If its in the loft which is not accesible to other animals/small kids I would use "Racumin" rat poison made by Bayer Chemicals which is available at garden centres. Works well. Its an anti-coagulant. You just leave some in a few "bait stations" where the noise is coming from. Old plastic food containers are ideal. Takes about a week to kill them. Works well on Rats and mice. Dont forget to top the feed up as the little pests like to eat the stuff.

That vid looks very skinny to me especially considering the height..eek!

Is Dan Cowan the one they call "Dangerous Dan".

A fair bit better. They use the same engine in an aluminium bodied Jag and it does a fair bit more. The whole point of the Disco is that it has a very tough chasis and its very big…unfortunately big and tough is heavy.

Driver makes quite a difference but i can vouch for the fact that modern 4x4s make off road driving much easier. My disco has a drive settings dial that just has to be turned to appropriate conditions and that totally alters response of the car.Just like camera settings! The settings automatically adjust engine torque curve throttle response etc. You can be quite a bad driver and still get away with it!You have hill descent control to for when it all gets a bit scary. Its way easier of road than the old model discos, though i'd agree that the real enthusiast will still probably prefer the much tougher Defenders etc. The new Disco is a great car and even gets over 30mpg. Thats loads better than lots of sports cars including Golf r32s and GTIs. Excellent for the weight of the car. Luckily we live in a relatively free democratic country and are allowed to make some of our own choices.

Electric shavers are fine if you have "soft" stubble. If you are a strong beard none of them are any good. Other friends have also tried "going back" to electric. The sad truth is that if you have a strong/dark beard you will only get a good shave from a blade.
I havent found the modern multi blade wet shavers any better than the single blade ones really. Maybe just a little faster.

The most important thing with a wet shave is HOT water and SOAP to soften the bristles first. You will then get a much much better shave than electric..

For a "non fancy" monitor I bought a SIGMA. The big advantage in my opinion over the Polar ones is that you can change both the watch and chest strap battery yourself. With the Polar ones you have to send the waist strap away. I used to have a Polar but the battery wore out, and I think the Sigma much better value. This ones less than fifty quid.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=7977

Great to hear bike is back. Hopefully the thief will get locked up …unfortunately most likely a bit of soft "community service"….he should be made to dig a new bike trail!!

Happy Birthday…you youngsta! Im sure it'l b back soon….i just hope u can get some sort of compensation from them for all the damage done..smashing peoples cars to get at some bikes to pawn is pretty sad stuff!

Each to his own Mr Pinder. I have just got back from a 3hr ride on my Dialled Alpine at Swinley & I think its great. Its the best hardtail I have owned.

That low top tube is a great idea. In my view the only competition would be the Evil bikes Sovereign that also has the dropped top tube. I have short legs! Handling is spot on for me, I climb the Alpine better than my old Cove Handjob too. I didnt think my Cove was rubbish either though, I just prefer the geometry on the Dialled. I think the toptube/wheelbase is longer which helps climbing and downhill stability..The only thing I might change if I had the choice on the Dialled is the colour. I would prefer it in white..

I don't think there really is a "best" hardtail for everyone. The most important thing is whether the particular frame "fits".

Swinley: A few puddles in places but very good generally on the singletrack trails. There are the odd few bits of ice left.

The Corkscrew was unrideable today without damaging the surface further. Unfortunately it has been ridden a bit too much since new sand/hoggin has been layed and that has turned into a bit of a clay/quagmire mix and huge ruts have been made! Unfortunately people have also been rolling down the Gulley jump run too in the wet, which has ruined all the jump lips and put big ruts through them.
It would be kind to other riders if the gulley & corkscrew bits could be avoided until it drys out.

Elbury should get honary STW hall of fame membership . If he agreed Singletrack World could sell his t.shirts. I want a metal mulisha one!

I love this forum too… great! & thanks to the management.. I subscribe to the mag to try & give a bit of payback.
The mag has quality articles & great photography..

