Tell you what, I’m going to organise a London Bikey, which will take in many of the sights, and quite a bit of the history of the place. Probably in the Spring. I shall put up a notice nearer the time.

That would be ace! Always wanted to do something like that, but led by someone who really knows the place rather than finding my own way round.

I live in Yorkshire, and would defend it to the death! I have been to London a fair few times and I do like it, but I don’t think I would want to live there.

It takes hours to get to any decent countryside (i.e. with hills in it, don’t get me started on the South Downs please ;-)), and while there’s lots to do there doesn’t seem to be any peace, plus it doesn’t seem very friendly. I know this from prsonal experience plus the experience of close friends who have lived there for a few years.

It’s one heck of a city and it’s in England so I’m proud of it but I am still glad I live 191 miles away.

You know, on the random chance that someone who’s involved in the selection process reads this thread, you’ve just shot yourself in the foot with that comment.

I won’t worry, if someone can’t find it within 60 seconds of Googling then they probably aren’t suited to the job!

Mind you, considering that it’s a government job stabbing other people in the back might be part of the requirements. Welcome aboard!

Why would it be stabbing people in the back? It’s all about enforcing pollution controls and making sure people don’t mess up this lovely world we’ve got to make a fast buck. I know my sister could earn twice as much as an environmental consultant, a job she can easily get now with the experience she’s had, but instead chooses to make sure the planet is not polluted to smeg by illegal activities.

Can you post a link to the website where you apply?

Errr, no! I am sure you can find it but there’s no point in making MORE competition for myself!!! ;-)

Operations Manager for a large retailer, responsible for entire inventory of (millions of £’s) store, often solely responsible for customer serice and security. Risk manager and IT controller for same store. On constant call-out for security.

£16k

Retail sucks.

Mind you, the applicant who filled several paragraphs explaining how the biggest achievement in his life was completing a 1000 piece jigsaw brought a tear to my eye. I would have liked to have met this half wit/comedy genius!

I would have interviewed him on that fact alone. Would have been worth it! ;-)

The Cosywagon.

What in the name of everything that is good and pleasant is that thing thats going in the back of it???

It either looks like great fun or very painful. ;-)

Sorry, forgot to add that my sister is an EHO too.

It actually did help. I already know all those things, I was just wondering if there was some secret elixir to applying for jobs. It really is simple and straightforward, as I thought. I do take great care in spelling, grammer etc and try to sound professional but honest and like a real person.

I don’t seem to see many areas where you can put interests on application forms nowadays, and very little questions on them in interviews.

I have a fear that this will be a wasted application as my sister had an MSC in environmental stuff, mine is just Geography (which is USELESS for getting a job, curse those school career advisors). I do have a massive amount of customer service experience, conflict resolution and all that which might help though (they are looking for that).

I mostly walk. Miles and miles, it doesn’t matter where.

If you need someone to walk with let me know, it doesn’t sound like you’re having fun… :-(

I managed to turn an unhealthy obsessions with LED bike lights into a positive talking point in an interview.

Oh you would not believe what stuff I have “expanded” on in interviews, I know what you mean.

copy and paste the questions in to a word doc

Its actually a word.doc application form I am filling in to email back. :-)

This will help open your mind a lot more than a keyboard.

Good idea but I work a lot better with the PC than writing, I find writing much more frustrating.

Switch the PC off.

That won’t help with the on-line application unfortunately. ;-)

Environmental health officer. It’s a job I’ve wanted for years and they are only just recruiting again. Problem is, although I have a Geograophy degree, and I want a job in that sort of field, I’ve been a retail manager for 10 years. Why do people think you are stupid all because you work in a shop?

5thElefant, in many places, getting involved with the hunt is a fine way to meet people

It’s a bit cliquey though, they are set in their ways…

That fox-hunting thing looks a **** load of fun

It’s ok, the red coats are expensive and kinda itchy though.

Tally Ho! ;-)

i’ve no idea what was going on. probably had a little stove or kettle or something….

I’ve never been that desperate for a cuppa……

Might have been one of those plug in steamer things for veg you get at Christmas and never use.

Yeah I see that, I just think another type of bike would be better, just a bit of a waste if you weren’t going to use it as intended. But if there is a skatepark on the way home thats another matter!! Why not on the way TO work as well?

Yeah at a race. :-(
Anyone else here remember the Malverns Classic?
Third one I went to had a lot of locals there, beer tent got WAY out of control and serious trouble ensued. The Sunday was cancelled and I didn’t ride my MTB for a long time after that. It was very sad. I think it was about 1993/4.

I competed in the XC and dual slalom. I was only a handful of people using flat BMX pedals on my Kilauea, with magura hydrostops (which cost me £280 for a full set!!!!!!!)

Better chainring clearance in the future?
So do the ones you sell now still get so much chain suck the chain eats through the chainstay until it snaps? Just like my brothers did and mine was starting to?

Interesting.

I think the thrills you get are amazing. However the reason I stopped BMX was that I didn’t have hours of time to practice new stuff and I was finding it harder and harder. I simply wasn’t having fun anymore as I didn’t progress as my friends were. I wish I had started as a youngster.

Just for kids? Are you joking? Watch Joe Kid on a Stingray (it will amaze you, it nearly got me back into BMX) and say that again! If you start at, say 14 I reckon by 18-21 you’ll be pretty good if you try hard. Better to start young i think but don’t let that put you off, especially if it’s trails or street you want to do.

