jd77, DARC L, Choron).
3. Brunch at Loebs Boathouse – what a setting and atmosphere.

FuzzyWuzzy – dinner at Rothmanns 54 was brilliant, great food, service and atmosphere.

Enduro-aid
1. The burger at Le Meridien was great. What a funky little place. I’m sure Miss P wondered what-on-earth we were doing queuing in a corridor to the side of the reception desk but it was well worth it.
2. Staten Island Ferry – couldn’t believe it was free!! Great views (thanks also to DARC L).

Timnwild – dinner @ Les Halles was great, they seem to think they really are French (i.e. it was disorganised amd we had to wait a while for our table, but there are worse places to wait!!).

The helicopter flight on Friday morning (booked through Zip Tours) was a highlight – we were lucky to have clear blue skies and 25-30C on both Friday and Saturday.

We’ve both now rated it as our favourite city and will be going back – perhaps next winter, when it’s cold and there’s snow on the ground, for Xmas shopping.

Anyway, thanks to all – the Brownie points are well and truly in the bag :lol:

Tron!!

Downhill at Macc Forest tomorrow then a classic Ladybower loop on Sunday – can’t wait!!

piedi di formaggio

Now, what’s all this golf nonsense about?

Heathen!!

Working from home today and enjoying every minute.

sonofapitch

Proutster^you must have some super long thumbs to reach that.

Yes, it is a bit of a stretch and seeing the other photo above reminds me that it’s not ideal. I think I need to swap it so that it’s next to the grip.

Protected from what?

Peak District rocks when I crash… Wore a big chunk off the front of the shifter mount a couple of weeks ago and I’m pretty sure that the remote would’ve taken the brunt of the impact if it was on the top.

Plus (expects flaming and the re-awakening of an old topic) I’m guilty of flipping the bike upside down to carry out trail-side repairs (punctures etc.), so I think it’d get damaged then if was on top.

Get p!ssed on industrial strength scrumpy and curl one out on his bonnet.

That’ll learn him.

Right-hand lever, upside down on the left for me:

Well protected and out-of-the-way, even for someone that crashes as regularly as I do :oops:

Bolt through for me – I often leave my bike (chained, padlocked and double D-locked) on my (towball-mounted) bike rack when I’m staying at hotels (and yes, it is covered under the insurance when I do this), so I thought that a QR would make it too easy for someone to steal a £200 seatpost.

As above, a torque wrench and assembly paste is (IMHO) essential to ensure that you don’t over-tighten and wreck the post.

Actual Laugh Out Loud at spasmic gherkin :lol:

logical – Member
I got rid of the trance. Using a 456 now. Trance never felt right. I like the look of the raceface respond low risers on CRC

That was quick….. just because of the bent handlebars?

buzz-lightyear
Get 710s

Nah…. Answer protaper 780 DH bars on mine – as comfy as a comfy thing, with something comfy to be comfy about.

Good result there in 18th place by good old Winnie!! :wink:

Never in the field of human cycling was so much……….

Well done all, some great ideas there- thanks.

Checked the passports and plenty of life left in both, so just the ESTA thingies to do tomorrow evening when she’s out.

Some great advice so far, thanks to all.

Noticed the ESTA thing on the tickets yesterday, so that’s to be done later this week when she’s out :D

At the moment I can see enough Brownie points that n+1 should get easier!! But, as always, I’m well aware that those points are very difficult to earn but extremely easy to lose…

Keep ’em coming!!!

In the woods to the right-hand side of the 13th hole at my golf club. Used the old “feet at the base of a tree, hang on to the trunk and lean back” stance to give room. Then used my undercrackers for the wipeage and buried both.

Strangely I never go looking for my ball if I hit it there now.

Too close for comfort with a follow-through at Inners Uplift 2 weeks ago, bl**dy people hanging around after being dropped off by the bus – can’t they see me hopping around with a pained look on my face???

F: Swampthing ST
R Mud-X

Worked well for me in winter.

Worked well for me last Sunday out around Hayfield :D

I’m now from Gabon – is the weather better there?

My BMI’s 24 – always thought the BMI calculation was a load of horse-sh!t, best shape of my life at the moment!

I think that this is a great topic for discussion – as well as biking, I play a lot of golf and some of the guys I play with seem to pride themselves on the fact that they’ve “never had a lesson in my life” – but they’re still playing off 18!!

If the best sportsmen/women in the world use coaches then why do “normal”, less talented people, view it as a weakness to have a lesson?

I have a lot of golf lessons (which have, definitely, helped me to reduce my handicap) and I’ve just had my first MTB skills lesson (as mentioned in the Jumps and Drops thread) and would highly recommend lessons to anyone wanting to improve.

scu98rkr

I’d be keen to hear how long the the skills day effect lasts for with out a regular practise area.

I thought that as well – that’s why I spent 30 mins practising manuals and bunny-hops down a fire road in Macc Forest (that I would normally blast down as part of my regular “lap”), then went to the local BMX track to practise the jumps and then last night went into the local woods to practise drops.

As with most things, use it or lose it!!

I’ve been “getting by” on drops and rolling over jumps for the last couple of years so a couple of weeks ago I went on the “Jumps and Drops” course at Cannock DH trails with Adam Halling of The Bike School.

There were 6 of us and it was superb, can’t recommend it highly enough – and a bargain at £35 each for 3 hours.

We started with the basics of manuals and bunny-hops, then moved onto drops (starting off with about a foot and ending up with about 3 feet), then table-top jumps, then doubles and finally a play on a (sort of) pump track run which had a sequence of jumps and doubles.

My riding in the Peaks is now so much quicker, smoother and in control.

Cue flaming as I’ve recommended someone other than Jedi :lol:

rewski
here’s one of my house mixes, perfect sunshine house vibe:
http://snd.sc/rhr07Y

Even though it’s raining here, we’ve just listened to this and it is superb!

Rewski – that is good!!

I had exactly the same problem – researched all over the tinternet and couldn’t find the trick.

Luckily I was in Lincolnshire last week, so I popped in to Superstar’s “HQ” – they explained how to do it and took out one side, leaving me to do the other.

The trick is that the “inner axle” is sealed by an O-ring at either end and this means that there’s about 0.5mm of clearance if you press it down – they used a sharpened screwdriver to push this down. This then exposes the edge of the bearing that you can drive the screwdriver into and push it – and the end caps – out of the axle.

it sounds more complicated than it is – they took the brake disc off and then used a vice with soft “grips” to clamp onto the disc mounts. This means that you can use some proper leverage on the screwdriver to lever the “inner axle” to expose the edge of the bearing.

Hope this helps.

Lara Croft: Tomb Rider – well-endowed young woman gets jiggy in the cemetery