My vote for this year

Funny thread: Directional Hi Fi speaker cables..brilliant
Bike Thread of the Year: Elbury…. Max Clifford could make him rich.

Some of the classified scammers have been good "tabloid" reading too.

The killer is riding on salted wet roads especially if the bike isnt rinsed. If its just used offroad then probably it'l be fine.

However I do use waxoyl on my frames. I paid about £5 for a small can. You don't need much at all nd it takes 5 minutes when building the bike… I cant see much downside unless you use too much.

Whats wrong with a Dialled Alpine. I think they climb well too. I know the "Overbiked Police" may say thats too much for "all mountain"/The UK etc etc. In my opinion the ultra short headtube makes it accept 140mm forks very well..still keeping the stem low enough for great climbing.
I could easily use my 160mm Lyrics and still have a low enough stem for climbing. On my Alpine I had to put a 30mm spacer under it to make it just right for my 140mm Pikes. As far as weight goes I really dont notice it being heavy at all.

We always have problems with our SMEG oven. To make it work we just press all 4 buttons on the timer together for a few seconds…you probably already have.

The latest problem on it is the fan makes one hell of a racket… not good on an oven about 4yrs old costing a few grand..

I think SMEG are **ap. We have their dishwasher too. Not good either. Even our electrician can't get the light in their hob to work.

Good luck with it Dr Matt. I think we too will be faced with some hefty oven bills next year :(

The Government is taxing Bankers bonuses to avert the gaze of the Public from the Governments own shortcomings and economic mis-management aswell as the enormous abuse by politicians of the public purse for their so called "expenses". In an economic crisis you need to blame someone!

The Government and Bank of England know well that the UK Economy has survived the last two decades by growing by using the wealth effect of inflating our property prices to ridiculous levels. I.e this Government and our regulators have presided over a vast asset bubble. they daren't burst it now as they know it would be political suicide.

However all bubbles collapse eventually. This one collapsed when US borrowers started defaualting on subprime loans that should not have been granted in the begining. This ones collapse will be accelerated by this "banker tax" as it will hit the UK South East quite hard as it will affect quite a large number of housholds. People who earn 25K+ bonuses tend to be big spenders so that tax should have quite a multiplier effect.

I was amused at Mr Darling talking about Japans "lost decade". I really dont think he knows much about it but is happy to quote from it. Their asset price collapse had nothing to do with massive banker bonuses, but still a lot to do with excessive lending and speculation.

The UK lending bubble wasn't caused by bankers bonuses as Mr Darling would have us believe. Northern Rock and small retail lenders collapsed first. That was not due to excessive bonuses…just excessive lending. This bubble has been due to regulators and the government being lax at their job. The credit rating agencies were churning out AAA ratings for sub prime "collaterased debt", which soon collapsed. They still have not been made to answer for this. Mr Blair was a huge property investor himself and I recal other Government members being quoted in newspapers as being big property owners. I am amazed at some of the huge mortgages they managed to obtain.

TJ you are wrong. Your Public sector pension is unfunded. It will come straight out of future taxpayers pockets when it is due. You are not subsidizing anyone. Private sector pensions are taken out of peoples earnings. That is not your money.

lots of their stuff seems to be like that…i wondered how they had about 30% off on Thomson stems …funny just the long ones, and only on odd sizes on seatposts.

Another tip is Tyres. Although you want to run decent sized tyres on an enduro make sure yours are not too heavy.Some of the standard specialized ones Enduros came with might be a bit hefty. A lot of the big 2.35s now come out at about 650g. I have just bought some Maxis Minion Single ply 2.35s which are quite light(about 650g) but still decent 2.35 size..

If you are 18.5 stone an Enduro is relatively "light". . Maybee you need to get the suspension sorted. It might just be too mushy or squatting back on climbs. When new they certainly are not tuned for 18.5 stone.

I climb my SX Trail Enduro with no problems at Scottish &Welsh trail centres and in the Alps. I admit the SX trail is too much bike for flat non tech XC singletrack, but it still pedals well and handles the tech stuff superbly, and great for FR stuff. The fun with an Enduro is that you can really mix your riding. I did a 60km ride in Leogang Austria on my SX Trail and it was great.. My SX trail is an 06 and is superb…It is my prefered bike on many trail riding days in the summer even in the UK..