Commuting on a BMX? That’s like doing it on a downhill bike, pointless, harder, a waste of a bike, and you’ll look like a dork.
Plus while we might respect you for having a BMX, you will never live it down when your workmates see you.

I stopped riding MTB’s shortly after the third Malvern Hills Classic, the one where someone ended up getting stabbed (to death, I can’t remember). I rode street, park and flatland BMX. My biggest discovery was that it is unbelievably hard. Most BMX takes huge amounts of guts, the ability to take pain on a regular basis and practice practice practice.

Riding trails (not singletrack, those huuuuge jumps dug out in sets) is amazing and possibly the safest, practice small and work your way up. Again guts are required as those doubles have no middle. :-)

Street riding is probably the most accessible and will teach you loads of good tecnique for that technical singletrack. I can bunnyhop a flat pedal MTB after years (I was a slow learner) of street riding. It is a bit harsh on bikes but all bikes are a lot better now and parts are über cheap compared to MTB’s. If you live in a city it’s something you MUST do.

Skatepark riding is what most people do as well as the above, as it’s generally indoors so an all year round thing. Good place to learn and there WILL be someone worse than you there. Learn the etiquette of skateparks first and you’ll be fine. There are some free outdoor skateparks around, certainly more than when I started.

Flatland is fun to mess around with and all the top riders have some flatland skills. However it is by far and away the hardest discipline you can do. And I’m comparing it with ANY form of cycling. Top pro flatlanders have ridden nothing else for 10+ years, 6/7 hours a day. It really is that hard but the kick from pulling stuff is amazing, I know.

Racing is good too, but not as fun and you can always ride most tracks anyway.

As far as a bike goes, spending £300 on a new one is the best idea. Second hand ones may have all sorts of stuff on them which isn’t suitable for you, could have easily led a hard life and may also put you off in the end. Stick with one of the big brands, get 3 piece cranks and 14mm axles and a cromo frame and you can’t go too wrong. It’s the same as us telling someone to buy a £400 specialized.

Email me if you want any other ideas.

Phew! (typed on phone!!)

My wife has a 12.5″ GT but I’m not sure if they do that size anymore. She was recently VERY impressed with the specialized range of small ladies bikes. You may have to travel a bit to try out the right frame size though. One thing I learnt was not to be snobby about the components, just get the right fit even if you have to go for a lower spec, it’s more important.

Rudeboy, can you be my spokesperson please? Very well said. :-)

DONK, well said.

Exactly. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that happens to Christians in other countries. Not just the obvious ones either, ones which you may have been on holiday too.

Exactly. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff that happens to Christians in other countries. Not just the obvious ones either, ones which you may have been on holiday too.

Hey you know what? I just thanked God for this discussion, you can thank someone else if you want. Why? Well, at least we CAN discuss this openly. I hear of too many places where this sort of discussion, and even more so the practice of my faith, could land me (and others) in jail/tortured/killed etc.

Did I mention my new bike arrives tomorrow? ;-D

I start asking the JW’s questions they can’t possibly answer. Stops them bothering other people as I take up all their time. It’s a service I provide for free. Thank you. :-)

Aaah I see the insults have started, thanks. Ok surfer, I’ll do you a deal, I will listen to whatever you have to say about the tooth fairy, no problem. Go ahead, please enlighten me. And I’m not being sarcastic.

You can ridicule me too, no problem. Whatya got next?

What do you mean by the first and second bible by the way?

GNAR, Yes they did find him :-)

Surfer, you need to check out a bible a bit. No one gets a greater reward for doing “good things”, everyone is treated equally if they believe. Read about the thief on the cross for example.

I_did_dab, that is the whole point, thanks. :-)
Actually, I don’t generally ride on Sundays, not because I think it’s wrong, it’s because I’m busy most of the day! I do go out on a Sunday afternoon sometimes. Saturday is better anyway, less walkers and tourists around.

I’m certainly not selective in who I talk to, 2 of my best friends are, or more accurately were, a bank robber and a drug dealer. You just have to show love and compassion and hopefully someone will see a difference in you that will make them inquisitive to know more. If they aren’t interested then that’s ok, it’s their decision.

I’m not fit. Anyway I’m married. :-)

BTW, I’ve never cross threaded a pedal ever. Surely it can’t be done, it’s such a large thread?

I did snap some cranks once, and did bend some Profile BMX cranks once too.

Yeah, it’s those washers I need. I quite often take my pedals off to transport the bike or to put on my road bike (I use flat pedals and they stick out a fair bit when you are putting the bike in the back of the car). I don’t do them up too tight, just nicely snug (not really an accurate guage I know) but I think more modern cranks seem to suffer from the chewing up problem more.

I want to put them on this time as I can feel, occasionally, as if the pedal axle is bent. I used to get this all the time riding street BMX and you can easily feel the problem, but am I suspecting is because the pedals are not meeting the crankarm squarely.

DezB, I’ll send you a mail, you’re a star. :-)

If it’s all the same, I’d rather buy a 50p washer and make them last a few months longer.

They aren’t “cheap” to me either, buying this bike is a major financial commitment to me and I want to look after it.

And the wi-fi is miiiiiles faster than 3G.

Suitably chunky.

:-)