I think Hayseed Dixie are great…saw them in Inverness a few years back…good guys

I have done most of my trail riding over the last few years on Schwalbe Fat Albert 2.35s. Schwalbe have discontinued the 2.35 & replaced them with either a 2.4 or a 2.25 I believe. I read that the new version also has a poor compound. It's a shame as the Fat Albert 2.35 has been my "best ever" all round tyre. I don't change tyres for different seasons.

Im Replacing them when they wear out with Maxis Minion 2.35 DHF single ply both front and rear. They seem a great tyre.

Lycra leggings with waterproof shorts on top work well on muddy winter trail rides..

I ride a Dialled Alpine. Im 5'8" and ride the 16" , so you would deffo need an 18" +?

Some say why "waste" an Alpine on trail riding. I dont think thats wasting it. Its a great trail bike and with my Pike 140mm forks seems to climb better than my old Cove Handjob. If you want long travel still with the right angles on a hardtail its the way to go. It does weigh 5 1/2 lbs for the frame but it certainly doesnt feel heavy at all when riding or climbing. Tyre clearance is great too. The top tube feels fairly long and it is very stable on the downhills.

I also use it on the 4X & Dual at Chicksands and it is spot on in terms of handling.

Lots of top DH riders also ride XC and even road too!!! its all riding! Ms Atherton got her injury this year from a crash sustained while training on the road…doesn't matter what you ride just enjoy it. i would leave him to his own predjudice. Doesnt sound like he is enjoying biking much anyway! There are too many people trying to judge or compete with others…

Yes its easy to run a high XC pedaling efficient seat post & leave it there, miss out the jumps and ride round the tech stuff and stay firmly on the ground…however i wouldn't define that as "man up style".
I admit that you can run a fairly high post if you use SPD's but it still limits you if you are doing drops unless you are dead certain of hitting the transition perfectly..
Trials riders do big drops and super gnarly terrain with no suspension whatever, so we can all see it isn't "essential". However they dont "man up" like you suggest and run high seat posts! If they did that they would have high voices and bust bikes.

The reason people are buying adjustable posts is that they are wanting to incorporate tech stuff into their trail ride that most riders would have left alone years ago. To do that you have to be able to move around the bike. An adjustable post saves riders having to stop to lower/raise seat posts. I think they are a great Idea. I admit they are not the thing for XC racers as the courses do not warrant it. Also for DH they are unlikely to get many buyers.

On my hardtail I still run an inline Thomson post as its strong, can drop lower than an adjustable one, plus I dont mind stopping! I did have an adjustable post on it once but i snapped it. I do use and adjustable post on my "all mountain bike" Spec SX Trail…but even then change it for a regular post if i'm doing lift assisted DH on it or just pure jumpy stuff.

Few riders totally "need" the suspension they have, they just like it and there is nothing wrong with that.. i like lots of suspension on bikes, and I also like hardtails. They all have their best uses.

The interest in tech riding is clear from the growing popularity in skills classes such as Jedi's. People want more now than just a pootle around the woods and our sport is evolving and getting more fun.

I got 18!

TF recommend any lube with Teflon. Some chain lubes have that. Just to be "perfect" I use proper Sendtec fork oil that I drip onto the seals with a neat little "Pen oiler". I let it soak in and just before the ride compress the fork a few times and wipe the stanchions with a rag to remove dirt trapped under the seals.

These precision oilers can be bought at car accesory stores for just a few quid and make adding a couple of drops of oil very easy. If you do that every ride it makes a big difference to performance and extends service interval.

I put a post up some time ago on the Story of Anvil. That film was fantastic…. my movie of the year! Very heart warming story and real genuine guys. really felt sorry for them..their wives had to take a lot too!! Tougher than having a bike mad husband! I didn't get a reply on my last post so i thought nobody here liked them…
They have been touring over here supporting Saxon as above..

I only use water to wash my bike. Muc-Off is used only as a chain degreaser and not ON the bike in case it gets into bearings.. My routine…(after mucky ride)

1)rinse bike briefly with hose. Brush mud off cassette & mech

2)Remove chain off(takes seconds with SRAM quicklink). I put chain in old plastic milk bottle with a bit of "muc-off" and give it a good shake, rinse in hot water & dry with rag. Put chain back & re lube.

3)When dry wipe fork stanchions with rag & add few drops of fork oil to fork seals.

4)Cables. I run "all the way through outers". This saves loads of time. All i need to do every few months is loosen the cable & drip TFT2 in at the top. the muck runs out at the bottom. simple & I never need to change cable outers for years. I use grease/chain oil in the front mech cable so i hardly ever need to touch that.

Good luck and get well soon! that must have been a bad old crash. Good to see you are still motivated to get out there and go for it when you get better. Zaskar looks great. Very racy!

Im biassed as im an old git and like confy bikes so no way would I run it with rigid forks!! skills lessons will help build confidence back again after you get back, and you will be a better rider than before. I had to go back to basics and rebuild after a smash a few years ago..

I dont think Acros are any better IME. I have an Acros on my new Dialled Alpine. Its now on its second bike. the reason it has lasted is that ive cleaned out the bearings twice and put in some super sticky grease. i bought a new Hope unit to replace it when it finally dies. the seals on the hope if anything look a bit better than the Acros to me.

Riding in this weather its all about what grease the BB has in it and how much! Worth topping up if u can. I like the idea of the grease guard type BBs from King. I think Pace are doing that too? Failing that Shimano are now supposed to be better now…maybe they are putting better grease in..

I think linseed oil should be left for cricket bats…it probably has no effect on rust!!

I just used Waxoyl, a car treatment. It certainly stops rust but dont use too much as if it melts it can run inside the frame and get into bbs and headsets if they are not well sealed. I use the aerosol version and just spray a bit into eack section with a thin tube borrowed from my TFT2 spray.

One other thing people mention is that if you have filled your frame with wax, a respray will be difficult as the baking process will make the wax run.. maybe just pre-heat it and run the wax out first before having a respray!!

I get MBUK but must say they come out with some howlers sometimes. Overall though I think its quite good as a "base mag" that covers all aspects of the sport. They do seem to be very "in with some advertisers" at the moment though, and some comparisons they make are a bit limited. Even so overall i would say still not a bad read. Singletrack mag has a different more mature/arty? niche & i enjoy that too.. probably a bit more!

Nice. How much does it weigh? Standover height looks good on the new Orange bikes too. Does it bob much on climbs?.. I guess its equivalent to my SX Trail (about 34lbs) & im fine climbing that up at trail centres etc…its worth it if the going down is good! I'm a coil spring fan too…never had a totally reliable airshok. Nice to be able just to get on a bike & ride & not having to check air pressure etc.. A Ti coil spring brings the weight difference fairly close too..

Very good saddle . Mine has kevlar edges and top is synthetic but durable plastic/imitation leather stuff…doesnt ever seem to get soggy. Way tougher than a flite.

Agree with above We have SMEG double Oven , SMEG Hob SMEG dishwasher. We are very dissapointed with all of them . Quality /design is rubbish, BUT they look good.

I would NOT buy that make again. Even our electrician cannot get the light in the hob to work. The oven is very smoky makes lots of noise from the fan and the temp transfers are wearing off. Their dishwashers are VERY bad…seem to be designed by someone with toy plates.

sad thing is that these pads were sintered. The previous week the rear pads that wore out were organics…they had been well bedded in by dry riding in the surrey hills. I got these new sintered bedded in by riding for 10mins in the car park trying to get them hot.

I think the big factor must be rain. On the 2 rides I wore each set of pads out, it was absolutely pi**ing down for quite a bit of the ride so the pads never got hot. They also were not used much so material may have built up in them.